Three Houston Astros Minor Leaguers Named Players of the Month for August

Lewis Brinson, Luis Baez and Rolando Espinosa were named Minor League Players of the Month for their respective leagues.

Minor League Baseball released its Player of the Month honorees Wednesday. The Houston Astros had three farmhands take home the award for August, including Lewis Brinson who was traded to the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 31.

Brinson slashed .380/.449/.709 for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys in the Pacific Coast League. The outfielder led the PCL in batting average, placing second in OPS, third in slugging percentage and fourth in on-base percentage.

Brinson totaled 56 bases and seven home runs while driving in 23. His 30 hits were also the second most in the league with nine multi-hit and two multi-homer games under his belt. Traded for cash considerations, Brinson is off to a hot start with Giants, he has launched three home runs in five games.

In the Dominican Summer League, Luis Baez slashed .373/.426/.695 for the Astros Orange. The outfielder led the DSL with 22 hits, 41 total bases and five home runs. He also led the league in slugging percentage, placing second in OPS and fourth in batting average.

"I have said this before to my higher ups, I think Luis Baez will hit 35-40 home runs in the Big Leagues," DSL Astros Orange hitting coach Elvis Rodriguez said on the Astros Future Podcast.

Baez battled early swing and miss issues and has since lived up to the hype. Signed as an international free agent in January, Baez reached the postseason with the Astros Orange in August, dropping a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates Gold. Baez went 3-for-12 with two doubles and two RBI.

In the Florida Complex League, utilityman Rolando Espinosa slashed .348/.508/.630 with 16 runs, 29 total bases, 15 walks and 12 stolen bases which all led the league. His on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS ranked first while his batting average ranked second.

"In my eyes, Espinosa was one of the best players in the FCL this year," FCL Astros Blue manager Ricky Rivera said. "His refined approach at the plate and tireless work with our hitting coach throughout the year played a big role in his success." 

Espinosa plated four home runs and drove in 15 RBI from the top of lineup, also receiving player of the week honors on Aug. 15. The 21-year-old Cuban prospect was assigned to Single-A after the conclusion of the FCL season and has since made stints with Triple-A Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi.

"His ability to not just play everywhere on the field but play it at a high level makes him valuable," Rivera said. "But him wanting to do it shows how mature the kid is. Espinosa ran the bases better than anyone in this league, and he didn’t do it purely off his speed, he understands when to run and why.

"For me as a manager, it was fun to coach him and watch him grow as a baseball player and a human this year. It's not easy to sit out basically two years like he did for COVID and Tommy John and come back and look like you haven't lost a step. He not only did that but he got better."

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