The Houston Astros have endured a rash of injuries in recent weeks to come out of the MLB All-Star Break in first place in the American League West Division. With reinforcements on the way in the second half, Houston has a great chance of making its ninth straight postseason appearance. But there are some areas where they could improve.
One of those deficiencies is in the running game. The Astros are tied with the Minnesota Twins for 25th in the majors with 48 stolen bases this season. The lack of speed is something they could look to address in the short term at this month’s trade deadline but the Astros made one step toward fixing the problem in the long term after this week’s MLB Draft.
Astros Sign Speedy Outfielder Prospect Mason Lytle After MLB Draft
According to Baseball America, the Astros have signed five undrafted free agents coming out of the All-Star Break. While four of the players are pitchers, the fifth is intriguing outfield prospect Mason Lytle.
Lytle starred at UT-San Antonio, hitting .366/.424/.560 with 10 homers and 68 RBI. While he was named the American Athletic Conference player of the year and led the Roadrunners to the NCAA super regionals for the first time in school history, he also has a knack for speed, stealing 17 bases on 22 attempts. The previous season went just as well for Lytle as he hit .348/.374/.582 with 11 homers, 43 RBI and 17 stolen bases on 18 attempts.
While Houston also signed George Mason’s Brandon Cassedy, Central Arkansas’s Coleman MacRae, Little Rock’s Jackson Wells and Saint Louis’s Charlie Weber to upgrade their pitching depth, it also needs to improve its team speed faster than you can say “Meep meep.”
Of the Astros’ 48 stolen bases, more than half of them belong to Jeremy Peña and Jake Myers, who are both currently on the injured list. The next closest is Jose Altuve, who has six steals but ranks in the 45th percentile in sprint speed this season.
Houston also has Jacob Melton as a stolen base threat, but while the No. 2 prospect in the organization ranks in the 92nd percentile in sprint speed, he is currently on the injured list with an ankle injury.
Lytle isn’t likely to help that cause right away. But it shows the Astros have their mind in the right place ahead of the trade deadline.