Inside the Astros

Astros Release Their Former Top Prospect After He Cleared Waivers

The Houston Astros have released their former top prospect.

Brad Wakai

Aug 16, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton (28) prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park
Aug 16, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton (28) prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park / Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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The Jon Singleton era with the Houston Astros is over for the time being.

Again.

First acquired by the team from the Philadelphia Phillies in a 2011 trade deadline deal that shipped Hunter Pence out of town, Singleton was ranked No. 1 in the Astros' pipeline in 2012 and 2013 before falling to No. 5 the year after and out of the top 30 altogether the year after that.

That's largely because the slugger struggled during his first crack at the Majors.

In 2014, he slashed .168/.285/.335 with 13 homers and 44 RBI across his 95 games, but his OPS+ was 24 points below the league average, suggesting he was a boom-or-bust player.

Houston started him out with their Triple-A affiliate in 2015, and when he got called up during that campaign, he was only able to produce a slash line of .191/.328/.298 and OPS+ of 77 in 19 contests.

Then, after not appearing in Major League action the next couple years, Singleton was suspended for 100 games in 2018 following a third failed drug test for marijuana, an incident that marked the end of his time with the Astros and started his journeyman career that took him to the Mexican Baseball League before coming back stateside with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Singleton got his redemption with Houston in 2023, signing a minor league contract and getting into 25 regular season games.

However, it was last year that made it seem like the former top prospect had a role with the team going forward.

Slashing .234/.321/.386 with 13 homers, 42 RBI and an OPS+ of 103, he put together the best season of his career at the Major League level.

But, after the Astros signed Christian Walker this winter and are looking to get younger at certain positions, they told Singleton that he would not make the Opening Day roster, putting him through waivers where another team could sign him.

That didn't happen, though, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports Singleton has now been released by Houston where he is expected to explore options with other teams.

It's a tough ending for the slugger.

He could still come back and re-sign with the Astros, but his path to playing time is much smaller than it might be elsewhere. And at 33 years old, it's not a given how much more he'll be able to play before he has to hang up the cleats.

So, for now, Singleton's time with the franchise is over.

Again.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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