Houston Astros Release 2018 Second-Round Pick, Four Other Prospects

The Houston Astros cut ties with their second-highest pick from the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Saturday. After four seasons in Minor League Baseball, Jayson Schroeder was released.

Drafted out of high school, Schroeder was seen a top talent in Houston's system the following season in 2019 while rated the 18th-best Astros prospect. He soon lost that status.

In his first full minor league season, Schroeder posted a 7.20 ERA in 25 innings across three different leagues. The righty missed out on an opportunity to redeem himself the following season due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020 campaign.

Ripe to improve in 2021, Schroeder didn't find his footing. He 9.06 ERA across 17 outings with Single-A Fayetteville, pitching himself into a demotion to the Florida Complex League to find any hope of a stride to success in 2022.

Schroeder pitched all of this past year with the Woodpeckers. His ERA slightly dropped to 8.23, but the righty lost all faith in the organization as a starting pitcher, being relegated to the bullpen. In 27.1 innings, Schroeder walked 61 batters; he struck out 23.

Through four minor league seasons with Houston, Schroeder's control didn't improve. The Kirkland, Washington, product hurled a 6.95 ERA in 134.2 innings pitched, surrendering 189 walks to 133 strikeouts. The leash was long for Schroeder.

The Astros also released four prospects — outfielder Omar Diaz, outfielder Adonis Giron, second baseman Dexter Jordan and right-handed pitcher Daniel Pacheco — from their FCL squads Saturday.

Diaz was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. The 21-year-old outfielder slashed .243/.361/.327 through three minor league seasons, making it stateside in 2021.

Giron was signed by the Miami Marlins in 2017 as an international free agent. The infielder was traded to Houston in 2018 with left-handed pitching prospect Bryan De Paula — who was injured this season — for future considerations. Reaching Single-A in 2021, Giron posted a similar output to Diaz in four minor league seasons.

Jordan, the Astros' 16th-round selection in 2019, retired in 2021 but returned this past season for a second go. In another 22-game sample, the infielder showed improvements at the plate with a .717 OPS compared to a .472 OPS in 2019.

Lastly, Pacheco suffered from a bite by the injury bug. After signing in 2018, the righty didn't pitch in 2020 and 2021 due to a canceled season and an injury that placed him on the minor league 60-day injured list. Pitching stateside for the first time in 2022, Pacheco made only four appearances for three innings of 10-run baseball.

Around the Farm

FCL Astros coach Dai Dai Otaka signed with the Chicago Cubs to be the club's infield coordinator. Otaka filled in at first base coach for Wladimir Sutil with Triple-A Sugar Land, in Fayetteville and at the Major League level with the Astros this season.

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