The Astros’ farm system has a different kind of buzz to it right now. The top end is still mostly young and unfinished, but several players pushed themselves onto the radar this year, and a deeper wave could start arriving at Daikin Park over the next year or two.
At the head of the list is third baseman Xavier Neyens, the No. 2 prospect in the system and No. 100 overall by MLB. Drafted as a shortstop in the first round out of a Seattle-area high school in 2025, Neyens has now settled in at third base - and the bat did the talking in his first full pro season. He spent most of the year at Single-A Fayetteville and hit .231/.429/.446 with 20 homers, 114 walks, 155 strikeouts and 19 steals in 103 games.
“The 20 home runs, the 19 stolen bases, the 24% walk rate, just a lot of really good qualities of the player under the hood," Astros director of player development Sam Niedorf said. "The patience, the strike-zone control, the mature approach with the high-level impact gets us really excited about what the potential of Xavier could be. Obviously, playing third base solely right now, we think that's going to kind of free him up a little bit to dominate one position versus toggling between the two."
Another name making noise is Albert Fermín, the No. 4 prospect and one of the most physical shortstops in the 2026 international class. The 6-foot-3 switch-hitter signed with Houston for $2,147,500 and turned heads in the Dominican Summer League, where he hit .311/.485/.507 with 51 walks, 38 strikeouts and 24 steals.
“He has really good strike-zone control, does not chase at 7% [chase rate], makes a ton of contact which is really exciting,” Niedorf said. “He's going to grow into more power as the body matures throughout his tenure here but the starting point on Albert is far ahead of where most players are at his age and where he’s from."
Then there’s Jason Schiavone, whose leap this summer stood out as the biggest in the system. The No. 6 prospect, an 11th-round pick out of James Madison in 2024, put together the second 30-30 season ever by a Minor League catcher, finishing with 32 homers and 32 steals while slashing .252/.391/.531 in 123 games. He moved from High-A Asheville to Triple-A Sugar Land along the way.
"He just put himself in elite company with previous players who have been in that band of performance," Niedorf said. "I think with Jason, the ability to catch and the pitcher-catcher relationship and the plus arm behind the plate rounds out a really solid everyday Major League catcher package for us that should be knocking on the door at Daikin before we know it."
Among the arms, Juan Fraide looks like a name to file away for 2027. The No. 20 prospect, signed for just $10,000 out of Mexico in August 2024, finished last season at Fayetteville as Houston’s best lower-level pitching prospect. He logged a 2.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 79 Minor League innings, striking out 91 and walking 27.
"He does a phenomenal job of controlling the strike zone," Niedorf said. "Just really an exciting package. He can spin the ball a bunch of different directions, has the ability to manipulate shapes and will pitch next year at 21 years old, which is really exciting."
Another breakout candidate for 2027 is shortstop Kam Durnin, the No. 24 prospect and a fourth-round pick this year out of Missouri. He got his first taste of pro ball with 75 at-bats at Fayetteville and hit .267/.385/.400. The Astros like the contact skills, the discipline and the defensive profile, and they’re waiting to see how the power develops.
"This guy has a chance to move pretty quick and he's all baseball, which we love," Niedorf said. "We love players who are obsessed with the game and Kam is one of them and we’re really excited to see what he can do in 2027."
The biggest question hanging over next season centers on Logan Hughes, the Astros’ 2026 first-round pick and No. 3 prospect. There’s no doubt about the bat after he opened his pro career at Fayetteville by hitting 1.048 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 21 games.
The issue is where he ends up defensively. He split time between the corner outfield spots and first base, but he wants to stick in the outfield.
"We are going to exhaust every inch and opportunity and avenue to make him a capable outfielder," Niedorf said. "We think there's some meat left on the bone with his ability to understand the intricacies of routes and angles and when to dive for a ball, when to not -- a lot of things that he's still relatively green on that really excite us for what is to come."
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