The Houston Astros have been one of the big surprises in the Major Leagues this year, currently holding a slight lead over the much more experienced (and well compensated) Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers in the American League West. Since a complete overhaul of the roster since 2010, the young Astros were expected to contend for the playoffs eventually, but not necessarily this soon. It appears that the Astros will be competitive for several years to come, as not only are the Astros competing for a playoff berth, but an affiliate at every minor league level made the playoffs in their respective leagues.
Baseball America notes that their 431-332 overall record tops the next closest team (Arizona Diamondbacks) by 12 games in the standings.
Breaking down each of their six playoff teams and prospects likely to shoot up to the major league team sooner than later (rankings by MLBPipeline.com)
AAA - Fresno Grizzlies (Pacific Coast League) 84-59
Top 20 Astros prospects: Mark Appel RHP (#2), Tony Kemp 2B (#12)
AA - Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas League) 89-51
Top 20 Astros prospects: A.J. Reed 1B (#5), Francis Martes RHP (#8), Joe Musgrove RHP (#10), Colin Moran 3B (#11), Reymin Guduan LHP (#17), Teoscar Hernandez CF (#18), Chris Devenski RHP (#19)
Advanced A - Lancaster JetHawks (California League) 75-65
Top 20 Astros prospects: Alex Bregman SS (#1), Derek Fisher LF (#9), J.D. Davis 3B (#13), David Paulino RHP (#20)
A - Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest League) 88-50
Top 20 Astros prospects: None
Short Season A - Tri-City ValleyCats (New York-Penn League) 42-33
Top 20 Astros prospects: None
Rookie - Greeneville Astros (Appalachian League) 34-33 (League Champions)
Top 20 Astros prospects: Daz Cameron OF (#3), Kyle Tucker OF (#4)
From a national perspective, below are the same Astros prospects ranked across all of baseball (via MLB.com)
#23 - Alex Bregman, SS
#46 - Mark Appel, RHP
#57 - Daz Cameron, OF
#60 - Kyle Tucker, OF
#96 - A.J. Reed, 1B
With 5 of the Top 100, the Houston Astros organization have more than their share of prospects overall. With this a crop, the major league team is positioned to make trades or let higher priced talent go as they move through the next several years. The farm is rich.