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.
Montgomery Storms Back, Then Loses Late Lead in 8-6 Loss to Biloxi
Photo by Mike Krebs BILOXI, MS - The Montgomery Biscuits (10-8) stormed back only for their late lead to disappear in an 8-6 loss to the Biloxi Shuckers (9-10) on Friday night at Keesler Federal Park. The Shuckers posted a five-run eighth inning to steal away a win, scoring all
Biscuits Drop Second Straight to Shuckers, 7-3
Photo by Mike Krebds BILOXI, MS - The Montgomery Biscuits (10-7) were done in by another big inning from the Biloxi Shuckers (8-10) in a 7-3 loss on Thursday night at Keesler Federal Park. Down 1-0 in the third, Xavier Isaac tied the game with a single through the right
Biscuits Fall to Shuckers 10-1 on Wednesday Night
Photo by Mike Krebs BILOXI, MS - The Montgomery Biscuits (10-6) had their four-game win streak snapped in a 10-1 loss to the Biloxi Shuckers (7-10) on Wednesday night at Keesler Federal Park. Colton Ledbetter homered off his former college teammate, KC Hunt, in the second inning for the Biscuits
Kinney's Homer Proves Enough in Biscuits First Shutout Win
Photo by Mike Krebs BILOXI, MS - Cooper Kinney homered, and the Montgomery Biscuits (10-5) delivered a one-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the Biloxi Shuckers (6-10) on Tuesday night at Keesler Federal Park. The two clubs combined for three hits and 11 walks. Owen Wild made his Double-A
Ledbetter's Walk-Off Lifts Biscuits to Win in Series Finale Against Trash Pandas
MONTGOMERY, AL - Colton Ledbetter lifted a wall to the wall in right field to walk off the Montgomery Biscuits (9-5) against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (4-10) in the series finale on Easter Sunday at Riverwalk Stadium. The 5-4 win in 10 innings capped a five-win series that included
Montgomery Hangs On to Take Series in 7-4 Win Over Rocket City
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (8-5) took the series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (4-9) in a 7-4 win on Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits built up a 7-0 lead over the first seven innings and held on in the last two
Biscuits Pull Out 13-12 Win in Wild 11-Inning Game Against Trash Pandas on Friday Night
Photo by Vince Jupiter MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (7-5) pulled out a wild 13-12 win in 11 innings against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (4-8) on Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium. After falling behind 6-0 in the first inning, the Biscuits rattled off an 11-run second inning. The
Biscuits Muster Five-Run Comeback Only to Fall in Extra Innings to Trash Pandas
MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (6-5) erased a five-run deficit only to fall in 10 innings, 7-5, to the Rocket City Trash Pandas (4-7) on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium. Rocket City led 5-0 after the first inning. The Biscuits started chipping away in the third. An error scored
Biscuits Pitching Staff Combines for One-Hitter in Wednesday Morning Win Over Trash Pandas
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (6-4) racked up 14 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in a 2-1 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas (3-7) on Wednesday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium. Montgomery retired 19 straight Rocket City hitters to finish the game. The Biscuits
Davitt's Stellar Start Leads Montgomery Past Rocket City
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (5-4) pitching staff struck out 18 hitters in route to a 3-1 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas (3-6) on Tuesday night at Riverwalk Stadium. Duncan Davitt led the way with 10 strikeouts in six innings of one-hit ball.
Biscuits Comeback Falls Short in Series Finale
Photo by Joshua Gamonez PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (4-4) mounted a comeback that fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (7-2) on Sunday afternoon at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola won their first six-game series against Montgomery since June 2023. The Blue Wahoos scored three
Biscuits Homer Three Times, Fall to Blue Wahoos 10-5
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - In a game with six combined homers, the Montgomery Biscuits (4-3) fell to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (6-2) 10-5 on Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola homered twice in a five-run first inning and held the lead throughout the game. Kemp Alderman
Biscuits Pitch Past Blue Wahoos on Friday Night
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (4-2) pitching staff put together a solid performance in a 3-2 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (5-2) on Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Brody Hopkins pitched five innings of one-run ball and found his groove late in the
Pensacola Hands Montgomery First Loss of the Season, 5-4
Photo by Olivia Potts MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits (2-1) were handed their first defeat of the 2025 season in a 5-4 loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (4-0) on Tuesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Brayden Taylor opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning.
Homer Bush Jr. Walks Off 10-Inning Slugfest Against Columbus
MONTGOMERY, AL - In the second game of the season, Homer Bush Jr. tripled a ball into the right-field corner to score two runs and walk off the Montgomery Biscuits (2-0), 6-5, over the Columbus Clingstones in 10 innings at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits thrived off the long ball. After
Biscuits Hold On to Early Lead in Opening Night Win Over Clingstones
MONTGOMERY, AL - In front of 5,083 fans, the Montgomery Biscuits (1-0) jumped out to an early lead and held on throughout for a 5-3 win against the Columbus Clingstones (0-1) on Opening Night at Riverwalk Stadium. After a Brayden Taylor walk, Will Simpson drove in the first run of
Montgomery Biscuits Announce 2025 Opening Day Roster
MONTGOMERY, AL - The Tampa Bay Rays announced the 2025 opening day roster for their Double-A Affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, earlier today. The season begins on Friday with a three-game homestand against the Columbus Clingstones (Double-A Affiliate, Atlanta Braves) at Riverwalk Stadium. The roster features nine MLB Pipeline Top 30
Montgomery Drops Dramatic 10-Inning Contest, Birmingham Wins Southern League Championship
Photo by Matt Austin BIRMINGHAM, AL - In a dramatic finish to the Southern League Championship Series, the Montgomery Biscuits fell 2-1 in 10 innings to the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night at Regions Field. The Barons won the championship two-games-to-none. Birmingham secured its first Southern League Championship since 2013
Biscuits Fall to Barons in Game One of Championship Series
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits lost game one of the Southern League Championship Series, 7-2, to the Birmingham Barons on Sunday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits will have to win two in a row in the best-of-three series to win the Southern League title.
Biscuits Top Shuckers, Advance to Southern League Championship Series
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits won the decisive game three of the Southern League Division Series, 8-2, over the Biloxi Shuckers on Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium to advance to the Southern League Championship Series. The Biscuits will compete in the SLCS for the first
Biscuits Fall to Shuckers, Forces Decisive Game Three
Photo by Matt Austin MONTGOMERY, AL - The Montgomery Biscuits fell 5-1 in game two of the Southern League Division Series to the Biloxi Shuckers on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The loss forces a decisive game three on Friday night. K.C. Hunt pitched a career-high 7 ⅔ innings and
Biscuits Drop Regular Season Finale to Blue Wahoos
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (80-57, 40-28) dropped the 2024 regular season finale, 6-5, in 10 innings to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (71-65, 33-35) on Sunday evening at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Xavier Isaac highlighted the offense with a two-run triple in the seventh inning. He
Biscuits Fall to Blue Wahoos on Friday Night
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (80-55, 40-26) had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 6-2 loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (69-65, 31-35) on Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Brayden Taylor led off the game with a bang. He blasted a home run
Biscuits Clinch Second Half Title, Sweep Doubleheader Against Blue Wahoos
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (80-54, 40-25) clinched the second half title and picked up their 80th win in a doubleheader sweep of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (68-65, 30-35) on Thursday evening at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Montgomery won both halves for the first time since
Biscuits’ Pitching Staff Leads the Way in 6-1 Win Over Blue Wahoos
Photo by Matt Austin PENSACOLA, FL - The Montgomery Biscuits (78-54, 38-25) opened the final series of the regular season with a 6-1 win against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (68-63, 30-33) on Tuesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The game began after a one hour and 37 minute rain delay.