The Houston Astros (62-53) are 15-19 since losing outfielder George Springer because of a fractured wrist. They also demoted starters Lance McCullers and Vincent Velazquez back to the minor leagues, which has thinned out their pitching staff.
However, general manager Jeff Luhnow remains optimistic as the club gears down in the final two months of the season and rumors indicate some help could be on the way.
Houston leads the AL West by two games over the Los Angeles Angels, but they could be in a lot more trouble if the Angels weren't struggling right now as well. The Astros have dropped seven of their last 10 and ranked 16th in the MLB with 104 runs scored in the month of July and 14th in team ERA. The lack of run production has seriously hindered what the pitching staff can do.
Manager A.J. Hinch's club is currently 22nd in the league with 22 runs scored this month and the team is 4-7 in those games, while their pitching staff owns a 3.27 ERA (eighth in MLB over that span). And the pitching staff is down to 12 arms after going the whole season with 13. It also doesn't help that Brad Peacock is now officially out for the year after undergoing surgery, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
But once September hits all MLB clubs are permitted to carry 40 players on their roster, which is something that Luhnow is excited about.
"I think the fact that we do have a lot of quality players at Triple-A, Double-A, we may have a slight advantage over other clubs we're competing with," Luhnow told Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. "But I think the most important thing for us is to get a healthy George Springer back. That will help us more than any other single move we can make."
Springer could be back soon after he gets his wrist examined for his six-week checkup. It was said the outfielder could begin strengthening his wrist if he's cleared by doctors this week. But what about the "quality players" Luhnow was referring to? Who might they be and how can they help the team capture its first division title since 2001?
According to the Baseball America Midseason Prospect Update, the Astros' top young players are:
1. Brett Phillips (CF)
2. Mark Appel (RHP)
3. Michael Feliz (RHP)
4. A.J. Reed (1B)
5. Francis Martes (RHP)
6. Derek Fisher (OF)
7. Joe Musgrove (RHP)
8. Josh Hader (LHP)
9. Jacob Nottingham (C)
10. Tony Kemp (2B/OF)
We can already rule out Phillips, Hader and Nottingham because they were traded before the deadline in deals that landed the Astros Scott Kazmir, Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.
Here are the top three candidates HNGN thinks will be with the Astros come September 1:
Joe Musgrove
If the Astros need serious pitching help, they need not look further than Musgrove. The 22-year-old is having a lights-out season and has soared through the organization's farm system - he began at Class A Quad Cities and is now at Double-A Corpus Christi. In 19 games (14 starts) this season, the right-hander is 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 99 strikeouts (100 2/3 innings).
"Finally healthy, Musgrove has reached Double-A after starting the year in full-season ball for the first time," Baseball America wrote in their scouting report. "The physical 6-foot-5, 255-pounder has pushed his fastball up to 95 mph and combines that with a slider and changeup."
Whether the Astros need help in the bullpen or starting rotation down the stretch, Musgrove appears to be the top option at this point even though he hasn't pitched above Double-A.
A.J. Reed
As for offense, this is Houston's guy if they need to inject some life into their lineup. Reed, 22, is batting .336/.437/.615 with 96 runs scored, 29 home runs and 104 RBIs in 111 games between Class A Advanced Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. He would provide a left-handed power bat in a lineup that current lacks a consistent one.
While Luis Valbuena and Chris Carter provide a good source of power at first base, their averages and on-base percentages are not conducive to run scoring. Valbuena is batting .212 with an OBP of .296 and Carter is hitting .181 with an OBP of .297. Reed has shown he can hit for average and maintain an excellent OBP. While those stats are against minor-league players, it wouldn't hurt giving him a shot at the MLB level.
Mark Appel
It's gotta be his time, right? Appel was the first overall pick in the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft, but his up-and-down performance in the minors has kept him from earning the big league promotion. Although he's given up five earned runs or more in four starts this year, the right-hander owns a 2.79 ERA since the beginning of July and all of those outings have come at Triple-A Fresno. If it weren't for his awful debut (3 IP, 7 ER) with Fresno, his stats would look much better.
"Should Appel continue his recent trend of success, the 6-foot-5 righty could find himself with the Astros this season - maybe even helping Houston in the playoffs," writes Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee.
"His stuff is major league. His movement is late," Triple-A Fresno pitching coach Ace Adams added. "His changeup has a real good zoom to it at the end. He's got good arm speed. His slider is nasty. He's a major-leaguer waiting to happen."
The 24-year-old is 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 21 starts (108 1/3 innings) between Fresno and Corpus Christi this season.
Keep an eye out for these three names to be on the Astros' big league roster next month.
