Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Surprisingly Dominate New Top 100 Player Rankings

Baseball America's Top 100 players list is unexpectedly loaded with Houston Astros.

Tyler Maher

Aug 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) celebrates with designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) after hitting a three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Aug 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) celebrates with designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) after hitting a three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In this story:

Despite losing Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander this offseason, the Houston Astros are still one of the best teams in baseball.

Baseball America agrees.

The publication recently released its Top 100 MLB player rankings for 2025, and the list is loaded with Astros.

Houston is tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for second-most players on the list with eight -- one behind the Atlanta Braves. The San Diego Padres are fourth with six.

It's surprising to see the Astros tied with the defending World Series champs, who appear much more talented on paper, especially after adding Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki this winter.

It will be shocking if the Dodgers don't win 100 games this year, while Houston may struggle to reach 90.

It's also unexpected to see the reigning AL West champions comfortably ahead of seemingly more star-studded teams like the Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and New York Mets.

Not surprisingly, Baseball America's highest-rated Astros player is Yordan Alvarez, who ranks 13th on the list. One of the best hitters in baseball, Alvarez has made three straight All-Star teams and topped 30 home runs four years in a row.

Unfortunately for Houston fans, he rates one spot ahead of Tucker (No. 14), who was shockingly traded to the Chicago Cubs in December.

The second-best Astros player on the list is Framber Valdez at No. 44.

The left-handed ace has received AL Cy Young votes in three consecutive seasons, making two All-Star teams during that span, as well.

Those are the only Houston players in the top 50, but six appear on the bottom half of the list.

Newcomer Christian Walker is No. 69, five spots ahead of Jose Altuve. The franchise legend was No. 32 last year, but moving from second base to left field caused him to fall in the rankings.

New third baseman Isaac Paredes is No. 76, 16 spots lower than Bregman (now with the Boston Red Sox).

This is the first time making the list for Paredes, as well as catcher Yainer Diaz, who appears at No. 85.

Hunter Brown also makes his rankings debut at No. 94 following his breakout campaign on the mound, while shortstop Jeremy Pena returns to the list at No. 98 after missing the cut last year (he was No. 97 in 2023).

MLB Network also had eight Astros players in their top 100 (tied for most with the Mets), so Baseball America isn't the only outlet high on Houston this year.

With all that talent, the Astros should be considered serious World Series contenders in 2025.

Recommended Articles

feed

Published
Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

Home/News