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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

Houston's hope for George Springer

The best part of Leon Roberts’ job happened again Tuesday night, when George Springer was summoned into the manager’s office in Colorado Springs. Springer probably had some idea of what was to come, said Roberts, the hitting coach of the Oklahoma City RedHawks.

The word passed down from the Houston Astros’ front office reached Oklahoma City manager Tom Lawless late in the game, and Springer was pulled out for the ninth inning. On Tuesday he was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored -- in other words, just another day for Springer, who had batted .353 with an OPS of 1.106 for the RedHawks.

When players are told they’re going to the big leagues, Roberts said, they usually react in one of two ways: Either they break down and cry, or they are speechless. Springer, Roberts said, was “more shocked and subdued. But he was playing like his hair was on fire.”

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