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SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Astros Reveal Their Plans for Well-Regarded Prospect Ethan Frey

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 8:32 PM ET

The Houston Astros haven't had a farm system that anyone considers to be strong for some time.

That has been the result of the franchise pushing all their chips to the center of the table when it comes to capitalizing on the championship window that opened back in 2017 when they won the franchise's first-ever World Series title.

However, as some of their star players began to depart in free agency, it became clear that the next wave of talent needed to be produced, which is one of the reasons why Dana Brown was hired to become the general manager because of his scouting background.

It's not going to be a quick fix for the Astros, but the last few drafts have injected some young talent into their pipeline, a good sign going forward based on the organization's ability to develop prospects at a high level.

Someone they hope will be starring for them one day is Ethan Frey, the third-round pick of this year's draft who is fresh off of winning the 2025 College World Series with LSU where he played a major role in them securing the trophy.

Astros Reveal Plan for Ethan Frey

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Beginning as a catcher during his prep days, he switched to the outfield in college before he was primarily used as the designated hitter this past year by LSU. Houston drafted Frey to be an outfielder but, it's now a question of which spot he'll be in.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he has the body type and size that suggests he'll be a corner outfielder. However, the Astros aren't ready to pigeon hole him there just yet, as they have stated he's going to start in center before any adjustments are made.

"We're basically going to treat him as a center fielder like we treat all our outfielders until he shows us that he can't," senior director of player development and performance science Jacob Buffa said, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "He looks really good for someone who really never played the position before. He's so athletic. He's got really good make-up speed and top-end speed and his reads off the bat are certainly well above where I anticipated they would be at this point."

That bodes well for Frey going forward, as does his power potential that was put on display with Single-A Fayetteville when he blasted his first professional home run.

"LSU! LSU! LSU!"@astros 2025 third-rounder Ethan Frey sizzles his first pro homer for @WoodpeckersNC to the delight of an @LSUbaseball fan in the crowd. pic.twitter.com/0hDeSXy3fE
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 21, 2025

Frey is going to be a name to follow for Astros fans.

Ranked ninth in their pipeline, there is a chance that gets adjusted heading into next year based on his ability to hit following three seasons of college baseball at a top program like LSU. Through his first 17 games, he's slashed .267/.410/.383 with one home run, four doubles and 12 RBI, striking out 16 times while also drawing 16 walks.

With there being question marks about Houston's outfield going forward, by the time Frey is ready for Major League Baseball, he could have a wide open runway to become the next impact star on this franchise for the long haul.

Whether that's in center field or at a corner spot will be determined by his play at the lower levels.