Here’s the Astros' Spring Breakout roster (Thursday, 11 a.m. CT)

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.

Neyens' 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.”

Notable pitchers

Right-hander James Hicks (No. 15) is the club’s highest-ranked pitcher participating in the Spring Breakout game. He was named the 2025 Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year after throwing 14 scoreless innings for Scottsdale. A 13th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of South Carolina, he has as many as six pitches at his disposal, including a mid-80s changeup that elicited a 56% miss rate in the AFL, according to Synergy.

Hicks’ overall miss rate of 34% last fall led to 19 strikeouts over those 14 innings. He gave up just six hits and walked only two, a number that really stands out compared to the league-wide walk rate of 6.5 per nine this fall.

Right-hander Alimber Santa (No. 18) was in Major League camp with Houston and allowed five hits, two runs, six walks and struck out five innings, touching 96 mph in Grapefruit League play. One of the biggest power arms in the system, Santa posted a 2.31 ERA combined last year between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, striking out 82 batters and walking 39 in 70 innings.

Roster details

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

Gameday roster (Astros Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (12)
Cole Hertzler, RHP, No. 23
James Hicks, RHP, No. 15
Colby Langord, LHP, NR
Hudson Leach, RHP, No. 26
Joan Ogando, RHP, NR
Javier Perez, RHP, NR
Ramsey David, RHP, No. 28
Amilcar Chirinos, RHP
Luis Rodriguez, RHP, NR
Leomar Rosario, RHP, NR
Alimber Santa, RHP, No. 18
Derek True, RHP, NR

CATCHERS (4)
Will Bush, C/1B, No. 20
Arturo Flores, C, NR
Walker Janek, C, No. 5
Jason Schiavone, C, NR

INFIELDERS (5)
Max Holy, INF, NR
Nick Monistere, UTIL, NR
Xavier Neyens, SS, No. 2
Caden Powell, SS/3B, No. 27
German Ramirez, INF, NR

OUTFIELDERS (6)
Kevin Alvarez, OF, No. 1
Chase Call, OF, NR
Anthony Huezo, OF, No. 19
Juan Sierra, OF, NR
Lucas Spence, OF, No. 12
Joseph Sullivan, OF, No. 14