Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2026 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Jacob Melton | 24 | MLB | 2025
A left-handed hitter listed at 6’2” 208 pounds, Melton at his hottest features speed, patience and power with serviceable defense in center field. His 2025 was interrupted a couple times by injuries, but he’s talented enough to push for a spot in spring. In 35 Triple-A games, he slashed .286/.389/.556 with six homers, 12 steals and a 20 percent strikeout rate. He withered under the bright lights, slashing .157/.234/.186 in 78 plate appearances spread across 32 games.
2. 2B Brice Matthews | 24 | MLB | 2026
A first-round pick in 2023 out of Nebraska, Matthews is five-foot-ten and 190 pounds with easy pull power from the right side: tailor-made for the Crawford boxes. He’s got plenty of speed and power to impact the fantasy game, but he strikes out so much that he might struggle to find a full-time job at the highest level. We can look past the 42.6 percent rate he produced in 47 MLB plate appearances, but the 27.9 percent in 498 Triple-A PA’s isn’t especially encouraging, nor is the 31.4 percent rate he posted the year before. Houston is pretty stacked up across the infield. Might be a while before he gets back to the big leagues.
3. SS Xavier Neyens | 19 | NA | 2030
A left-handed hitter at 6’4” 210 pounds, Neyens offers a lot to dream on as a two-way high school player who could’ve gone either way as a high draft pick out of high school. Houston landed him at 21st overall and signed him for $4.12 million with plans to develop him as a shortstop, where his double plus arm and power would make him a unique fit. More likely, he’ll move over to third base, but that’s just fine for fantasy purposes.
4. RHP Miguel Ullola | 23 | AAA | 2026
Ullola leans on a double-plus fastball that batters tend to lay off of a lot because he’s all over the place, but his mix of slider, curve and change could work alongside that fastball if he could just command two of those consistently and show the others. The stuff is nasty, and he’s got good balance and athleticism throughout his delivery, so I’m betting the non-fastball offerings will improve across time as he’s exposed to higher-level coaching. I’m a little surprised the team didn’t get him in with the big league staff this season. He recorded a 3.88 ERA and allowed just 75 hits in 113.2 innings at Triple-A in a hitter-friendly setting. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break camp with the major league team.
5. OF Zach Cole | 25 | MLB | 2025
A solid center fielder with plus speed and power from the left side, Cole won’t have to max out in the batter’s box to become a functional major leaguer, but that’s just what he did during his brief big league debut, slugging four home runs and swiping three bases in just 15 games. He also struck out 38.5 percent of the time after posting a 35.1% rate in 97 minor league games, so it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but if the season started tomorrow, Cole might find himself starting in center field. He hit 23 home runs and stole 21 bases in those 112 games across three levels. Is that something you might be interested in?
6. OF Kevin Alvarez | 18 | DSL | 2030
Listed at 6’4” 184 pounds, Alvarez signed for $2 million in January and hit the ground running in the Dominican Summer League, slashing .301/.419/.455 with two homers and 11 steals in 47 games. He also drew 23 walks (12%) against just 19 strikeouts (9.9%) with a patient approach and smooth swing, especially for a teenager his size from the left side.
7. OF Ethan Frey | 22 | A | 2028
Houston has long held a shine for large humans, and Ethan Frey checks in at 6’6” 225 pounds from the right side and won two national titles during his time at LSU, serving as lineup lynchpin during his junior season to get himself drafted 95th overall in 2025. Houston sent him on a conservative assignment to Low-A, where he slashed .330/.434/.470 with three home runs and nine stolen bases in 25 games. He’ll open 2026 in High-A with a chance to cover three levels in a season if he’s playing well.
8. RHP Ryan Weiss | 29 | KBO | 2026
Houston signed Weiss for a guaranteed $2.6 million with a $5 million option for 2027, so it’s probably safe to say he’ll be part of the major league roster. He might end up a reliever, but I think they’ll give him a chance to lock down a rotation spot during spring training. He made the most of his two-year stint in the Korean Baseball Organization, doubling up on his innings total from year one to year two and posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 207 strikeouts in 178.2 innings across 30 starts thanks to good command of a plus fastball and slider. I think the self-actualization aspect of living and playing overseas gets underrated sometimes, especially for pitchers.
9. C Walker Janek | 22 | A+ | 2027
The 28th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Janek brings plus athleticism and power with the kind of defense that opens doors for him. Houston sent him to High-A after draft; he didn’t hit, so they sent him back for 2025 and left him there, where he slashed a symmetrical .263/.333/.433 with 12 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 92 games. It’s tough to love the 26.6 percent strikeout rate for a college hitter during a repeat trip to High-A, but so it goes in this system.
10. OF Joseph Sullivan | 23 | AA | 2027
A seventh-round pick out of South Alabama in 2024, Sullivan ran into a wall during his first full professional season. Not literally. Although he probably did that, too. Tough to avoid for an outfielder, really, especially one with plus speed and range. After graduating High-A in 75 games with a .873 OPS, he slashed just .191/.357/.264 in 31 Double-A games. Stat line suggests he was passive. Maybe he wasn’t seeing the ball early enough to attack. Anywho, he hit 17 home runs and stole 42 bases in 104 games across two levels, so we’d be wise to keep an eye on him.
Thanks for reading!
