Astros MiLB Position Review: Second Base
Now that the season is over we will review each position in the minor league system during the 2019 season. This week we will look at the second base position. I will focusing on guys who played the majority of their games at this position.
Previous Position Reviews:
TOP PERFORMERS
Alex De Goti
De Goti was a 15th round pick in the 2016 draft. He has made his way through the system and played all season in AAA in 2019. He had a solid season posting a slash line of .277/.347/.443 with 29 2B, 15 HR, 70 RBI in 125 games. He will be 25 in 2020 and has some versatility as he played 53 games at second, 46 games at shortstop, 14 games at third base, and 6 games in the outfield. He looks to be a guy who could maybe carve out a bench role in the near future. He had a 91 wRC+ overall but did have a 9.5 BB%.
2019 Stats: 125 G, .277 BA/.347 OBP/.443 SLG, 29 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 91 wRC+
THE REST OF THE PACK
Luis Santana
Santana was acquired last off-season in the trade that sent J.D. Davis to the Mets. Santana was coming off of a great season as an 18 year old where he slashed .348/.446/.471 in rookie ball. In 2019, Santana played primarily with the ValleyCats hitting .267 with .690 OPS in 52 games (112 wRC+). He did play in 18 games in AA, but more as a fill-in role due to injuries. Santana finished the season strong though hitting .319 with .850 OPS over the final 22 games. He also had 5 2B and 2 HR during that stretch, which happened to be his only 2 HR of the season.
2019 Stats: 70 G, .257 BA/.337 OBP/.329 SLG, 10 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 104 wRC+
Enmanuel Valdez
Valdez was one of my choices for breakout prospect this year. He didn’t quite breakout, but he did make it to A+ as a 20 year old. He started the year in QC and hit .275 with .816 OPS in 33 games (140 wRC+). He was promoted to Fayetteville where he struggled a bit slashing .215/.264/.338 with 11 2B and 5 HR. Overall he had 22 2B, 8 HR in 100 games with a 97 wRC+. He still has a chance to breakout next season and could reach AA at 21 year sold.
2019 Stats: 100 G, .236 BA/.304 OBP/.374 SLG, 22 2B, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 97 wRC+
2020 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
Obviously second base is locked down at the MLB club for years to come. The Astros have some depth with De Goti and other guys who have played multiple positions on the infield. Santana and Valdez represent a couple young, high upside guys that the Astros can try to mold as a player for the future. There will be some guys forced over to second, and those will probably come from the next two lists (third base and shortstop).
Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly updates on the Astros minor league system. Also be sure to follow on Twitter, @AstrosFuture, and like my Facebook page, facebook.com/AstrosFuture.
**Photo Credit: Jayne Hansen**
