"The negotiations between the Astros and the No. 11 overall pick of the 2011 draft went to the 11th hour.

Ultimately, though, the Astros landed their man, University of Connecticut center fielder George Springer, in time to beat the 11 p.m. Monday signing deadline.

The Astros announced the agreement with Springer, touted by some scouts as the college position player who has the most potential star power, after a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Astros also reached an agreement with righthanded pitcher Jack Armstrong, a third-round pick from Vanderbilt, to give them a 1.000 batting average with their first 13 selections. The only player the Astros didn't sign among their first 17 picks was Lufkin High righthanded pitcher Gandy Stubblefield, a 14th-rounder who has signed a national letter of intent with Texas A&M.

"With two minutes and 15 seconds left, we got our No. 1 signed," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "Literally."

Springer, who turns 22 on Sept. 19, had a .343/.450/.608 batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage line this past season as a junior, belting 12 homers and driving in 77 runs while stealing 31 bases in 66 games. The Astros signed him for $2.525 million, above the slot value of $1.791 million set by Major League Baseball.

The 6-7, 225-pound Armstrong, whose father is a former major league pitcher, regularly hits the 95 mph range with his fastball but presented health concerns. A back injury limited Armstrong, 21, to 17 innings this past season at Vanderbilt. Armstrong was 0-1 with a 2.65 ERA, allowing only six hits but walking 18 while striking out 17 working out of the bullpen. He pitched for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cad League this summer in hopes of alleviating concerns about his health and went 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out 14. The negotiations between the Astros and the No. 11 overall pick of the 2011 draft went to the 11th hour.

Ultimately, though, the Astros landed their man, University of Connecticut center fielder George Springer, in time to beat the 11 p.m. Monday signing deadline.

The Astros announced the agreement with Springer, touted by some scouts as the college position player who has the most potential star power, after a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Astros also reached an agreement with righthanded pitcher Jack Armstrong, a third-round pick from Vanderbilt, to give them a 1.000 batting average with their first 13 selections. The only player the Astros didn't sign among their first 17 picks was Lufkin High righthanded pitcher Gandy Stubblefield, a 14th-rounder who has signed a national letter of intent with Texas A&M."