Astros Prospects Who Could Make MLB Debuts

Plenty of MLB organizations would love to be in the situation that the Houston Astros are in. Even though they're financially hamstrung this offseason, they have a winning roster filled with stars.

General manager Dana Brown will be able to focus his attention on developing the current prospects in their pipeline and potentially adding more to replenish their farm system.

He comes from the Atlanta Braves organization who has focused on getting their prospects playing time at the Major League level as part of their development.

Brown would like to do that with the Astros. He's already talked glowingly about pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti and gave insight on the potential he thinks Jacob Melton possesses.

Here are three other star prospects who could debut in 2024 as well.

Joey Loperfido

The 24-year-old is ranked as Houston's No. 6 overall prospect. He had a monster year in 2023 that vaulted him into Triple-A after starting at High Single-A. His .235/.333/.403 slash line with five home runs and 16 RBI across 32 games suggests he wasn't completely overwhelmed by the increased level of pitching.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic also points out how his versatility could help him debut next season.

"Loperfido started games at five positions: first base, second base and all three outfield spots ... That Loperfido hits left-handed and can move around the field will only increase his value to the major-league team ... If Loperfido produces to begin the minor-league season, it’s not difficult to envision a scenario where he could add balance and a boost to the big-league bench."

Colton Gordon

Besides Arrighetti, this 25-year-old is the highest-rated pitching prospect in their farm system. In his second professional season, Colton Gordon had a record of 7-7 with a 4.14 ERA across 29 games and 24 starts at Double and Triple-A.

The left-hander also could be seen as valuable since the Astros don't employ many lefties out of the bullpen where he would likely be used to begin his career. He's projected to debut at some point in 2024, and based on their current offseason, they might have him pitch meaningful innings.

Kenedy Corona

If it wasn't clear before, Houston made it obvious how highly they view this outfield prospect. He was their only protection ahead of the Rule 5 Draft when he was added to their 40-man roster.

"The defense is pretty special. We really like the defense. He’s still pretty young. I think he’s a down-the-road everyday guy. I think it’s going to take a little time. But we certainly value the middle-of-the-field defense with (the) upside he has," Brown said at the Winter Meetings.

Corona is 23 years old and is ranked as the Astros' No. 11 prospect. He's started to showcase his hitting potential to pair with his defense, bashing 41 homers with 132 RBI his past two seasons in the minors.