Baseball is back with pitchers and catchers reporting yesterday. With that, the Astros extended invites to some prospects that weren’t on the 40 man roster. Here are a few prospects to look out for during
Spring Training.
Joseph Sullivan
Sullivan was the Astros 7th round pick in 2024 after a solid college career at South Alabama. The outfielder was a mid round selection but came with a ton of upside. He is a great athlete with plus speed and the chance to stick in center field. Sullivan grades well on swing decisions and has good raw power that he has been able to prove in games this season. He has a great makeup and has an edge to him in the weight room and on the field. He started the year in High-A and had a .872 OPS with 15 HR, 34 SB earning him a promotion to Double-A. The promotion to Double-A was a little tougher for him, but he still finished with 17 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a .798 OPS over 106 games in his first full season. After some time in the AFL, he will now get some run in big league camp.
Walker Janek
Janek was seen as the best defensive catcher in the 2024 draft, showing up a plus arm and a quick release. The 23-year-old has above average bat speed and the ability to produce 20+ homers at the major league level. He hit .364 with 17 homers, 58 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases in 58 games in 2024 for the Bearkats. His raw power has improved and he has chance to be a gold glove type at catcher while hitting for average and power. In 2025 he hit .263 with 21 doubles, 2 triples and 12 home runs over 92 games for High-A Asheville. He also added a surprising 30 stolen bases. Even more important though, he threw out 31% of base stealers, a really strong number for a catcher. He’s the top catching prospect in the system.
Michael Knorr
The Astros drafted Knorr in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft. Knorr spent his first three seasons at Cal State Fullerton before moving to Coastal Carolina for his senior year where he struck out 86 in 69 innings. Knorr has a fastball that reaches 98 MPH and a good changeup. In 2023 he struck out 78 on 58.1 innings between Single-A and High-A, though he missed some time with an injury and those injuries continued in 2024. He pitched strictly in relief in 2025 posting a 5.03 ERA over 53.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He has some good stuff but just hasn’t translated to success but will now get some run with Houston in Spring Training.
