Astros Emerge as Favorite to Sign Top Cuban Prospect

Finding diamonds in the rough is one way for MLB teams to get ahead of one another and the Houston Astros have excelled in that department over the years. It should come as no surprise that they have already emerged as the favorite to sign top Cuban pitching prospect Ruben Menes.

Houston Astros News

Menes put on a showcase at Delray Beach in Florida on June 17 and more than 15 MLB teams were in attendance. It's clear that the 20-year-old has the raw talent to warrant a contract. His fastball can touch up to 95 mph and his pitching arsenal includes a nasty slider as well as a solid changeup.

The international signing period doesn't open until January 15 and Menes' bonus deal is expected to be around $700,000. It'll be interesting to see if the right-hander will be a fast rising prospect or take more time to adjust to playing in the U.S. No matter what, Menes is an exciting player to watch out for.

Keep in mind the Astros rank first in the majors with 21 Cuban-born players in their system. That group is highlighted by a trio of MLB starters in Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz and Yordan Alvarez. Of course, Alvarez currently leads the league with a .658 slugging percentage as a powerful hitter.

The Astros have the third-best odds to win the World Series at +600, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.