Houston Astros Prospects Shine Brightly With Top Rankings Among Peers

MLB Pipeline continues to post their top 10 prospect rankings at each position, and on their third base list, two Houston Astros were listed among the best.

Houston Astros first baseman Zach Dezenzo prepares to bat in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

MLB Pipeline continued to roll out its top 10 prospect rankings for each position, and the most recent rankings came in the form of third basemen.

On that list are two current Houston Astros prospects — Cam Smith who is ranked third, and Zach Dezenzo, who is ranked ninth.

The only two prospects ahead of Smith are Coby Mayo of the Baltimore Orioles, and Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs.

Smith was a recent addition to the Astros farm system as one of the key components of the Kyle Tucker trade in December. He was already one of the best prospects among their feeder teams before the deal.

He was selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft at No. 14 overall and received a $5.07 million signing bonus from the Cubs. In his first half-season since going pro, Smith was able to rise through three levels making it all the way to AA, and even performed well there in his five games.

In 19 at-bats at Double-A, he slashed .263/.300/.774 with two triples, three RBI, four runs, and one walk to three strikeouts. In 32 games in the system, he slashed .313/.396/1.004 with 24 RBI, 20 runs, 16 extra-base hits, and 15 walks to 24 strikeouts. He played 213.2 innings at third base, accruing 23 putouts, 31 assists, one double play turned and three errors, good for a .947 fielding rate.

Dezenzo has had a longer road through the minor leagues, but he debuted for the Astros in August of last year and he put together a solid 19 games.

Dezenzo started out as Houston's 12th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, and in two and a half seasons he rose all the way through its farm system to the major leagues.

Last season was one of the best years of his career, even though a wrist injury put him on the minor league injured list to start the season. He still played in 52 games, slashing .300/.385/.877 with 31 RBI, 33 runs, seven home runs, 26 walks to 51 strikeouts and five stolen bases.

He was an impressive fielder in both the minors and the Majors. He spent 102 of his 123 innings Major League innings at first base and he had 81 putouts, two assists, nine double plays turned, and one assist, which led to a .988 fielding rate. He also got time at third base, predominantly in Double-AA and Triple-AAA, where he had 35 putouts, 48 assists, four double plays, and four errors, worthy of a .954 fielding rate.

Both players had exceptional 2024 seasons, and could be key contributors to a youth movement with the Astros.