3 surprising prospects who will shine at Astros spring training in 2024

Quincy Hamilton

This one is a pretty deep cut as Quincy Hamilton isn't a guy that one would think that would warrant much attention. He isn't ranked among the Astros' top prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline going into 2024 and being a fifth round pick in 2021 doesn't exactly bring a lot of name recognition his way.

However, don't be deceived by rankings because Hamilton can absolutely play. The 25 year old outfielder has a knack for getting on base, can steal bases (he had 27 steals in 2022), can play all three outfield positions, and possesses some pop in his bat. If not for a core muscle injury that cost him a big chunk of the second half of the 2023 season, he would probably be getting some more attention.

Assuming he is fully recovered from his injury, Hamilton could really shine in spring training. Pitchers often come out in spring training struggling to find their command and with Hamilton at the plate, that could mean he gets on-base a whole bunch where he can then show off his speed on the basepaths. He also has enough power to punish mistakes which are a bit more likely to happen during spring training.

The problem for Hamilton is that he has a bunch of guys ahead of him in the outfield pecking order. He does hit from the left side which certainly helps his cause, but Jacob Melton, Joey Loperfido, Colin Barber, and Justin Dirden are all probably ahead of him at the moment especially with Hamilton returning from injury. With a strong spring training, though, he could easily find himself in the mix prospect rankings be damned.

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