Here's the Astros' player pool for their Spring Breakout game

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros have another slugging Alvarez in their system -- top prospect Kevin Alvarez, who will begin the year as the club’s No. 1-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and will headline the team’s prospects who will participate in this year’s Spring Breakout game.

What is Spring Breakout?

In 2026, MLB Spring Breakout will again be a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future -- the current stars of Minor League Baseball – in 16 exhibition games played between teams composed of each MLB organization’s top prospects. The third edition will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.

In 2027, Spring Breakout will be expanded into a single-elimination tournament format, with champions being crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.

When is the Astros’ game?

Houston's prospects will take on their Miami counterparts on Thursday, March 19, at 11:05 a.m. CT.

How can I tune in?

MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App, Space City Home Network, Gameday

Notable position players

Alvarez, an 18-year-old Cuban outfielder who was signed for $2 million in January 2025, has already turned heads this spring. He relocated with his father to the Dominican Republic in December 2021 as a means of preparing for a career in the game. Alvarez is a loose and flexible left-handed-hitting bat with above-average tools who has been compared to Kyle Tucker.

Alvarez, who’s no relation to Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, stood out with his tools, high baseball IQ and maturity during his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. He also starred in the Astros' preseason camp for Minor Leaguers this January, winning the hitting and outfield-defense competitions. He slugged two homers in a game last month.

Shortstop Xavier Neyens, the Astros’ first-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, is the team’s No. 2-ranked prospect. He stood out in the 2025 high school class with a physical 6-foot-3 frame, power that was rivaled only by top-rated prospect Ethan Holiday and an extremely patient approach.

Neyen’s large frame and bat speed reveal plus raw power. He will make his debut in Single-A ball this year and could eventually wind up at third base, where his fringy speed and quickness is a better fit than shortstop. He has the arm to play third, too, considering he was throwing 95 mph in high school.

“The power jumps off the page right away,” assistant general manager Gavin Dickey said. “It's a quality at-bat, knows the strike zone really well. We're just focusing on getting him dialed into professional-level pitching. Obviously, it's a huge gap between Washington [state] high school baseball and pro pitching. And Xavier's adjusting fine. Defense looks solid on the dirt as well. We’re just going to progress him through Spring Training and then see where we'll send him at the end of camp.”

Ethan Frey, the club’s No. 3-ranked prospect, is a 6-foot-4 outfielder with the highest measured bat speed in the 2025 Draft. He could be a quick mover to the big leagues considering he played at an elite SEC program at LSU, hitting .331/.420/.641 for the national champions in 2025. He was taken in the third round last year and slashed .330/.434/.470 during a month in Single-A.

Notable pitchers

Right-hander Bryce Mayer, who is Houston’s highest-ranked pitching prospect at No. 6, was a 16th-round pick out of Missouri in 2024. He went 4-6 with 4.11 ERA in 21 appearances (16 starts) last season between Single-A Fayetteville, High-A Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi and was named the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He had 112 strikeouts in 87 2/3 innings, a 1.17 WHIP and a .227 opponents’ batting average.

Working from a three-quarters arm slot, the execution of his pitches was well above where his professional experience would be with most players. He throws a quality fastball that’s in the zone and touches 96 mph, plus has command of two breaking balls.

Right-hander Ethan Pecko (No. 7) won the Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award during his first full pro season in 2024, but a strained forearm cost him the first two months of the 2025 season. He rallied to post a 3.09 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 35 Triple-A innings at the end of the year.

Right-hander Ryan Forcucci (No. 9) received a $1 million signing bonus as a 2024 third-round pick out of UC San Diego, but he underwent Tommy John surgery June 5, 2024, and has yet to throw a professional pitch. That will change this season. Forcucci's fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 mph, and his mid-80s slider grades as a plus pitch.

Roster details

Spring Breakout rosters are being constructed in two phases in 2026. Clubs initially submit a preliminary 40-man player pool on Thursday, March 5, which will then be pared down to the official 23-27 man rosters on March 18. The preliminary rosters were assembled using MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Prospects lists plus additional prospects submitted by the club.

Preliminary 40-man player pool (Astros Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (20)
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP, No. 8
Ramsey David, RHP, No. 28
Jose Fleury, RHP, No. 24
Juan Fraide, RHP, NR
Cole Hertzler, RHP, No. 23
James Hicks, RHP, No. 15
Ryan Forcucci, RHP, No. 9
Hudson Leach, RHP, No. 26
Bryce Mayer, RHP, No. 6
Jackson Nezuh, RHP, No. 16
Joan Ogando, RHP, NR
Ethan Pecko, RHP, No. 7
Gabel Pentecost, RHP, No. 30
Javier Perez, RHP, NR
Nick Potter, RHP, No. 29
Leomar Rosario, RHP, NR
Alimber Santa, RHP, No. 18
Parker Smith, RHP, No. 25
Alonzo Tredwell, RHP, No. 17
Miguel Ullola, RHP, No. 13

CATCHERS (5)
Will Bush, C/1B, No. 20
Arturo Flores, C, NR
Walker Janek, C, No. 5
Jase Mitchell, C, No. 22
Jason Schiavone, C, NR

INFIELDERS (7)
Zach Daudet, INF, NR
Max Holy, INF, NR
Brice Matthews, 2B, No. 4
Nick Monistere, UTIL, NR
Xavier Neyens, SS, No. 2
Caden Powell, SS/3B, No. 27
German Ramirez, INF, NR

OUTFIELDERS (8)
Kevin Alvarez, OF, No. 1
Chase Call, OF, NR
Zach Cole, OF, No. 11
Ethan Frey, OF, No. 3
Anthony Huezo, OF, No. 19
Juan Sierra, OF, NR
Lucas Spence, OF, No. 12
Joseph Sullivan, OF, No. 14