Nehomar Ochoa, the Astros’ 11th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, has had one of the more unique journeys in the organization. A native of Venezuela, Ochoa moved to Houston during high school and was eventually drafted by his hometown team. He bypassed his commitment to the University of Houston to begin his professional career.
Ochoa made a strong first impression, leading the Woodpeckers in home runs as an 18-year-old and creating plenty of excitement heading into the following season. Unfortunately, a freak accident delayed the start of his 2025 campaign, and he was never able to find his rhythm.
Heading into 2026, though, Ochoa entered the season with a renewed mindset and a fresh start.
“Just to believe in myself,” Ochoa said about what he’s learned through the adversity. “The first year I feel like I had a pretty good year. Last year was a tough year. Coming back from the accident a lot of people were expecting me to do these big things but I wasn’t ready and all the pressure on me didn’t help me.
“This year I really turned it on and thank God I’m healthy because that’s all I wanted to be.”
Ochoa got off to a strong start in Fayetteville, posting an .834 OPS over 17 games in April. He followed that up by hitting .271 in May, earning the long-awaited promotion to High-A Asheville.
“Really focusing more on everything, every aspect of the game,” Ochoa said about what has led to his success this year. “One thing that I did learn about myself this year was to think a lot in the box. Not overthink, but always be prepared for who I’m facing, watching the report before I step into the box and go into it with an approach and sticking to it.”
Adjustments are a huge part of baseball. Players have to constantly make them—not just on the field, but in their preparation before games, their postgame work and everything in between. That’s a difficult process for any player, let alone an 18-year-old trying to navigate his first full season of professional baseball.
“My day to day routine,” Ochoa said on the biggest adjustment. “When I came to Fayetteville I didn’t have a routine. I was barely learning how to run everything and how the practices went. I didn’t really know my body until later on so I would say the biggest thing for me was routine.”
Since earning his promotion to Asheville, Ochoa has been on a tear. Over 28 games at High-A, the 20-year-old has slashed .305 with 12 doubles, six home runs, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, emerging as one of the hottest hitters in the Astros’ farm system.
“Just keep killing it,” Ochoa said on his goals. “All I need to focus on is staying focused and being healthy.”
The week before the All-Star break, Ochoa ran into some unfortunate luck. While attempting to score in the bottom of the ninth inning on July 8, he injured his finger sliding into home plate, an injury that landed him on the injured list.
There’s still a chance he returns before the end of the season, but even if he doesn’t, 2026 was a successful campaign for the 20-year-old. Across 64 games between Fayetteville and Asheville, Ochoa hit .287 with an .849 OPS, taking a significant step forward in his development.
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