A look at prospective Astro trade targets

In 2019, MLB teams will be facing a single trade deadline at the end of July. The waiver trade deadline at the end of August is gone, so if a team wants to make their version of a Justin Verlander championship building trade, they better have their ducks in a row by 4 PM eastern time on July 31.

Based on the current roster and performance it is likely that the Astros will be kicking the tires on Starting and Relief Pitching headed into the deadline. They have struggled to fill the 5th spot in the rotation (maybe Framber Valdez fills it, maybe not) and are relying on two guys in the #3 and #4 spots that did not pitch many innings (145 total) in 2018. They also have a bullpen that may be Jello soft (Chris Devenski / Cionel Perez) in some of their lower spots and where they may need a little help with the back end of Will Harris, Ryan Pressly and Roberto Osuna, which is not as rock solid as it once was.

It is early. Lots of things can change between now and the end of July. But here is a look at prospective starters and relievers based on a top 50 list from mlbtraderumors.com. It features mostly players from teams that are floundering and likely to be looking to throw in the towel before the deadline. (And the Reds are not as floundering as much as they were last weekend).

Starters
Name Team Age 2019 $$ To Go * Future 2019 W-L 2019 IP 2019 ERA 2019 WHIP
Madison Bumgarner – LH Giants 29 $4 MM $0 3-6 93 3.87 1.172
Marcus Stroman – RH Blue Jays 28 $2.5 MM 1 Yr Arb 4-8 87.2 3.18 1.312
Matt Boyd – LH Tigers 28 $900 K 3 Yr Arb 5-5 88.2 3.35 1.083
Tanner Roark – RH Reds 32 $3.3 MM $0 4-6 74.1 3.63 1.386
Jordan Lyles – RH Pirates 28 $700 K $0 5-3 64.1 3.64 1.228
Andrew Cashner – RH Orioles 32 $3.2 MM Note 1 6-3 76.1 4.48 1.336
Mike Leake – RH Mariners 31 $3.5 MM $11 MM Note 2 6-6 95.2 4.14 1.223
Danny Duffy – LH Royals 30 $5.1 MM 2 Yrs $31 MM 3-3 54.1 4.64 1.399
Jeff Samardzija – RH Giants 34 $6.6 MM 1 Yr   $19.8 3-6 72.2 3.96 1.280
Zack Wheeler – RH Mets 29 $2 MM $0 5-5 94.2 4.94 1.331
Trevor Bauer – RH Indians 28 $13 MM 1 Yr Arb 5-6 108.1 3.41 1.117
Relievers
Name Team Age 2019 $$ To Go * Future 2019 W-L / SV 2019 IP 2019 ERA 2019 WHIP
Will Smith – LH Giants 29 $1.4 MM $0 1-0 19 SV 29.2 2.12 0.809
Kirby Yates – RH Padres 32 $1 MM 1 yr ARB 0-2 26 SV 32 1.13 0.813
Tony Watson – LH Giants 34 $1.2 MM Note 3 2-0     0 SV 28.2 2.83 1.116
Jake Diekman – LH Royals 32 $800 K Note 4 0-4     0 SV 30 4.50 1.200
Sam Dyson – RH Giants 30 $5 MM 1 Yr Arb 2-0      1 SV 33 2.45 0.939
Alex Colombe – RH White Sox 30 $2.5 MM 1 Yr Arb 2-1 15 SV 28.1 2.22 0.671
Shane Greene – RH Tigers 30 $1.4 MM 1 Yr Arb 0-2 21 SV 29 0.93 0.862
Mychal Givens – RH Orioles 29 $700 K 2 Yr     Arb 0-4     6 SV 29 5.28 1.379
Ian Kennedy – RH Royals 34 $5.5 MM $16.5 MM 0-2     8 SV 29 3.72 1.310
Mark Melancon – RH Giants 34 $3.6 MM $14 MM 3-1     0 SV 29.1 3.38 1.466
Craig Stammens – RH Padres 35 $800 K $0 5-3    2 SV 36.2 3.93 1.145
Francisco Liriano – LH Pirates 35 $600 K $0 1-1     0 SV 33.2 2.14 1.188
David Hernandez – RH Reds 34 $800 K $0 1-3     1 SV 32 4.50 1.250
Felipe Vazquez – LH Pirates 27 $1.5 MM Note 5 1-0   16 SV 29.2 2.12 1.180
Raisel Iglesias – RH Reds 29 $1.9 MM 3 Yr    $24 MM 1-6   3 SV 31 2.90 1.387
Brad Hand – LH Indians 29 $7 M Note 6 3-2 20 SV 30.2 0.88 0.750
Currently Injured
Caleb Smith – LH – Starter Marlins 27 $200 K 3 Yrs Arb 3-4 66 3.41 1.015
Ken Giles – RH – Reliever Blue Jays 28 $2.1 MM 1 Yr Arb 1-1   11 SV 25 1.08 1.040
Alex Wood – LH – Starter Reds 28 $3.2 MM $0 —— —– —– —–

* $$ owed for 2019 based on trade near the Jul 31st deadline

Note 1 – Team has $10 MM option for 2020 (FA after that) – $10 MM becomes automatic with 340 IP between 2018 and 2019

Note 2 – Mutual Option for 2021 (both team and player have to agree) of $18 MM or $5 MM buyout

Note 3 – Player Option of $2.5 MM for 2020 or Watson can choose free agency

Note 4 – Mutual Option for 2020 (both team and player have to agree) of $5.75 MM or $500 K buyout

Note 5 – 2 yrs / $13.5 MM plus two more years of $10 MM each team option

Note 6 – 1 Yr / $7.5 MM plus one more year of $10 MM team option

It is an intriguing list of pitchers from rentals to those offering multiple seasons of control. Of course going into this, it is OK to admit that many times this Front Office blind sides those of us, who think they know something. Is there someone who has the super spin rate, but may need a tweak or two on grip or on pitch selection? Is there someone flying under the radar or someone who has been a lot better lately than earlier in the season? Is there someone they think has the right makeup to go from games that are fairly meaningless to games that mean the world?

Here are some thoughts / guesses:

Best Big Name Rentals – Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith – OK, maybe Will Smith only has a big name in a Fresh Prince/MIB kind of way, but Madbum has pitched solidly (ignore the W-L) and Will Smith has been nails so far. Giants will be wanting pretty big packages for rentals and the Astros may kick the tires and move on.

Best Big Name with Control Beyond This Season – Marcus Stroman and Brad Hand – Stroman has pitched well with little support, while Hand has pitched like a left handed Ryan Pressly to this point. They both likely cost big prospect(s) – but the Astros have some prospect capital to at least chase these guys.

Best Under the Radar Astro Reunion Rentals – Jordan Lyles and Francisco Liriano – They both come cheap salary-wise and being rentals, should not cost that much in prospects. But will this Front Office do any do-overs not named Jed Lowrie or Felipe Paulino?

Best How Will the Clubhouse Handle This Guy – Trevor Bauer, who famously opined that the Astro pitchers might be putting more than muscle into their pitches.

Astro Kind of Moves – How about Detroit’s Matt Boyd or the Reds’ Alex Wood (who has not thrown a pitch this season)? Boyd has pitched very well and has a lot of control with 3 arb years. Wood has been injured this season, but was brilliant in the Dodgers 2017 season that died at the hands of the Astros. The Astros took on Roberto Osuna after he sat out a big chunk of 2018 (very different reason), maybe they would take a shot on Wood with a small pitching sample before the deadline.

The bottom line is the Astros have quite a bit available to trade between top prospects and guys who have had small samples at the major league level or who are blocked. It is not hard to see them making a run at some of the available pitchers on this list.

Who would you like to see come here?

Who would you not like to see come here?

What would you give up?

 

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87 responses to “A look at prospective Astro trade targets”

  1. Dan, in the right situation, I’d give up anyone but Tucker. Luhnow might well do something obscure, but Verlander certainly was not. So I have no idea what he’ll do, but I do think it will be significant. Heck, why not Bauer and Hand? If Whitney helped get it done, I’d have no problem losing him. But it would take some other quality talent too. We also need the Indians to tank too. They are certainly not out of Wild Card range at this point.

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  2. Right now the Indians are hurting for enough pitching just to cover the rest of the season. Clevenger has been out with an ingury, and came back yesterday just to screw up his ankle, now he’s in a boot. Who knows when, or even *if* Carrasco will be back….he’s quite ill. So I wouldn’t look in their organization, but it never hurts to ask. Madbum has the Astros on a no trade list, ask again you never know. Brad Hand will be HIGH on a lot of clubs lists….but he would be unbelievable in our bullpen. If Luhnow is gonna take this club to war he’s gonna have to give us the one piece to get there….another front line starter. If you ask anyone on this team they will tell you the same thing. Framber has had a couple of “good” starts, but he has never pitched in the playoffs before. I guarantee you if it’s available the Yankees will be in on it….they will out bid every body.
    My first choice is Stromom, then Bauer, the Klubler. Ask, the worst they can say is no.
    I watched the Indians rangers game tonight……those Indians pitchers were literally dripping in sweat. They don’t have this kind of heat in Cleveland, and they were miserable. Indians won, so there’s still 8 games between us.
    They can’t get that ball park in arlington fast enough.
    Just remember what Verlander did for us in 2017…..I want that again.

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  3. I personally like Brad Hand. I think he would help the Astros by stacking up good relief arms, similar to what the Yankees do with their pen.
    The problem with trades, though, is that it costs more with some teams than with others. It seems like teams such as Cleveland and the White Sox want for their players is always over value, which leaves out the Astros as trade partners.

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  4. Wow – I did not think this post would bring discussion to a dead halt.
    Maybe it’s too long with too much info
    Obviously a team like the Indians does not consider itself out of it at this time. A winning streak or losing streak thrown in here could change their point of view in a hurry.
    The A’s and Angels looked on the cusp of joining those who might throw in the towel but then they both have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games and probably have fresh optimism.

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      • Dan, honestly the dead halt for me is the team’s play. I am so disgusted by their play the last four games that I find it very hard to post because of my own negativity.
        I apologize for that. You have done a terrific job of keeping your posts up-to-date and on target and I don’t want you to be discouraged by the lack of activity.
        The sweep by the Reds over Houston reminds me of the sweep of the Astros by the Athletics in August of 2017. The Reds forced their pitching on us and we did not answer, just as the A’s imposed their strength on us with their bats two years ago. The big difference now is that we get to play four games in Yankee stadium with a team that looks like they have lost interest in winning.

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      • You know 1OP, I hate to see us starting a four game set in New York the way this club is playing right now. But I expected something like this to happen at some point. This is the worst of timing though. We’ve got a pretty average offense right now and not many of the guys have been able to produce, much less raise production. Bregman especially seems to need the other bats around him.

        Dan, we’ll find out something about Valdez tonight I think. As I said a day or so ago, give me a split in the Bronx and I’ll be content, or at least relieved.

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  5. I get this feeling that when people were circling the Astros – Yankees series on their calendars at the beginning of the season they were not picturing a Framber Valdez – Chad Green matchup with no Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa or George Springer.

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  7. One point on potential pitching candidates and our normal look at stats. The Astros have made 27 errors. Mariners 81. Baltimore 56. White Sox 54. Now those don’t count against the pitching stats directly but the pitcher has to overcome 4 outs in many innings.

    And those only reliever “off limits” to me is Giles.

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  8. I’m only commenting on this because stats will fool someone if they pick out something they like and think is important.
    Brian McTaggart tweets out that Tyler White is hitting .343/.489/.571/1.o60 since June 6th. What McTags fails to notice is how meaningless Whites stats are because he hits with nobody on and absolutely doesn’t hit with men on. As an example, if you take White’s stats from this time period and extend it out to a 162 game period here is what it looks like: He would have 74 doubles, 15 home runs and only 30 RBIs. White’s production is so bad that he could hit like he has been for 162 games and have only 30 RBIs from 15 home runs and 74 doubles!
    I’m not kidding you. If you took the time frame that McTags gives for his point on Tyler White and extend it out for a 162 game season, like Baseball reference has done for me, White would have 663 plate appearances, would have 177 hits, 77 doubles, 15 home runs, 148 walks and would score ONLY 45 runs and knock in ONLY 30 runs. That is unbelievable. The bottom line is that when White comes to the plate with runners on, he is useless. When he has gotten on base he is useless. I have never seen a group of stats like this.

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    • I don’t see what the problem is.
      Tyler is hitting a robust .161 BA / .256 OBP/ .450 OPS with runners in scoring position. What more could you ask for?
      Where is that sarcasm font?

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    • OP, you can hang that on me directly. I can take it! But could this possibly be the precursor of Tubby making it difficult to get ride of him?

      Dare I throw in a bit of balance?
      Tubby posted a 1.256 OPS against lefty starters last year.
      A 1.126 OPS with RISP. 1.091 with 2 outs and RISP.!
      Late and close? 1.137.
      42 RBI’s in 237 plate appearances.

      Those number are why I’ve been so damned annoyed with him since February when he showed up fat. I still don’t think there is room for him, but who knows. The nerds in the cave might be forecasting a Tuna Tsunami at any moment!

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  10. So as not to appear to be picking on one player, Jake Marisnick in June is hitting .150/.209/.200/.409. Do these numbers belie hidden production? Nope. 8 total bases and 2 rbi’s for the entire month. His two RBIs came on a double in the 8th inning of a game in which the Astros already led by three runs. That double happened over two weeks ago.
    In the nine games since Jake has 3 hits and 0 RBIs.

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  11. Dan i don’t get on as much as before Life is just kicking my but, however the work you put in for this blog is amazing!!! I am always bad at trades also, I would go after Hand and Stroman, whatever make sense to JL trade em. Springer is the passion and energy that make this train work, when he is back we will be back, but we need more pitching and its not ready on the farm yet. I fear the small frame of Altuve has caught up to him, we may never see that 200+ hitting machine again. CC has a glass Jaw with so much physical ability, we will see.

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  12. The Yankees are using Chad Green for an opener tonight. Our guys have more of a chance to get a hit off him, than his usual place in the back of their bullpen.
    If openers are so popular, why aren’t we doing it? I’m kidding folks. I remember our guys saying the fans in new york, make so much noise it was hard to hear your own thoughts. I’m going to say a prayer for Framber tonight that he can ignore that noise. Springer can not get back soon enough…..I don’t mean to say he carries this team, but HE CARRIES THIS TEAM.

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  13. Whew! I finally escaped! While I was dutifully listening to A.J. Hinch’s post-game interview following the disastrous 9th inning yesterday, I got abducted and taken by OP, Astrocolt, Daveb, Becky, BillyC, and collaborating captors to the dark misty shadows of . . . you guessed it . . . ‘DEAD HALT’. In the mysterious atmosphere of the small village next to MUDVILLE I found myself transported to the NBC studios in beautiful downtown Burbank, California. To my surprise, I found myself the sole person in the audience of ‘The Tonight Show, Starring Johnny Carson’. And there was Carson – on stage, dressed as ‘Floyd R. Turdhole, Astro fan’. His Astros hat was sideways. His Turdhole routine started as follows:

    Mr. Carson [a/k/a Turdhole]: “Man, that series in Cincy between the Astros and the Reds . . . was UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

    Mr. McMahon cues me, the crowd of one, and I knew what I had to say: “So . . . How . . . ugly . . . WAS IT?”

    Mr. Carson [a/k/a Turdhole]: [SMILING] “I’m glad you asked. It was so ugly . . . [Carson, eyes twinking, puts his hands in his pockets, shakes his head, and chuckles to himself] . . . It was SO ugly . . . [Carson pauses one more moment for ultimate comedic effect, then shoots a wink at McMahon] . . . That series was SO UGLY . . . it was SOOOOO UGLY . . . well, it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO UGLY . . . that . . . I waited . . . and waited . . . and then I realized – Carson had been abducted and taken away to DEAD HALT too.

    I hate it when that happens.

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      • Johnny was a comedic genius – a master of the quip, the one-liner, and the well-timed pause. No one since has been able to hold an audience’s attention – all without a hint of profanity, obscenity, or mean-spirited political hackery – half as well as he did.

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      • Personally relative to Johnny Cochran – I wish the dead Halt would send back Eddie (summertime blues) Cochran back – who only made people dance, and did not set any guilty as sin multi-murderers free on the street

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      • Yeah, Dan, I doubt that, other than a last name, Eddie C. and Johnny C. had much in common – either in life or in death.

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      • By the way, in case there was any confusion, my comment about ‘comedic genius’ was intended to refer to Johnny CARSON; not Johnny COCHRAN.

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  14. The SOOOOOOO UGLY contest……
    It was soooooo ugly….
    – It lost a beauty contest to Kaz Matsui, Lucas Harrell and Phillip Humber

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    • That series was so ugly that even Justin Verlander couldn’t salvage a game!

      It was so ugly that half the team voted to sent Jose Altuve back to the IL, Yordan Alvarez back to AAA, and Tyler White back to the buffet line.

      It was so ugly that everybody in the Chipalatta blogosphere volunteered to be abducted by aliens and sent away to Dead Halt.

      It was so ugly that every Astro starter left Cincy with a crick in his neck from quickly turning his head to watch all the bombs the Reds hit exit the playing field.

      It was so ugly that the ghost of Johnny Cochran appeared to Garrett Stubbs after it was over and said: “If a glove don’t fit, please don’t try a mitt!”

      It was so ugly that Ken Giles put up multiple billboards on both the Gulf and Eastex Freeways featuring his smiling face and the words “Do You Miss Me Yet?”

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      • That series was so ugly that Carlos Correa called the masseuse that broke his rib and begged her to come back and break another one.

        That series was so ugly that Tony Kemp forgot how to give hugs.

        It was so ugly that when it was over Angel Hernandez, Joe West, and Ron Kulpa all sent ‘Get Well Soon’ cards to A.J. Hinch.

        It was so ugly that after the last game Reymin Guduan sent a text to Jeff Luhnow saying: “I could have screwed that game up as bad as Roberto Osuna for a fraction of the cost.”

        It was so ugly that Becky sent a Facebook Instant Message to Jonathan Villar saying: ‘Maybe I was a little harsh before; any possibility of a Mulligan?’

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  15. Former Astro news….
    – Dallas (Rental) Keuchel starts this Friday for the Braves
    – Marwin (Swiss Army Knife) Gonzalez heads to the IL
    – Pat (Odd Tosser) Neshek likely heads to the IL

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  16. No idea who Luhnow will target – or who he will have to part with to land that targeted player.

    But I did stay 0vernight at a Holiday Inn Express. And I heard Pete Townsend jamming with some friends in the next room, singing:

    “I watched the Cincy series and said ‘My Lord this team is beat up!’
    So I tuned in to the Strangers – Glad they didn’t keep the heat up!
    I called my old friend A.J., said, ‘When’s Springer comin’ back?”
    He said “I hate to make predictions, Bill – consult the zodiac!
    Sometimes I wonder how bad we’re gonna lose,
    ’til Jeff finally finds a cure for these summertime blues.”

    “We make each opposing pitcher look like a cinch to win the Cy Young.
    Our game plan’s in the toilet and our offense in an iron lung.
    Bregman and Brantley just can’t do it all alone!
    The team’s BA keeps droppin faster than a kidney stone.
    Sometimes I wonder how A.J. does his interviews,
    when there ain’t no cure for these summertime blues.”

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  20. Sorry folks but that dog won’t hunt. He’s just not ready for the rotation, and neither is Devenski. We will be 7 games in front of the rangers after this disaster of a game. I can only imagine what our pitching staff must be feeling.
    wow…..just wow.

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  21. Correa and Diaz won’t be back until after the break. I have no idea how bad Diaz was hurt, but it must be pretty bad to be gone this long.
    Springer hit a homerun in his second at bat……and no, he won’t be back until next Tuesday….or maybe longer.

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  24. In fun fact news from the radio broadcast – 70 y.o. Astros pitching coach Brent Strom was the oldest in the majors until the Mets fired theirs and hired 82 y.o. Phil Regan!!!
    The Vulture (so called for poaching wins as a reliever was on the Dodgers staff with Koufax and Drysdale as I recall.
    Pretty cool!

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    • Probably when somebody on this blog talked in detail about how bad a hitter he is. How many times has he come up to the plate with the Astros needing just a hit to win a game? And he hits two home runs when there’s no chance of winning.

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      • I know….go figure. His bat is hurting this team. There were soo many times when we were playing the Reds, just a fly ball would have scored someone, but he failed to get it done. His defense has kept him on the team…that’s not enough.

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  26. At least . . .

    At least nobody on the team pulled a hammy trying too hard.

    At least we didn’t have to burn our closer.

    At least we don’t have to replay that game and lose it again.

    At least we know Framber and Devenski are not going to be anywhere near the Astros play-off roster.

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  27. If this slump business keeps up throughout the weekend, then it might be time to shake things up a bit once back in Houston. Taylor Jones is a real firstbaseman with a .940 OPS and good OBP skills. Rojas might provide more offense at third than Jack provides in his occasional opportunities at short. Tubby was the only guy without a hit last night. Yuli needs a break. There must be a way to get one of them on the 10 day.

    And we need a pitcher, maybe more than one, asap, that can throw strikes. Urquidy has. 55 K’s and 8 walks i his last 37 innings. Heck, Valdez got beat up, but if our middle pen got the job done, we’re in that game late. This club needs a boost of new energy. George will lead with that in a few days, but I’d like to see some other fresh guys running around out there.

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  28. All I know is that if I admit it – I AM SPOILED. When I watched those 100 loss teams, I saw sparks of someone that might get better with time. I don’t see that save Yordan. The only reason several of these guys are on the team is the rules say you have to play 9. Now if they win 2 games in a row, I will say these guys are going to be World Series Champs. This is giving me a head ache. I am going back to bed.

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  29. I’m a major league hitter. I’ve studied film of the Astros and I know that sometime tonight you are going to throw me a fat fastball. You do it every game and I’m willing to strike out on your offspeed stuff while I wait on my pitch and I’m going to hurt you with it when you throw it.
    By the way, all of my teammates watched the video, too and they are going to get a fat fastball and they are going to crush it.
    By the way, thanks for sitting your best hitter, Alvarez. He had two days off in his first week and you had to give him another on Wednesday, because he’s 21 years old and six of his nine major league games has been with him DHing. Our team managed to beat your team 3-2 while you sat a guy who has terrorized the league but can’t play in the outfield three games in a row for some stupid reason.
    Have fun in NY. I hear they study video, too.
    Oh, I forgot. Thanks for taking every first pitch strike. Our pitchers love how you fall behind every count so they can throw you their junk while you look for another fat pitch that never comes.

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    • The truth sure hurts, doesn’t it. If we bloggers in the peanut gallery know it, I’d think everybody else on opposing teams does too. As I mentioned before, opposing teams like to sit on that fast ball that our guys offer up and then WHAMO!

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  30. Hey OP, you frustrated?

    At least for now, I’d sure like to see Jose become a more complimentary hitter, the guy that can get on base at a .400 clip and is willing to hit the ball out to right and right center. He’s done it, can do it. And he’ll still get the inside pitch to turn on.

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      • Didn’t Willie Mays Hays have to do push ups every time he tried swinging for the fences. Would that work for Altuve?

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    • Altuve saw 15 pitches last night. The first 14 pitches were all up in the zone purposely because that is how the Yankees were going to pitch to him. The 15th pitch to Altuve was over the middle of the plate and down, because they were ahead 10-3 and were not worried about Altuve hurting them. He singled on it. If he keeps swinging at high outside pitches they will keep throwing them to him and getting him to hit the ball in the air or roll them over to SS.

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  31. I’m in KC this week and took in the game against the Twins last night. Diekman threw a scoreless 8th and looked really good. My immediate thought was that Luhnow should target him. 32 year olds like him are only benefitting teams like KC as trade pieces anyhow.

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    • Dan, your pitcher outcomes could show variances in FIP, xFIP vs ERA for more accuracy. Pitchers could be tracked vs teams, so we aren’t agreeing to a guy who the Dodgers feast on.. And they could be tracked by Exit Velo, and SwStr% for a better idea, than to look at W-L. Obv example is Gerrit Cole’s elite elite velo, spin, K%, xBA, xwOBA vs 6-5 3.54 ERA. Teams will line up to pay him as much for talent, than results. We’re looking for those hidden things other teams haven’t utilized, a la, Ryan Pressly.

      All in all, excellent research on the money owed, that’s very helpful, and you have a fine list that shows we have lots of options.

      Devin, Deikman would be a good lefty, mentioned him elsewhere. Diligence vs all contenders Twins Yanks MIL Dodgers and samples are decent but pretty small sample. I like ex-Rangers Dyson alright as well. If we could swing a deal for Castillo or Amir Garrett, Kirby Yates – great! But I think my first pick is Shane Greene. He’s got really good numbers vs the teams we need to shut down.

      FRAME OF REFERENCE
      I utilize Fangraphs to see pitch values success, etc.
      (Ex. Alvarez is crushing the CU, SLI, FB, but slight negative values for cutter and curve. Look for pitchers to utilize them more until he adjusts. Very small size so far, but he looks Generational Talent to me.) Where’s the love?
      .343 .439 .829 1.268 29 Total bases
      Body of work 28 HR 82 RBI not even to July. Had he been in Houston to start camp, he’d be leading most major categories, and Rookie of the Year.

      Why is Tubby on the team?

      I use Statcast / Savant to track spin rates and elite outcomes.

      I use ESPN to see how pitchers have done vs other teams; Baseball Resource to track options and team depth.

      I have my own Prospects List which has Alvarez as the top prospect vs FG’s #7 (what an absurd slap in the face to have Steamer and Zips projecting him 0.6 WAR for the season — he’s already there in 9 games!) How do they stay employed to whiff that badly?

      I use @reillocity for pitching prospects, specializing in Astros.

      I track our guys with others in the system with Baseball Reference; for example, DSL in 2015 had Leovanny Rodriguez (19) Cristian Javier, Framber Valdez, Gabriel Valdez, Hansel Paulino and Hector Perez. They’re all still around, and with exception of H Perez traded, I review their stats often. Paulino just surfaced the other day in Tri-Cities. Quiala never made it, Jorge Guzman is struggling in Marlins AA.

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      • Yeah Grayson as the saying goes – I have a full time job, so you get the research and writing I can accomplish during lunch – if I ever retire, there may be a bit more depth to my stuff. For now just trying to show who is out there – any deeper research is always appreciated in the comments section.

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  32. Tonight
    Brad Peacock vs. James Paxton

    Peacock career against Yankees
    – 6 games
    – 0 starts
    – 0 W-1 L
    – 6.2 IP
    – 6.75 ERA
    – .310 BA / .412 OBP / .929 OPS against him

    Paxton career against Astros
    – 13 games – all starts
    – 7 W- 4 L
    – 75.2 IP
    – 3.33 ERA
    – .244 BA / .294 OBP/ .664 opS

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  33. I thought this was interesting: Thursday night Catcher Nathan Perry was indeed catching for Tri City, while Catcher Korey Lee was DHing and Catcher CJ Stubbs was playing LF.
    Lee had 2 hits, Stubbs had 2 hits including a HR and Perry hit a HR. Two years after getting drafted, Joe Perry is finally able to play. He had 3 hits, including a HR and played 3B.

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  34. Reymin Guduan recalled Mayfield sent down. Stassi back up Stubbs sent down.
    Judge back in the lineup for the Yankees…..

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    • What kind of dirt does Guduan have on us? Guy has a 4.74 career ERA *in the minors*. I don’t care about him being a lefty, as he can’t get them out either.

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  36. I was hoping Reymin would not be the “fresh” arm. I’be seen enough of him, and yes, it’s a small sample. Time to shake up the 40 man yet?

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  37. It’s worrisome that Guduan is the only guy in AAA that can come up for relief.
    The guy is worthless, and really I don’t know what he is still in our system at ALL. This series isn’t going to end well for our guys….I feel a migraine coming on.

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  38. I suspect we won’t see Reymin Guduan unless it is a total blow-out, one way or the other. And I also suspect he’ll be back at Round Rock very, very soon.

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  39. *W O W* Frankie Montas got popped today with an 80 game suspension for banned substance! He just pitched last night! This news might just be the demise of the A’S this year.

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  40. Is this going to be another awful game to watch. Man on 1st & 2nd with one out Tubby strikes out on pitch up out the zone (consistently gets eaten up there, and yes OP you called it about beat writers & broadcasters hawking those useless numbers he’s posted lately) and Jake chases another dirt ball for final out. Must I go to MLB streaming to watch someone else. My eyes hurt

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  42. Don’t know how this will turn out, but through 5, Peacock has done a great job. Give Sanchez the credit for that two run shot. It was not a bad pitch.

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  43. I watched it through 7. Realized we were never going to get a hit with runners in scoring position. So in a rather ironic move, we decided to watch the last couple seasons of “Breaking Bad.” At least the humor in the titles being similar was not lost.

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  46. -Fayetteville placed RHP Peter Solomon on the IL on April 16th after appearing in two games. Not one word about him then or since then.
    -Corpus Christi placed RHP Erasmo Pinales on the IL on May 24th after appearing in 1 game. Not one word about him then or since then.
    – Corpus Christi placed Tyler Ivey on the IL on May 21st after one appearance following his suspension for having a foreign substance on his glove. Not one word about his injury then or since then.
    – Collin McHugh was removed from last night’s game in Corpus Christi after facing and retiring two batters. Not a peep from anybody about this move. McHugh came on in the 8th, replacing Joe Smith who struck out the side in the 7th inning.

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  47. The Astros round 31 pick in the draft was Peyton Plumlee, senior RHP from Mississippi State. In the double header Wednesday, where Vanderbilt eliminated MS from the College WS, Plumlee was the starter and loser in game 1. We should hopefully be hearing about Plumlee perhaps signing with the Astros soon.
    By the way, the Astros drafted two college pitchers with the first name Peyton. 9th round pick Peyton Bettenfield has already signed.
    The Astros 3rd round pick, Jordan Brewer is the starting CFer for Michigan, who faces Vanderbilt in the CWS championship series that starts Monday.

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  49. Last night the music was good, the beer was cold, the check mix was tasty, and the company was fun. The baseball game that I was watching didn’t measure up at all. I was thinking of asking if they could switch the channel to reruns of Sky King, Bugs Bunny, or Johnny Quest.
    Boy does this team need a shot in the arm or something more appropriate that I can’t say here.

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