The Astros are entering the home stretch of a different type of Spring Training in 2016. They are a team with a much bigger and better base and a lot less questions than previous years, which does not mean there are not some questions to be pondered and answered in the next couple weeks. For you, dear readers here are 10 random questions for you to ponder and answer:
- There has been talk about the Astros pursuing Brewer’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy in a trade. Do you want the Astros to chase Lucroy?
- Is there a position or positions you want the Astros to bolster by trade after seeing their Spring Training performance thus far?
- Should Josh Fields, James Hoyt or Jandel Gustave make the Astros bullpen?
- Is there any doubt that Tyler White should start the season with the Astros?
- Is there any doubt that Jon Singleton has not earned a spot with the team?
- With Lance McCullers Jr. out injured, who should fill the 3,4 and 5 spots in the rotation out of Scott Feldman, Mike Fiers, Doug Fister, Wandy Rodriguez and Michael Feliz?
- If the Astros back slide in 2016, even if from excessive injuries, would you stay the course with Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch or replace one or the other?
- With Max Stassi injured is the Astros backup C, Tyler Heineman, Roberto Pena, someone not yet with the organization or Jason Castro if someone not yet with the organization is Jonathan Lucroy?
- Who makes the team on the bench from the infield – Matt Duffy with a poor .208 BA (but great .970 OPS) or Danny Worth with an uncharacteristic .412 BA / 1.324 OPS or a wild card like Colin Moran with a .350 BA / .882 OPS?
- At least until Evan Gattis returns does Jake Marisnick make the team despite his .138 BA / .408 OPS, due to being able to back up all OF positions?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
150 responses to “Astros 2016: Questions, questions and more questions”
I would love to see Lucroy catching – and hitting – for the Astros for a year or two. Do I want to see that as bad as I want to see Joe Musgrove and Jandel Gustave pitching, A.J. Reed playing 1B, Colin Moran playing 3rd, and Tyler White and Preston Tucker DH-ing, and filling out the Astro’s line-up card along with Altuve, Correa, Springer, and Daz Cameron, and Younger Tucker for a long, long time? Not on your life. We have a chance at a dynasty here. And the team we have – even with Stassi’s injury – is good enough this year without Mr. Lucroy if what Milwaukee wants for him is a cornerstone of our franchise’s future. OP1 and I can pick two really good prospects they can have for Mr. Lucroy along with Mr. Singleton or Mr. Gattis – if that’s not enough to woo him from their clutches, this is a good time to ‘just say no’.
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Remember David Sterns is the GM for the Brewers, and he ALREADY knows who he wants for Lucroy. And I’ll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don’t count.
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Agree with you Mr. Bill. It wouldn’t take but a couple of trades to decimate the farm system. Look what we gave up for Giles. I’m thinking we need to go with what we have and let the young guys develop. You make trades when timing is right and the deal is a good one. I suspect we’d get into a 3 for 1 trade with us coming out on the short end of the stick. Let’s see what happens along the raod this year and then see what we want to do in July/August.
Don’t think it’s a good idea to get “deal happy” right now.
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Jake’s poor play isnt even a worry if MarGo is hitting like this in the reg season bc you have to find a place for him. Marwin backs up all OF positions, so Jake hitting sub Mendoza is obsolete except for 1st pinch runner, and that goes for everyone else; Aplin, Fisher, etc. My two cents? Get AJ Reed in the outfield with that rifle of an arm! I dont understand why you take a .996 FP off 1B in White? PTuck in left is like Carlos Lee defensively. I dont see a future place yet on the field for him until he improves his wherewithal, agility. Bregman and Kemmer were behind my expectations.
If Fister’s latest outing is indicative of our early BOR, then we need the extra pitcher, and hasten the time table on LMJ if it was mostly precautionary.
My gut is they’ll keep Jake up with a short leash bc he’s proven he belongs. I’d opt for Hoyt over anyone in the pen right now. Watch the weak link, whomever that is, to come up sore soon.
1. Lucroy, pass.
2. LHP asap!
3. Hoyt is the hot hand
4. No doubt on White
5. Singleton looks disinterested, and so are we.
6. I think all five guys get thrown into the mix now for BOR
7. AJ has the respect of players, and Hinch seems confident JL will provide depth needed (poor Dan prays every night for No Injuries!)
8. Heineman showed me some nifty hitting recently. I’m a big believer that catcher has much more important tangibles than batting lines; respect of staff, umpires, able to put aside offensive woes and project defensive confidence, not to mention – knowing every batter tendency comes with yrs in the league, and a steady approach. I’m not plussed with .211 from Castro, but he’s been thru the wars here and deserves his shot in 2016 to turn that around IMHO. Lucroy is tempting. Our history of drafting catchers reads like a Who’s Who of “Who?!” John Mizerock, Robbie Wine, Max Sapp. Maybe trading is our only hope?
9. I think Moran or Duffy will be fine – I’d take either over Jake since Marwin has OF covered.
10. Yes. And hopefully Jake stays and Gattis hits bc we seem to be a year away with most prospects, and with FA looming, we GOTTA MAKE HAY NOW!
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Mark,
Interesting approach. So Marwin becomes the fourth outfielder and our future firstbaseman Reed goes to the outfield? I’ve only seen his gun from first, and not the rightfield corner, but I already know he would not be twinkle toes at any outfield postion. I think in the long run, White would not stick at first. You really do want a taller target over there.
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Daveb, consider this:
White hits 320+ and you never take him out of the lineup, but he’s no glass of wine at third. His dwarfish look is conversation piece to his raking. Elite fielders already throw to smaller target, rules change about sliding into 2B, problem solved.
PTuck was All-SEC 1B, and Reed was All-Everything. My money is on Reed as a better fielder anywhere, than Tucker.
I take slugging in the 5-8 batting order over Jake’s elite CF speed, until the 9th in a save opportunity. But to sacrifice that late inning (touch better than Gomez) to watch Moran hit 350 in Fresno. No.
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Mark I’ve got to admit, you lost me when you went into the rule change for sides into second base.
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1)We can go in with a rookie backup until Stassi is ready, because he is a backup, and Castro will be playing 4 out of 5 games anyway. When Stassi is ready, he can take over unless the rookie backup is blowing everyone away. Stassi would likely be ready by this time next month if the time table is correct. So yeah, no need to trade for a backup. Not worth it.
2)No.
3) Hoyt , but Fields has put up good K/9 numbers historically. It’s funny, I didn’t realize he was 30…keep thinking of him as younger for some reason.
4) No doubt
5) Ditto.
6)Scott Feldman, Mike Fiers, Wandy Rodriguez , with Fister as the long guy.
7) Stay the course.
8)See # 1
9) Duffy
10) I guess.
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1. Sure, if I could listen in on the Lucroy discussions, I’d weigh it. But I think in the end, the Brewers will rightfully want more than we are willing to give.
2. We need a back up catcher. Looks like we’ll probably use a guy in house, but we are weak at back up. But most importantly, we are very thin in the outfield. Marwin is an excellent utility guy, but he’s not going to continue to hit as he has in the spring, especially against major league righthanders. And while he’s a serviceable leftfielder, he’s got no real business in center or right on a first place squad. If Marisnick gets the job hitting .130 something, combined with his past hitting history, we are indeed legitimately thin in the outfield. Kemp and Alpin don’t seem to want the job either.
3. Josh Fields just does not impress me. He’s only throw four innings in March, but no K’s. Isn’t that his supposed to be his pedigree? So I’m more inclined to give the new guys, hopefully hungry, a shot.
4. I can’t think of why Tyler White should not be on the opening day roster. But I think he needs to play everyday for us to really see what he’s capable of. Put him at the DH spot at least until Gattis gets back and leave him alone. He’ll hit lefties and righties both. I’d be tempted to hit him behind Altuve. That leaves a lot space between first and second, and with his OBP potential, we could end up with a bunch of early activity on the bases. And that’s the kind of stuff that makes starting pitchers happy!
5. Singleton has not done nearly enough. But if he gets the average up over .200 before the season starts, he probably gets the job initially, sad to say. I want Tucker over there. I’m very interested to get a glimpse of Preston playing the bag.
6. At this point, I see no changes in the rotation to start the season unless someone else goes down. We started out with 6 starters, and with McCullers on the shelf, we’re still got the 5 we need.
7. I don’t see a slide back. But for the sake of providing a response, if the Astros lose 90 in 2016, someone has to go.
8. My guess in Heineman. Maybe Joe Sclafani should pick up a mask.
9. Marwin is the first infielder off the bench. Moran will not get a job unless he’s going to play everyday, so that rules him out. Worth looks great right now, but he’s got Tommy Manzella type numbers career wise. Duffy is the righty bat that can play first or third and provides a bigger target than White. But, if White is not going to be the DH, you’ve got to give him first if he’s the guy still hitting. But again, I think he opens at DH.
10. As previously discussed, Jake will probably get the nod because he does everything else so well. Rarely do you see such a good athlete, one with all the other tools, hit so poorly.
Good effort Dan, time to watch some hoops!
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Alpin and Fontana go to AAA and Kemp is reassigned to minor league camp.
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Is Hellickson this good or are we all hungover?
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I’m trying not to panic, but Giles getting knocked around again. UGH
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Colby Jack!
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Does Wandy’s line do anything to help, or hurt his OD chances?
4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K.
Also, the Phillies have 8 catchers in camp, two are leading the team in hitting. Saw Padres’ C Derek Norris is an option the Rangers are considering.
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A few thoughts here
– You know White is 1″ shorter than Bagwell – heck, he is 1″ shorter than Keith Hernandez. And being a bit on the (ahem) husky side – he is not that small a target right?
– Mark you need to re-read your post from the standpoint of other folks because I think it is clear to you but we need a little more explanation.
– Re: Giles – I remember when we first got Valverde. He got boxed around and blew some saves early and then settled down. Hope that happens here
– It would sure be sweet to get a big year out of our $15 million slice of cheese
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Dan, I’d happily open the season with White at first, but I don’t think he’ll ever be close to as smooth as Bags or Hernandez at first. Regardless, I think most of us have all got our long term guy in mind for that job already, so it’s kind of a moot point.
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If Chase Mcdonald hit as well as White, or we could afford Freddy Freeman, then I’ll advocate for a taller 1B. In 875 competitive innings, White has made 3 errors! How many plays did his 5’11” frame limit? I dont know. Maybe some. Enough to negate the necessity of his bat. The Astros will decide.
Let me say, then, it’s my hope that after the Utley slide into Ruben Tejada, that the league addresses it. If so, we’ll see even less errant throws from the 6th best defensive team – golden glove/ROY
AJ Reed is the future 1B. Fair enough. The problem will arise when Tucker, White and Reed (and Gattis) are all hitting is my point. Of the four, I like only two defensively.
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No need for Freeman or Mcdonald. We’ll have our own big guy over at first before long. And if in the meantime, White gets charged with holding down the fort, I’m all for it.
I thought the league has already addressed the slide issue.
If all four of those guys decided to hit at the same time, it would be a good problem to have.
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I would be fine with White at DH permanently and Reed at 1B. I’m not sure Reed has the speed to be effective in the OF – he may have to use that arm to throw out a lot of guys trying for second because he gets there too slow. Besides, we have arguably the best defensive OF in baseball right now – and all three guys could hit 20 HR to boot, Springer maybe more.
Of course that leaves the eternal Gattis is back question in about 6 weeks……
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Yeah, daveb I know that Reed is the long term solution, but I’m just saying we had two bigger guys at 1B last year – Carter and Smoking-ton and neither were great shakes fielding and were awful hitters. White won’t worry me much if he helps hold first down until Reed comes up.
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Dan, as noted above, I fully agree.
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Hey, and I’m just spitballing, but why do we ask Bregman, or Tucker, Valbuena or Kemp to try another position *in order to see some playing time, but not Reed (didnt we try him at pitcher last week?) We are talking about an unanimous POY, and we are still talking about 2016, right? I think we have room on this team, and absolutely need Reed’s power. I just cant wrap my head around Tucker over White on the field, or lineup right now (even situationally). Its a longshot, but Dave, I remember you considering some out-of-position scenarios back in the day. This is like Lamb, Loretta and Bruntlett trying to squeeze Berkman, Biggio and Everett. That wasn’t gonna happen, but we needed the best hitting lineup. With a DH, AJ surely has creative reigns to try different things.
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Mark –
A team that had played Carlos Lee, Chris Carter, Evan Gattis and Preston Tucker in LF could never play a defensive liability like AJ Reed in LF. (This is my sarcasm sign)
Hey I would love to see White and Reed in the lineup – I guess we will see but I’m betting Reed goes down for a little bit first.
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The Utley slide was addressed… kind of. No rolling slides will be allowed, but it’s conceivable they will still not enforce the rules and instead allow any takout slide where a runner could still touch the bag.
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It was a minor point in debating whether White gives us confidence to hold down the bag, no doubt, but…
Baseball usually polices itself. If somebody takes out one of our middle infielders, we dont have the Mets’ budget – that could be the season. Given our All-Star personnel, and with less interference around 2B, there’s slightly less of a premium for a taller 1B to have to overstretch or utilize his relative reach. Surely we all agree that if White hits anything close to his Milb numbers, his lack of size will be a moot point.
During the discussion before I think you were in favor of (everything is negotiable) acquiring Freeman, Devin. At this point, do we have enough in-house to feel good about not pursuing him, esp given what it would take to keep him? Apples to oranges? Freeman’s best MLB year compared to White and Reed’s MiLB career?
.319 .396 .501 .897
.311.422.489.911
.324 .415 .583 .997
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Hey Mark, I didn’t like most of the proposed Freeman deals. I think Houston is in a better position without that contractual commitment. I think White or Reed could give them enough contributions at MLB minimum that any performance gap between them and Freeman could be reconciled by spending the $$$ elsewhere.
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Most guys, for the sake of their careers, should be able to play multiple positions. And even some of the best athletes, guys like Biggio and Bagwell, became Gold Glove winners at secondary positions. I’d say for right now however, the club is grooming Reed to be their first baseman, and would like him spending all of his time working on that eventuality. Who knows, that could change at some point in time. But based on what I’ve seen, and again, this is just my opinion, we are a better baseball team by not putting a guy with limited mobility in the outfield, even a guy with a nice arm.
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Wojo optioned to Fresno.
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Not surprising……I think he will be included in any trade Luhnow makes in the very near future. But….he wasn’t hit as bad as Giles was today. I’m not sold on this kid…..I sure hope he grows into the closer role, and SOON. In the mean time, he will watch Gregersen walk out of the bullpen in the 9th.
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Dan’s answers to Dan’s questions
1. and 2. At this point I do not want to trade off anymore prospect chips. I want to see how things go during the season, try to fill problem areas from within the organization and if there is a huge terrible hole at the trading deadline – then trade for the absolute need.
3. I think it is time to give someone like a Hoyt a chance to be better than Fields.
4. White needs to be on this roster
5. Singleton has not earned a spot and I don’t see it happening in the next couple of weeks
6. I would let Feldman, Fiers and Fister fill the 3-5 spots with Wandy in the swing role and ready to fill in. With Fister and Feldmam coming off injuries they probably should not be in the swing position
7. I think they should stay the course with Hinch and Luhnow for at least a couple more years
8. I think they need to go forward with Heineman until Stassi is ready and if he is doing well – beyond it
9. I’d like to see Duffy make the team – he just strikes me as the kind of guy who will be clutch for you and he has good power.
10. In a way they do not need a bench OF who backs up all positions, because all 3 starting OFs can play all 3 positions fairly well. You can get by with a Tucker on the bench because you can stick him in or MarGo in LF and move the other guys around.
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Referring to your answers 5 and 7. Would you still feel the same about Luhnow and Hinch if they start the season with Singleton at first? Even if his BA is still hovering around 150ish?
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If they stuck with it very long I would not be happy – don’t think they will
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So here it is made simple, Jeff. These are the 20 players who have earned spots, and/or who contractually obligate us.
DK, McHugh, Feldman, Fiers, Fister, Giles, Gregs.., Harris, Hoyt, Sipp, White, Tuve, Cc, Vb, Marwin, Gomez, GS, Colby, Castro, Heine.
From these 8, you have to cut 3.
Reed
Moran
WANDY
Jake
Fields
Neshek
Duffy
Tucker
How long will they let Giles pitch like this, Becky?
Who would you cut, Op, given April’s schedule etc?
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My three who I know will be cut, are Reed, Moran, Duffy.
How long will they let Giles pitch like this? No idea, but like I said when Luhnow made this trade, he had better be the second coming of Mariano Rivera for the amount of guys we gave up for him. He will be on a leash…..how long will that leash be…remains to be seen. I doubt they let him pitch in tight games right off the bat.
Remember…..Luhnow is in a “win now” mode, and blowing saves don’t go over well with the front office. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Fresno, early in the season to work on his control. Hitting 100mph is GREAT, with pin point control….not so much when the batters are hitting those pitches out of the park. MY OPINION ONLY.
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I’m not worried about Giles unless he’s hurt. I would send Reed, Moran, Hoyt and Jake to Fresno. But I don’t think they will send Jake down.
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Me either OP…..Jake is just too important off the bench, but Alpin sure is making a good case for himself!! Dang….I love the fact tat we have such rich minor league teams!
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That…not tat!
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Yeah thought you were commenting on tattoos Becky – lol
I don’t really know what the FO will do. But the good part is that if someone isn’t performing early in the season there are other options a phone call away.
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YEP!!
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It is Spring with small sample sizes and sub-par competition, and in 27 AB’s according to Mo Ensberg – “the greatest CF alive,” Andrew Aplin, has one extra base hit and is hitting .185.267.222.489. That doesn’t appear to bode well, considering five of our OF’s hit below 200, while E Perez and T Hernandez 231 250 respectively. We have one season to rebuild from the Gomez/Rasmus exodus, while every other team covets Springer in a trade.
Meanwhile, back at the Phillies ranch, even with Hellickson throwing well, Valesquez, Appel, Obi and Eshelman look to figure into their starting rotation if not very soon.
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So with the minor league outfield crop not being the best – do the Astros try and sign either Gomez or Rasmus after the season?
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The magic 8 ball says, “Hazy, try again.” Infield looks to be an area of strength, but the best OF prospects last year are auditioning for the Brewers and organizational depth was released. Aplin was a slow starter at AAA and had to revisit CC before rebounding and finishing strong last year. Fisher’s hit tool may not be good enough to make the jump in 2017. Kemp, well, he was a bit overmatched this spring.
Luhnow will play Moneyball here. He won’t be able to pay $20 million for a star, so he’ll have to find a guy or two who are underappreciated, but bring extreme value from some aspect of their game. Think how much Nori Aoki meant to KC two years ago and envision Luhnow seeking that kind of return to bridge the gap in 2017 while still trying to compete.
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See answer below.
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Scrap heap like a Worth or Eury to see who catches fire, guys out of options from teams with healthy farms.
Both guys are playing themselves out of jobs, unless Colby hits 45 HR’s, contends for Mvp and takes a Caminiti-like pay cut bc “he loves Houston!” Same with Gomez, put money where mouth is about team chemistry.. It’s plausible, highly unlikely.
Fisher with the UVA hitting approach, Aplin a gamer, still has to be a disappointment but challenge for a strong development staff who “rejuvenated” a McHugh and Keuchel to name a few. [Hitting coach has always been a squirrely concept, just as Colby’s dad.]
With a substantial investment in an elite defense, we’re sure to make a splash if the homegrown smokes like Singleton.
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Tim – I felt bad for you man as your SFA Lumberjacks had the game with about a minute left – 5 point lead and could not hold it. Of course it is not as bad as Northern Iowa blowing a 12 point lead to the Aggies in the last 44 seconds!
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That game was a kick in the nether regions.
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What Ken Giles said about yesterday’s outing, in which he gave up three hits and two runs and struck out two batters in one inning of work in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Phillies,: ‘My timing was great today. The ball was coming out of my hand really well today. I was very, very pleased.”
What he meant: ‘Mr. Gregerson is going to do just fine as your closer.’
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EXACTLY!!!
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I think all the questions above are relevant, but the looming question is how do the Astros field the best possible team this year while retaining all the major players they will need to stay a team that competes for the next decade.
Getting Lucroy will not only cost money and prospects, it will cost the Astros experience at the catcher’s position they are going to need in 2017 and beyond.
Castro was a very flawed catcher when he was brought up and it took him years at the major league level to learn how to catch. We need one of our young catchers to develop and so we have to invest in them at the highest level in order for them to mature. As much as I would like Lucroy, he isn’t the answer for us as a long term catcher.
The Astros would be well served to sacrifice one year of control over White and get his bat in the lineup immediately and retain that extra year of Reed’s service by sending him down for a month or two and make sure he handles AAA ball well and then get him up here.
They would be well served to have Moran grow into the starting third baseman by sending him to Fresno at the last minute and let him finish his year there and bring him up in September when they can use him to give Valbuena and Duffy a break before the playoffs. Valbuena then forces the Astro into a decision by having a great year and they offer him a QO, or having a not so great year, thus creating a spot for Moran to slide into 3B next spring and sending Valbuena and his high salary into the current of the Free Agent River.
To be continued…..
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Agree with Dan. Don’t trade any more prospect chips. What we get in return are dips. Truthfully, it’s no joke. Fear FO going greedy for the Big One rather than being patient with the building program. This type thing often brings Payback, the kind you don’t want. Apologies for the gloom but I don’t feel good about what we’ve done and what we might yet do.
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Let’s move on to that outfield. Springer is a fixture.
Colby Rasmus made adjustments to his swing and it paid big dividends when it counted: the last week of the regular season, the playoffs and his big bat has picked up where it left off this spring.
Rasmus was a 2.6 WAR player last year and he is happy where he is for the first time ever and he has said he wants to stay here. I think he and the Astros could work out a good three year contract that goes through his age 33 year at less money per year than he is now making. Rasmus could be a great bargain and a wonderful addition to this club until one of Cameron or Tucker is ready.
I think it was Fangraphs who recently stated that Bregman could easily slide into an outfield position with his athleticism and his bat. So, the Astros have Gomez, Bregman and Kemmer as legitimate candidates to move into an outfield spot in 2017 and I guess I can add Marisnick in there as well, although my hopes for his bat have been seriously tarnished. The Astros also have a chance to draft a good college outfielder with the #17 pick this summer who could fast track to the majors in a couple of years.
I have a feeling that one of Rasmus or Gomez could sign with the Astros this summer.
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And I’m fine re-signing for either Gomez or Rasmus. We could do a lot worse than those two.
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I would pass on Rasmus. Good defender, but if we are griping as a fanbase that this team K’s too much, some of Rasmus, Singleton, Valbuena are going to have to change. It looks like Singleton is punching his ticket. Springer isn’t helping the teams K percentages either. At least Carter is gone. Still sitting on Castro too.
When a guy spends the majority of the season batting in a RBI spot, manages 25 HR, and still only has 61 RBI, I don’t know. I remember the doldrums this team went through in June, July, August, months at a time where the guy was contributing very little. I don’t want to give LF to a guy for the next 3-4 years that is going to K at 32-34%, hit .225, just because he can chase down balls in a small LF, or because he was hot for 2 weeks and the playoffs.
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VB had a K% around 21% last year. That’s not great, but it’s not a major concern either. A bigger concern is his sub .220 average. He needs to hit around .235- 245 to help this team offensively. He does draw a fair amount of BBs so an average in that range with his above average glove at 3B will play just fine.
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I will concede though I don’t necessarily see an answer within the organization either, at least not as soon as next year.
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I’d like to wait on Rasmus a bit. Let’s see what he does over the next several months. It’s a shame though that for all of our depth in the minors, we really don’t have anyone standing by today to play the outfield should Marisnick continue stink up the place. Yes, Marwin can help, but one injury to the big three and the outfield immediately becomes a concern, at least from an offensive standpoint.
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I still think that if Tucker can manage to be passable in LF defensively that he is our best option at 500 plate appearances, and better than Rasmus will give us offensively. In my world, White is the DH, Reed is the 1B, and Tucker is in LF from day 1. Gattis, Rasmus and Singleton are former Astros one way or another at the end of last year or the start of this one, but its not my team. I’ll hope for the best out of whatever gets thrown out there. If it is Rasmus, here is to hoping his K rate goes back below 30% while he maintains his power and wins a GG in LF.
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Yeah, I agree. I’d rather give the AB’s to Tucker in left and risk the defense than watch Marisnick not hit.
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Well – let’s face it – after winning the 2016 World Series (notice how I subtly slipped that in) the team should be able to spend more $$$.
On top of that they will have Valbuena ($6 MM), Castro ($5MM), Feldman ($8MM), Gomez ($9MM) and Rasmus ($15+MM) coming off of the payroll and a number of them not being re-signed. Some of that money will be re-routed to a contract for Keuchel or perhaps Springer. But some they could re-invest in Rasmus at a lower rate or Gomez at a higher rate than they make.
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Don’t forget Gattis. They have a set $100,000 buyout in place if they choose to let him walk next year.
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Yeah I had Gattis written down and forgot to include him in the list – I think he definitely could be gone sooner than later.
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Questions in the bullpen!
As of today, the Astros have less money($30 million) tied up in contracts for 2017 than any team in baseball. Let that sink in.
Of that money, the majority is tied up in the bullpen with $18.75 million to Gregerson, Neshek and Sipp. The Astros have a 2017 buyout of Neshek’s $6.5 mil if they were to choose to do that. It’s $500,000 and they could knock out the remaining $6mil if any one of McCurry, Ferrell, Gustave, Hoyt, Feliz or Freeman is ready.
Gregerson and Sipp do not have buyouts for next season.
The Astros have many arms in the minors ready to step up in the next few years that will keep the bullpen good and the amounts of money down, thus allowing the Astros to tie up starting pitchers and position players with long term deals if they see fit to do that. A look at the Astros top 30 pipeline will introduce some new names into the mix who will be entering the arena of the bullpen in the coming years. The Astros have some really good young arms in the system.
As far as 2016, I think the Astros would have McCurry, Gustave and Hoyt to call on if needed.
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Tucker no longer in the mix for 1st base…the next cuts are going to “cut into the flesh” says Hinch.
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Today’s lineup
Marisnick RF
Marwin G SS
Gomez CF
White DH
Valbuena 3B
Duffy 1B
Castro C
Worth 2B
E.Perez LF
Feldman on the mound
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Valbuena knocks in a run in the first going the other way – he has been a better hitter this spring – hope this is not temporary.
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But it was a two out walk by White that moves Gomez into scoring position to score on Valbuena’s single. That is another dimension White adds over Gattis at the DH spot. A high average hitter who walks versus the low average hitter who doesn’t is what White gives to the team over what Gattis contributed last season. White didn’t hit a home run that time, but he definitely contributed to that lead run scoring in the first inning.
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Why did my post get deleted?
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Wait…never mind…I see it. As my dad used to say, ‘I’m blind in one eye, and can’t see out of the other’
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Has playing all these ST games against a solid Nats team of established players provided anybody but me with a solemn wake-up call?
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Maybe we should have Danny Worth (good first name) who is 2 for 2 and batting .391 leading off instead of JFSF who is 0 for 3 with a .111 BA.
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Dan, I keep thinking the same thing, but then I remember that Worth has a .588 lifetime ML OPS.
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Apparently that Danny Worth was abducted by what was called Florida swamp gas and been replaced by A-Rod circa 2005 from the planet Zorcon.
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Is there enough of that swamp gas left to administer a healthy dose to Jake Marisnick?
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So Drellich and Ortiz are both leaving the Chron on April 1? Drellich to cover the Red Sox. Where is Ortiz going?
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St. Louis. The Commissioner ruled that they had to take him as a penalty for the hacking violation.
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Jon Singleton pinch-hitting for Tyler White. This is a bad dream, right?
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No, I think it’s telling.
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I hope what it’s telling us is that Jon Singleton is one of the ‘cuts to the flesh’ that A.J. was talking about earlier today. That pinch-hit strikeout was big Jon’s 16th K in 41 ABs this spring. How ugly does a spring debut have to get? Isn’t there a mercy rule or something?
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He’s making Domingo Santana look like Tony Gwynn.
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Hey he is under 40% on K% – what do you want.
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Like the bad dream that is present-day politics, there are some nice exchanges on this thread..
http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2016/3/21/11271942/political-debate-who-should-be-the-houston-astros-first-baseman-in
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Speaking of Domingo, he’s hitting .500 something with a 1.597 OPS this spring. I know it doesn’t count, but if I were a Brewers fan right now, I’d feel pretty happy.
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Not only Domingo. Obie has a 0.00 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He’s struck out 4 and walked only one in 8 IP. Appel has been so-so, but Velasquez has 16 Ks in 15 IP. with a 1.21 WHIP. The guy they gave up? He’s got a 10.80 ERA, a 2.20 WHIP, he’s struck out 4 but walked 3, blown his only save opp, and thrown 2 WPs in only 5 innings of work. Yes, I would think Philly is all smiles and high fives right about now.
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That’s why I hate making trades with the Phillies…we always get hosed (even more so when Ed Wade was working as a mole, I mean, was our GM)
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And for what it is worth, the Phils have 7 guys with a save this ST, are 9-11 in save opportunities, and don’t have a single pitcher who has thrown in more than 1 game with an ERA over 10.00 or a WHIP over 2.00.
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Perma Smiles and hi fives since the Lidge “change-of-scenary-salary-dump” Fleecing. Scratch that – we did get Mike Costanza in that deal, too, though.
Thanks, Ed and Jeff. Ya win some, ya lose some real bad!
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I’m sure Philly is already declaring that trade a win. They will walk away with a shiny Grapefruit League title trophy and that is something to be proud of (where is my sarcasm font when I need it?).
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I guess so far that I believe that Luhnow and crew can draft talent, can pick it up off the waiver wire and can coach it up (on the pitching side) when it gets to the majors. I am not so happy with the trades so far under his regime.
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I understand that people aren’t going to like the trades he has made, especially if you value the prospects given up more than the player received. However, when someone using spring training stats as a basis for a failed trade then the argument has little validity. Clearly, the Conger and Kazmir trades were failures and I don’t think anyone will say they weren’t. Most of the trades, however, cannot be fairly assessed at this point. Although the Cosart trade looks to be a sure winner for the Astros I’m still going to give it a bit more time before I say it is. I think OP did a great job below in pointing out some of the ‘under the radar’ trades that appear to have worked out, so far, for the Astros.
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Drellich leaving on the 1st to cover the Red Sox for the Boston Herald. Will probably exit through the doggie door. What a POS!
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Houston Astros
We got nothing for you! … “It’s just pathetic that we have two beat writers.”
http://deadspin.com/the-best-and-worst-baseball-beat-reporters-according-t-1111597704
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I think the problem I see with the trades is that we give up a lot of potential and get a low-ceiling mediocre, change-of-scenery kind of return at best. Where are our best and brightest players from – not from trades, that’s for sure. They are from our own system. This team rises and falls with Altuve, Springer, Correa, Keuchel, and McCullers. T. White and A.J. Reed look to be part of that in a year or so.
The trades? They haven’t been horrible, I suppose. But they sure haven’t proven to be spectacular, either. We got a guy in Gattis who can’t play anwhere in the field, and is a mediocre DH on a team that desperately needs a strong one, and was available because the Braves signed A.J. Pierscynski and thought they had a real catcher. Valbuena has been a strike-out/pop-out machine that the Cubs had to dump because they Kris Bryant was coming. Gomez has not been anywhere near as advertised. Kazmir folded on us down the stretch like a cheap lawn chair. Marisnick continues to underwhelm. Giles – well, I know the kool-aid crew insists that he’s the love child of a menage-a-trois involving Goose Gossage, Mariano Rivera, and Brad Lidge, and will be the second coming of Billy Wagner, but when a guy sporting a 10.80 ERA and a 2.20 WHIP, who just gave up 2 runs in a game the team that he plays for lost by one run, starts bragging about how well he threw and announces he’s ‘really, really pleased’ with his performance, I confess, I throw up in my mouth a little. And while I am not from Missouri, I have driven through the state once or twice, so at this point I am gonna need a pretty good little dose of ‘show me’ regarding Mr. Giles, Mr. Gattis, and Mr. Gomez before I anoint JL and crew as superstars in the trade realm.
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You nailed it Mr Bill
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So essentially, you’re saying that he has gotten nothing in return, but has given up a ton of productive players. Can you show me the major league stats for all these studs we have lost in trades? Cosart, Folty, Ruiz, Thurman, etal have dominated the major leagues and we will rue the day we gave up those players (Man, I still can’t figure out this darn sarcasm font yet).
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Let me clarify, because I don’t think the trades have worked out for us, but I am not going to lament over how a current or former player is performing in spring training games. Geesh, have we really sunk to that level where we consider spring training stats the forecast for the coming season and beyond? Have we not been baseball fans for decades? Didn’t Jeffrey Robert Bagwell have notoriously poor spring training numbers and slow starts to the season? In case you can’t tell, I’m still bitter over that SFA loss yesterday. 🙂
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If you are talking to me, Tim, then at least please talk in terms of what I actually wrote instead of your twisted interpretation of what I wrote. I did not say he has gotten nothing in return. You said that. I did not say he has given up a ton of productive players. You said that. The rest of your argument is based upon these fabrications and misrepresentations. I don’t have to play your game, and I will not.
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You are over emphasizing spring training stats as the majority of your post is stats from spring training and using that to surmise that the trades have gone poorly for the Astros. Welcome to the game, my friend.
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I second that motion and even maybe “second that emotion”.
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I’m not just looking at ST stats, Tim. I’m looking back at 2015. Gattis, Valbuena, Kazmir, Carter, and Gomez didn’t do much to instill confidence in Luhnow’s trading skills.
I can’t think of one trade he’s made that has been anything other than mediocre.
I didn’t like the Giles trade then and I’m liking it less now.
I guess time will tell.
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The Corporan trade looks pretty good at this point.
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You’re liking it less now because he has struggled in Grapefruit League games? Really?
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OK
Moran for Cosart is a good trade, in my book.
Marisnick for Kike has been a good trade, in my book.
Martes and Daz Cameron for Austin Wates is a good trade in my book.
Akeem Bostick for Carlos Corporan is a good trade.
Chris Devenski for Brett Myers is a good trade. Myers never had a save for CHW.
Joe Musgrove for J Happ is a good trade because I can’t stand J Happ.
Hoyt and Gattis for Thurman, Ruiz and Folty is a good trade in my book.
Vasquez and David Paulino for Veras is a good trade in my book. Veras was bad in Detroit and we got rid of his salary.
Scott Kazmir was a flop.
Nobody in the Giles trade has played a game yet for their new team.
Lowrie for McCurry got rid of Lowrie and his salary and we got a reliever. We need relievers, not shortstops who get hurt.
Gomez and Fiers have done more for the Astros than our prospects have done for the Brewers.
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Tim…..the guys we gave up this off season were pretty much top prospects, and we won’t know for a couple of years how those trades will end up. What we gave up for Gomez, and Fires……..man, that one stung. The Brewers get some guys who will be controlled for a LOT of years, and we get to see Gomez walk next year. The Giles trade kinda gave most of us a migraine. He’s young, and I hope like h*ll he grows into the closer role, and by the way Nottingham is doing very well this spring, Sterns knew what he wanted and got him. No not all of the trades have been crappy….but they haven’t been anything to write home about either. Luhnow WILL make a trade in the near future. I just hope he doesn’t give up Reed, or White, or you…fill in the blank.
If Giles doesn’t get his butt in gear, and Gattis starts the season cold, we’re in trouble. I’ve been pretty vocal about Luhnow and trades, but then again I’m just a fan, just like you. Thanks, Becky⚾⚾
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Please see OPs comment above as I couldn’t say it any better. Why has it stung when we have gotten more production from the players received than the players traded?
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But we haven’t gotten any production from any of the players he listed yet in the majors, and that’s what matters. To me most of the trades have been moving our mediocre parts for other teams mediocre prospects, a few which may turn out to be better than mediocre – but until I see that I won’t jump up and down for joy.
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Saturday is the opt out date for Wandy, and Cotts. Who do you folks want to keep?
Tim….I guess we’ll find out this season if Gomez can stay healthy, and Gattis can be that guy for a DH.
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Wandy because of him being on the 2005 WS team. Yes, that is sentimental, but if we’re going to start with 12 pitchers, I like Wandy as a sixth starter/long reliever/loogy combo at least until LMJ is ready.
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I think Hoyt will be the gem of that trade.
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With the uncertainty surrounding LMJ I would prefer to keep Wandy also. I wouldn’t mind keeping Cotts if he’ll accept an assignment to Fresno, but between the 2 I would prefer to keep Wandy.
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I keep Cotts because lefties hit .158 against him last year. Wandy is not real good against them. If we need the 6th starter, a couple of guys will be waiting for the phone to ring in Fresno.
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I just saw a commercial for the Playstation 4 game MLB 2016 the Show…and it featured the Astros. Voiceover announcer says ‘Everything’s bigger in Texas…including heart’, and showed a still graphic of the video game Astros celebrating what looks like a World Series win.
Interesting…
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Once the season starts, we’ll find out about the Giles trade almost immediately. And soon enough, we’ll be able to get a better view of the big trade to the Brewers last year. At this moment, we really need Fiers in the rotation. And let’s see which Gomez comes to play in 2016. We really need his presence in our thin outfield. On the flip side, both the Brewers and Phillies should be using former Astro talent right out of the gate. So we’ll also see what we gave up.
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True, but I don’ think we’ll find out about the Giles trade immediately. What if he goes 8 for 8 in saves in April with an ERA below 2.00, but blows 5 saves in September? Of course, the opposite could happen as well. As is the norm, most trades usually take a couple years to fully assess how it worked for both clubs (except the Conger and Kazmir trades as they were busts for the Astros).
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Some thoughts
– Giles will be here for a while – he could be bad this year and good in 2017. He could be bad in April (like Valverde was) and good the rest of the year. He might never be good – got to let it play out.
– I think the only concern with the trades for me was trading from lack of strength in some cases – OF (Phillips, Santana) and C (Nottingham, Perez)
– op’s list makes me feel better about things
– The hardest part about trades with prospects is that we do not really know things for many years after the trade. The Happ trade was 2012 and Musgrove is not yet to the majors. It might be 2018 or 2019 before we see the true impact of that trade.
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I have this picture in my head of Brad Lidge falling to his knees and rejoicing as his teammates swarm to celebrate a WS championship. If we were to see Giles do the same for us, that trade would be a win, no matter what the players we traded end up doing for the Phils.
A Royals’ fan must look back and see all the moves, drafts, trades, rule 5 pickups, position changes and tears it took to get that trophy just once in their lifetime and feel that feeling. I would like that for us.
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Most of the guys who started for the Astros down the stretch last year are in the starting line-up against the Braves today. The Braves are throwing some dude named Foltynewicz.The odd-man out of our line-up against Folty is T. White. But hopefully that’s because he has already shown far more than enough to make this team.
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Weird reading about somebody Feldman’s age learning a change up. I guess he has tried it before but never incorporated it into his regular season repertoire.
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I was looking at the stats this morning and Giles is pathetic. I hope he turns it around but as the saying goes, I’m not impressed”. Of course it’s ST but then again. It’s time for the Singleton experiment to be over. If they give him the starting job the chaos at the Republican convention will pale in comparison to how we feel about this snafu.
We have had a few who have made the grade and done well so give them a shot and lets see what happens. We’ve got some good young talent. Utilize them.
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Love it reading all the passion in everyone post. and its only ST. We just came out off being in the playoffs, and for me I need to see at least 6 weeks of real baseball before I get after Uncle Jeff or any player. What’s awesome is a few years ago we would have had like the same 10 people talking about the good old days of real Astro baseball, we’re back (-:
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A few questions just rolling around in my mind this morning:
1. Should Jon Singleton start 2017 as Houston’s first baseman? Why or why not?
2. Does Danny Worth, Alex Bregman or Joe Sclafani deserve to be given consideration as the first infielder up if, heaven forbid, one of our middle infielders goes down to injury? Why or why not?
3. Does Marisnick start the year as our 4th OF or go to Fresno to work on his swing a little more? Why or why not?
4. Does Wandy make the team or is he cut loose? Why or why not?
5. Do you think Colin Moran will be our regular 3rd baseman by mid-July? Why or why not?
6. Do you think A.J. Reed will be our regular 1st baseman by mid-July? Why or why not?
7. Do you think Dan Straily will get DFA-ed? Why or why not?
8. Does Giles, Gregerson, or someone else will start the year as the Astros’ closer? Why?
9. Does Tyler White make the team out of ST? Why or why not?
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I don’t think Singleton should make the team, but that’s not to say he won’t. With Gattis probably starting the season on the DL it’s possible White and Singleton both make the team. Thus, Singleton’s ‘tryout’ may last until Gattis is ready to return. I would prefer we start with White at 1B and Tucker at DH until Gattis returns.
I think Worth will be the first MI called up if an injury occurs. He has had an amazing ST and probably earned it.
Marisnick will probably start the season as a backup OFer. He has looked worse than Big Jon this spring, but the Astros love his defense and baserunning ability. I want Tucker on the team and think he’s earned the opportunity to make the major league team.
My gut tells me Wandy will make the team. Straily and Peacock can be DFA’d to open up 2 more spots on the 40-man roster and Wandy looks to be a better option than either of those 2.
Moran will probably remain in the minors the entire year. If Valbuena gets injured or struggles they have MarGo as a backup. Moran may get a September call up to get him some experience and prepare him to be our starting 3B next year.
Reed is an interesting situation. I think they will eventually part ways with Gattis during the year opening up the opportunity for White to be the DH and Reed plays 1B. Reed will need to prove himself in Fresno if this is going to happen.
Although I’m not too worried about Giles’ ST numbers he may not start as the closer. If Gregerson is ready he probably opens the season as the closer and Giles as the 8th inning guy.
Tyler White better make the team or I will lose much faith in this front office. What else does he have to do to earn a spot on the major league team?
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Say what you want about Spring results – I can see with these eyes when someone is getting Owned, and when they’re free swinging bc there’s no pressure, or working on tweaks, etc. Whose hot right now is the question, or who deserves it, or maybe we’re already paying the guy too much to ride the pine, sentimental Fave, or a guy who needs some seasoning and allowing the vets their time.. It takes all kinds to win a Championship.
1. Singleton is facing inferior competition and failing miserably from our expectations. But btw so is Feldman at $30,000,000 if its just about someone else’s money. Anyway, it’s clear he’s outclassed by at least four guys ahead on my depth chart, and its not even close. (White, Reed, Marwin, Valbuena) See if he gets it in AAA and finds some trade value.
2. Danny Worth looks to be polished and seeing the ball real well – he deserves it today. But by the time he sees action in reality, most likely, Bregman will be ready [read: at least a year]. Obviously, Stros are more likely to start Bregman’s clock only when he’s ready. He found out major league camp wasnt like hitting dingers in HR contests, and he is probably not an elite fielder but like Marwin, has great instincts, athletic ability. If Tuve or Correa went down, Marwin would start and it would open the door for Moran/Duffy/Tucker/Feliz/Jake on roster.
3. Jake has been given every chance to get out of this slump. Every team needs a speed guy whose not an every day. I just think Marwin could fill-in at LF, let Springer and Rasmus shift – thats a vital spot on the roster. We already have two limited-tools players in Tucker and Gattis on the 25. I’d give Jake’s spot to Hoyt!
4. Wandy for his versatility and sentiment. He will be a Huge fan fave if he gives us that ceiling Innings-eater we need.
5. Moran’s fate is in Valbuena’s hands til May is my guess. He hit a rope over CF yesterday. We need that kind of production in our lineup everyday.
6. Reed starts hitting in Fresno like Corpus, then fans will be clamoring, whether winning or losing!
7. Straily is on the cusp but still lacks effective out pitches. His fastball looks like a Beachball. Im sure we have the depth to DFA him.
8. I cant tell who closes yet. Hopefully, by committee til we can if its Team we’re talking about and not egos and salaries.
9. Tyler White is the surest thing we had questions about before the Spring.
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Mr. Bill, is this an audition for a guest slot?
I’m only going to answer the first and last questions. The Astros were off on Saturday. White started on Sunday and Singleton came off the bench to get two at bats. On Monday White started and Singleton again came in late to pinch hit. Today he has not gotten into the game. White came in a and got two hits and two RBI’s with a walk, raising his average to 371. I think the answers to questions 1 and 9 are already answered.
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