Anthony Huezo was also promoted to Fayetteville following the conclusion of the FCL season. Huezo appears to have turned a corner in his second FCL season, so hopefully he continues building on what's absolutely been a positive year.
My eye test always thought he had good potential. 6’8 with repeatable mechanics and good control already, fastball velocity leaves more to be desired with his physicals but it seems to play well. In my opinion if he stays healthy he has a good chance to develop into a back of the rotation starter, if he develops more velocity or maybe nastier secondary stuff - there is even higher upside as a four pitch starter.
Fayetteville shut out Hickory 5-0 behind solid outings from Brandon McPherson and Dylan Howard. McPherson: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K Howard: 4 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K Reylin Perez hit his first home run of the season, while Anthony Huezo went 3-4 with an RBI single in his Fayetteville debut. Esmil Valencia stole his 50th base of the year.
Feels like it was eminent. If a lefty OF in AAA could not get called up to the Astros in 2024 and/or 2025 . . .
Astros: Zach Cole, OF (No. 25) Cole has some of the best tools in the Astros system -- his raw power, speed, arm and defense in center field all grade as plus or better -- but he's struggled to make consistent contact. That hasn't been an issue the past month as the 2022 10th-rounder from Ball State has slashed .282/.400/.628 with seven homers in 22 games at Double-A. He sits in the top five in the Texas League in slugging (.489, third), OPS (.842, fourth) and homers (13, tied fifth).
From my Rosters. AAA Outfielders 4 J Hurtubise K Corona C Barber* AA Outfielders 4 L Baez J Sullivan* Z Cole* T Austin I may have jumped the gun.
With Chase Jaworsky getting traded, UDFA OF Lucas Spence enters the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects at #20. https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/astros/ Spence began his college career at Black Hawk (Ill.) CC, where he slashed .368/.442/.600 in two seasons while also getting regular work on the mound. He continued to play both ways after transferring to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, where he won the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference batting title (.385) before signing with the Astros for $150,000 as a nondrafted free agent. He has shown some all-around ability while playing at two Class A levels this season. A left-handed hitter, Spence makes some of the best swing decisions in the system, rarely straying from the strike zone while using the entire field. He does have high in-zone swing-and-miss rates against non-fastballs, so he'll have to learn to solve breaking balls and changeups as he rises through the Minors. He's more of an on-base guy than a slugger but has enough sneaky pop to produce 10-15 homers per season. Spence uses his plus speed to get on base, steal bags once he gets there and cover ground in the outfield. He spent most of his pro debut on the outfield corners but has seen most of his action this year in center field. His fastball topped out in the low 90s in college, and that plus arm strength is an asset in the outfield.
This list was thrown together pretty hastily, tbh. Added some brief thoughts. Post-Deadline Top 30 (does not include Brice Matthews or Jacob Melton) 1. Xavier Neyens At this point, Neyens is the only prospect in the system who is anywhere near a top 100 prospect list. Hopefully he gets with Carlos Correa ASAP. The 2025 class hinges on him. I expect him to be up to the task. 2. Walker Janek Yeah, Janek isn't a sexy prospect. He's got his detractors, of which I am not one. I'm a believer in the bat, especially if he develops a bit of home run power. Janek's athleticism will give him chances to stick around, and at the very least, I think he enjoys a 7-10 year career as a backup. 3. Miguel Ullola I really wish that Ullola can stick as a starter because his stuff is some of the nastiest in all of baseball. But the complete absence of command and control is a massive red flag. That being said, a Bryan Abreu 2.0 career track wouldn't be the worst outcome. 4. Kevin Alvarez Alvarez has been good as advertised in his first professional season, but he's just so far away that there's not much point in figuring out a track for him right now. He could be Yordan 2.0. He could be Michael Brantley. Or...and let's hope this doesn't happen... Ariel Ovando. Unless Alvarez demolishes the FCL, I'm expecting him to be handled with care. 5. Zach Cole Zach Cole is the one prospect I'm irrationally optimistic about. He is also by far the most volatile player in the system because he could ride a heater all the way to Houston, or crash out entirely because he strikes out too damn much. Again, his athleticism will give him a longer leash than most players in the system. 6. Anderson Brito A shame that Brito will be finishing this season on the shelf. He acquitted himself very well with Asheville and I would have really liked to see him get a challenge in Corpus. 7. Ethan Pecko A bit of a rocky start as he was working his way back from an injury, but Pecko has rounded nicely into form. I would like to see him or Bryce Mayer get some spot starts in Houston over AAAA castoffs next year if that need arises. 8. Bryce Mayer Well, Mayer made it to Corpus in his first full season. Unfortunately, that has not been a harbinger of good health for the guys who have accomplished this in recent years. Mayer was tabbed as a sleeper and he has certainly opened folks' eyes this year. 9. Joseph Suillvan Without a doubt, Sullivan has been the breakout position player in this system. The knock on him was that he hit too many grounders. Well... 17 home runs later and he's put himself in position to be a future regular. Sullivan has always had a sound approach, but he will have to be careful that his patience doesn't turn into passivity. Could be an Arizona Fall League candidate. 10. Ryan Forcucci There's no doubt that Forcucci could at least be a #3 starter. But it's time for him to get on the field and prove it. 11. Alimber Santa You'd think that someone with Santa's stuff would be mowing down everyone in sight. And he has, but the big thing is that Santa has made huge strides in becoming a pitcher this season. Something has clicked for him and has made him realize that he needs to focus on getting outs any way he can. 12. A.J. Blubaugh Bit of a rough year for Blubaugh, but he should find himself in the mix for innings in Houston again next year. I wonder if he got an order to work on something like refining a pitch or learning one. 13. Jose Fleury I've thought of Fleury as Cristian Javier with lesser stuff, but better strike-throwing ability. However, he's a pretty big injury risk. He missed two months last year with a thigh injury. This year, there have been three occasions where he made a start, but in those three starts, he only pitched one inning before leaving the game. I don't think his stuff will play in relief, so he has to stay healthy. 14. Alonzo Tredwell Speaking of people who need to stay healthy, I can't remember the last player who had an injury record as extensive as Tredwell's from their amateur days before they entered the Astros system. Maybe Jack Armstrong (remember him?), but that's it. Well.. it's August and Tredwell hasn't spent time on the IL yet. If he finishes the season without an IL stint, that's a big win. I think he's done enough at both A levels to warrant a move to Corpus next year. 15. Ethan Frey Frey only received one year of regular playing time at LSU but he certainly made the most of it as he helped the Tigers win the College World Series and got drafted within the first 100 picks. Nook has singled him out as someone who could move fairly quickly through the system. The strikeout risk will always exist with bigger guys, but he seems like he's refined enough to mitigate that. 16. Jackson Nezuh A frustrating year for last year's strikeout leader. Still getting whiffs, but the slow start and the injury has dented Nezuh's momentum quite a bit. I think he'd be a good candidate for the Arizona Fall League, so that he can recoup some of the lost innings. 17. Parker Smith I imagine Smith is a project for the player development team, to see if a guy his size could throw just a bit harder. He's put in solid work in his pro debut and could be an innings-eating 4/5 guy. 18. Nick Potter Another project. Big arm, not much command. That describes about 85-90% of minor league pitchers. Plenty of work needed, but I think there's closer upside with Potter. 19. Juan Bello Somehow, the Astros have the potential to fleece the Cubs twice as Juan Bello is having a solid year in Asheville. Pitching in a launching pad has not fazed him one bit. Four pitches give him a legit chance to start. 20. Raimy Rodriguez Rodriguez is the pitcher I have an irrational amount of confidence in. Up and down, but fortunately, he's had a few more ups this season. Been pushed rather aggressively and is having a solid year in his second go at Fayetteville. Needs to find a bit of consistency. 21. Will Bush I'm sure he'd rather be catching, but there's this guy named Walker Janek who is also a catcher. Bush has split time between catcher and 1B, and seems to have acquitted himself reasonably well at first base. I imagine not spending as much time behind the plate has kept him pretty fresh and as a result, he's enjoying a little breakout on offense this season. 22. Jancel Villarroel There was some fear that Villarroel would have to move off catcher, which would have put immense pressure on him to perform offensively. Most of his appearances this season have been behind the plate, but... wait a minute. He's allowed how many stolen bases? 109???? Yeah, regardless of the level, that amount of stolen bases is unacceptable. Despite that (which I'm sure can be chalked up to everyone runs in the lower levels), he seems to be competent enough at catcher. Villarroel has a utility profile, but his ceiling hinges on him demonstrating competence in at least one position. 23. Luis Baez Lost year. He'll get another crack at Corpus in 2026. Now that Baez is strictly a corner OF, he has real pressure to perform offensively. 2026 may be a make-or-break year. 24. Kenni Gomez Gomez has always had a feel for hitting, but the bat-to-ball skills appear to have regressed. Couple that with an aggressive approach and it's been a rough year. 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for him. 25. Kyle Walker Everything about Walker screams "Tony Kemp redux." Out of all the 2025 draftees, I feel he's got the best chance to outperform his draft position. 26. Caden Powell If Powell hadn't missed all of June, he would probably be in Asheville already. He's shown glimpses of his tantalizing offensive potential, but his ceiling will likely depend on whether he can play any defense. 27. Jase Mitchell Power-over-hit lefty catcher with some good starter skills. As is the case with all high school catchers, however, a long development track awaits. 28. German Ramirez A million-dollar signing in 2023, Ramirez unlocked a little more power in his second go at the FCL. He appears to be building a solid approach at the plate as well. This final month in Fayetteville should be a good learning experience for Ramirez, as he'll likely return there in 2026. 29. Nehomar Ochoa Lost year, but he probably doesn't care. I imagine he's just happy to be alive, let alone able to play baseball after that horrific accident in the spring. 30. Anderson Arenaimo It's been a banner year for DSL position players. Really hope that at least one of them sticks. Listed at 5-9, 135, Arenaimo is often the smallest guy on the field, but he looks like he's got some pop in his bat. Whether it's real or sneaky remains to be seen. Future pissant? He looks the part. Next 20, no particular order Trey Dombroski Dylan Howard Nick Monistere Omar Damian Andrew Taylor Alejandro Nunez Jose Guedez Jeron Williams Cole Hertzler Anthony Huezo Anthony Millan Lucas Spence Gabel Pentecost Juan Rojas James Hicks Juan Sierra Joan Ogando Jesus Carrerq Luis Alejandro Rodriguez (this Luis Rodriguez is the one the Astros got from the White Sox for Corey Julks) Sami Manzueta
Walker Janek hit his 10th home run of the season for Asheville. Meanwhile, Fayetteville just erased a 5-0 deficit to take an 8-5 lead over Hickory; they're in the bottom of the 7th now. Anthony Huezo had an RBI single in a 3-run 5th and a two-run single to kick off a 5-run 6th. The other three runs came on Caden Powell's 8th home run of the year.
I like your optimism on Cole, he’s scorching hot right now and firmly back on the map, but that k rate is still way too high for me to get on the bandwagon. But he’s such a high ceiling player. The farm came out of the deadline in great shape, especially considering they also kept Melton and Matthews. They stand to potentially add 5-6 top end talents before the next deadline, and other than the steady stream of pitchers, none of the remaining top position player prospects project to graduate. Crane wasn’t f’n around when he said the window never closes.
Anthony Huezo just hit his first Fayetteville home run. This two-run blast gives him 5 RBI on the night, and he now has 9 home runs on the season.
