The MLB Draft is always an exciting time as teams add a new wave of talent to their farm system. After signing, most draft picks head to the Florida complex to begin workouts and prepare for their professional debuts.
The next exciting step is seeing where those new prospects will begin their careers. On Friday morning, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers announced that four of the Astros’ 2026 draft picks have been assigned to Single-A, giving fans their first chance to see them in full-season action.
The most notable player assigned Friday morning was Astros first-round pick Logan Hughes. Selected No. 17 overall, Hughes starred at Texas Tech and put together an outstanding junior season, slashing .375 with 16 doubles, 18 home runs and 70 RBIs while drawing 50 walks compared to just 33 strikeouts. Hughes’ calling card is his bat, combining an advanced hit tool with plus power. Hughes signed for $3.41 million, well below his $4.87 million slot value which left extra bonus pool money available for two prep signings in Keon Johnson and Beau Peterson.
Fourth-round pick Kam Durnin was also assigned to Fayetteville. Durnin attended Wichita State before transferring to Missouri for his junior season, where he broke out by hitting .329 with nine home runs and 11 stolen bases. The shortstop is a strong defender with some intriguing pop in his bat. Durnin also earned Appalachian League Player of the Year honors last summer.
Rounding out the assignments are eighth-round pick Aaron Piasecki and 12th-round pick Owen Nowak.
Piasecki transferred to Troy for the 2026 season and put together a big year, hitting .337 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases while drawing 41 walks compared to just 24 strikeouts. The infielder has also performed well with wood bats, hitting .361 with 44 stolen bases and an impressive 107 walks to 41 strikeouts across 145 summer league games. Defensively, he has experience at both second base and shortstop.
Nowak is an outfielder out of Middle Tennessee State who stands out for his excellent bat-to-ball skills. In 57 games this season, he hit .318 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases while drawing 36 walks compared to just 11 strikeouts. His strong contact skills have also translated to wood bats, as Nowak hit .348 across 43 summer league games while striking out just 17 times.
Their assignment follows Taz Butler, Mick Uebelhor, John Carver and Carson Estridge who were assigned to Fayetteville earlier this week.
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