Houston Astros Superstar Prospect Now Viewed as 'Tier 1' Player
The Houston Astros farm system isn't loaded with talent, but at least one player is making a name for himself.
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently updated his MLB farm system rankings and in it he upgraded one of the Astros prospects from "Tier 2" to "Tier 1."
Jacob Melton was the No. 64 overall selection in the 2024 MLB draft and has earned his designation by showing promising signs. He's currently the No. 71 overall prospect in the league.
His emergence has been big for Houston as they traded away their top outfield prospect in Drew Gilbert and another in Ryan Clifford to get Justin Verlander back from the New York Mets.
The former Oregon State Beaver combines power with speed to become an intriguing potential center field option. He stole 46 bases and hit 23 home runs last season across High-A and Double-A ball.
Melton has gotten off to a cold-start in June, but his performance early in the year makes sense as to why he's become a more coveted player.
The 23-year-old slashed .273/.328/.400 in May. In April, he showed a bit more power with a higher OPS of .829. If he can become a more consistent player against high quality pitching, he could easily become a regular contributor at the Major League level.
One thing he still needs to work on is his ability to hit southpaws.
He's slashing just .189/.250/.270 against left-handed pitching this season. Houston has had some success in developing lefty-lefty hitters in the past. Yordan Alvarez is one of the best in the league, and though Joey Loperfido doesn't have a huge sample size, the numbers are good across those at-bats.
As they continue to refine Melton's swing, he will continue to gain more respect around the league. He makes solid contact and hits the ball hard when he does connect, it's just about building out his consistency right now.
He's still a bit away from being MLB ready.
Overall, the Astros farm system came in at No. 27 in MLB and Melton was their only Tier 1 player. Between him, Loperfido and Luis Baez, the future seems bright in the outfield.
They could possibly look into moving one of those for an infielder or pitching option. Loperfido could also be a first baseman at the next level.
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