Drafted in the 11th round (334th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2004.
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Ash is a quintessential organizational player with outstanding makeup. He's a grinder whose tools are short across the board except for his ability to hit for contact. He'll probably be a second baseman in pro ball but he was better defensively in college at third base, where he showed good first-step quickness.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
Ash is the best pure hitter in the system. He has a career .310 average in pro ball and never has batted less than .297 in any of his five pro stops. He's one of the minors' most difficult batters to strike out, fanning just once every 13.4 at-bats, and managers rated his strike-zone judgment the best in the Texas League last year. But he's more of an overachieving organization player than a true prospect, because the rest of his game is fringy at best. Though he stunned Chad Cordero with a memorable College World Series homer while at Stanford, there's no power in Ash's bat and he doesn't project to do much damage in the majors. His speed is below-average, as are his range and arm at second base. He has reliable hands but doesn't have the tools to play other positions. Ash's 2007 season ended in July with a knee infection that required surgery, which won't help his tools. He'll advance to Triple-A this year, but his ceiling is limited to that of a reserve and reliable pinch-hitter.
Best Tools List
Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Houston Astros in 2008
Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Houston Astros in 2008
Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Texas League in 2007
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