Zach Cole went 2-4 with a two-run triple and scored twice for Corpus. Cole has 636 plate appearances at AA and has a 37.6% strikeout rate. That's awful, but he has probably done enough offensively to move to Sugar Land next year. He also really needs to stay on the field.
I just saw the Astros traded IF Jesus Bastidas to the Braves for cash. Bastidas signed with Houston as a minor league free agent in 2024 and played quite well in AAA, hitting 25 HR last season.
Thru 78 pa in A ball Ethan Frey has walked as much as he’s struck out (20.5%) and has a 140 wRC+. That’s an excellent start. Looking at his highlights from 2025 I don’t see anyway he sticks in CF (he has the body of a NFL TE) but he should be plenty good in RF. After going 4-4 last night, Jeron Williams now has a 107 wRC+ across 140 pa in AA this season and a 963 ops in August. Williams was my sleeper pick this offseason and has a very high ceiling combination of contact ability, speed, and defensive value; I also believe his frame may let him add some power over the next year. He had a significant injury late last season that kept him out until late May so he could just now be finding his groove. He will be a breakout candidate again next season. Williams, Will Bush, Luis Baez, Zach Cole, Lucas Spence, and Wes Clarke are all having great Augusts in AA.
You think Williams will play Winter Ball somewhere? eta: I really like Frey. Of course I also thought Seth Beer and the fat Kentucky 1B would mash, so what do I know?
I do think Jeron Williams is a good candidate for the Arizona Fall League or one of the foreign winter leagues, but I’m also fine with him using the offseason to add some good weight to try and add power to his game.
Never thought about it until now, but I'm assuming it's at the player's discretion and not the club's, as far as what Winter League (Venezuelan/Dominican/Mexican/etc) they play in?
Yeah I think the club tells the player they want them to play, but they can’t force guys to play winter ball.
My all-breakout team for 2026: C Garret Guillemette: popped 12 HR in 77 games with a sub 20% k rate while reaching AA. Good defensive catchers with double digit HR power who don’t have strikeout problems are very valuable. 1B Wes Clarke: walked more than he struck out (by a wide margin), and hit for massive power. He’s an older prospect with low defensive value but it’s hard to ignore his production. In fact, there’s not really a precedent for somebody with that combination of k/bb rate and ISO in AA in Houston’s system. He is hitting like Yordan Alvarez or AJ Reed or Tyler White. 2B Kyle Walker: In his last 111 g in college, Walker hit 18 HR and stole 36 bases, and thru his first 50 pa in pro ball, he’s walked as much as he’s struck out (15%) and stolen 5 bags. SS Jeron Williams: see my comment from yesterday; he’s shown speed, contact, and defense, and I think he can add a little power. 3B Xavier Neyens: this will depend on how aggressive Houston is with his development, but if he starts next season in Fayetteville and hits well, he should be an MLB Top 75 prospect by midseason. OF Ethan Frey: off to a monster start in pro ball and has immense offensive ceiling. OF Anthony Huezo: Will be just 20 next season and is hitting really well in A ball so far (159 wRC+). OF Joseph Sullivan: He raised his stock quite a bit this season and reached AA; if he settles in there like he did in High A he will be viewed as a potential core piece in the big leagues. DH Luis Baez: he’s reversed his trajectory with a big August so I’m excited to see what he does next season; next to Frey, Alvarez, and Neyens, he might be the highest ceiling bat in the system.
Baez has been (other than arms) at the top of my do not trade list for a long time. Only bat to me that seams to have a star level upside in the system.
Matthews, Melton, Frey, Alvarez, Cole, and Neyens all also have legitimate potential to be star level hitters, although Cole, Melton, and Matthews have increased bust risk. Baez is a very high risk prospect because he has no defensive value; if he’s lucky he will be passable in LF (with a strong CF playing next to him) or 1B, but most likely he is a DH. That is a huge amount of pressure on a bat that has shown power but has not been consistently dominant. Like I said he’s changed his trajectory with a great month but he is still very risky.
Since 2006, age 22 or younger in AA, wRC+ >169, min 50pa: 2015 Carlos Correa 226 2016 Ramon Laureano 186 2025 Lucas Spence 185 2016 Alex Bregman 181 2018 Yordan Alvarez 170
Oh I’m not betting on Star, just I can see a path through offensively for him and I really can’t get there except maybe Matthews either anyone else. Let’s just say that I’m happy there’s no real place for melton on the team once Jake is healthy until after 2027. Before then we have Jesus, Cam, Jake, Dubon (26) and Altuve. That’s a crowded OF that aces out any need for Melton in a short amount of time when Jake is back.
Since 2006, 16 Astros prospects age 21 or younger have posted a >140 wRC+ in A ball (min 80 pa). 12 of them reached the majors. The other 4 are: C Ben Heath (2010; topped out at AA) OF/1B Ryan Clifford (2023; traded to the Mets for Verlander and is currently mashing in AAA) OF Anthony Huezo (2025) OF Ethan Frey (2025)
Pretty good indicator from this sample. All of the players who stayed healthy raised their stock except Swanson.
26 strikeouts, 5 walks in 16 AA innings. Pretty exciting to see him pop. He’s got outlier physical traits that make him the highest ceiling pitcher in the system imo.
That's putting a lot of stuff on height with a pretty mediocre heater. I know the extension causes it to play up, and I'm here for it, but if he doesn't throw harder I don't think highest ceiling is correct- though he could be pretty good. I'm really interested to see if he does well the rest of the year in AA if they bring him to major league camp with a shot to make the team in 2026. He's not super young- but he's also not very experienced. When you perform at AA you are right there though.
