Brandon Laird

Toiling away anonymously in the Yankees minor league system, Laird finally caught a break after being designated for assignment and getting picked up by the hapless Astros. He started 12 games for Houston down the stretch and found his way into five more as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. The results were pedestrian, but an improvement over his 2011 campaign is probably enough to get a long look during spring training. Laird took twice as many walks for Triple-A Scranton than he did in 2011, but he still strikes out too much for someone with just average power. At age 25, Laird still has fewer than 100 major league at-bats. While he's never exactly been on a prospect radar, he will have plenty of chances to showcase himself on an Astros squad with lots of opportunities for younger players.