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Houston Astros Organization Review

Houston Astros Organization Review

There is fantasy baseball goodness all around this organizationi

Brian Creagh
March 04, 2023

Houston Astros Organization Review

Over the next three weeks, I will be publishing organization overviews for every MLB team. Each post will be a deep dive into all levels of the organization and picking out fantasy relevant nuggets. The primary focus will be at the MLB level and trying to uncover players I want to target in upcoming drafts, but I am playing in a few dynasty leagues and want to try to highlight some players to stash or keep an eye out for upcoming trades.

Picks For 2023

Players I like in fantasy drafts given their current price. All ADPs are from the last two months of NFC data.

Yordan Alvarez (ADP: 11) - I have Alvarez as my #3 pick off the board. If you can get him after pick 10, you are set up well. There just isn't another 35+ HR and .300 AVG hitter on the board. His injury needs to be monitored, but as of now he is still expected to be ready by Opening Day.

Framber Valdez (ADP: 85) - Valdez is the workhorse of this rotation and his 180+ IP means so much more than whatever you get from Javier's ~150 IP.

Fades For 2023

Players I don't love at current ADP.

Cristian Javier (ADP: 59) - I like Javier but the hype has gone too far. He's never topped 150 innings, so I question whether he can get to the 180+ IP tier and really pay off his Round 5 price tag.

Jeremy Pena (ADP: 109) - My projection on Pena: 75/25/79/10/.245 is very respectable but only grades him out as the 21st SS on the board. I think he's being drafted way too early, and as a rookie last year, he doesn't have the track record to give me a ton of confidence in his projection.

MLB Breakout Player(s)

Players I like to outperform expectations

Hunter Brown (ADP: 201) - Hoping to squeeze out the final spot in the Astros rotation, Brown is really the only non-established major leaguer in position for playing time this year. This makes him the de facto breakout option for Houston and someone who could be owned in all leagues by mid-season.

Favorite Prospects Outside Top 5

Prospects outside of MLB.com's Top 5 that I want to target in dynasty leagues.

Jaime Melendez - He gets profiled as a middle reliver because of his stature and propensity to miss bats, but Melendez continues to perform well as a starter as he progresses up the major league system. He's a guy who might be able to beat expectations and stick as a starter, and if he doesn't, he could be a high-leverage guy and still provide fantasy in the leagues deep enough to be stashing him.

Miguel Palma - As a catching prospect who can hit, Palma has my attention. There's a good chance he shifts over to 1B in his career, but he's a catcher still to this point. Should get a crack at AA this year and if he continues to hit well, his prospect hype will pick up steam.