This morning I had a pretty massive brain fart when tweeting out that I bet the ValleyCats would be pissed if George Springer goes straight to Lexington. Of course the Astros aren't going to let him miss the first two months of the season waiting around for NYPL ball, so that one is totally on me.
However, it brings up a good point. Where should George Springer start the season?
First of all, it's worth noting that Springer turned 22 last September.
The average age of batters in the California League was 22.7 in 2011. In the South Atlantic League, it was 21.4. So if Springer goes to Lexington, he'll be a little older than most of the players (while pitchers averaged 21.9 years old). If the Astros think he's sufficiently advanced, they could send him straight to Lancaster, where he should put up ridiculous power numbers, but still be a touch younger than his competition.
With the need to move the higher-profile prospects along, I think it could go either way. Since Springer only has eight games' worth of professional (non-2012 Spring Training) experience, I could see him opening the year at Lexington and, if he rakes, moving up to Lancaster fairly quickly. Double-A isn't out of the question by the end of the season...
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
