Nehomar Ochoa Jr. arrived in the Arizona Fall League with a season worth remembering and a life-changing reminder already behind him. The Astros outfielder had broken out across two Class A stops, then lost the rest of his summer to a fractured right ring finger on a headfirst slide. Compared with what happened to him on a South Florida highway in March 2025, the baseball injury was easier to absorb.
Ochoa was driving on Interstate 95 during Spring Training when a seven-pound hook came loose from a truck ahead of him, smashed through his windshield and became lodged in his head. Doctors told him the impact would have cost him his right eye had it landed two inches lower, and that a strike two inches to the left would have been fatal.
The 20-year-old said the accident changed the way he handles setbacks. He called his survival a miracle and said it taught him to focus on his response rather than whatever comes next. When the finger injury ended his regular season, he said, it was painful timing but still “just a finger” after all he had experienced. He believes he has returned stronger.
Ochoa’s Class A breakthrough
Houston paid Ochoa $300,000 as an 11th-round selection from a Houston-area high school in 2023, a bonus worth twice the assigned slot value. His first three professional seasons did not deliver the production expected from that investment, but he found a different gear this year.
In 64 games between the two Class A levels, Ochoa hit .287/.349/.500 with 11 home runs and 29 stolen bases before the early-July hand injury shut him down. He has since joined the Scottsdale Scorpions and made an immediate nuisance of himself on the bases, drawing four walks and stealing two bags in his first two Fall League games.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder looks the part of a right-field regular, with above-average raw power and an arm suited for the position. The next step is tightening his contact quality, particularly when pitchers move away from fastballs.
Ochoa traced much of his offensive progress to a healthier right knee. Arthritis and a rapid growth spurt had troubled the knee since he was 13, leaving it without the support he needed. He spent the offseason building strength around it, then added more stretching and pregame work to make sure the knee was prepared each day.
His father has also been a constant voice through the climb. Nehomar Ochoa Sr. pitched three seasons in the Expos organization before a fall from a horse caused the shoulder injury that ended his own playing career. Ochoa Jr. was born in Venezuela shortly before that career closed, and the family moved to the United States when he was 10. The younger Ochoa said his father shares the lessons from his own journey, helping him avoid the same mistakes while serving as his guide and mentor.
Other Astros hitters in Scottsdale
Waner Luciano brings a balanced offensive profile to the Scorpions after finally turning his Single-A performance into production. Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $45,000 in 2022, the third baseman has posted strong all-around indicators, showing hard contact while maintaining reasonable strike-zone judgment and contact ability.
Luciano struggled through his first two Single-A seasons but hit .261/.384/.445 with 10 homers and 23 steals in 76 games this year.
Nick Monistere, a second baseman and shortstop, entered pro ball after being named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2025 and going to Houston in the fourth round. He produces notable exit velocity for a middle infielder, though his aggressiveness and contact issues have followed him into the system. Across 90 professional games, primarily in Single-A, Monistere owns a .178/.281/.272 line with 25 steals. An oblique injury cost him roughly half of this season.
Astros arms on the Fall League staff
Juan Bello is working back from Tommy John surgery after an elbow injury wiped out his entire season. Houston acquired the right-hander from the Cubs in the January 2025 trade that sent Ryan Pressly to Chicago. Before the injury, Bello worked with a low-90s fastball that reached 94 mph, plus a mid-70s curveball and an upper-70s slider that generated swings and misses.
Joey Dixon has had an even longer wait for a healthy run. The Astros selected the Stanford right-hander in the seventh round in 2023, but he made only one appearance before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the next two years. He returned for two Single-A outings this season before shoulder trouble shut him down again.
If Dixon stays on the mound, there is plenty to watch: advanced extension, a mid-90s fastball that has reached 98 mph, a fading changeup in the mid-80s and a low-80s curveball with downward action.
Francisco Frias brings power stuff and a need for better command. The Dominican right-hander, signed for $10,000 in 2023, struck out 58 hitters in 43 High-A innings but also issued 39 walks and recorded a 7.74 ERA. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and has touched 98 mph, but it can get hit hard when left in poor locations. His low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball have been more dependable pitches.
Railin Perez is a deceptive relief option acquired from Boston in the Minor League phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. He releases the ball from one of the lowest points in the Minors, pairing that look with a low-90s fastball that can reach 96 mph. His two low-80s breaking balls feature high spin and pronounced horizontal movement. Perez posted a 3.53 ERA and struck out 67 over 51 Double-A innings this year.
Jank Pichardo is another Houston arm coming off Tommy John surgery. Signed from the Dominican Republic for $10,000 in 2022, he has worked only 21 1/3 innings across the last two seasons. His fastball ranges from 92 to 97 mph and arrives on an unusually flat approach angle.
Yeriel Santos rounds out the group after another difficult High-A campaign. The $10,000 Dominican signee from 2022 finished with a 7.87 ERA, 69 walks and 78 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings this year. Santos leans on a running low-90s fastball that can reach 96 mph and a tight slider in the mid-80s.
