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Houston Astros Top 2016 Prospects Honored

By Danny Cagen

Aug 18, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (59) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (59) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the Houston Astros’ top 2016 prospects, Alex Bregman and Joe Musgrove proved they can play with the big boys.

Over the last couple of years, due to years of futility, the Houston Astros were able to stockpile prospects. They did this through the draft and strategic trades.  We have been able to see the fruits of those laborious campaigns with the rises to stardom of Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and George Springer.

For the 2016 Houston Astros, the latest crop to earn their stripes includes the shortstop turned third baseman, Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Joseph Musgrove.

For their contributions, MLB Pipeline were christened as the Houston Astros’ top 2016 prospects.

The future is here

As the 2nd overall pick in the 2015 draft, Bregman catapulted his way through the minor leagues through to his MLB debut on July 25, 2016.

Destroying Double-A and Triple-A Minor League pitching to the tune of a .306 batting average with 20 home runs and 61 RBI’s. Bregman’s ceiling has always been through the roof.

As his natural position was at shortstop, he quickly adapted and moved to third base. This move was thanks to the other Astros top prospect, Carlos Correa.

Bregman was slow out of the gate, getting just one hit in his first 38 at-bats. However, he came around nicely to hit .325. He also mashed seven home runs and 25 RBI’s in his final 125 at-bats in the 2016 campaign.

With his incredible Minor League numbers and his maturation into the Major club, Bregman was also awarded as the 2016 Prospect of the Year.

Together, with Correa and Altuve, the infield is due to wreak havoc on the league for years to come.

Pitching, pitching, pitching

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Thanks to a slew of injuries to plague the Houston Astros’ rotation, Musgrove got his start on August 2 in a start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Through some ups and downs of his 11 starts with the Astros, Musgrove has proven he can pitch in an American League rotation. He proved it to the tune of a 4-4 record with 55 strikeouts and a respectable 4.06 ERA.

Musgrove pitched his best start on September 26 in a crucial must-win game against the LA Angels to keep their playoff hopes alive.

As part of an ailing rotation. Musgrove was able to create some stability with the likes of Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers out for months of the season.

The anticipation is that Musgrove will compete for a rotation spot this spring for this vaunted 2017 Houston Astros.

Next: Astros Need to Show Us the Money in 2017

2017 can be the Houston Astros year! As one of the youngest teams in the league,  Bregman and Musgrove have thrown themselves into a very competitive team with championship aspirations.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***