The biggest surprise in the first round of the 2019 Draft came when the Astros used the 32nd overall selection on Korey Lee, whom most clubs viewed as more of a third-round talent. Two years later, the choice looks like a wise one.
Lee has cleaned up his right-handed swing and his defense, becoming not only the best prospect in Houston's system but also one of the better catching prospects in the Minors. He's continuing to work on both sides of his game in the Arizona Fall League with the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Lee did little at the plate as a part-time player in his first two college seasons at California, then batted .337/.416/.619 as a junior in 2019 while hitting behind No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn. The Astros valued his well-above-average raw power and arm strength more than most clubs, but he had no inkling that they liked him enough to take him in the first round.
"I had no expectations of anything that was going to happen," Lee said. "I kind of kept my head down all season while I was at Cal and didn't really think about the Draft. Then Draft night came through and it was a dream come true."
Since signing him for a below-slot $1.75 million, Houston has had Lee make some mechanical changes at the plate. He has quieted his load, shortened his stride and improved his balance, allowing him to drive balls from gap to gap more easily. On defense, the Astros had him shorten his arm stroke and immerse himself in calling pitches, something he didn't do in college.
During the pandemic layoff a year ago, Lee bought a pitching machine for his home so he could work on his hitting and receiving alone. All his work paid off with a solid first full pro season in 2021, when he batted .277/.340/.438 with 11 homers in 88 games while moving from High-A to Triple-A despite missing nearly a month with an oblique injury. He also threw out 43 percent of basestealers, though he was tagged with 12 passed balls in 62 games behind the plate.
Lee said he has learned a lot during his relatively short time in professional baseball. He hopes that continues in the AFL, where he has hit .344/.447/.375 in his first nine games, including a start at third base.
"It's been crazy, just because trying to manage a pitching staff has been a whole different dynamic, especially since in college you're not really controlling the pitching staff because the manager and coaches are going to take care of that," Lee said. "Now, in professional baseball, that's my job to take care of it. So that's something I've really taken advantage of.
"I'm really, really comfortable. It's an everyday progression in baseball. You're not really going to feel the same every day. I'm trying to feel out what I do really, really well and what I do wrong, and just try to stay consistent. The swing is the main priority."
Astros hitters in the Fall League
Pedro Leon, SS/OF (No. 2): Leon landed the largest bonus ($4 million) in the 2020-21 international class and went straight to Double-A, where he batted .224/.345/.380 with nine homers and 18 steals in 69 games this season despite missing two months with a broken left pinky. The Cuban combines well-above-average raw power and speed with top-of-the-scale arm strength. Through his first 13 games of the Fall League, Leon has managed just two extra-base hits in 49 at-bats, posting a .184/.298/.265 slash line, walking six times while striking out 16. More »
Grae Kessinger, INF (No. 23): Kessinger is trying to follow the path of grandfather Don (a six-time All-Star) and uncle Keith and go from the University of Mississippi to the big leagues. A 2019 second-rounder on the basis of his bat-to-ball skills and high baseball IQ, he hit .209/.287/.330 with nine homers and 12 steals in 86 Double-A games. Kessinger homered as part of a three-hit day in his AFL debut and posted a .256/.356/.436 slash line through his first 11 games, walking nearly as many times (6) as he struck out (7). After spending a majority of his time at shortstop and second base in his first two Minor League seasons, the 24-year-old has played seven games at first base and three at third in the AFL.
Astros pitchers in the Fall League
Chad Donato, RHP: An 11th-round pick in 2016 out of West Virginia, Donato pounds the strike zone with an array of pitches, most notably a 92- to 96-mph four-seam fastball and a big breaking curveball. He logged a 4.50 ERA with a 52/15 K/BB ratio in 56 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Donato has struggled in his three outings, allowing three earned runs in each over a total of 8 1/3 innings, yielding 13 hits and three walks while striking out eight.
R.J. Freure, RHP: Freure misses a lot of bats with a power arsenal that includes a four-seamer, which reaches 97 mph, and a low-80s curveball with plenty of depth, but he also has difficulty throwing strikes. He had a 5.98 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 53 walks in 81 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. The 2018 sixth-rounder out of Pittsburgh has allowed 14 runs (13 earned) in 7 2/3 innings over five outings, walking nine and striking out eight.
Angel Macuare, RHP: Signed out of Venezuela in 2016, Macuare made his full-season debut this year and recorded a 4.77 ERA, .223 opponents' average and 75 strikeouts in 66 innings while advancing from Low-A to Double-A. His fastball usually ranges from 91-95 mph and his best secondary offering is a mid-80s changeup with sinking and tailing action. Macuare has pitched sparingly, allowing just one hit in six innings across three appearances, but walking four en route to allowing three earned runs.
Joe Record, RHP: A 28th-round choice by the Twins out of UC Santa Barbara in 2017, Record didn't make his pro debut until two years later because of Tommy John surgery and a knee injury. A Minor League Rule 5 pick last December, he posted a 3.36 ERA with a .203 opponents' average and 53 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings in Double-A. He has a four-seam fastball that can touch 97 mph in short stints and a pair of hard breaking pitches. Record has been one of the more effective hurlers in the Fall League, allowing just one single and three walks while fanning nine batters over 9 2/3 scoreless frames across seven outings.