The Astros have shifted 2011 third-round pick Jack Armstrong Jr. from pitcher to first base.
The hard-throwing No. 99 overall from 2011, who signed for $750,000 after a great career at Vanderbilt, was forced to position duties due to elbow and shoulder maladies that kept him off the mound for three years. The 24-year-old will now try to beat long odds and resuscitate his career as a hitter. “It’s been a lot of work,” he said. “The moment I got cleared in September, I started swinging immediately. It’s been a good five or six months of hard work. It’s good I was a two-way guy in college so I was always swinging. ... It’s something I always wanted to do since I loved it so much, and I was pretty good at it, and based on the circumstances because the arm has been through a lot, it’s nice to have something to fall back on and to keep playing this game as long as you can.”
