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Astros: Abraham Toro due for breakout season in 2020

By Brian Murray

HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 29: Abraham Toro #13 of the Houston Astros hits his first MLB home run in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on August 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 29: Abraham Toro #13 of the Houston Astros hits his first MLB home run in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on August 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Abraham Toro had a less than stellar debut with the Astros in his late-season call-up, but this could be the year he shows that he belongs in the Majors.

The Astros called up Abraham Toro on August 22 of last season and he stayed with the team for the remainder of the year. His first taste of the big leagues had its ups and downs. But the 23-year-old Canadian showed flashes of what he’s capable of bringing to the table and a glimpse of what a bright future he could have here in Houston.

Toro started out a little slow slashing .200/.333/.320 with one home run in his first seven games. He heated up quite a bit the next eight games hitting .308/.379/.654 including 1 HR, 2 2Bs, and 2 3Bs. Unfortunately, in his final 10 appearances of the season, Toro went into a slump and slashed just .148/.200/.185 with just one extra-base hit. His final line for the 25 games for 2019 was .218/.303/.385 with an OPS of .688.

As you can see, Toro’s Major League experience was somewhat of a rollercoaster ride and that can be expected for a youngster with just over three years of Minor League experience under his belt. But his Minor League career has been a quick and steady climb up the Astros organization improving every year.

Last season, Toro started out at the AA level and posted a .306/.393/.513 slash line with 16 homers and 22 doubles in 98 games. He apparently wasn’t intimidated by the jump to AAA ball in August, as he hit .424/.506/.606 and carried a 1.112 OPS. He was justly rewarded for his success when the Astros named him their 2019 Minor League Player of the Year and also received the Canadian Offensive Minor League Player of the Year by the Canadian Baseball Network.

Toro is a versatile player behind the plate and out in the field on defense. He bats both right-handed and left-handed, making him the only switch hitter on the Astros current 40-man roster. On the defensive side, most of his experience is at third base, but he does have experience at second and first, and he even caught behind the plate in 15 games in the minors.

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Spring training is just around the corner with full-squad workouts beginning on Feb. 17 and then five days later they’ll play their first Grapefruit League game against the World Champion Washington Nationals. I know we’re all excited for it all to get started and Abraham Toro is one of the players I’m going to keep my eye on.