Houston Astros Top-15 Prospects of 2012

Grades are based on a prospect’s projected value over the course of his career and how likely it is that prospect will fulfill his projected value. Various factors are accounted for including upside, red flags, actual performance, and closeness to the majors. See the 2012 Top Prospect List Primer for more information as it relates to prospect grading and philosophy. Grades can be subject to change.

TO QUALIFY

Hitters must have 100 or fewer Major League ABs.

Starting pitchers must have 50 or fewer Major League innings.

Relief pitchers must have 25 or fewer Major League innings.

Prospect Quick Takes

1. George Springer | CF | Age – 22 | Grade – B+ … See his full report below…

2. Jon Singleton | 1b/OF | Age – 20 | Grade – B … Looking to bounce back from erratic 2011 season.

3. Jarred Cosart | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B … Stuff is there, but would like to see more bats missed. See his full report here.

4. Jonathan Villar | SS | Age – 20 | Grade – B- … Still raw, but young and talented.

5. Telvin Nash | LF/1b | Age – 21 | Grade – B-/C+ … Big time power…bat will have to carry him and must make more contact.

6. Domingo Santana | RF | Age – 19 | Grade – B-/C+ … See his full report on Page 2

7. Delino DeShields Jr. | CF/2b | Age – 19 | Grade – B-/C+ … Another guy looking to bounce back from down 2011 season.

8. Brett Oberholtzer | LHP | Age – 22 | Grade – C+ … Not overpowering but has three quality pitches and he throws strikes.

9. Kyle Weiland | RHP | Age – 25 | Grade – C+ … Made the team’s opening day rotation…

10. Paul Clemens | RHP | Age – 24 | Grade – C+ … Power arm still honing his control and command.

11. Mike Foltynewicz | RHP | Age – 20 | Grade – C+ … Inconsistent results in 2011 and not enough missed bats.

12. R.J. Alaniz | RHP | Age – 20 | Grade – C+ … A sleeper to look out for…good fastball, throws strikes, very athletic.

13. Adrian Houser | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – C+ … Second round pick has two above average pitches…control has to improve.

14. Jack Armstrong | RHP | Age – 22 | Grade – C+ … Looking to finally match his stuff to his results, something he could not do at Vandy.

15. Nick Tropeano | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – C+ … Sleeper pitching prospect.

16. Jiovanni Mier | SS | Age – 21 | Grade – C+ … Hasn’t hit like expected, but he’s a very good defender at shortstop.

17. Ariel Ovando | OF | Age – 18 | Grade – C+ … Expectations may have been a little out of whack last year. Still a good talent, but very far off probably.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) – Ben Heath (C) | Chris Lee (LHP) | Wes Musick (LHP) | Evan Grills (LHP) | Jay Austin (CF) | Mike Kvasnicka (3b) | Kyle Hallock (LHP) | Dallas Keuchel (LHP) | Jose Perdomo (RHP) | Enrique Hernandez (2b) | Josh Zeid (RHP) | Austin Wates (OF) | Jason Shuck (CF) | Luis Reynoso (SS) | Daniel Meszaros (RHP) | Javaris Reynolds (CF) | Jonas Dufek (RHP) | Tanner Bushue (RHP) | Michael Feliz (RHP) | Jonathan Meyer (3b) | Jonathan Mejia (SS/3b) | Matt Duffy (3b) | Jason Stoffel (RHP) | Miles Hamblin (C) | John Hinson (2b) | Ross Seaton (RHP) | Brandon Meredith (LF) | Luis Cruz (LHP) | Arcenio Leon (RHP) | Carlos Quevedo (RHP) | Mickey Storey (RHP) | Lance Pendleton (RHP) | Dustin Kellogg (RHP) | Luis Ordosgoitti (RHP) | Jake Buchanan (RHP) | Mitchell Lambson (LHP) | Justin Gominsky (CF)

*Jose Altuve, Henry Sosa, J.D. Martinez, Sergio Escalona, Aneury Rodriguez, Fernando Rodriguez, Brian Bogusevic, Jordan Lyles, David Carpenter, Carlos Corporan, Jimmy Paredes, and Enerio Del Rosario are no longer considered prospects based on the criteria set forth for these lists.

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Player Grades
Contact – 45 Now | 50 Future
Power – 45 | 55/60
Discipline – 45 | 55/50
Speed – 55 | 55
Defense – 55 | 55
Arm – 55 | 55
Instincts – 50 | 60
ETA – Late 2014
Final Grade – B+

Body Type – Athletic and muscular build.

Scouting Report

George Springer is a dynamic, five-tool talent — the sort of player that doesn’t come out of the college ranks very often.

Springer has all the ingredients to be a star at the big league level. He can hit for both average and power. He can steal bases, field his position, and cut down runners on the base paths with his strong arm.

Springer combines his athleticism with a pretty good feel for the game. He shows a willingness to work the count, and shows discipline on pitches out of the strike zone. You can get him chasing fastballs up in the zone, but he’s pretty good at recognizing different pitch types and adjusting to pitches in mid-flight. Springer is not strictly a pull hitter and will use the entire field to his advantage.

One of the few weaknesses in Springer’s game comes from his swing-and-miss tendencies. He swings with tremendous intent and doesn’t get cheated at the plate. Of course, that will naturally lead to a lower contact rate. He should work on cutting down his swing and focusing on contact when he gets to two strikes.

Springer can also let his swing get long at times by taking too long to load up or by allowing his lead arm to bar itself, adding to the length it takes him to get the bat head into the hitting zone. Still, Springer improved his contact rate in 2011. He can catch up to pitches of any velocity. He has outstanding bat speed, which enables him to make hard contact. His bat speed plus his strength allows scouts to above average to plus power for Springer down the line.

*Credit to MLBdraftables

Springer starts his swing fairly tall in the box. He’s very quiet pre-swing, with his hands hovering very close to his body. He then starts his leg kick at the same time he loads his hands. He has to be careful not too collapse too much on his back leg when he does this.

Springer possesses plenty of loft on his swing, but can sometimes make high fastballs more difficult to catch up on. He allows the ball to travel deep into his hitting zone and then explodes on it.

Defensively, Springer gets good reads on balls off the bat. He has above average speed that allows him to cover plenty of ground despite his size. He would play well at any of the outfield positions. His arm strength grades out as above average overall.

Springer has very good instincts on the base paths. He reads the pitcher well, and will get good jumps as a result. This enabled him to steal 76 bases in 88 attempts, good for an 86% success rate in college.

Not only is Springer skilled as a player, but he’s a terrific intangibles guy as well. His hair on fire style of play is easy to root for. He’s a vocal and team leader and not somebody that blends in with the crowd.

Despite being a college-level player, Springer is still somewhat raw and will need a little time to develop as a player. However, the results that come of it could be well worth the wait.

Best Case Outcome – All Star quality outfielder who does a little bit of everything.

More Likely Outcome – Too soon to say.

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