Moran excelling since joining Astros' system

HOUSTON -- Colin Moran, the Minor League third baseman the Astros acquired from the Marlins along with outfielder Jake Marisnick and a compensation pick in next year's Draft for pitcher Jarred Cosart, has performed well since joining Double-A Corpus Christi.

Through 22 games, Moran was hitting .307 with a .357 on-base percentage, two homers and 18 RBIs. He entered Wednesday on a six-game hitting streak, during which he was 9-for-27. The 6-foot-4 Moran was taken with the sixth overall pick out of North Carolina by the Marlins in 2013.

"I'm not surprised with that," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said of Moran's success. "He fits with our organizational philosophy of working counts and hitting for power and all that, and it's a good fit for him. I knew the numbers he put up in the Florida State League would translate very well to the Texas League, and so far it has."

Luhnow said Moran -- the team's No. 5-ranked prospect -- would likely be invited to Major League Spring Training next year, and with Matt Dominguez struggling at the plate for most of the season, he could be pushing him for playing time at some point next year.

"We're in good position," Luhnow said. "We have Moran and [Rio] Ruiz both developing nicely as third-base prospects, and that's a good spot to be in. Whether both of them come to camp, I don't know, but they both are deserving of at least a conversation, that's for sure."