The Houston Astros probably didn’t want to have to promote outfielder Zach Cole late in the 2025 season. But injuries forced their hand.

Houston selected his contract on Sept. 12, and he played 15 games, impressing the franchise and fans alike with a slash of slashed .255/.327/.553 with an .880 OPS, including four home runs and 11 RBI. He also had two doubles and three stolen bases. He’s now positioned to make the opening day roster in 2026, especially after the Astros traded away some competition earlier this week as they shipped outfielder Jacob Melton to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 10th-round pick in 2022 was already positioning himself for the Majors before the promotion, and a combination of two stats shows just what kind of impact he could make once he gets a foothold in the league.

Zach Cole’s Near-Double-Double

3-for-3
4 RBI
Zach Cole’s magnificent MLB debut continues! pic.twitter.com/aw4Iv18Aku

— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2025

Cole played 97 games between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, with just 15 of those happening at the highest affiliate. Combined he slashed .279/.377/.539 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI. MLB Pipeline named him the organization’s top position player. It was an impressive trajectory for Cole, considering he started the season on the injured list.

Once he got on the field with Corpus Christi, he produced, as he slashed .267/.363/.505 slash in 82 games, with 14 home runs and 49 RBI. He boosted the numbers in his short time at Corpus Christi, as he slashed .353/.459/.745 with five home runs and 16 RBI.

MLB.com recently wrote about the best prospect stat from each farm system and it focused on Cole’s 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases. The article made the point that, had it not been for the promotion, he might have been the rare minor league player to finish with a 20-20 season, as in 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

At the Major League level, a 20/20 season is a baseline for players that can combine speed and power. In the minors in 2025, 16 players accomplished the feat, per MLB.com, while close to 20 players did it in the Majors.

Houston took a flier on Cole in 2022. The Ball State product had just one full season of college baseball, during which he batted .361 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. Once in the system, he improved every season, though he had to overcome injuries in 2024 to position himself for his explosive 2025 campaign.

Now, he’s set up to find more playing time in 2026. In addition to the Melton trade, the Astros parted away with another outfielder, Chas McCormick.  

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