George Springer Tearing Up Minor Leagues

Former UConn outfielder George Springer is approaching a minor league record. Springer has 36 home runs and 41 stolen bases and with 8 regular season games and the post-season left to play, will most likely reach a 40-40 season. To put this in perspective, Springer was the first player in the minor leagues to achieve a 30-30 season since 2009 and is only one of three players in the last 40 years to achieve a 30 home run, 40 stolen base season joining Darryl Strawberry and Ruben Rivera. Should Springer make it to a 50-50 season, he would be the only minor leaguer ever to have reached that milestone. (Note: records on stolen bases are spotty and unofficial before the 1960’s)

Currently Springer is considered the frontrunner for the J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps Minor League Player of the Year. His stats show an OPS of 1.017 and dispirited Astro fans that have watched their team struggle to a 41-85 record this season seem excited to see Springer get called up. (this year’s stats) Astros manager Tony DeFrancesco has said he’d like Springer to finish out the season with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Redhawks before he might consider bringing him up to Houston. But whatever else this summer might hold for Springer, what he’s already accomplished has opened eyes and made it clear he belongs in MLB.

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