Jonathan Singleton Set To Return Today

A day all Astros fans have been waiting for and anticipating is finally here. Today is May 28th, 2013, otherwise known as “Jonathan Singleton Day”. Jonathan Singleton will be playing tonight in his first action since being suspended 50 games for his second violation of MLB’s drug policy. Singleton will make his debut tonight with the Low Single-A team, the Quad-Cities RiverBandits.

The 27th rated prospect by MLB.com, Singleton is expected to play in a few games at Quad Cities. General Manager Jeff Luhnow, said the Astros are sending him there as a reward, since this is the first year the RiverBandits have been affiliated with the Astros. Singleton, 21, will likely be joining a lineup with top Astros prospects such as Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz, which should be exciting for all Astros fans. Luhnow said he expects Singleton to be given a few games/week(s), before jumping levels. After Quad Cities, Singleton is expected to head to Corpus Christi, though it’s possible he makes a stop at Lancaster. Once at Corpus Christi, Singleton will likely play several games with the Hooks before he heads to OKC. Fans should be excited when he is with the Hooks, as it’s possible you will be seeing two of our best future hitters (George Springer and Singleton) in the lineup at Corpus Christi.

Singleton is expected to do well with both the RiverBandits and the Hooks. The last time Singleton was in Low-A was with the Phillies organization in 2010. At Lakewood, Singleton hit .290 with 14 home runs as an 18 year old. Last year for the Hooks, Singleton hit .284 with a .396 OBP and .893 OPS (21 HR) in 461 at-bats. Once he finishes up at Corpus Christi, Singleton will be in Oklahoma City, and I expect his arrival there to be  no later than mid-to-late June.

Even with the 50-game suspension announced heading into the season, Singleton was considered a top 35 prospect in all of baseball by most experts. Besides being ranked 27th by MLB.com, he was also ranked 25th (Baseball Prospectus), 27th (Baseball America), 28th (Scout.com/Fox Sports), and 32nd (ESPN). Singleton is often mentioned as either the best or second best prospect in the Astros organization (Carlos Correa). The thing that separates him from the other prospects in the Astros organization, is that he is likely the most MLB-ready. Any Astros fans that are looking for hope in the future should look no farther, as so far, Jonathan Singleton has proven to be the real deal, and will hopefully continue his ascent towards the majors this year.

ETA: If Singleton continues where he left off this spring (2 HR, 6 RBI, 15 at-bats), he may get a late July/Early August call-up. Otherwise, many fans and scouts believe he will be up as a September call-up.

If you are an Astros fan on Twitter, let’s try and get #JonathanSingletonDay trending on Twitter in Houston, and maybe even everywhere!

You can follow me @YoniPollak, as I tweet updates from Jonathan Singleton’s day, as well as both the Major League Astros and Minor League Astros almost every day and night!