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Houston Astros Spring Training: The Battle for Third Base
J.D. DAVIS
As top prospect lists and Spring Training previews continue to roll out, a question we’ve heard a lot lately is, “What about J.D. Davis?”
Taken out of Cal State-Fullerton 75th overall in the 2014 draft, the potential third-baseman-of-the-future has narrowly missed some top prospect lists. Baseball America put him 15th on the Astros’ 2015 list, and even after the Carlos Gomez, Scott Kazmir, and Ken Giles trades, Davis narrowly missed Baseball America’s 2016 Top 10 Astros Prospects list. The sudden abundance of third base prospects at Triple A and Double A do not exactly help his case either.
Davis had a great season with Class A Lancaster that saw him hit 26 home runs, drive in 101 runs, and slash .289/.370/.520 in 120 games. Davis has a plus arm but, not unlike many of the Astros’ third base prospects, scouts are skeptical of his defensive ability. And while his bat is considered his best tool, the California League is a very hitter-friendly environment.
Some older and more experienced prospects are already vying for third base at the big league level. In addition to his limited minor league experience, Davis will turn only 23 in April. The Astros do not benefit from prematurely rushing Davis to the Majors.
Despite Davis getting a Spring Training invite, the odds are heavily not in his favor. Expect him to debut in 2017 once the dust settles at third base.
Next: Our Prediction