The Houston Astros have started to show their hand a bit when it comes to building their 2026 roster, as they have moved on from some of their previous core pieces in favor of opening up roster spots. While that may indicate some potential free agent spending, it could also be for the purpose of calling up some of their top prospects in the near future to fill the voids left behind.
With a current veteran payroll set at $163,283,333, they have some spending room, but with players they need to retain or look to re-sign, as well as other contractual decisions coming up, it is far from the number that they will be at in the near future. Optimally, they would be able to call up a few prospects to fill starting positions and bench depth without spending an exorbitant amount of money.
With that, they decided to send a decent number of their prospects to the Arizona Fall League recently to try and get them some additional playing time prior to 2026. For some, it worked out extremely well, as two of their prospects were listed on the MLB.com top 30 players article from the fall league.
Which Two Astros Prospects Starred in Arizona Fall League?
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
The list, put together by Jim Callis of MLB.com, detailed a wide variety of prospects from various teams around the MLB. Houston wound up with two being nominated, the first of whom was pitcher Anderson Brito, coming in at No. 11 on the list. He finished third in the AFL with 22 strikeouts in 11 innings and had a 3.97 ERA with a 43% swing and miss rate.
“Brito featured easily the best stuff among Fall League right-handers, averaging 98 mph and touching 100 with his riding fastball and backing it up with high spin rates on a mid-80s curveball and upper-80s sweeper,” Callis wrote.
Anderson Brito leads the @MLBazFallLeague with 17.5 SO/9.
So far this fall, 21-year-old righty has racked up 22 punchouts and posted a 3.97 ERA in 11.1 IP while limiting opposing hitters to a .154 batting average. pic.twitter.com/2sfkWVXIXD
— Astros Player Development (@AstrosPlayerDev) November 3, 2025
In addition, catcher and former first-round pick Walker Janek was placed at No. 13 of the bunch, and after a promising showing in the fall, he was listed among some of the league’s best for this reason:
“Some scouts believe Janek is the best defensive catcher in the Minors and he was the best in the Fall League, projecting as a solid receiver (despite five passed balls in 13 games) with well-above-average arm strength.”
Overall, both had solid production throughout the fall, and continuing that into 2026 spring training will be crucial for their development.
Recommended Articles