Last week, Kenny Van Doren and I recorded a podcast episode discussing New Year’s resolutions for Astros prospects, which you can listen to below. The conversation sparked a few ideas that were worth expanding on in writing. Below are three Astros prospects and the New Year’s resolutions that could define their 2026 campaigns.
Be More Aggressive (Joseph Sullivan)
Sullivan was the Astros’ seventh-round pick in 2024 and has quickly become an interesting offensive prospect. He was a mid-round selection with upside, and that showed during his first full season. Between High-A and Double-A, Sullivan hit 17 home runs, stole 42 bases, and did damage in a variety of ways over 106 games.
The biggest strength in Sullivan’s offensive game is his patience. He drew 88 walks, showing a strong understanding of the strike zone, but that patience may be working against him at times. He also struck out 133 times, and a large part of that comes from letting too many hittable pitches go by.
The encouraging part is that the bat-to-ball skills are there. Sullivan’s swinging-strike rate was just 9.4%, which is excellent and even lower than Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball. His contact rate is also similar to Griffin’s. The difference is aggressiveness: Sullivan swung at only 35.2% of pitches, compared to 46.8% for Griffin. He doesn’t need to chase more, but being a bit more aggressive on pitches in the zone could help him do more damage and cut down on some of the strikeouts. With a 20.7% called-strike rate in 2025, there’s room for improvement just by attacking earlier in counts.
Display Better Control (Miguel Ullola)
Ullola has been with the Astros for several seasons now and continues to put up strong numbers, especially when it comes to missing bats. In 2025, the right-hander posted a 3.88 ERA over 113.2 innings for Sugar Land, striking out 131 hitters while holding opponents to a .186 batting average. When he’s around the zone, hitters have a tough time squaring him up.
The issue, once again, is control. Ullola walked 78 batters in 113.2 innings, almost identical to the 77 walks he issued the year before. The stuff is clearly good enough to get outs, but the lack of consistent strike throwing limits how deep he can go into games and puts unnecessary pressure on himself.
If Ullola can take even a small step forward in his control, the results could improve quickly. He doesn’t need to become a command artist, just a few more strikes would go a long way toward allowing his stuff to play up and making him a more reliable option moving forward.
Make More Contact (Caden Powell)
Powell was selected by the Astros in the sixth round of the 2024 draft and signed for an overslot bonus. He had a solid first professional season in Single-A, playing in 78 games and posting a .748 OPS with 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 32 stolen bases.
The main concern is the strikeouts. Powell struck out 103 times in those 78 games, resulting in a 29.8% strikeout rate. That mostly comes down to his contact rate, which sat at 63.9%. The power and athleticism are evident, but a little more contact will go a long way for him.
If Powell can improve his contact rate closer to the 70% range, the rest of his game could really take off. With the power-speed combination he already shows, even a modest improvement in contact could lead to a much stronger overall profile in 2026.
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