Monday, March 28, 2016

Astros Farm Report: 3/28

I opine on the Singleton/White and Heineman/Pena situations below. But first things first ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

3-28: IF Marcos Almonte (20)
3-30: SS Alex Bregman (22)
3-30: OF Jake Marisnick (25)
4-1: OF Cesar Cortez (17)

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Astros Farm Twitter is in good shape for the season!




TRANSACTIONS

I heard from a good source that a few minor league players were released over the weekend, but the only moves that have been confirmed are the following. I will post further information when it has been verified.

LHP Neal Cotts - Released 3/25
RHP Troy Scribner - Traded to the Angels for cash considerations 3/26

NEWS AND LINKS

When I wrote last week's Farm Report, Tyler White was hitting .344/.389/.500. Four games later, make that .366/.460/.585. I know that it's "only Spring Training," but Holy Toledo!!!

Honestly, I do believe that Jon Singleton will get it together and will have a long, successful major league career. But it looks increasingly likely that his career will be with a team other than the Astros. I truly like Singleton personally. Yes, he's made mistakes in the past, but he has worked very hard over the last two years to make up for those mistakes. But, with that said, if he can't get it done at the major league level, he will likely lose that chance for the Astros permanently later this year when A.J. Reed takes that spot and gets his opportunity to show what he can do.

In the meantime, Tyler White has more than proven himself at the plate and has (as I predicted) shown himself to be a serviceable fielder who works hard and gives it his all whether playing at first or third. He can also DH until Evan Gattis makes it back from the DL. Everyone loves an underdog, especially one who is as modest and hard-working as White. Well, White is the ultimate underdog, drafted in the 33rd round in 2013 and possessing a less than optimal physique for the job. I truly hope that he is given the opportunity to show what he can do for the Astros to start the season. He has certainly earned it.

Another question mark as Spring Training winds down is who Houston's backup catcher will be with Max Stassi on the disabled list. I am extremely high on Tyler Heineman, but after much thought, it would probably make more sense for Roberto Pena (I just can't call him Bert!) to get the job IF the Astros decide not to go outside the system. Pena has profiled more as a backup catcher to this point with his bat lagging behind his strong defensive abilities so it would make sense for him to break in to the major leagues in that role. Heineman, on the other hand, has shown a strong enough bat over the years (along with solid defensive abilities) that he should be capable of earning a front line catching position at some point. I think Heineman would benefit from a little more time at AAA to further develop his offense. Then again, I think it is more likely that the Astros go outside the system for a backup backstop, but I believe that they have two very good options in-house.

In other news ...

The ValleyCats crew catches up with Jon Kemmer at Spring Training and brings us this fun interview.

And the love for Tyler White just kept coming with Evan Drellich penning one of his last pieces before moving on. He also weighed in on the backup catcher race.

And this piece just confused me since it was posted last week, but the video (and the story) appeared to be from 2014. Still a good piece on Tyson Perez's roping heritage.

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 28, 2016 at 10:01 PM

    I think you are right, Jon Singleton's time has come and gone with the Astros. I hope the Astros can find a good trade partner, possibly getting another ex- top prospect from another organization who hasn't worked out yet in return for Singleton. I think Jon is behind Tyler White, Matt Duffy and A.J. Reed. And though Colin Moran is a 3B, he could also probably play first and he sure can hit as well.

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