Jay Austin, the Astros 2nd Round Draftee from the 2008 Draft, really struggled last year at Greeneville (R) (he hit .198 in 212 abs...ouch). His struggles continued this year, as he hit only .191 in April and .247 in May for Lexington. However, he's really begun to pick it up in June and July. Here's a quick look at his progression.

April: .191 average, 5 CS vs. 2 SB, .267 OBP, .250 SLG

May: .247 average, 3 CS vs. 6 SB, .291 OBP, .299 SLG

June: .311 average, 3 CS vs. 6 SB, .364 OBP, .426 SLG

July: .588 average, 1 CS vs. 1 SB, .611 OBP, 1.000 SLG

While the July #s are a small sample (4 games), his growth is undeniable. I think the best sign has to be the increase in OBP, which shows that he's also taking walks along as collecting hits. It'll be interesting to see how he finishes, but right now his #s are the following:

.272 avg (season-high), 14 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 19 BB, 48 Ks, 15 SB vs. 12 CS, .324 OBP, .366 SLG

Obviously these numbers could use some improvement, but they are markedly better than earlier this season, which I think we Astros fans should take as a great sign of a young, raw player making huge strides.