Houston Astros Top Prospects Part 3: (#10

7th Best Astro Prospect

Feb 26, 2015; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros infielder Colin Moran poses for a picture during photo day at Osceola County Stadium Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

#6 Colin Moran– 3rd Base (Stock decreased, #4 in 2014)

Rumors prior to the 2013 draft were that the Astros liked Colin Moran so much, that they considered taking him with the number one overall pick ahead of Appel. This could explain why they traded one of their top young pitchers Jarred Cosart to get Moran and Jake Marisnick. Jeff Luhnow is a smart guy, and he realizes that the Astros have hitters with high strikeout percentages such as George Springer, Jon Singleton, Chris Carter, Evan Gattis, and Jason Castro. In Colin Moran, the Astros will have a player who makes hard contact but won’t strike out at the alarming rate of some of his peers.

The report on the draft by Nathaniel Stoltz gives some insight into why Moran’s strikeout percentage in college was so low. “Much of the credit is owed to his natural hand-eye coordination and contact-based approach. Despite his natural strength and power potential, Moran doesn’t swing for the fences, focusing on making hard contact and letting the deep fly balls come naturally through backspin.”

The player that best compares to Colin Moran to is Galveston native Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. While Carpenter is a second baseman playing third, his numbers are what Colin Moran could contribute to the Astros.

2014 Stats: .296/ 7 HR/ 55 RBI/ 1 SB

Affiliate Starting in 2015: Double-A Corpus Christi’s starting third baseman.

MLB Pipeline ETA: 2015

Ceiling: Matt Carpenter

Floor: Josh Harrison

Position blocker: Jed Lowrie

Next: Conclusion

Houston Astros Top Prospects Part 3: (#10 – #6)

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