With the season is over we will review each position in the minor league system during the 2024 season. This week we will look at the first base position. I will focus on players who played majority of their games at this position, though they could end up on multiple lists.
Previous Position Reviews:
TOP PERFORMERS
Luis Encarnacion
Encarnacion put together a strong season, even getting some run in Double-A. He played in 4 games in Single-A before getting a quick promotion to Asheville. There, he hit .263 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 52 runs batted in and a .718 OPS as a 21-year-old. He was promoted to Double-A where he has 4 home runs over the final 7 games. Overall, he had 15 home runs and hit .267 in 91 games this season.
2024 Stats: 91 G, .267 BA/.301 OBP/.445 SLG, 13 2B, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 4 SB
Oliver Carrillo
Carrillo was acquired by the Astros in the off-season and was a solid pickup for 2024. He started the year off in Single-A Fayetteville and hit .232 with a .802 OPS and 6 home runs in 39 games. He was promoted to High-A where despite only hitting .223, he was able to connect on 12 doubles and 10 home runs in 62 games. He finished the year with 18 doubles and 16 home runs in 101 games.
2024 Stats: 101 G, .227 BA/.328 OBP/.419 SLG, 18 2B, 3B, 16 HR, 55 RBI
THE REST OF THE PACK
Cam Fisher
Fisher was drafted by the Astros in the 4th round of the 2023 draft. He started off the year hot in High-A but then had a rough month of May and was sent back to the FCL. He eventually made his way back to High-A, but struggled with the strikeouts as he struck out 120 times in 69 games. He did have 14 home runs and 43 walks though.
2024 Stats: 69 G, .163 BA/.320 OBP/.389 SLG, 8 2B, 14 HR, 31 RBI, 12 SB
2025 OUTLOOK/CONCLUSION
First base was a rough position for the Astros in 2024 with Abreu struggling and the Astros never finding a true replacement. It appears Dezenzo (he will be on my third base review) may get some run there and hopefully it works because they don’t have a lot cooking in the minor leagues just yet. Though as we have seen in the past, the Astros are willing to move positions for a guy to get playing time if he can’s stick elsewhere.
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