Yep, in Meyers, Smith, Sanchez, Cole, Matthews, and Dezenzo they have 6 guys who could be really good but who all project to be average to below average. Dana Brown’s biggest evaluation this spring will be deciding which guys to put on the roster and it’ll be up to Espada to play them in a way that maximizes their output.
Baseball America: Astros preseason top 30 prospects This list will probably be different from the top 30 in the Prospect Handbook. Spoiler 1. Xavier Neyens 2. Ethan Frey 3. Brice Matthews 4. A.J. Blubaugh 5. Kevin Alvarez 6. Ethan Pecko 7. Walker Janek 8. Bryce Mayer 9. Ryan Forcucci 10. Miguel Ullola 11. Lucas Spence 12. Zach Cole 13. Joseph Sullivan 14. Anthony Huezo 15. Jackson Nezuh 16. Jase Mitchell 17. Parker Smith 18. Will Bush 19. Jancel Villarroel 20. James Hicks 21. Jose Fleury 22. Nick Monistere 23. Alonzo Tredwell 24. Nick Potter 25. Hudson Leach 26. Cole Hertzler 27. German Ramirez 28. Alimber Santa 29. Anthony Millan 30. Omar Damian
Cole did look better than Matthews in the big leagues - as Matthews had too many non-competitive at bats. One thing I will say for Matthews is that he has had a harsh adjustment period almost every where he has played, and tends to have hot and cold streaks. Matthews also has a very quick bat.
Pretty aggressive ranking for Frey, otherwise nothing seems crazy. Caden Powell and Luis Baez outside the top 30 is interesting.
I am bullish on Frey I realize it was only 122 PAs but his bat showed to be legit. 516 hitters had 100+ PAs in A ball last year. 10th in wRC+ (98th percentile) His exit velicity was 90th percentile of all minor leaguers. To me what makes him stand out over other Astros prospects is that he strikes out less often. His contact rate and zone contact rate were both excellent. His K rate was in the 65th percentile (20.5%) and swinging strike percentage was 96th percentile (6.2%). He did this while still walking 16.4% (87th percentile) His 19.2% chase rate stands out to me. For reference, Isaac Paredes had a 21.4% last year. Good contact while swinging at good pitches is usually a recipe for success. Its very refreshing after warching Brice Matthews, Zach Cole, Jacob Melton, Pedro Leon, etc the past several seasons. I am excited to see him advance to AA this year (hopefully), see how fast he can progress and if he settles in at a corner or stays in CF (I have my doubts)
