Now that the pitching prospects breakdown is out of the way, it’s time to take a closer look at the infield position players for the 2010 Houston Astros.
Although a majority of March will focus on both locking up the pitching rotation and finalizing the bullpen , there will also be some new faces in terms of position players, including those roaming the infield.
In addition to the return of legendary Houston icon Lance Berkman at first base and veteran Kazuo Matsui at second base, the Astros will also be welcoming a pair of newcomers in newly-signed third baseman Pedro Feliz and youngster shortstop Tommy Manzella.
Geoff Blum and Jeff Keppinger will play integral parts in the infield as well, but those guys will be talked about in the bench section of this seven-part series on the Astros 2010 Spring Training.
Houston Astros 2010 Probable Infield Starters
With the new year right around the corner, it’s time to begin thinking about America’s Pastime, especially in terms of Houston’s annual Grapefruit League in March.
In just a couple months, Astros players will begin reporting to Florida for Spring Training, and in this third preview piece on next season’s squad, we’re going to be taking a look at the likely starters in the infield come Opening Day 2010.
Lance Berkman, First Base
Berkman, one of a trio of franchise icons (along with Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence), had a mediocre season last year with a .274 batting average, 25 homeruns, 31 doubles, and 80 RBI (he also drew 97 walks in 2009). I’d expect Berkman to have a breakthrough All-Star performance in 2010 as he aims to lead the Astros turnaround in the National League.
Kazuo Matsui, Second Base
Last year, Matsui appeared in 132 games and batted .250 with 20 doubles, 46 RBI and sparkling defense. The speedy second baseman also had 19 stolen bases with Houston last season. Matsui will be back in the infield for Houston next season, though it will likely be his last in an Astros uniform.
Tommy Manzella, Shortstop
The young shortstop spent a majority of 2009 at Round Rock, batting .289 with nine homeruns and 56 RBI in 133 games while also leading the Express in doubles with 31. After being called up for seven games with Houston last season, he batted .200 (in five at-bats); Manzella will likely be entering the 2010 Opening Day roster with high hopes and expectations as the team’s shortstop of the future.
Pedro Feliz, Third Base
Feliz, one of the Astros’ key acquisitions at the winter meetings, will play an integral part in next season’s Houston infield as the team’s probable starter at the hot corner. Last year with the Phillies, Feliz hit .266 with 12 homeruns and 82 runs batted in, appearing in 158 games for Philadelphia in 2009.
Although things could changes as far as who will be patrolling the base pads in 2010, it’s highly likely that the players mentioned above will be starting in the infield on Opening Day for Houston.
As mentioned earlier, players like Blum and Keppinger will play vital roles on next year’s team and their key responsibilities will be talked about in a later installment previewing next year’s probable bench.
Check back in a couple days for the fourth preview of this seven-part series on the Astros Spring Training team and what the future may hold for Houston in 2010. In part four, we’ll be taking a closer look at the probable starters roaming the outfield next season at Minute Maid Park.
Houston Astros Seven-Part Series: Archives/Future Previews
1. Starting Pitching (published Dec. 22, 2009 )
2. Bullpen (published Dec. 24, 2009 )
3. Infield (published Dec. 26, 2009)
4. Outfield (ETA: Dec. 28, 2009)
5. Catchers (ETA: Dec. 30, 2009)
6. Bench (ETA: Jan. 1, 2010)
7. Coaching/Management (ETA: Jan. 3, 2010)
Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com
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