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The MLB trade deadline came and went, and the Houston Astros did nothing to solve the void at first base. So in order to give the roster a boost, Astros GM Dana Brown may have to dip into the organization's farm system.
Brown acknowledged the Astros' inability to land a quality bat at last week's deadline. Houston's top decision maker cited the seller's market and sky-high price tags as the chief reasons the Astros failed to upgrade first base.
But the Astros do have some talented infielders down on the farm. Both Zach Dezenzo and Shay Whitcomb are ranked among the Top 30 prospects in the Astros' pipeline according to MLB.com, and recent lineup adjustments with the team's Triple-A affiliate signal that one or both players could be ticketed for a call-up sooner rather than later.
Astros prospects Zach Dezenzo and Shay Whitcomb could be on their way to Houston shortly
Neither Dezenzo nor Whitcomb are first basemen by trade. The Astros selected Dezenzo as a shortstop (who could also play third base) out of Ohio State University in the 2022 MLB Draft, and Whitcomb spent his time at UC-San Diego as a shortstop as well.
Since joining the Astros organization, Dezenzo has started just 20 games at first base, with his five starts this season coming since July 26th. As for Whitcomb, the former fifth-round draft pick has just one start at first base since joining the Astros' organization back in 2020. That lone start came last weekend.
GM Dana Brown told the team's pregame radio show @AstrosRadioMLB the Astros could call up a player from the minors to join their first base mix down the stretch. Brown mentioned Zach Dezenzo and Shay Whitcomb as possibilities.
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) August 4, 2024
It's obvious to anyone who's paying attention that Brown and the Astros front office are preparing both Dezenzo and Whitcomb for a position change — at least for the remainder of this season. It's conceivable, with Alex Bregman likely to leave via free agency this winter, that both Dezenzo and Whitcomb could be part of the Astros starting infield on Opening Day next season.
Denzenzo is hitting .391/.472/.739 in 11 games at Triple-A Sugar Land this season and Whitcomb has a .937 OPS and 24 home runs in 100 games with the Space Cowboys in 2024. With Yandy Diaz still in Tampa, Brown will likely turn the keys to first base over to one of the Astros' young prospects.