Astros call up Jonathan Singleton, sign to long term contract

Well, it appears the new trend is that for a prospect to get called up before the Super Two deadline, he must sign a team-friendly contract, and that is exactly what Astros first base prospect Jonathan Singleton did earlier this afternoon.

Singleton signed a very team - friendly 5 year, $10 million deal that includes three TEAM option years that could bring the total contract value to $35 million. So, if Singleton reaches his full potential and plays major league baseball for the next eight years, he will make $35 million. For a 22 year old baseball player, signing a guaranteed $10 million deal make plenty of sense. How many 22 year olds can make $10 million over the next five seasons? Probably very close to zero.

But if he becomes an all star first baseman, he will miss out on tens of millions of dollars.

More importantly for fantasy owners, he makes his major league debut tomorrow night vs C.J. Wilson and the Angels at home in Houston. The Astros now have two of their top hitting prospects on their major league roster right now, and the team is playing much better over the last month, so they could surprise some teams later in the season. They aren't the 55 win team they were last season.

Prior to his call up today, Singleton was hitting .267-.397-.544 with 14 home runs, 37 runs scored and 43 RBI in 239 plate appearances playing at AAA Oklahoma City in the Pacific Coast League. He missed a good part of the 2013 season due to his suspension for marijuana use.

What can we expect from Singleton this season? I expect a batting average in the .240-.250 range with 10-12 home runs and 40-45 RBI. That may appear conservative, but I am just not that big a fan of his.

He should be picked up/activated in all AL only leagues and deeper mixed leagues, as he will play every day, but I see him struggling to hit for power early on.

For more on the call up, make sure you check out Crawfish Boxes, SB Nation's Astros fan site.