Cabbage hoping power, speed impress star-studded Astros

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If the Astros can find a way to get Trey Cabbage to tap into the power he flashed last year at Triple-A, they could wind up considering last month’s trade with the Angels to acquire the infielder/outfielder a steal. Cabbage, who came to the Astros in exchange for Minor League pitching prospect Carlos Espinosa, put up monster numbers at Triple-A in 2023 and is battling for a bench spot with Houston.

“Right now, we just want to see him play and perform,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I think it’s early to determine [his chances to make the team] but he gives us some flexibility. He can play corner outfield and he can also play some first base. There is a path for him to make the club, but right now I want to see him go out there and perform and have fun.”

The 26-year-old Cabbage is also a left-handed hitter, which could be enticing for the Astros to have come off the bench. Last month, he was designated for assignment by the Angels, with whom he made his MLB debut on July 14, 2023. Over 22 games with the big league team, he slashed .208/.232/.321 with one homer, three doubles and seven RBIs.

Cabbage turned heads, though, with his performance at Triple-A Salt Lake, which is in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Still, his .306/.379/.596 (.975 OPS) slash line with 30 homers, 89 RBIs, 25 doubles and 32 stolen bases showed a power-speed combination that intrigued the Astros.

“You know, his athleticism has really caught my eye,” Espada said. “I do like the power. Swing decisions have been very good, so hopefully we can build up and get him going here offensively.”

Cabbage said he met the news of the trade with optimism, eager for a new start in a new organization, which will be his third. He was a fourth-round Draft pick by the Twins in 2015, then he joined the Angels’ organization in '21. Over parts of eight Minor League seasons, he’s slashed .261/.336/.473 with 96 homers, 345 RBIs and 62 stolen bases in 567 games.

“It’s been good,” he said. “It’s been a great experience. They welcomed me with open arms. Everybody’s willing to work, and it seems like we’re all on the same page and trying to get better every day.”

In his first 460 games in the Minor Leagues, Cabbage stole only 30 bases. Last year at Triple-A, he stole 32 bases in 107 games, saying the Angels made a concerted effort to teach him how to be a smarter and better baserunner.

“I feel like I can move pretty well, and it was just basically teaching me how to steal bases and when to go in counts and in games and stuff like that,” he said. “Once I got the confidence to go, I was just going to see how much I could get.”

Cabbage said he’s being a sponge in camp and trying to learn as much as he can in a veteran clubhouse that includes star players like Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez, all of whom have won a World Series and played in multiple Fall Classics. The expectations in Houston are higher than in most camps.

Cabbage will get plenty of at-bats in Grapefruit League action to convince the Astros he can be a valuable member of a team expected to make a run at another World Series.

“Of course, you love to see the numbers rack up, and I’m hoping to repeat it again this year by just putting yourself in good situations with routines in the cage, defensive work and working on the base paths, too,” he said. “As long as I go out and take care of the work, everything is going to fall into place like it should.”