10 Astros Prospects To Know Beyond The Top 30 in 2025
Baseball America’s Top 30 Houston Astros Prospects entering 2025 are here exclusively for subscribers. The list includes updated scouting reports, BA grades and tool grade projections for every player.
Inevitably, there are players every year who barely miss the cut when we narrow down the list. These players are all worth monitoring for various reasons and it’s likely some will either reach the big leagues in 2025 or enjoy breakout seasons lower in the minors.
Here are next 10 players to know in the Astros system beyond their Top 30. You can find the complete index of players who just missed their teams’ respective lists here.
31. Bryce Mayer, RHP. While Mayer may have lasted until the 16th round, the Astros believe he could be one of the next sleeper arms to come out of their player development pipeline. Mayer mixes a four-seam fastball at 93-94 mph with excellent shape with a pair of breaking ball shapes and a changeup.
32. Nehomar Ochoa Jr., OF. After a strong debut following the draft in 2023, Ochoa made his full-season debut in 2024. Over 103 games with Low-A Fayetteville, Ochoa posted a 103 wRC+, showing above-average bat speed and improving plate skills.
33. Rafael Gonzalez, RHP. An older signing out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2023, Gonzalez made his stateside debut in 2024. He reached Low-A and showed a four-seam fastball at 92-94 mph, a low-80s slider, a changeup, cutter and curveball.
34. Ryan Verdugo, RHP. The Astros selected Verdugo in the 12th round of the 2024 draft after a career season at Cal-State Bakersfield. Verdugo mixes five different pitch shapes but his primary offerings are his low-90s four-seam fastball and low-80s sweeper.
35. Pascanel Ferreras, 2B. Ferreras is a positionless bat-first infielder with above-average quality of contact and fringy plate skills. Ferreras has above-average bat speed, solid swing decisions and impact. He’ll need to improve his ability against breaking balls and offspeed.
36. Kenni Gomez, OF. Signed out of Cuba during the 2022 international signing period, Gomez had a solid showing in his first year at the full-season level. He hit .267/.333/.403 over 107 games, while showing average skills and impact metrics across the board.
37. Alimber Santa, RHP. After generating buzz heading into the 2022 season out of spring training, Santa has struggled to stay healthy. Blessed with plus fastball velocity and stuff across his four-pitch mix, Santa has struggled to command the baseball.
38. Juan Bello, RHP. Acquired by the Astros from the Cubs for Ryan Pressly, the 20-year-old Bello had a strong season at Low-A Myrtle Beach in 2024. A native of Colombia, Bello mixes a low-90s fastball with above-average ride with a slider, curveball and changeup.
39. Waner Luciano, 3B. After generating significant buzz coming out of a strong stateside debut in the Florida Complex League, Luciano made the jump to full-season Low-A in 2024. While his slashline was disappointing his underlying plate skills and power were better than his production might suggest.
40. Esmil Valencia, OF. A 2023 international signee, Valencia made his stateside debut in 2024. Valencia shows advanced bat-to-ball skills with an overly aggressive plate approach. Valencia’s offensive game is centered around his ability to make lots of contact.
