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Top Prospects No. 1-10

1. Hunter Brown, RHP

Level: MLB DOB: 08/29/98

Brown was drafted by the Astros in the 5th round of the 2019 draft out of Wayne State University. Brown runs his fastball up to 99 MPH (despite throwing mid 80s in high school) and has shown the ability to maintain his velocity in multiple innings. He also possesses a big breaking curveball and sharp slider, which both flash above average. He even ran his slider up to 95 MPH this season. Brown has the most upside in the system and all the makings to be a top of the rotation starter. The right-hander had a system leading 2.55 ERA and struck out 134 in just 106 innings in 2022. He also cut his walks down from 4.5 BB/9 in 2021 to just 3.8 BB/9 in 2022. His performance earned him a call-up to Houston where he had a 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings. He has all the makings of a top notch starter. Read more on him here.

2. Yainer Diaz, C

Level: MLB DOB: 09/21/98

Diaz was acquired in a trade that sent Myles Straw to Cleveland. Diaz is a bat first catching prospect who has proven his ability with the bat where ever he has been assigned. In 2022, Diaz played in 105 games between Double-A and Triple-A hitting .306 with 25 HR, 96 RBI. This earned him minor league player of the year in the Astros system. Diaz has a good command of the strike zone and rarely strikes out. He has plus power and has shown the ability to drive the ball the other way at a high rate. Behind the plate he has some work to do but has solid arm strength for the position. His bat will play at multiple positions and is a good candidate to be a breakout rookie in 2023.

3. Drew Gilbert, OF

Level: Single-A DOB: 09/27/00

Drew Gilbert was drafted by the Astros in the first round of the 2022 draft, the Astros first first round selection since 2019. Gilbert is a spark plug of a player, but don’t let that take away from his skillset either. The lefty possesses really good hand-eye coordination which allows him to consistently barrel baseballs. He also flashes some power which could see him as a 20 HR guy in the bigs. Gilbert has plus speed which he uses to his advantage on the bases and also in center field. He is currently a center field and projects to stay there at the big league level. As a junior at Tennessee, the lefty .362 with 21 2B, 11 HR, 70 RBI in 58 games. He is a fiery competitor and leaves it all out on the field. He started well in Fayetteville before an injury set him back but he appears to be the future at center field.

4. Jacob Melton, OF

Level: Single-A DOB: 09/07/00

Melton was drafted by the Astros in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft out of Oregon State. Melton had a standout junior year in college slashing .360/.424/.671 with 22 2B, 17 HR, 21 SB as he earned Pac-12 player of the year honors. Melton is a left handed swinging outfielder who stands at 6’3″ and 210 lbs. Melton has an advanced approach at the plate and has above average power with the potential to be plus as he also makes a lot of contact. The lefty is a plus runner on the bases and in the outfield and should stick in center field defensively. He also performed well in his limited time in Fayetteville last year (1.001 OPS in 19 games).

5. Pedro Leon, OF

Level: Triple-A DOB: 05/28/98

The Astros were rumored to be the favorites for Leon for quite a while but COVID threw a wrench in the plans. He was eventually signed in January of 2021 for $4 million. Despite his lack of size, Leon has shown power to all fields. He also possesses an above-average arm in the outfield and is a plus runner on the bases. The Astros have used him at SS but he makes the most sense in the outfield. While he has some swing and miss to his game, he has been able to get on base and still hit for power too. Leon has the potential to be an impact player at the MLB level and he has shown it already in the minors with the power and speed combination including 17 HR and 38 SB in 2022.

6. Korey Lee, C

Level: MLB DOB: 07/25/98

Lee was the Astros first round pick in 2019 out of California. Lee is a strong athlete with a strong lower half and shows solid across the board defensive skills and above average arm strength, projecting as a solid average catcher at the highest level. With the bat, Lee has shown the ability to drive the ball to the pull side at a high rate. Lee projects as a potential 20+ home run threat down the line. With the ability to hit for average and get on base from the backstop position, this gives Lee a strong shot to be a plus at the MLB level. Read more on Lee here.

7. Colin Barber, OF

Level: High-A DOB: 12/04/00

Barber was drafted in the 4th round of high school in the 2019 draft. He signed for $1 million, which was almost $600k over slot. Barber has very good bat speed and possesses above-average raw power and plus speed to keep him as a potential center fielder. He has struggled to stay healthy a bit, but when he has been healthy he has performed well (.851 OPS in 79 games). He has a patient approach at the plate and the ability to hit the ball all over the park. Baseball America said his work ethic has been rivaled to that of Alex Bregman‘s from within the organization.

8. Justin Dirden, OF

Level: Triple-A DOB: 07/16/97

Dirden was an undrafted free agent following the 2020 draft but has dominated in the Astros system to a tune of .939 OPS in 207 minor league games.  The lefty swinger has above average power and has shown the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Despite his size, he is a really good athlete and could stick at center field at the big league level. He is a strong runner and has an above average arm in the outfield. He has put together a strong spring training and is looking like a favorite to get a chance sooner rather than later. Read more on Dirden here.

9. Spencer Arrighetti, RHP

Level: Double-A DOB: 01/02/00

Arrighetti has had an interesting ride to this point. He college career consisted of three different schools with him ultimately getting drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He has a low to mid 90s fastball which has topped at 98 MPH this season, and a plus slider to go with it. He has an improving curveball and changeup as well. Arrighetti’s fastball also has a lot of ride on it creating an advantageous approach angle for him. In 2022, the right-hander led the Astros system in strikeouts with 152 in just 106.2 innings. Read more on Arrighetti here.

10. Ryan Clifford, OF

Level: Single-A DOB: 07/20/03

The Astros drafted Clifford in the 11th round of the 2022 draft out of Crossroads FLEX HS in North Carolina, but don’t let his draft position fool you. He was a Vanderbilt commit and the Astros went way over slot signing him for $1,256,530, the second highest bonus of their draft pool behind Drew Gilbert. Clifford is a big lefty standing at 6’3″ and 200 lbs. Clifford has the ability to hit for average and power with a beautiful left handed swing. He may profile for the corners and some scouts referred to him as an athletic Seth Beer.