The wild card round of the postseason has concluded, with some very telling results. Three out of the four losers got swept out of the playoffs, two of them at home. In fact, the high-powered Baltimore Orioles only scored one total run against the Kansas City Royals in two games in front of their home crowd.
The Houston Astros, stricken with injuries throughout the year, were swept by a hot and streaky Detroit Tigers club. The New York Mets pulled off one of the most memorable playoff comebacks in recent memory against the Milwaukee Brewers. Last, but certainly not least, the San Diego Padres easily pushed over a less-than-stellar Atlanta Braves team.
As the losing clubs hang up their cleats for the season and put their gloves in the lockers, the question now becomes: what can they do to not lose so early next year? How do they address the most glaring issues with their team? What spark can they go and grab from their farm systems to inject some life for their next October run? Here is one prospect from each team that can provide that spark for next year, and perhaps beyond.
One Prospect Who Will Help Each Wild Card Loser in the Future
Astros: OF Shay Whitcomb (#14 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Triple-A): .293/.378/.908, 19 doubles, 2 triples; 25 home runs, 91 RBIs, 53 BB to 95 K, 26 SB
The Astros’ hitting during the season was good, ranking first in hits and batting average. At the same time, they struck out at the second-lowest rate while having the second-highest OBP in the American League.
However, their lineup during the Wild Card round was awful. The final slash line from the team was .194/.271/.481, outplayed in every single category against the Tigers. To make matters worse, only one of those hits was an extra-base hit, a double from Yordan Alvarez. Only four of their batters hit over the Mendoza line as well.
A spark in their batting is necessary, which is where Shay Whitcomb comes in. We’ve already discussed the outfielder’s potential before the wild card, but after this performance, his bat is no longer a desire, it’s a need.
