I Jon Singleton the story is interesting because it affects me a lot. As may be the case with many others. It is a story of human error. It’s a matter of being young and dumb. It’s a matter of maturity, finding calm and peace so that things make sense now.
Singleton is 32 years old, 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, and bats from the left side. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He became the second best player in the organization before being traded to the Houston Astros two years later. He was stopped for using marijuana in 2013. The following season, the Astros signed him to a five-year, $10 million contract without appearing in a single MLB game. That way they thought highly of him as a player.
His MLB awards did not go well. In 362 plate appearances during the 2014 season, Singleton slashed .168/.285/.335 with a 37% strikeout rate. He hit 13 home runs, drove in 44 runs, and stole two bases. The following season, he only got 58 plate appearances, slashed .191/.328/.298, and had a 29.3% batting average with a .106 ISO.
A year later, he was waived, suspended again for marijuana, played in Mexico, and returned to MLB in 2022 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He did well in Triple-A, but the success didn’t translate back to the majors. The Brewers waived him and the Astros swooped in and re-signed him. In 73 plate appearances at the end of the 2023 season, Singleton slashed .194/.301/.323 but had two home runs and 10 RBI. The strike rate was only 16.4%.
In 70 plate appearances this season, the slash is .258/.329/.435 with three home runs and eight RBI. The walk rate is 10% and the strikeout rate is 20%. The ISO is .177. Since Jose Abreu was demoted to the minors, however, Singleton has been hit. In 23 plate appearances, he slashed .300/.348/.750 with three home runs, an 8.7% strikeout rate and a .450 ISO!
Now, before I dive a little deeper into this season’s numbers, I want to step back to provide some context.
Singleton recently said he has a substance abuse problem. He grew up on Long Beach’s famous LBC known as Snoop Doggy Dog, Singleton said he started smoking weed at the age of 14. He liked the way it made him feel. I used to smoke a lot myself, so I get it. While I wanted to play video games, watch movies, and eat food, Singleton got to play baseball. He should be in the Hall of Fame for that.
After signing a five-year contract, he said he felt anxious and the pressure got to him. Smoking marijuana helped with anxiety. Most of the time, we forget that players are people, not robots that generate statistics for us.
Singleton lost a lot of experience in the suspension, but he persevered and bounced back. He went to rehab and figured things out. “Now that I look back, I had addiction problems because I was doing it every day. I didn’t have the tools or the mindset to change my ways. But going back and learning about the human body, that’s really helped me, not just in drug abuse, but in life.” – USA Today.
That maturity seems to be showing at the plate so far this season. Throughout his minor and major league career, Singleton has always had a good eye. There was only one instance where the travel rate was less than 10%. That was in 2011 during the Single-A season, when he posted a 9.5% walk rate in 148 plate appearances. He is at 10% this season.
The plate alignment numbers have seen a remarkable improvement. The pass rate is only 24.6% and the strikeout rate is 7.9%. The local connection rate is 89.9%. Back in 2014, the pass rush rate was only 26.7%, but the field contact rate was only 70.2% and the strikeout rate was 15.1%.
For a power hitter, those are good numbers.
Speaking of power, Singleton currently has a .177 ISO, so the power isn’t strong. But he posted +.200 ISO numbers multiple times in Triple-A. The average exit speed is 88.8 mph while the maxEV is 114.4 mph. If he’s eligible, that would rank him 89th and 12th in the MLB. That’s not bad, yo!
Singleton has been batting sixth or seventh in the lineup, so that’s not fair. And he probably won’t be a middle-order bat again. That said, the Astros offense hasn’t started singing yet, so more opportunities to deliver may be in the offering.
Joey Loperfido is still a young first baseman, but will likely be used more in the outfield. In addition, there is a possibility that Jose Abreu is the toast of Singleton Mans first base for the remainder of the season. Or he could start nursing again when Abreu regains form. It is not possible but within the range of results. Whatever it is. Singleton is currently free and the risk/reward profile is very favorable for inclusion in a CI environment.
Cover photo by: Tom Hagerty
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