| Shay Whitcomb | |
| Team: | Houston Astros |
| Number: | 10 |
| Position: | Infielder |
| Birth Date: | 28 September 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | August 17 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Houston Astros |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | 2024 season |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .220 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 0 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 5 |
| Teams: |
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Shay Lane Whitcomb (born September 28, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Whitcomb attended Newbury Park High School in Newbury Park, California, and played college baseball at the University of California, San Diego.[1] In 2019, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]
Whitcomb was drafted by the Houston Astros in the fifth round of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He was the final player selected in the draft which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Whitcomb did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season as a result of the pandemic.[5]
Whitcomb spent his first professional season in 2021 with the Single–A Fayetteville Woodpeckers and High–A Asheville Tourists. Over 99 games between the two affiliates, he slashed .293/.363/.530 with 23 home runs, 78 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 25 doubles.[6] Whitcomb spent 2022 with the Double–A Corpus Christi Hooks, playing in 118 games and hitting .219/.283/.399 with 19 home runs, 60 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.[7] Whitcomb split 2023 between Corpus Christi and the Triple–A Sugar Land Space Cowboys. In 133 games split between the two affiliates, he slashed .240/.301/.470 with 20 stolen bases and career–highs in home runs (35) and RBI (102).[8]
Whitcomb began the 2024 campaign with Triple–A Sugar Land, hitting .293/.378/.530 with 25 home runs, 91 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. On August 16, 2024, Whitcomb was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[9] Making his major league debut on August 17, he started at third base in place of an injured Alex Bregman, and doubled in his first major league at bat versus Chris Flexen of the Chicago White Sox. Whitcomb also had one other hit, a walk, and a run scored to help lead a 6–1 win.[10] He hit a two-run single on August 22 versus Corbin Burnes at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for his first career RBI to help lead a 6–0 win.[11] In 20 games for Houston in his rookie campaign, Whitcomb slashed .220/.304/.293 with no home runs and five RBI.
Whitcomb's regular season totals at Sugar Land included batting .293/.378/.530, 25 home runs, 91 RBI, 73 runs scored, 53 walks, 95 strikeouts, and 26 stolen bases over 108 games and 481 plate appearances.[12] With Sugar Land, Whitcomb won the Triple–A Championship over the Omaha Storm Chasers, the first-ever for Sugar Land, and he was named the Championship MVP.[13] Following the 2024 season, Whitcomb was named Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year,[14] and Triple-A All-Star[15]