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  The Good: Offensively, Towles has the potential to be well above-average for a catcher. He has good plate discipline, an excellent feel for contact, and should hit .280-.300 annually with 10-15 home runs. He's a plus defender as well,in that he calls a good game, blocks pitches very well, and has an arm that's a tick above average. He has a calm demeanor on the field, and earns praise for the manner in which he deals with a staff.
  The Bad: Towles doesn't offer a ton of projection, and will never have more than gap power. He changes his approach against left-handers, which allows him to hit for average, but with very little pop. His strong arm is stymied somewhat by a slow release.
  Timetable: For the first time in recent memory, Brad Ausmus' contract and role make sense in Houston, as he'll back up Towles and guide him through his first year as an everyday big leaguer.
  The Good: Paulino easily has the most electric arm in the system. His fastball is generally parked in the 93-97 mph range, but he he's gotten into triple digits on several occasions. His curveball flashes as a plus pitch at times, and he's made great strides with his command and control, which are now both average after being a liability in the past.
  The Bad: Paulino's numbers have rarely matched his stuff. He often loses confidence in his off-speed stuff, becoming a one-pitch pitcher, and while his heater has outstanding velocity, it's more than a bit straight. Scouts are in two camps on Paulino, with many believing he'd be far more effective working out of the bullpen.
  Fun Fact: In Paulino's only day start in the minors last year, he threw six no-hit innings. In his only day start in the majors, he spun six shutout innings against the Braves.
  Perfect World Projection: There is no question that Paulino has big-league stuff, but he's yet to harness it completely, and at 24 it's hard to imagine he'll suddenly blossom into any more that a solid contributor.
  Timetable: Paulino will compete in spring training for a big-league job, first in the rotation and then in the bullpen. He'll need a strong showing after his bouts with wildness returned in the Venezuelan Winter League.
  Year In Review: Initially a fairly nondescript right-hander, Norris turned into the Astros' best arm in the lower minors with a strong full-season debut.
  The Good: Norris has two plus pitches. His low-90s fastball can get up to 94 at times and features plenty of sink and run, while his curveball features outstanding spiraling break and generates as many strikeouts as the fastball. He's a very good athlete with smooth, repeatable mechanics.
  The Bad: Norris' changeup needs plenty of work, and he telegraphs it with poor arm speed. His control is below average, and he's prone to making in-game adjustments that only worsen the issue. He turns 23 in spring training, yet he's only proven himself at Low-A. He's a bit smallish, and there are still questions about his stamina after a light workload in 2007.
  Fun Fact: Norris' 4.75 ERA at Low-A with very good peripheral numbers is better explained by the fact that Sally League batters facing Norris with the bases empty hit .183/.270/.317, but .306/.389/.442 with runners on.
  Perfect World Projection: A fourth starter, or a quality set-up man if the changeup doesn't come around.
  Year In Review: This organizational soldier seemingly came out of nowhere to be one of the Carolina League's top pitchers, but James struggled after a promotion to Double-A.
  The Good: James is a ground-ball machine, with a plus-plus low-90s sinker that consistently gets pounded into the ground, and he also throws a tight slider that is a solid pitch when it's on. He has a good pitching frame, clean mechanics, and controls the pitch well. He understands his limitations and is comfortable pitching to contact.
  The Bad: James doesn't have much of a changeup, which makes him highly susceptible to left-handed hitters, who torched him at Double-A. Because he doesn't have a dependable out pitch, he has little margin for error, and needs good defensive play behind him.
  The Bad: Flores has no plus tool other than the wheels. He'll likely never hit for enough average or draw enough walks to profile as a pure lead-off hitter. An infielder in college, he's still a bit rough in center, using his speed to make up for poor jumps and routes.
  The Bad: Reineke's changeup is no more than a show-me offering that he's uncomfortable using in pressure situations. His command and control is below average due to a herky-jerky delivery that is difficult to repeat. He turns 25 at the beginning of the 2008 season, so there's not much projection left in him.
  Timetable: Reineke will compete for a big-league job in spring training, but he's more likely heading back to Triple-A for more seasoning.
  Year In Review: After two years marred by poor productivity and personal issues, Einertson came back in 2007 to win Carolina League's MVP honors.
  The Good: Einertson shortened his swing in 2007 and got away from his previous pull-happy ways. He thus became a much better all-around hitter who uses all fields and has gap power, while projecting to hit somewhere in the area of 20 home runs annually. He's an average runner with a solid arm in the outfield.
  The Bad: Einertson isn't especially big or athletic, limiting his ceiling. He needs to develop a more patient approach, and often makes weak contact on pitches that he should instead let go by. He doesn't profile as a center fielder in the long term, and some question if he has enough bat for a corner.
  The Good: Iorg's raw tools rate as average or above across the board. He's an adept hitter with average power, and possesses good outfield instincts, a plus arm, and above-average speed. Like many who come out of baseball families, Iorg has an outstanding feel for the game and earns raves for his makeup.
  The Bad: Like his brother, Iorg went on a two-year mission for the Mormon church before signing, and missing most of the year put him even more behind the standard curve. He'll go into 2008 as a 25-year-old player who has yet to make it up to the upper levels, and he could stand to develop a more patient approach at the plate.
  Fun Fact: Three of Iorg's five home runs last year came in the seventh inning.
  Timetable: Because he's a hitter, Iorg won't need as much time to come back from Tommy John surgery, and is expected to be ready for a Double-A assignment to being 2008.
  The Good: No other player in the system can match Parraz's size and athleticism. He's an impressive physical specimen with speed and plus power potential, as well as surprisingly good barrel control. He's a good right fielder with a plus arm, and he plays with a lot of intensity.
  The Bad: Like many Astros prospects, Parraz's age and level don't sync up, as he's 23 years old while coming off of his first full season. He needs to tighten his approach, especially against left-handers, and is still prone to chasing balls off the plate. Scouts cite few examples of players his size maintaining their speed into their late twenties.
  Fun Fact: Jordan's older brother Zeke was drafted out of high school, junior college, and college, but played one year in the Athletics system, batting .262/.361/.361 in 2005.
  Timetable: Parraz will begin the year at High-A Salem, but the Astros hope he'll be ready for Double-A by mid-season.
  The Bad: Perez didn't show the same velocity that he did in college, when he often sat in the 92-94 range while touching 97. He ran out of gas at the end of the year, and needs to improve his conditioning, as his big body bordered on soft by August. His changeup lags behind, and his command is spotty.
  Fun Fact: While the University of Tampa has produced a number of draft picks, with Tino Martinez being the most famous baseball alumni by a wide margin, only two pitchers drafted out of the school have reached the big leagues. Tampa's all-time leader in major league wins is Sam Militello, with four.
  Perfect World Projection: A decent starter, although some scouts already wonder if he'd be more effective in a bullpen role.
  Perfect World Projection: DeLome's ceiling is similar to the other outfielders on this list, as the tools are there, but significant issues remain in his development.
  Timetable: DeLome is already 22, so like most Houston prospects, he's behind the standard development curve. A strong showing in spring training could earn him a jump to High-A.
  The Sleeper: Picked up by the Astros when the Padres tried to push him through waivers, outfielder Yordany Ramirez has always been a toolsy stud with limited production, but he put up a surprising .315/.353/.433 line in 30 games for Triple-A Portland that had some believing he's turned a corner.
  The fact that Pence is the only other player to qualify for this list, and that he does so by a mere few days, speaks volumes about just how sad the state of affairs is in Houston. The team's recent drafts have been downright laughable, and its once-fruitful Venezuelan pipeline has dried up, as other organizations had passed the Astros in Latin America in terms of committing resources. This is the worst organization in baseball, made even more dreadful by some early moves in the Ed Wade administration that merely upgrade the big-league squad from dreadful to bad. The future is very grim in Space City.
  Related Content: Bud Norris, Felipe Paulino, J.r. Towles, A's, Review, The Who, Triple-A, Stats, Good Plays, Big League Debut, Bad Start, Rookies Of The Year, Pitch Height, Bad Season