Astros nab slugger Gilbert in MLB Draft: 'If I didn’t have the people around me at Tennessee, I would not be where I am now'

The Houston Astros used the 28th overall pick of the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft to take University of Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert on Sunday, per a report on the team’s website.

According to the Astros, the 21-year-old southpaw joined the Volunteers as a two-way player before eventually settling into the centerfield position. 

“If I didn’t have the people around me at Tennessee, I would not be where I am now,” Gilbert said in the report.

Since the departures of 2017 World Series hero George Springer to Toronto two years ago and Myles Straw to Cleveland last year, center fielder has been a position of need for Houston.

The report said that the Astros nabbed the 5-foot-9 Gilbert's competitiveness, defense and his productivity and prowess at the plate.

As a junior matriculating at Tennessee, he compiled a batting average of .362 in addition to swatting 21 doubles, four triples, 11 homeruns (HR) and 71 runs batted in (RBI) through 58 games, the Astros’ website reported.

According to the report, Gilbert helped the Volunteers become the top collegiate baseball program in the nation during the just-concluded season.

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed as he took home the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament Most Valuable Player and was named to the SEC All-Defensive team and the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-American first team, the report said.

According to his biography on the Tennessee baseball team’s website, Gilbert hails from Stillwater, Minnesota, where, as a member of the Stillwater Area High School (SAHS) program, he was the No. 1 player in the state.

Originally a pitcher, he helped the Ponies capture the state championship as a junior and was a selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Gilbert took to Twitter to express his excitement after getting the call from the Astros.

“HOUSTON!!!!” he tweeted.

After the Gilbert pick, Houston used its remaining selections of the day to pick up Oregon State outfielder Jacob Melton and right-handed hurler Andrew Taylor from Central Michigan, the report said.

The Astros have begun the All-Star break and will resume the second half of their season with a doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on Thursday.