DOB: 5/5/76, Age: 25, Height: 5’10’’, Weight:
190, Bats: R, Throws: R. Acquired: Astros - Drafted in the 10th Round of
the 1998 draft (Texas Tech). 2000 Stats: (AA - Round Rock) .333 AVG, 462
AB, 30 2B, 3 3B, 26 HR, 24 SB, 82 BB, 127 K, .458 OBP, .580 SLG; (Maj. -
Houston) .250 AVG, 8 AB, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, .333 OBP, .625 SLG. 2001 Stats:
(AAA - New Orleans) .269 AVG, 457 AB, 31 2B, 5 3B, 16 HR, 8 SB, 61 BB, 147
K, .380 OBP, .464 SLG.
Keith Ginter probably deserved a
shot in the majors this season, and as always, one wonders if his
early-season performance suffered in AAA without one. Ginter has turned
into an offensive force the past two seasons, totaling 111 extra base-hits
in 919 at-bats. He crowds the plate unabashedly (47 HBP in ’00 and ’01),
looking to pull nearly every pitch he sees, but is still strong enough to
muscle pitches off the other way. The high strikeout numbers are much more
a result of his “pull-centric” philosophy than a susceptibility to certain
types of pitches, and thus are reasonably likely to be reduced given the
right hitting coach. In essence, his offense is not a problem. He has
power, speed, and a fairly good batting eye. The problem, aside from a
general lack of opportunity, is his defense. Ginter is not very fluid in
the field, which prompted the Astros to move him to third base (from
second) at the beginning of the season. That experiment lasted all of
three games, as Ginter’s arm is barely adequate from second base. Keith
spent the rest of the season bouncing back and forth between second and
left field, where his arm is also a liability. Whatever position he lands
at, he won’t be playing there because of his defense. Ginter has
above-average power and speed, reminding some of Craig Biggio at the same
point in his career, albeit with more power and less speed. If he is able
to improve himself defensively at the same rate as Biggio, then the Astros
might have another potential All-Star in the making.
The best news that Ginter could
have received came last week: the Astros did not tender contracts to
Moises Alou or Vinny Castilla. That leaves the option open to use him in
either left field or at third base. Defensively, neither option is very
palatable to the Astros, but in that bandbox, the importance of defense is
tempered somewhat. I actually think that they’ll put Daryle Ward in left
and let Ginter battle with Chris Truby for the third-base job. No matter
what, I think Ginter will be in the majors next year, it’s just a question
of how many at-bats he will receive. Damion Easley might be a reasonable
comparison for Ginter, with a peak level similar to Easley’s peak. (38 2B,
27 HR, 15 SB in 1998).