After his debut in 2007, Hunter Pence had endeared himself to the Houston fans with his all-out hustle and passion for the game. And granted, he was also pretty good at the baseball thing, averaging just over 20 homers and 75 RBI per season while hitting .290 over his five seasons with Houston. But come 2011, with the Astros plodding along in last place, it was time to rebuild, and Pence was one of the most attractive pieces come the trade deadline, so he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies for four prospects. Ed Wade caught a lot of grief as the team’s general manager, and current GM Jeff Luhnow has been praised as the one who’s turned the franchise around. But let’s give Ed Wade his due–he really got the ball rolling on the turnaround with this trade.
WHO THEY GOT
- Jarred Cosart, RHP
- Jonathan Singleton, 1B
- Josh Zeid, RHP
- Domingo Santana, OF
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
At the time of the trade, right-hander Jarred Cosart was the Phillies’ top pitching prospect. He was 9-8 with a 3.92 ERA at Class A Advanced Clearwater, and finished the season 2011 season at AA Corpus Christi. He made his leap the big leagues late in the 2013 season. Control has been a bit of an issue since the promotion, with 65 walks in 120 1/3 innings, but he has still compiled a career 5-5 record with a very respectable 3.07 ERA in 21 starts with Houston, and looks to be an important part of the Astros’ rotation for years to come.
Josh Zeid was the other pitcher included in the deal, and has contributed nicely to the Astros’ bullpen since being acquired. Despite some recent injury troubles, Zeid has posted a solid 3.89 ERA in 32 appearances with the team between the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Jonathan Singleton was Philadelphia’s top hitting prospect when this deal went through, and was really the centerpiece of the trade for Houston. At the time of the trade he was hitting .284 with nine homers and 47 RBI for Class A Clearwater, going on to hit .333 with four homers and 16 RBI for Class A Lancaster after the trade. In 2012, he hit .284 with 21 homers and 79 RBI for Double-A Corpus Christi. And after a 2013 season marred by his 50-game suspension for marijuana use, Singleton was hitting .267 with 14 homers and 43 RBI for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season before getting called up and making his MLB debut last night, during which he homered and drove in two runs in a 7-2 Astros victory over the Los Angeles Angels. He has been described as the best first-base prospect in baseball, with scouts noting his quick bat and serious raw power. He has some contact issues, but the sky’s the limit for the man they call “Homerton.”
Jonathan Singleton is congratulated by Robbie Grossman after his first MLB home run
Photo: Midwest League Traveler and Bob Levey (AP)
Domingo Santana was the “player to be named later” in the deal, but boy has he ever made his presence felt already. The 6’5”, 225-pound power-hitting right fielder has wowed fans, players and coaches alike with his ability to hit for both average and power. In the 2012 season, Santana amassed 23 homers and 97 RBI with a .302 average in 119 games for Class A Advanced Lancaster. The next season he hit 25 homers and drove in 64 runs for Double-A Corpus Christi despite just a .252 average. And so far this season, Santana is hitting .298 with nine homers and 36 RBI in 60 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Don’t be surprised if this kid is also on the major league roster before the season’s done
It’s far too soon to say it’s a slam dunk, but by the look of it, the Astros seem to be the clear winners of this trade. The Phillies got essentially one season out of Pence before trading him to San Francisco, whereas the Astros will have gotten four major leaguers out of the deal, pending Santana’s imminent call-up. Should these four guys end up being in the Astros’ long-term plans (and they certainly will be), the same ones calling for Ed Wade’s head back in 2011 will be singing his praises for pulling the trigger on this deal right before he walked out the door. Now there’s no doubt that Jeff Luhnow has hastened the process with deals acquiring players such as third baseman Matt Dominguez from Miami and catching prospect Max Stassi from Oakland, and drafting players such as Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, Rio Ruiz and Nolan Fontana, but Wade started it all. Sure he had his fair share of bad deals (all GM’s do), but he certainly went out with a bang.
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