Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (9) | 2012 (17) | 2011 (26) | 2010 (30) | 2009 (30)
2013 Affiliate Records
MLB: [51-111] AL West
AAA: [82-62] Pacific Coast League – Oklahoma City
AA: [83-57] Texas League — Corpus Christi
A+: [82-58] California League – Lancaster
A: [81-57] Midwest League – Quad Cities
A(ss): [44-32] New York-Penn League — Tri-City
Graduated Prospects
Jonathan Villar (SS); Robbie Grossman (OF); Brandon Barnes (OF); L.J. Hoes (OF); Marc Krauss (OF); Jake Elmore (MI/OF); Brad Peacock (RHP); Paul Clemens (RHP); Brett Oberholtzer (LHP); Jarred Cosart (RHP); Jose Cisnero (RHP)
The Run Down
Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, is the best executive in the game with regard to player procurement and development. He’s the man responsible for the seemingly never-ending stream of talent flowing up from the St. Louis farm system, and you can sure as shizz expect to see similar output from this Houston org over the next several seasons. The fantasy-relevant arrivals actually began last summer, with prospects like Jonathan Villar (be sure to read Sky’s outlook) and Jarred Cosart. Look for the impact to ramp up in 2014 as George Springer, Mark Appel, and Jonathan Signleton are all set for big league debut.
Top Ten Fantasy Prospects
1. Carlos Correa, SS: 2012’s #1 overall pick made his full-season debut in 2013, and things went quite well: .320/.405/.467, 45 XBH (9 HR), and 10 SB through 519 PA at Low-A Quad Cities (home of MiLB’s most iconic ballpark). Think of him as a younger younger version of Xander Bogaerts, bringing impact potential in AVG, OBP, and HR from the shortstop position. Correa is likely to begin the year at Lancaster, but he should reach the upper-levels by mid-season, on track for arrival sometime next year. ETA: 2015
2. George Springer, OF: Springer came in at #8 in my top 25 for 2014, and I had this to say about the 24-year-old slugger: “Springer is ready to start posting 30+ HR seasons at the highest level, and he’s perfectly capable of stealing 20+ bags, too. If this were mid-March, and news from Astros camp was that Springer would break camp with the big club, then he’s #4 on this list. For now, I’m thinking Houston, being sensitive to service time, will keep him in the minors until June.” For more on Springer, here’s Grey’s outlook. ETA: 2014
3. Mark Appel, RHP: I slotted Appel at #21 in the aforementioned top 25. Like Springer, he’s ready to compete at the highest level now, but Houston will favor service time and give him a few months in the upper levels of the minor leagues before calling him up. Appel has a hyped up name thanks to his #1 overall status in the 2013 draft, and he’s an extremely safe bet to develop into a quality fantasy starter in the near future, but his potential impact isn’t on the same level as similarly touted arms like Archie Bradley or Taijuan Walker or Jonathan Gray. It’s important to keep that in mind while drafting in dynasty formats. ETA: 2014
4. Jonathan Singleton, 1B: #26 in my top 50 for 2014, read my Jonathan Singleton fantasy here, and Grey’s here. ETA: 2014
5. Mike Foltynewicz, RHP: Foltynewicz might actually bring a tick more upside than Appel, but he’s nowhere near as safe. The 22-year-old brings a HUGE fastball and a front-end starter’s frame, but his secondary stuff needs to take form if he’s going to develop into that role. For upside’s sake, I slotted Folty at #34 in my top 50 for 2014, but Houston could opt to take their time with him to allow the off-speed stuff to progress. ETA: 2014
6. Delino DeShields, 2B/OF: After stealing 101 bases and knocking 10 homers in 2012, DeShields entered 2013 with enormous expectations, but his line at Lancaster (.317/.405/.468, 44 XBH (5 HR), and 51 SB in 534 PA) failed to meet the hype, and his stock has suffered because of it. The 21-year-old will begin the transition from 2B to OF in 2014 at Double-A, which further damages the fantasy outlook, but for as long as he continues to hit and reach base, there’s 50+ SB upside here, and that kind of impact is tough to ignore. ETA: 2015
7. Rio Ruiz, 3B: In his first year of full-season ball, Ruiz batted .260/.335/.430 with 46 XBH (12 HR) through 472 PA at Low-A Quad Cities — an impressive debut for the 19-year-old, who projects to post above-average marks in both power and average. Ruiz will step up to High-A Lancaster in 2014, where he’s a prime candidate for a breakout season amid the hitter-friendly environment of the California league. ETA: 2016
8. Lance McCullers, RHP: After an impressive full-season debut (3.18/1.35/117 in 104 IP), the expectations are high for McCullers, who features a filthy fastball-curve combo. There’s big time upside here in the whiff department, but the 20-year-old still has a long way to go with command. His changeup also has significant room for improvement. ETA: 2016
9. Vincent Velasquez, RHP: It’s really a coin toss when deciding between McCullers and Velasquez, but the former is a year younger, and his stuff brings a smidge more upside, so he gets the nod on my list. Velasquez, age 21, posted a line at 3.54/1.16/142 through 142 IP between Low-A and High-A in 2013. He’s a fastball-changeup guy, and he’s been efficient thus far, but I expect a drag on the numbers in 2014, as he prepares for a season split between the California League and the Texas League. ETA: 2016
10. Domingo Santana, OF: Santana brings a donkey-ish profile, projecting to help big time in HR and RBI, but not so much in AVG. In a full season at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2013, the 21-year-old drilled 50 XBH (25 HR). He’ll step up to Triple-A to begin 2014, and he should be ready for a look in Houston before year’s end. ETA: 2014
For a retrospective look at the Astros farm, their 2013 MiLB preview is here.
