Houston Astros Top Prospect Among 'Highest Risers' in Updated Rankings

One of the Houston Astros best prospects continues to impress evaluators as he is one of the highest risers in the updated rankings list by MLB Pipeline.

Hooks center fielder Jacob Melton | Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY

It's no secret that the Houston Astros' farm system is not well regarded after they've shipped away many of their best prospects during their championship window to add Major League pieces who can assist with their deep runs.

That's hard to argue with too.

The goal of every organization who has an opportunity to win a World Series should be to go for it because it's never a given that it can happen again.

Yet, despite the Astros not having a top pipeline compared to the majority of the league, when their prospects reach the MLB, they largely become impact players.

When looking at their current farm system, there are some names who have stood out already this season, namely Joey Loperfido who used his power surge in Triple-A at the start of the year to get called up to The Show for the first time.

The slugger certainly was the story in their pipeline, but he's only considered their sixth-best prospect.

Their No. 1 overall prospect is Jacob Melton who has seen his stock rise this year in MLB Pipeline's updated rankings after putting together a great start to his own season.

"Melton has been fighting swing changes since entering pro ball but has upped his line-drive rate while keeping his strikeout rate in check back in Double-A this season," writes Sam Dykstra.

If that's what is driving his success, then he could be the next one who potentially becomes an impact player for Houston down the line.

The 23-year-old is slashing .265/.327/.490 with five homers, 10 extra-base hits, and 21 RBI through his 26 games played this season.

He has now jumped from being considered the 90th-best prospect to sitting at No. 74 in all of minor league baseball.

It still seems like he's a year away from making his debut for Houston as he's projected to reach the MLB at some point in 2025. What should be monitored, though, is if he gets promoted to Triple-A this season to get him one step closer to the bigs.