Grading the Astros’ 2025 draft class with the 2026 MLB Draft coming up fast

The MLB Draft is a time when any team, including the Houston Astros, can change the franchise's fortunes or doom them, depending on the picks they make. Alex Bregman, Jeremy Peña, Carlos Correa, and Hunter Brown are all draft success stories on the Astros' roster right now. As for the Astros' bigger draft busts, well...it is best not to think about them too much. The pain is too real.

With the 2026 MLB Draft coming up in a matter of weeks, it is time to really take stock of what Houston got from the 2025 draft. The short answer is that there are some intriguing young bats in the organization now, but the Astros' draft class is lacking in the depth you would prefer to see at this point.

The Astros' 2025 MLB Draft class is showing loads of promise, though depth remains a concern

Now, this should not be considered a final grade. The draft happened less than a year ago, so all of these guys have a chance to improve or regress. That is just the nature of prospects and following player development through the minor leagues. Minor leaguers can make your day and surprise you, but they very often break fans' hearts as well. Consider this a snapshot in time and nothing more.

The strength of the Astros' class is, unsurprisingly, with Houston's early picks. Houston's first-round pick, Xavier Neyens, has big-time raw power, and while that hasn't shown up very often yet, he is off to a very solid start to his career in low-A. Don't expect him to make his MLB debut anytime soon, though.

Ethan Frey quickly became an analytics darling during his pro debut, but some of the shine has worn off this year after a relatively pedestrian start to his time at high-A. One name to circle that doesn't get much mention is RHP Nick Potter. While the Astros are currently trying him out as a power-pitching starter, his command will probably push him to the bullpen, but he has the stuff to potentially be a high-leverage reliever.

After that, things get a good bit less optimistic. From the prep ranks, catcher Jase Mitchell (7th round) got a healthy overslot bonus and has a cannon for an arm and can hit for power, but is very much a project who isn't going to be close to ready for a while. Outfielder Justin Thomas Jr. (11th) was drafted out of the University of Arkansas and is showing a surprisingly well-rounded game this season with an OPS north of .900 so far. Unfortunately, the rest of the class looks like a lot of organizational depth guys and lottery tickets of very questionable odds.

In short, the Astros' 2025 draft class was not a disaster. Neyens has real star potential, and if Frey gets back on track, he is right there with him. Houston got a few other guys that are interesting, but no real slam dunks, and it just doesn't feel like they got as much talent as you would want from the class as a whole.

Grade: B-

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