Astros Spring Notes: Young Players Continue to Impress

The Astros projected Opening Day roster doesn’t have much room for up-and-coming players from the minor leagues this year.

When you ponder upon the subject, the Astros turnaround over the past five years is quite impressive. Not all rebuilds are guaranteed to produce the talent that Houston have been blessed with in recent years.

A byproduct of the team actually being in a competitive position is the lack of available roster spots. For example, Colin Moran has generated attention with his quality at-bats in Spring Training. The former Tar Heel product has posted an 1.152 OPS thus far in Florida.

The same train of thought accompanies A.J. Reed. And Reed’s future, in particular, has been a point of debate amongst Astros fans.

On the pitching side, Jandel Gustave has been effective in relief. This is evident by his 1.80 ERA in five innings. David Paulino is another pitcher to watch. Heck, Michael Feliz is another pitcher who may be on the outside looking in come Opening Day.

Despite their impressive Spring Training results thus far, there multiple young players that are unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. The cold reality of the Astros roster today is this simple truth: a good showing in Spring Training isn’t enough to make it anymore.

We always knew that a competitive Astros team would mean that talented players would be left off the roster despite positive results. There are even some players who will likely never be major league regulars in Houston. Their best chance for success may lie elsewhere.

A prime candidate for this school of thought is Moran.

The former Miami Marlin farmhand is blocked at the major league level at third base by Alex Bregman. Carlos Correa occupies shortstop, which is Bregman’s natural position. Not to mention that Marwin Gonzalez can also play third in a split second if the situation arises. Unless Moran can expand his versatility, I’m afraid that there isn’t much room for him in the Astros future plans. At this point in time anyway.

Next: Astros Spring Notes; The First Round of Roster Cuts

Pay attention to these young players though as the unexpected injuries can take place at any moment. And these guys would be the next in line. The Astros are fortunate to have this kind of depth. Only time will tell if the youngsters will be used in the near future.

**Statistics courtesy of MLB.com**