2015 TCB Astros March Madness: A.J. Reed vs. Domingo Santana

Just a reminder; voting will stay open for 24 hours for each of these match-ups, and there will be two match-ups per day. For a complete breakdown, check out the introductory post if you haven't already. Here's a link to the first round's wrap up post (wherein you'll find the updated bracket) if you need it. Get those votes in while you can!

Round Two, Match Eleven

A.J. Reed, 1B

Now you’re playing with power! Reed has as much as anyone in the system not named Telvin Nash, yet unlike Nash, Reed is a polished hitter who figures to rise through the ranks pretty quickly. His .233 ISO in his professional debut was a great start. His ceiling appears to be Lance Berkman (walks, power, good average, and little else), but even if he doesn’t make it all the way there, the OPS should carry him enough to be a solid DH. Of note; winning the Golden Spikes award, as Reed did, has been a virtual ticket to MLB success at an incredible rate. -- Brian Stevenson

VS.

Domingo Santana, OF

Santana turned 22 years old in August - a little over a month after his MLB debut. The 6’5" Dominican outfielder is easily one of the toolsiest players in the system, but some have questioned whether those tools have sufficiently translated to baseball skills. In Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2014, Santana continued to do what he’s done his entire minor league career: Take walks, hit for power, and strike out at a prodigious rate. It must be remembered that he’s still very young, but he’ll need to learn to handle breaking pitches better and improve his overall contact rates if he’s going to be counted on to be a productive major league player. -- Anthony Boyer