Brad Penner – USA TODAY Sports
It just doesn’t seem right. For a team that keeps giving young players shots in MLB, perhaps the Houston Astros‘ most major league-ready prospect, George Springer, remains in Triple-A. Rumor has it that he’ll be there through the Triple-A playoffs as well to ensure a championship.
It’s understandable that the Astros want their Triple-A affiliate to win a championship. It gets the winning spirit into their younger guys before they come up to a potentially underwhelming major league squad. That being said, it’s time for Springer to test the waters at the MLB level. He’s almost 24-years old and hitting what should be the beginning of his prime.
The one concern with Springer was his high strikeout numbers (a stat that would have fit in just fine at the major league level). But in the past 10 games, Springer has put up more walks (10) than strikeouts (nine). His strikeout numbers are decreasing, and if the trend continues and he’s still waiting in Triple-A, something is wrong.
As stated, it’s understandable that he may be waiting in Triple-A to give the Oklahoma City RedHawks a better shot at a championship, but in the grand scheme, that’s a minor advantage when the Astros could be breaking in one of their potential All-Star outfielders in the only level that matters when all is said and done. Besides, there are plenty of prospects waiting in the ranks to take his spot at the Triple-A level.
Springer is ready to play in the majors. Power like his is sorely missing in the current Astros’ lineup and if he could be used to replace the lackluster Chris Carter, than there are zero deterring factors and numerous positive ones.
