With the season is over we will review each position in the minor league system during the 2025 season. This week we will look at the shortstop position.
Previous Position Reviews:
TOP PERFORMERS
Zach Cole
Cole was drafted by the Astros back in 2022. He got off to a slow start with some injuries but once he got hot he couldn’t be stopped. In 82 games in Double-A he had 19 doubles, 14 home runs and a .868 OPS. He was promoted to Triple-A where he hit .353 with 5 home runs over 15 games before earning a call-up to Houston. Overall he had a 22 doubles, 7 triples, 19 home runs and a system leading 151 wRC+ over 97 games.
2025 Stats: 97 G, .279 BA/.377 OBP/.539 SLG, 22 2B, 7 3B, 19 HR, 65 RBI, 18 SB, 151 wRC+
Joseph Sullivan
Sullivan came into the season with some hype thanks to his performance in Spring Training, and he performed up to that level of expectation. He started the year in High-A where he connected on 15 home runs and stole 34 bases over 75 games. The promotion to Double-A was a little tougher for him, but he still finished with 17 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a .798 OPS over 106 games in his first full season. He also led the Astros system in walks and stole bases.
2025 Stats: 106 G, .220 BA/.395 OBP/.403 SLG, 13 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 49 RBI, 42 SB, 132 wRC+
Lucas Spence
Spence has been a great find after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He started the year in Fayetteville and after hitting .286 in Single-A, he was promoted to High-A where he connected on 6 home runs with a .774 OPS. He earned another promotion to Double-A where he added 4 more home runs with 17 runs batted in and 6 stolen bases. He finished the season with 31 doubles, 27 stolen bases and a .771 OPS in 116 games, and an impressive 14.3% walk rate.
2025 Stats: 116 G, .244 BA/.368 OBP/.403 SLG, 31 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 55 RBI, 27 SB, 122 wRC+
Ethan Frey
Frey was the Astros 3rd round pick in 2025 and while he only played in 26 games in Single-A, he had a really strong debut. The 21-year-old hit .330 with 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 17 runs batted in and an impressive 20 walks to 25 strikeouts. This worked out to an impressive 166 wRC+. Frey could be a fast mover in 2026 and has cemented himself as a top 10 prospect in the system.
2025 Stats: 26 G, .330 BA/.434 OBP/.470 SLG, 5 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 9 SB, 166 wRC+
Kevin Alvarez
Alvarez was the Astros prize international signing as he inked a deal worth $2 million in January of this year. The outfielder lived up to those expectations as his name was all over the leader board. In 47 games, the 17-year-old hit .300 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 33 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases. This also included an impressive 12.0% walk rate and insane 9.9% strikeout rate. Really strong season at 17 years old. He was also named as a DSL All-Star.
2025 Stats: 47 G, .301 BA/.419 OBP/.455 SLG, 12 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 11 SB, 131 wRC+
Anthony Huezo
Huezo was drafted by the Astros in the 12th round of the 2023 draft out of high school. After a rough first year in pro ball, he turned it around in 2025. The 19-year-old played most of the season in the FCL and hit .231 but had a team leading .856 OPS with 6 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He finished the season in Fayetteville hitting .301 over 22 games showing some really growth. Read more on him here.
2025 Stats: 67 G, .262 BA/.371 OBP/.458 SLG, 10 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 18 SB, 139 wRC+
THE REST OF THE PACK
Drew Brutcher
Brutcher was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 season. He got off to an incredible start for Fayetteville this season hitting .330 in 54 games for the Woodpeckers. This included a ridiculous .371 in May. Brutcher was promoted to Asheville for the remainder of the season where he struggled some but still showed enough in Single-A to end up here.
2025 Stats: 101 G, .266 BA/.362 OBP/.376 SLG, 21 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 36 RBI, 3 SB, 115 wRC+
Luis Baez
Baez was seen as one of the Astros top prospects not long ago. Following a big bonus internationally, the hopes for him were very high. This year he struggled with some injuries and never really got his power stroke going. He played in 66 games in Double-A and hit .246 but only had 2 home runs, a big drop off from 21 home runs last year.
2025 Stats: 68 G, .248 BA/.312 OBP/.343 SLG, 14 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 7 SB, 88 wRC+
Tyler Whitaker
Whitaker was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 2021 draft and signed a big $1.5 million bonus. He has struggled in the minors so far and this year had some ups and downs. Overall, he only hit .200 but ended up with 20 doubles, 5 homers and 16 stolen bases.
2025 Stats: 107 G, .200 BA/.308 OBP/.326 SLG, 20 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 44 RBI, 16 SB, 80 wRC+
Kenni Gomez
Gomez received a nice bonus as an international free agent and had some success in 2024. Unfortunately this year he was unable to replicate that success as he struggled to get going. He finished the year hitting .232 with 18 doubles, 6 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 89 games in High-A.
2025 Stats: 89 G, .232 BA/.274 OBP/.349 SLG, 18 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 22 SB, 70 wRC+
2026 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
The Astros outfield spots are pretty much up for grabs, outside of Cam Smith in right field. Zach Cole and Jacob Melton figure to be battling for a spot in spring. Some of the Astros best minor league talent is in the outfield position with Joseph Sullivan, Kevin Alvarez and new-comer Ethan Frey. This could be an intriguing position next year as some prospects have a chance to really go and get them a spot on the big league roster.
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