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Astros Top Prospects (Part 4): The Top Five

By Eric Huysman |
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Apr 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; A general view of Minute Maid Park during the game between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics in the second inning. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

In part four of the Astros top prospects, we will look at the top five 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, who have both played well for the Corpus Christi Hooks.

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In an interview with MLB Network earlier in April, 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 before arriving in Houston. JJ Cooper reported via Twitter that the Hooks have been ranked by Baseball America the 6th best talent in the minors on one team.

So who are the top five Astros? How are they doing so far in 2015? And what is their ETA to Houston? Last night the Double-A Hooks won by a score of 16-1 over the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers). The next wave of talent is about to raid Houston, and yes two of the top-five are Hooks.

Next: Astros Fifth Ranked Prospect

Astros Fifth Ranked Prospect

Feb 26, 2015; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros pitcher

Michael Feliz

poses for a picture during photo day at Osceola County Stadium Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Michael Feliz RHP – (Stock increased, #6 in 2014)

When I started blogging for CTH, one of my first post was how the Astros didn’t protect Michael Feliz by placing him on the 40-man roster. The news broke at 2pm that day, and Twitter was a buzz on what a colossal mistake that was for the Astros. Talking heads and Twitter experts raved about Feliz’s stuff, saying that he would be the number one Rule V pick for sure. Rumors later broke that the Astros were in talks to trade for Evan Gattis and that Feliz was involved. Around the 11pm deadline, Jeff Luhnow came out and said that Feliz had been added to the 40-man roster.

Feliz is a big hard-throwing pitcher who is in his fifth year in the Astros organization. He signed young out of the Dominican Republic in 2010 and is currently in High-A Lancaster in the Astros organization. He pitches in the mid 90’s and tops off at about 98 miles per hour. His next best pitch is a nasty slider followed by his changeup, but he does have episodes of wildness. Feliz tries to pitch around the edge of the strike zone; so many of his pitches tend to become balls.

The reason he is still in Class-A is a testament to how he needs to develop a little more before promotion to AA-Corpus. He is off to a slow start at Lancaster with a 1-1/ 5.23 ERA/ with 16 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Let that sink in for a second, 16 strikeouts in 10.1 innings, that’s 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, which is a lot. He has given up ten hits and five walks in his starts.

Some people, including Jose de Jesus Ortiz believe that Michael Feliz is the future closer for the Astros. The Astros will continue to develop him, which I believe means that they see him in the rotation some day. If they wanted him in the bullpen, he could rely more on his power pitches.

I compared Feliz to Josh Hader here.

2014 Stats: 8-6/ 4.03 ERA/ 111 strikeouts in 102.2 innings

Affiliate Starting in 2015: High-A Lancaster in the rotation.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2017

Top 100: #98 according to MLB Pipeline

Ceiling: Pedro Martinez

Floor: Edison Volquez

Position blocker: Collin McHugh

Next: Astros Fourth Ranked Prospect

Astros Fourth Ranked Prospect

#4 Vincent Valasquez RHP – (Stock increased, #7 in 2014)

One time I was tweeting Brett Phillips days before spring training, and he told me he was hanging out with his homebody Vince. Then the following day Phillips, Lance McCullers, and Velasquez all went to do yoga. It was Velasquez’s first-time doing yoga, but he gave it a shot. Astros fans want Velasquez to get a shot to play for their home team. The problem is that while Velasquez shows ace potential, he also shows the potential of a pitcher who can’t stay healthy.

Like Feliz, Velasquez throws in the mid 90’s but mostly sits in the low 90’s with his pitches. Some people feel that he’s the best pitcher in the Astros organization, but also less durable, with late sink on his pitches. He second best pitch is the changeup, which is considered by some scouts as the top of the line. His third best pitch is a curveball, which is a good contrast to his fastball. In 2015, Velasquez struck out 12.8 hitters per nine innings

He has yet to play in 2015, as he is trying to get healthy from a lat injury. He was invited to major league camp but never pitched in spring training. Brian McTaggart reported on April 1st that Velasquez be pitching in games in Double-A by the end of April.

Here is a scouting report from MILB Houston Astros Prospects

Velasquez enters 2015 as the Astros’ No. 2-ranked pitcher thanks to a mid-90s fastball and arguably the best changeup in the system. The 22-year-old righthander missed two months last season with a groin injury following Tommy John surgery in 2010, and he’s again been limited this spring thanks to a lat strain he suffered last year in the AFL.

2014 Stats: 7-5/ 3.52 ERA/ 91 strikeouts in 64 innings

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus in the rotation, when ready.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2016

Top 100: #84 according to MLB Pipeline

Ceiling: Johnny Cueto

Floor: Alex White

Position blocker: Mark Appel

Next: Astros Third Ranked Prospect

Astros Third Ranked Prospect

Jul 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder

Domingo Santana

(13) warms up before a game against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Domingo Santana – (Stock increased, #7 in 2014)

Earlier in the offseason, I wrote a piece call Where Have you Gone Domingo? He was a once a top prospect who took a confidence hit in his major league stint last season. In his brief stint with the Astros in 2014, Santana struck out 14 times in 17 at-bats. You don’t have to be a math wiz to know that’s a high strikeout rate. He is trying to regain his confidence this year in Triple-A Fresno, but Preston Tucker may have leapfrogged him on the depth chart with his hot start.

Part of his game is the strikeouts, but he also offers right-handed raw power that the Astros were looking for when they traded for Evan Gattis.

Here is a scouting report from MILB Astros Top Prospects;

Santana reached the Majors last year, but that’s about all the positive things you can say about his experience there — in six games, he went 0-for-17 with 14 strikeouts and one walk. Still, Santana is just 22, and with 41 homers over the last two seasons in the Minors, the potential for him as a power-hitting corner outfielder is there. “The thing people overlook, everywhere he’s played, he’s been the youngest guy in the league,” Linares said. “Domingo has tremendous upside but a lot of swing and misses — he’s working on that. We know he didn’t have success in the big leagues last year, but it was an audition.”

This year in Fresno, Santana has hit .271/ 3 home runs/ 5 RBI’s while striking out 22 times in 48 at-bats. The strikeout number stands out as something that will get worse when he gets back to the major leagues. Baseball America dropped Santana out of the top-ten Astros top prospects. Will Santana be back up with the Astros at some point this year? Too early to tell, but the Astros still have faith in Santana.

2014 Stats: .296/ 16 Hr/ 81 RBI/ 149 strikeouts in 443 at-bats.

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Triple-A Fresno

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2015

Top 100: #50 according to MLB Pipeline

Ceiling: Evan Gattis

Floor: Marlon Byrd

Position blocker: Colby Rasmus

Next: Astros Second Ranked Prospect

Astros Second Ranked Prospect

Oct. 14, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Houston Astros pitcher

Mark Appel

plays for the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game against the Surprise Saguaros at Salt River Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Mark Appel RHP – (Stock stayed constant, #2 in 2014)

During spring training, Mark Appel did not make it easy for the Astros to have to demote him. Appel showed a more compact delivery that had Astros fans seeing the potential of the former number one overall pick by the Astros. So far this year, Appel has started off well, compared to his start last season at Class-A Lancaster. His numbers improved once he got the surprise promotion to Double-A that rubbed some of the Astros players at the time, especially when he made a stop at MMP to pitch in front the Houston coaching staff.

2014 Lancaster: 2-5/ 9.74 ERA/ 40 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.

2014 Hooks: 1-2/ 3.69/38 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched.

As you can see, Appel struggled in what is typically known as a hitter’s park in Lancaster. There are many suspicions as to what lead to the slow start, but the common belief was that he was not healthy at the beginning of the year. As the season progressed, he got more into a groove on the mound and was able to dominate in the Arizona Fall League.

Here is a scouting report from MILB Astros Top Prospects;

But Appel, following a restart at extended spring, actually finished his first full season strong, striking out almost a batter per inning at Double-A Corpus Christi after pitching to a 9.74 ERA with Lancaster. In the Texas League, he was 2-5 with a 3.69 ERA in seven games. He then struck out 24 batters in 31 innings in the Arizona Fall League. At Spring Training this month, Appel allowed seven runs in 10 2/3 innings.

He has started 2015 in Double-A Corpus Christi, and he has a record of 2-0 / 1.93 ERA/ 11 strikeouts in 14 innings. He probably won’t stay long in Double-A, and it is unclear when he will make his MLB debut.

2014 Stats: 3-7/ 6.91 ERA/ 78 strikeouts in 83.1 innings

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

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2015

Top 100: # 30 according to MLB Pipeline

Ceiling: Gerrit Cole

Floor: Dan Straily

Position blocker: Roberto Hernandez

Next: Astros First Ranked Prospect

Astros First Ranked Prospect

Mar 8, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Houston Astros shortstop

Carlos Correa

(76) at a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Carlos Correa– (Stock stayed constant, #1 in 2014)

Correa is the best of the best Astros prospects. People have stated that when Carlos Correa is on the baseball field, he automatically becomes the best player on the field.

Correa’s size and arm indicates that he might eventually move over to third base, similar to what happened to Manny Machado. He has the athleticism to play shortstop, however. He has five-tool potential on the baseball diamond and draws comparisons to a quicker Troy Tulowitzki or Alex Rodriguez. The sky is the limit for Correa, but his debut is unlikely in 2o15.

Here is a scouting report from MILB Astros Top Prospects;

Correa, limited to 62 games last year after breaking his right fibula in June, is now fully recovered and authoring an impressive Spring Training, his third with the big league club, where he’s hit .297 with two homers and five RBIs in his first 17 games. Linares and Goldstein said they expected the shortstop, who added a ton of muscle this winter, to begin at Double-A.

So far this season, Correa is fueling the Hooks offense. He is hitting .356/ 3 home runs/ 16 RBIs/ 2 SB/ 9 doubles. He has proven he is healthy so far this season, and whichever team that Correa is on often times wins.

2014 Stats: .325/ 6 home runs/ 57 RBI/ 20 SB

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus shortstop.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2015

Top 100: #3 according to MLB Pipeline

Ceiling: Troy Tulowitzki

Floor: Ian Desmond

Position blocker: Time and contract

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

Did you miss Part 3 of the Astros top Prospects? Click here

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