Houston Astros: J.D. Martinez and 5 Prospects That Are Ready for the Show

A poor farm system has long been the undoing of the Astros as a franchise. It was clear even when they were having their great seasons of 2004 and 2005 that the success was unsustainable because they had no real prospects coming up the pike.

Now, that is changing. The Astros have put together a couple of solid drafts in a row and the talent is starting to mount in the minor leagues.

It's tough being an Astros fan right now as they are by far the worst team in baseball. Those fortunes look poised to turn around, though. Outside of Carlos Lee, the Astros don't have many huge contracts on the books moving forward. And now the Astros farm system, led by outfielder J.D. Martinez, is churning out some real talent.

The hope is that Martinez and the other promising players on this list will help lead the team into a new era of winning Astros baseball.

J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez has been a late bloomer as a prospect. He has always been a solid hitter for average, but he failed to impress in any other way.

Now, he is really coming on strong for a Corpus Christi Hooks team that is stacked with top-flight talent. Martinez is hitting .335 and leads the team with eight home runs and 53 RBI.

Quite frankly, Martinez should be starting every day for the Astros in left field right now. Carlos Lee starts largely because he is being paid a ridiculous amount of money. Other than that, there is no reason he should still be on the field. He is a bad left fielder, he doesn't run well and he has quit doing the one thing he generally does best—and that's to hit home runs.

Martinez would be an improvement in every aspect and the franchise needs to start moving him up quickly. He is just about to turn 24 years of age, so they need to find out what they have in him before they begin to waste his prime years.

Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve was signed as an international free agent in 2007 and he hasn't stopped hitting since. As a matter of fact, his numbers have improved as he has moved up in the minor leagues.

Altuve started this season at High-A ball in Lancaster, California. He hit .408 in 213 at-bats. The Astros had no choice but to move him up. At this point, most expected his numbers to fall because he was moving out of the hitter-friendly California League and moving into the ultra-competitive Texas League.

He has continued that success at Corpus Christi, though. He is hitting .362 in 127 at-bats with the Hooks. He has only struck out 12 times in those at-bats.

The best news for Altuve is that the Astros might be in the market for a new second baseman before the season is out. Jeff Keppinger has been a solid player there for the team, but he is a guy that might be of use to a contender looking to beef up their offense for the stretch run. The Astros would be smart to explore trades for him to maximize his trade value and make room for Altuve.

Brandon Wikoff

If the Astros are looking to bring up a second baseman late in the season after a possible Jeff Keppinger trade, Brandon Wikoff is making a strong case it should be him and maybe not Jose Altuve.

Wikoff has put together an incredible season at Corpus Christi that rivals what Altuve has done. He is hitting .343 there and has an on base percentage of .421. He has walked more than he has struck out. His left-handed bat would also be nice on a team of mostly right-handed hitters.

It seems inevitable that at some point the Astros will have to choose between Wikoff and Altuve, but you never can have too many middle infielders that can hit. If both players continue to progress as they already have, the Astros will find a way to get them both on the field.

Dallas Keuchel

The youth movement in the starting rotation has already started for the Astros. Top prospect Jordan Lyles is already with the big club as is former top prospect Bud Norris and while J.A. Happ isn't all that young, the team is hoping he is a big part of the rotation going forward.

Dallas Keuchel is the guy the Astros are hoping is next in line. Keuchel, the former Arkansas Razorback, is 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA at Corpus Christi right now. He has only given up 84 hits in 96.1 innings pitched and he has a solid 1.12 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched).

The problem is that there really isn't room for Keuchel right now. The Astros obviously want to get Lyles, Norris and Happ their innings to let them work out their kinks. Wandy Rodriguez has been pretty solid, if unspectacular and Brett Myers won't be going anywhere any time soon even though he has been atrocious for the most part.

Chris Wallace

As a 16th-round draft pick, Chris Wallace entered the Astros' minor league system with little fanfare. Good players can be had in the 16th round, but you don't expect players taken at that point to succeed at the level Chris Wallace has.

Last season, his first in the minor leagues, he hit .293 with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Wallace began the 2011 season by tearing up the Sally League with the Lexington Legends. He was hitting .285 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI before being called up to Corpus Christi.

All he has done at Corpus is hit .313 with a .405 on base percentage. It would certainly be a surprise if the Astros chose to bring Wallace up with how little experience he has, but the fact of the matter is that the Astros need a lot of help at the catcher position.

Top prospect Jason Castro is out for the season with an injury. Incumbent starter Humberto Quintero has been injured most of the season as well. The healthy catchers, Carlos Corporan and J.R. Towles, are hitting .155 and .184, respectively. Chris Wallace simply couldn't do any worse. Why not call him up?