Five Prospects the Astros Should Target in The MLB Draft

After winning the 2022 World Series, the Astros will have the last pick in the 2023 MLB draft. Last year the Astros selected Drew Gilbert with their first round pick, their first time holding a first round pick in two seasons.

Now as the Astros look to acquire talents at the trade deadline ahead of the postseason, we continue to hear how depleted the Astros farm system is. They've traded prospects in previous years to acquire top talent via trade, and they also didn't have a first or second round pick for two seasons. The combination of those two things will take a toll.

The Astros now have a chance to continue reloading their farm system.

Let's look at five prospects the Astros should target in the 2023 MLB draft.

#1 Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami

There appears to be a lot of smoke between the Astros and Yohandy Morales, Miami's third basemen. Morales is #20 on the MLB.com draft prospect ranking, but most mock drafts have him available at the time Houston will pick.

Morales is coming off of monster sophomore and junior seasons. As a sophomore, Morales hit .329 with 18 home runs and a 1.061 OPS. He followed that up by hitting .408 with 20 bombs, 70 RBI and an 1.187 OPS as a junior.

He's an aggressive hitter, and profiles more power than contact, but his future is bright and he's shown a consistent ability to barrel the baseball. His refined mechanics throughout his college career gives hope his contact will continue to improve.

If he's available at 28, there's only one other player I'd rather Houston take above Morales.

#2 Chase Davis, OF, Arizona

Power from the left side is the name of Davis' game. As a junior for the Arizona Wildcats, Davis just hit .362 with 21 home runs and a 1.231 OPS. Davis was a second-team All American and the Pac-12 tournament MVP. He's got slightly above-average speed, and though he's got his fair share of swing and miss in his game, his power to all fields more than makes up for that.

Davis is #22 on the MLB.com prospect rankings, and while I haven't seen him mocked to Houston often, he's projected to go somewhere in the 25-27 range.

The Astros have a logjam in the outfield, but a bat like Davis from the left-side would be tough to pass up if he falls. He profiles mostly as a left-fielder. He'd be a great piece alongside other outfielders of the future in Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford (and don't forget about Jacob Melton), or his power could make him a nice trade piece at deadlines down the road as Houston looks to continue contending for titles.