As dawn breaks on a new year, Major League Baseball approaches the 2018 season with plenty of questions and debate points to ponder, not the least of which are: Will the Houston Astros repeat as reigning World Champions? Will the two-way player “fad” take off with the December signing of renowned Japanese pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani, by Houston’s American League Western Division rivals, the Anaheim Angels?

The success of Ohtani, interestingly, may actually impact the results of the first question. All MLB teams will be carefully observing Ohtani, from whichever minor league team the Angels place him initially, and plot his progress onto the parent club whenever Anaheim brass deems him ready.

Ohtani’s ability to translate his prodigious prowess in Japan to major league diamond success will also spawn other clubs to consider fielding their own two-way players or drive them to bury the very notion once and for all. In case he or the Angels weren’t aware of it, there’s a lot of pressure on Shohei Ohtani.

Two Houston Astros minor league third basemen, J.D. Davis and recently drafted 3B prospect, Joe Perez, have pitching experience in their backgrounds which may move them to the forefront of the two-way player discussion, at least in the Astros’ backyard. But, that’s only if the Ohtani “experiment” doesn’t die on the laboratory floor.

UPDATE: Astros Acquire 3 Lower Minor Leaguers for JD Davis, January 6, 2019

The Anthony Gose Dice Roll

Flying under the radar this hot stove season was the selection of former outfielder Anthony Gose by the Astros in the December Rule 5 Draft. Gose, 27, had recently signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers (and placed on the Triple-A Round Rock Express roster), who had planned to let him play both the outfield and pitch. The Astros intend to use Gose as a left-handed reliever, if he happens to make the team out of Spring Training, seen by some as a long shot.

Gose has never pitched in the majors, but scouts have reported that he hit 100 mph several times with Round Rock last season. Obviously, if Gose sticks, he could also pinch-hit, pinch-run, DH, or be a defensive replacement, while still working out of the bullpen.

The Pitch For J.D. Davis

J.D. Davis was drafted by Houston out of Cal State Fullerton (where he was the Titans’ closer) in 2014, and climbed the organizational ladder as a position player, culminating in his MLB debut last August. Playing mostly 3B (with two games at 1B), the 24-year-old turned in a .226 BA, with four doubles and four homers, with seven RBIs, in 62 ABs for Houston. He struck out 20 times to only drawing four walks.

In his three years for Cal State Fullerton, Davis pitched 66 innings, resulting in a 5-5 record, a 3.00 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP. He struck out 48 batters, while only walking 14, for a 3.43 K/BB ratio. In the summer before his junior year, Davis pitched 4.2 innings in the Cape Cod League, giving up only three hits, while striking out seven with only two walks.

Related: JD Davis Think It’s Autumn, ‘Cause He Keeps Raking

Here’s the rub: The all-around right-handed Davis actually pitched a scoreless inning against Texas, August 29. He finished 2017 pitching 1.2 bullpen-saving, blow-out innings for Houston, and struck out three of the seven batters he faced (a 43% K-rate), while walking one and yielding one hit. Tiny sampling, to be sure, but intriguing, nonetheless, for the 6’3″, 225-pounder, whose fastball was clocked at just under 92 mph last season.

With Alex Bregman blocking the hot corner in Houston (as well as a general organizational 3B logjam at that position), Davis has played some outfield in both Double-A Corpus Christi and AAA Fresno for Houston the last couple of years. Depending on Davis’ spring showing, and any MLB time he enjoys, any hitting downturn may open the door to the bullpen for him.

Related: Davis Powering Corpus Christi Hooks, Crowding Houston’s 3B Picture

The first weekend of January, Davis joined fellow prospects (with MLB playing time) LHP Reymin Guduan and OF Derek Fisher at the MLB Rookie Career Development Program in Leesburg, VA. About 90 players from other teams gather each year for four days of seminars, guest speakers and discussion about how to make wise decisions as their careers move forward.

Related: JD Davis Earns Spot On Astros 2018 Opening Day Roster

With Third Baseman Joe Perez, Houston Has Time to Reconsider

In contrast to Davis, Joe Perez is a newly drafted 18-year-old, having been selected in the 2nd round by Houston just a few weeks before J.D. made his MLB debut last season. Perez signed with the Astros for a $1.6 million bonus, about $300,000 more than the slot value for the 53rd overall selection, perhaps a reflection of Houston’s positive projection of the former Archbishop McCarthy High School (FL) two-way player.

Related: J.B. Bukauskas, Houston’s 2017 1st Round Draft Pick

Perez underwent successful Tommy John surgery (after partially tearing his ulnar collateral ligament in the spring) on June 13, 2017, the day after the Astros drafted him, and while that procedure may have scared off many potential draft day suitors, he has said the Astros were “on me the whole way.” His Twitter account reflects his follow-up training and rehab included soft tosses as recently as mid-December.

In late June, at his signing ceremony, Perez said of the eventual World Series Champs: “It would be awesome to be able to play with these guys,” he said. “Seriously, they’ve done a lot of damage so far.” Prophetic words the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and LA Dodgers might have echoed after each was kicked to the playoff curb by the Astros.

Perez, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Houston pitcher and fellow Floridian Lance McCullers, Jr., led Broward County (FL) with nine home runs, a 1.145 slugging percentage and 37 RBIs. As a senior right-handed pitcher, he also went 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 18.2 innings of work. He helped lead the Mavericks to their third consecutive state title.

According to the Broward County Sun-Sentinel, “While Perez has touched 99 mph on his fastball, the Astros selected him primarily as a hitter.” True, prior to the draft, the Astros informed Perez (like teams tell the many two-way high school and even college players drafted every year) they were going to draft him as only one of the two things…in this case, a position player.

Archbishop McCarthy High School head baseball coach, Rich Bielski, described Perez at the plate this way after a game last spring: “Joe has that perfect combination of controlled aggression. He’s aggressive in the zone, which is great, and it really leads to some great games, like he had today. I’m very proud of Joe. He’s been our cleanup-hole hitter all year long and he really has a nose for RBIs.” In that game, Perez hit a grand slam, doubled home two runs, and ended up with seven RBIs.

But, if the Sun-Sentinel‘s statement is a true reflection of Houston’s overall plan for the youngster, “primarily as a hitter” can lead us to believe there’s wiggle room, at some point (at any point) for a switch from on-deck circle to pitching mound for Perez, as player progression and team needs warrant in the coming years.

Which brings us back to Ohtani. If he fails miserably for the Angels as that dream two-way player headlines are predicting, curiosity will wane, and the two-way ripples across baseball will dissipate quickly, with Davis and Perez swinging bats just as they were drafted.

But, if Ohtani succeeds as both a position player and a pitcher, Houston has two players who might just benefit in his wake, poised as they are to possibly switch career gears.