Prospect development is rarely a straight line. Some players burst onto the scene before hitting a rough patch, while others take longer to find their footing. This season, a few Astros prospects have rediscovered their form and are beginning to look like legitimate prospects once again. Here are three players who have turned things around in 2026.
Jason Schiavone, C
Schiavone was selected by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of James Madison, where he hit .284 with 18 home runs as a junior. Following the draft, he appeared in 20 games for Fayetteville and hit .156. He returned to Fayetteville to begin the 2025 season but struggled offensively, batting .165 with five home runs over 70 games. Despite the numbers at the plate, his defense stood out as he threw out 33% of attempted base stealers.
This season, Schiavone opened the year in Asheville and looked like a completely different hitter. He dominated High-A pitching, batting .289 with 17 home runs, 39 RBIs and a 181 wRC+ over 35 games, earning a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi. While the numbers have come back to earth a bit, he has still hit six home runs with 12 stolen bases and a .743 OPS over 48 games. Behind the plate, he has continued to shine, throwing out an impressive 48% of attempted base stealers.
Schiavone generates elite exit velocities and has shown a patient approach at the plate, posting a 19.8% walk rate this season. While the strikeout rate is still something to monitor, he has improved in Double-A by making more contact and lowering his swinging-strike rate. Defensively, he is an athletic catcher with a plus arm that allows him to consistently control the running game.
Brett Gillis, RHP
Gillis was selected by the Astros in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He threw just 5.1 innings after signing in 2022 and managed only one inning in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery and a subsequent rehab setback. He finally returned to the mound in 2025 with High-A Asheville and impressed, posting a 2.70 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 46.2 innings. Gillis then headed to the Arizona Fall League, where he caught the attention of scouts after reaching 100.6 mph.
Assigned to Double-A Corpus Christi to begin the 2026 season, Gillis has continued to build on that momentum. Through 16 starts, the right-hander owns a 3.66 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 78.2 innings while allowing just 61 hits. He’s been especially dominant of late, posting a 2.44 ERA over his last nine starts. Remove one rough outing from that stretch, and his ERA drops to a minuscule 1.26 over the other eight starts. While Gillis is a little older than the typical prospect, the stuff is undeniable, and he continues to put himself on the radar as a potential big league option.
Caden Powell, OF
Powell was selected by the Astros in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft and signed for an overslot bonus of $422,500. He began his college career at Oklahoma before transferring to Seminole State College, where he was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year after batting .502 with 32 home runs, 104 RBIs and a slugging percentage north of 1.000. Following the draft, Powell got off to a strong start in Single-A, posting an OPS over .800 while showing off both his power and speed. However, a hamate bone injury that required surgery derailed his season and impacted his production the rest of the way.
Powell opened the 2026 season in High-A Asheville and got off to a slow start, hitting .237 in April. Since then, though, he’s looked like the hitter the Astros envisioned when they signed him. He caught fire in May, batting .379 with four home runs, 14 RBIs and a 1.067 OPS. Over his last 57 games, Powell has slashed .318 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Powell has reminded everyone why the Astros were willing to go overslot to sign him. One scout from another organization recently told me he believes Powell is one of the better prospects in the Astros system.
Waner Luciano, 3B
Luciano signed with the Astros for just $45,000 during the 2022 international signing period and wasted little time making a name for himself. As an 18-year-old in the Florida Complex League, he posted an .847 OPS with 10 home runs in just 45 games. That success, however, didn’t immediately carry over to full-season ball. At 19, Luciano struggled in his first season with Fayetteville, batting just .187 over 72 games. He returned to Fayetteville the following year and endured another difficult campaign, hitting .179 over 82 games. After two disappointing seasons, Luciano found himself back with the Woodpeckers once again in 2026.
This time, though, he looks like a completely different hitter. Through 45 games, Luciano is batting .270 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 14 stolen bases and 26 walks compared to just 21 strikeouts, good for a 131 wRC+. He’s been especially hot in July, hitting .350 with four home runs while drawing 14 walks against only nine strikeouts over his last 17 games. It appears Luciano has finally turned the corner offensively and is re-establishing himself as a legitimate prospect in the Astros system.
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