Series: Houston Astros Top 3 Third Base Prospects
By Yoni Pollak
2. Matt Duffy
Duffy has been hitting every since being drafted in the 20th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Last season with both the Lancaster JetHawks and the Corpus Christ Hooks, Duffy combined to hit .309 with 24 home runs and a .913 OPS in 460 at-bats. He spent around 4/5’s of his season with the JetHawks where he hit 19 of his 24 home runs and batted .323 in 100 games there. Duffy’s average dropped to .247 with the Hooks but his power pace remained as he hit 5 home runs in his 24 games in South Texas.
The power is there. With the Lexington Legends, the former Astros Single-A affiliate in 2012, Duffy hit 16 home runs and 32 doubles. Duffy has nice power from the hot corner, something that should be able to translate at the MLB level. He owns a career .295/.380/.475 slash line and will look to improve on it this coming season.
Here’s what Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson had to say about Duffy in an interview with Jayne Hansen (What The Heck, Bobby?):
"As Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson put it, “Outstanding ballplayer. Incredible talent. He’s a hard worker. He uses the entire field and I really like that, especially being able to go the other way at his age … to be able to use the opposite field, that’s a big plus. It opens up the field for you. It’s going to give you the opportunity to be a better hitter. And that’s what he does really well.”"
Duffy’s defense is solid at the hot corner and has improved since he was first drafted. The 25-year old will likely start with the Corpus Christi Hooks and should see Oklahoma City and even Houston by the time the season ends.