A look at each Astros affiliate and prospects to keep an eye on:
Sugar Land Skeeters
League: Triple-A West.
Division: Eastern, with Albuquerque (Rockies), El Paso (Padres), Oklahoma City (Dodgers) and Round Rock (Rangers).
Ballpark: Constellation Field in Sugar Land.
Opener: Thursday at Albuquerque.
Home opener: May 20 vs. El Paso.
Designated off day: Wednesday.
Prospects to watch: Righthander Tyler Ivey, a 24-year-old drafted in the third round in 2017, drew some notice during spring training and is on the Astros’ 40man roster. He has a big leg kick that aids his deception against hitters but needs to hone it to keep baserunners in check. Bryan De La Cruz, signed at age 16 by the Astros in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, will get his first taste of Class AAA for an organization lacking outfield depth. He split the 2019 campaign between High A and AA, slashing an aggregate .280/.340/ .428 with eight home runs and 12 steals.
Corpus Christi Hooks
League: Double-A Central.
Division: Southern, with Amarillo (Diamondbacks), Frisco (Rangers), Midland (Athletics) and San Antonio (Padres).
Ballpark: Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi.
Opener: Tuesday at home vs. San Antonio.
Designated off day: Wednesday.
Prospects to watch: Pedro Leon, a 23year-old signed in January out of the international pool, has five-tool skills and is perhaps the Astros’ top position-player prospect. An outfielder in Cuba, he is also getting an extensive look at shortstop, where Carlos Correa is in the last year of his Astros contract.
Righthander Hunter Brown, the Astros’ fifth-round pick in 2019, improved his velocity annually at Division II Wayne State, where as a junior he struck out 114 in 85 1⁄3 innings. His fastball now reaches 96-98 mph.
Asheville Tourists
League: High-A East.
Division: Southern, with Bowling Green (Rays), Greensboro (Pirates), Greenville (Red Sox), Hickory (Rangers), Rome (Braves) and Winston-Salem (White Sox).
Ballpark: McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.
Opener: Tuesday at home vs. Brooklyn.
Designated off day: Monday.
Prospects to watch: Outfielder Colin Barber, selected out of Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif., in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, has 20-homer/20-steal potential. In 99 Rookie League at-bats in 2019, he slashed .263/.387/.394. Catcher Korey Lee was the Astros’ firstround draftee in 2019 out of Cal, where he slashed .337/.416/.619 as a junior.
Fayetteville Woodpeckers
League: Low-A East.
Division: Central, with Carolina (Brewers), Down East (Rangers) and Kannapolis (White Sox).
Ballpark: Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C.
Opener: Tuesday at Carolina.
Home opener: May 11 vs. Kannapolis.
Designated off day: Monday.
Prospects to watch: Speedy outfielder Zach Daniels, who struggled to find himself at the plate during his first two years at Tennessee, slashed .357/.478/.750 with 13 extra-base hits in 17 games as a junior before the Vols’ 2020 season was ended by the pandemic. The Astros took him in the fourth round of last year’s five-round draft. Outfielder Kenedy Corona is a 21-year-old who stole 19 bases in 63 minor league games in 2019 while hitting .301 with a .398 on-base percentage. He was acquired that December in the trade that sent Jake Marisnick to the Mets.