Houston Astros: Four things that need to sit atop the offseason priority list
By T.A. Mock
Lots of MLB talent but what to do with it?
Not only have the Houston Astros produced some of the best teams in baseball at the MLB level these past few seasons, but they also boast one of the best farm systems in baseball. The problem is the MLB talent is young and under team control for a long team yet a lot of the guys in the minors are MLB-ready with nowhere to go.
(Un)fortunately, some of these young guys got a significant amount of playing time this season. The usual suspects, JD Davis, Tyler White, and AJ Reed, were up and down this season with White getting the most time and making the most of his time. Top prospect Kyle Tucker also got his first cup of tea at the MLB level and less touted guys like Josh James, Framber Valdez, and Cionel Perez also got their first shot.
Tucker didn’t look particularly ready as he struggled in all aspects of the game. Perez didn’t get too many chances out of the bullpen but James and Valdez got a lot of time on the mound and made the most of it. Fans also got to see the incredible speed of Myles Straw for the first time at the major league level.
Must Read. The Astros should flip Tucker for Realmuto. light
However, there are a lot of guys that could probably play on a lot of teams beyond these that I’ve already mentioned. There’s the other top prospect, Forrest Whitley, who will likely see his first playing time in 2019. On top of that, there are also guys like Yordan Alvarez, Corbin Martin, JB Bukauskas, and Seth Beer just to name a few who are on the verge of the MLB.
I have a count of 15 guys in the Houston Astros top 30 prospects that could probably play at the MLB level. The Astros only, conceivably, have 8 spots to fill and not even half of those spots will go to prospects. That’s a lot of guys to figure out what to do with.
Some will, and should, get a shot at earning a place on the MLB team. Others won’t, some may not even be with the organization moving into the 2019 season. The Astros will likely look to make a trade this offseason and a handful of these guys will be included in talks. The team needs to figure out what to do with their “aging” prospects as they can’t be kept in the minors forever and a significant number of spots won’t be open on the major league squad for a long time.