Japhet

Amador

It’s not a given that he’ll report then, but it’s good to hear Amador’s wife is doing better. The 27-year-old will have time to make a positive impression with the Astros if he does indeed report soon. Amador hit .368/.419/.693 with 36 homers and 121 RBI in 104 games in the Mexican League last year.

Amador is late to spring training because his pregnant wife was in bad health. The bulky 27-year-old is likely to open the 2014 regular season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He hit .368/.419/.693 with 36 home runs and 121 RBI in 104 games last year in the Mexican League.

Amador officially reported to Astros’ camp on Friday after being delayed due to his pregnant wife’s heath issues. The big former Mexican Leaguer said Friday that his goal is to win the first base job, and he’ll be given a shot. Amador hit .368/.419/.693 with 36 home runs and 121 RBI in 104 games last year in the Mexican League.

There he will be given an opportunity to compete for the first base job. Standing at 6-4 and tipping the scales at over 300 pounds, Amador is a former Mexican League star that batted .361/.409/.655 with 36 longballs and 123 RBI last season in his native country before finishing the year with 10 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’ll surely begin 2014 in the minors but will be an interesting guy to watch in spring training.

Chris Carter is pegged for the DH spot, so the Astros will have a host of competitors vying for the first base gig. “Nobody’s clearly separating himself in my mind, so it’s going to be a good healthy competition,” Luhnow said. The GM listed Marc Krauss, Jesus Guzman, Japhet Amador, Jonathan Singleton and Brett Wallace as the competitors for the gig. Singleton certainly holds the most appeal from a fantasy perspective but is likely to begin the year in the minors.

Amador was expected to be in the mix for the first base job this spring, but the Astros are moving forward as if he will not report to camp. “We don’t know what the next steps are for him, but for now he needs to spend some time with his family,” said Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow. “We’re going to give him the time that he needs. Right now we’re proceeding as if he’s not going to be here during spring training.” Assuming Amador is out of the mix, that leaves Marc Krauss, Jesus Guzman, Jonathan Singleton and Brett Wallace competing for the first base job.

Suarez spoke on the severity of the situation, noting “When a kid’s not coming to major league camp, it must be really really serious.” The 27-year-old dominated in the Mexican League in 2013, slashing .368/.419/.693 with 36 homers and 121 RBI in 104 games before the Astros took note and signed him to a minor league deal. He is expected to compete for the starting job at first base if and when he makes it to camp.

Amador was delayed getting to camp because his pregnant wife was ill in Mexico. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, and 27-year-old has been mentioned as a contender for the starting first base job, but he’s likely to begin the season in Triple-A. Amador hit .368/.419/.693 with 36 home runs and 121 RBI in 104 games last year in the Mexican League, so he’s worth watching.

Amador is with the Astros on loan from Mexico City, and the club did have until mid-March to make a decision on the 27-year-old. However, Amador was late reporting to camp, so the Astros could get a little more time. He entered play Sunday with two singles in eight Cactus League at-bats.

Amador was invited to Astros spring training this offseason after batting .361/.409/.655 with 36 home runs and 123 RBI in 114 games last summer for Los Diablos Rojos. Now he’s back with the Mexican League team. The rotund first baseman was hitting just .214/.258/.286 in seven games this year at Triple-A Oklahoma City.