Three Houston Astros Prospects Seeking Bounce-Back Seasons in 2026

Baez had a strange calendar year. After hitting .258 with a .763 OPS, 25 doubles and 21 homers in 2024, the outfielder finished the season as the second ranked Astros prospect according to MLB Pipeline. By the end of 2025, he had fallen all the way down to 22.

The 21-year-old didn't play his first game until May 27 and wasn't with Double-A, where he spent his season, until June 3. It wasn't due to injury, but rather him working on his defense, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. A strange move given his 2024 campaign, but Houston has an idea of how they want to develop him.

Baez was incredible in the month of August, hitting .361 with five doubles, one homer and a .918 OPS. His season long numbers aren't as impressive, though. The outfielder hit .248 with a .654 OPS, 14 doubles, two triples and two homers in 68 games on the season.

Clearly, the bat is still there and is one of the best in the system. How the Astros handled the season aside, it's crucial that he bounce back in 2026 to keep his development steady at the plate, which is his strong suit.

RHP Jackson Nezuh

Nezuh was a 14th round pick out of college in the 2023 draft, and had a great debut season to make an improbable leap towards the top of the system in terms of rankings. In 27 games, 16 starts, between Single and High-A, the right-hander posted a 3.89 ERA and struck out 151 in 120.1 innings in 2024.

He throws four pitches, his best of the bunch includes an above average fastball that sits mid-90s and a plus changeup that is considered one of the best in the minors, according to Pipeline. He threw 72.1 of his 76.2 innings at Double-A, but he struggled in his first work at the level.

The 23-year-old posted a 4.48 ERA with 71 strikeouts at Double-A this season. It was a pretty big regression from his previous year at a lower level. His K/9 went down from 11.3 to 8.9 on the season, and his HR/9 went up from 0.7 to 1.2. His stuff just wasn't fooling the hitters at the higher level.

Luckily for Nezuh, there weren't any pitchers in the organization that completely dominated the minor leagues in 2025. If he can get back to that strikeout form of 2024, he has a real chance to make his way up the top 30 rankings by the end of next season.

RHP Ryan Forcucci

In Forcucci's case, it's not a matter of bouncing back from poor play, but from an injury. Taken in the third round of the 2024 draft, the right-hander had Tommy John surgery the March before he was taken and missed the rest of 2024 and all of 2025 to rehab.

There's a lot to like with the right-hander. In three seasons at UC San Diego, he posted a 3.67 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 132.1 innings. What made him so compelling when he came out was his performance before the injury, where he threw 25 innings, allowing just six earned runs (2.16 ERA) and stiking out 13.3 batters per nine innings.

He throws four pitches including a plus fastball and above average slider, which is his out pitch. His other secondary pitches, a curveball and changeup, are more average offerings.

According to Pipeline, Forcucci has a "high floor than moft of Houston's mound prospects."

On paper, he is an intriguing prospect. But he'll only be able to get evaluated when he's on the field and after two seasons, he'll need to shake some rust off. He could be the biggest riser of the bunch next year.