When the entire Houston Astros outfield hit free agency in the offseason we all wondered what the team would do to address it. The answer was, nothing. The Astros chose to let George Springer and Josh Reddick walk, while bringing back Michael Brantley. Springer was too expensive, the chances of him returning were always slim. His power and presence in the leadoff spot (especially now that Jose Altuve stopped hitting again) are sorely missed this year.
The time had come for Reddick to move on, in fact, he had outstayed his welcome in the Bayou City. A reunion with Uncle Mike was a welcome sight and he is rewarding the Astros by hitting close to .330 and leading the team in doubles.
As for the rest of the outfield, the Astros were set on allowing the youth movement to sink or swim. One month into the season, they are barely treading water.
The current outfield is not getting the job down, leaving the Houston Astros searching for answers. Enter Ronnie Dawson.
Chas McCormick, hitting .160. Myles Straw, hitting .227 with no home runs. Kyle Tucker has five home runs, but he’s hitting .183. Tucker isn’t going anywhere, though this famed prospect is no longer a prospect and not breaking out. Straw is not an everyday player. He has speed, that’s about all he has. McCormick, who was a surprise addition to the postseason roster last season, before even appearing in the Majors, can not be trusted as the fourth outfielder at this point in his career.
The lack of foresight by management to have a backup plan in the outfield tells me they are not interested in making a trade or bringing in a veteran at this point. All this to say, a replacement is going to have to come from within.
Get Ronnie Dawson on the first Uber from Sugar Land and put him in the lineup. Dawson is a former second round pick who is about to turn 26 years old. He struggled to hit for average in 2019 at AA-Corpus Christi, though he did smack 17 home runs. If his brief call-up earlier in the year while a handful of Astros were in COVID protocol, Dawson showed a lot of vigor and hustle, albeit in just six plate appearances.
Dawson can play all of the outfield positions and provides more pop in the bat than both Straw and McCormick. Aside from Brantley, the production from the outfield has been putrid thus far. Getting some fresh blood and a jolt of energy in the lineup is what the Astros need right now.
Is Ronnie Dawson the long term answer? No. Neither are Chas McCormick or Myles Straw, either. Until the Astros commit to an established player, I’d rather Dawson get those at-bats than the other guys they have been running out there.