4 Astros prospects that could absolutely impact their offseason plans

The Astros are entering a pivotal offseason. They just made their seventh straight trip to the ALCS, but with Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman on expiring contracts, and Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez only under contract for two more seasons, the choices Houston makes this offseason could very well make the difference between prolonging their window of contention or slamming it shut on themselves.

Four Astros prospects that could impact their offseason plans

Houston could use some new blood in their outfield, they need a backup catcher, and pitching depth is always a must. We recently highlighted four outfielders the Astros could target this offseason, but where could the Astros attack an area of need from in-house rather than going external?

While the cupboard is less full than it used to be, Houston still has four prospects in their system that could factor into their plans for 2024. Let's take a look at who they are.

#1 Joey Loperfido

Joey Loperfido enjoyed a massive breakout in 2022, then built on it in 2023 en route to being named the Astros Prospect of the Year. Loperfido hit .278 with an .880 OPS across three levels in 2023. He hit 25 home runs and swiped 27 bases across the levels.

Most of Loperfido's damage was done at the AA level. Across 84 games, he hit .296 with a .940 OPS.

He's also an incredibly versatile defender. Loperfido played center field 43 times, second base 21 times, right field 20 times, first base 19 times and left field 14 times.

He's a left-handed bat, and profiles very well as a future first baseman. As José Abreu continues to age, and as the Astros look to both replace Michael Brantley and determine if Chas McCormick is their everyday center fielder, a piece like Loperfido becomes intriguing, as he can fill both roles.

Loperfido, barring an abysmal spring training and total collapse in the minors, will debut in 2024. Baseball America ranks Loperfido #3 on the Astros list of Top-100 prospects. Depending on how highly the Astros view the utility man, Loperfido could very well be responsible for altering some of their offseason plans.

#2 Will Wagner

The son of Astros legend Bill Wagner, Will Wagner rakes. The 25-year old was an 18th round draft pick in 2021, and after getting off to an as expected start in year one, has mashed since his breakout in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.

Wagner had a great spring training, but injury held him to only 65 games in 2023. In 53 games at the AA level, Wagner hit .309 with 16 doubles and seven home runs.

After a late-season promotion to AAA, Wagner hit .577 with three doubles and a 1.299 OPS. In his 65 total games, Wagner hit .337 with a .938 OPS. He doesn't bring a ton of raw power, but that's mostly due to a high ground-ball rate. As he has begun to lift the ball more, the power has started to show, and he goes to all fields.

Like many Astros before him, Wagner possesses elite zone discipline.

Defensively, while he's played all over the infield as a utility man, he projects mostly as a right side of the infield piece due to his average at best arm. But a versatile infielder could allow the DH to be used as off days for Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve if Wagner is capable of holding down the fort there.

He's been incredibly successful thus far as a hitter in his minor league career. If the Astros bet on him the way they did Jeremy Peña with Carlos Correa on an expiring contract, could he impact the likelihood of an Alex Bregman extension?

#4 Rhett Kouba

Rhett Kouba isn't a household name, but he could be a key cog moving forward. Kouba won't win a Cy Young, but José Urquidy has made quite a living for himself eating innings while Justin Verlander wins Cy Youngs. Again, the Astros were desperate for depth last year. Kouba's fastball/changeup combo and ability to pound the zone (2.7 BB9 in his minor league career) gives him an eerily similar profile to Urquidy.

In 28 appearances across AA and AAA, Kouba posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, striking out 136 batters in 128 innings.

Unless disaster strikes, the Astros should get Lance McCullers Jr. back in 2024, and Luis Garcia could make a return late in the season. If Houston takes the same risk they did last offseason and decides not to sign any starters, Kouba could be their bet as a spot starter to bridge the gap to the returns of McCullers and Garcia.

A rotation of Verlander, Valdez, Javier, Brown, McCullers and Garcia is still incredibly formidable and would provide plenty of rest to keep arms from wearing down. If the Astros decide to spent outside of their pitching knowing they have an elite rotation of six arms when healthy, Kouba could be a big part of why.

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