With a melodious moniker like Gilberto Celestino, it comes as no surprise that he’s conducting a symphony of hits for the Houston Astros’ short-season Class A Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League.

He earned player of the week honors July 8 for his barrage of base hits some may have mistaken for fireworks. In one three-game span, Celestino smacked nine hits in 14 at-bats, lifting his batting average from .315 to .366.

UPDATE: Celestino was traded, July 27, along with Double-A RHP, Jorge Alcala, to the Minnesota Twins, as the Astros get righty reliever Ryan Pressly, in return.

By the Numbers

Through games of July 17, he currently leads the active ValleyCats in batting average (.321), hits (34), doubles (seven), RBIs (19), and stolen bases with 13, tying him for the league lead. He’s actually perfect in steals, too, having never been caught.

Celestino’s stats also land him in the New York-Penn league’s top 10 in batting average (ninth), RBI (five-way tie for second), hits (third), total bases (50, fourth), and slugging percentage (.455, eighth).

Celestino has walked eight times against 22 strikeouts in his 118 plate appearances this season. In his two pro seasons in Houston’s lower minors, he’s accumulated 63 walks and 125 Ks for a combined 2.09 K/BB ratio in 605 PAs.

Celestino is helping the Cats claw their way to the top of the Stedler division, with an 18-14 record (.563 winning percentage), pulling them into a first-place tie with the Lowell Spinners (Boston Red Sox affiliate), entering play July 19.

UPDATE: In the ValleyCats’ 7-3 win, July 19, over the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets affiliate), Celestino went 3-4, raising his BA to .325, with a double, a homer, a run and two RBI.

Man With a Plan

Celestino recently told The Troy Record his offensive game plan: “I go up to bat everyday looking for a way to help the team,” said Celestino. “If the runner is on second base and I see an opportunity to score him, I’ll try and score him.

“I’m performing, but at the end of the day we are a team,” Celestino concluded. “Everyone has a role to play and I am trying to play my role the best I can.”

The Astros signed the 16-year-old outfielder out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2015, to a package worth $2.5 million, according to industry sources at the time.

The deal for the sleekly-built 170-pound six-footer, once ranked No. 7 on MLB.com’s top 30 international prospects list, included a $2.25 million signing bonus and $275,000 for college.

Polish (with a short “o”)

“Known for his athletic ability and instincts in the outfield, Celestino is one of the most polished prospects in this year’s class,” reported MLB.com at the time. “He’s projected to start in center field and will likely stay there as he develops because of his speed, arm and ability to get good jumps on the ball.”

Celestino has already proven he’s a big game player, as he performed well for Dominican teams at a variety of international tournaments, including the 2011 Cal Ripken World Series as a 12-year-old, the 2013 Pan American 15-and-under championships, and the 2015 National High School Invitationals.

“Gilberto Celestino is one of the most advanced players in this year’s international July 2 class,” said Astros director of international, Oz Ocampo in 2015. “Offensively, he is one of the best pure hitters in this class with a strong ability to hit for both average and power, and an abnormally long history of performing in games against top-level competition.

“He is a special defender in center field, with the body type, athleticism and instincts to be an elite center fielder. Makeup-wise, Celestino is a proven winner with tremendous work ethic, intelligence, competitive fire, and a desire to be the best.”

Currently, Celestino, when not DH-ing for the ValleyCats, nails down CF with up-and-coming teammate, Alex McKenna, but has also seen some time at the corners. He’s hit second in the Cats’ lineup (with McKenna third), but they’re lined up one and two, respectively, July 19, with Celestino leading off.

Rank and File

Celestino, at 19, is the youngest ValleyCat and is currently Houston’s #22-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline), up a spot from his preseason ranking. He’s a bit of an odd duck on the diamond, as he bats right while throwing left-handed.

Celestino has benefited from Pipeline’s early comp of Chicago Cubs outfielder, Floridian Albert Almora, Jr., Chicago’s first-round draft pick in 2012: “[He] has done nothing to dispel the Albert Almora comparisons that started when he was an amateur.

“They’re both skilled center fielders with strong arms and instincts that stand out more than their pure speed, and their hitting ability is more promising than their power potential. The biggest difference between the two is that Celestino is less physical [slighter than the 6’2, 190 lb 24-year-old], and he still needs to prove he can make enough impact at that plate to become an everyday player in the big leagues.”

The Troy Record threw in their scouting report on Celestino this week: “Celestino has a smooth, compact, level swing that can penetrate the strike zone in the blink of an eye. Add in the speed and baseball awareness that he brings to the field, and it is evident why Gilberto has been a weapon for the ValleyCats to utilize all season.”

Celestino’s next stop will be Houston’s full-season Class A Quad Cities River Bandits, with no need to fast-track him to Advanced-A Buies Creek til next year, due to his youth.