We have already seen the Astros call up top prospect George Springer much earlier than expected and the 24-year-old, who posted an RBI, a run, and a steal in his first week in the Bigs, is likely to post some strong power and speed numbers the rest of the way.
Of course, Springer is already owned in more than 70 percent of Yahoo leagues so fantasy owners hoping to get a piece of his 40-40 potential are out of luck if they didn’t pull the trigger fast enough. Not to worry, the Astros have another top prospect who is more than ready to get the call to the Majors.
Jonathan Singleton, who has been developing in the Phillies’ and Astros’ farm systems since 2009, is flat out raking over his first three weeks in the minors. Through just 19 games, Singleton owns a .325/.418/.740 line with eight home runs, 15 extra-base hits, 25 RBI, and 20 runs.
Singleton has been one of the league’s top prospects since 2010 when, as an 18-year-old, he batted .290 with 14 home runs, 77 RBI, 64 runs, and nine steals over 104 games in Single-A.
In 2011, Singleton posted a .298 average with 13 home runs, 63 RBI, and 68 runs scored over 128 games in High-A ball. The year after, he was promoted to Double-A and responded with a .284 average, 21 home runs, 79 runs, 94 runs, and seven steals.
Things were looking pretty good until last year when Singleton was suspended 50 games for failing the second drug test of his career. His suspension caused his numbers to decline across the board as he batted just .230 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI, and 42 runs in 90 games.
If anyone had any doubts that Singleton would not be the same player again, he has squashed any doubts with his stellar April and appears likely to join Springer in Houston’s woeful 29th ranked lineup by June at the latest.
As Josh Collacchi points out in his waiver wire piece, now is the time to get Singleton and stash him on your bench. The 22-year-old is already owned in 3 percent of Yahoo leagues where astute fantasy owners realize the need for any power you can get in a league dominated by pitchers.
Like Springer, Singleton strikes out a lot but, also like Springer, he has managed to post strong batting averages at every level. Whether he can bat .280+ in the Majors is questionable but we know he can hit the cover off the ball.
Even in a little over half a season, Singleton could certainly hit 15+ home runs and drive in 45+, not unlike Wil Myers last season. Whether he can match Myers’ .293 rookie average is debatable (unlikely) but a .250 hitter with 30+ home runs per year potential is plenty valuable in a league where just 14 players hit 30 or more home runs last season and just seven of those batted over .270.
