WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- In addition to right-handed pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, who has an outside chance to grab a spot on the club's Opening Day roster, the two prospects who have turned the most heads in Major League camp for the Astros this spring are infielder/outfielder Joey Loperfido and outfielder Kenedy Corona. In MLB Pipeline's recently released Astros' Top 30 prospects, Loperfido is ranked as Houston's No. 6 prospect and Corona is slotted at No. 12. Loperfido, a seventh-round Draft pick in 2021 from Duke, was the Astros' Minor League Player of the Year last season after hitting .278 with 27 doubles, 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, 65 walks and 27 stolen bases in 124 games between High-A Asheville, Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land. "He's opening some eyes," Astros manager Joe Espada said last week. "We know how good he is and we see the progress in his game the last couple of years, but what he's doing right now and how he's hitting the ball to all fields, playing good defense, stealing bases, it's been eye-popping for sure." Here's a look at the Astros' top prospects: 1. Jacob Melton, OF
2. Luis Baez, OF
3. Spencer Arrighetti, RHP
4. Brice Matthews, SS
5. Zach Dezenzo, 3B/2B Complete Top 30 list » |
Some in the organization are pushing for Loperfido to break camp with the Astros in a utility role, but it's more likely he begins the season in Triple-A and reaches Houston at some point in 2024. "It's how polished he is, on the field but also in the clubhouse -- how he walks around," Espada said. "There's a maturity and presence about him that he didn't have in years past. That will help him play at the Major League level, especially in a stage where the expectation is to win a World Series. He's handling that aspect of things very well." Corona, 24, was signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2019 and traded to the Astros along with left-handed pitcher Blake Taylor in exchange for outfielder Jake Marisnick in December 2019. He played all but six games last season at Corpus Christi, where he slashed .244/.324/.449 with 20 homers, 61 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, making him a power and speed threat. Corona also earned a 2023 Minor League Gold Glove Award for his defense in the outfield, while playing primarily center field. |
MLB Pipeline graded him as a 65 defender on the 20-80 scouting scale, with 60 being above average and 70-80 well above average. He made two great defensive plays on March 3 against the Mets, including a diving catch in foul territory and a strong throw to third base from center field to nab a baserunner. "It's just how explosive and twitchy he is," Espada said. "The play he made the other day on a ball in foul territory, but also the throw. And he can do that in all three outfield positions, which is not easy to do. And how much he's progressed when it comes to his at-bats. Everyone knew about his strength, but he's a more polished hitter than he was in the years past." The Astros will have 22 of their Top 30 prospects, including each of their top nine prospects, on the roster for their March 17 game against top prospects from the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. |
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• The Astros are working with several of their starting pitchers to try to hold runners better this season, including Cristian Javier. Here's more on Javier's efforts to slow the running game, plus how veteran third baseman Alex Bregman and closer Ryan Pressly are progressing this spring. • Yainer Diaz is finally getting his chance to take over as the team's starting catcher and his explosive contact has his teammates talking. • Astros starter J.P. France is adding a two-seam fastball to his repertoire this year, and teammate Jose Altuve says it's going to be a good pitch as France tries to duplicate -- or surpass -- his breakout 2023 campaign. |
Former Astros manager Dusty Baker paid a visit to Astros camp on Friday morning, catching up with players, coaches and other staff members while roaming the complex. Baker's son, Darren, is in camp with the Nationals, who share a Spring Training site with the Astros in West Palm Beach, Fla. Baker was hired by the Giants to be a special advisor after retiring from the Astros last year. "He did a lot of big things for us," Altuve said. "I had zero complaints about him. He loved the game and he still does. He helped us a lot. We won a World Series with him, so we were really happy to see him around." Astros super utility player Mauricio Dubón knew Baker well, even before he was traded from the Giants to the Astros early in the 2022 season. Dubón moved from Honduras to Sacramento, Calif., where Baker lives, when he was in high school, often working out with Darren Baker. "He's doing good and he's enjoying his time over there," Dubón said. "I've known him a long time. I told him it's a nice thing he gets to see his son play. He's about to make his big league debut and we joked around last year that if he debuted he would have to leave [the Astros] and go and watch. Just doing that full-time now is pretty good." Baker, who came out of retirement in 2020 and led the Astros to two trips to the World Series, including his first championship as a manager in '22, announced his retirement in October. He finished his 26-year career as one of the most accomplished managers in history with a résumé that includes 2,183 wins in the regular season, which is the seventh-most in history. He won division titles with five different teams and led teams to pennants in both leagues -- the Giants in the National League in 2002, and the Astros in the American League in 2021-22. |
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