The weather is beginning to heat up all across the Minor Leagues, and the stat lines just keep simmering. On Sunday, one speed demon pulled off a rare feat on the basepaths, some of the Minors' hottest sluggers went deep, and several starters dominated on the mound. Here are the

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Offense led the way on Thursday, but a pair of Top 100 prospects on the mound might have stolen the spotlight. Philadelphia's Andrew Painter accomplished something for the first time in more than two years while Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski continued to make his case for a big league promotion. Not

A pair of Top 100 heavyweights led the charge on Wednesday, with Max Clark and Chase Burns lighting up the High-A Midwest League. But the star-studded performances didn't stop there. A pair of Texas prospects -- one an Astro, the other a Ranger -- enjoyed huge offensive afternoons before ending

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

A new week of baseball started out with plenty of fireworks at the plate and on the mound. A number of Top 100 prospects lived up to their billing, swatting homers, piling up the K's and coming through in the clutch. A pair of Astros teammates combined for a prodigious

The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros' Double-A affiliate, notched seven hits -- including three home runs, a triple and two doubles -- 11 RBIs and seven runs scored ... and that was just from two players in the team's 20-14 shellacking of Frisco at Riders Field on Tuesday. Houston's outfield

It was a day not to be forgotten in the Minors, with a pair of historic performances at the plate, a throwback performance on the mound and a perfectly pitched game at Double-A. Not to be outdone, some of baseball's youngest prospects showed they can stand toe-to-toe with the best

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

On a night in which two Top 100 prospects made noise on the mound, a 24-year-old backstop in the High-A Midwest League might have stolen the spotlight by connecting on not one but a pair of grand slams. There was no shortage of action around the Minors, including a teenager

With each passing moment, Nehomar Ochoa Jr. realized it wasn't a small rock approaching his car. The object kept getting bigger, and at the last millisecond, he ducked left as the seven-pound hook crashed through his windshield, lodging into his head. The 19-year-old Astros prospect avoided death -- but only

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. HOUSTON -- The Astros haven’t developed many relievers in recent years, save for Bryan Abreu and Logan VanWey and even now Forrest Whitley, who

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- The Astros have been wanting, and waiting for, rookie right fielder Cam Smith to start pulling the ball more. Of his first nine hits in the big leagues, only two were hit to left field, including his first career home run a week ago. Smith clearly has shown

HOUSTON -- It was no secret why the Astros traded All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs last December. It was days after free-agent right fielder Juan Soto had signed a massive deal with the Mets. It was clear the price to retain Tucker when he hit free agency

SEATTLE -- Cam Smith had his chance to break out in the top of the fourth inning Tuesday in Seattle, coming up with the bases loaded and two outs. He flied out to right field, stretching his hitless streak to 10 at-bats. Houston’s top prospect wouldn’t come up empty on

With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Astros' Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:

1. Cam Smith (MLB No. 57), 3B -- Houston (MLB)
2. Brice Matthews, SS/3B -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
3. Jacob Melton, OF -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
4. Walker Janek, C --

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

On March 27, 2023, Cam Smith was a Florida State freshman batting .264 with 28 strikeouts through his first 21 college games. Exactly two years later, he will spend Opening Day as a member of the Astros. Smith has just 32 games of pro experience, making his rise to an

HOUSTON -- As Joe Espada aspired to be a big league manager, he dreamed of one day making a future player’s call-up to the Major Leagues a special moment.

HOUSTON -- Standing at the base of the Astros’ dugout steps, Cam Smith, with his bat tucked under his left arm, took a few steps up, pulled on a bright orange batting glove and cracked a wide smile as he headed out for his first batting practice at Daikin Park

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than