Houston Astros Prospect Profile: Zach Cole
Zach Cole
HT/WT: 6’2″/190 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Ball State University | DOB: 08/04/00
Overview:
Cole was drafted in the 10th round in the 2022 draft. The left-handed hitting outfielder has plus speed and some big time raw power, though that comes with some swing and miss. Cole has put up some impressive numbers in the minors and after a slow start in 2025, he turned it around hitting 19 doubles, 14 home runs and a .868 OPS in 82 games in Double-A. 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. Cole has some risk with the swing and miss, but he has huge upside.
Baseball America had the following to say about Cole: “An outlier athlete, Cole is rotationally explosive with a tooled-up profile. Where he ultimately lands as a hitter is a larger question mark. Cole’s approach to hitting is quintessentially three true outcomes. He swings and misses at a high rate, but limits some of the exposure of his natural swing and miss tendencies thanks to advanced, but at times passive, swing decisions. He is an above-average hitter vs. righthanded pitching but struggles heavily against lefties, leaving him a strongside platoon bat long term.”
Articles:
Astros Could Have Steal in Prospect Zach Cole
Astros Prospect Zach Cole Finding Groove in Double-A
Stats (via BRef):
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19 | Ball State | MAC | NCAA | 12 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .259 | .429 | .296 | .725 | |
| 2021 | 20 | Ball State | MAC | NCAA | 10 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .091 | .231 | .182 | .413 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Ball State | MAC | NCAA | 55 | 214 | 183 | 49 | 66 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 47 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 47 | .361 | .449 | .727 | 1.175 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Fayetteville | CARL | A | HOU | 29 | 117 | 95 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 31 | .211 | .359 | .326 | .685 |
| 2022 | 21 | Astros Orange | FCL | Rk | HOU | 5 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .150 | .150 | .200 | .350 |
| 2023 | 22 | Asheville | SALL | A+ | HOU | 41 | 175 | 150 | 31 | 37 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 12 | 4 | 21 | 58 | .247 | .349 | .480 | .829 |
| 2023 | 22 | Fayetteville | CARL | A | HOU | 70 | 312 | 253 | 48 | 67 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 46 | 25 | 5 | 45 | 97 | .265 | .397 | .494 | .892 |
| 2024 | 23 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 70 | 295 | 262 | 29 | 56 | 17 | 2 | 10 | 36 | 14 | 2 | 24 | 113 | .214 | .302 | .408 | .710 |
| 2024 | 23 | Astros | FCL | Rk | HOU | 6 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .273 | .385 | .545 | .930 |
| 2025 | 24 | Sugar Land | PCL | AAA | HOU | 15 | 61 | 51 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 17 | .353 | .459 | .745 | 1.204 |
| 2025 | 24 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 82 | 355 | 307 | 54 | 82 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 49 | 15 | 6 | 42 | 129 | .267 | .363 | .505 | .868 |
| 2025 | 24 | HOU | AL | Maj | HOU | 15 | 52 | 47 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 20 | .255 | .327 | .553 | .880 |
Notes/Transactions:
07/22/22 – Signed with Astros
08/08/22 – Assigned to Fayetteville (Single-A)
07/18/23 – Assigned to Asheville (High-A)
05/21/24 – Assigned to Corpus Christi (Double-A)
08/25/25 – Assigned to Sugar Land (Double-A)
09/12/25 – Called up by Houston
Highlights:
Zach Cole hit a walk-off grand slam last night for Sugar Land.
Through nine games in Sugar Land, Cole is hitting .355 with 2 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI and a 1.332 OPS. #Astros pic.twitter.com/x2rZ4x2Q6a
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) September 5, 2025
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