Back in the 2022 international signing period, the Astros spent big getting a top prospect out of the Dominican Republic. That prospect was outfielder Luis Baez, who signed with the Astros for a $1.3 million bonus. The Astros lack of draft picks in 2020 and 2021 meant they needed to invest in the international market, and Baez was one of the prospects they invested heavily in.
At the time of the signing, Baez was listed at 6’1″ and 195 lbs, but with room to grow and huge upside. Scouts noted that he had excellent bat speed and strength and for a teenager, he really stood out against his peers. Baez earned a quick assignment to the Dominican Summer League where he hit .305 with a .903 OPS in 58 games.
In 2023, Baez made his full-season debut playing for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Single-A affiliate of the Astros. He played in 41 games and had a .737 OPS.
Fast forward to this spring, Baez received an aggressive assignment to High-A Asheville Tourists. The difference between Single-A and High-A can be quite the jump sometimes, with pitchers being a lot more advanced at that next level up.
“Baez has been doing a great job adjusting to High-A, obviously pitching gets tougher as the level goes up but he has been a true professional with his game plan and putting himself in the best positions to succeed,” said Bryan Muniz, the Tourists’ hitting coach.
Baez is now somewhere in the range of 6’1″ and weighing around 220 lbs. The raw power he has from his frame is clear, but this year he has started to show it in games more too. This season, Baez has connected on 10 doubles and 7 homers in 42 games. Last year in Fayetteville he had just 4 homers in 41 games.
“He is just a different type of hitter, especially when the lights come on,” Muniz said. “One thing that puts him above the rest is the way he clocks in when it’s time to work on his craft and the ability to take it into the game right away.”
But the season hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way through. During the month of April, Baez hit just .239 with a .635 OPS and only 5 extra base hits in 17 games. He made adjustments though, and in May, the 20-year-old hit .314 with a .875 OPS and 12 extra base hits in 25 games.
“He’s matured a ton, especially with the game planning and figuring out how teams are attacking him and how to make the adjustments needed to compete every night,” Muniz said.
Losing the the first and second round picks in the 2020 and 2021 draft hurt the Astros system in terms of top tier talent. But signing a guy like Baez in international free agency was equivalent to a top pick. He is consistently ranked in the top 2-3 prospects in the system and if his progress continues like it did in May, we could see him on top 100 lists come mid-season.
Be sure to follow on Twitter, @AstrosFuture, follow me on Instagram, @AstrosFuture and like my Facebook page, facebook.com/AstrosFuture.
