Houston Astros draft prospect Logan Hughes speaks to the media before an MLB baseball game in Houston, Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros draft prospect Jack Radel, right, visits with manager Joe Espada before an MLB baseball game in Houston, Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros draft prospect Jack Radel speaks to the media before an MLB baseball game in Houston, Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
The Houston Astros signed their top two picks in this year’s draft Wednesday, officially adding outfielder Logan Hughes and right-handed pitcher Jack Radel to their system.
Hughes, the No. 17 overall pick out of Texas Tech, and Radel, drafted at No. 28 out of Notre Dame, were at Daikin Park to sign and watched batting practice near the dugout before the Astros’ game against the Marlins, meeting manager Joe Espada and some current players.
Hughes received a $3.41 million signing bonus and Radel signed for a $3 million bonus, according to a person with knowledge of the terms. Slot value was $4,868,600 for the No. 17 pick and $3,363,600 for the No. 28 pick this year.
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Signing their top two picks to under-slot bonuses would allow the Astros to allocate more resources to trying to sign their four high school draft picks: infielders Keon Johnson (3rd round), Beau Peterson (4th), Jack Beck (13th) and James Tronstein (15th). Teams have until July 27 to sign their draft picks.
Hughes, a left-handed hitter from Deland, Fla., said the start of his professional career “feels real” after he signed his paperwork Wednesday.
“It went from a dream to reality,” Hughes said in the Daikin Park dugout. “It went from something that I hope to accomplish to something that I can accomplish and something I hope to achieve rather quickly.”
On draft day, Astros director of amateur scouting Cam Pendino said Houston viewed Hughes as “one of the best bats in the draft.” In two seasons at Texas Tech, the 21-year-old hit 37 home runs and recorded more walks (76) than strikeouts (57).
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The Astros brought Hughes to a pre-draft workout at Daikin Park, where Pendino said he “stood out for the bat and his power.” Still, Hughes said his expectations were “all over the place” on draft day, which he spent with his parents, younger brother and fiancée.
“I was hoping, I was dreaming of the ’Stros,” Hughes said. “And just to get that call that they’re picking me, I mean, it was exciting, it was a relief, it was awesome. Everything I dreamed of.”
The Astros plan to send their draft class to their minor-league facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., after the signing deadline to begin their entry into the organization. Hughes, who will play outfield and first base initially, said he hopes “to get assigned somewhere and just rake and keep raking and go from there.”
Radel, a 6-foot-5 right-hander from Sioux Falls, S.D., played three seasons at Notre Dame, which he said was the lone Division I program to offer him a spot out of high school. His strikeout numbers jumped in his junior year, as he posted a 3.29 ERA with 116 strikeouts and 22 walks in 87 2/3 innings.
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“Going there, you know you’re going to get good development, good academics,” Radel said. “And then I needed to upgrade my arsenal a little bit, add some stuff to it to get more strikeouts, so they definitely helped out a lot with that.”
The Astros were intrigued by Radel’s fastball, which sat 94-95 mph and reached 98 mph, and think they can help improve his secondary pitches, Pendino said this month. Radel said he met with the Astros at the draft combine in June and talked with their area scout last fall but was unsure where he would land.
“On draft day, I was pacing back and forth in the bedroom with my family,” Radel said. “Getting the call from my agent that I was going to be drafted by the Houston Astros, knowing they’re a winning culture and what they do here and with development, kind of overran with joy.”
Radel, drafted with the prospect promotion incentive pick Houston received due to Hunter Brown’s top-three AL Cy Young finish last year, offered a name that may intrigue Astros fans when asked if there is a pitcher he emulates.
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“I like to compare myself to being Nolan Ryan — that’s who I want to be when I grow up, when I get older,” Radel said. “He’s a workhorse, he’s a bulldog on the mound, and that’s kind of how I like to pitch.”
The Astros had four of the first 93 picks in this year’s draft, a consequential opportunity to add to a farm system widely ranked among baseball’s thinnest by outside evaluations. The 22 players Houston drafted included nine pitchers and 13 position players, two of those catchers.