Houston Astros Announce Spring Breakout Schedule, Prospect Roster

Major League Baseball's Spring Breakout made its debut in 2024. It will return this year between March 13-16.

The concept gives every team an opportunity to showcase their top prospects, as only rookie-eligible players can compete. Even then rookies that are competing for Major League roster spots are often left off these rosters.

Spring Breakout is not a tournament, as most teams play only one game in the format.

The Houston Astros will play theirs against the Washington Nationals on March 14. The game will start at 1:05 PM central time at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.

According to MLB.com the game will be available on MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App, KBME 790 AM and Gameday.

Houston's Position Players

Third baseman Cam Smith, who was acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade, is the standalone headliner for the Astros in Spring Breakout. The Chicago Cubs selected Smith with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft. Smith is Houston's top prospect and the No. 58 overall in the entire league.

Smith only has 11 at-bats in spring training, but he couldn't have done more with them slashing .636/.733/1.364 with two homers and seven runs batted in. In 15 plate appearances he has seven hits, four walks and only one strikeout with five runs scored. If the Astros end up winning the Tucker trade, chances are Smith is the reason why.

Shortstop/ third baseman Brice Matthews, outfielder Jacob Melton and catcher Walker Janek join Smith as Houston's top four prospects. Those are the names to pay attention to in the Astros farm system.

Here are all of Houston's position players on the Spring Breakout roster:

Catchers/ Infielders: Walker Janek (C), Collin Price (C), Jancel Villarroel (C/1B), Chase Jaworsky (2B/SS), Pascanel Ferreras (2B), Yamal Encarnacion (2B), Brice Matthews (SS/3B), Tommy Sacco Jr. (SS), Cam Smith (3B), Austin Deming (3B).

Outfielders: Jacob Melton, Luis Baez, Joseph Sullivan, Kenni Gomez, Nehomar Ochoa Jr.

Houston's Pitchers

A team can never have too much pitching, and the Astros have 12 of them on their Spring Breakout roster. All of them are right handers.

Miguel Ullola, Anderson Brito and Ethan Pecko are all top-10 prospects in the organization, but they are each on the back half of that cluster. To this point Brito has been the most productive, finishing with a 1.51 ERA in 53.2 minor league innings in 2024.

The rest of the group is: Jackson Nezuh, Jose Fleury, James Hicks, Juan Bello, Alex Santos, Bryce Mayer, Ramsey David, Alimber Santa, Wilmy Sanchez.

Overall, Houston is a contending team with a few high-upside position players in their farm system. That goes double for Cam Smith, who is the clear cream of the crop out of this group.

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