The Astros’ system remains strong even after several trades for big league help and a much lower draft position in 2016, thanks to a big investment in the international market and some steals in lower rounds of previous drafts such as Ramon Laureano and Garrett Stubbs.
Their No. 1 prospect, however, came out of a trade that seemed minor at the time, sending Jarred Cosart and Jake Marisnick to Miami for Colin Moran, and speaks to the strength of Houston’s baseball operations across the board.