Houston Astros: Who should get the 26th roster spot?

Drew Ferguson

Ferguson has been in the Astros system since he was a 22-year-old freshly drafted out of Belmont. After being taken in the 19th round of the 2015 draft, all he has done is hit. Through five minor league seasons, he has managed a .845 OPS with 46 long balls and 92 stolen bases.

Ferguson is unlike anyone else on this list as he is only an outfielder, but is very capable of playing all three outfield positions. He has logged more than 1,000 innings in center and left field while only being 55 innings short of the millennium mark in right field. As a center fielder, his range factor lines him up as a comparable defender to Vernon Wells or Shane Victorino.

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Ferguson hasn’t hit worse than .275 in any of his full minor league seasons. Regardless of how well he has hit and fielded in the minors, the Astros do have one of the most stacked outfields already with major-league talent not having room to play every day as is.

Ferguson is the longest of long shots to make the team out of Spring Training, as he isn’t on the 40-man roster and he plays positions that are already filled by All-Stars. However, with 27 stolen bases in Triple-A last year, he could be a threat on the basepaths or pinch-run in late innings to help pick up a win. He could be an MLB-level player for many teams in the league, but unfortunately for him, he has the Hoover Dam in front of him on the organizational depth chart.

One could make a strong argument for any of these seven players. A strong argument could be made for many others in the organization as well. The good news is that the Astros have enough depth at multiple positions to sustain injuries and make another strong run during the 2020 season. If you have a player in mind who would make the perfect 26th man, let us know and leave us a comment below! Here’s to looking forward to 2020!