Former Muskie Lucas Spence (pictured left batting for the Muskies in 2023) who played at Crete Monee High School, Black Hawk College and Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville is currently rated the number 21 prospect in the Houston Astros farm system.  Spence, who was the Muskies' right fielder in 2023 and was named to the NABF All World Series Team that season, spent his second season in the Astros' system in 2025.   After leading the Ohio Valley Conference in hitting with SIUE in 2024 (.385 batting average), he signed with the Astros for $150,000 as a nondrafted free agent.

He progressed through three levels of the Astros' system last summer as he ended the year at AA Corpus Christi.  MLB pipeline says Spence, a left-handed hitter, "...makes some of the best swing decisions in the system, rarely straying from the strike zone while using the entire field. He does have high in-zone swing-and-miss rates against non-fastballs, so he'll have to learn to solve breaking balls and changeups as he rises through the Minors. He's more of an on-base guy than a slugger but has enough sneaky pop to produce 10-15 homers per season.  Spence uses his plus speed to get on base, steal bags once he gets there and cover ground in the outfield. He spent most of his pro debut on the outfield corners but has seen most of his action this year in center field. His fastball topped out in the low 90s in college, and that plus arm strength is an asset in the outfield."

For more information on Lucas and the Astros farm system, visit:  Astros Top Prospects.