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Houston Astros Position Battle With Singleton and Marisnick

By Eric Huysman

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The future of the Houston Astros is Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Jon Singleton among others. However, the future for two of those players appears to not be the present. Even though Carlos Correa has played really well this spring, he is ticketed for AA Corpus Christi when the season starts. The other player seems to be Jon Singleton.

What is Singleton’s Opening Day Status?

While Singleton has not been given the pink slip yet, some comments and articles seem to be given hints that he might be ticketed for AAA.

Below is a quote from Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart from Astros hope to finalize roster by end of camp.

"“Dominguez, the Astros’ starting third baseman the previous two years, has taken up at first base as well as he battles with Gregorio Petit, Singleton and Villar for the backup infield spot.”"

Jon Singleton started off spring training on a hot streak, where it seems like he was hitting a double in each game he played in. However, similar to what he did when he made his MLB debut last summer, he has cooled off a little.

However, McTaggart enunciates that Singleton is fighting for a backup infield position. Could McTaggart have really meant to put Marwin Gonzalez in that sentence instead of Singleton? Not sure, but reporters aren’t supposed to make mistakes, right?

What Factors are Affecting Singleton?

Mar 8, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Jake Marisnick (6) at bat against the Detroit Tigers at a spring training baseball game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

What to do with Jon Singleton has been a topic all offseason, and especially with the Astros management pushing to get Marisnick’s glove into the everyday lineup. With Colby Rasmus, Marisnick, and George Springer in the outfield, the Astros have no place to put both Evan Gattis and Chris Carter in the designated hitter slot.

Scouts are really high on the Jake Marisnick, as clear by Jon Heyman’s tweet above saying that if he hits .260, he will be a star with the Astros. The Astros already have a great defender in centerfield in Colby Rasmus, but they still want Marisnick in centerfield.

Marisnick is not all about the defense either, he has great speed and could potentially bat in the .270’s with consistent playing time. He is not a power hitter, but has shown some pop this spring with some adjustments in his swing. Was listening to the game broadcast for today’s game, and they were talking about how Marisnick’s swing was prohibiting the power. So hopefully this will be a change that helps Marisnick and Astros take the next step.

What about First Base?

Chris Carter would be the obvious choice for first base, but who else would backup him up at first base. Singleton most likely won’t be with the Astros unless he is the starter, so he most likely will be in AAA trying to regain his mojo. This might give someone like Matt Dominguez a chance to make the team, because of his ability to play first base. Jon Singleton did not woo the Astros with his defense last year, so the errors that Carter would make would probably be offset by the Singleton errors that would be made anyway.

Jon Singleton is still the future of the Astros, but they don’t want to let him become the David Carr of baseball. The Astros don’t want to put Singleton in a position where he will continue to struggle, and then he will never reach his full potential. Singleton has the ability, he just has to work his way back to the success that he had prior to his MLB debut last season.

Next: Astros Draft Targets: Michael Matuella

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