This will be your weekly look at the hottest prospects in the system, highlighting the top performers at the plate and on the mound. Below is the hotlist for Week Three. Check out the previous week’s hotlist here.
Who’s Hot At The Plate?
Xavier Neyens – Neyens, the Astros first round pick last year, has continued to show improvement. This week in four games the 19-year-old hit .417 with a double, 2 home runs (one at 116 MPH) and 4 runs batted in. He has a .939 OPS this season.
Joseph Sullivan – Sullivan got off to a slow start this season but he’s been heating up. This week the outfielder hit .429 with 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 2 stolen bases. He has a .819 OPS through 24 games this season.
Jason Schiavone – Schiavone has been a monster in Asheville so far this year. He had a big week connecting on 4 home runs and driving in 8 runs. The only down side has been some swing and miss, but he leads the system in homers and OPS.
Drew Brutcher – Brutcher was signed as an undrafted free agent and after struggling some in Asheville last year, he has been a lot better in 2026. This week he hit .438 with 2 doubles, a home run and 5 runs batted in for Asheville.
Who’s Hot On The Mound?
Jackson Nezuh – Nezuh had a breakout season in 2024 bur after some struggles in 2025, he’s off to a nice start this year. This week the right-hander tossed 5.1 scoreless innings allowing just one hit and striking out 7 batters.
Cole Hertzler – Hertzler was a sleeper pick for Astros minor league pitcher of the year and he has been dominant to start the season. This week he was great again tossing 5 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. He had a 1.25 ERA through 21.2 innings this year.
Joey Dixon – Dixon was drafted back in 2023 and made his debut in August of that year, but hasn’t pitched since. This week he finally pitched and again and was great tossing 3 perfect innings with 7 strikeouts.
Dylan Howard – Howard was drafted by the Astros in the 8th round last year. He made one start for Asheville this week and was great tossing 6 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts. A good step in the right direction for him.
TEAM ERA and OPS:
Sugar Land – From 3.61 ERA to 3.84 ERA – From .689 OPS to .700 OPS
Corpus Christi – From 3.72 ERA to 4.48 ERA – From .631 OPS to .691 OPS
Asheville – From 6.95 ERA to 6.92 ERA – From .732 OPS to .719 OPS
Fayetteville – From 5.16 ERA to 5.06 ERA – From .757 OPS to .735 OPS
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