The Astros’ system has been regarded as one of the lower-graded farms in recent years, and while it is still not one of the top farms in the sport, it has some interesting players that are close to the MLB level.
Head over to the Pitcher List dynasty page to check out the other prospect rankings already published.
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- AL Central: Tigers, Guardians, Twins, White Sox, Royals
Top Astros Prospects
The Top Tier
1) Cam Smith – 3B, 22 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+/AA): .313 AVG | .396 OBP | .609 SLG | 7 HR | 2 SB | 17.9 K% | 11.2 BB%
Of the first-round draftees of the 2024 draft, not many, if any, performed better in their pro debuts than Smith. The third baseman played across three levels, logging 32 games, and looked good at every stop. This followed up a stellar season for Smith at Florida State, where he slugged an eye-popping .654 in 66 games.
You are probably familiar with Smith’s journey since being drafted: those 2024 minor league numbers came for the Cubs organization after Chicago had used the 14th pick in the draft to select the infielder. But Chicago made a go-for-it move this offseason, trading for Kyle Tucker, and Smith was the top prospect heading back to Houston in that exchange.
The change in organizations gives a slight bump to Smith’s dynasty value. There aren’t many ballparks in the majors that are this friendly to right-handed bats, so Smith’s power numbers should up.
2) Jacob Melton – OF, 24 YO
2024 Stats (AA/AAA): .253 AVG | .310 OBP | .426 SLG | 15 HR | 30 SB | 23.5 K% | 7.0 BB%
Melton technically has a higher fantasy ceiling than Smith, just because he has a good blend of power and speed, as evidenced by his 15 home runs and 30 steals across 105 minor league games in 2024. That 15/30 season was actually a step back from his production in 2023 when the outfielder tallied 23 home runs and 46 steals in 99 games.
So, generally speaking, Melton’s 2024, while solid, was a slight step back from his prior season. That’s not a surprise given that he was playing in the upper minors in 2024. The 24-year-old is knocking on the door of his major league debut, and given that Houston is currently slated to start Taylor Trammell in its outfield, that debut could come soon.
3) Brice Matthews – SS, 23 YO
2024 Stats (CPX/A+/AA/AAA): .265 AVG | .384 OBP | .481 SLG | 15 HR | 32 SB | 31.4 K% | 13.4 BB%
We saw the good and the bad with Matthews in 2024. The shortstop played in almost every level of the minors last season – a result of him missing a few weeks due to a back injury – and finished a 72-game campaign with 15 home runs and 23 steals. If you prorate that out to a full season, you are looking at someone who hits 30 home runs and swipes 60 bags. There are very few prospects throughout the sport that possess that type of upside, especially for fantasy purposes, so in some ways, Matthews feels a bit overlooked.
The knock on Matthews, and the most likely reason that some evaluators are down on him, is his high strikeout rate. He finished 2024 with a 31.4% mark, and although it was only a 12-game sample, he went down on strikes close to 40% of the time against Triple-A pitching. It’s likely that even in the best of worlds, Matthews’ strikeout rates hover around 30% in the majors, in which case his fantasy production could look like someone in between Zack Gelof and Oneil Cruz. But it’s also possible that his strikeout rate in the majors is too high to make him a full-time player.
4) Luis Baez – OF, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A+/AA): .258 AVG | .301 OBP | .462 SLG | 21 HR | 11 SB | 26.1 K% | 6.4 BB%
Baez had a nice 2024, knocking out 21 home runs and hitting .258 in 106 games, most of which came at High-A. That’s a solid campaign for a 20-year-old playing against mostly older competition and further solidified Baez as a power-hitting corner outfield bat. The outfielder did undergo thumb surgery at the end of the season, but it should not impact him for 2025.
Like Matthews above, Baez will need to prove that he can keep his strikeouts in check as he climbs the minor league ladder. Matthews, despite his strikeouts, was an OBP machine. The same can’t be said for Baez who walked just 6.4% of the time. There is a good chance that 2025 will require some adjustments in Double-A.
5) Zach Dezenzo – INF/OF, 24 YO
2024 Stats (CPX/AA/AAA): .299 AVG | .385 OBP | .492 SLG | 7 HR | 5 SB | 22.6 K% | 11.5 BB%
2024 Stats (MLB): .242 AVG | .277 OBP | .371 SLG | 2 HR | 0 SB | 33.8 K% | 4.6 BB%
Dezenzo dealt with a wrist injury in the spring, causing him to miss some games and get off to a slow start at Double-A. He really found his groove at Triple-A, where he hit .333 with five home runs in 25 games, and even got a few tastes of big league action, though his walk and strikeout rates sprinted to the extremes against MLB pitching.
Dezenzo is an interesting profile because he’s filled in at first, second, and third base in the minors, and Houston even gave him some run in the outfield last year. He’s got good power (.226 ISO in 2023 and .193 in the minors last year), but he’s entering his age-25 season without all that many games of experience above Double-A. It seems his most likely outcome is a corner bat with good power and a low batting average.
6) Anderson Brito – P, 20 YO
2024 Stats (DSL/CPX/A): 53.2 IP | 1.51 ERA | 38.9 K% | 10.0 BB%
Last season marked Brito’s professional debut, and as a 19-year-old out of Venezuela, he started at the bottom of the minor league ladder where he simply overpowered younger hitters. In those 22.1 DSL innings, Brito sent down a laughable 46.5% of hitters on strikes, earning him a stateside promotion. The flame-throwing righty tossed four shutout innings at the Complex League before closing the season with 27.1 frames at Low-A.
He looked more gettable at Low-A, relatively speaking, clocking a 20.7% strikeout-minus-walk rate and a 2.63 ERA while making five starts in seven appearances. But in totality, it was an impressive debut for an older signee, and there aren’t many arms with these types of strikeout rates that are seemingly this under the radar.
7) Jose Fleury – P, 23 YO
2024 Stats (CPX/AA): 71.1 IP | 3.66 ERA | 25.8 K% | 8.7 BB%
Fleury had a very solid season, mostly at Double-A, despite missing the start of the season due to injury. The right-hander finished the 71.1-inning campaign with a 17.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate and a 3.66 ERA. So while his strikeout rate is a smidge lower than most of the other top arms in the system, so is his walk rate. For further comparison, Fleury’s strikeout and walk rates are fairly similar to what Houston MLBer Hunter Brown finished with last season (25.1% and 8.4%, respectively). That’s not to say that Fleury could be the next Brown, or even that his rates will remain in this range as he moves up to Triple-A and the big leagues, but Fleury might be the most reliable arm in this system,
Prospects Dynasty Managers Should Know
8) AJ Blubaugh – P, 24 YO
2024 Stats (AA/AAA): 128.2 IP | 3.71 ERA | 24.5 K% | 9.5 BB%
Blubaugh is ready for MLB action after throwing 128.2 solid minor league innings in 2024. All but four of those frames came at Triple-A, and Blubaugh closed the season with a 3.71 ERA and a 15.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate. Those aren’t numbers that will blow you away, but they are productive enough for Blubaugh to get a shot at the rotation sometime in 2025. From a fantasy perspective, he profiles more as a streamer for now.
9) Miguel Ullola – P, 22 YO
2024 Stats (AA/AAA): 130.1 IP | 4.28 ERA | 31.1 K% | 14.0 BB%
An argument can be made to have Ullola higher on this list given his age, strikeout rate, and proximity to the majors. He spent most of 2024 as a starter at Double-A, so a strikeout rate north of 30% is certainly noteworthy. The flip side of the coin is his 14% walk rate – pitchers just don’t walk that many batters and stay in the rotation. Ullola is likely a bullpen arm when it’s all said and done, but don’t be surprised if ends up being a good one.
10) Walker Janek – C, 22 YO
2024 Stats (A+): .175 AVG | .214 OBP | .289 SLG | 1 HR | 0 SB | 29.1 K% | 3.9 BB%
Janek is certainly a better hitter than his 25-game sample in 2024 shows, but make no mistake about it – Janek is a better real-life prospect than a fantasy one. The Astros spent their first rounder in 2024 on the backstop out of San Houston State, where Janek was fresh off of winning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Janek does have some pop at the plate but his offensive ceiling is capped.
11) Ryan Forcucci – P, 22 YO
2024 Stats: N/A
Forcucci underwent Tommy John surgery last spring, so there is a chance he will make some professional appearances toward the end of 2025. Despite the recovery, the Astros still used their third-round pick on the pitcher out of UC San Diego. Prior to going under the knife, Forcucci posted a 38% strikeout rate in 25 collegiate innings. It’s possible that Houston got a steal with this selection, but we won’t know if that’s the case for quite some time.
12) Colton Gordon – P, 26 YO
2024 Stats (AAA): 123.1 IP | 3.94 ERA | 23.8 K% | 7.5 BB%
Gordon has been a reliable pitcher at every stop of the minors. The left-hander has a career 3.74 ERA through 305.01 career innings in the minors and spent the entirety of the 2024 season at Triple-A. Gordon’s fastball is a low-90s effort, which is below-average in today’s game, and ultimately puts a cap on his upside. Still, we should see Gordon at some point in 2025.
13) Shay Whitcomb – INF/OF, 26 YO
2024 Stats (AAA): .293 AVG | .378 OBP | .530 SLG | 25 HR | 26 SB | 19.8 K% | 11.0 BB%
2024 Stats (MLB): .220 AVG | .304 OBP | .293 SLG | 0 HR | 0 SB | 17.4 K% | 10.9 BB%
Whitcomb had a productive 2024 at Triple-A, rebounding from somewhat of a down 2023 in the minors (even though he had 35 home runs and 20 steals). He’s 26 years old without much MLB experience, so the likelihood of him playing enough to be fantasy-relevant is pretty low, but his defensive versatility does give him a shot to see some MLB action this season.
14) Chase Jaworsky – INF, 20 YO
2024 Stats (A): .233 AVG | .335 OBP | .346 SLG | 4 HR | 28 SB | 20.7 K% | 8.8 BB%
Houston took Jaworsky in the fifth round of the 2023 draft and he’s been a league-average bat in the minors thus far. He’s entering his age-20 season and could start the season at High-A, so there is a chance for Jaworsky to be a riser in the system if he is able to bring his average to around .250 at that level. The infielder has good speed and a little bit of pop, but it should also be noted that he missed the end of the 2024 season due to an unspecified injury.
15) Yamal Encarnacion – OF, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+/AA): .251 AVG | .338 OBP | .327 SLG | 3 HR | 39 SB | 16.2 K% | 11.5 BB%
Encarnacion had a nice season at Low-A, playing in 61 games and hitting .262 with three home runs and 29 steals. He logged just more than a dozen games at both High-A and Double-A and didn’t fare so well against the higher-quality pitching. He’s only 21 years old so he will likely kick off the season at High-A. In a best-case scenario, he develops into a table-setting outfielder.
The Next Five
Although these prospects do not crack the top 15, dynasty managers should keep their eye on these five players.
Zach Cole – 24 YO – Cole has good power and speed but strikes out way too often.
Pedro León – 26 YO – Leon will be entering his age-27 season. He has some power and some speed but historically didn’t hit for very high averages in the minors.
Waner Luciano – 20 YO – Luciano is a former hyped-up prospect who struggled in Low-A in 2024.
Alberto Hernandez – 21 YO – Hernandez is a slick fielder but could not get anything going at the plate in full-season ball.
Colin Barber – 24 YO – Rewind a few years and there was a window of time where Barber was considered one of the top bats in the system. He had a tough 2024 and is yet to play above Double-A, but if he showcases some of his 2022 ability, we could see a bounce back.