Plus: Hader's multisport upbringing
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Most Astros fans are probably well-versed by now on the talents of outfielder Jacob Melton, the club's No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (No. 3 prospect and highest-ranked pitching prospect). Much has also been written about shortstop Brice Matthews, Houston's first-round pick from the 2023 Draft and the organization's No. 4 prospect. Melton, Arrighetti and Matthews will be among 22 of the Astros' Top 30 prospects who are on the roster for Sunday's Spring Breakout game against the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. Spring Breakout is a four-day event showcasing the current stars of Minor League Baseball from each of the league's 30 teams. The Astros don't have a prospect ranked in the Top 100 by MLB Pipeline, but the club continues to churn out Major League talent and has had a top-five finisher in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in nine of the last 10 seasons. Astros senior director of player development and performance science Jacob Buffa took some time to break down some of the other Astros prospects on the roster that fans might not be as familiar with: |
C Miguel Palma (No. 24 prospect): "He's a sponge when it comes to learning. He's a really hard worker. From the very beginning, he's had really high contact rates. He's been able to put the bat on the ball often and is growing into power. Ultimately, he's a catcher that has a chance to hit, which is really intriguing." SS Camilo Diaz (No. 28): "Really young shortstop from the [Dominican Republic]. He's a raw player but shows big tools -- hitting the ball as hard as anyone in the DSL, an absolute cannon of an arm, he can run. Now it's about refining some of those, but really big tools." OF Kenni Gomez (NR): "He came over to the [United] States at 17 years old. I mean, just really impressive. He's put on size and strength over the last year, can really track the ball in center field. Has tremendous range and gets really good reads on the ball, and is coming into some power here. I'm excited to see him play for a full season." |
RHP Jose Fleury (No. 9): "Best changeup in our organization. It's fantastic. Really good ability to spot the fastball, good ride on the fastball. He's currently refining a curveball." RHP Miguel Ullola (No. 21): "I'm not exaggerating when I say possibly the best fastball in our system. I think he's up to 98 [mph] in his last outing. He's got tremendous ride on the fastball and a hammer of a curveball. For him, it's about picking the right pitches in the right counts and being in the zone when he needs to. Really electric stuff." OF Colin Barber (No. 20): "I know he was drafted back in 2019, a few years ago. Out of the outfielders that played in [Double-A] Corpus [Christi] last year he was still among the youngest, which included Melton. His contact rates, they've always been really good. He has a good, short swing and gets to multiple pitch types and has the ability to hit the ball hard. He hasn't been healthy for a full season, but I honestly believe if he's healthy for a full season he's as talented an outfielder as we have in our system." LHP Trey Dombrowski (No. 22): "He's got command of three pitches. He set a strikeout record in [Single-A] Fayetteville last year. He's a competitor. In today's game, it's really rare to see guys with true command over multiple pitches, and he's got it." |
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The Astros have started five different players in center field on Opening Day in each of the last five seasons. Can you name them? |
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• Less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, the Astros' starting pitching depth is a growing concern after veteran right-hander José Urquidy walked off the field after throwing 43 pitches in a Minor League game on Friday with a sore elbow. Here's a breakdown of the Astros' thinning starting pitching depth and a look at how Blake Snell may fit. • Astros ace pitcher Justin Verlander said facing hitters soon is "definitely on the table" after he emerged from Thursday's bullpen session feeling strong. He's set to start the season on the injured list but is progressing just fine. • Astros manager Joe Espada named left-hander Framber Valdez as the club's Opening Day starter on Friday for the third year in a row. Valdez will join Dallas Keuchel (2015-17) as having made the most Opening Day starts as a lefty in club history. |
Astros closer Josh Hader grew up playing multiple sports, including football, baseball (of course) and … bowling. He eventually took up fishing and hunting, and the small lake in front of the Astros' Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach recently made for a relaxing morning. Before the team's workout on March 8, Hader spent some time with a fishing line in the water and hooked a small bass. He threw it back into the lake, which may be his unofficial first save with Houston. "I figured I'd wake up early and try to catch some fish," he said. "It's pre-spawn right now, so it's a fun time to catch them." Hader began bowling in middle school and rolled a 275 as a teenager. Melton, the Astros' No. 1 prospect, was a stellar bowler in high school and rolled a perfect game by scoring 300. Hader said participating in as many sports as possible was important for his development. "I think just becoming an athlete was the most important thing," Hader said. "It's like, you can play baseball 100 percent of the time, but if your body's only used to that one sport, you're not gonna get better, but if you're able to put yourself in different positions and play different games, it just kind of elevates your game, I believe." |
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Jake Meyers (2023), Chas McCormick (2022), Myles Straw (2021), George Springer (2020) and Jake Marisnick (2019). |
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