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Houston Astros Top Prospects Part 3: (#10 – #6)

By Eric Huysman |
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Houston Astros Top Prospects Part 3: (#10 – #6)

Apr 3, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; General view of baseballs before a game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

For part three of the Astros top prospects, we will look at the top six through ten prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Before we get into the prospects on this list, let’s discuss a statement made by Jeff Luhnow regarding Mark Appel and Carlos Correa. They both played last night for the Corpus Christi Hooks.

In an interview with MLB Network on Thursday, Luhnow said, “We’re not going to hesitate to bring them straight up from Double-A if the need arises.” This quote was from the article Luhnow: Astros won’t hesitate to call up Appel, Correa from Double-A by Michael Hurcomb. It’s very likely they’ll spend some more time in AA and then make a brief stop at Triple-A. JJ Cooper reported via Twitter Thursday that the Hooks have been ranked by Baseball America the 6th best talent in the minors on one team.

Even though it means nothing, it’s a good sign for the future of the Astros. Appel and Correa will be big parts of the Astros future, but who else will join them in the top ten Astros prospects? Let’s look at numbers six through ten.

Next: 10th Best Astro Prospect

10th Best Astro Prospect

Jun 18, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; West pitcher

Lance McCullers

throws against the East All-Stars in the first inning during the Midwest League-All Star Game at Fifth Third Field. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

#10 Lance McCullers RHP – (Stock decreased, #5 in 2014)

McCullers is the son of former major league reliever with the same name. McCullers was drafted as a supplemental first round pick in the 2012 draft. The Astros were able to offer McCullers an over-the-slot signing bonus, by getting Carlos Correa to sign for a smaller one.

McCullers was seen as a high-risk signee prior to the draft, because of his desires to attend college. He throws in the mid 90’s and can top off at 97 miles per hour. He has had control issues, throws hard, and his delivery might lead him to the bullpen. However, the Astros appear to think he can be in the rotation in the future.

In my opinion, I believe that either Michael Feliz or McCullers will compete for the rotation or the closer-type of reliever, depending on what the team needs.

2014 Stats: 3-6/ 5.47 ERA/ 115 strikeouts in 97 innings

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus Christi in the rotation.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2016

Ceiling: Shelby Miller

Floor: Wade Miller

Position blocker: Josh Hader

Next: 9th Best Astro Prospect

9th Best Astro Prospect

#9 Josh Hader LHP – (Stock decreased, #8 in 2014)

Josh Hader was the prospect that the Astros received in the Bud Norris trade. Hader came to Houston along with L.J. Hoes and a competitive draft pick that became Derek Fisher. Hader compares well to Chris Sale as a prospect and has been impressive pitching in the Astros system thus far.

One thing that Hader has in his favor over players like Michael Feliz and Lance McCullers is that he throws hard and is a left-handed pitcher. Josh Hader was the Astros minor league pitcher of the year in 2014, and was part of a combined no-hitter.

I interviewed Josh Hader here.

2014 Stats: 10 – 3/ 3.28 ERA/ 136 strikeouts in 123.1 innings

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus Christi in rotation.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2016

Ceiling: Chris Sale

Floor: Chris Capuano

Position blocker: Brett Oberholtzer

Next: 8th Best Astro Prospect

8th Best Astro Prospect

#8 Teoscar Hernandez – OF (Stock increased, #9 in 2014)

Teoscar Hernandez is the best Astros prospect that doesn’t have the household name that the others have. The typical Astros fan has not heard of him, but he could be a Yasiel Puig type of player with five-tool talent. Like most Astros prospects, Hernandez does has a tendency to strike out a bit.

He plays a great defense and has a strong arm, so he is not just a power and speed player. Where does he fit into the Astros future is still undecided because the outfield is crowded. One player could emerge to the top with their play.

2014 Stats: .292/ 21 HR/ 85 RBI/ 33 SB

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus Christi’s starting centerfielder.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2016

Ceiling: Yasiel Puig

Floor: Dominic Brown

Position blocker: Jake Marisnick

Next: 7th Best Astro Prospect

7th Best Astro Prospect

#7 Brett Phillips – OF (Stock decreased, #12 in 2014)

To introduce Brett Phillips, I will use parts of a Prospect Report by Jason Burke.

“In the Baseball Prospectus 2015 book, they list Austin Jackson, Joc Pederson and Andrew McCutchen as comparable players to Brett Phillips. McCutchen is a perennial MVP candidate, Pederson has been rated very highly for years, and will likely get his chance in 2015, while Jackson has been a solid defender with a bat that goes off and on.

In the book, BP even says that Phillips, “flashed five-tool numbers…earning him legitimate prospect status and hardware as the Astros’ farm player of the year. To convince folks that he’s more Joc Pederson than the fourth outfielder, Phillips will have to mash when he gets his shot at Double-A, most likely in the second half of 2015.”

The city of Houston will love Phillips’ personality, which is very similar to Lance Berkman when he played for the Astros. Some of his personality shows up in this interview I did with him here.

2014 Stats: .310/ 17 HR/ 68 RBI/ 23 SB

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Single-A Lancaster’s starting center fielder.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2016

Ceiling: Andrew McCutchen

Floor: Austin Jackson

Position blocker: Evan Gattis

Next: 7th Best Astro Prospect

7th Best Astro Prospect

Feb 26, 2015; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros infielder Colin Moran poses for a picture during photo day at Osceola County Stadium Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

#6 Colin Moran– 3rd Base (Stock decreased, #4 in 2014)

Rumors prior to the 2013 draft were that the Astros liked Colin Moran so much, that they considered taking him with the number one overall pick ahead of Appel. This could explain why they traded one of their top young pitchers Jarred Cosart to get Moran and Jake Marisnick. Jeff Luhnow is a smart guy, and he realizes that the Astros have hitters with high strikeout percentages such as George Springer, Jon Singleton, Chris Carter, Evan Gattis, and Jason Castro. In Colin Moran, the Astros will have a player who makes hard contact but won’t strike out at the alarming rate of some of his peers.

The report on the draft by Nathaniel Stoltz gives some insight into why Moran’s strikeout percentage in college was so low. “Much of the credit is owed to his natural hand-eye coordination and contact-based approach. Despite his natural strength and power potential, Moran doesn’t swing for the fences, focusing on making hard contact and letting the deep fly balls come naturally through backspin.”

The player that best compares to Colin Moran to is Galveston native Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. While Carpenter is a second baseman playing third, his numbers are what Colin Moran could contribute to the Astros.

2014 Stats: .296/ 7 HR/ 55 RBI/ 1 SB

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus Christi’s starting third baseman.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2015

Ceiling: Matt Carpenter

Floor: Josh Harrison

Position blocker: Jed Lowrie

Next: Conclusion

More from Prospects

Conclusion

Most of the prospects in this group are at Double-A Corpus Christi, except for Brett Phillips, who is at Single-A Lancaster. This group represents part of the expected core of players for the 2017 season and beyond. The future is bright in Houston, it’s just a couple of years away.

Read More:

Did you miss Part 1 of the Astros top Prospects? Click here

Did you miss Part 2 of the Astros top Prospects? Click here

Next: Projected Astros 2017 World Seris Roster

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