The average baseball fan is probably more familiar with Singleton for his contract than for his play on the field. When Houston released Singleton, both Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports mentioned Singleton’s “unprecedented” deal in the headline of their articles reporting on his release.
Some background: Singleton was drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies, and immediately started tearing up older competition in the minor leagues. Singleton eventually became the centerpiece of the trade that sent Hunter Pence from Houston to Philly. Many believed it was only a matter of time before he became a fixture in the Astros lineup.