Spring Training is always fun. The young players and prospects get an opportunity to don a Houston Astros jersey and play with and against big league players.
On Sunday, the Astros took on the Cardinals and the Astros came away with a 11-6 win. We also got Statcast data for the game, so that was fun too. Here are some of the prospects that stood out.
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP
This is a huge spring for Blubaugh as he has a chance to potentially grab the 5th starter spot. On Sunday, he pitched against the Cardinals in his first inning of work, he allowed two singles and a home run. He turned that around in his second inning of work striking out 2 in a perfect frame. Blubaugh hit 95.9 MPH and generated 6 whiffs on 9 swings induced by the fastball. He finished with 8 whiffs on just 33 pitches. A good spring start for him.
Alex Santos, RHP
Santos pitched the next inning after Blubaugh. The former second round pick has dealt with some injuries but showed the raw stuff yesterday. He hit 96 MPH with the fastball and tossed a scoreless outing. While it was just one inning, this was a step in the right direction for the right-hander.
Zach Dezenzo, INF
Dezenzo is fighting for a role this spring. We don’t know if it’s infield or outfield, but he has the chance to get him a spot on the big league club. Dezenzo went 2-for-4 with 2 runs batted in and had the highest exit velocity of the game with a 105.8 MPH single in the 6th inning.
Shay Whitcomb, INF
Whitcomb, who played second base in this game, finished 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Like Dezenzo, he has the chance to make the big league club this spring either as a utility bench player, or maybe even as a starter at second base.
Joseph Sullivan, OF
Sullivan was the Astros 7th round pick last year, and is a favorite to have a breakout season. His first at-bat of the spring ended in a 100.1 MPH home run to right field. He also had a hit by pitch and scored two runs. In the field, Sullivan manned center field and had a sliding catch as well.
Miguel Palma, C
Palma found himself receiving three plate appearances in yesterday’s game. The 23-year-old catcher was 1-for-2 with a run, RBI and a walk. His two batted balls were both hit at 99.5 MPH. Good to see from him early in spring.
Tommy Sacco, INF
Sacco also made the most of his opportunities. The utility infielder connected on a 2 run HR to right field in the 6th inning. He also made a great diving play at shortstop in the 4th inning. Sacco finished with 2 hits and 4 runs batted in.
Kenni Gomez, OF
Gomez is an extremely young and talented outfielder. He got some run in yesterday’s game and went 1-for-1 with a walk. While the single wasn’t hit hard, him drawing a walk and stealing a base was huge for him as it shows some good progress with his pitch selection.
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