Astros’ first round pick is making a strong case for himself down in the AFL

When the Houston Astros selected catcher Walker Janek with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Janek was a great prospect, but the Astros' draft resources were limited, and catcher wasn't a particularly high area of concern. Nevertheless, it hasn't taken long for Janek to start winning his doubters over and show why the Astros were so enamored with him.

After a lackluster pro debut last year, Janek made an adjustment to his approach that immediately started to pay dividends to the tune of a .263/.333/.433 slash line in 92 games at High-A Asheville. That's real progress, and with Janek's catching acumen, it is not surprising that the Astros ultimately decided to send him to the Arizona Fall League.

So far, that decision is looking very wise with Janek raking in the AFL and looking as though he could factor into the Astros plans really soon.

Walker Janek's AFL performance could change Astros' plans for 2026

One shouldn't get too excited about what has been a very small sample of games in the AFL, but it's hard to ignore how good Janek has looked. In eight games, he's hit .303/.361/.667 with three home runs. Now we are talking.

IfJanek can continue to perform well (though carrying a .667 slugging percentage for a month is quite a reach), Houston is going to have to make some decisions.

Janek was a college draft pick, so moving him through the minor leagues quickly isn't a crazy notion. With Yainer Diaz's offensive struggles in 2025, combined with his defensive shortcomings, there was already a strong argument for Diaz to be traded this offseason; and this was before Janek's hot start in the AFL.

That's a discussion for later in the offseason, however. There's still a bunch of games left to play in the AFL and Janek has to do his part before any further discussion of his future plans would make any sense. There's no denying, however, that he's trending in the right direction and that's adding another level of intrigue to the Astros' offseason.