One of the biggest surprises in baseball this season has been the Houston Astros. After spending the past few seasons as an also-ran, the Astros suddenly find themselves in playoff contention, currently slotted as the second Wild Card after leading the American League West for most of the season. It seems as though Jeff Luhnow’s plan has come to fruition, perhaps earlier than even he expected.
Even with the Astros hot start, they are still a flawed team. The Astros have potential needs at designated hitter, first base and center field. While the Astros are looking to address these issues at the trade deadline, their possible quest for three hitters, as well as a possible upgrade in their starting rotation, may simply be far too much to reasonably accomplish.
With the Astros likely needing to find at least one of these upgrades internally, the speculation is that Jon Singleton will likely get another chance to prove that he can be a major league player. However, even with the plethora of outfielders that could be available, the Astros may be better off with an internal option, such as Brett Phillips.
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With Carlos Correa having been promoted to the majors, Phillips currently finds himself as the Houston Astros top prospect. Possessing an intriguing blend of speed and power, Phillips has posted a stellar .312/.371/.550 batting line with 15 home runs and 13 stolen bases across two levels this season. It is easy to see why he would be considered a part of the Astros future.
Even though he has played in only 19 games at the AA level, that future could come as soon as this season. Phillips has posted a solid .282/.341/.410 batting line with five stolen bases. While he has yet to hit a home run, Phillips has seven extra base hits with four doubles and three triples in his 78 at bats.
Given his limited experience at even the AA level, it may seem like a promotion to the major leagues would be far too soon for Brett Phillips. However, he has acquitted himself relatively well at Corpus Christi thus far. Should Phillips be able to continue this performance over the next two weeks, and the Astros are unable to locate that bat in the outfield, it might make sense to give him a look.
Brett Phillips is expected to play a large part in the Houston Astros future. It could be that the future will come a lot sooner than expected.