Astros, Singleton agree to long-term contract
First baseman will make his Major League debut tomorrow
HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros have agreed on a guaranteed five-year contract with three club options with first baseman Jon Singleton. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow.
The deal runs from the 2014 through 2018 seasons and provides the club with options for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Singleton will be officially recalled prior to tomorrow's game. He will take the roster spot of infielder Marc Krauss, who was optioned to Triple A Oklahoma City today. Singleton will be made available to the media tomorrow on the field prior to Astros batting practice (approximately 3:45 p.m.).
"Jon is one of the rising young power hitters in baseball, who has had a terrific first two months this year at Triple A," said Luhnow. "He is a big part of our future here in Houston, and this contract ensures that he will be an Astro for many years to come. He has worked hard to overcome adversity in the past couple of years and demonstrated to the organization that he is ready to contribute to a winning team in the Major Leagues."
Singleton, 22, is hitting .267 (52x195) with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 43 RBI, 42 walks, a .397 on-base percentage and a .941 OPS in 54 games with Triple A Oklahoma City this season. He currently leads the Pacific Coast League in walks, ranks fourth in home runs and seventh in RBI. The 2014 season is his sixth (2009-14) in professional baseball.
Entering this season, Singleton was ranked by MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus as the top first base prospect in all of baseball. Among all prospects in the game, Baseball Prospectus ranked him at No. 57, while ESPN.com had him at No. 78. Among Astros prospects, Singleton is currently ranked as the Astros No. 3 prospect per MLB.com.
Singleton was originally selected in the eighth round of the June 2009 draft by Philadelphia out of Robert A. Millikan High School in Long Beach, California. He played two and a half seasons in the Phillies organization before being acquired by Houston along with right-handed pitcher Jarred Cosart, outfielder Domingo Santana (PTBNL) and right-handed pitcher Josh Zeid in exchange for outfielder Hunter Pence on July 29, 2011.