Astros Prospects That Just Missed The Top 30
With the update top 30 prospects list on the site, I wanted to shed a little light on guys who just missed out. This was hard to narrow down as the Astros system is very good.
You can find the top 10 (and also 11-30) below:
Top 10 Prospects
Below are some prospect who just missed the top 30, in no particular order.
Trent Thornton, RHP
Current Level: AAA
ETA: 2019
DOB: 09/30/93
Thornton was selected in the 5th round of the 2015 draft out of UNC. Thornton was very good his freshman and sophomore season but regressed in his junior season. The Astros decided to take a chance on him and it paid off. He started the 2016 season with Lancaster and went 7-4 with a 4.12 ERA and 16 BB/89 K in the Cal League. He was promoted to Corpus and dominated in his seven starts with a 2.35 ERA and 5 BB/35 K in 46 innings. Thornton split 2017 between AA/AAA and struggled posting a 5.21 ERA. He has a very high spin rate on his curveball (something Astros like) and will be one to watch in 2018.
Jon Kemmer, OF
Current Level: AAA
ETA: 2018
DOB: 11/17/90
Kemmer has been a late round steal for the Astros after being drafted in the 21st round of the 2013 draft. Kemmer has hit at every stop in the minors making it all the way up to AAA. In 2017 he repeated AAA but made huge improvements in every category. Overall he hit .299 with .932 OPS and 16 HR in 87 games. Unfortunately, he missed the end of the season due to an injury. He finished the season with a 142 wRC+ which was just 5 points shy of Derek Fisher. The only knock on Kemmer now is his age as he is already 27 years old.
Miguelangel Sierra, SS
Current Level: Rookie
ETA: 2021
DOB: 12/02/97
Sierra was signed by the Astros out of Venezuela for $1,000,000 in 2014. Sierra stands at 5’11” and listed at 165 lbs. In 2016, he started the season with Greeneville and showed off some of his tools. In just 31 games with Greeneville he slugged .620 with 11 HR. He was then promoted to Tri-City where he struggled a bit, though he was 3.1 years younger than the average player in the NYPL. Scouts note he has a very quick first step and soft hands, leading many to believe he will be a plus defender at shortstop. At the plate, he shows good pop for his size but needs to work on his pitch recognition. He still has a ways to go but has as much upside as any middle infielder in the Astros system. He has gotten off to a slow start but is still just 19 years old.
Lupe Chavez, RHP
Current Level: Rookie
ETA: 2021
DOB: 12/03/97
Chavez was originally signed out of Mexico by the Blue Jays in 2014. The Astros acquired Chavez in the deal that sent Scott Feldman to the Blue Jays. Chavez pitched in rookie ball in 2016 and posted a 1.38 ERA with 10 BB/41 K in 45.2 IP. Like Javier, Chavez’s stuff may not be considered top notch but he knows how to pitch. He has a fastball that sits low 90s (touching 92/93) and a very good changeup that flashes above average. He is listed at 6’2″ and just 150 lbs, so plenty of room to grow too. He retired for the 2017 season but has since came back to professional baseball.
Stephen Wrenn, OF
Current Level: A+
ETA: 2020
DOB: 10/07/94
Wrenn appeared to be a steal early on (6th round in 2016) as he broke onto the scene with 9 HR and a .908 OPS in 36 games for Tri-City. He didn’t repeat the success in 2017 but the year wasn’t a waste either. He is super talented and possesses plus speed, great defense, and solid pop. He started the year with Quad Cities and hit .288 in 42 games (127 wRC+) with a 25.3 K%. He was promoted to Buies Creek where he posted a 85 wRC+ in 83 games but had a solid walk rate at 9.1 BB% and cut down on the strikeouts to 18.7 K%. He will be just 23 next year and will need a good season to keep up his prospect status.
Dean Deetz, RHP
Current Level: AAA
ETA: 2019
DOB: 11/29/93
Deetz started out the season as a starter and pitched really well for Corpus. He was promoted to Fresno and eventually moved to the bullpen where his stuff really played up. Out of the pen he is a consistent high 90s guy with a hard slider in the 80s. He had some stellar outings with Fresno and some others that left plenty to be desired. Unfortunately he was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance. He has the stuff to succeed as a reliever but will just need to bring it all together when he returns in 2018.
Carson LaRue
Current Level: A
ETA: 2020
DOB: 03/06/96
LaRue was the Astros 14th round selection in 2016. This season he was one of the more dominating pitchers for Quad Cities going 12-4 with a 2.86 ERA and allowing just 76 hits in 100.2 innings. He was promoted to Buies Creek and pitched in 4 games to close out the season. Overall, he had a 3.23 ERA in 120 IP with a solid walk and and strikeout rate. LaRue has a low 90s fastball and a very good slider.
Brendan McCurry, RHP
Current Level: AAA
ETA: 2018
DOB: 01/07/92
McCurry missed the beginning of the season due to a suspension. When he came back, he pitched pretty well for Fresno. While the ERA wasn’t ideal at 4.43, he had a solid 12 BB/52 K in 44.2 innings. He showed a stretch of dominance though posting a 0.44 ERA with 6 BB/29 K in 20.2 IP from June 20th to August 4th. McCurry won’t over power you but he has a ton of movement on his pitches and keeps hitters off balance.
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**Photo Credit: Kiel Maddox**
