By Daniel L. Bamberg
The way the San Francisco Giants moved former Bibb County High School baseball sensation Matt Downs around in 2009 and 2010 it might have seemed convenient if he had changed his middle name to Upsand.
The well liked, hard hitting, and hard nosed infielder was placed in impatient situations and while showing signs of potential he was never seemingly given enough stage time at the show (Major League Baseball) to prove what he was all about.
There wasn’t much publicized for the still vastly unknown major league youngster when the Astros picked him up on waivers at the end of the 2010 season. Yet, there were some whispers that Houston was going to give the son of John and Beth an honest try, albeit those whispers may have been followed with Bibb County citizens knocking on wood and crossing their fingers behind their backs.
After a good spring training effort Matt was given a chance to rotate between 3rd and second bases. Currently he is among the top of the league in hitting third basemen with a .368 batting average.
Downs has also been a hero in two games this season, including getting the game winning rbi double to snap the Astros’ 8 game losing streak which began the season. On Wednesday, April 13th Downs hit a two run homer to place the Astros one run behind the Cubs and begin a comeback for a struggling young major league team.
Downs is currently in a platoon situation with struggling 3B Chris Johnson. Yet with Downs become the fan buzz in Houston for his recent clutch hitting, and his exciting play in the field, it is clear that the Astros may need to find him a more permanent role very soon.
Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports. Matt Downs celebrates a two run homer.
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