Right field wide open for the Astros

I’ll be honest, coming into the season, I was hoping Brian Bogusevic would show doubters wrong and become a regular MLB right fielder. Brian has a terrific arm, tons of power and a good eye at the plate while having a great story to tell. I was even quite upset at a recent demotion of Bogusevic to the Stros bench by Brad Mills but reality has begun to set in a bit. Not saying I’d bench him just yet but options might have to begin to be explored shortly. The Astros offense has been strong even without a good hitting right fielder but that needs to change. I’d like it to be Brian but reality is if he continues to struggle, someone else might need to be that guy.

The Astros have begun to incorporate Travis Buck more and more into the lineup and he has done well. He has provided some pop and played good defense in right which has afforded the Astros some liberties in playing him more and more. While that’s great and hopefully he’ll continue to produce, I’m not sure the Astros can rely on such a small sample size to make him the everyday guy. Justin Maxwell has also handled himself well after being a wavier claim and could be an intriguing option, like Buck, but also hard to see as the guy in right. Both deserve shots but the most intriguing option might still be Fernando Martinez, who is playing great ball in AAA. FMart is getting on base with power and is still only 23 years of age so he would fit nicely into the Astros rebuilding plan, unlike the older Buck or Maxwell. Martinez oozes with potential and has stayed healthy so far this season, if that continues, it might not be too long before we see him in Houston.

The best result for everyone involved is for Bogusevic to start hitting and become the player everyone had hoped for. The issue now is, how long do you wait for Brian to emerge into that hitter. Even though he has struggled immensely, the guy has shown the ability to get on base, which fits into the Stros strategy. The problem is the power we all expected hasn’t developed so far this season. It’s great that he can draw a walk but if he can’t begin to string more hits, hopefully extra bases, together with more regularly then that alone won’t save him. I would love to see Bogusevic bat lower in the order, creating less pressure and simply give him more time. I know it’s hard to ask for more time after the tough April and early May he’s had but if he doesn’t start to produce relatively soon even the most loyal supporters would have to start expecting a change.