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Houston Astros: Keep A.J. Reed in Triple-A!

By Colin Gay

Mar 5, 2016; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros first baseman A.J. Reed (80) lays in the outfield before a spring training baseball game against the New York Mets at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros first baseman A.J. Reed (80) lays in the outfield before a spring training baseball game against the New York Mets at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Option 2:

Mar 21, 2016; Melbourne, FL, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Jon Singleton (21) reacts after striking out in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Space Coast Stadium. The Washington Nationals won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Melbourne, FL, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Jon Singleton (21) reacts after striking out in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Space Coast Stadium. The Washington Nationals won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

Call up Jon Singleton. Platoon Singleton versus left-handers, Tyler White versus right-handers

Both White and Singleton have struggled at the major league level for the Astros. Both were called up to the majors out of desperation and were up too soon. Their offensive performance showed that. However, they are still young players trying to figure out major league pitching. This platoon would definitely be temporary and probably be more of a try out for other teams looking for a first baseman, especially with Singleton.

Numbers wise, White has been better against right-handed pitching. That is how Hinch was using him originally. In 105 at bats, White is hitting .238 with a with a .725 OPS. He loses a little bit of home run power with only three against right-handers but gains more extra base power with all of his eight doubles coming against them.

Kind of the same thing for Singleton. In his longer stint with the Astros in 2014, the left-hander hitter hit .247 against his left-handed counterpart. His OPS was 199 points higher and struck out at a lesser rate against southpaws.

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The main reason for this platoon is to keep getting both White and Singleton major league at bats to improve on their struggles. Yes, that is difficult on a team with playoff bound expectations, but with Astros first baseman in the lower third in the majors in first base production, it wouldn’t change much. More importantly, it would give Reed the opportunity to come up and try in produce when rosters expand in September.

***Statistics provided by Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, MLB.com, and MILB.com***

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