Astros MiLB Position Review: Right Field
This week we take a look at the right field position. The Astros rotated their minor league outfielders often so for this post I will focus on guys who played the majority of their games in right field.
TOP PERFORMERS
Teoscar Hernandez
Hernandez has been in the Astros system since 2011 and made huge strides in 2016. He broke onto the scene in 2014 when he hit .292 with 21 HR, 85 RBI. This led many to expect a big 2015 season and, unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Teoscar finished 2015 hitting just .219 with 17 HR in 121 AA games. Hernandez turned things around big time in 2016 though. He started the year in Corpus and hit .305 with 19 2B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 29 SB in 69 games. He also improved his plate discipline with 32 BB/55 SO in those games. He was promoted to Fresno where he continued to smoke the ball hitting .313 with a .865 OPS in 38 games. He was promoted to Houston and hit .230 with 4 HR in 100 at bats. He has a chance to help Houston next year and should be on the opening day roster.
2016 Stats: 87 G, .358 BA/.423 OBP/.454 SLG, 18 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 21 SB, 40 BB/75 SO
Drew Ferguson
Another late round pick for the Astros that has blossomed. Ferguson, drafted in the 19th round in 2015, had a phenomenal 2016 season. After making his full season debut for Quad Cities just months after the draft last season, he started this year in High-A. Ferguson dominated the California League, especially late. He hit .348 in July and .398 in August. His final 10 games in the California League he hit .488 with 5 HR and 20 RBI. He was promoted to Corpus in late August and improved on his numbers hitting .327 with 3 HR in 15 games. He has very good speed and is a solid defender. He hit for power, stole bases, and posted solid OBP numbers this season.
2016 Stats: 105 G, .315 BA/.408 OBP/.542 SLG, 29 2B, 3 3B, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 30 SB, 51 BB/95 SO
Myles Straw
Straw was drafted by the Astros in the 12th round of the 2015 draft. In the 2016 season he played in 76 games in the outfield with 31 games in RF, 26 games in CF, and 20 games in LF. He should project as a center fielder moving forward. Straw made his full season debut on May 20th and it didn’t take him long to get going. He finished May hitting just .257 but hit .326 in June and then hit .423 in July. On August 11th, Straw was promoted to Lancaster and still managed to hit .385 between two different levels that month. Straw is one of the fastest players in the Astros system and showed off a very good hit tool this season. He finished the season with a .358 BA and 124 hits in his 87 games played. You can read more about Straw here.
2016 Stats: 87 G, .358 BA/.423 OBP/.454 SLG, 18 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 21 SB, 40 BB/75 SO
THE REST OF THE PACK
Bryan De La Cruz
De La Cruz was signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. He made his Astros MiLB debut in 2014 playing for the DSL Astros and hitting .262 in 59 games. He played stateside in 2015 with the GCL Astros hitting .242. This season he spent time between Greeneville/Tri-City hitting .239 with 3 HR, 18 RBI in 44 games. He played this season at just 19 years old.
2016 Stats: 44 G, .239 BA/.331 OBP/.396 SLG, 4 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 19 BB/33 SO
2017 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
As seen in the center field review, there are a ton of legit outfield prospects. Not all of them can stay in center which pushes some over to RF. With those guys plus the likes of Straw and Ferguson, the Astros have plenty to look forward to in the outfield. Teoscar had a breakout 2016 season and hopefully he can build on it at the MLB level in 2017.
Previous Position Reviews:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Left Field
Center Field
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**Photo Credit: Kiel Maddox/Fresno Grizzlies**
