While things don’t look so good for the 2020 MLB season and the Houston Astros, the future is still a positive note for this Astros organization.
In the near future, the Astros will have to replace several key players on the major league club, as several players are playing out the final years of their current contracts with the club. Players such as Micheal Brantley, Yuli Gurriel and George Springer are all upcoming free agents and while I personally believe the Astros will re-sign Springer and Gurriel, you must be ready to fill those positions with prospects from your system. So I thought It would be a nice get-away from the current struggles the MLB faces by taking a look at the best the Astros farm system has to offer.
Forrest Whitley
Right-Handed Pitcher
The team’s top prospect for several years now, Whitley has had an interesting path to the majors. After being drafted 17th overall in 2016 out of San Antonio, Whitley quickly displayed his talent and established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. But an up-and-down 2018 season in which he served a 50-game suspension for drug-related issue and command issues in 2019 lead some to doubt the young pitcher’s talent. Now, at 22-years old, Whitley is on the verge of making the major league club and could be a name to follow with Justin Verlander’s injury.
Whitley throws five different pitches. His fastball can either cut or sink with velocities up to 98 miles per hour. He can get hitters off his fastball with an effective changeup and he can go to either a sharp curve or a mid-80s slider to get outs. His cutter may be his best pitch however, as it moves like a slider but reaches the low 90s in velocity.
If Whitley can command his electric stuff, he has top of the rotation talent and could be the future ace of the Astros rotation, alongside Lance McCullers Jr. and Jose Urquidy.
Freudis Nova
Infielder
While Nova is still a few years away from reaching the major leagues, the 20-year old has the size and project-ability to blossom into a star.
At six-foot-one, 180 pounds, Nova has the frame to develop solid power and he has the speed to produce 20-20 numbers. He draws comparisons to former Dodger and Red Sox slugger Hanley Ramirez for his ability to barrel up balls with his quick swing and he generates the bat speed to match.
Perhaps his best tool is his arm however, as he has been clocked throwing 97 miles per hour across the diamond. He can play both third base and short stop and has seen time at second as well.
Nova has yet to put up big numbers in the minor leagues, but at 20 years old, he still has time to grow into his frame. Nova is a player to watch for die-hard Astros fans.
Cristian Javier
Right-Handed Pitcher
Few players have had more successful minor league careers than Cristian Javier. In his five years in the Astros farm system, Javier never recorded an ERA over 4.00 and has developed into a reliable right-handed pitcher for the Astros.
Javier doesn’t have the electric stuff that Whitley has, but what he does throw, he utilizes well. His fastball sits around 92-95 miles per hour, but he spins the ball at a high rate, creating a lot of swing and misses. He pairs the fastball with a curveball and a sweeping slider and he recently added a changeup to his arsenal in 2019.
Javier’s biggest knock is his lack of control, as he averaged 4.7 walks per nine innings in 2019. Despite the high walk rate, he went 8-3 with a 1.74 ERA and 170 strikeouts and fought his way onto the 2020 big league roster. Javier has middle of the rotation stuff potential, with a floor of a solid long-relief arm.
Korey Lee
Catcher
Lee was a surprise at the 32nd pick in 2019, but the Astros saw a rare chance to add a ctacher with both defensive prowess and a big bat.
Lee is an above-average athlete behind the plate, allowing him to adapt and become a reliable backstop. He has plenty of arm and threw out 33 percent of base-stealers in his first year in the minor leagues.
His most intriguing tool however is his plus-power. In just 64 games last season at Tri-City, Lee slugged three home runs with six doubles and four triples. As his bat develops in the minor leagues, the big question for Lee will be hitting for average. The power will be there, but can he be J.T. Realmuto and hit for both power and average? Or will he be Stephen Vogt, a power hitting catcher who struggles for consistency?
Only time will tell.
Sleeper prospects
Colin Barber
Outfielder
Colin Barber may have the most offensive upside out of any of the Astros prospects. Drafted out of high school in the fourth round in 2019, Barber is a left-handed outfielder with five tool-potential. His mentality has also been compared to that of Alex Bregman, as he is regarded as a fierce competitor. According to MLB.com he “has a mature approach for a teenager, already showing good discipline and the ability to use the whole field,” meaning he could hit for average as well. Barber will be a key name here in a year or two for Astros fans.
Enoli Paredes
Right-Handed Pitcher
In the exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals last week, Paredes made Major League veteran Alex Gordan audibly say “wow” on a fastball that sent the outfielder packing. Paredes is nasty on the mound, reaching 99 miles per hour with a high spin rate. He combines his power fastball with a pair of strong breakers. His slider has depth and is regarded as a plus-pitch. He is currently developing a change-up and if he can develop that pitch, Paredes has major league starter potential. At the very least, he has the look of a solid bull-pen arm.