The Astros, briefly down both starting middle infielders and missing utility man Aledmys Diaz, were forced to turn to Mayfield for 16 starts last season (12 at shortstop, four at second base). Mayfield held his own in the field but struggled mightily at the dish, striking out in roughly a quarter of his plate appearances while walking only once. He hit 26 home runs in just 100 games at Triple-A, but the happy fun ball is mostly to thank for that. From 2017-18, Mayfield totaled 22 homers at Triple-A and was pretty much exactly league average while being old for the level at ages 26 and 27. As of mid-December, Mayfield was still a member of the Astros' 40-man roster, but he's certainly no lock to survive the winter with his spot. Even on a bottom-feeding team, he'd only be a part-time/depth player. Read Past Outlooks