TCB Top 30: Positional Breakdown

Yesterday I discussed how the pitching depth is still quite deep. Truth is that the Astros still have depth in other positions. So, today we're going to look at each position and how it faired.

Catcher

Tyler Heidemann, Jamie Ritchie, and Max Stassi are the only three to make the list and all three are in the bottom half of the list. That's not a lot, but it's usually a pretty thin position across baseball for top prospects because it's so rare to have a catcher with who is a threat offensively and is solid behind the plate. So, this isn't abnormal.

The loss of Jacob Nottingham hurts in that he was really the only one with high end potential. The rest are solid role types. Guys who can play the position very well due to defense but aren't going to the ones to create runs. Although, the Astros seem to like those.

Unless you count Tyler White and the potential catching experiment....

First Base

This is a tough one to count. A.J. Reed and Chase McDonald are the main ones. Then there's White who is mostly a first baseman and Matt Duffy who is most likely one as well. McDonald is a Chris Carter type masher with high strikeouts and was a surprise to me as a top thirty. The Duff Man makes it because of his potential to play in the majors this season but is not a star and has a slim chance to be a regular. The others have a lot going for them with Reed carrying star potential. While White carries everyday potential but not a star.

Second Base

Tony Kemp....nuff said.

Third Base

We discussed Tyler White and Matt Duffy already. But, the real attraction at this position is Colin Moran and J.D. Davis. Both are not studs defensively but both carry a stick, in different ways. Moran carries a very good bat to ball skills and the ability to knock a few home runs and several doubles. Davis lacks the bat to ball skills of Moran but has the power that Moran lacks.

Shortstop

There's three on this list and there's no way that it'll ever carry the same star level as last year's did with Carlos Correa. However, it carries the high floor of Alex Bregman which is a nice addition. But, it also has Miguelangel Sierra and Jonathan Arauz which carries a lot of upside and risk. They are both extremely young and extremely far away, but the tools are there.

It's not a very deep position since you usually try to have a lot of short stops that eventually move off position, but the position is pretty set for the near future.

Outfield

I almost wrote about this group for yesterday because there is a high number on the list with lots of potential. There are eight in our top thirty and an argument can be made for nine considering how much Kemp played out there last season. There's a little bit of everything in this group.

Dan Cameron and Kyle Tucker carry the fresh upside as recent high school draft picks. Tucker with the upside of an All-Star right-fielder and Cameron as a possible above-average center-fielder. Nestor Muriel carries a lot of raw upside as well but has even more risk.

But, you also have guys who are quite polished and do a lot of things well like Jon Kemmer and Andrew Aplin. Kemmer really pushed onto the scene by displaying more power and continuing to show good skills at the plate. Aplin is Morgan Ensberg favorite....so there's that.

And the last set is experienced athletes that still have some rawness to their game. Teoscar Hernandez has tools oozing but really struggled with advanced pitching this season. Jason Martin showed continued improvement this season but didn't wow either. He's looking solid but needs to separate himself. And the third highest rated outfielder was Derek Fisher who can play center but his power and speed combo might be better suited in LF due to some limitations with his fielding.