Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Quietly Have Another Elite International Pitching Prospect

The Houston Astros have a couple of key players waiting to take over in their farm system with another fast-rising international pitcher.

Dylan Sanders

Aug 4, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros gloves and hats rest in the dug out during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Aug 4, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros gloves and hats rest in the dug out during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros have yet another international pitching prospect who looks very promising in his first professional season.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter went through each farm system of every MLB to find the best players at each level.

For the Astros, a couple of their top spots went to outfielders.

Triple-A: OF Jacob Melton
Double-A: OF Luis Baez
High-A: C Walker Janek
Single-A: RHP Anderson Brito
Rookie: RHP Ryan Forcucci

Brito is another in a long line of international signing pitchers who has quickly developed in the minor leagues for Houston.

He has a 1.51 ERA over his first 53.2 professional innings with an impressive 13.8 K/9. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, but can touch 99 already. His slider is his next-best pitch.

He's a little undersized at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, but looks good enough to ignore that for now. The Astros will continue to try to make him a starter until it becomes an issue.

Melton has become the top-ranked prospect in the Houston farm system, progressing well since being taken in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft.

The Oregon State Beavers product has put up a .267/.323/.407 slash line in 41 games at the Triple-A level. He steals a lot of bases, something that the Astros are bottom-10 in the league at. Along with being a threat on the base paths, he looks to be a future corner outfield candidate thanks to serviceable arm strength.

Houston could potentially use him in a rotational spot next year if they need some extra help in the outfield.

Baez has had a slower start than anticipated at Double-A. No time to panic, though, as his bat has still progressed well this season.

He has nearly doubled his home run count from a year ago, 21 so far this season compared to 11 last.

Given that his slugging potential is rising but he doesn't look to be more than an average player in the field, he's likely to join Melton in a corner outfield spot.

Janek has not had the best debut at the plate since being taken with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 draft as he has put up a .175/.214/.289 slash line over his first 25 games.

He was always going to be a defensive-first catcher, though. He is a former Defensive Player of the Year winner in college.

Forcucci rounded out the list as another pitching prospect, but he's yet to make an appearance since being drafted in the third round of this latest draft.

Published
Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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