Astros’ Stud Prospect Bregman Hit by Pitch in Head, but is okay!

Like Reed, the Astros are willing to wait on Bregman!

The Houston Astros were able to draft Alex Bregman from the LSU Tigers because they failed to sign Brady Aiken the year before with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft. There are so many expectations and hope implanted on this young player, but he tends to wear it with confidence and humor. There are some expectations that he will make his debut in 2016 with the Astros, but there was a scary moment in Monday night’s Hooks game.

In the eighth inning of the Hooks game versus the  San Antonio Missions, Bregman was hit by a pitch on the helmet by Yimmi Brasoban, sending shock waves through the Astros organization. Bregman was able to walk off the field on his own accord, and the Hooks staff didn’t think it was that big a deal. He did leave the game for a pinch hitter, but it was mostly precautionary to be on the safe side.

All Astros’ fans eyes are on Bregman as he could be the next player to have a Carlos Correa type impact. Many people were relieved the night of, but some people might have raised some eyebrows with Bregman not in the Hooks’ lineup last night, but Bregman sent out a Tweet that stated that he was fine. It made sense to give Bregman a day off following being hit by the pitch, but his playing days with the Hooks could be numbered.

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According to Angel Verdejo, Luhnow said, “But right now, the team’s playing well and we don’t have a need at a position that he’s playing, so right now we’re going to keep him playing in the minor leagues.” This echoes the point I made in my post yesterday, the Astros are playing well and don’t have a place for Bregman especially with Correa at shortstop.

This brings up the age-old question, who is the shortstop of the future, Correa or Bregman? We talked to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline about this on Talking Stros, and he is a big Bregman believer. However, he feels that Correa could be the better shortstop for now, and you wouldn’t move your star player to a different position for a rookie.

However, Luhnow seems to think that Bregman will report to Triple-A following starting in the Double-A All-Star Game on June 28th. Luhnow seems content to seen Bregman to Triple-A, see how he handles the pitching and get him some more reps at third base. However, there is an overabundance of corner infielders at Fresno right now, all trying to get playing time. I will be shocked if he remains at Double-A.

The Astros don’t need him at this moment, but an injury or slump could change their mind. They might give Matt Duffy or Colin Moran a shot first, but neither has proved much in 2016 at the major league level. Callis seems to think that Bregman can come up now, but Jeremy Booth of Program 15 believes that he is not ready.

Next: Astros: Have Plans Changed With A.J. Reed?

With Luis Valbuena heating up and them wanting to give Danny Worth an extended look, Bregman will most likely play in the minors for a little longer. When he comes up, the Astros will want him to stay up. Glad he is okay following being hit, but Hooks’ fans, his days playing for you are numbered.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***