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Dana Brown, Joe Espada Discuss Astros First Base Plans

By Nick Deeds | June 15, 2024 at 5:04pm CDT

After the Astros released veteran first baseman Jose Abreu yesterday, the move left a clear hole in the club’s lineup at first base. Both GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada have since spoken to media about the club’s plans at the position, as relayed by Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle.

As noted by Young, Brown told reporters that first baseman Jon Singleton, who received the majority of reps at first base when Abreu was optioned to the minors earlier this year, will get the first crack at regular at-bats at the position, with Brown noting that the club intends to give Singleton the opportunity to “grab the bull by the horn” and establish himself as a regular in their lineup. Through 50 games with the club this year, however, Singleton hasn’t done much to suggest he’s ready to step into the role of an everyday first baseman. The 32-year-old slugger has hit just .216/.313/.333 in 174 trips to the plate this year (92 wRC+). While his 13.2% walk rate in that time is quite impressive, he’s striking out at an elevated 26.4% clip and has displayed minimal power with just eight extra base hits this year.

That being said, Singleton’s actually been just above average (101 wRC+) with a 14.3% walk rate and a 22.6% strikeout rate against left-handed pitching this year. That provides some reason for optimism that Singleton could be a viable choice for the strong side of a platoon at first base, and it appears the club is receptive to that possibility. Per Young, both Brown and Espada have indicated that utility man Mauricio Dubon will factor into the club’s first base mix against left-handed pitching. Dubon is hitting a solid .302/.327/.421 (114 wRC+) in 168 trips to the plate with the Astros this year, a figure that includes an impressive 133 wRC+ against southpaws.

While the club appears to be planning on Singleton and Dubon handling first base for the time being, it appears that Astros brass are nonetheless considering alternative options should Singleton struggle in expanded playing time. As noted by Chandler Rome of The Athletic yesterday, the has considered the possibility of utilizing their catching tandem of Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini at first base in some capacity as well. Both have produced solid offense with the bat this year for the standards of the catcher position: Diaz has slashed .258/.283/.407 (95 wRC+) in 233 trips to the plate while Caratini has posted a similar .235/.278/.408 (93 wRC+) line in 108 plate appearances.

With that said, both of those figures are below average overall and seem somewhat miscast at an offense-first position such as first base. Given that reality, it’s perhaps not a surprise that Espada indicated to reporters yesterday that the club prefers to keep Diaz and Caratini behind the plate. With that being said, the Astros did select the contract of switch-hitting catcher Cooper Hummel to replace Abreu on the roster yesterday. Hummel owns a lifetime slash line of just .166/.264/.286 in the majors, but if he can post something closer to the .301/.423/.509 slash line he has in 201 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level with the Astros this year it’s possible that he could either factor into the first base mix himself or act as a solid enough backup option behind the plate to make the Astros more comfortable utilizing Diaz and/or Caratini at first on a part-time basis.

Of course, all of these options are looking purely internally; MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart relayed yesterday that Brown noted that the Astros expect to search for an additional bat at the trade deadline in addition to their rumored pursuit of starting pitching. If Houston is indeed planning to add a bat to their lineup this summer, first base is certainly a logical fit. Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has already received some buzz as a potential candidate to move this summer, and while Toronto brass have emphasized their reluctance to make such a deal, the fit between Guerrero and the Astros is fairly obvious in the event that the 25-year-old does find himself on the move. Pete Alonso is another notable first baseman who could be on the move this summer, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently discussed. Other speculative candidates to move at the deadline this summer at first base include a host of veterans on expiring deals such as Josh Bell and Justin Turner.

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Houston Astros Cooper Hummel Jonathan Singleton Mauricio Dubon Victor Caratini Yainer Diaz

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44 Comments

  1. Scrap Iron

    1 year ago

    The Astros have made numerous questionable moves over the last few years, with Dana Brown being one of them. Surely their management doesn’t truly think they can contend this year, right? It’s time to rip the bandaid off and retool.

    5
    Reply
    • solaris602

      1 year ago

      If HOU claims Vogelbach and Cooper and merges them both with Singleton, they probably have a somewhat serviceable stopgap at 1B until the deadline.

      Reply
      • User 4014041831

        1 year ago

        Cooper should help

        Reply
        • deweybelongsinthehall

          1 year ago

          I like Cooper but did you see him in Boston? Turner is the guy I believe they should get. After last season, I’m not ready to believe he’s washed up. He wouldn’t cost much besides salary and a change of scenery might help. If Casas wasn’t expected back in a couple of weeks or so, I’d be wanting him back in Boston should they not want to give a shot to who they have at Worcester (can’t remember his name). Unfortunately, Bobby D is not the answer and I see him being given away once a 40 man spot is again needed

          Reply
      • Rsox

        1 year ago

        If you merge Vogelbach with Singleton it might register on the Richter Scale…

        5
        Reply
  2. jessecc08

    1 year ago

    no talk of Loperfido being an option?

    5
    Reply
    • kmk1986

      1 year ago

      I find that unreal they barely gave the dude a chance

      2
      Reply
      • Scrap Iron

        1 year ago

        And he’s looked solid in his opportunities, so it’s perplexing. They’d rather give playing time to Singleton, Cabbage, etc. It really does seem (on the surface) that both Espada and Dana Brown are completely clueless.

        2
        Reply
        • astros_fan_84

          1 year ago

          Dana Brown has allowed for there to be way too many holes on the roster. Injuries aren’t his fault, but not planning for them is.

          1
          Reply
      • BKS1110

        1 year ago

        If you find it unreal, go look up his K% and his BAbip.

        1
        Reply
      • Arnold Ziffel

        1 year ago

        The best pure hitter of the bunch is Dubon, they need people on base for the boppers to drive in. .300 hitters are a rarity in today’s game.

        2
        Reply
  3. MR. Q

    1 year ago

    They don’t have the prospect to trade, and they still need to ate Abreu contract next season. Might as well start the rebuild early.

    1
    Reply
    • vtadave

      1 year ago

      “the prospect”? “ate”?

      3
      Reply
  4. texgal01

    1 year ago

    Dana keeps saying have a great team and will make playoffs. Why change tune. Stop letting a manager with no clue on running a team. Dana has no clue. This team will be out soon. And if keep this management and staff will be in trouble ahead. May go back to 90 to 100 losses. Loperfido zi think they want for CF unless use for trade

    1
    Reply
  5. AC Surf Baseball

    1 year ago

    Surprisingly several teams seem to a 1B all of a sudden. The Phillies have 26 year old 1B at AAA with one elite skill: Power. Cheap & controllable, grew up about 40 miles west of Houston. Would Darrick Hall be enticing for y’all Astros fans? We’ll take a bullpen arm..

    Reply
    • vtadave

      1 year ago

      Well, he’s 28 first of all.

      Second of all, I doubt a guy that old hitting .249/.316/.362 in AAA who is limited to 1B is very enticing.

      2
      Reply
    • Astros_fan_in_Aus

      1 year ago

      Are you a used car salesman ? Sounds like you are accustomed to selling rusty automobiles.

      1
      Reply
  6. mrperkins

    1 year ago

    Goldschmidt? I don’t think the Cardinals would ask for much unless they paid down some salary.

    1
    Reply
  7. letitbelowenstein

    1 year ago

    Garrett Cooper still available?

    Reply
  8. Acoss1331

    1 year ago

    Cubs have Matt Mervis stashed away in the minors, not sure what his numbers are, but Cubs don’t have a spot for him. I don’t know, Astros might want to kick on those tires,

    1
    Reply
  9. solaris602

    1 year ago

    Just call and he’ll be ready for tomorrow’s game bright and early.

    1
    Reply
  10. benhen77

    1 year ago

    Call up the Nats and bring in Gallo.

    1
    Reply
  11. Scrap Iron

    1 year ago

    Brandon Belt is a phone call away. Much better option than Singleton.

    3
    Reply
    • ohyeadam

      1 year ago

      How has he not ended up on a team yet? It’s understandable he didn’t want a minors deal/league minimum but how did nobody offer him better than that?

      1
      Reply
      • Rsox

        1 year ago

        Because he turned down minor league deals and an incentive laden deal with the Mets over the winter. Even if signed tomorrow Belt is 6-8 weeks from being able to contribute at the MLB level, and that’s assuming he doesn’t get injured in the process

        1
        Reply
    • Astros_fan_in_Aus

      1 year ago

      Anyone is a much better option than Singleton. Loperfido is the obvious answer. Hitting .333 in his major league appearances this year. I am starting to think Brown and Espada are out of their depth.

      Reply
      • lesterdnightfly

        1 year ago

        His K rate is a gigantic caveat.

        Reply
      • Scrap Iron

        1 year ago

        Espada and Brown are waaaaayyyy out of their depth.

        Reply
    • Altuve4hof

      1 year ago

      I’ve been saying this all year plus belt grew up and lives a hour and a half from Houston I played with him in high school

      Reply
  12. astros_fan_84

    1 year ago

    It’s so disappointing to see the run end this way, but it’s over. The challenge is that attendance is good and the farm is bad. Crane is financially incentivized to run out a mid tier team and keep the stands full.

    I wish he’d bring back Lunhow. I know it won’t happen, but I wish it would.

    2
    Reply
    • Scrap Iron

      1 year ago

      I’ve been a huge Crane fan, but this is all on him. Trusted the wrong people to advise him on signings that deviated away from what made them a powerhouse. Then he went for cheap DEI hires over hiring people who may have strong personalities, but will ensure the team stayed competitive.

      Reply
      • astros_fan_84

        12 months ago

        I have been very happy with Crane. I hope he’s not in Jerry Jones territory where success forever clouds his judgement. It wasn’t easy to create a dynasty and now all the people who started it are gone (except like three players). No reason to think he has a special advantage any longer.

        Reply
  13. whyhayzee

    1 year ago

    Who.

    Reply
  14. LordD99

    1 year ago

    Left-handed pitchers don’t represent the strong side of the platoon.

    1
    Reply
  15. Rsox

    1 year ago

    The Astros will likely end up trading for Josh Bell as the Marlins will just be happy to be rid of the salary and the return could be nothing more than a pair of low level lotto tickets

    Reply
    • Astros_fan_in_Aus

      1 year ago

      No thanks, they are trying to improve the position.

      1
      Reply
  16. gbs42

    1 year ago

    “extra-base hits”

    Hyphens matter.

    1
    Reply
  17. texgal01

    1 year ago

    I do not see Loperfido back. He is outfield mix. Or zHouston would have used him in the first call up. Let him get work at AAA. I see him CF maybe in future. Curious on a couple players Will Wagner is he future for Astros at maybe third. If Bregman walks. Also Leon is he outfield. If so could he be dealt for something. I really do not see us going anywhere even for second half. I hope next season Espada gone and Dana. I would love if had someone like Luhnow. He did the job despite how things ended.

    Reply
  18. GarryHarris

    1 year ago

    Spencer Torkelson is not a Scott Harris player and is available.

    Reply
  19. hoof hearted

    1 year ago

    “Clear hole” at 1st base??? It’s been a hole all year

    Reply
  20. HEHEHATE

    1 year ago

    None of this would have been any issue if dusty baker wasn’t playing a double knee surgery Alvarez in the of over fast tracking his bat and recovery implementing at the dh/1b spot.

    Reply
    • lesterdnightfly

      1 year ago

      Huh? isn’t it a bit late with the “blame Dusty for everything” cr*p, even for a so-called Asstros fan?

      1
      Reply
  21. Altuve4hof

    1 year ago

    Dubie should be playing first everyday if they don’t pick someone up before the deadline his bat is to valuable to be coming off the bench or only playing to give starters rest days

    1
    Reply
  22. Shawn W.

    1 year ago

    What about The Woodlands former resident Paul Goldschmidt ?

    Reply

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