Houston Astros top prospect among “greatest players” in updated rankings

It’s no secret that the Houston Astros’ farm system is not well regarded after shipping away many of their top prospects during their championship window to add Major League pieces that can help them in their deep runs.

This is also difficult to dispute.

The goal of any organization that has the opportunity to win a World Series should be to go there, because it is never a given that it can happen again.

Yet even though the Astros don’t have a top-tier pipeline compared to the majority of the league, when their prospects reach the MLB, they largely become impact players.

Looking at their current farm system, some names have already stood out this season, namely Joey Loperfido who used his rise to Triple-A early in the year to get called up to the Show for the first time.

The slugger was certainly the story in their pipeline, but he’s only considered their sixth-best prospect.

Their No. 1 prospect is Jacob Melton, who saw his stock rise this year in MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings after having an excellent start to the season.

“Melton has struggled with swing changes since entering pro ball, but has increased his line drive rate while keeping his strikeout rate under control in Double-A this season,” writes Sam Dykstra .

If that’s what explains his success, then he could be next in line to potentially become an impact player for Houston down the line.

The 23-year-old is hitting .265/.327/.490 with five home runs, 10 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs in his 26 games played this season.

He has now gone from 90th best prospect to 74th in all minor league baseball.

It appears it will be another year before he debuts in Houston, as he is expected to reach the MLB at some point in 2025. What should be monitored, however, is whether he is promoted to the Triple- This season to take him a step further. closer to the big ones.