Ramon Laureano Finishes Strong In AFL

Ramon Laureano (Photo by Bill Mitchell) Ramon Laureano (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

HOUSTON—Save for the presence of George Springer, the future of the Astros’ outfield is very much in flux. Perhaps Ramon Laureano will enter the conversation in 2017.

Eschewing his status as a sleeper prospect, Laureano has increased his stock around the industry with a hot start to the Arizona Fall League season. His success against upper-level pitching helps validate a breakout regular season, which the 22-year-old finished with 36 games at Double-A Corpus Christi.

“I’m not at all surprised,” assistant general manager Mike Elias said of Laureano’s AFL performance. “He’s a very good player. He’s got very good tools. This year he backed that up with huge performance across two levels. Most of all, he’s got excellent work ethic.”

A 16th-round pick in 2014 out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC, Laureano hit .319/.428/.528 in 116 games at hitter-friendly high Class A Lancaster and Corpus Christi this season. He led the minors in on-base percentage.

A plus runner, he complemented 15 home runs, 28 doubles and seven triples with 43 stolen bases in 57 attempts. He can play all three outfield positions, but his offensive profile probably fits best in center.

A lineup regular for Glendale, Laureano opened the AFL slate with eight hits, including two doubles and two triples, in his first 14 at-bats. He garnered the league’s first player-of-the-week award of 2016. Though not on the 40-man roster, he could play his way into an invitation to big league spring training.
Area scout Jim Stevenson, the same man who recommended 2015 Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, was behind the pick of Laureano.

A finger injury limited Laureano to 16 games after signing in 2014, and he batted just .265/.323/.415 last year at low Class A Quad Cities. This year was a different story, one that will continue through the end of the AFL schedule in November.

“What he’s done offensively in terms of the bat and stolen bases, there’s really not a lot of holes that you could poke into what he did this year,” Elias said. “We just want him to keep working and keep it up.”

SPACE SHOTS

• Outfielder Daz Cameron, the 2015 supplemental first-rounder, recovered from a broken left index finger in time to play games at the end of instructional league.

• Second baseman Nick Tanielu reported late to the AFL because of a left hand injury sustained during instructional league.

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