Outfielders Dominate Houston Astros Top 10 Prospects

Half of the Houston Astros' Top 10 prospects play the outfield, a position that now looks flush with talent.

The Houston Astros dealt away two of its top outfielders to acquire Justin Verlander at the trade deadline in August.

Perhaps the organization knew something everyone else didn’t.

Jacob Melton, an outfielder, is the top prospect in the Astros’ organization, per Baseball America, which re-ranked each organization’s Top 10 prospects this offseason.

Melton isn’t the only outfielder in the Top 10, either. Luis Baez is right behind him at No. 2.

The Astros dealt Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford to the New York Mets for Verlander, and the pair are now among the Mets’ Top 6 prospects.

Melton finished his season at Double-A Corpus Christi, as he batted .245 with 23 home runs and 55 RBI. He led the organization with 83 runs and was one of just five minor league players to go 20/40 (he also had 46 stolen bases).

Baez was part of the Astros’ 2022 international class and he was paid a $1.3 million bonus to start his pro career out of the Dominican Republic. He finished the season with Class-A Fayetteville in 2023 and batted .243 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI. It was his first year stateside.

Pitcher Spencer Arrighetti is the Astros’ top-ranked pitcher at No. 3. The right-hander started his season at Corpus Christi and ended it at Triple-A Sugar Land and he went a combined 9-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 124.2 innings. He struck out 141 and walked 59 while allowing batters to hit .217 against him.

Following Arrighetti is their 2023 first-round pick, Nebraska’s Brice Matthews, at No. 4. The shortstop finished his first pro season at Fayetteville and while he only batted .208, he had four home runs and 11 RBI in 35 games.

Third baseman Zach Dezenzo rounded out the Top 5. Dezenzo finished his season with Corpus Christi and batted .305 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI. A 12th-round pick in 2022, he’s already put himself into a position to be the team’s future third baseman one day. He led the system in slugging percentage.

Outfielder Joey Loperfido, outfielder Zach Cole, pitcher Alonzo Treadwell, outfielder Kenedy Corona and pitcher Andrew Taylor round out the Top 10.