Houston Astros Recent First-Round Pick Predicted To Become Team’s Top Prospect

The Houston Astros farm system will need a star due to the lack of talent in the organization's minor league system.

May 26, 2023; Mesa, AZ, USA; Sam Houston Bearkats' Walker Janek (3) celebrates his 3-run home run against the GCU Lopes during their WAC Tournament game at Hohokam Stadium. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Houston Astros have some interesting free agency decisions they'll have to make over the next two offseasons. Those decisions would be much easier if they had a better farm system, but unfortunately, that isn't the case.

In fact, many view the Astros farm system as one of the worst in baseball.

Because of that, they'll likely have to pay most of their players who hit free agency in the coming years. That includes Alex Bregman, who could be seeking a $250 plus million contract.

Having a good farm system is important, but it's not the end-all-be-all. As Houston has seen throughout the past few seasons, they have more than enough to win a World Series with the talent on the roster right now.

Sure, hitting on a couple of prospects could help them achieve more success now and in the future, but if they keep this core around and continue to play how they have over much of the last decade, they'll be World Series contenders for the foreseeable future. 

While their farm system needs to improve, there are a few hidden gems. That includes recent 2024 first-round pick Walker Janek.

Janek, a catcher out of Sam Houston State, has struggled a bit at High-A.

However, given he's only 21 years old, those struggles don't come as much of a surprise. Nearly every prospect struggles at first. 

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com isn't too worried about Janek's struggles, either. He predicted that he'll be the Astros' top prospect in 2026.

"Houston’s top pick this year is coming off a spring at Sam Houston in which he was the Buster Posey Award winner as the top collegiate catcher in the country and the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. He shows plus raw power from the right side and has the arm to slow down runners – a huge advantage in today’s speedier game. The potential is there for him to be an all-around backstop should he continue to improve his framing and cut down on his chase rate."

The Texas native is a catcher, so if he can come around with the bat, it'd be a favorable outcome for Houston.

He'll have to show that he can hit at the big league level, but after what he did at Sam Houston State, all indications point to him doing so. The college game is much different than the professional game, but he has the tools to figure it out.

Hopefully, he'll do so for the Astros' sake.