What Spring Reps Have Revealed About Astros Top Prospect Trust Level

The Houston Astros top prospects are looking good this spring.

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The Houston Astros' farm system is filled with incredibly young talent, especially at the top. The list is headlined by 18-year old outfielder Kevin Alvarez, who completed his first professional season before he even became an adult.

The team's No. 2 prospect, according to MLB.com, is 19-year-old Xavier Neyens, who was drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB draft. Neyens has yet to make his professional debut.

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When it comes to spring reps, it's easy to see why these two future stars haven't received any yet. There's no reason to potentially ruin an 18 or 19-year-old's confidence just to let him take a couple of at-bats against guys with experience gunning for MLB rosters.

It's simply too early in their career to be messing around like that, and that's likely why they haven't played: There's just no reason. When it comes to other prospects' playing time, they're all different, but these two fall in the same bucket.

The Astros Seem To Have a Lot of Confidence in Ethan Frey

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A prospect the Astros have allowed to play is No. 3 prospect outfielder Ethan Frey. Frey spent all of 2025 in Single-A and played quite well. He batted .330/.434/.470 through 26 games and 100 at-bats. Frey showed solid plate discipline with 20 walks and showed off some speed with nine steals.

Spring training has gotten off to a rough start so far, but Frey is still in Single-A. Frey has two hits in 13 at-bats and struck out nine times so far this spring. The fact that a guy with little professional experience is even playing that much in spring speaks volumes to how highly the Houston brass must think of him.

The Astros 2025 third-round pick was playing for LSU this time last season, and now he's in big league camp. and even hit a home run. Combined with his dominant albeit short stint in the minors, Frey has nothing to worry about entering 2026.

Brice Matthews Looks Like Candidate to Make Opening Day Roster

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A prospect who is much closer to spending this season in the big leagues is Brice Matthews, who spent 13 games with the Astros last season. Houston's 4th-ranked prospect has played virtually every other day this spring and made multiple starts.

Entering Sunday, Matthews is batting .333 with seven RBI and four stolen bases this spring. Matthews has gotten ample playing time and made the most of it. The sneaky power he flashed over his 13-game-stint last season has yet to show up in spring camp, but Matthews has still been an on-base machine.

His high-usage this spring has shown the Astros front office is taking a long look at him, and hopefully seeing if he'll make the 26-man roster out of the gate. It won't be easy as Houston has a crowded infield situation. While that still may be a question, there's no doubt he'll spend some time in the big leagues this season.