Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than 27th and landed No. 29 on this year’s preseason list.
That clearly hasn’t impacted their ability to win at the Major League level, having reached the playoffs eight straight years. And they continue to get major contributions to the big league team from relatively unheralded prospects, maximizing talents from late-round Draft picks or bargain international signees.
“One of the things that we take pride in is being able to extract everything we can from the players that we have,” said Jacob Buffa, Astros senior director of player development and performance science. “And overall, I think our group has done a pretty good job. We're not going to hit on every single player, but I think we have a pretty good process that allows us to give the Major League team players that will ultimately help them win a World Series.”
Right now, the system does lean toward bats, with the top five of the new Top 30 all position players, headlined by new acquisition -- and No. 1 prospect -- Cam Smith. It’s the best assortment of hitters the system has had in some time and four of the five (2024 first-round pick Walker Janek is the exception) have the chance to impact the big league roster during the 2025 season.
The pitchers are trying to catch up. Right-hander Miguel Ullola (No. 6), signed for $75,000 in 2021, led the Minors in average-against (.163) and raced to Triple-A in '24 -- though he left the Astros’ Spring Breakout game last Friday with shoulder discomfort. No. 7 Anderson Brito thrived in reaching full-season ball for the first time last year. Ethan Pecko (No. 10), the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and A.J. Blubaugh (No. 11) excelled at the upper levels while four Astros arms -- Blubaugh, Colton Gordon (No. 16), Ryan Gusto (No. 21) and Wander Suero -- were all named Triple-A Pacific Coast League All-Stars, once again giving the organization a pool of perhaps lesser-known (but ultimately big league-ready) pitchers to call upon as they try to compete in the AL West again.
“One of the strengths of our pitching development, it’s not just a broad sweeping, ‘Hey, this is something that we focused on and this is a common theme that allowed all these guys to get better,'” said Buffa, pointing to Ullola’s improved walk rates and Blubaugh’s continued velocity jumps as distinct examples. “It’s different modes of success for all of them. That’s one of the things that I’m proud of with our pitching department. It’s an individualized approach for each one of the guys.”
It’s not that the Astros don’t see things like farm system rankings and likely think they’re underranked regularly. It’s just not something they focus on, knowing that their mode of operation seems to work, even if it’s underappreciated.
“We notice it and our players notice it, but It’s not our ultimate target,” Buffa said. “We’d love for our players to get recognition for their sake, not necessarily because we want it to reflect a certain way on the program.
“These guys put in a lot of really hard work and they’re talented, and as their coaches, we believe in them, so we’d love for them to get recognition. But ultimately that’s not how we’re going to assess success or failure.”
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Camp standout: Brice Matthews
Matthews (No. 2) was the Astros’ first-round pick in 2023 after posting a 20-20 season at Nebraska in his Draft year. Hailing from suburban Houston, the local kid came home and had a very solid first full season of pro ball, making it to Triple-A despite missing a chunk of the season with back problems. He finished the year with 15 homers and 32 steals in 79 games.
Matthews’ numbers in Grapefruit League games don’t jump off the page, but the Astros have loved how much he looked like he belonged in big league camp, all while focusing on the right side of the infield more than he has previously, though he did play more there during his time in the Puerto Rican Winter League during the offseason.
“He’s looked fantastic on and off the field,” Buffa said. “He’s come in confident, he’s shown some leadership abilities. He’s playing second right now, which he didn’t play last year. And he looks great at second. He’s putting together good ABs with good quality contact.”
Breakout candidate: Jackson Nezuh
Nezuh was the club’s 14th-round pick in the 2023 Draft out of Louisiana-Lafayette -- yet another late-round find for the Astros. He didn’t throw after signing, but then was leading the Single-A Carolina League with 105 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings before getting promoted to High-A in July of his first full season. His 30 percent strikeout rate and 3.15 K/BB rate really stood out.
“He has an electric fastball that misses a lot of bats,” Buffa said. “He has a good breaking ball. We’re very excited about him, and I think by the end of the year, a lot of people will be talking about him.”
Nezuh may have started the buzz early with his performance in the Astros’ Spring Breakout game. The right-hander, No. 15 on the Top 30, struck out four in 1 2/3 innings, including fanning the side in the sixth inning against Nationals prospects.
Something to prove: Cristian Gonzalez
Gonzalez signed with the Astros way back in July 2018 for $300,000. He had modest success early in his career, but had spent the 2022 season in High-A at age 20. Since then, he’s played just 10 games over the past two years, with a hamstring injury early in 2023 and then Tommy John surgery at the end of the season landing him on the 60-day injured list in both 2023 and 2024.
He’s healthy now and even got some time in big league Grapefruit League action. He’s still only 23 years old and will now hopefully get the chance to see if his skill set can carry him up the ladder ... if he can stay off the injured list.
“It was a really unfortunate series of injuries,” Buffa said. “He’s worked extremely hard and done a good job of coming back. He’s a tremendously talented infielder with multiple tools. I’m very intrigued to see him after having not played for almost two years.”
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLBPipeline.com. Follow him on Facebook and @JonathanMayo, and listen to him on the weekly MLB Pipeline Podcast.
Chuks Win 16-4, Missoula Win Sends Idaho Falls to the Playoffs
It took until game 95 of the season, but the Idaho Falls Chukars have clinched a spot in the Pioneer League Playoffs. They will travel to Missoula on Saturday to face the Missoula Paddleheads in a one-game playoff series in the Divisional Round at 7:15 PM. The winner of that
Chukars Win 13-5, Take Rubber Match over Billings
For the second time this year, the Idaho Falls Chukars won the final game of a three-game series over the Billings Mustangs, this time by the score of 13-5. The only series of a short homestand, the Mustangs were able to split the first two games with the Chukars took
Chukars Win 17-10, Complete Sweep of Missoula
The Idaho Falls Chukars made a huge push toward the playoffs on Monday as they completed a sweep of the Missoula Paddleheads, winning game three by the score of 17-10. Idaho Falls, who trails Missoula in the Northern Division now by only 2.0 games, finish off the homestand with a
Chukars Take 5 of 6 Games from Vibes
The first ever six-game series for the Chukars saw them take five games from the Rocky Mountain Vibes in an otherworldly display of offensive domination. Idaho Falls scored 90 runs through the first five games of the series, winning all five by the scores of 15-3, 20-5, 16-14, 16-1, and
Chukars Win Memorial Day Matchup 22-12
In what seems to be commonplace in the 2021 Pioneer League season, runs were aplenty in Monday’s Memorial Day game at Melaleuca Field, as the Chukars avoided a three-game sweep with a 22-12 win. The early innings have been a consistent source of runs for Idaho Falls and they did
Chukars Drop Rubber Match in Missoula
The first road trip of the year saw Idaho Falls only take one of three games in Missoula as the Chukars lose the rubber match of the series Friday night by the score of 21-4. After winning the opener 14-0 in game one of a double header, they dropped the
Chukars win Opening Night Marathon 17-11
After 616 days without baseball in Idaho Falls, the Chukars began their defense of their Pioneer League Championships with a 17-11 win over the Billings Mustangs on Saturday night. The night’s festivities began with the raising of the 2019 Pioneer Championship Banner at the stadium. The Chukars also honored longtime
Pioneer League Announces New Rules
PIONEER LEAGUE INSTALLS NEW RULES Designated Pinch Hitter and Pinch Runner; Extra Innings “Knock Out” Added Spokane, WA – April 27, 2021 The Pioneer Baseball League today announced exciting new rules changes in effect for the 2021 season, as follows: • To avoid the excessive strain on our pitching staffs,
OT Sports becomes official uniform and apparel supplier
The Pioneer Baseball League (“PBL”), a recently named MLB Partner League, announced today a 5-year uniform and apparel deal with Burlington, NC-based, OT Sports Industries. The partnership, which begins with the 2021 season, has OT Sports exclusively providing the PBL clubs with on-field uniforms and outerwear as well as replica
Chukars Announce Coaching Staff
By Tyler Petersen IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho Falls Chukars announced its new coaching staff for the 2021 season on Monday, introducing longtime minor league coach Billy Gardner Jr. as the new manager of the Chukars. Joining Gardner on the coaching staff are former MLB pitcher Bob Milacki as
Pioneer League named MLB Partner League
Pioneer League named MLB Partner League 12:09 PM EST Major League Baseball and the Pioneer League jointly announced today that the Pioneer League has been designated a “Partner League” of MLB. Starting in 2021, the Pioneer League will transition from affiliated status to an independent professional MLB Partner League that
MMA Fight Night coming to Melaleuca Field
Mountain Force MMA and the Idaho Falls Chukars, have announced Mountain Force 17 live at Melaleuca Field. Saturday September 12, 2020. Starting at 7:00 PM. Mountain Force 17 will have a loaded fight card with TWELVE MATCHES in Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Cruiserweight, and Heavyweight. Mountain Force MMA (MTF) is
Bandits release schedule for 1st Annual Bandits Invitational
The Bandits are excited to announce the schedule for the their 1st Invitational!. Please keep in mind that the teams scheduled and game times are all subject to change. Follow up here or on social media for any and all updates. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SCHEDULE
2020 is officially the year of the Bandits
CHUKARS 2020 SEASON OFFICIALLY CANCELED Minor League Baseball 2020 Season Called Off Due To Worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic IDAHO FALLS— Minor League Baseball announced today that the 2020 baseball season has been officially canceled due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the first time a Minor League Baseball season has
Join Us Every Wednesday For Beer, Food, and Live Music
Make sure to join us this Wednesday, and every Wednesday through August 19, for Brews At The Ballpark. Food, drinks, and live music throughout Melaleuca Field. And a big thanks to our awesome sponsors Bank of Idaho, BRADY'S INC., Project Filter - Idaho Fights Tobacco, Sparklight, Costco and Blue Phoenix.
Chukars Make A Move To Have Baseball In 2020
By Adrian Luevano Published June 3, 2020 6:35 pm Bandits team up with Chukars at Melaleuca Field Download Your Bandits Schedule! IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - There will be baseball in Idaho Falls this Summer. Melaleuca Field will host at least 40 Idaho Falls Bandits games with opening day set
The Idaho Falls Chukars have donated 1,100 pounds of food and nearly $2,000 to the Community Food Basket.
Kevin talks to the Post Register about the uncertainty of baseball.
- By ALLAN STEELE asteele@postregister.com The Idaho Falls Chukars minor league baseball team has been a part of the town’s landscape for 80 years. Recent negotiations between Major League Baseball and the minor leagues have threatened that relationship after MLB proposed to contract the minors by 42 teams after this
Items donated will benefit the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket and Local Hospitals
CHUKARS ANNOUNCE FOOD AND MEDICAL SUPPLY DRIVE Items to Benefit the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket and Local Hospitals IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho Falls Chukars will hold a food and medical supply drive benefiting those effected by COVID-19 in the community. The drive will be held on Friday
Billy Butler talks on Chuk Chatter with Tim Hagerty
Listen to Former Chukar and Kansas City Royals All-Star Billy Butler as he sits down with former Chukars broadcaster Tim Hagerty in this episode of Chuk Chatter. Billy Butler nicknamed "Country Breakfast", is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB)
Chukars Office Closed Until Further Notice Due To Outbreak
As a public health precaution, our staff will be working from home. However, if you would like to purchase something from the gift shop, look at season seats, or make any payments please message or email us and we will arrange for someone to meet you at the ballpark. We
Bubic, Lee lead prosperous Royals ranks
By Jordan Wolf November 1, 2019 Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. The last generation of Royals to bring a World Series to Kansas City were
Chukars GM talks about his career and baseball in Idaho
Welcome to Community Connections with Jeff Newgard! As the President & CEO of Bank of Idaho, I am fascinated with authentic and real conversations and establishing long term relationships. This video series is my opportunity to do just that - connect with local business owners and leaders to hear their
Tyler Petersen named new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations.
Idaho Falls, ID - Today the Idaho Falls Chukars, the Pioneer League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, named Tyler Petersen as their new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. Petersen will work alongside John Balginy for all Chukars home games and will be solo for all Chukars road games.
Help Us Support Fire Efforts In Australia
Chukars Announce Fundraiser to Benefit Australia Wildfires Chukars offer unique fan experiences for donations to various charities. IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO - On Tuesday the Idaho Falls Chukars announced a fundraising effort to benefit those affected by the Australia wildfires. This fundraiser will offer fans unique opportunities that are otherwise unavailable for purchase