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Houston Astros: Rookie of the Year Dynasty

By Colin Gay |
photo credit to Rich Guill (@QCBanditPhotog)
photo credit to Rich Guill (@QCBanditPhotog)
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Could the Houston Astros have a run of Rookie of the Year Award winners?

Feb 22, 2016; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa (1) walks out of the batting cage at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2016; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa (1) walks out of the batting cage at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Ever since the first of three consecutive 100 loss seasons in 2011, the Houston Astros have built for the future. General Manager Jeff Luhnow has helped build a minor league system from the ground up to become one of the best in baseball. In these past two seasons, those draft picks have turned into solid major league talent. Players such as Lance McCullers and George Springer are turning into important pieces in the Astros success.

One of the best examples of this is Carlos Correa, who in his first 99 games as a major leaguer became one of the most offensively talented shortstops in baseball. Correa, in his short time in an Astros uniform, became the offensive face of the team. This all led to him winning 2015 American League Rookie of the Year. With all the talent still left in the Astros minor league system, there is the potential for Astros rookies to win AL Rookie of the Year for the next three seasons. Here are three players who would complete the Astros’ dynasty in AL Rookie of the Year awards.

Next: 2016 Rookie of the Year?

2016 Rookie of the Year?

A.J. Reed circling the bases. Photo Credit by Tammy Tucker
A.J. Reed circling the bases. Photo Credit by Tammy Tucker /

A.J. Reed

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With the current hole at first base, Reed has hit his way into consideration for the starting job this spring. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Astros from the University of Kentucky, Reed would fit right in the middle of the lineup not only with the power in his bat but also with his ability to get on base. In his breakout season in 2015, Reed hit 34 home runs and drove in 127 runners while hitting .340 splitting time between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. What sets Reed apart, at least with his minor league numbers, is his ability to get on base along with his power. In 2015, Reed had an OPS of 1.044 with an on-base percentage of .432.

The Astros are hoping for this tremendous ability to translate at the big league level. If Reed is in the lineup come May with table-setters such as Jose Altuve, Springer, and Correa before him, he will have ample opportunities to be an offensive monster that will not only be noticed by Houston fans but by fans everywhere come October.

Next: 2017 Rookie of the Year?

2017 Rookie of the Year?

photo credit to Rich Guill (@QCBanditPhotog)
photo credit to Rich Guill (@QCBanditPhotog) /

Alex Bregman

The second overall pick of the 2015 MLB Draft, Bregman made a big impression in his three seasons at LSU. He had a career .337 average with a .923 OPS. As his career at LSU progressed, two areas of Bregman’s game progressed as well. First was his speed. He started his freshman year with 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts. The stolen base became more of a part of his game in his final season where he stole 38 bases in 48 tries.

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The second part of Bregman’s game that progressed was his power. His home run numbers may not be very impressive with 6, 6, and nine seasons in his three seasons at LSU. However if you look closer, his number of at-bats between home runs decreased from 47 in his freshman year to 28.9 in 2015.

His first year in the Astros organization was solid. Between Single-A Quad Cities and A+ Lancaster, Bregman hit .294 with a .781 OPS with four home runs and 34 RBIs. Drafted as a shortstop out of college and with Correa at that position for what seems like the long haul, Bregman will need to learn a new position, which people are guessing as third base, to get into the lineup. With the upside Bregman has, though, it won’t take much for him to be a solid force in the lineup sooner than later.

Next: 2018 Rookie of the Year?

2018 Rookie of the Year?

Daz Cameron

Cameron is a late bloomer when it comes to baseball. The son of veteran major leaguer Mike Cameron, success came to Daz early on when he started to play his junior year of high school. Cameron hit .421 in his career at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia. He has a career OPS of 1.350 including a staggering on-base percentage of .545.

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Cameron was the 37th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and went on to play Rookie ball for the GCL Astros and the Greenville Astros. His stats may not have jumped off the page in his first months in the Astros organization, hitting .251 with 0 home runs and 17 RBIs. However, what sets Cameron apart are two things.

First, his on-base percentage is still at a very high level with a .353 OBP compared to his .251 BA. The second and more impressive thing is his speed. In 53 career games in high school, Cameron stole 28 bases. In Rookie Ball, Cameron stole 24 bases in 34 attempts in his first 51 games. Cameron may take a bit longer to develop in this organization and his estimated time of arrival may not be as certain as other guys, but the tools are there for him to be a star.

Next: Houston Astros Spring Training: The Battle for Third Base

Those years of disappointing baseball in Houston seems to be coming to an end. These players have the potential to keep it that way for a long time. Let’s see if we can give the 90’s Dodgers a run at four (correction five, 1992-96) in a row.

**Stats from Baseball-Reference, The Baseball Cube (Bregman), Max Preps (Cameron)**

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