Latest prospect rankings have Astros’ farm system closer to being good than fans may think

To say the Houston Astros' farm system has been barren for a long time is an understatement. The minor league system ranked 29th in the majors during MLB Pipeline's 2025 midseason update, and its high watermark over the last couple of years was 27th back in 2023.

New top-100 lists are coming out for 2026, and at least as far as ESPN is concerned, not a single Astros' farm hand made the cut. That sounds pretty bleak, but there might be some reason to believe things are about to turn a corner.

Houston did have a couple of prospects who came up just short of making the cut, with Brice Matthews coming in at No. 109, and 2025 first-round pick Xavier Neyens placing 185th. That doesn't sound like much, but Matthews could see a significant role with the big club in 2026, while Neyens is a highly touted high schooler who has yet to make his professional debut.

They could be risers this year, and despite the consistent bottom-of-the-barrel placement, there might be more youngsters joining them in making a leap this season.

Astros' much-maligned farm system might finally be turning the corner

In addition to these two on the verge of breaking into the top-100, one of the most exciting players in the system, 2025 third-round pick Ethan Frey, has been named as a top breakout candidate for 2026. The 21-year-old LSU product arrived at Single-A Fayetteville following the draft and quickly turned heads with a .330/.434/.470 line. A good showing this season could send him flying through the ranks and the prospect boards at the same time.

While prospects like Matthews and Neyens are on the verge of breaking through and garnering national attention, and risers like Frey might not be far behind, the depth of the system is looking better than it has in years past as well.

Arms like Ethan Pecko and Miguel Ullola could make a big league impact on the pitching side of things this season, while elsewhere in the lower levels, youngsters both on the mound and on the position player side of things are looking more worthwhile and showcase greater depth than we've seen recently.

Surprisingly, rival executives hold the Astros in high regard for a variety of system-building avenues. In a poll earlier in January, Houston received votes for the categories of best use of the international market, best at acquiring prospects in trades, and best at finding and developing sleepers.

This is all very encouraging and serves as a reminder that the issues that led to this drought on the farm were tied heavily to the penalties levied against the franchise due to the sign-stealing scandal, as well as the cost of continuously trying to compete over the past decade.

The Astros aren't out of the woods yet, but for the first time in a long time, we're starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel as far as the farm system is concerned.