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And that's thanks in no small part to a dynamite 2015 draft. On Wednesday, Turner Publishing released Baseball Prospectus' Top 101 prospects for the 2016 season, and three of the five Astros representatives were drafted less than 12 months ago.
39. Alex Bregman - SS
Bregman, of course, was one of the Big Three drafted just this past season. BP praises his high floor and excellent makeup, while noting that numerous other shortstop prospects have louder tool packages.
55. A.J. Reed - 1B
BP loves his power and patience, but question whether a long swing will ever let him cut down significantly on strike outs. They believe he'll be good enough with the bat to stick and be valuable, but he may not be elite.
63. Francis Martes - RHP
Stolen from Miami in the Jarred Cosart trade, Martes has risen up top prospect lists as quickly as he has the levels of the Astros' farm system. His fastball/curve combo looks like plus-plus stuff, and command, along with the development of his change-up, will determine whether he's a front-line starter or merely a relief ace. Sound familiar to anyone else?
85. Daz Cameron - OF
Another of the Big Three, Mike's kid doesn't have as loud a set of tools as his pop, but his set is varied and the makeup and bloodlines are there. He has a good chance to stick in center, which will allow his tools to play.
93. Kyle Tucker - OF
"Enigmatic" might be a word to describe BP's opinion on Tuck2. There are obvious tools, but how well he'll polish them and if it will end up with him having enough of a bat to justify a corner spot remains to be seen. The ceiling is high, but until he proves otherwise, the floor is low. Only time will tell.
Also of note are former Astros who have made the grade. Brett Phillips, shipped to Milwaukee as the main piece in the Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers trade, is ranked 61, just ahead of Martes. Immediately behind Martes is Mark Appel at 64, and Jacob Nottingham checks in at 66.