I’m definitely team Astros first and foremost. I root for Jon because I see a quality guy, the type of fella from my point of view is a good guy. Of course I do not know him personally, but from the blurbs I see and have read. But I’m not going to lose any sleep if the Astros cut him and he goes on to become a beast with another team. Space on a MLB roster is limited and valuable - the prospect golden goodwill is for the young guns. And we can all agree Singleton isn’t a spring chicken in baseball years.
I wish him the best, but he's not going to all of a sudden become a beast for anyone, Astros or whoever, at 33. He didn't need to gain strength, he's got plenty of power. He needs a launch angle change to harness it, and the new physique isn't going to do that for him. But the weight loss hopefully will improve his mediocre defense and may keep him healthy for baseball in his mid 30s and for life down the road.
Last week on Crush City podcast, Josh Reddick relayed a story about lifting weights causing his bat path to change and having to lose weight to be able to hit. There is a world where a physique change alone changes a bat path/launch angle. I'm not saying I expect that, but at this point we have no idea how different 2025 Jon Singleton is from 2024 Jon Singleton. And he has always had talent.
Good to see Jon Singleton back with the Astros organization. He’s turned into a true class act. perhaps the Astros are working on a trade and will need depth at 1st base https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6444404/2025/06/22/astros-re-sign-jon-singleton-minor-league-deal/
Unfortunately the only thing to read into the Astros signing Singleton is that they are worried that they will have an opening for a lefthanded hitting DH for the rest of this season.
You hope he's not a real option if that's the case. I'd take melton over him at this point . . . but a spot start . . . I could get on board.
I was kind of shocked the Astros didn't keep him. I was actually first shocked that they signed Walker (and I wanted Walker). I figured with the comp for the signing that they would pass. I also thought that there were enough questions entering this season that it might be a time to step back and see what we had in house. With Abreu and Montero still on the books I thought a cheap option of going with a platoon of Singleton and Dezenzo might be the way to go. Then with the savings see what you needed at the deadline.
Jon on a MiLB deal is very valuable. He wasn't on a MiLB in ST. If used correctly, he has a high floor. He just needs to play fewer than 50% of the games, rarely face LH pitching, and not be expected to be one of your 10-11 best position players. He is also a mature former top prospect who crashed out and had to work for years to make it back to MLB. He deals with a common and chronic medical condition that can end careers but here he is. He is an American black man in a sport that is losing them. He can provide so much off the field for any MLB organization. So, he needs to be an Astro, be an active player while he can and when needed, and then find a non-playing role for him when that chapter ends.
