Houston Astros Answer At First Base Could Be Within Their Own Farm System
The Houston Astros haven't had the best opening to their season, but there are still some positives to the organization as a whole based on the start of their farm system across the minors.
One player in particular drew positive headlines as he continues to flash incredible power at the start of the season.
Joey Loperfido, 24, was the No. 208 overall draft pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft. He now has the most home runs in the Pacific Coast League in Triple-A after blasting three in one night.
He has proven to have power throughout his career, hitting 25 homeruns in 2023. Now, he's hitting the ball at a much more consistent rate than he ever has.
"I try to treat every at-bat the same, but when you have a good game like tonight, I think you're definitely up there at the plate feeling free and feeling loose, which is typically when good things happen," said Loperfido per MLB.com's Allison Mast.
He is currently the No. 6 prospect in the Astros' farm system. He's listed as playing outfield, second base, and first base.
Loperfido could be on the way to the big leagues soon if his bats continues to develop at the way it has been. Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Astros Manager Joe Espada spoke with Triple-A Manager Mickey Storey about the star prospect.
Though the bat has been what people have made note of, Loperfido's defense as a first baseman is looking "better than what [Storey] thought it was going to look like."
Houston's current first baseman, 37-year-old Jose Abreu, has not had the best start to the season and has had people wondering what the Astros were going to do about that situation.
Abreu has a .227 on-base plus slugging percentage entering Saturday, with just three hits in his first 41 plate appearances.
If they want to bring up a bat from within the system, Loperfido is looking as pro-ready as possible at the plate.
DYLAN SANDERS
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders