Houston Astros MiLB Players Of The Month: May
The second month of the minor league season in the books, Let’s take a look at the best performances in the Astros system in May.
*Just a note, these are my picks for the month*
AAA: Fresno Grizzlies
HITTER: Danny Worth, 2B
- May Stats: 24 G, .375 BA/.505 OBP/.625 SLG, 23 R, 8 2B, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 22 BB/21 SO
Worth was the player of the month for me in April, and he improved in nearly every category in May. Fresno has had an up and down season but Worth has been the constant producing piece. On the season he is hitting .361 with 20 XBHs and 30 BB/32 SO in 44 games.
PITCHER: Brady Rodgers, RHP
- May Stats: 3-1, 2.70 ERA, 33.1 IP, 31 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 6 BB, 36 SO, .246 BAA
Great month for Rodgers. He has had a solid season in Fresno but the 6 BB/36 K this month is even more encouraging. Rodgers was a 3rd round pick who has good control but if the strikeouts stay up and he continues pitching this way, he may get a chance to spot start in Houston in the near future.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks
HITTER: Alex Bregman, SS
- May Stats: 24 G, .309 BA/.414 OBP/.628 SLG, 23 R, 9 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 15 BB/9 SO, SB
This was the toughest decision as JD Davis and Derek Fisher both had good months for Corpus but Alex Bregman stood out once again. He posted an OPS over 1.000 in May and continued to show HR power. On the season he is hitting .319 with 10 2B, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 21 BB/14 SO. He has done everything the Astros have asked this season and if this keeps up, we could be seeing him in Houston this season.
PITCHER: Keegan Yuhl, RHP
- May Stats: 3-0, 2.22 ERA, 28.1 IP, 25 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 7 BB, 16 SO, .214 BAA
Another difficult decision. Paulino, West, McCurry, Grills all had good months as well, and they will be talked about in another article. Yuhl has been a steady piece for the Hooks this season. He now has a 2.76 ERA with 10 BB/34 K in 45.2 innings. As a 35th round pick, he is defying the odds everyday.
A+: Lancaster Jethawks
HITTER: Garrett Stubbs, C
- May Stats: 21 G, .316 BA/.409 OBP/.544 SLG, 15 R, 3 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 13 BB/12 SO, 5 SB
Stubbs has put himself in a position to be the best catching prospect in the Astros system. He is a good defensive catcher with a great arm. So far this season he has showed some added power but also has 8 stolen bases in 32 games. More importantly though, he is hitting .286 with 18 BB/19 SO in those 32 games.
PITCHER: Joshua James, RHP
- May Stats: 2-1, 1.90 ERA, 23.2 IP, 17 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 28 SO, .198 BAA
James has had an impressive season. After a good showing with Quad Cities last season he has built on that and pitched very well in the hitter friendly California League. On the season he has a 2.97 ERA with 15 BB/44 SO in 36.1 innings. If a spot opens up at Corpus, he could be the next one promoted.
A: Quad Cities River Bandits
HITTER: Kyle Tucker, OF
- May Stats: 26 G, .316 BA/.384 OBP/.408 SLG, 7 2B, 3B, 20 RBI, 10 BB/18 SO, 16 SB
Tucker has had a very good start to his pro career. While he only has one HR this season, he does have 9 doubles and 3 triples. Most surprising is his stolen bases as he now 22 in 25 chances in just 47 games. This combined with a low number of strikeouts and solid defense in center field will shoot him up the prospect boards.
PITCHER: Zac Person, LHP
- Mat Stats: 1-1, 0.54 ERA, 16.2 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 10 BB, 20 K, .175 BAA
Person was a 10th round pick in 2015 after having a solid career at LSU. In college he showed the ability to strike guys outs and that has continued this season with 20 K in 16.2 innings in May. Given that he was a four year player in college, I could see him getting promoted to Lancaster pretty soon.
HONORABLE MENTION
JD Davis, 3B (AA): .306 BA/.315 OBP/.639 SLG, 9 2B, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 2 BB/26 SO
Derek Fisher, OF (AA): .323 BA/.383 OBP/.604 SLG, 4 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 10 BB/33 SO, 4 SB
Bryan Muniz, 1B (A+): .345 BA/.385 OBP/.571 SLG, 3 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 6 BB/14 SO
Bobby Boyd, OF (A+): .329 BA/.372 OBP/.557 SLG, 7 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 6 BB/13 SO, 12 SB
Jason Martin, OF(A+): .279 BA/.344 OBP/.570 SLG, 4 2B, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 8 BB/ 22 SO, 3 SB
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**Photo Credit: Erick Sifuentes*
