Ochoa's comeback story continues in the Fall League

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After struggling in his first three pro seasons, Nehomar Ochoa Jr. finally got going this year. He batted .287/.349/.500 with 11 homers and 29 steals in 64 games between two Class A levels at age 20, showing why the Astros paid him $300,000 (double slot value) as an 11th-rounder from a Houston high school in 2023.

Then Ochoa's breakout season came to an abrupt halt when he broke the ring finger on his right hand during a headfirst slide in early July. But given his past, he was able to put the injury into perspective rather easily.

During Spring Training in March 2025, Ochoa was driving on Interstate 95 in South Florida when a seven-pound hook came loose from a truck in front of him, crashed through his windshield and lodged in his head. Doctors told him that had the hook hit him two inches lower, he would have lost his right eye. Had it stuck him two inches to the left, it would have killed him instantly.

"You can never expect what life is going to give you," Ochoa said. "What you can control is how you can handle it, how you can overcome it. The accident was a miracle. It was something that I wasn't supposed to be alive. I'm not supposed to be here and I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity to be alive and well. It did take a toll on me because obviously I had big plans for that year. I felt ready. I was in a comfortable spot.

"The best thing that I could say is that it made me a better person. It made me look at life completely different and when it comes down to the finger injury, it was just a finger. I wasn't worried. I was putting the work in. I was doing really good. It sucks that I had to stop and be out for the rest of the season, but I'm back and better.

Ochoa is back with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, where he drew four walks and stole two bases in his first two games. The best Astros prospect in the developmental circuit, he fits the classic right-field profile with plus raw power and arm strength to match. To reach his potential, the physical 6-foot-4, 230-pounder will need to make more consistent contact, especially against non-fastballs.

Ochoa said strengthening his right knee, which has bothered him since he was 13, fueled his performance at the plate this season.

"I had arthritis and I grew up too fast, so my knee doesn't have the support that it's supposed to," he said. "I spent all offseason working on it and making that part of my body stronger, and it just made a big impact on my game. Before the games, I started taking more care of my body, stretching more, doing a little bit more exercises for my knee so it could be 100 percent stretched out and feeling good."

Ochoa also credits his father for helping him navigate pro ball and adversity. Nehomar Ochoa Sr. pitched for three seasons in the Expos system before falling off a horse and hurting his shoulder, ending his career. His son was born in Venezuela shortly before his career ended, and they moved to United States when Nehomar Jr. was 10 years old.

"He talks to me and he passes down the knowledge that he learned and everything that he went through to me so I won't make the same mistakes," Ochoa said. "He's always been there since day one. He's always been my guide. He's always been my mentor, and it's the best for me.

"That's my dad. I love him, and I'm grateful that I have a dad like him who can guide me through my journey."

Astros hitters in the Fall League

Waner Luciano, 3B: Signed for $45,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, Luciano has some of the best all-around metrics in Houston's system, showing the ability to hit balls hard while reasonably controlling the strike zone and making contact. He struggled in his first two seasons in Single-A before succeeding there this year, slashing .261/.384/.445 with 10 homers and 23 steals in 76 games.

Nick Monistere, 2B/SS: Monistere won Sun Belt Conference player of the year accolades in 2025 before joining the Astros as a fourth-round pick. He produces notable exit velocities for a middle infielder but gets too aggressive and has contact issues, which has led to a .178/.281/.272 batting line with 25 steals in 90 pro games, mostly in Single-A. He missed half of this season with an oblique injury.

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Astros pitchers in the Fall League

Juan Bello, RHP: Acquired from the Cubs in a January 2025 trade for Ryan Pressly, Bello suffered an elbow injury six months later and had Tommy John surgery that cost him all of this season. Before he got hurt, he had a low-90s fastball that topped out at 94 and missed bats with a mid-70s curveball and upper-70s slider.

Joey Dixon, RHP: After Houston drafted him in the seventh round out of Stanford in 2023, Dixon made just one appearance before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for all of the next two years, then pitched just twice in Single-A this season before getting shut down with shoulder issues. If he can stay healthy, he's interesting because he has high-end extension and can miss bats with a mid-90s fastball that touches 98 mph as well as a fading mid-80s changeup and a low-80s downer curveball.

Francisco Frias, RHP: Frias struck out 58 in 43 innings in High-A, but he also walked 39 and posted a 7.74 ERA. Signed for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2023, he has a mid-90s fastball that reaches 98 mph yet gets rocked when he doesn't command it well. His low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball are more effective offerings.

Railin Perez, RHP: Perez is a deceptive reliever with one of the lowest release heights in the Minors, a low-90s fastball that touches 96 mph and a pair of high-spin breaking balls in the low 80s with plenty of horizontal action. Selected from the Red Sox in the Minor League phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, he logged a 3.53 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 51 innings at Double-A this year.

Jank Pichardo, RHP: Another Astros pitching prospect coming back from Tommy John surgery, Pichardo has totaled just 21 1/3 innings during the past two seasons. He signed for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 and delivers his 92-97 mph fastball on an extremely flat approach angle.

Yeriel Santos, RHP: Santos turned pro for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 and has struggled in High-A the past two seasons, including a 7.87 ERA with 69 walks and 78 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings this year. He works primarily with a running low-90s fastball that tops out at 96 mph and a tight mid-80s slider.