Astros Need to Get Aggressive with Their Prospects Now

Houston Astros fans have waited a long time for this. The haven’t won more than 76 games in a season in 6 years, and have finished in last place the last three seasons. Astros’ General Manager, Jeff Luhnow has bided his time, apparently making the most of his draft picks the past few seasons.

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The Astros are currently the surprise of the 2015 season. Houston has the best record in entire American League, and sitting at 27-14, they hold a commanding 5.5 game lead over the second place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. The scary part is that this team could be better.

Luhnow and the Astros spent much of the last few seasons working the draft board and cultivating young top draft picks in the Minor Leagues. The Astros are now thriving, and some of those names are still in the Minor Leagues. The questions is, what are they waiting for?

Sure, I get the old adage that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but this is the time for the Astros to charge forward full steam ahead. Carlos Correa, No. 2 on the Grading on the Curve Top 50, and Domingo Santana, the Astros No. 3 prospect, appear to be ready to join the party. So why not let them contribute?

Domingo Santana is on an absolute tear for the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific Coast League. He extended his current hitting streak to 15 games behind a 2-home run game this past Tuesday. The 22-year old corner outfielder has been known to strikeout a bit too often, but this is an Astros lineup that features Chris Carter who redefines “high strike out rates” daily.

Colby Rasmus is playing just fine in left field, but could now be the time to establish the Astros’ outfield of the future? A Santana in left, Jake Marisnick in center, and George Springer in right with Preston Tucker ready on the bench is the dream outfield that Astros’ fans have been waiting for for some time. Why not accelerate that future to now? There are plenty of teams that would be interested in Rasmus’ veteran ability in their outfield.

Jed Lowrie was playing very well before hitting the DL with a thumb injury. Carlos Correa has been playing out of his mind. He was promoted to Triple-A a little over a week ago and has not skipped a beat. Now is the time to sneak him into Lowrie’s spot.

The Astros felt that Correa, the 20-year old shortstop drafted first overall in 2012, was too young and that they needed to see what he could do at the higher levels of Minor League Baseball. This year they started him in Double-A, the first time in his young career he would play above Class A ball. He lasted a mere 29 games before the Astros realized Correa was more than ready.

Correa slashed .385/.459/.726 for the Corpus Christi Hooks in his 29 game stint in Double-A, presumably the only 29 games he will ever play at that level. He smashed 7 home runs, driving in 32 while going a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases. After sealing up two Texas League Player of the Week Awards in less than a month, Correa jumped to Triple-A.

Not much has changed at Fresno. Correa is slashing .316/.357/.500 and hit his first Triple-A home run this past Tuesday. What else do the Astros need to see from him?

Marwin Gonzalez? Jonathan Villar? These are the plug-and-plays that the Astros are currently using to fill the void of Lowrie at shortstop. The time is now for Correa. Gonzalez and Villar are quality bench and role players, but starters they are not. Get Correa in there now, and when Lowrie — who has experience at shortstop, second and third base — returns the Astros have a veteran presence who can become the super utility player needed to make a playoff run. 

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I do understand one side of the argument that what the Astros have going on in Houston is currently working. They are winning games behind strong pitching (which is why now may be the time to trade Mark Appel, but that is a story for another time!) and quality, timely hitting. It allows names like Correa and Santana the time to fine tune their skills and be Major League ready the second the get the call.

The other side of the coin, however, is that this is precisely what the Astros have been patiently waiting for for more than half of a decade. These high draft picks and big time trade acquisitions (Santana came over in the Hunter Pence deal) were brought on board to help turn around the franchise and contend for a title. Now that the Astros seem poised to do just that, Correa and Santana aren’t providing much help in the Minors.

The Astros aren’t a team that had a few bad down years while they rebuilt. It has been a full decade since this team has seen the playoffs and 7 years since they had a winning record. The Astros need to put the pedal to the metal and not hold back. Their fans and team have long awaited their time for a contender, and the additions of Correa and Santana could make them AL West favorites by a large margin.