Houston Astros: Assessing the Newly Projected Outfield for 2017

After an active week of moves, The Houston Astros outfield are poised to be one of the most lethal in the entire league upcoming in 2017.

Claiming Nori Aoki off of waivers just after the world series, and signing Josh Reddick as a free agent. These moves now give the Houston Astros one of the most intense outfields in the league to go with established veteran right fielder, George Springer. This trio bring a lot of substantially positive qualities to a team looking to make another post season run.

Houston Astros /

Houston Astros

The one remaining question now is this: Who will take which corner?

Thankfully, each of the players in line to be in the outfield have enough versatility to switch between locations. Here is a look at how each outfielder stacks up….

Josh Reddick (RF, CF, LF)

This was a fantastic move by Lunhow and Company, signing the free agent. Typically a right fielder, Reddick has had big league experience in all three corners. He throws from the right and bats from the left.

On the subject of his bat, Reddick brings a solid offensive slash line of .255/.316/.747 with 96 HR and 346 RBI over his previous eight seasons. He has power, but also makes contact.

George Springer (RF, CF)

Given the circumstances of the signing of Reddick, look for Springer to be moved to center field.

His 10 DRS and 24 outfield assists over his three years in the majors make him the ideal player to take that spot going forward.

Springer also has a hot stick of his own, with a slash line .258/.356/.816 with 65 homers and 174 driven in over his first three seasons in the majors. Like Reddick, he also hits for both power and contact.

On off days, Jake Marisnick looks to be the one to fill in for Springer.

Even though, by comparison, Marisnick’s bat leaves a lot to be desired. The hope is that this will be remedied next season. Additionally, Reddick could move over to center at a moment’s notice.

Springer will also be in his first salary arbitration year in 2017. No longer making just the league minimum could increase his already established performances on both sides of the ball as well.

Nori Aoki (RF, LF, CF)

Aoki is another left hand bat that was coveted by the Astros organization when they decided to pick him up off of waivers. His career slash of .286/.353/.739 with 28 long balls and 184 RBI are pretty solid numbers. What Aoki lacks in power, he more than makes up for in contact and speed across the base paths.

Defensively, he has spent most of his time playing the corners, but can play center field in a pinch. However, look for Aoki to start out in left field, and possibly even fight to lead off in the batting order over Springer.

Given his age, 35 to start next season, he may also be fighting pretty hard to earn this spot in Spring Training this February. A left field platoon situation with one of the other outfielders, Marwin Gonzalez, or even Evan Gattis could also be a possibility.

Good news for the Astros: There is still a lot of outfield depth.

Along with Marisnick being a center field defensive specialist, the team also has plenty of players with big league exposure that can be ready to go in the event of an emergency.

Preston Tucker, Tony Kemp, Teoscar Hernandez and Yulieski Gurriel can answer the call. Derek Fisher is also a highly touted prospect that could see some big league time.

Barring any catastrophic injury or a future trade, the Houston Astros have their outfield problems solved.

What other moves will happen over the next few months remain a mystery.

But if last week was any indication, Jim Crane has expanded the payroll, and Jeff Lunhow is expeditiously using it to get legitimate players to add to the team!

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