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Has anything changed? Jonathan Singleton

Kevin Nielsen examines the current status of Houston Astros 1B prospect Jonathan Singleton.

Jonathan Singleton celebrating during his 2-HR game in Spring Training.
Jonathan Singleton celebrating during his 2-HR game in Spring Training.
USA TODAY Sports

What has his performance been like?

Jonathan Singleton has hit for average and power while displaying great patience at the plate throughout his minor league career. He hit .284 at AA last season with 21 HR, 88 BB, and 7 SB. Singleton performed decently in the AFL. A low BABIP kept his batting average down but he had 9 XBH including 3 HR and took 17 walks in 110 PA. Singleton only played in 7 spring training games but he had a couple HR with a 1.102 OPS..

What is his current status?

Singleton served a 50-game suspension as a result of failing his second drug test. He tested positive for marijuana, not steroids. Hopefully he can put that behind him because he is proving that he has a very bright future right now. Singleton has played at High-A, AA, and AAA this season and has put together a .256 AVG with 6 HR, a .387 OBP and a .943 OPS. He has 20 BB to 32 K on the season thus far.

What can we expect moving forward?

George Springer and Jon Singleton should end up being the #3 and #4 hitters in the Astros lineup for the next decade. These two are, in all likelihood, going to be very valuable for fantasy in the not-too-distant future. Singleton has very good power right now and is ready to hit about 25 HR in a full season but he has the ceiling to hit 35 HR in his prime. He should end up consistently posting a decent average in the .265-.285 range and his very high OBP due to his impressive walk rate will help him score plenty of runs. Singleton's 7 SB with a strong success rate last season are an indication that he may be able to provide at least a handful of SB at the MLB level even though he doesn't have great speed. The fact that he will be at first base a lot due to his walk rate should provide him with plenty of opportunities to steal.

I think that Singleton will be called up to gain experience at the MLB level this season. He should be up by September so he can be a difference-maker for H2H playoffs. If he is called up he will be worth a pickup in just about every format. For keeper, dynasty, and OBP leagues he is someone you can really build around. He can be an instant top-15 fantasy 1B.