Joey Loperfido, a seventh-round pick out of Duke in 2021, has proven to be one of the Houston Astros‘ top prospects.
The 24 year old put together a career year in 2023, making his way up to Triple-A. After a short stint in High-A to start the year, he spent 84 games in Double-A, hitting .296 with a .940 OPS, 19 homers and 20 stolen bases.
He finished the year with five homers and 16 runs batted in in 32 games in Triple-A. Overall, Loperfido hit .278 with an .880 OPS, 27 doubles, three triples, 25 homers, 78 RBI and 27 stolen bases. This also included a 12.0 BB%.
After finishing the season in Triple-A, Loperfido is close to getting a call-up to the majors, but he also realized how much work he still has to do.
“It’s equally as exciting as it is motivating for me, but you do your best not to think about it too much and trust the same hard work that has gotten you here,” Loperfido said. “I feel really grateful for the journey up until this point, and I know that the best is yet to come.”
Loperfido loves to travel and every offseason he takes a trip. This year, he and fellow Astros prospect Chad Stevens went on a trip oversees.
“Chad and I started our offseason trip off in Egypt. We had kind of joked about seeing the Pyramids, but it was actually the cheapest airfare and got us the furthest East so we could work our way back towards the states,” Loperfido said. “From there we stopped in Greece, Budapest, Prague, Amsterdam, Mallorca and Barcelona.”
The traveling has two parts for him. Loperfido enjoys seeing the world and experiencing the new culture, but it’s also a way to wind down from a long and grueling minor league season.
“I have always loved traveling, but taking a few weeks right when the season ends to go explore some new places has become a great reset,” Loperfido said. “Chad and I both feel like it is a needed dose of perspective for us and just a mental break from the season.
“By the end of the trip we are both itching to get back in the gym and sleep in our own beds. We have lived together during the season and spent the last two off-seasons together with a good group of other pro guys up in Philadelphia. I joke that he is my brother, but we really have gotten close and do a good job of pushing each other to get better.”
Coming off arguably his best season as a professional, Loperfido realizes he still has things to work on but wanted to continue to focus on what has got him to this point.
“This offseason I really just wanted to continue building on the same things I have been focusing on since I got into the organization. Swing-wise, challenging myself to get the most out of my body and do it in consistent, simple, and powerful movements,” Loperfido said.
“I also wanted to build on some throwing cues I had been working on at the end of the year in Sugar Land, getting things synced up a little better. I started throwing people out in games at the end of year, and I’d like to add that tool to my game moving forward.”
The Astros recently announced the non-roster invitees for spring training, and Loperfido received his first invite. This will be his chance to spend spring training with the the likes of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander and the many more stars the team has.
“I was really excited to get invited to major-league camp this year and for that opportunity,” Loperfido said. “I think when you look at the names on that list, the core group in the big leagues that has had so much success over the years and the younger guys we have coming up in the system it is hard not to get even more fired up.”
The Astros have built a dynasty on developing prospects and getting contributions from all over. But they also develop high quality people too and Loperfido is another one coming.
“My goals for Spring Training are to continue being myself on and off the field and play my game,” Loperfido said. “In the same way I trust the work ethic that has gotten me here, I trust myself to continue to do things the right way, treat people the right way, and just keep trying to get better.”
The Astros’ system may not have the “marquee” names like they had in the first few years of the rebuild, but there are guys flying under the national radar left and right. Jacob Melton, Spencer Arrighetti, Zach Dezenzo and Loperfido are the next crop of prospects to make an impact and keep the dynasty going.
