Astros MiLB Position Review: Left Field
We continue our position reviews in the Astros system this week, taking a look at the left field position. I will focus on guys who played primarily left field in 2017.
Here are the previous position reviews:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
TOP PERFORMERS
Jason Martin
Martin was drafted in 2013 and has moved his way up through the system. He had a solid 2016 season but people wanted to see him perform outside of the Hangar and he did just that. In 46 games with Buies Creek he hit .287 with .848 OPS and 136 wRC+ before being promoted to AA. He continued his power surge there with a .210 ISO and .483 SLG. Overall he had a 127 wRC+ with 35 2B, 18 HR between A+/AA as a 21 year old.
2017 Stats: 125 G, .278 BA/.332 OBP/.487 SLG, 35 2B, 5 3B, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 16 SB, 39 BB/124 SO
Ronnie Dawson
Dawson was a 2nd round pick out of Ohio State in 2016. After dominating his junior year in college many expected him to be a fast mover in the system. Unfortunately, his 2017 season started very slow hitting just .217 with 5 HR in 61 first half games. He really turned it up in the second half though hitting .332 with 9 HR in 55 second half games with Quad Cities before being promoted to A+. He finished the season hitting .327 in 13 High-A games and a combined 128 wRC+ overall.
2017 Stats: 129 G, .278 BA/.363 OBP/.437 SLG, 26 2B, 5 3B, 14 HR, 67 RBI, 18 SB, 59 BB/110 SO
Jon Kemmer
Kemmer has been a late round steal for the Astros after being drafted in the 21st round of the 2013 draft. Kemmer has hit at every stop in the minors making it all the way up to AAA. In 2017 he repeated AAA but made huge improvements in every category. Overall he hit .299 with .932 OPS and 16 HR in 87 games. Unfortunately, he missed the end of the season due to an injury. He finished the season with a 142 wRC+ which was just 5 points shy of Derek Fisher.
2017 Stats: 87 G, .299 BA/.399 OBP/.533 SLG, 17 2B, 3 3B, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 6 SB, 44 BB/95 SO
THE REST OF THE PACK
Alejandro Garcia
The Astros signed Garcia out of Cuba in 2015. He has played 200 minor league games and hit .282 but doesn’t walk much or have much power. In 2017, between AA and AAA, Garcia hit just .235 with a .618 OPS.
2017 Stats: 92 G, .235 BA/.278 OBP/.341 SLG, 18 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 6 SB, 9 BB/45 SO
2018 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
While the left field position isn’t the most stacked in the system, there is a good mix of upside and floor here. Martin was left unprotected and is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Dawson ended up having a solid season after a slow start and could be a breakout guy in 2018. Add in an older guy like Kemmer and the Astros have solid depth at the position.
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**Photo Credit: Richard Guill**
