Astros Highly Rated Prospect Off to Dominant Start Since Moving to Triple-A

The Houston Astros may have a very special prospect on their hands.

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros do not have what any major ranking platform would consider to be near one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball. Without the depth that some of their rival systems possess, the Astros will have to rely on a select few names to pan out in order to get the kind of value they'll need from their pipeline.

One name that does not get the kind of attention as the stars at the very top of the list could fit into that category, as No. 19-ranked prospect Zach Cole is off to a tremendous start since getting promoted to Triple-A.

Since getting the call-up to Triple-A Sugar Land, Cole has done nothing but hit at a high level. The 25-year-old has played 15 games so far and slashed an absurd .353/.459/.745 with five home runs and 16 RBI, including a walk-off grand slam back on Sept. 4.

Zach Cole. Ball So Hard University.

The @astros prospect -- and @BallStateBB product -- swats a walk-off grand slam for the @SLSpaceCowboys. pic.twitter.com/Q9oqWes4DZ

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 5, 2025

Cole is a former 10th-round selection back in 2022, and to this point, he has never been looked at as a highly rated prospect. The outfielder is trying to prove that his current hot streak is more than just that, as he pushes for an opportunity to appear in the big leagues next season.

"Throughout this year, his barrel rate jumped a lot from last year," said Astros senior director of player development and performance science Jacob Buffa via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “It looked like he came in with a little bit of a different swing in Spring Training and started hitting balls hard again. He did this earlier in his career, and last year the barrel rate dropped a little bit. This year he came back in looking really, really good, hitting balls hard in the air a long way. The swing and miss was up a little bit, the K rate was up. Around the middle of June, he and the hitting coaches decided to make a little bit of a swing adjustment.”

Cole's Numbers Have Taken Giant Leap This Season

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McTaggart pointed out in his story that Cole has had numerous hamstring issues since coming into the organization, which has likely stalled his development. He only played 76 games last year mostly with Double-A Corpus Christi, and in that period, he slashed .218/.308/.419 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI.

This season, he started with Corpus Christi and earned a promotion after 82 stellar games in which he slashed .267/.363/.505 even before the 15 huge performances in Triple-A. Now, he has19 home runs and 65 RBI in 97 games in 2025.

Cole is going to play with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League as he continues to try to develop. And with him heading out to that showcase circuit, he instantly has become a must-watch player for fans to keep an eye on.

In all likelihood, Cole is probably not a future superstar, however, he is looking like he could be a capable big leaguer and someone who could potentially help the Astros win some games next season and beyond.