The Houston Astros player development department has named C Jason Schiavone the Astros 2026 Minor League Player of the Year, RHP Bryce Mayer the Astros 2026 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, OF Anthony Huezo the Astros 2026 Minor League Baserunner of the Year, IF Max Holy the Astros 2026 Minor League Defender of the Year and IF Yamal Encarnacion the Astros 2026 Standard Award recipient. All five players will be recognized in a pregame ceremony at Daikin Park on Sunday, September 20.
Schiavone, 23, has batted .246 (104×422) with 84 runs, 23 doubles, 31 HR, 87 RBI, 90 walks, 29 stolen bases and a .907 OPS in 118 games between High A Asheville (35 games), Double A Corpus Christi (79 games) and Triple A Sugar Land (four games). He leads the Astros minor league system in OPS, slugging percentage (.521), RBI and home runs, while also ranking second in runs, fifth in OBP (.386), fifth in doubles, fifth in walks and eighth in stolen bases (min. 200 AB). Schiavone was also named the Astros Minor League Player of the Month in April and May. The Astros selected the catcher in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft from James Madison. The 23-year-old is rated as the Astros number six overall prospect by MLB.com.
Mayer, 24, has gone 6-4 with a 3.21 ERA (35ER/98IP) in 23 appearances, including 20 starts between Double A Corpus Christi and Triple A Sugar Land. The right-handed pitcher also recorded 132 strikeouts, a 1.19 WHIP and a .202 opponent batting average. Mayer ranks first strikeouts per nine innings (12.12), first in ERA, first in opponent batting average, second in WHIP and seventh in walks per nine innings (4.32) in the Astros minor league system (min 90 IP). Mayer has now earned the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in consecutive seasons. He was also the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Month in July after he recorded a 0.47 ERA (1ER/19IP) with 29 strikeouts for the month. The 24-year-old was drafted by the Astros in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB Draft from the University of Missouri. He is rated as the Astros number eight overall prospect by MLB.com.
Huezo, 20, batted .242 (105×433) with 79 runs, 31 doubles, four triples, 22 HR, 73 RBI, 58 walks, 47 stolen bases and an .825 OPS in 112 games between Single A Fayetteville, High A Asheville and Double A Corpus Christi. The 20-year-old stole 47 bases and was caught only 12 times for a 79.7 percent success rate. He ranks third in the Astros minor league system in stolen bases this season. Huezo was drafted by the Astros in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft from Etiwanda High School in California. The 20-year-old is rated as the Astros number 10 overall prospect by MLB.com.
Holy, 24, appeared in 110 games this season between High A Asheville and Double A Corpus Christi, making starts defensively at shortstop (100), second base (five) and third base (five). He committed just 10 errors in 391 total chances for a .974 fielding percentage, while turning 42 double plays. Holy was signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent on July 20, 2024, from Central Missouri University. He is rated as the Astros number 29 overall prospect by MLB.com.
The Astros Standard award, which was established this season, highlights a player who represents the core values of the organization in a positive way both on and off the field. Encarnacion, 23, spent the entire season with Double A Corpus Christi, batting .266 (93×349) with 61 runs, 18 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 48 RBI, 37 walks, 48 stolen bases and a .720 OPS in 95 games. The 23-year-old was signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent on January 15, 2021, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.