Astros’ instructional league showcases outfield depth

The Astros won’t face a shortage of outfield options anytime soon.

George Springer already is one of the cornerstones on the big league club. Jake Marisnick is a gifted defender, albeit with a light bat. Derek Fisher and Teoscar Hernandez are 20-20 threats on the verge of claiming full-time jobs in Houston.

There’s another impressive wave of Astros outfielders behind that group, many of whom are on hand at the organization’s instructional league camp in Kissimmee, Fla. Kyle Tucker, Daz Cameron, Gilbert Celestino, Ronnie Dawson, Stephen Wrenn and Myles Straw are part of a 54-player contingent that reported on Sept. 16 and will receive postseason instruction through Oct. 14.

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For a guy who was considered the best pure high school hitter in the 2015 Draft and went fifth overall, Tucker flew somewhat under the radar during his first full pro season. That wasn’t because of a lack of performance, however. He batted a combined .285/.360/.438 with 41 extra-base hits (nine homers) and 32 steals in 117 games between two Class A stops at age 19.

“People don’t realize how young he is and how special it is to play like that,” Houston farm director Pete Putila said. “For me, he’s a contact machine who wouldn’t strike out at all if he wanted to. It’s just a matter of turning on balls and using his body more to put more of a charge into the ball. He just needs to get more at-bats and refine his approach to get pitches to drive.”

Cameron, who matched Tucker’s $4 million bonus as a supplemental first-round pick in the same 2015 Draft, is making up for lost at-bats after a broken left index finger ended his first full pro season in early July. Straw, a less-heralded 2015 draftee taken in the 12th round out of St. John’s River (Fla.) CC, is working on driving the ball more consistently after leading the Minors with a .358 average.

Dawson (second round) and Wrenn (sixth round) are college products …

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