The Astros have officially signed Mark Appel, the first overall pick in this year's Major League Baseball draft.

Appel was 10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA as a senior at Stanford this season.

The right-hander is an Astros fan who grew up in west Houston before moving to California at the age of 12.

"I talked to him and told him 'Welcome home,'" Jeff Luhnow said on draft night. "It's a kid's dream to go first in the country, first in the draft and to be taken by your hometown team. It just doesn't get any better than that. It's also really a great opportunity for us."