by Jason Burke

Every now and again we like to have some fun here at Climbing Tal’s Hill, and this will be one of those times. The Houston Astros should provide plenty to cheer about in 2015, due to the hard work and vision of GM Jeff Luhnow. Yet, there is one player that could become expendable as the season progresses, so let’s talk about a hypothetical situation.

Chris Carter is the Houston Astros designated hitter, as his bat warrants him being in the lineup every day, while his defense could be considered a liability. As DH, you get Carter’s power numbers with none of the fielding follies. Carter’s second half last season was monstrous, as he hit .252 (.205 in the first half), with 18 home runs, 48 rbi and an on-base percentage of .338 in 39 fewer at-bats than he compiled from April to mid-July. All of these are increases over his pre-all-star numbers, save for the home run total, which he missed equalling by one.

That second half is the last impression the Astros’ slugger made on the baseball world, and is something that many teams would love to add to their roster. But why would the Houston Astros give up a player that hit 37 home runs and drove in 88? There is a scenario where this could be a real possibility, and it is this: if Jon Singleton can lock down first base, Carter could become expendable. Singleton has made strides in his playing time this spring, batting .296 with a .367 OBP in 30 at-bats thus far. While this is a small sample size, the quality of pitcher that Singleton has faced is a 9.1 according to Baseball-Reference, which is right between Triple-A (8) and MLB level (10) talent.

For complete article see: Houston Astros: Let's Play GM--Chris Carter