The Launch Angle

The Houston Astros minor league season is almost halfway done. Players have had a chance to show how they look at new levels, make their cases for promotions, and flash the tools they’re trying to upgrade. In the offseason, the tendency is to talk about the same guys, and it’s harder to make the case for off-the-radar prospects. Once you start looking at results though, and get some eyeballs on guys, inevitably a Lucas Spence comes onto the radar. Here are seven off the radar prospects who might land on top 30 lists by the end of the season:

1. Jason Schiavone. Duh. He has done nothing but mash, even after his promotion to Corpus Christi. He also appears to have some real catching skills. He is no doubt a top 15 prospect in the system and really changes the future catching outlook for the Astros. (more on that later)
   
2. Max Holy. The middle infielder is one of the best fielders in the system. The four-year college player at Central Missouri was not drafted in 2025 but signed anyway and is the only player from that class who’s made it to AA. He’s kept his slight power stroke upon promotion (4 HRs in 41 games) and seems like the kind of player that would prevent Dana Brown from needing to trip over himself to find any middle IF with a heartbeat when half the team gets injured. He needs to make more contact but the ability to get to AA so quickly bodes very well.
   
3. Justin Thomas. Another 2025 signee (11th round), Thomas was nondescript in 14 games at Fayetteville last year before getting an aggressive assignment to Asheville in April. The compact OF has done nothing but hit (.279), get on base (.435), steal bases (23/27), and hit for power (14 doubles, 10 HRs) in his first 60 games. Asheville is one of the worst teams by record in minor league baseball but don’t blame Thomas. Asheville is a hitter’s park but you still have to hit there (looking at you, Ethan Frey). Thomas has done that. Will be eager to see when he gets promoted to Corpus Christi.
   
4. Jagger Beck. An undrafted high schooler who signed in 2024, the only thing anyone knew about Beck was that he was young (signed at 17). He threw ten uneventful innings in the FCL last year but when to Australia over the winter and put up sick numbers. Upon returning, he was placed at Fayetteville where in 43 innings he’s striking out 31% of hitters who are on average three years older than him while putting up an ERA and FIP both under 3. To put it in context, prospect watchers are excited about what Nick Potter has been doing. On the same team, Beck is striking out more guys, walking fewer, and not relying on an unsustainable .220 BABIP to get that low ERA number that Potter has. Potter is on both the Pipeline and Fangraphs top 30. Beck has been a revelation.
   
5. Drew Brutcher. The Astros continue to hit gold with undrafted guys (did I tell you Beck grew up a stone’s throw from Sutter’s Fort, ground zero for the Gold Rush?). Brutcher played four years at South Florida before being picked up in March 2025 by the Astros after absolutely raking in the Pioneer League in summer 2024. Brutcher is filled out at 6’5″ and 215lbs but is not really a power hitter yet. He hits though, and he draws walks. At Fayetteville last year is AVG/OBP was 330/429 (233 PAs). At Asheville this year it was .266/357 (144 PAs). Though that doesn’t scream promotion, he got one anyway and hasn’t looked back, with a .305/420 BA/OBP (102 PAs and counting). Look at how he stays back on this ball and you’ll see why he’s hitting .300. He’s not a hacker relying on empty average (although .472 BABIP at corpus is not going to last). He walks a ton, and has a solid K rate in a system full of free swingers.
   
6. Luis De Leon. Nobody knows who this 19 year-old Dominican is. He doesn’t even have a page on B-ref or Fangraphs. He was nothing special in the DSL last year but in the FCL he’s slashing .398/490/590 in 98 PAs. And he’s a catcher who throws out runners 41% of runners. It will be interesting to see if he makes a splash in full-season ball after the FCL ends in July.
   
7. Javier Perez. Good to have another pitcher on this list and he was an obvious pick. He signed late out of Mexico and is 22 in A ball. Look, I’m sure if he threw 98, he wouldn’t still be in Fayetteville, or if he had a nasty four-pitch mix, someone would have noticed him by now. All you can do is face the batters you face. Javier Perez has thrown 62 IP, with a BB/K ratio of 10/70. He’s walking 4% and K’ing 28% of hitters. He got shelled last outing but before that his ERA and FIP were well below 3. From the perspective of scouting the stat line, the pros will tell you that bb/k is the greatest indicator of stuff for pitchers. I like what I see from him.

Feature photo from  @astros on X,  Source Link (cropped). (mhatter106 editor note: I believe Justin Thomas in the one standing behind the left trophy in the front row)