Houston Astros 1. Chris Burke - 2B - Age 25 - ETA: Now .315/.396/.507, 16 HR, 52 RBI, 76/55 K/BB, 37 SB in 483 AB for AAA New Orleans .059/.200/.059, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3/3 K/BB, 0 SB in 17 AB for Houston The Astros are still debating about whether to insert him into the starting lineup at the start of this year, but Burke should be the team’s long-term second baseman and No. 2 hitter. The 2001 first-round pick is probably more Mark Loretta than Craig Biggio, but there’s not anything wrong with that. A former shortstop, he shows plenty of range at second base, though he lacks consistency at times. His basestealing ability could make him a $20 fantasy second baseman once he gets the at-bats. The Astros are expected to let him compete for a starting job this spring, with Biggio moving back to second base if things don’t work out. He’ll bat at the bottom of the lineup initially, but he should eventually switch spots with Adam Everett. 2. Fernando Nieve - RHP - Age 23 - ETA: July 2006 10-6, 2.96 ERA, 136 H, 117/40 K/BB in 149 IP for Single-A Salem 2-0, 1.56 ERA, 12 H, 17/8 K/BB in 17 1/3 IP for Double-A Round Rock Despite a great ERA for Single-A Salem, Nieve didn’t make as much progress as the Astros would have liked last season. That mostly had to do with his curve and especially his changeup. Nieve relies on a low-90s sinking fastball to generate grounders and strikeouts. His curve is a plus pitch at times. His change isn’t, but he is working on it. Nieve has the potential to be a No. 2 starter if the changeup comes. He shouldn’t see the majors this year. 3. Ezequiel Astacio - RHP - Age 25 - ETA:July 2005 13-10, 3.89 ERA, 155 H, 185/56 K/BB in 176 IP for Double-A Round Rock The third pitcher acquired from the Phillies in the Billy Wagner deal may now be the most valuable property. Astacio put up fine ERAs while in the Philadelphia farm system, but weak strikeout numbers made him look like little more than a middle reliever. Incredibly, he fanned more batters last year than he did the previous two years combined. He’s added velocity yet still has plenty of movement on his fastball, giving him No. 3-starter potential. He’ll probably be the first starter called up by the Astros this season. 4. Taylor Buchholz - RHP - Age 23 - ETA: May 2006 6-7, 5.23 ERA, 107 H, 74/29 K/BB in 98 IP for Triple-A New Orleans Buchholz immediately became the Astros’ top prospect after being picked up in the Wagner trade, but he had a disappointing first half for New Orleans and he hurt his shoulder not long after it looked like he had turned things around. He underwent offseason surgery, leaving his status unclear for the beginning of this season. With his 91-94 mph fastball and top-notch curve, Buchholz still has plenty of upside, and he is a full two years younger than Astacio. It appears less likely that he’ll contribute this year, but there’s no reason to give up on him yet. 5. Mitch Einertson - OF - Age 18 - ETA: 2009 .308/.413/.692, 24 HR, 67 RBI,70/32 K/BB, 4 SB in 227 AB for Rookie Greeneville .143/.143/.571, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 7 AB for SS Single-A Tri-City So how did he last until the fifth round? It probably had something to do with him being 5-foot-10. Einertson made a huge impression after being drafted last year, leading the Appalachian League in homers by eight and slugging percent age by more than 100 points. He did strike out a lot, but he also had a fine walk rate, giving him an 1105 OPS. It’s likely that he’ll continue to demonst rate 30-homer power. More questionable is whether he’ll keep his average up. The Astros also need to find a position for him. He played center last year, but he probably doesn’t have the range to man that position in the majors. Since there’s no reason to stick him in a corner just yet, a move to second base has been considered. He’s just turning 19 in April, so there’s no rush. 6. Josh Anderson - OF - Age 22 - ETA: 2007 .324/.402/.425, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 47/33 K/BB, 47 SB in 299 AB for low A Lexington .268/.315/.379, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 53/13 K/BB, 31 SB in 280 AB for high A Salem Anderson disappointed after his promotion to the Carolina League, but he showed enough at Lexington to earn a place in the top 10. The 2003 fourth-round pick did a great job of getting on base in the South Atlantic League and was successful on 78 of his 91 steal attempts over the course of the year. I give him the nod over Willy Taveras because he has the more power of the two. He’s not quite as good of a center fielder, which could lead to a difficult choice for Houston a couple of years from now. Anderson likely will return to Salem for the start of this year, but another midseason promotion should follow. 7. Matt Albers - RHP - Age 22 - ETA: 2007 8-3, 3.31 ERA, 95 H, 140/57 K/BB in 111 1/3 IP for Single-A Lexington A suspension by the organization cut into his season, but Albers’ stock is climbing. A draft-and-follow signed in 2002, Albers throws 92-94 mph and has a hard curveball. His changeup is an average third pitch. Better command will be required as he climbs the ladder.He also needs to keep an eye on his weight. 8. Chad Qualls - RHP - Age 26 - ETA: Now 3-6, 5.57 ERA, 134 H, 72/30 K/BB in 106 2/3 IP for Triple-A New Orleans 4-0, 3.55 ERA, 34 H, 24/8 K/BB in 33 IP for Houston Qualls was an effective reliever for the Astros over the final two months of last year despite struggling for Triple-A New Orleans. He actually never had an ERA better than 3.72 as a minor leaguer, but he was still regarded as a pretty good prospect because of his sinker-slider combination. It appears that the Astros see Qualls as a long-term setup man, which might be for the best. He was a starter until the middle of last season and he has four pitches, but a lack of concentration and poor stamina have been problems for him. He’ll keep his spot in the Houston pen this year. 9. Willy Taveras - OF - Age 23 - ETA: April 2006 .335/.402/.386, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 76/38 K/BB, 55 SB in 409 AB for AA Round Rock .000/.000/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1/0 K/BB, 1 SB in 1 AB for Houston .400/.421/.500, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 2 SB in 18 AB for Scottsdale (AFL) The Astros picked up Taveras in the Rule 5 draft from Cleveland last year and then retained his rights as part of the Jeriome Robertson deal. It turned out to be a great trade for Houston after Taveras had a breakthrough season in Double-A. The native of the Dominican Republic can fly in center field and on the basepaths. There are still questions about his bat, however. Since Taveras only occasionally gets the ball out of the infield and he doesn’t walk a lot, he’ll have to continue to hit over .300 to be a quality major league regular. I’m not convinced it will happen, but he will receive chances, with perhaps the first coming this year. 10. Ben Zobrist - SS - Age 23 - ETA: 2008 .339/.438/.463, 4 HR, 45 RBI, 31/43 K/BB, 15 SB in 257 AB for SS Tri-City Even though the Astros lacked a first-round pick, the early returns suggest they had a great 2005 draft, with Einertson and Zobrist making the top 10 and LHP Troy Patton and OF Hunter Pence just missing. Zobrist, a sixth-round pick, showed a nice bat and surprisingly strong skills at shortstop. He was, however, old for the New York-Penn League. Since he turns 24 in May, the Astros need to be aggressive with him. He can’t afford an off year. 2004 top 10: Taylor Buchholz, John Buck, Fernando Nieve, Jason Lane, Chris Burke, Mitch Talbot, Hector Gimenez, Tommy Whiteman, Chad Qualls, Jared Gothreaux 2003 top 10: John Buck, Jason Lane, Henri Stanley, Brad Lidge, Rodrigo Rosario Derick Grigsby, Tommy Whiteman, Chris Burke, Jimmy Barrett, Osvaldo Fernando --

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