Astros On Top 50 Prospects Lists

About two weeks ago, I recapped three of the national top 50 prospects lists (it can be read here). With the deadline over and the Astros acquiring no other top 50 prospect, I can now safely finish the prospects recap. Most of the Astros top 50 prospects were unanimous though the order was shuffled around. Here are the updated lists and the pertinent Astros information.

Keith Law of ESPN.com:

This piece is an insider piece so I will not add his remarks.

7. Carlos Correa
9. Mark Appel
29. George Springer
33. Jonathan Singleton
46. Michael Foltynewicz

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com: (There is more to read on each prospect than what’s posted)

9. Carlos Correa

"Scouting Grades (present/future)*: Hit: 3/5 | Power: 4/6 | Run: 6/5 | Arm: 7/7 | Field: 5/6 | Overall: 5/6Don’t think the selection of Correa as the top overall pick in the 2012 Draft was simply a money-saver for the Astros. Sure, it allowed them to be more creative with later selections, but Correa was one of the most talented players in the Draft class."

 22. Jonathan Singleton

"Scouting Grades (present/future)*: Hit: 4/6 | Power: 5/6 | Run: 4/4 | Arm: 4/5 | Field: 4/5 | Overall: 5/6The top first base prospect in the game, Singleton came to the Astros from the Phillies in the July 2011 Hunter Pence deal. Playing his entire first full season with the Astros at age 20, he acquitted himself well in Double-A and played in the Arizona Fall League. He appeared to be nearly ready to help out in Houston, perhaps after some Triple-A time, but that will have to wait after Singleton received a 50-game suspension for a second positive test for a drug of abuse."

27. George Springer

"Scouting Grades* (present/future): Hit: 4/5 | Power: 5/6 | Run: 6/6 | Arm: 6/6 | Field: 5/6 | Overall: 5/6Power and speed. It’s a combination always in high demand in a player, but often difficult to find. But there’s no question Springer has plenty of both, and not the raw kind of tools that never show up."

29. Mark Appel

"Scouting Grades* (present/future): Fastball: 7/7 | Slider: 5/6 | Changeup: 5/6 | Control: 5/6 | Overall: 5/6Appel was considered by many to be one of the top prospects in the 2012 Draft but he fell to the Pirates at No. 8 for a variety of reasons. He eventually chose not to sign and returned to Stanford for his senior season. He was once again considered among the top prospects in 2013 and the Astros didn’t pass him up a second time, selecting the Houston native first overall."

John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com:

7. Carlos Correa

"Previous ranking 24th. He’s hitting .324/.421/.455 in Low-A at age 18, and I think he can stick at shortstop. He’s younger than Buxton."

15. George Springer

"Previously 72nd. Strikeouts, shmikeouts. He’ll work a count, unlike Baez, has fewer makeup questions, and more immediate fantasy viability. Might end up ahead of Baez by September."

34. Michael Foltynewicz

"Previously unranked. I had him as a Grade B pre-season although not in the Top 150, he would have been in the 160-range. Stock way up, although command is still work-in-progress."

36. Jarred Cosart

"Previously 106. Looks like a world-beater on his best days, and those days are starting to get more frequent. Volatile ranking due to remaining command issues."

43. Lance McCullers

"Previously 66. Has some command issues but stuff is first-class, reports from Midwest League observers very positive."

What can we take out from these lists?

• Not everyone is in love with Jonathan Singleton. Sickels has Singleton ranked #60 in his top 75, and thinks he’s still pretty raw.
• Sickels is also quite high on Cosart, relative to most of the other experts. Mayo has Cosart at #74.
• Mayo has McCullers at #65, Foltynewicz at #67, and #DeShields at 80.
• Sickels has DeShields at #62, and likes what he’s doing at just 20 years old.
• Sickels would put Domingo Santana around the 80-100 range, and would put Preston Tucker in the early 100’s.

The future is bright Astros fans. The Astros added more pieces at the deadline and many experts believe they have a top 3-5 farm system, and some believe they have the best farm system in the league. We are all quick to thank Jeff Luhnow for revamping the system but remember that several of these top prospects were brought in by Ed Wade.

George Springer (running to 1st base) was one of several Astros prospects at the Futures Game this year. 

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports