Check out the top performers at each position for the 2026 season. I will be choosing Astros prospects who played the majority of their games at the given position. See the results below!
CATCHER
Jason Schiavone – Schiavone put together a monster breakout season. The 23-year-old catcher got off to a hot start in Asheville hitting .289 with 17 home runs in 35 games. He earned a promotion to Double-A where he hit 14 more home runs to go along with 20 stolen bases. He finished the 2026 season in Triple-A and had 32 home runs and 32 stolen bases, the first 30 HR/30 SB for a catcher in 45 years putting himself in a strong spot for Spring Training in 2027.
2026 Stats: 123 G, .252 BA/.391 OBP/.531 SLG, 26 2B, 32 HR, 90 RBI, 32 SB, 134 wRC+
FIRST BASE
Jack Moss – Moss was released by the Reds early in the season and the Astros signed him as a free agent. After a few games in Fayetteville, he moved up to High-A and was great batting .339 with 16 doubles, 4 home runs and 48 runs batted in over 69 games. He finished the season in Double-A hitting .286 over six games. While he doesn’t have a ton of power, he makes a lot of contact and showed a great hit tool in 2026.
Note: Drew Brutcher was also great in 2026, but injury limited him to just 62 games.
2026 Stats: 78 G, .339 BA/.407 OBP/.460 SLG, 19 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 57 RBI, 9 SB, 116 wRC+
SECOND BASE
Yamal Encarnacion – Encarnacion put together a very intriguing 2026 season. While the wRC+ was a little below average, the switch hitting infielder led all of the Astros system (full-season) in stolen bases with 48 while also connecting on 18 doubles, 4 triples and 5 home runs. He is a spark plug type of player and was awarded the Standard Award by the Astros, highlighting his positive impact on and off the field.
2026 Stats: 95 G, .266 BA/.336 OBP/.384 SLG, 18 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 48 RBI, 48 SB, 91 wRC+
THIRD BASE
Xavier Neyens – Neyens was the Astros first round pick in 2025 and he was as advertised in 2026. The 19-year-old started the year in Single-A and had a .911 OPS with 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases while drawing 79 walks. He promoted to High-A where he added 6 more home runs and 3 stolen bases, with 35 more talks. He finished the year with 20 home runs and a system leading 114 walks. More on him here.
2026 Stats: 103 G, .231 BA/.429 OBP/.445 SLG, 14 2B, 20 HR, 55 RBI, 19 SB, 137 wRC+
SHORTSTOP
Pascanel Ferreras – Ferreras was the last pick of the 2023 draft and after a few solid years, he broke out in 2026. He started the year in Double-A hitting .263 in 30 games before a promotion to Triple-A where he took off. In 71 games for Sugar Land, Ferreras hit .305 with 24 doubles and 46 runs batted in. Overall the infielder hit .294 with 29 doubles and 9 home runs over 101 games.
2026 Stats: 101 G, .294 BA/.367 OBP/.450 SLG, 29 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 11 SB, 116 wRC+
OUTFIELD
Anthony Huezo – Huezo was a 12th round pick by the Astros in 2023 and after having a mini breakout in 2025, the big time breakout came in 2026. He started the year in Single-A and had a .856 OPS with 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He promoted to High-A where he hit .248 with 10 doubles, 8 home runs and 16 stolen bases over 38 games. He finished with a few games in Double-A and overall compiled 22 home runs and 47 stolen bases in 112 games.
2026 Stats: 112 G, .242 BA/.340 OBP/.485 SLG, 31 2B, 4 3B, 22 HR, 73 RBI, 47 SB, 111 wRC+
Justin Thomas – Thomas was an 11th round pick by the Astros in the 2025 draft and put together a big year. He started the season in Asheville and had a .868 OPS with 20 doubles, 17 home runs and 34 stolen bases over 94 games. He was promoted to Double-A where he .750 OPS with 2 home runs over the final 20 games. He finished the year with 19 home runs and 41 stolen bases over 114 games between High-A and Double-A.
2026 Stats: 114 G, .248 BA/.408 OBP/.442 SLG, 22 2B, 3B, 19 HR, 67 RBI, 41 SB, 117 wRC+
Caden Powell – Powell had a solid 2025 season until he got injured and missed time. He returned with a vengeance in 2026 putting together some nice numbers. The 22-year-old played the full season in High-A and compiled 18 doubles, 18 home runs, 69 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases. He was even better over the final 86 games batting .291 with a .890 OPS. This trio of outfielders should all start in Double-A next season.
2026 Stats: 106 G, .279 BA/.367 OBP/.454 SLG, 18 2B, 18 HR, 69 RBI, 30 SB, 100 wRC+
DESIGNATED HITTER
Waner Luciano – Luciano bounced back and forth between Rookie level and Single-A for a few years but finally established himself as a legit prospect in 2026. The 21-year-old played in 76 games and hit .265 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 51 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases. Like Powell, he finished the season strong hitting .281 with a .887 OPS over his final 52 games of the season. He also 52 walks to 53 strikeouts in 76 games.
2026 Stats: 76 G, .265 BA/.390 OBP/.451 SLG, 18 2B, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 23 SB, 129 wRC+
PITCHERS
Javier Perez – Perez had a mini breakout in 2025 but had a really strong season in 2026. The right-hander started in Fayetteville and had a 4.23 ERA with 103 strikeouts over 89.1 innings. He was promoted to Asheville where he posted a strong 4.35 ERA, in a hitter’s paradise, with 29 K over 20.2 innings. He finished the year third in innings pitched and second in strikeouts in the Astros system.
2026 Stats: 23 G, 4.25 ERA, 110.0 IP, 93 H, 52 ER, 26 BB, 132 K, 10.8 K/9
Cole Hertzler – Hertzler dealt with a few injuries early in his career but finally had a healthy season and was able to show what he could do on the mound. The right-hander started in Asheville dominating with a 2.72 ERA over 10 starts. He was promoted to Double-A where he posted a 4.20 ERA over the final 40.2 innings of his season. He was nearly unhittable this season holding opponents to just a .183 BAA
2026 Stats: 22 G, 3.44 ERA, 83.2 IP, 53 H, 32 ER, 46 BB, 103 K, .183 BAA
Bryce Mayer – Mayer, the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 2025 and 2026, put together an even better season in 2026. The right-hander started a bit slow but quickly turned things around, posting a 2.61 ERA with 100 strikeouts over 69 innings in Double-A. Mayer earned a promotion to Triple-A, where he posted a 5.45 ERA but still showed his ability to miss bats, striking out 40 over 33 innings. He finished the season with a system-leading 140 strikeouts, further establishing himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the Astros system.
2026 Stats: 24 G, 3.53 ERA, 102.0 IP, 73 H, 40 ER, 51 BB, 140 K, 12.4 K/9
Jagger Beck – Beck was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 draft. The 19-year-old had a breakout season for the Woodpeckers. In pitched in 22 games and posted a 2.80 ERA with 102 strikeouts over 86.2 innings. He also pitched once in the post-season allowing 1 run over 4.2 innings. Beck went from a potential afterthought to a top 20 prospect in the system with a dominant performance in 2026
2026 Stats: 22 G, 2.80 ERA, 86.2 IP, 68 H, 27 ER, 39 BB, 102 K, 10.6 K/9
Nick Potter – Potter was a fifth-round pick by the Astros in 2025, and while he worked as a closer in college, Houston transitioned him into a starting role as a professional. The right-hander opened the season with Single-A Fayetteville and pitched extremely well, posting a 2.11 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 59.2 innings. He earned a promotion to High-A Asheville, where the results were a little more uneven with a 6.75 ERA, though he still struck out 16 batters over 9.1 innings.
2026 Stats: 22 G, 2.74 ERA, 69.0 IP, 48 H, 21 ER, 36 BB, 86 K, 11.2 K/9
Jackson Nezuh – After a breakout 2024 season, Nezuh struggled some in 2025 but he re found his form in 2026. The rtight-hander started the season in Double-A and had a 3.97 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. He was promoted to Triple-A where he was even better posting. 3.58 ERA with 44 K over 37.2 innings. He totaled 124 strikeouts over 103.1 innings and put himself in contention for a big league spot next season.
2026 Stats: 26 G, 3.83 ERA, 103.1 IP, 84 H, 44 ER, 50 BB, 124 K, 10.8 K/9
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