Astros MiLB Position Review: Third Base
We continue our position reviews in the Astros system this week, taking a look at the third base position.
Here are the previous position reviews:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
TOP PERFORMERS
Colin Moran
After a disappointing 2016 season which saw Moran hit .259 with an 88 wRC+, he rebounded nicely hitting .308 with a 133 wRC+ in AAA. Moran showed an increase in power slugging 18 homers in just 82 games. Moran was promoted to Houston and was 4-for-11 with a homer before a foul ball hit his face causing him to miss some extended time.
2017 Stats: 82 G, .301 BA/.369 OBP/.532 SLG, 16 2B, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 33 BB/59 SO
J.D. Davis
Davis has shown power throughout his career and it continued in 2017. He started the season back in AA showing improvement before being promoted to AAA. In 16 games with Fresno he hit 5 HR and drove in 18 earning him a callup to the Astros. Davis posted a 100 wRC+ in 25 MLB games.
2017 Stats: 103 G, .282 BA/.345 OBP/.527 SLG, 23 2B, 26 HR, 78 RBI, 5 SB, 40 BB/108 SO
Tyler White
White also repeated AAA in 2017 but made some nice improvments. Like Moran, he increased his slugging from .500 to .525 and his wRC+ increased from 109 to 130. He appeared in 22 games with the Astros this year and had a 126 wRC+. Overall it was a successful rebound season for White.
2017 Stats: 111 G, .300 BA/.371 OBP/.528 SLG, 22 2B, 25 HR, 89 RBI, 7 SB, 47 BB/101 SO
Abraham Toro-Hernandez
Toro-Hernandez was drafted by the Astros with the 5th round pick in the 2016 draft. Toro made his full season debut this year playing third base and a handful of games at catcher. He started the year with Tri-City and hit .292 with 8 2B, 6 HR in 32 games before being promoted to QC. There he hit 9 HR in 37 games. Overall he had a 149 wRC+ with 14.0 BB% and 17.8 K%.
2017 Stats: 69 G, .246 BA/.364 OBP/.496 SLG, 11 2B, 15 HR, 33 RBI, 3 SB, 40 BB/51 SO
THE REST OF THE PACK
Josh Rojas
Rojas had a surprisingly solid season as a 26th round pick in this year’s draft. The 23 year old was immediately assigned to Quad Cities where he showed some power hitting 10 HR with a .487 SLG in 52 games. He had a short stay with Fresno (4 games) in which he hit .333 with 4 BB/3 SO. Rojas is a lefty hitter and one to watch as he moves up next season.
2017 Stats: 56 G, .261 BA/.319 OBP/.478 SLG, 5 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 19 BB/46 SO
Randy Cesar
Cesar doesn’t walk much but he has continued to put up solid batting lines. Cesar started the season with Quad Cities hitting .302 with 3 HR in 27 games before being promoted to Buies Creek. There he hit .295 with 15 2B and 4 HR in 83 games finishing with a combined .297 BA and .350 OBP.
2017 Stats: 110 G, .297 BA/.350 OBP/.403 SLG, 23 2B, 7 HR, 57 RBI, 4 SB, 33 BB/108 SO
2018 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
The third base position is in good hands with Alex Bregman at the MLB level but the Astros also have a ton of depth behind him. Moran could be the DH next year and Davis already proved he can hit at the big league level. White might be more of a 1B/DH guy but he does have some versatility to him. Add in the high potential guys like Toro-Hernandez and a late bloomer like Rojas, and overall, the Astros have a third base position in the minors worth watching.
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**Photo Credit: Kiel Maddox/Fresno Grizzlies**
