Astros Face Harsh Reality as Farm System Ranks Near MLB’s Bottom

The Houston Astros' farm system is uninspiring.

The Houston Astros have not done much to improve their farm system. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have made strides to improve their team this offseason. The Astros signed Tatsuya Imai to pair with Hunter Brown at the top of the rotation. Mike Burrows and Ryan Weiss will also get their chances in the MLB. But, their improvements on the field do not extend to the minor leagues.

Houston's recent trades have not netted them any top-end prospects. Last offseason, the Astros traded Kyle Tucker for Cam Smith, among others. Smith, a top prospect at the time, was immediately inserted into the big league lineup.

There are still some realistic trades for Houston to make to improve their farm system. But, for now, the Astros' prospect list has been given a low rank.

Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) makes a list of the top farm systems each year. The teams were ranked and put into tiers. Houston was placed in the seventh (of eight) tier and ranked 28th.

Astros Top Prospects

Brice Matthews made his debut in 2025. | William Liang-Imagn Images

The 2026 top prospect list has yet to be revealed. However, in 2025, the Astros called up their top prospect, Brice Matthews. He appeared in just 13 games, but four of his seven hits left the yard. He has not exceeded his rookie limits yet, but will likely start the season on the 26-man roster.

As for the other prospects, the MLB, much like Keith Law, is not very high on the Astros' farm system.

Recently, Major League Baseball released its top 100 prospects. Houston did not have a single player on the list. The Athletic and ESPN did not put anyone from the Astros on their top 100 prospect lists, either.

Xavier Neyens was the team's first-round pick in 2025. The 19-year-old has a lot of raw talent, but has not been given the chance to prove himself in pro ball just yet. He will start the year in Low-A, and that will give Houston and scouts a better idea of the type of player Neyens can be. At the moment, he is the Astros' No. 2 prospect.

Neyens has the best chance to make a top 100 list in the future. But catcher Walker Janek is someone to be excited about, as well.

Janek was Houston's first-round pick in 2024. He played a full season in High-A last year. At that level, the 23-year-old slashed .263/.333/.433 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI and 30 stolen bases. He had a much more inspiring season at the plate, but Houston will have to wait and see how he performs in Double-A.

Besides their three top prospects, the Astros do not have anyone who project to be stars at the MLB level. Things can always change, but Houston's farm system does not give an optimistic outlook for the future.

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