Three Astros Prospects Named to 2025 AFL Fall Stars Game Roster

After productive fall campaigns in the desert, the Astros celebrate three prospects being named to the Fall Stars Game roster.

Apr 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The 2025 Arizona Fall League season has seen many notable prospects succeed and post encouraging production. A trio of these prospects in particular reside within the Houston Astros organization. 

After a productive fall from their 2024 first-round pick, a top-of-the-system arm, and a 24-year-old ranked in the back end of the farm, the Astros saw three get selected to participate in this year's Fall Stars Game.

Catcher Walker Janek, and right-handed pitchers Anderson Brito and James Hicks have all been selected to represent the American League roster in this elite showcase of prospect talent. Let’s take a look at how each of them got there.

Janek has been slightly overshadowed this fall by some of the other names on the Scottsdale Scorpions roster. Names like Kevin McGonigle, Max Anderson, and Esmerlyn Valdez have all been elite offensively. 

May 26, 2023; Mesa, AZ, USA; Sam Houston Bearkats' Walker Janek (3) celebrates his 3-run home run against the GCU Lobos during their WAC Tournament game at Hohokam Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Sam Houston State product is tied for 6th in the league with three homers in his time this fall. While he hasn’t hit for average, he’s posted a slugging percentage of .481 with 20 runs batted in.

In four games and three starts for the Scorpions, Brito has been fantastic, owning a 3.97 ERA with a league-leading 17.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s given up six hits and five earned runs in 11.1 innings pitched, but has limited the home run damage to just one on the fall.

The final selection from within the Houston organization belonged to their No. 26 prospect James Hicks. The 24-year-old has been making headlines throughout the entire fall campaign for his consistent production.

Mar 16, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Houston Astros pitcher James Hicks throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Through 14 innings pitched this fall, Hicks remains one of just two pitchers in the entire league to have not surrendered a single run. Just six hits allowed in his four games, he’s posted an unbelievable ratio of 19 strikeouts to just two walks.

After posting a 5.59 ERA in Double-A Corpus Christi this season, the stellar production from Hicks is just what the Astros organization needed to see. Against the fall league's best competition, we’ll see if the 6-foot-2 right-hander can continue to dominate.

For a farm system that doesn’t seem to gain as much mainstream media attention as others, it’s great to see multiple promising prospects be named to the Fall Stars Game roster. It’ll hopefully be a sign of bigger things to come for these three, who have raised their expectations for 2026.

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