Astros’ Matt Duffy is Playing Left-Field at Triple-A Fresno

Coming Soon to MMP, Now Playing Left Field for Your Houston Astros, Matt Duffy!

Houston Astros prospect Matt Duffy (his Astro link) has nothing left to prove at Triple-A following a season in which he won the Fresno MVP and made his debut with the Astros. When Evan Gattis returned, this meant the end of Duffy’s stink on the Astros for now. When he got to Triple-A, he found that Jon Singleton is playing first, Colin Moran is playing third, and the phenom A.J. Reed is the designated hitter.

Like in Houston, that leaves Duffy with no place to play in Fresno either, so he is making a position change for now, which could add to his value later for the Astros. He has started in left field for the Grizzlies. By playing left field, he could be leading himself to a super utility role similar to Marwin Gonzalez, minus being able to play the middle infield.

With the two million a year Singleton trying to find his swing again, he will get the nod at first base to generate trade value down the road. Hopefully, he can fill the promise of his ability, but he has been passed up again for the opening day roster for the second year in a row. Last year, it was was Chris Carter and this year it was Tyler White, who looks to be making a case to stay in the big leagues for a long time.

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Maybe the Astros get tired of Luis Valbuena‘s offense and decide to part ways with him in favor of the better on-base minor leaguer Moran, who is hitting for some power recently. While many feel that third base is being saved for Bregman, Moran can pull a White and force his way onto the Astros roster to stay. Speaking of White, he could have forced Reed to the designated hitter spot on the Astros down the road with his great start.

Duffy is not going to wow you at any one point of his game, but like White, he’s a hitter. He has flown under the radar in his entire time in the minors because he was not a top prospect for a while there. Like White again, Duffy kept hitting in the minors and forced his way on the roster towards the end of last year. By playing left field, he could add that extra dimension to his game that could make him more valuable for the Astros.

Next: Houston Astros: Strikeouts and Double Plays are Rally Killers

Don’t forget that the Astros will lose Carlos Gomez and possibly Colby Rasmus next year. With the corner infield slots seemingly filled, the team is looking to find a place for Duffy. He will be back at some point this year, or part of trade bait to land a player at the trade deadline. All he can do is adjust to playing the outfield and do what he does best, hit!