Houston Astros' Well-Regarded Prospect Leads Triple-A Affiliate into Impressive History

Whitcomb, a 26-year-old utility player, is listed as the No. 15 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. He was a fifth-round draft choice of the Astros in 2020 out of UC San Diego. He actually made his major league debut in 2024, hitting .220 in 20 games. He had three doubles, but still retains his prospect eligibility.

Currently, he's hitting .264 at Triple-A with 16 homers and 35 RBIs. He had 25 homers in 2024 and 35 in 2023 between Double-A and Triple-A.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Whitcomb has generated some of the best raw power and highest exit velocities in the system since turning pro, and he continued to crush ball in the air to his pull side in 2024. The difference was that he toned down his leg kick and streamlined the load in his right-handed stroke while also showing some semblance of plate discipline. He still chases too many pitches and big leaguers exploited his lack of selectivity while he went 9-for-41 in his debut last summer, but career-best walk (11 percent) and strikeout (20 percent) rates were a step in the right direction.

At the major-league level, the Astros enter play on Thursday at 30-25 and 0.5 games back of the Mariners in the American League West. They'll host the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston.