Houston Astros: Will Tyler White be next year’s primary DH?

The Houston Astros have experimented with Evan Gattis as the primary designated hitter, and it worked for essentially two of the past five months. But Tyler White might be the club’s best option in that position.

Houston Astros fans are aware of Evan Gattis’s haphazard hot and cold streaks. And the former catcher’s presence in the clubhouse matches – possibly even surpasses – his production on the field.

Yet, there are reasons to believe Houston’s front office won’t re-sign the veteran during this offseason. First baseman Tyler White is one of them.

Prior to this season, the 27-year-old seemed nothing more than a lower-tier prospect that flamed out after a strong hitting surge in the beginning of 2016. His numbers at the MLB level supported that until now.

Since the All-Star break, White ranks fourth among players with more than 100 plate appearances in OPS and third in slugging. If White accrued enough at-bats to qualify, he would have a chance to rank in the top five in those categories across the entire season.

Of course, the Houston hitter didn’t showcase much promise prior to the All-Star Game. Otherwise, he might have been slotted as the designated hitter much sooner.

Gattis, who set a franchise record with 30 RBIs in one month earlier this year, endured another lackluster stretch throughout August. The 32-year-old had just nine hits across 52 at-bats, three of which were home runs.

Nevertheless, Astros fans may have expected it, as he struggled early in the season. As the primary designated hitter, Gattis sports a career-worst batting average and nearly a career-worst OPS.

Of course, Houston kept him in the lineup throughout much of the year because he can provide clutch hits. He also offers a veteran bat in the middle of the order.

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However, White’s overall numbers are more superior, even though he has less than 200 plate appearances. And the Astros infielder has improved mightily offensively.

White makes medium or hard contact against opposing pitchers 75 percent of the time. He’s an even deadlier hitter at home, as he walks in nearly 16 percent of his at-bats and owns an absurd 1.244 OPS in Houston.

While his numbers away from home are still respectable, his strikeout percentage is 10 percent higher than it is at home. Also, his average and slugging percentage are more moderate at .273 and .485, respectively.

The Astros can search for a feared hitter to place in the primary designated hitter spot, but White might remain the guy even after this season. Several options are enticing, although many won’t likely garner the team’s attention.

Guys like Mark Reynolds, Nelson Cruz and Carlos Gonzalez all would warrant one-year deals essentially. Of course, each of the three are past their prime.

There are more valuable players, like Michael Brantley and Josh Donaldson, but they will cost too much money and are injury-prone.

At this point, Houston can play it safe in the offseason and focus more on the vacancies in the starting rotation and maybe a replacement for Marwin Gonzalez.

With White, as well as other prospects on the cusp of promotion, the Astros don’t need to spend an immense amount for someone that won’t be in the field.