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2024 Astros’ Spring Training Bingo

The beginning of Spring Training has brought the usual litany of quotations from the Astros. The ones you hear every spring reminded me of something.

My wife loves to watch those Hallmark movies at Christmas (heck, I like a few of them myself). Someone had put out a bit of a bingo game for when you watch them. You know – 25 squares with things to check off when you saw them in the movie. “They all go to the Snow Festival”, “Someone falls down ice skating”, “They decorate a tree”, etc.

So, I thought, what the heck, let’s make a Spring Training bingo for baseball or, specifically, the Astros. When you hear or read something that allows you to fill a spot, check it off and see what it takes to get a bingo or fill every space for a blackout. Have fun.

  Veteran Says He’s Reported to Camp in the Best Shape of His Life   Pitcher Who Struggled Last Season Admits He Was Hiding an Injury   Newly Signed Free Agent Says His New Town Has the Best Fans Player Says He’s Letting His Agent Negotiate His New Contract While He Concentrates on Winning   Manager Has Never Seen a Team with a Better Attitude in Spring Training
  Manager Talks About How Hard It Was to Make the Last Cut Journeyman on a Minor League Contract Just Wants a Chance to Prove What He Can Do Prospect in Spring Training for the First Time Can’t Believe XXX is One Locker Over   Pitcher Fixed His Mechanics Since Last Year and Is Ready to Show the World   Player Who Has No Chance to Make the 26 Man Says He is a Play Away from Making It
Pitcher Who Was Terrible with Another Team Last Season is Ready for Fresh Start   Manager Says the Battle for (Fill in the Blank) is Down to Two Great Choices     Free After Getting Splattered In a Spring Training Game – Pitcher Says He is Working on “Something”   Player Lost 20 Pounds in the Off Season to Improve His Play
  Player Talking About a New Addition to the Team, “He’s a Great Guy.”   General Manager Thinks the Team is About to Turn the Corner   Player Who Has Been Mediocre Is Ready to Have a “Breakout Year”   Player Gained 20 Pounds “Of Muscle” to Improve His Play Pitcher Who Struggled Last Season Has Added a New Pitch to the Arsenal
Player Suspended for PED Use Claims He Didn’t Know What Was in That Supplement Prospect Who Walks 7 Men Per 9 Innings “Figured Things Out” in the Off Season   New Overpaid Free Agent is Called “A Generational Talent”   Injured Player Who Struggles to Stay on the Field is “Ahead of Schedule”   Owner is Willing to do Anything to Make His/Her Team Competitive

 

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40 responses to “2024 Astros’ Spring Training Bingo”

  1. New year….same boring tropes. It’s kind of rough for the media as well because most baseball players aren’t interesting humans and they have to sort of make them seem interesting in order to “sell the game.” You end up getting these cringey “puff pieces” that are awkward for everybody involved. For example: Mike Trout likes to walk his dog and eats sausage for breakfast!!!! Yawn.

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  6. Dan you are reading too much media man. You got these down pat.

    Speaking of media, all this hoopla over Rendon. Man you know the dude is laid back, you know he isn’t exactly the example of firey competitiveness so why stick a microphone in his face? Oh, we know, Gary told us already. We need to find one soundbyte so a guy like Steve Phillips who can’t find a job in baseball just sits and talks about you all morning on MLB network. The entirety of humanity is faith, family, job in that order, so what is the big deal?

    I love your bingo sheet. I saw references to like 12 Astro players there lol.

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  7. Would love to hear somebody to show up and say “I’m in the worst shape of my life. It was damn cold and I didn’t feel like going to the gym. I sat at home drinking beer and watching Mexican soap operas.”

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  9. Old Pro – you are well on your way to your own Bingo sheet

    Gary – Yeah – most sports guys are cliche machines and I think baseball is the worst

    Steve – There are trolls out there hoping to get clicks or keep jobs. Steve Phillips was not a good GM and is not that good an announcer

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  13. How about Bregman reporting to camp 23 pounds heavier! He was terrible to watch while running the bases the past few years, what makes him think he will be better with the extra weight???

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  15. Amidst the chatter surrounding notable pitchers like Snell, Montgomery, and the buzzing insider Astros’ discourse on Tucker, Bregman, and impending free agency, we need to be reminded how special is Framber Valdez.

    Snell’s pursuit of a lucrative contract is indeed noteworthy. With 71 wins in 191 starts over his eight-year career, he has yet to complete a game or even reach the eighth inning in any of his appearances. Montgomery, too, seeks a substantial deal, boasting 38 wins in 140 starts, with just one complete game to his credit.

    Delving into the numbers reveals intriguing insights. Snell has secured victory in 37% of his starts, with his teams boasting a .510 winning percentage when he takes the mound. Five Snells = 83 wins. Meanwhile, Montgomery’s win rate stands at 27%, with his teams performing at a .482 clip overall. Five Montgomery’s = 78 wins.

    In contrast, Framber Valdez shines brightly. With 53 wins in 107 starts, he boasts an impressive 49.5% win rate. His team’s .600 winning percentage in games he starts reflects his significant impact. Valdez’s six complete games further underscore his prowess on the mound.

    Granted, bullpen strength and team quality play crucial roles in these statistics. However, all three pitchers have contributed to playoff-caliber teams, with Snell representing Tampa and San Diego, Montgomery donning jerseys for the Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, and, of course, our hometown Astros.

    Turning to bullpen dynamics, there’s an intriguing discussion brewing. While Snell garners attention for his performances, the evolving mentality in baseball emphasizes shorter outings for starters. Yet, from a pragmatic standpoint, this places a hefty burden on bullpens. Consider the Astros: if our top three bullpen arms cover approximately 200 innings, and starters typically exit by the fifth (maybe sixth) inning, the bullpen must shoulder a staggering 550+ innings. That leaves 350+innings for the Seth Martinez’s of the world. This reliance on middle relievers could sway the outcome of numerous games, explaining why Snell’s teams, despite their quality, have seen him win only 37% of his games.

    These reflections stem from my morning radio musings, highlighting the complexities of baseball strategy and the pivotal role of pitchers like Valdez in shaping game outcomes.

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    • Excellent post. I probably undervalue Framber.

      When his composure remains intact, he can be as good as anyone. Easier said than done. We’re all built differently.

      He’s a huge key for the Astros out of the gate, this year especially.

      I like his demeanor so far and this is probably insensitive to say, but I’m glad to see the extensions gone from his hair style.

      I also hope he’s getting a lot of defensive reps on a back field.

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      • I think he was inferring that Framber was being compared to the other two and that he had only played for the Astros, who have been the best team in baseball since Framber’s debut.

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      • OP is correct, and you definitely caught me in a bad grammar moment. I would say I’m gettin old but I don’t want to offend our many senior citizen discount eligible family members. Oops, said it anyway?

        The real thing is, I know all this, you know all this, and so does Framber’s agent.

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  20. I love the last paragraph. Classic bingo material.

    “Obviously (Espada) is the guy that gets to make those decisions,” Abreu said. For me, I’m in a good position and I would like to play first base. The most important thing is the team can win and if the team can win with me being (at DH), that’s what we’re willing to do.

    This fan has a couple thoughts. First of all, I hope Abreu somehow returns to a pre-Astro version of himself. And as he says, “For me, I’m in a pretty good position and would like to play first base”. He is in a pretty good position right now because we don’t really have another first baseman.

    “…….if the team can win with me being (at DH), that’s what we’re willing to do”.

    Who’s we? We’re willing to DH? Is Mrs. Abreu okay with Jose in the DH role?

    I’m wondering a bit if one of Espada’s toughest jobs will be to keep a potentially underachieving veteran happy with playing time. Abreu had the protection of a veteran centric man at the helm last year that allowed him 54 starts at clean up while producing a .614 OPS.

    I’m really interested to see how playing time gets managed as we move into the 2024 season.

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  21. Last year the Astros ranked last in the major leagues in extra bases taken percentage. I knew we tended to be a station to station team on the bases, but I did not know we were at the bottom in MLB. Per Joe Espada, that will change.

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    • I was watching an episode of the 20 greatest games series on MLB Network the other day showing Red Sox – Mets game 5 in ’86. The two things that stood out were that the hitters were trying to put the ball in play and the runners were taking extra bases all over the place. Not only that, but the runners were actually running. It would be great to see the Astros return to a similarly aggressive style as long as we can limit the amount of TOOTBLAN.

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  23. Altuve
    Pena
    McCormick
    Meyers
    Dubon
    Tucker

    These guys should be getting to third on a single and scoring from first on a double regularly. But Jose does not always make wonderful base running decisions and Jake, for all of his speed. is not very aggressive on the bases. I include Tucker because he’s probably our smartest baserunner. And once Alvarez gets moving, he’ll go two or three bases with a good read. I think Diaz is a better baserunner than he’s gotten credit for so far. Who am I missing? Wager, Loperfido, Melton? Maybe in July! But right now, we’re a pretty slow squad.

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    • I will say that the short left field in Minute Maid can result in some of the station to station – the left fielders are just not back very far. But in general I did feel like the team settled for single bases where they could have gotten more.

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    • I think the metrics have always leaned towards conservatism on the bases. Getting thrown out happens more often than the benefit of taking the extra bases results in runs. It’s something like that. I didn’t write Moneyball, only read it. Have to ask that guy.

      Their base running metrics looked fairly similar in 2022 when they won 106 versus 2023 when they won 90. Visually it looks great in a game to see a guy leg out a double, but it also sucks to see him get thrown out. I remember Altuve trying to stretch one out last year that was on the line leading off a game and he got thrown out by a mile. Personally, I prefer station to station and would rather watch the next guy bat. Not to mention the secondary effects of stretching a pitcher more and adding more high leverage pitches to his pitch count.

      Certainly there are times the close play at home is warranted, i.e. its two outs and Maldonado is on deck. Generally, I’m OK with station to station. I don’t think there is any statistical evidence that suggests being aggressive as a general rule (situationally always warranted) generates more runs.

      When all is said and done, a good offense can win a game, but pitching is what Espada and Brown should care about, it decides seasons.

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      • Fair points. In general, I don’t think we’re a very good base running club, and not just because we’re slower base runners. When the Braves take an extra base 51% of the time and we only do it 37% of the time, that’s quite a few bases over a season. And when they are successful in 89% of their base stealing attempts, that’s much better than our 77%. Even with the new rules, we’re not very good at it. So yeah, I’d rather not run unless it’s a guy like Altuve or Tucker or someone that will be successful at least 80% of the time. Can guys like Pena and Meyers be more reliable base stealers? I look forward to evolving into a more athletic club, with new additions that run well, are good base stealers and are intuitive out there. I like that Espada is looking to improve in areas we don’t excel at. And I don’t think he means reckless when he speaks of being more aggressive.

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