Alex Bregman Had A Meteoric Rise

Best Player: Acknowledging shortstop Alex Bregman as the best player in the Astros’ farm system might not do justice to his meteoric rise in his first full season. A season that began with Bregman’s first exposure to Double-A ended with last year’s No. 2 overall draft pick batting second and playing third base for a playoff contender in the majors. The former Louisiana State star reached Houston after just 146 minor league games and posted a .306/.406/.580 line in 314 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

“Typically, there’s a certain number of at-bats you need in the minor leagues to be ready for this level,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said the day Bregman made his Astros debut. “Maybe he’s the exception.”

Best Pitcher: After rising two minor league levels in a breakout 2015, righthander Joe Musgrove pitched himself up two more levels in a season that culminated with him in the Astros’ rotation.

Musgrove used his pinpoint command to dominate Double-A and debut in Triple-A in mid-May. He overcame a struggle-filled three start stretch in the Pacific Coast League before starting in the Futures Game and joining the Astros a few weeks later.

After going a combined 7-4, 2.74 in the minors, Musgrove had his ups and downs in his first few weeks in the majors, throwing seven innings of one-run ball against the Rangers in one start but later struggling in consecutive starts against the Orioles and Pirates. If he makes the necessary adjustments, Musgrove should still finish the season in the Astros’ rotation and enter spring training as a favorite for a rotation spot in 2017.

Keep An Eye On: In the span of five days in August, the Astros promoted two outfielders to high Class A Lancaster from low Class A Quad Cities. One was Kyle Tucker, the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft and their top outfield prospect. The other was a much lesser known 2015 pick.

Myles Straw, a 12th-round pick out of St. John’s River (Fla.) JC, broke out this season behind a simple swing and speed. A .374/.432/.470 line in the Midwest League earned the 21-year-old a late-season ticket to Lancaster, where he hit .303/.393/.395. Straw, who projects as an average defensive center fielder and better in either corner, should start next season back in Lancaster but could reach Double-A by the end.