This year, most Houston Astros fans are much too busy sizing their replica World Series Championship rings, and still choosing, among dozens, which “Champ”-emblazoned hoodies or caps to commemorate the occasion. They don’t have time to rifle through voluminous mock drafts that clutter the net.

While there’s plenty of attention deservedly on the current defending world champs, the draft and future impact of the organization cannot be overlooked. The pundits have provided plenty regarding the MLB First Year Player Draft, to be held June 4, 5, & 6 in Secaucus, NJ.

The Detroit Tigers own the first selection this year, as they (similar to the Astros for a few years in the past decade) had the worst record in baseball last season. The Astros will choose at the 28th position, leaving Houston’s war room charged with keeping track of all who went before, possibly laying waste to many of the team’s top projections along the way. Other Astros picks, this year, are #69 (second round), #99 (third), #129 (fourth), and #159 (fifth).

The Astros’ top brass will set up their draft war room, this year, at their spring training facility at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches complex.

Astros Are On The Clock, and Select, In The First Round…

Jonathan Mayo, in his April 30 mock on MLB.com, likes Connor Scott, the lefty outfielder from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. Yep, that same prepper that whelped brothers Preston and Kyle Tucker, the former now with Atlanta, and the younger Tucker, knocking on Houston’s door with their AAA Fresno affiliate. Scott shares many of Kyle’s skills, like speed, a good arm, and contact, with scouts feeling he can add power as he matures.

Nick Snider of draftsite.com, however, has the 6’4″, 180-pound Scott going to Kansas City for their second-round pick (#38 overall), but has landed on Kentucky RHP Sean Hjelle for Houston’s first-rounder. Sean’s last name is pronounced “Jelly,” and of course, that’s his nickname.

Talkingchop.com has Hjelle’s stock trending downward lately, asserting that while he has great control for a near-7-footer, “he doesn’t throw hard and doesn’t strike many guys out. That leads to more contact and more hits. This past week, Hjelle got hit hard, giving up 10 hits in a little over 5 innings of work.”

A team that drafts him might consider him a project, of sorts, possibly working to have him add some beef to his bones, and maybe pointing him to the bullpen.

Nonetheless, sportscasters are queuing up to be the ones to announce that the 6’11”, 215-pound “Jelly” is in a “jam,” or that a great infield stab “preserves” his no-hitter. He’s got a good sense of humor, if his Twitter account (@Hjellebean) is any indication: “Giraffe by profession, Minnesotan by nature.” Houston fans would look forward to Hjelle/Altuve photo shoots, or “Twin Towers” bobblehead giveaways.

Related: Astros Draft Prospect: All Eyes On 6’11” Kentucky Pitcher, Sean Hjelle

20-80 Baseball has Hjelle being nabbed by Washington at #27, just before Houston’s spot, preferring to project the ‘Stros grabbing Roncalli (Indianapolis) High School OF, lefty Nick Schnell, a 5-tool talent who –you guessed it– “isn’t dissimilar from that of Kyle Tucker. the Astros’ fifth overall selection in 2015, though Schnell has a better chance to stick in centerfield long-term [as opposed to Tucker’s corner OF projection].”

Talking Chop, in discussing Schnell, raves, “I think I found this year’s Drew Waters [second-round Braves pick last year, a CF currently in Class A]. [Schnell] has a lot of helium right now, too, with the way he’s hitting and displaying power. He might also be a tick faster than Waters too, but from what I’ve been reading scouts expect him to be just above average.” Schnell, however, might be a tough sign, as he has committed to Louisville.

Perfectgame.org thinks Connor Scott will go #26 to the Red Sox, with Hjelle #32 to Tampa Bay. In Houston’s spot, they land on the legacy pick of Ryan Weathers, son of 19-year MLB pitcher, right-hander David Weathers (an Astro for a portion of 2004). Weathers, the younger, is a lefty prep pitcher out of Loretto, TN. He’s husky at 6’2″, 225, and Perfect Game opines that Weathers “represents the best player available [at this spot]. Though the Vanderbilt commit is more polish than power, he’s been up to 95 this spring while showing feel for secondaries.”

MLB has Weathers at #22 to Colorado, while Draftsite pins Weathers at #21 to Milwaukee and 20-80 Baseball puts him at #20 with the Twins.

FanGraphs chimes in with notes on a few of the previously-mentioned possible Astro picks: “The Blue Jays are rumored to be on Florida prep CF Connor Scott, as is Texas (#15), among others clubs in the Nos. 10-20 range, while the Nationals are tied to Stanford RHP Tristan Beck and Kentucky’s Sean Hjelle.”

247 Sports, while slotting Weathers in at #19 to the Cards and Hjelle to the Cubs at #24 (as does MLB), likes 6’2″, 195-pound Orange (CA) Lutheran High RHP Cole Winn for Houston. Originally from Colorado, Winn is spending this, his senior year, at Astro ace Gerrit Cole’s Orange County alma mater.

247 Sports weighs in on Houston’s draft strategy: “The Astros are a team that, in general, tend to be all over the board. They are a well-run front office who often takes the best player on the board. They have shown a tendency to go with prep talent but, if a sliding college player is there, they will pounce.”

MyMLBDraft.com, for Houston, lands on 6’6″, 210-pound RHP Ethan Hankins from Georgia’s Forsyth Central High School.

Blessyouboys.com says this about Hankins, saddled with bad timing on a shoulder issue: “All last summer, prep right-hander Ethan Hankins was dropping jaws with his explosive fastball-slider combination and advanced command. A bout with shoulder inflammation in February cooled his rapid rise, though. From looking like a top five pick, Hankins slipped to the point where some expected him to fall into the second round. However, the shoulder issue turned out to be a mild muscle strain with no apparent structural damage. While Hankins is just getting his full velocity back in recent weeks, a team in the top 10 is once again likely to reach a bit for Hankins because of his enormous upside.

“ESPN’s Keith Law initially had Hankins ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the draft. However, Hankins’ stuff never fully returned this spring when the most eyes were on him, and with his senior season now over, he doesn’t have much in the way of opportunities to recover his stock. A team will need a leap of faith to take him top 10. However, it seems like there are still a few teams who won’t let him fall past that point. With a modestly strong commitment to Vanderbilt, he probably needs to be taken in the top half of the first round, or a team may have a difficult signing on their hands.”

Related: Astros 2018 Draft Prospect: Prep CF Mike Siani, A Lefty George Springer?