Pre-Emptive Jonathan Singleton Appreciation Thread Sequel

Um they don't pitch in Tee Ball.
Duh....
Lol

 

Okay on Twitter I see almost every day this guy absolutely crushing balls. In all seriousness does he have any chance being called up? I mean at some point someone has to notice this??

 

He was killing the ball in AAA earlier this year too ( International league, not PCL so not quite as good) so Milwaukee called him up.

He went 3 for 29 with 0 HR and 11Ks.

Then they released him.

I am not against giving him a chance and sending Julks down but temper expectations.

 

Damn we have a lot to purge.

 

They missed the most logical window to have brought him up...wonder if just trading him now is a possibility.

 

Another dinger last night. Julks hasn’t had a hit in 40 at bats. And Madris is still on the roster.

Just saying.

 

lol forgot about Madris and the 40 man. Surprised we dfad Perez instead of Madris..unless I’m not understanding some rule

 

Put him on the 40 man roster and swap him for Julks for at least a few weeks. With Yordan back and Chas firmly a regular starter we don't need any Julks starts in LF and we definitely don't need him as a DH. Meyers and Dubon are the backups in the outfield. Singleton can get DH starts when Yordan is in LF and Diaz catches.

 

Man we got a fickle crowd.

 

Actually, I think NOW is the most logical time to bring him up.

Julks is terrible now, they did not get a LH bat to help vs RHP, and they are going to Yankee Stadium - the most LH friendly stadium for power hitters

The starters for the 1st 2 games are RH.

Oh and LF at Yankee Stadium is very good for Yordan

 

This is my thinking exactly. Make some space on the 40 man, send Julks down and give Singleton a shot at DH on days Yordan plays left and Diaz is catching (like yesterday's game against the Guardians). Unless Brantley actually truly does come back, we have to see if there is anybody else besides Julks we can put in that spot in that situation.

 

Dubin, Gage, Blanco, and Salazar would likely not pass through waivers. Astros and nearly every other team are weird about having a lot of pitchers on the 40-man so the Astros are unlikely to drop a pitcher for a hitter...unless it is stud young hitter. I'd drop Bannon and Bligh easily though.

 

My choice would be Enoli Paredes, but a spot for Urquidy will need to be opened also.

 

more players injured and a longer leash would've been a more logical time imo. 8 ab's in yankee stadium to evaluate him isn't fair, with the leash all these other players have been given.

 

I agree he needs a real opportunity, but Yankee Stadium and RH SP are a perfect start.

If Julks is Optioned, he must stay down forcl 10 days, unless someone gets injured

 

Enoli Paredes is on the 40 man, so obviously there is room. If he keeps hitting, he will get added and will get a shot but 130 PA can tell a lot lies, especially in the PCL.

 

Absolutely.

Singleton has fooled us before. And fooled the Brewers earlier this season.

If the team had 13 players who were positively producing, or even if they team was average vs RHP it would not be worth the risk.

But Julks is a negative and the team has .724 OPS (99 OPS+) vs RHP.

What do they have to lose?

 

https://theathletic.com/4754191/2023/08/06/astros-jon-singleton-promotion-soon/

The Astros explored acquiring a left-handed hitter at the trade deadline, but according to general manager Dana Brown, all of the teams they engaged with asked for a player off of Houston’s major-league roster in return. None of the negotiations advanced after Brown acknowledged “we didn’t want to weaken our club while we were trying to strengthen our club.”

The decision leaves manager Dusty Baker with a bench of all right-handed hitters. Michael Brantley looms as one left-handed option, but counting on him to return — and be effective — is growing more far-fetched by the day. Brantley hasn’t played in a major-league game since June 26, 2022, and has suffered two setbacks this season while trying to return from shoulder surgery. He took batting practice on the field prior to Sunday’s series finale at Yankee Stadium, but Baker offered no other concrete updates on his condition.

A more immediate option is obvious and under consideration. If it happens, Houston would author a full-circle reunion with a familiar face.

The Astros’ most logical option to balance their bench is Jon Singleton, the franchise’s former top prospect who signed a minor-league deal in June and is dominating at Triple-A Sugar Land. This weekend at Yankee Stadium, Brown revealed the team is considering promoting Singleton amid his scorching start.

“We’ve had conversations and we’re thinking about it,” Brown said. “I don’t know how close we are, but I’ve had conversations about it and we’ll see where it goes from there. We’ve definitely had some conversations.”

Singleton is slashing .339/.455/.704 with 18 extra-base hits, 26 walks and 33 strikeouts across his first 143 plate appearances at Sugar Land. He has struggled in three brief big-league stints since 2014, including an 11-game cameo with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season, but Brown seemed to indicate the team will summon the 31-year-old slugger at some point in these final two months — perhaps quite soon.

“I think if he can come up here — and we’ll give him a shot — if he can come up here and hit the ball well and have quality at-bats, I think he’s a guy that Dusty can say ‘I want to get some more reps on,’” Brown said. “It will be a Dusty call at the end of the day. If we get him up here and Dusty really likes him, we’ll roll with him. If Dusty says I’m limited with this guy, it’ll be his call once we get him up here.”

Singleton’s chances could be complicated by his lack of defensive versatility. Brown acknowledged he is just a “first base, DH or pinch hit” player, much like backup catcher Yainer Diaz, who continued his impressive rookie season with a three-run home run in the first inning of Saturday’s 7-3 win.

Diaz is now slashing .276/.294/.517. Getting him more at-bats should be Baker and the Astros’ foremost priority. Adding Singleton to their roster should not alter it. On days he does not catch, Diaz should appear at either first base or designated hitter, even at the expense of struggling veteran José Abreu or even if it leaves Baker at risk of losing the designated hitter late in games. It stands to reason that Abreu — with a .641 OPS after a 1-for-12 series — should see his playing time decrease anyway, but it doesn’t appear that is imminent.

If Singleton does join the team, he would profile as a pinch-hitter late in games against right-handed relievers. Currently, Corey Julks, Grae Kessinger and Mauricio Dubón are Baker’s options for that role. Julks is 3 for his past 54, Kessinger has 30 major-league at-bats and Dubón has a .488 OPS in his past 103 plate appearances.

That Baker allowed light-hitting catcher Martín Maldonado — and not Julks — to bat with the tying run on base during the eighth inning of Saturday’s 3-1 loss only further accentuated how thin his bench has become. Maldonado struck out against Yankees right-handed setup man Michael King, stalling momentum.

Singleton would inject power this team’s bench does not possess, but whether he could handle such sporadic playing time is a legitimate question.

Soon, an answer may appear.