Minor League Baseball

Houston Astros' Double-A Affiliate Makes a Splash in Game That Should Lift Spirits

Colin Barber's cycle was just one of the memorable performances for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks on Tuesday.

Jami Leabow

After scoring Houston Astros outfielder Colin Barber is congratulated by teammates in the dugout in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 22, 2025.
After scoring Houston Astros outfielder Colin Barber is congratulated by teammates in the dugout in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 22, 2025. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks need to update the record book after their 20-14 win on Tuesday – an offensive performance that can only buoy the spirits of the Houston Astros after a less-than-stellar assessment of their farm system this week.

The Hooks defeated the Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers affiliate) in the opener of a six-game road set. Corpus Christi scored its most runs since it beat Midland on July 4, 2019.

The win snapped an eight-game losing streak.

Colin Barber became the second member of the Hooks (Jamie Ritchie, Aug. 6, 2017) to hit for the cycle. He started the scoring barrage in the first inning, leading off the game by splashing a pitch into the lazy river beyond the right field fence.

He added a single in the third, a double in the seventh and an eighth-inning triple that scored a pair of runs.

Barber finished the day 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBIs. He also was hit by a pitch.

But was he the player of the game for the Hooks?

Zach Cole, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 21 player in the Astros system, tied the Hooks’ record for RBIs with eight.

Cole hit a grand slam in the fourth for his first home run of the season, slugged a two-run double in the seventh and crushed a two-run homer in the eighth.

On the day, he was 3-for-5 with three runs and eight RBIs. That latter stat tied a Corpus Christi record.

The good day at the plate had to have inflated the Astros and their thoughts about their farm system -- at least about the offense.

MLB Pipeline, in its recent update of the Top 100 prospects in baseball, listed no Astros among the top group.

While their American League West rival Seattle Mariners featured nine players on the list, the Astros were the only team with zero.

Astros rookie Cam Smith started the season on the prospect list but has graduated from it.

Related MiLB Stories

ON THE BALLOT: A dragon, a buck, a bull and a baseball-nosed guy are nominees for the Mascot Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE

NO 0.00: Hunter Barco gave up his first run of the 2025 season in his debut at the Triple-A level. CLICK HERE

GRAND SLAM BONANZA: Ryan Ignoffo, a prospect in the Miami system, hit TWO grand slams in the same game. How often does that happen in both the majors and the minors? Not often. CLICK HERE

Published |Modified
Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

Home/NEWS