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For many Houston Astros fans, the quest for answers as to how the big league squad can turn things around this season continues.
As much as has been made about the lack of talent in the Astros' farm system, you would think that there is no hope for Houston's future. Fortunately, that just isn't true as the Astros have several guys who have been putting together really nice seasons in the minors and, while few of them are ready for the bright lights of the majors, they are definitely heading in the right direction and could factor into the team's plans relatively soon.
Here is a look at some of the more notable prospect performances in the Astros farm system over the last couple of weeks.
John Garcia continues his insane hot streak
Garcia made headlines a week or so ago when he had five doubles in one game down at High-A. Coming off a pretty rough month of may and not considered at the time to be among the Astros' top prospects, Garcia's monster game was seen more as a curiosity than anything else by many outside observers. However, it does appear as though that Garcia's performance was more than just a fluke.
During the month of April, Garcia got off to a great start with a .321/.435/.446 line before cooling down in May. However, he made some adjustments and is back to showing out in June as an astonishing .405/.444/.762 line including a two homer game on June 11. Garcia is 23 years old, so the real test will be what he does at the higher levels of the minors. That said, he is a lot more interesting of a catching prospect than he was just a few months ago now.
Jake Bloss is quickly playing himself into Astros' rotation picture
One of the weakest parts of the Astros' farm system is at pitcher where they lack any meaningful depth and of the guys that were thought to be interesting, most have struggled this season. However, Jake Bloss has been the exception to that rule and could be pushing for yet another promotion to Triple-A soon.
After getting bumped to Double-A at the beginning of May, Bloss has continued to dominate on the mound. In his seven starts at the level, Bloss has posted a 1.94 ERA in 55.2 innings, although he is missing fewer bats against these more advanced hitters. Still, Bloss' ascension through the minor leagues gives Houston hope that he could be a middle-of-the-rotation type now that he has seemingly cut down on his walks this year.
Zach Cole is heating up at Double-A
Other than Joey Loperfido, who Houston seemingly can't figure out what they want to do with, many of the Astros' top outfield prospects have had disappointing starts to the 2024 season. Top prospect Jacob Melton was off to a good start before he went down with a wrist injury, but guys like Kenedy Corona, Waner Luciano, and Colin Barber have been less than impressive. However, the Astros' No. 6 overall prospect, Zach Cole, has been hard at work at Double-A Corpus Christi.
Just a 10th round pick in the 2022 draft, Cole has slowly but surely rounded into a very solid outfield prospect as a pro. After hitting .258 with an .869 OPS and 19 homers last season, Cole is slashing .289/.392/.434 this season and has been even better over his last 10 games with a .316/.426/.474 line. He only has one homer so far this season, which isn't ideal, and he needs to cut down on the strikeouts, but the raw power is definitely in there for him to turn into an impact bat if things break his way as he develops.