The Houston Astros are reportedly promoting last year’s number two draft pick to Triple-A Fresno following Tuesday’s Texas League All-Star game.
The Astros are 8-2 over their last ten, finally above .500, and really put a hurtin’ on the Kansas City Royals in two of their three games over the weekend. Even with things looking up for Houston, they themselves are still looking up at the AL West leading Texas Rangers, who hold a ten game lead in the division and 3.5 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the American League.
While none of this may have anything to do with the recent news that Alex Bregman will be headed to Fresno this week, it seems unlikely that the two aren’t at least in some way linked.
Source: Astros to send IF Alex Bregman and OF Teoscar Hernandez to Triple-A Fresno following Tuesday's Texas League All-Star Game.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 27, 2016
After a torrid start to the season in which he hit .340 with five homers in 13 April games, Bregman has cooled off in each of the past two months with averages of .309 and .261 and totaled nine homers. Even though he has slowed down, his 14 dingers still ranks third in the Texas League behind Oakland’s Matt Chapman (17) and Texas’ Ryan Cordell (15). Bregman is the youngest of the trio at just 22.
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While he was drafted as a shortstop, Bregman’s path to the big leagues is a bit blocked at that position at the moment, and for the next several years, by Carlos Correa. Because of this, the Astros have given Bregman some game experience playing third base this season, where free-agent-to-be Luis Valbuena is currently positioned. While Correa is immovable, Valbuena, hot streak and all, is anything but.
What has been most impressive about Bregman this season, aside from his gaudy power numbers in his first full season of pro ball, has been his command of the strike zone. He has more walks (42) than strikeouts (26) and is currently running with a wRC+ of 175 this season.
With this move, it looks as though the Astros are preparing Bregman for a September call-up at the latest. Last year they wanted to see how Correa adjusted to pitchers seeing him a second time, and the earliest that would happen with Fresno would be at the beginning of August when the Grizzlies travel to Las Vegas for a five-game series, following a home series against the 51’s towards the end of July.
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Leading up to next season Bregman could see some work in the outfield, potentially in left, with Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez set to hit free agency this winter.