Top Prospects Series
Below is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Houston Astros. Scouting studies have been compiled with data offered by business sources in addition to our personal observations. This is the third 12 months we’re delineating between two anticipated reduction roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “position” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning reduction pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning reduction pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the 12 months a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual changes are made the place they appear applicable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Value) means may be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview may be discovered right here.
All of the ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the positioning provides that includes sortable scouting data for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan knowledge from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each group’s checklist so readers can examine prospects throughout farm methods. It may be discovered right here.
Other Prospects of Note
Grouped by sort and listed so as of choice inside every class.
Young, High-Variance Guys
German Ramirez, SS
Carlos Espinosa, RHP
Waner Luciano, 3B
Tyler Whitaker, 3B/OF
Alejandro Nunez, SS
Ramirez signed for $1.2 million in January. He’s a modern and agile shortstop who must get stronger with the intention to have a purposeful swing and viable shortstop arm power. He’s within the DSL and doesn’t flip 17 till the tip of July, in order that’s not stunning. Espinosa is an athletic 21-year-old Cuban who’s a comparatively projectable 6-foot-2. He’s working within the 94-95 mph vary and has touched 97 this 12 months. His slider is nearer to common and his changeup is manner beneath. Luciano is a thicker rookie-level bat who hit for energy within the 2022 DSL. He has reverse bodily projection, a very good arm, and made a variety of in-zone contact final 12 months. Whitaker was a low-probability power-over-hit highschool prospect who’s off to a very good begin repeating Low-A. Nunez is a teenage lefty-hitting shortstop from Mexico who’s a skills-over-tools sort for the time being. He additionally made a ton of DSL contact in 2022. Luciano, Espinosa, and Nunez are all on the Complex League roster.
Athletes and Frames
Jordan Brewer, OF/1B
Cristian Gonzalez, SS
Quincy Hamilton, OF
Narbe Cruz, INF
Collin Price, C
Zachary Cole, CF
Tim Borden II, 3B
This total group seems the half within the uniform. Brewer, now 25, just lately received into rehab video games after he had a second surgical procedure on his hand; he had hamate surgical procedure final 12 months. A late-bloomer backwards man from Michigan, it appeared like issues may be clicking for Brewer in 2021, however he hasn’t performed a lot of the final two years because of damage. Gonzalez had knee surgical procedure and is on the 60-day IL. He’s a good shortstop with a very good baseball body, above-average bat pace, and 0 really feel for contact. Hamilton was one other older school draft choose in the identical 12 months as Loperfido. He’s a slash-and-dash all-fields sort who doesn’t have the texture for middle area. Cruz may be very projectable and has fairly good really feel for the barrel, however he isn’t a very good defensive infielder. He’s enjoying all around the infield at Fayetteville and is price protecting tabs on. Price is a slow-twitch 6-foot-6 catching prospect from Mercer. His receiving has been tough in our seems, however to this point he’s hitting okay. Cole, additionally at Fayetteville, was Houston’s 2022 tenth rounder out of Ball State. He’s an influence/pace prospect with a 20-grade bat. Borden is a power-over-hit infielder at present hacking away at Asheville.
More Riding Fastball Guys
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP
Parker Mushinski, LHP
Miguel Ullola, RHP
Joey Mancini, RHP
Deylen Miley, RHP
Jaime Melendez, RHP
Cole McDonald, RHP
All of those guys have fastballs that play on the high of the strike zone. Blubaugh, a 2022 seventh rounder from UW Milwaukee, sits 92 mph and fills the zone with a driving fastball. Mushinski is a superbly nice upper-level depth lefty who mixes 4 40/45-grade pitches very evenly, and often throws strikes. Ullola’s velo has backed up a few ticks; he’s sitting nearer to 92 than his 2022 mid-90s warmth. He’s by no means actually thrown strikes and wishes all that velo. Mancini (a 2022 fifteenth rounder from Boston College) and Miley (2021 undrafted out of Bellarmine) every sit 92 with plus rise (Mancini’s is arguably plus-plus). Melendez is a 5-foot-8 human trebuchet with mid-90s warmth that isn’t lacking as many bats this 12 months. McDonald had a fastball/slider combo and his overhand arm slot creates massive depth on the slider. He’s truly among the many org’s swinging strike leaders, however scouts don’t suppose it is going to maintain up.
System Overview
After years of churning out influence pitcher after influence pitcher (together with Hunter Brown), there’s out of the blue a dearth of them right here. There isn’t a scarcity of fascinating dudes, however there are mainly no near-ready influence arms except for Brown. Once different groups began competing for a similar underlying traits that the Astros coveted, it turned tougher to seek out undervalued guys. As a lot of the remainder of the business has pivoted to caring about launch peak and fastball angles, even when which means focusing on pitchers whose decrease slots impart tailing motion (however nonetheless uphill angle) on their heaters, the Astros have principally stayed true to their vertical slot pitching prospects, and they’re much extra widespread on this system than anybody who seems like Kyle Harrison or Cooper Hjerpe.
Cuba stays a giant a part of what the Astros do internationally. Any time you hear about Cuban exercises happening throughout this a part of the signing calendar, you possibly can depend on the Astros (and Cardinals, Marlins, White Sox and A’s), who are likely to have pool area left for gamers like this, kicking the tires. Several of the previous few years’ Cuban signees on this system look actually fascinating.
Without a lot pitching to talk of, the power of this method is now its bodily, toolsy outfielders. For a group that the world believes is obsessive about analytics and solely analytics, Houston’s system certain does have a variety of underwear fashions. Big, quick athletes with energy and questionable hit instruments are up and down this method. Some of them arrived with these physiques, whereas others are clearly benefitting from an efficient power program. Both Drew Gilbert and Jacob Melton have been spectacular school athletes who, in lower than a 12 months, look markedly stronger than they did earlier than they signed.
With Dana Brown now operating the present, will any of Houston’s method to scouting change? Remember that Atlanta has DNA from Houston’s entrance workplace. Like Houston, the Braves have considerably altered how they do professional scouting, so it’s truthful to anticipate comparatively few boots-on-the-ground Astros scouts whilst we’re additional and additional faraway from the Luhnow period. Brown was Atlanta’s beginner director, and clearly the Braves have been glorious at beginner scouting, utilizing a extra balanced eyeball/knowledge combo that targets arrow-up guys and two-way athletes.
Overall, this method is common; as Brown and Diaz graduate, it falls beneath. It’s slightly imbalanced because of the lack of pitching, but it surely’s near the center of the league by way of depth.
Content Source: blogs.fangraphs.com