The New Houston Astros: 10 Young Faces You Need to Know

Since the Houston Astros' World Series appearance in 2005, there has not been much for the fans in Houston to be excited about.

For the last few years, Astros management has made desperate attempts to keep fans happy by throwing large amounts of money at free agents in order to “win now,” but it has been a wasted effort.

While the Carlos Lee signing was a thing of excitement for Astros fans when it happened, it has proven to be a hindrance to the team as he now takes up roughly one-third of the entire team’s payroll, and that would not be so bad if he were hitting better than .256 for the past two seasons.

But it’s not Carlos’s fault that he was given a six-year, $100-million contract at the age of 31. It’s something Drayton McLane has done the last few seasons: three-years, $15 million for Brandon Lyon; two-years, $21-million for Brett Meyers, and several others, all because McLane could not admit that the Astros were bad and needed to start rebuilding.  

But mercifully, after agreeing to sell the team to Jim Crane, the Astros finally did what they should have years ago: They began building up a farm system that had been depleted by failed draft signings and the team's having to give up picks for bad free-agents signings.

In doing so, the Astros have made plenty of fans mad, trading team-favorite Hunter Pence and hometown boy Michael Bourn for a slew of unproven, high-risk, high-reward youngsters.

Some will get their big-league experience this season, and others may still be a couple years away.

Here is a rundown of the top 10 players in the Astros organization. Some are already getting their feet wet at the major league level, and some will be there very soon.

Don’t worry, Astros fans: The team is moving in the right direction.

10. Jonathan Villar

Obtained by the Astros along with JA Happ in the Roy Oswalt trade to the Philadelphia Phillies, Villar is a slick-fielding, speedy shortstop from the Dominican Republic.

While his bat is just starting to come around, he is already in his fourth year in the minors and is only 20 years old.

Through this season he has 118 stolen bases in his young career, and while he does strike out quite a bit—125 times in 407 at-bats—he has also drawn 43 walks for the Corpus Christi Hooks.

9. Paul Clemens

Part of the deal along with Jordan Shafer and Brett Oberholtzer that sent Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves, Clemens is a 6'4" right-handed pitcher, selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 2008 amateur draft.

While he projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter down the road, he has shown the ability to get hitters out at every level he’s played so far in his young career.

With a career 3.95 ERA in the minors, his major downfall is command, shown by his career 3.9 walks per nine innings.

The trade has been good to him so far as he has yet to allow an earned run in his two starts with the Corpus Christi Hooks.

8. Jimmy Paredes

Jimmy Paredes is already up with the Houston Astros, and while he has been good so far, hitting .306 through his first 40 plate appearances, he may have been best suited staying in the minors for another season.

Acquired along with closer Mark Melancon in the trade last season that sent Lance Berkman to the New York Yankees, Paredes has a career .279 batting average to go along with 113 stolen bases.

He also added some power to his game this season, having clubbed 10 homers for the first time in a season for Corpus Christi before he was called up to the Astros.

Along with many of the young Astros, he needs to be more patient at the plate as he has only 64 walks in 1673 career plate appearances.

7. Delino Deshields Jr.

The Astros selected Delino DeShields Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft.

While he is hitting only .220 in his first full professional season, his outlook in great.

The son of former major leaguer Delino Deshields, he is expected not to only be a threat on the bases like his father, but he also has shown plenty of pop in his bat. Through 100 games this season, he has 13 doubles, six homers, 26 stolen bases, and 41 walks.

With his being only 18 years of age, it's still too early to worry about DeShields's high strikeout numbers (already 123 this season); he still has plenty of time to grow and should be a very bright star for the Astros in the years to come.

6. Dallas Keuchel

Dallas Keuchel is a 6’3” LHP drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of Arkansas. He has progressed very well through the minors, having only one stint at any level with an ERA over 3.70.

Dallas is an extremely underrated starter, showing great command with a career 3.34 K/BB ratio.

Just recently promoted to Triple-A, Keuchel could be in line for a spot in the starting rotation next spring, especially if the Astros renew trade talks concerning Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers.

5. Jose Altuve

What more is there to say about Jose Altuve other than that he is an on-base machine?

Signed at the age of 16 as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2007, all he has done at every level in the minors is hit, evidenced by his .327 career average.

At just 5'7" he’s not an intimidating force at the plate, but still, pitchers cannot get him out.

He is a very free swinger, with only 138 walks over five seasons, but on the flip side, he also has only 173 strikeouts in his 1642 plate appearances. So, if you want someone to put the ball in play, he is your guy.

Things have not changed since he made his major league debut on July 20th, less than two weeks after playing in the All-Star Futures Game in Arizona, as he is hitting .346 against big-league pitching. At only 21, he has a bright future ahead of him.

4. Jonathan Singleton

Singleton was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round of the 2009 amateur draft and then was acquired by the Astros as one of the key pieces that sent Hunter Pence to the Phillies.

In his first full professional season, Singleton hit .290 with 14 HR, 77 RBI, and 62 walks, all at the age of 18, earning him the title of one of the best power prospects in all of baseball, power being something the Astros desperately need.

As with most power-hitting prospects, he does need to cut down on the strikeouts, but that should come with experience.

3. J.D. Martinez

While the Astros brass thought Martinez could play, no one expected him to hit as well as he has without any struggles. He has an awkward batting style that scouts said would not work, but then again, they said the same about Hunter Pence.

Selected in the 20th round in 2009, all he has done is destroy minor league pitching. He holds a career minor league average of .342, having hit below .326 only once.

Not only does he hit, but he hits for power as well and has a .958 career OPS.

Since being called up to replace Pence, he has hit .271 with nine extra base hits in his 59 at-bats. 

The future is bright for this young Astro, because as he gets more comfortable with competition at the big-league level, he will only continue to improve.

2. George Springer

George Springer was drafted with the 11th-overall pick out of UConn in the 2011 amateur draft, in which he was considered the best overall college hitter.

Springer is your classic five-tool guy: He has great speed and a great arm in the outfield to go along with his other attributes, shown by his senior season line of .337 BA, .491 OBP, 18 homers and 33 steals.

Since he was drafted out of college, he will not need as much seasoning in the minor leagues, so he should be ready to help the Astros in a couple years.

1. Jarred Cosart

Cosart was the other big piece along with Jonathan Singleton that sent Hunter Pence to the Phillies. He was selected by the Phillies in the 38th round of the 2008 draft out of League City, Texas, so there should be an added incentive for Cosart to pitch for his hometown team.

Cosart is one of the highest-rated pitching prospects in all of baseball, and rightfully so.

Considered to have one of the best fastballs, and great command, he is projected to be a No. 1 starter and should see big-league action either by the end of next season or the start of 2013.