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With the 17th pick of the MLB Draft, the Houston Astros selected left-hander Wes Mendes from Florida State.<\/p>\n
\u201cMendes pitched as a reliever with Ole Miss as a freshman in 2024, then moved to Florida State as a sophomore in 2025, taking on a full-time starting role for the Seminoles. He had a breakout 2026 season and was named the ACC pitcher of the year. Mendes posted a 2.81 ERA over 16 starts and 93 innings, with a career-high 32.6% strikeout rate and career-low 6.5% walk rate. Mendes has a solid frame at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and throws with a loose arm action from a three-quarters slot. He has a deep mix of five distinct pitches and has improved his strike-throwing significantly as a junior. Mendes has a four-seam fastball that averages 92.5 mph and has been up to 96. It\u2019s an average pitch with average life and power, but he threw it for strikes 70% of the time this spring to set up his secondaries. An upper-80s cutter was a new addition to his mix in 2026 and serves as a solid strike offering and bridge to his breaking pitches and changeup. Mendes\u2019 low-80s changeup is his most consistent secondary and is the pitch that generates the most whiffs in his mix. It\u2019s a potential plus offering and one of the more reliable changeups in the college class. He also throws a gyro slider in the mid 80s and a top-down curveball in the upper 70s with solid finish.\u201d \u2013 Baseball America<\/p>\n
Wes Mendes is yet another player who, the first words out of the broadcast were \u201chigh floor\u201d<\/p>\n
He has a wicked changeup, and a fastball with potential. and another pitcher with a deep mix with 4S, CH, SL, CT, CB. pic.twitter.com\/lHOgi9Tazf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 jackson (@foreverstros) July 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Wes Mendes is immediately the top left-handed pitching prospect in the system. Congratulations to Wes for being drafted to the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/p>\n \n Also be sure to follow on X, @AstrosFuture<\/a>, follow me on Instagram, @AstrosFuture<\/a> and like my Facebook page, facebook.com\/AstrosFuture<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t\t\t