Houston Astros Prospect Report: August 3, 2026
By Drew Mitchell ·
Feature Stories
Janek Is Hitting His Way Into the Conversation
Walker Janek (AA, C, Rank: 9) put together the best week in the system, going 9-for-19 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI across 19 plate appearances. Such contact frequency from a catcher at Double-A would stand out in any context, but what makes it more meaningful is the 30-day window it sits inside: Janek is slashing .365/.484/.712 with 5 homers and 16 RBI over his last 15 games at Corpus Christi. He returned from the injured list in mid-July, and all he has done since is put the bat on the ball and drive it with authority. The combined season line of .267/.355/.487 with 8 home runs across levels tells a more complete story than the Double-A rate alone, which was dragged down by a rougher stretch before the IL stint. He has 17 stolen bases this season as well, a number that continues to feel incongruent with a catcher profile but reflects the genuine athleticism he carries.
The profile here is a defense-first catcher with a 60 arm, average hit and power tools, and a ceiling as a second-division regular with 15-20 home runs annually. The strikeout concerns that defined his 2025 season at High-A, where he punched out 106 times in 399 plate appearances, are still lurking; he has 49 strikeouts across 172 PA this year combined. But the chase-rate and contact issues that once looked chronic have not been as dominant during this hot stretch, and the walk rate has improved at Double-A. If this represents a genuine mechanical or approach adjustment rather than a hot month, Houston may need to revise the timeline. The 2027 estimated arrival looks conservative right now.
Mayer Is Turning the Corner at Double-A
Bryce Mayer (AA, RHP, Rank: 5) threw 5.2 innings of shutout ball last week, allowing 3 hits and no walks while punching out 9. Such command-and-stuff combination is what Houston has been waiting to see from the 24-year-old, who spent the early part of 2025 scuffling through a 5.90 ERA at Double-A before finding his footing. The last 30 days have been a different animal entirely: 20 innings, 1 earned run, 33 strikeouts, and a 0.80 WHIP at Corpus Christi. The season ERA sits at 2.61 through 69 innings, and he has already punched out 100 hitters. The mid-90s four-seamer with riding life from his lower release is a plus offering when he is commanding it downhill, and the curveball gives him a legitimate vertical weapon to bury against right-handed hitters. When those two are working in tandem, he does not need the changeup to get through lineups.
That last point matters because the changeup remains below-average and limits his ceiling as a traditional starter. The two-seamer is not yet a reliable ground-ball inducer either, so he leans heavily on the four-seam and breakers. Still, the strikeout rate this month suggests the slider is sharper than it has been, and the zero-walk outing last week points to command consistency that has been intermittent through most of his minor league career. A back-end starter projection feels right, with a legitimate shot at a No. 4 ceiling if the changeup gets even to fringe-average. Houston has to be encouraged by this run, and a Triple-A assignment before year's end seems plausible if the command holds.
Quick Hits
Kevin Alvarez (A, OF, Rank: 1) · drove in 3 on 6 hits, adding a double, a triple, and a homer while drawing 6 walks and a hit-by-pitch across 23 plate appearances. The 18-year-old is hitting .319/.443/.528 over his last 19 games at Fayetteville, a stretch that reinforces why he sits atop the Houston board. He has a 55 hit tool and 55 power grade in a projectable frame, and he is doing this as one of the youngest players in Low-A.
Xavier Neyens (A+, SS, Rank: 2) · reached base 12 times in 23 PA last week, drawing 11 walks to go with a homer and 2 RBI. The counting-stats batting line looks modest, but a 19-year-old with a 65 power grade drawing 11 walks in a week is performing as his profile projects: grinding at-bats, punishing mistakes, and letting the power play when he gets extended. His walk total for the season at the combined level stands at 94 through 81 games, which is a genuinely rare number for a player this age.
Ethan Frey (A+, OF, Rank: 7) · went 6-for-21 with a homer and 4 RBI while adding 5 walks. He is slashing .351/.449/.596 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI over his last 17 games at Asheville; that is his fourth homer of the month in what has been the best sustained stretch of his pro career. The shoulder-injury history and positional journey from catcher to designated hitter to outfield give the profile some noise, but a 55 power grade paired with above-average athleticism is producing at High-A, and the 50-RBI combined season total is legitimate production from a corner bat.
Jason Schiavone (AA, C, Rank: 21) · collected 8 hits in 21 plate appearances with 4 doubles, 5 RBI, and 4 walks. He has posted a .414 on-base percentage over his last 30 days at Double-A despite going homerless in that span, which shows the walk-and-contact half of his profile can hold even when the power goes quiet. The season line combined across levels, .271/.421/.552 with 23 home runs, remains one of the more unusual stat profiles in the minors given the low batting average and enormous slugging gap. I'd take the over on Schiavone's current quad-A projection if he keeps drawing walks at Double-A and the receiving improves even marginally.
Miguel Ullola (AAA, RHP, Rank: 11) · was recalled by Houston on July 26 and threw 3 innings of no-hit ball with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts in his AAA appearance during the week. Over his last 10 outings at Sugar Land, he has allowed just 2 hits across 9.1 innings with a 2.89 ERA, leaning on a 70-grade fastball and an above-average slider to generate whiffs in short bursts. The walk rate remains a concern at the big-league level, where he carries a 5.40 ERA through 5 innings, but the pure stuff in relief is as good as anything in this system.
Caden Powell (A+, SS, Rank: 17) · went 4-for-21 with a homer, a double, and 3 RBI while drawing 5 walks. The season line at Asheville, .291/.388/.456 with 12 home runs and 27 stolen bases through 82 games, is the most complete offensive profile he has shown since being drafted, with the speed and power tools starting to show up simultaneously. The hit tool still grades below-average and the strikeout total is climbing past 100 on the year, but the counting stats are building a case for a bump to Double-A before the season ends.
Albert Fermín (RK, SS, Rank: 20) · went 4-for-13 with a double, a home run, and 4 RBI in the DSL last week. At 17 years old, his season line of .339/.503/.534 with a .503 on-base percentage is about as advanced a DSL profile as you will find, built on a 40-walk, 32-strikeout ratio that reflects genuine zone awareness. The floor is wide, as it is for any 17-year-old in the Dominican, but the offensive foundation is ahead of schedule.
Randy Arias (RHP) · produced 4 hits in 14 PA with a double, a triple, 3 RBI, and 3 walks. He is a defense-first shortstop with soft hands and smooth infield actions, and while the 35 power grade and modest bat project conservatively, a .438 on-base percentage over his last 15 DSL games shows at least the patience component is real. Physical development will determine the ceiling.
James Hicks (AA, RHP, Rank: 25) · gave Corpus Christi 5 innings of one-run ball on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. The outing fits the profile: 60-grade command, a 55 changeup, and a fastball that tops out in the low 90s mean Hicks wins through sequencing rather than swing-and-miss, and a 2.18 ERA over his last four starts shows that formula can work at Double-A. The season ERA of 4.96 through 18 starts reflects earlier struggles, but the recent form points toward a pitcher who may have steadied things in the second half.
Nick Potter (A, RHP, Rank: 37) · struck out 6 over 4 innings of one-run ball, walking 3. The 97-100 mph fastball with plus carry continues to generate swing-and-miss, and his 2.11 ERA through 17 starts at Fayetteville is a genuinely encouraging number for a reliever-profiled arm logging starter innings. The walk rate still needs to come down for the projection to climb, but the raw arm is producing results.
Kenni Gomez (AA, OF, Rank: 27) · went 7-for-18 at Corpus Christi with 3 doubles and 2 RBI. A nice week, though the season line, .207/.325/.323 across three levels, remains a concern for a 21-year-old outfielder with a 40 hit tool and 40 power grade. The speed plays and he can cover center, but the bat needs to do more for the profile to remain relevant as he climbs.