He’s going to be our pitcher of the year and the PCL. pitcher of the year, right? I’m so bummed out with the glaring need and all the injuries that he hasn’t gotten a look in the bigs.
Just incredibly volatile. He really should not be able to have gotten to the level that he has with his strikeout issues being as extreme, but it is a testament to his talent in the other areas of the game that he has. There is really no way to get a good read on what his future holds. Last year he looked like he was cooked, then this year he had a great year somehow WITH his strikeout rate still being so high. Joey Gallo is the closest comparison, but that isn't even really all that great a comparison.
Gallo was/is an under-rated athlete, but even he isn't as good an athlete as Zach Cole. Having said that, Gallo had more power. I have had some people around the game tell me that Gallo is a very special case because of his personality. He is supposedly the thinnest skinned person around and while everyone attributes his struggles to the massive hole in his swing, people in baseball think his personality is as big a reason as the swing. Teams were laughing when the Yankees got Gallo because it was guaranteed to lead to ruin. What does that mean for Cole? I don't know, but I do know he is considered a very confident (not cocky) guy and isn't surprised when he does well.
From what I remember Joey Gallo had a 70 power tool as a prospect. Idk if Cole is that elite, maybe you can correct me if I’m wrong.
No, Cole does not have the same power as Gallo, but he does probably have 60 grade power, and he is a better athlete with more defensive and baserunning value than Gallo, so he could be just as valuable even though he won’t hit as many home runs. So maybe the midpoint of Gallo and Jose Siri.
They are very comparable. I think Siri is/was a better defensive player than Cole, while Cole probably has a bit of added value since he bats from the left side. But Siri definitely represents a reasonable positive outcome for Cole. It’ll be interesting to see if they add Cole to the 40 man roster and if he gets kept over guys like Leon, Whitcomb, Davidson, and Corona.
A 4th OF with great defense/versatility, power and speed is a very useful player. Unless his lack of contact makes him unplayable?
Alvarez is the first Astros player [as of 2019] to hit a fair ball into the third deck. Jeromy Burnitz did it on Sept. 29, 2000, in the first year Minute Maid Park opened as Enron Field. Marking the seat follows a tradition that the Astros had at the Astrodome. Only three Astros players hit homers into the upper deck in the Dome -- Jimmy Wynn (April 12, 1970), Doug Rader (on April 3, 1970) and Eric Anthony (May 17, 1990). Those seats were painted to commemorate the players’ achievements. https://www.mlb.com/news/yordan-alvarez-upper-deck-home-run-seat Can't find video of Wynn's or Rader's in the Dome, so this will have to do:
Sure would be nice if a we had a few top hitting prospects that didn't have to navigate a 35-40% k rate to have success.
Is Cole actually going to shock us all and force them to bring him up? Can he really be worse than Melton?
He is not getting called up unless it’s in the last 2 weeks of the season and even then I would be really surprised. But he is probably playing his way onto the 40 man roster. Thru 17 pa he has a 100% zone contact rate, an 90% contact rate, and a 4% swinging strike rate. Obviously that’s not going to be sustainable but at least a good start toward showing some improvement. His avg EV and hard hit rste has been good not great. Keep in mind Melton’s AAA numbers were extremely good and you see what happened there.
30 players in full season ball have swinging strike rates below 10.2% (min 20 pa). 10 are non-prospects 25 or older. The others are: Jacob Melton Jeron Williams Trevor Austin Joseph Sullivan Lucas Spence Chase Jaworsky (traded) Drew Brutcher Max Holy Waner Luciano Alberto Hernandez Hector Salas Carlos Cauro 8 from this year’s draft/UDFA class: Ethan Frey, Nick Monistere, Kyle Walker, Zach Daudet, Justin Thomas, Chase Call, Mason Lytle, and Brandon Forrester Probably too early to draw any conclusions but it’s possible there’s been a slight shift in philosophy to bring in more contact oriented players.
Based on my one game sample size from what I saw last night at the space cowboys game I’m sold on Cole
Spoiler: Snake Diggit's Astros Top 30 Prospects: August 2025 Update Rank Position Name Grade (Preseason Rank): Notes 3B Xavier Neyens 55 (NR): I'm really high on Neyens and think he was one of the 15 best players in the draft, but he may not move very quickly. 2B Brice Matthews 55 (2): Will graduate with just a couple more weeks of big league play. He's a really good, high upside prospect who just needs a little more time. C Walker Janek 50+ (6): Still tracking to be an everyday big league C, although he may have a relatively weak bat. We need to see him in AA. OF Kevin Alvarez 50+ (16): Couldn't ask for more from a pro debut; it'll be 2+ years before we have concrete info, but his stock is rising. P AJ Blubaugh 50 (8): Rebounded and has shown he has more than enough stuff to get big league hitters out. Will probably graduate this month. P Ethan Pecko 50 (5): He's looked good in AAA so far. I'm very high on him. P Miguel Ullola 50 (7): I'm still in. Best fastball of any player in Houston's system outside of Hunter Brown. Still young enough to get the walks under control. Could probably strike big league hitters out now if he had to. OF Ethan Frey 50 (NR): Excellent bb/k ratios in A ball but with almost no power. Still excited to see what he does next year, could be a fast riser. P Anderson Brito 45+ (13): He went on the IL on 6/25 so it looks like the injury was significant. P Ryan Forcucci 45+ (22): Patience. OF Joseph Sullivan 45+ (15): Cooled off a bit but still a great year. P Bryce Mayer 45+ (40): Made it to AA and has maintained a high k rate. Big upside. P Alonzo Tredwell 45+ (HM): Huge month and has looked great in AA. Stock rising quickly. P Jackson Nezuh 45+ (12): Returned from injury, looks really good. 2026 breakout candidate. OF Luis Baez 45 (14): A huge rebound month has his stock back up. Still risky due to defensive limitations but the big bat potential is obviously still there. C Jase Mitchell 45 (NR): Betting on Dana Brown. P Alimber Santa 45 (36): Trending for an add to the 40 man this fall. OF Lucas Spence 45 (NR): Huge month in AA and looks like he might be a real prospect. OF Zach Cole 45 (28): He's had a huge resurgence and is tearing it up in AAA. The k rate still points strongly to him busting, but his ceiling is too high to ignore while he's producing. P Ramsey David 45 (HM): Reached AA in first full season, which usually bodes well. C/1B Will Bush 45 (HM): Reached AA and looks pretty good there so far; given his age, power potential, and defensive potential, he could be a big time prospect. OF Kenedy Corona 45 (29): Will probably get one more season on the 40 man to try to break out in AAA. OF Pedro Leon 45 (26): Looked good in rehab stint in AAA. Next year will be the last chance for him to break in with Houston. OF Kenni Gomez 45 (10): Moderately disappointing season but he is only 20. P Juan Bello 45 (20): Overall he is having a solid season considering his age, level, and league. P Jose Fleury 45 (23): Got beat up so far in AAA but it's a small sample. Certain to be a 40 man add this November. P Michael Knorr 45 (HM): 10 k/9 in AAA is probably enough to get him a 40 man add this fall despite problems with walks and homers. P Trey Dombroski 45 (HM): Decent year in AA and got a taste of AAA. Rule 5 eligible so how that plays out will tell us what the front office thinks of him. OF Yamal Encarnacion 45 (HM): One of the best contact-oriented prospects in Houston's system and also has elite speed. Potential breakout candidate next season. P Cole Hertzler 45 (HM): Was extremely good in A ball before getting hurt. Graduated: RF Cam Smith (1), OF Zach Dezenzo (3), OF Jacob Melton (4), OF/IF Shay Whitcomb (9), P Ryan Gusto (17) (traded), P Colton Gordon (19), Brandon Walter (HM) Traded: IF Chase Jaworsky (11), OF Esmil Valencia (HM), P Twine Palmer (HM) Honorable Mention: C:Miguel Palma (30), Collin Price, Yosweld Vasquez, Garret Guillemette, Jancel Villarroel; Villarroel is having a rough start in High A, Price and Palma could suprise as they are holding their own in AAA, Guillemette had a great season and was doing really well in AA before getting hurt. IF: Alberto Hernandez, German Ramirez, Juan Rojas, Zach Daudet, Nick Monistere, Kyle Walker, Landon Arroyos, Caden Powell, Trevor Austin, Anderson Areinamo, Pascanel Ferreras, Jeron Williams, Alejandro Nunez, Camilo Diaz, Sami Manzueta, Hector Salas, Sandro Pereira, Wes Clarke; the draft made this group a lot deeper, much improved from this time last year. OF: Nehomar Ochoa (21), Justin Thomas, Elijah Farley, DJ Newman, Colin Barber, Chase Call, Ethan Wagner, Anthony Millan, Karniel Pratt, Roiner Quintana, Juan Sierra, Tyler Whitaker, Cesar Hernandez, Anthony Huezo, Luis Rives; a lot of talent here, and the early returns from the draft are positive. The Astros' farm is stacked with OF. P: All of them but especially James Hicks (18), Alex Santos (35), Logan VanWey (24), Nick Potter, Wilmy Sanchez, Hudson Leach, Amilcar Chirinos, Brett Gillis, Brandon McPherson, Patrick Halligan, Jank Pichardo, Nolan DeVos, Colby Langford, Raimy Rodriguez, Jagger Beck, Joan Ogando, Luis Rodriguez, Jhoster Baez, Parker Smith, Andrew Taylor, Manuel Urias, Ryan Verdugo, Omar Damian, Gabel Pentecost, Grayson Saunier, Kellen Oakes, Francisco Frias, Rafael Gonzalez, Norbis Diaz, Juan Fraide, Anthony Cruz, Rhett Kouba; lots to like but impossible to know which ones will pan out and stay healthy. Factoring in pitching development, this system is average overall and is 1 really good prospect away from being above average. I expect the farm to be completely rebuilt after the next draft and be ranked in the middle of the pack even by the haters. The talent in the lower half of the system is on par with the heyday, and so is the pitching and outfield depth throughout the system. The difference between the farms ranked in the 5-15 range in the league and Houston's can be boiled down to the AA infield. With the longer minor league seasons, September has meaningful data, but this list won't change much between now and next April. Overall it was a really good year for Houston's farm system.
