HOUSTON ASTROS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. KOREY LEE, C
AGE: 23. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 210. DRAFTED: California, 2019 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Tom Costic.
TRACK RECORD: Fourteen years after the Astros drafted and developed Stanford product Jason Castro, another California-based backstop is following a similar path. The Astros surprised the industry by selecting Lee in the first round of the 2019 draft at No. 32 overall. Many teams thought Lee would be available in later rounds, but the Astros pounced due to their confidence in a bat that showed promise. The team hoped Lee’s athleticism would pay dividends behind the plate. The upside and potential Houston saw finally manifested in Lee’s first full minor league season in 2021. Lee hit .277/.340/.438 with 11 home runs in 88 games in a season spent primarily at Double-A Corpus Christi during a revealing campaign that included noticeable adjustments to both his batting and catching stances. He continued to make contact and control the strike zone across three minor league levels while distinguishing himself as a defensive standout. The Astros exposed Lee to both first base and third base in 2021, but his short-term future is behind the plate, where his athleticism is obvious and an opportunity for big league playing time looms.
Making so many adjustments left Lee somewhat inconsistent throughout the 2021 season, but his upside is apparent. He now catches in a one-knee stance to generate quicker releases with a plus-plus throwing arm. He produces pop times as low as 1.8 seconds in the one-knee stance. He shortened
