With the 2021 season getting started, here's a look at where the Astros' Top 30 prospects are projected to start the season:

1. Forrest Whitley (MLB No. 72), RHP -- Injured (Tommy John surgery)
2. Pedro Leon, OF/SS -- Corpus Christi (Double-A)
3. Hunter Brown, RHP -- Corpus Christi (Double-A)
4. Jeremy Pena, SS/2B -- Injured (left wrist)
5. Korey Lee, C -- Asheville (High-A)
6. Freudis Nova, INF -- Asheville (High-A)
7. Colin Barber, OF -- Asheville (High-A)
8. Jairo Solis, RHP -- Injured (elbow surgery)
9. Tyler Ivey, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
10. Alex Santos, RHP -- Extended Spring Training
11. Shawn Dubin, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
12. Zach Daniels, OF -- Fayetteville (Low-A)
13. Peter Solomon, RHP -- Houston (MLB)
14. Grae Kessinger, SS/3B -- Corpus Christi (Double-A)
15. Jordan Brewer, OF -- Extended Spring Training
16. Jose Alberto Rivera, RHP -- Asheville (High-A)
17. Chas McCormick, OF -- Houston (MLB)
18. Tyler Brown, RHP -- Asheville (High-A)
19. Jojanse Torres, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
20. Taylor Jones, 1B/OF/3B -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
21. Dauri Lorenzo, SS -- Extended Spring Training
22. Brett Conine, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
23. Austin Hansen, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
24. Jairo Lopez, RHP -- Dominican complex
25. Nivaldo Rodriguez, RHP -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
26. Blair Henley, RHP -- Asheville (High-A)
27. Nathan Perry, C/1B -- Extended Spring Training
28. Ronnie Dawson, OF -- Sugar Land (Triple-A)
29. Joe Perez, 3B -- Fayetteville (Low-A)
30. C.J. Stubbs, C -- Corpus Christi (Double-A)

Team to watch

The Astros' two best healthy prospects, outfielder/shortstop Pedro Leon and right-hander Hunter Brown, will open the season at Double-A Corpus Christi. So will middle infielder Grae Kessinger, arguably the system's best pure hitter, and sleeper catcher C.J. Stubbs.

Teams on MiLB.TV

Triple-A Sugar Land
Double-A Corpus Christi
Low-A Fayetteville

New faces

Leon signed in January for $4 million, the largest bonus any player received in the 2020-21 international class. The Cuban defector has well above-average raw power and the best speed and arm strength in the organization.

On the shelf

Right-hander Forrest Whitley, Houston's lone Top 100 Prospect, had Tommy John surgery in March and will return in mid-2022. The Astros thought middle infielder Jeremy Pena was on the verge of a breakout, but he injured his left wrist diving for a ground ball during Spring Training and required surgery that will sideline him for much of the year. Righty Jairo Solis, who had Tommy John surgery in August 2018, will miss the first half of the season following an operation to remove some loose bodies from his elbow.