Astros Utility Infield Spot Down To Two
Update on March 31st: Edwin Maysonet has been optioned down to AAA. Has Jason Smith won a roster spot, or is Jeff Keppinger simply good enough for manager Cecil Cooper? If The Astros do decide that Keppinger can fill the utility role then they would have a roster spot open for what would likely be used for an extra Bullpen arm.
With Mark Loretta now with the Dodgers the Astros have a significant hole to fill in the 25 man roster. Yesterday, Cecil Cooper and Astros management narrowed down the competition for this spot by sending infielders John Gall and Matt Kata to minor league camp. Gall impressed at the plate, hitting for a .375 average in his 24 at-bats. Kata, though less impressive offensively (a .231 average) was a good veteran presence with very sound defense. Cooper acknowledged that either of these two very well could be on the Astros at some point this season, saying that the “veteran guys” are the players you might need “down the road.”
With that, the utility infield spot is down to two very different players; veteran Jason Smith and rookie Edwin Maysonet. The 30 year old Smith, who is a non-roster invitee, has only 257 MLB games in the last 8 years. He had hovered around the Mendoza Line for much of his career, including his .214 average in 22 games with Kansas City last year. Nonetheless, Smith has been praised for his ability to hit as the situation warrants, and plays solid defense. What is likely also appealing to Astros management is his versatility. Smith has spent quality time at shortstop, 2nd base, and 3rd base; a characteristic that made Mark Loretta so useful the past two seasons. On the other hand, Edwin Maysonet is a late bloomer. At 27 years old it’s hard to call Maysonet a prospect, but the past few years he has truly improved incredibly, and last year put up a solid .341 On Base Percentage. Maysonet is also versatile, with ample time at 2nd base and shortstop, though he’s only had 2 games at 3rd base in his minor league career. One element that Maysonet could potentially bring over Smith is speed. While he’s not an elite runner he does have a good amount of speed that could result in double digit steals. With about 2 weeks left in Spring Training the next few games could very well decide who wins the job. While this decision is unlikely to make or break the season it is still exciting to watch as two unlikely candidates, a non-roster invitee journeyman and a late blooming prospect, compete for a spot on the Astros.
By: Adam Herman on Mar 23rd, 2009
Tagged as: Astros News
I really think that the decision will come down to Maysonet. If they think he has the potential to be an every day player they will send him to Round Rock and let him play every day. If they don’t think he has what it takes to be a starter he will probably win this job because he is much much better defensively. They want someone to play 2nd the next time Kaz rips his ass hole and SS once a week or so to spell Tejada. The player they choose is not going to get consistent at bats and they will only put Maysonet there if they are willing to halt his development. Hopefully they learned their lesson when they screwed up Chris Burke by letting waste away on the bench.