Jason Schiavone started the season at High-A Asheville. Thirty-one home runs later, he is one step away from the major leagues.
The Astros promoted Schiavone from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, giving one of the organization’s breakout prospects a final challenge after a season in which he has climbed rapidly through Houston’s system.
And Schiavone arrives at Triple-A with some unfinished business: the catcher/first baseman has 31 home runs and 29 stolen bases, leaving him one steal away from a 30/30 season.
A Breakout Season
Schiavone’s 2026 numbers bear little resemblance to those from his first full professional season.
The Astros selected him in the 11th round of the 2024 draft out of James Madison. In 2025, he hit just .180 with six home runs across Single-A Fayetteville and High-A Asheville, although a .390 on-base percentage hinted at his unusual patience at the plate.
This year, the power arrived in a hurry.
Schiavone earned Astros Minor League Player of the Month honors in both April and May. His May was particularly impressive: a .297 average, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 25 walks, and a 1.165 OPS. Houston promoted him to Corpus Christi on May 19.
He kept hitting.
Through his first two stops this season, Schiavone produced a .251/.389/.533 slash line with 31 home runs, 86 RBI, 88 walks, and a .922 OPS. His 31 homers, 86 RBI, .533 slugging percentage, and 219 total bases all led the Astros organization at the time of his promotion.
One Stolen Base Away
Power has become Schiavone’s calling card this season. The stolen bases are another matter.
Schiavone has swiped 29 this season, more than double the 11 he stole in 2025. MLB’s scouting report notes that he moves well for a catcher and has shown a particular knack for stealing bases.
One more would give him a 30/30 season.
No minor-league player has reached 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases this season. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs is the only player in professional baseball to have done it in 2026, with 41 homers and 35 steals at the time of Schiavone’s promotion.
A Prospect With Some Extremes
Schiavone’s rise hasn’t erased the question that has followed him through the minors: how much contact will he make against increasingly advanced pitching?
He drew 88 walks but also struck out 164 times in 507 plate appearances across Asheville and Corpus Christi. MLB’s scouting report describes a hitter who rarely chases and produces impressive exit velocities and launch angles, but whose swing-and-miss remains a concern.
Defensively, Schiavone remains a work in progress behind the plate. His arm is considered a strength, and he can also play first base.
For now, the Astros don’t have to decide what Schiavone eventually becomes in the majors. Triple-A pitching gets the next opportunity to answer that question.
And Schiavone needs only one stolen base to put an exclamation point on a season that began in Asheville and has already carried him all the way to Sugar Land.
Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check our complete Astros promotions schedule before your next game.
