Astros Prospect Rated Highly Among Future First Basemen
Jonathan Singleton’s professional career thus far includes plenty of talk on potential and his value as the centerpiece of Houston’s return in the Hunter Pence trade.
According to MLB.com, he’s well on his way to fulfilling both.
Jonathan Mayo ranked the top ten prospects at first base and Singleton slots third, behind recently acquired Chicago Cub Anthony Rizzo and new San Diego Padre Yonder Alonso.
Just 20, the 6’2, 215 pound lefthander spent the majority of his season in High-A Clearwater before moving to High-A Lancaster and continuing his assault on opposing pitching.
Singleton finished 2011 with a .833 OPS but in 35 games as an Astros minor leaguer, that statistic shot up to .917. His traditional stat line reads like a burgeoning, raw power-hitter’s should: a batting average of .298, 13 home runs and 63 RBI’s.
123 strikeouts in 449 at-bat’s doesn’t inspire but remembering that Ryan Howard whiffs quite a bit and still manages to earn a paycheck means looking past Singleton’s few flaws and focusing on his talent.
And there’s more than enough of that to get Astros fans excited about something, anything.
Carlos Lee’s albatross of a contract finally expires after 2012 and Brett Wallace, acquired by the previous front office, needs to show that he’s capable of hitting consistently at the Major League level or he’ll find himself behind Singleton very soon.
Baseball junkies like to term Double-A as the proving ground for young stars. There aren’t any big league retreads lining rosters like in Triple-A and players understand that producing can mean skipping Triple-A altogether and earning a Major League call-up.
Singleton likely starts 2012 at the Houston Double-A affiliate Corpus Christi and improving on his numbers could bring a Minute Maid Park debut in September.
Accomplish that and the Astros perhaps commit to Singleton in 2013 as the permanent option at first base. Since Lance Berkman’s trade to the Yankees, the position has wavered in a state of flux.
Losing 106 games requires below-average talent at nearly every spot on the field. Houston won’t suddenly become playoff contenders if Singleton joins the club in the next year but it furthers the process of solidifying the franchise one position at a time.
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