HOUSTON -- Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, the coastal bend town and home of the Astros¡¯ Double-A affiliate, Walker Janek was a big Astros fan. He made regular trips to Whataburger Field and remembers seeing prospects like Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman make their way through the system.

In fact, Janek said his entire family loves the Astros, so you can only imagine the thrill in the Janek household Sunday night when Houston made the Sam Houston catcher its top pick (No. 28 overall) in the MLB Draft.

¡°I had zero idea who was going to take me,¡± he said. ¡°I was kind of stressing out on the couch there, and once it finally happened, it was a surreal moment. I really think it hasn¡¯t hit me yet. I feel I¡¯m still in awe. I¡¯m super excited and ready to play.¡±

MLB.com's No. 24 overall Draft prospect, Janek is the top-ranked catcher in this year¡¯s class after being overlooked by big league clubs and major college programs out of high school. As a junior at Sam Houston, he hit .368/.480/.714 with 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases this season en route to winning the Buster Posey Award as the best catcher in college baseball.

¡°He was the top guy on our board for nine or 10 picks,¡± Astros director of amateur scouting Cam Pendino said. ¡°We did not think he was going to be there, frankly. For him to get all the way down there, we were pumped."

Janek has proven himself a strong defender behind the plate, with solid blocking and framing skills and a strong throwing arm to hold baserunners at bay. He was awarded for his work with the gear on this season, winning Conference USA's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award.

¡°Walker, we feel, has a chance to be a really premium defender at a premium position,¡± Pendino said. ¡°Upon his entry into pro ball, he¡¯s going to be one of the most athletic catchers in professional baseball from our perspective. He¡¯s a really, really good athlete. He has a track record of hitting at Sam Houston State, both for average and for power.

¡°On the defensive front, he threw out over half of [the] runners trying to steal bases on him. We think this is a guy who's going to provide value offensively, defensively and on the baserunning front as well.¡±

Astros senior director of amateur scouting Deric Ladnier said Janek's arm accuracy is as good as he¡¯s seen in a long time.

¡°Because he is an offensive-oriented catcher, with those traits, he¡¯s somebody, in my own opinion, who can get through our organization quickly and help us at the Major League level sooner than later, which was very appealing to us as well,¡± he said. ¡°In our opinion, he is the best catcher in this Draft class.¡±

Janek¡¯s athleticism gives him room to improve at catcher and opportunities to move around the diamond if it doesn¡¯t work out back there. He¡¯s filled in at third base, second base and all three outfield spots during his time at Sam Houston, which bodes well for his chances of making an impact at the MLB level.

While he chases out of the zone more often than he should, Janek¡¯s broad set of skills on both sides of the ball -- boosted by a breakout in the power department this season -- makes him one of the higher-floor prospects in this year¡¯s Draft.

¡°He¡¯s a good player,¡± Sam Houston coach Jay Sirianni said. ¡°He can really catch and throw, can steal strikes. He can really receive. I think as his career went along here, he always had power, even as a freshman, but he kind of learned to shrink the zone, control the zone better. And I guess become more of a complete hitter.¡±

Despite Janek's athleticism, the Astros plan on keeping him behind the plate. Houston, of course, has an up-and-coming young catcher in Yainer Diaz, but Pendino said the goal is to always take the best player available.

¡°It¡¯s no secret that you have to control the run game, and [Janek is] one of the best in the country at doing that,¡± Pendino said. ¡°We sent catching footage to different members of our staff to evaluate. We feel really good about the defense in terms of the receiving [and] the mobility back there in terms of the athleticism. He has the ability to withstand the course of a professional season, not to mention the intangible side of catching as well.¡±