March madness? Julks balancing roster bid, tourney hopes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- These are exciting and nerve-wracking times for Astros outfielder Corey Julks, who could be headed for a second consecutive spot on Houston’s Opening Day roster as he closely watches his alma mater compete in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Nerves are frayed and anxiety runs rampant as Julks awaits his fate and somehow still can’t wait to show up at the park each day. Talk about March madness.

Sunday could be a potentially significant day for Julks. Not only could he find out that he’s made the team, but his University of Houston Cougars have a second-round game Sunday night against Texas A&M. A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line, and Julks will be watching.

“I’m excited, man,” he said. “It’s definitely good to see, good for the city and hopefully this year we can go all the way and bring it back. With everything that they’ve done over the years, it’s just been fun to watch. The program’s been rebuilt and there’s so much momentum with the city. I like to see it.”

Just before the start of Spring Training, Julks attended a Cougars home game and took the mic to fire up the crowd at one point. He’ll engage any of his teammates in some lighthearted smack talk to defend the honor of his alma mater.

While Julks will be hoping the Cougars can reach the Final Four, he enters the last day of camp as one of the final four players competing for two spots on Houston’s bench. The others are infielder Grae Kessinger, first baseman Jon Singleton and prospect Joey Loperfido, who can play all three outfield positions.

Of those, Singleton seems like the most likely to grab a spot because he’s out of options, can provide power from the left side and plays first base -- a position where the Astros would like to give José Abreu a bit more rest this season.

Loperfido, the team’s No. 6-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, has had a tremendous spring, but isn’t on the 40-man roster and would probably benefit from playing everyday at Triple-A. Then there’s Kessinger, who strained his hamstring on March 18 but remains in the running for a bench spot anyway.

“[Julks] got much stronger, the swing decisions are better and also has played both good corner outfield [positions], so he’s definitely in consideration,” manager Joe Espada said.

Julks’ case to make the team stems from his ability to provide some pop off the bench and steal a base. Last year, he led the team in starts in left field with 59, splitting time with Yordan Alvarez and Chas McCormick. He finished the season in Triple-A after Michael Brantley returned from the IL late in the season.

Julks slashed .245/.297/.352 in his rookie year in 2023 with six homers, 33 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 75 strikeouts and 22 walks in 323 plate appearances. Four of those homers came off former All-Stars: Shohei Ohtani, Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah and Corbin Burnes. Those were the highs. The lows? He had three hits in his final 47 at-bats with Houston. Julks learned last year not to let one rough day spill over into the next.

“You can’t dwell on the lows,” he said. “You’ve got to show up ready to go every day, but also learn from the vets in this clubhouse. I’m very lucky to be on a team like this so I can watch those guys and see how they operate and try to adapt.”

Julks, who grew up in the Houston area, played three seasons at the University of Houston (2015-17) before the Astros took him in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB Draft -- the year the Astros first won the World Series. A steady climb through the Minor Leagues followed, with Julks opening some eyes when he ripped 31 homers at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2022.

He made some adjustments to his swing this offseason to simplify it and wants to be aggressive early in counts, which is a good trait to have for a pinch-hitter.

“I think I’m able to lay off pitches that I don’t want to swing at, I’m starting to recognize pitches better and starting to be more consistent than last year, I would say,” he said. “I’m starting to get to the fastball and that’s what I'm really trying to focus on and emphasize this offseason.”

That’s all well and good, but what about those Cougars? Will this be the year they finally win a national championship? Julks has no doubts.

“We’re going to take it all,” he said.