Hunter Brown vs. OKC: 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR), ER, BB, 9 K, 94 pitches (54 strikes) solo homer came with 1 out in the 5th
Hunter Brown through 5: 3H, 1R (on a solo shot), 9K, 1BB. This will lower his BB/9, and he has a sub-1 WHIP on the game. At 94 pitches (54 of them strikes, for a 54.44%) and in the third time through the lineup, so this is probably his final line. With the Space Cowboys up 3-1, he is currently in line for the win. Only thing that could have been better is more strikes, only one walk but he did have quite a few 3 ball counts.
Barber and McDermott are looking like they will be in Corpus in July at the latest. Barber, Brewer, McDermott, Chaidez, and to a lesser degree Wagner all could see huge jumps in their stock pending their performance in AA. Barber could break into Top 100 territory whereas Brewer, McDermott, and Chaidez could climb into Org Top 10 range and start to project as potential core MLB pieces if they have success in Corpus. Wagner was pretty much a non-prospect coming into this season and if he is able to hold his own in AA he will start to be a real prospect who projects as a solid MLB bench piece. The lower level stats can be a mirage, but AA is a proving ground in that if an age appropriate prospect is able to perform there it bodes really well.
Over the Winter I expected Barber to finish this season in AAA and to compete for the starting CF job next Spring. It is beginning to look like he will be moved too slowly for that now. I was also thinking that I would like to see Wagner slowed down enough to make him a potential replacement for Altuve but it looks like he is moving up too quickly for that. I am 0 for 2 on those guys but I still believe Barber is the Astros best CF prospect and Wagner will wind up as a highly valuable piece, just not where I had hoped..
Barber would probably be in AA right now had he stayed healthy last year. But remember, he was drafted out of HS. Had he went to college he'd just now be getting ready for the draft.
I don’t see any way he gets called up this season. He does hit left handed so I could see him in the mix for a bench role next spring. But maybe more likely is over the next 6 weeks he hits himself into being a legit prospect Houston can get excellent value for at the deadline.
Barber got off to too slow of a start I believe for AAA to be realistic this year. He was also sitting out two games per week there for the first month.
So Leon has decided to stop striking out the past week or so. Not doing much when he puts ball in play, but interesting development.
Astros have a larger than normal group who have raised their stock from “fringey prospect” to “this guy might be an everyday caliber major leaguer”: Valdez, Julks, Abreu, Diaz, and Brewer would all fit that description for me. Works to offset some of the disappointment of their 2nd tier prospects like Cristian Gonzalez, Joe Perez, and Tyler Whitaker. Sure would be a good time for Korey Lee to start hitting well.
Can he play any other position other than second base? 1st base maybe. If not, he is going to be blocked for the foreseeable future by Altuve.
He can already play 2B and 3B acceptably. He has played a little LF and over time would probably be about average there. He could be an emergency option at 1B and RF. He has played SS and C a couples games in the minors but I wouldn’t consider him a viable option at either position. If he’s going to be an everyday player it will be at 2B, 3B, or LF. But he is decent enough defensively that he could be a bench player that plays everyday, backing up 2B, 3B, LF, and DH.
Of course if he is able to hit in AAA the way he did in AA his projection would change, but for now he profiles as just a really good bench bat or fringe everyday guy. The fact that he hits left handed makes him a good fit for the Astros bench next season in my opinion, especially if they stick with internal options in 1B and LF (Jones, Siri, McCormick, Leon are all righties). Having him compete with Matijevic to be the lefty bench bat 13th position player who complements Jones at 1B and McCormick in LF sounds like a fine plan for now. Unless of course another team values him high enough to make a trade worthwhile.
