WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Sara Goodrum began working as an intern with the Brewers in April 2017, after she played softball at the University of Oregon and earned a master’s in exercise and sports science from the University of Utah. She climbed to the role of Minor League hitting coordinator four years later and is now in the Houston system in her biggest job yet -- director of player development.

In other words, Goodrum went from working within an organization known for a competitive Major League team and lesser farm system to leading one in a very similar situation.

• Korey Lee Q&A

“I haven’t really gone through it yet,” she said with a laugh of imagining herself in an organization-wide rebuild. “I don’t know if I can speak on that.”

The Brewers made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons during Goodrum’s time in the organization, leading to lower picks and Draft bonus pools year after year. The Astros are in an even stricter predicament. The reigning American League pennant winners have earned postseason berths in five straight campaigns, including that 2017 World Series title, and while they were going to get low picks as a result, they lost their first- and second-round selections in the 2020 and 2021 Drafts as punishment for the sign-stealing scandal.

Given those two scenarios, it shouldn’t be a shock that the Brewers ranked 25th and the Astros 29th in MLB Pipeline’s midseason farm system rankings last year. But as Goodrum can attest, the point of player development isn’t to have a good farm system ranking.

“It's just about continuing to develop at the Minor League level so that we are consistently turning out big league-ready, Minor League players,” she said. “So when the time does come for the next player to come up and contribute at the Major League level, our Major League team has lots of options internally.”

Goodrum saw the Brewers do it with the likes of rookie contributors Devin Williams and Aaron Ashby in recent years, and the Astros, despite a lack of Top 100 prospects right now, might be in line to lean on prospects in 2021.

As of Monday, Carlos Correa remained un-signed on the free-agent market, and Jeremy Peña, the slick-fielding 24-year-old with late-blooming power, might be the favorite right now to replace him at shortstop on Opening Day. Houston has two mid-30s catcher options in Martín Maldonaldo and Jason Castro, but 23-year-old Korey Lee looms large as a potential backstop with a plus-plus arm that could already play in the bigs. Jose Siri signed as a Minor League free agent in December 2020 and developed into a legit candidate for Houston’s center-field spot.

The players within the system don’t need to be reminded that Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Álvarez all climbed the Houston ladder before starring in the World Series, just like Milwaukee prospects didn’t need to be told that Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff were one-time Brewers prospects.

That constant replenishing of talent that complements a Major League contender and fights off a rebuilding stage, that’s the dream, and for now, it’s all Goodrum’s known in pro ball.

“It's something I think every organization works towards and strives to have,” Goodrum said. “Back in Milwaukee, it was really exciting to contribute to growing that, and I'm excited to see where they go. In terms of coming over and seeing a very similar philosophy being implemented here, it's really cool, honestly.”

Camp standout: Korey Lee
If anyone had to guess who would fit this category when Minor League camp opened last month, that prediction would probably have been Lee. The 2019 32nd overall pick was the most prominent name in camp with Peña missing out as a 40-man roster member due to the lockout.

Lee is coming off a first full season in which he hit .277/.340/.438 with 11 homers over 88 games across the top three levels of the Houston system. He finished the year in the Arizona Fall League, getting more experience against top-level talent in anticipation of a 2022 debut.

According to Goodrum, the former Cal star has been a man on a mission since arriving in West Palm Beach. The backstop has picked up right where he left off in terms of batting-cage routines and approach in live batting practice, where he is always seeking to tap into his above-average raw power.

“If you watch his work, he wants to do damage with every single ball and every swing he takes,” Goodrum said. “It's with that intention. When you see that type of focus in the cage, it really stands out. It's been really impressive to watch.”

Lee became an official non-roster invite to Major League Spring Training this week and could see a lot of work in early Grapefruit League action as 40-man roster members get up to speed.

Something to prove: Forrest Whitley
Whitley owned a 2.83 ERA and struck out 143 batters over 92 1/3 innings in 2017. Since then, he missed time for a drug suspension and lat injuries in 2018, right shoulder inflammation in 2019, a pandemic-related canceled Minor League season in 2020 and, finally, Tommy John surgery in 2021. In all, the 24-year-old right-hander has thrown only 86 frames in the Minor Leagues over the last four seasons. That’s tough to swallow for a right-hander once considered to be the top pitching prospect in the game.

But there is hope on the horizon.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Whitley said he’s been throwing two bullpens per week of late in his progression back from elbow surgery. After going fastball-only in early sessions, he is set to mix in changeups for the first time this week and will move on to breaking balls from there. Whitley says he’s up to 91 mph right now and is aiming to be pitching in Minor League games by late May or early June.

The main thing for Whitley to prove is his actual health. With the potential for five above-average to plus pitches, the 2016 first-rounder has the stuff to dominate again and potentially force the issue. He just needs to be on the mound every fifth day for a bit first.

“Not having a torn UCL helps,” he said. “Especially for baseball. You kind of need that.”

Prospect we'll be talking about in 2023: Tyler Whitaker
The aforementioned Draft penalties meant the Astros didn’t make a selection until the 87th overall spot last July. Houston was still able to swing for the fences with the pick by selecting MLB Pipeline’s No. 37 Draft prospect Whitaker there and signing him to a well-above-slot $1.5 million bonus.

The 19-year-old outfielder out of Nevada shows impressive raw power from the right side and is tooled up with above-average speed and a strong arm from the grass. He was humbled at the plate with a .202/.263/.327 line and 35.1 percent K rate in 29 Florida Complex League games last season due to a long swing, but the more he sees of the Minors, the more the Astros believe he can break out early in his career.

“I think he just needs to get settled, get more games underneath his belt and learn about being a professional more,” Goodrum said. “It's a huge adjustment going into professional baseball, especially for a high schooler. So for him, I think it's more in terms of just learning about the pro side of the game and continuing to adjust. But with his athleticism, you just look at him and think he's definitely a special talent.”