2015 TCB Astros March Madness: George Springer vs. Luis Valbuena

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

Round Three, Match Four

George Springer, OF

After scuffling badly in April after being initially called up, Springer exploded by posting a 1.032 OPS in May and following it up with an .824 OPS in June. Though his season ended prematurely due to injury in July, the statement had been made. Even if he never improves past what he showed in his rookie campaign, he figures to be a 30-30 player with plus defense anywhere in the outfield he plays. Strike outs may well hold him back from being elite, but it seems a near foregone conclusion that he'll be a solid regular player at very worst. -- Brian Stevenson

VS.

Luis Valbuena, 3B

The pain of losing Dexter Fowler was lessened when it was learned that fan-favorite Valbuena was part of the return. A man squeezed out by the third base depth chart in Chicago, Valbuena will get the lion's share of the playing time in Houston, if not all of it, as his above-average glove, good walk rate, and double-digit home run power should provide a nice upgrade after Matt Dominguez posted the worst wRC+ of any full-time third sacker in 2014. -- Brian Stevenson