21. Jake Bloss, RHP
Level: Single-A DOB: 06/23/01
Bloss was a 3rd round pick in 2023 after a solid career at Georgetown, including a 2.58 ERA in his final season. He made his debut following the draft posting a 2.76 ERA with 20 K in 16.1 innings. He sits low to mid 90s with the fastball, touching 97 in college. He has three off-speed pitches, a curveball, slider, and changeup, giving him a nice four pitch mix. The Astros could be aggressive with him in 2024.
22. Waner Luciano, 3B
Level: Single-A DOB: 01/13/05
Luciano didn’t get a huge bonus coming out of the Dominican Republic, just $45,000, but he is looking like a bargain at this point. The right-hander is listed at 6’1″ and 170 lbs. At 17 in the DSL, he posted a .807 OPS. At just 18 he made his stateside debut, playing in 45 games in the FCL and connecting on 10 homers, showing off his raw power. He has good strike zone discipline and draws walks too. He should be making his full-season debut in 2024.
23. Chase Jaworsky, SS
Level: Single-A DOB: 07/31/04
Jaworksy was the Astros 5th round pick in 2023, and signed for $800k, nearly $500k overslot. Jaworsky is a smooth athlete listed at 6’1″ and 170 lbs. He is a righty thrower, lefty hitter. Scouts have noted he has a strong arm, good range at shortstop and a left handed swing that has some pop. Jaworksy gives the Astros some high potential in the middle of the diamond. He only played in 9 games following the draft but hit .281 with 6 walks.
24. Nolan DeVos, RHP
Level: High-A DOB: 08/11/00
DeVos was a 5th round pick by the Astros in 2022. The right-hander had a dominant college career at Davidson posting a 2.19 ERA with 155 K in 119.1 innings. While he isn’t overpowering, DeVos is deceptive and has a high vertical approach angle, giving him the look of the invisible fastball, though he has seen an increase in velocity. DeVos had some dominant numbers in 2023 striking out 117 in 98.2 innings between Single-A and High-A. Read more here.
25. Misael Tamarez, RHP
Level: Triple-A DOB: 01/16/00
The Astros signed Tamarez out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He pitched in rookie league in 2019 but broke out a big way in 2021. As a 21 year old between Low-A and High-A, Tamarez posted a 3.76 ERA with 103 K in 76.2 innings. He followed that up with 142 K in 121.1 innings in 2022, though walks were a problem. Tamarez has a strong frame at 6-1 and over 200 lbs. Tamarez possesses a heavy fastball sitting miod 90s hitting and touching 97 MPH. He also possesses has a changeup and improving slider that can give him a deadly three pitch mix. He has been up and down but has the raw stuff to get to the big leagues.
26. Miguel Ullola, RHP
Level: High-A DOB: 06/19/02
Ullola is a young flame throwing right hander. The 21-year-old features a plus fastball that sits mid-90s and touches 99 MPH, even when in multi-inning spots. While he has some command issues, he has overpowered the hitters in lower levels with the fastball/slider combination. He might end up in the bullpen, but that may not be a bad thing given what kind of stuff he could have in one innings spurts. The fastball and slider are his two best pitches, but he does throw a curveball as well.
27. Zach Daniels, OF
Level: Double-A DOB: 01/23/99
Daniels was the Astros 4th round pick in 2020, and a selection that got a lot of people intrigued due to his power/speed combination. He was having a great year at Tennessee before COVID cancelled the season, which probably hurt his draft status. Since coming into the system he has shown his potential including a 2022 season posting a .894 OPS with 23 HR, 22 SB. In 2023 in Double-A, Daniels has a .817 OPS with 13 HR, 22 SB. He has some strikeout concerns, but when he makes contact it’s normally really loud.
28. Shay Whitcomb, SS
Level: Triple-A DOB: 09/28/98
Whitcomb was the Astros 5th round pick in the 2020 draft signing for just $56,000. He had a breakout 2021 season posting a .893 OPS with 23 HR, 30 SB. In 2022, Whitcomb struggled in Double-A but made some adjustments and came back in a big way this year. In 133 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Whitcomb had 35 HR (which led all of minor league baseball) and 102 RBI. He has some swing and miss to his game, but is a capable defender and has the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Read more on him here.
29. Alimber Santa, RHP
Level: Single-A DOB: 05/03/03
Santa was signed as an international free agent and is listed at just 5’10”, 163 lbs but really turned heads in spring training when Chandler Rome reported that the right hander sat 96-97 MPH with his fastball and has a changeup, slider and curveball. Santa ended up getting hurt in 2022 and wasn’t able to show what he could do but was healthy in 2023 and despite a high amount of walks, he racked up 119 strikeouts in 87.1 innings.
30. Ryan Gusto, RHP
Level: Double-A DOB: 03/11/99
Gusto has been in the system since being an 11th round pick in 2019. He is a little older than the normal prospect but has continued to make progress in the system. In 2023, he finished the season in Double-A posting a 2.93 ERA with 62 K in 61.1 innings. Gusto was clocked up to 98 MPH this spring and worked on refining a sweeper/slider last year. He could be a dark horse option to make his big league debut this year.