Houston Astros: A depth problem that must be solved for 2018

The Position Players

The only loss from last year’s team is Carlos Beltran. With all due respect, Beltran will not be missed. He was invaluable in terms of leadership and there might not be a championship trophy in Houston without him. That being said, Beltran did little in the way of contributing with his bat and took valuable at bats from guys who could’ve produced better. Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez will likely take the majority of the DH at-bats.

One question mark exists as far as position players go: left field.  Gonzalez primarily filled this spot for the Houston Astros in 2017. The organization values Marwin more as a super-utility guy though. He can fill almost any spot in a pinch and if another guy were able to take over the primary LF job, Gonzalez could fulfill that role more fully. Derek Fisher and Jake Marisnick are guys that will be competing to get those third outfield at bats.

There is also a battle for the opening day 1B spot, since Yuli Gurriel will be serving a five game suspension. A.J. Reed, Tyler White, as well as Gonzalez are the team members that will primarily be competing for those starts for those five games. This is an interesting spot to watch as one of these guys could play their way into something permanent.

Reed, White, J.D. Davis, and Tony Kemp are all big-league talents with the ability to play everyday if given the chance. However, being an infielder in the Houston Astros organization should not draw the desire of a newcomer, with all four spots locked down for the foreseeable future.

Per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic, Hinch is looking to move guys around the diamond for additional versatility. Alex Bregman will spend more time at shortstop this spring, Gurriel will get looks at third, short, and second in addition to his usual at first. The organization is valuing versatility more and guys that can play multiple positions will have a greater shot at making the 25-man roster.