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The Houston Astros are primed to make another big run heading into the MLB postseason. They are striving to be the first team since the 1999 and 2000 New York Yankees to repeat as World Series champions, and they are on track to do so. Houston acquired veteran ace Justin Verlander for a second tour of duty as another reliable and familiar arm in their rotation. It was worth taking the gamble because the New York Mets will pay a portion of the remaining money on his salary, so it would not be too expensive for the Astros.
Verlander will play a massive role in the stretch run, especially when his composure and experience gets magnified in the postseason. Houston executed another terrific move by adding reliever Kendall Graveman from the Chicago White Sox as a middle reliever. The Astros have terrific options in the bullpen like Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu, but Graveman's addition gives them another fantastic option.
The primary need for the Astros heading into the deadline was an outfielder who is left-handed, but they were unable to acquire someone like Cody Bellinger. By bolstering their pitching and having a complete batting order, Houston is primed to compete with the best of the best.
Maximize Jon Singleton
It has been a whirlwind of events in the MLB career of Jon Singleton. Initially, he was in the batch of Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Jason Castro as the youngsters of the Astros organization, but he disappointed miserably in his first few years in the big leagues. He was suspended numerous time because of marijuana use before eventually being released by the team in 2018.
Singleton was out of the league for a couple of years, but he was back this season with the Milwaukee Brewers before being released again. Thus, Houston acquired Singleton, and he has been magnificent in Triple-A since his addition. He was promoted on Monday, and he received his first start on Thursday afternoon, so he is on pace to be a lethal option in the middle of the order.
Being one of the top prospects a decade ago did not turn out how he envisioned it, but Singleton has another realistic chance, especially with the struggles of Jose Abreu at the plate. The massive lefty must continue being a force because outfielder Corey Julks could retain his spot, especially when rosters expand.
Astros must promote Justin Dirden
Since lefty batters have been the primary point of discussion for the Houston Astros, promoting and utilizing prospect Justin Dirden is the most plausible option. Dirden is a massive power hitter as he smashed 24 homers in Double-A and Triple-A last year. He will not be able to replicate those numbers in the big leagues, but Dirden can be a brilliant option against righties, especially in September.
Dirden is known to struggle with his plate discipline, so he will likely receive the necessary repetitions when he is promoted to the majors. With a high strikeout rate, Dirden must continuously learn to wait for the pitches to come to him, especially since he has shown encouraging signs of driving the ball the opposite way. Furthermore, his versatility in the outfield must be maximized tremendously as he can play all three outfield positions.
A platoon outfielder will be the best case scenario for Justin Dirden as the Astros are extremely fortunate they have two options in their farm system that addressed their need prior to the trade deadline.
