Climbing Tal's Hill
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Astros Prospects: MLB Pipeline releases the new Top-30 list.

By Eric Huysman

Nov 5, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; West pitcher David Paulino of the Houston Astros during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; West pitcher David Paulino of the Houston Astros during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Moved up in the MLB Pipeline rankings.

Feb 19, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros catcher Garrett Stubbs (72) poses during spring training media day at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros catcher Garrett Stubbs (72) poses during spring training media day at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Rankings from MLB Pipeline.

#3 David Paulino

#4 Derek Fisher

#6 Franklin Perez

#7 Teoscar Hernandez

#8 Ramon Laureano

#11 Garrett Stubbs

#12 Gilberto Celestino

#14 Yordan Alvarez

#15 Freudis Nova

#17 Annibal Sierra

#20 Jandel Gustave

#22 Jake Rogers

#27 Jason Martin

These are the guys who upped their stock with their performances last year.

The two guys that you heard us talking about a lot on Talking Stros were also the ones who moved up the most. Laureano moved up from 28 to 7 on the list, leapfrogging Cameron, Dawson, and others. Laureano was drafted in the 16th round of the 2014 pick and profiles as a leadoff hitter with mid-level power and speed. He should get on base at a very nice clip and could join Tucker and Springer down the road.

Stubbs is my dark horse for playing time with the Astros this year, depending on the health of Brian McCann and Evan Gattis. There are not too many upper-level catching prospects in the Astros system so that he could be fast-tracked. Like Laureano, he demonstrates a great ability to get on base, but only ten home run power and some speed ability. With his size, could he be a big league catcher? We will see how he handles himself this Spring. He rose from 30th to 11th on MLB Pipeline‘s list, Callis has listened to us on Talking Stros.

Some other guys.

Perez didn’t make as big of a leap, but he could be the Joseph Musgrove on 2015 and 2016 for the Astros. The former infielder, the 19-year-old Perez has a high upside once he develops. He has four pitches with good movement on all his pitches. Perez could break out in 2017 and make his Astros debut in 2018 like Musgrove did. He moved up three spots from 9 to 6. Any trades the Stros make, he will most likely be involved.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

Alvarez was the player the Astros got in exchange for Josh Fields at the trade deadline last year. This was a crafty move by Jeff Luhnow to add another International free agent.

"MLB Pipeline states that “Alvarez has one of the highest offensive ceilings in Houston’s system.”"

This was a player that my co-host Brandon was really excited about. He moved up from 26 to 14.

Some other notable names on the rise were Celestino (13 to 12), Sierra (19 to 17), and Rogers (23-22).

The rankings are from MLB Pipeline.

Next: The Astros addressed their strikeout issues this offseason.

Thanks, Jim Callis for all his work with the prospect lists and for coming on Talking Stros several times already. Look forward to future appearances.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference and MLB Pipeline***