,

Astros 2024: May the fake games begin

Saturday night, the Astros (or likely a subset from the lower part of the 40-man roster) will face off against their Spring Training park-mates, the Washington Nationals, in the first exhibition game of 2024.

We know that Ronel Blanco will be the first pitcher on the bump for the Astros and not much else at this time.

But what do we know or think we know?

  • The game will only count in the Spring Training standings, and that counts for what? Well, quoting Dark Helmet from Spaceballs “I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.” Lone Starr replies “What’s that make us?”  Dark Helmet, “Absolutely nothing!”
  • There will be a lot of other hurlers who will head to the mound on Saturday. One of the two might even have a shot at making the big club this year.
  • There will be a lineup that likely will have a few starters, a couple guys trying to make the bench and a few that are just trying to plant an image in somebody’s mind for later in the season.
  • We will be able to start a new bingo card after the game with quotes 2024 Astros’ Spring Training Bingo – ALL THINGS ASTROS (chipalatta.com)
    • The manager will say, “XX looked pretty sharp for the first game.” Or “Not worried about YY giving up the 5 runs, since it was the first game.”
    • A pitcher will say, “Just glad to throw to someone new from another team.”
    • Someone will say after a low-scoring contest, “The pitchers are always ahead of the hitters early in the spring,” or after a slugfest, “The pitchers need to shake off that winter rust.”
    • A hitter will say, “I had never seen ZZ before, but nice to get a few ABs under my belt.”
    • A pitcher will say after getting pounded, “That is not how I would pitch in a regular season game. Just working on my fourth pitch a lot.”
    • An injured pitcher will say, “I’m just slowly building up to taking the mound later this spring.”
  • The Astros are very set with the position player side, but Spring Training will lead to them deciding who will fill out that bullpen behind the big three. It will also help to shake out what the starting pitching rotation will look like, especially if a pitcher or two is not ready for the regular season.

The fake games are a necessary evil in helping the players ramp up naturally (unlike the WBC-marred spring) to the regular season. On the negative side, it seems like it takes forever to get to the regular season. On the positive side, we get to talk about real pitchers throwing to real hitters instead of the Off-Season contrived subjects.

2024 – we are ready for you. Don’t let us down.

←
→

25 responses to “Astros 2024: May the fake games begin”

  2. I passively watched a few innings of the Dodgers/Padres today just to see if I noticed anything concerning the new “see through” pants that those nitwits at MLB gave the players this year. Everything about Manfred’s tenure is bush league.

    Like

    Reply

  4. I’m excited about the fake games! And I think I’ll have access to the Astros fake opener tonight.

    I was just thinking….how deep into the post season will we get in 2024? What a luxury! Most fans have already written off a trip into October. Others, like Mets fans and Yankee fans, are just hoping everything goes right for their clubs. Arrogant Dodger fans have already claimed the Commissioners trophy. Not so fast. Quite a few good MLB teams these days. But we are lucky souls to be Astro fans. If we happened to go home after 162 games, it would be a real shocker. Anyway, there are quite a few story lines for us in 2024 and typically for the Astros, Florida in February is pretty much a formality.

    The pitch clock is squeezing Framber and others just a bit tighter is 2024. Has he worked out a solution? One thing, don’t take a ball from an ump until back on the mound. That clock now starts even when a pitcher gets handed a new ball at home plate. Ignore the man in blue until back at the bump!

    We’ll get to see Forrest Whitley pitch in some meaningful spring games, at least for him. Can he make this club? Or is it one more trip to Sugar Land for tweaking? Assuming no injuries, we’ve got maybe three pitching jobs to be determined. I’m intrigued by Dylan Coleman.

    And Jake is a must watch. I suspect he’ll be trying to steal bases this spring. But he’s simply got to hit.

    Alex Bregman bulked up 27 pounds in 2021 and then missed months due to that left quad injury. I sure hope bulking up to 215 in 2024 won’t do anything but help him hit the ball further and more frequently. As Simon Davey has noted, he’s a short six footer.

    And do we have a battle between Singleton and Cabbage for last seat on the bench? Personally I’m hoping pilates has made Jose Abreu a new man, but I am dubious.

    What have I missed?

    Like

    Reply

  5. I wrote a nice reply here and it disappeared. So I’ll cut it up.

    Sarge – Any games are better than no games

    OP – No WBC Spring training is better than Spring training

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Gary – what are your plans for when your beloved A’s leave Oakland? Do you want them to be bad forever? Do you wish the players well, while hoping the owner loses his inherited a$$? Do you find a new team to follow?
    I lost all stomach for the NFL before the Texans were created for us.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Daveb – Lots of intriguing discussion points in your comment.

    What else am I looking for?
    I really want to see who from the lower portion of the 40 man will force their way on to the 26 man or at least onto the short list of those on speed dial from the front office. Ronel Blanco? Oliver Ortega? Bennett Sousa? Of course Whitley?
    Is Kenedy Corona on the 40 man purely for protection from the past Rule 5 draft or is he one strained muscle from being brought up.
    We’ve heard (but most of us have not seen) a bunch of these youngsters on the non-roster invitees list. Spencer Arrighetti, Rhett Kouda, Zach Dezenzo, Will Wagner, Shay Whitcomb, Pedro Leon, Qunicy Hamilton, Joey Loperfido and #1 prospect Jacob Melton and a bunch more will be in ST games. Five years from now will any of these guys be impact people for the Astros or for some other team or will they be a name we remember as being almost someone in the past?
    Oh, while I am skeptical about the Bregman weight gain helping anything, I’ve heard that Cristian Javier looks “mahvelous” after his weight loss. Will he return back to what he was a couple years ago?

    With holes in the bullpen and potential players leaving via free agency in the next two seasons – this is one of the more interesting Spring Trainings we’ve had for the Astros.

    Like

    Reply

  8. The “lineup subject to change” lineup for today’s game is

    McCormick LF
    Dubón SS
    Caratini C
    Singleton 1B
    Meyers CF
    Julks RF
    Hensley 3B
    Hamilton DH
    Kessinger 2B

    With Blanco on the mound followed by a cast of thousands

    Like

    Reply

    • Forrest Whitley. He joined the club in 2016. He’s missed a couple of seasons, but even so, has averaged just 38 innings a year for the organization. I think he peaked in 2018. He’s pretty much stunk up the place since coming back in 2022. But there must be something the experts continue to see as they continue to humor Forrest. I continually wonder though if Forrest really wants to be a professional baseball player. I’m not sure if he needs the job.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • I pull for him but wonder if it is just similar to a tax write-off. Sunk Cost?
        Failed investment?
        Many times in my long life I have invested in people and been burned. Sometimes it was money or love or precious time or all three. Took the losses and moved forward. Sometimes it was because of my mistakes Sometimes I just got burned.
        –it happens! The Aiken scenario turned out rosy. The Appel thing was just a guy who realized too late that he didn’t want to figure it out, but got paid anyway. Whitley looks like a case of putting your faith in someone you shouldn’t have.

        Like

    • The Bellinger signing may be similar to Bregman’s offseason next year. I do wonder if the lack of long term offers will encourage Tucker to talk extension with Houston.

      My only complaint about the pitch clock last year was that umpires were actually calling violations. I would prefer it be more like the NFL play clock where they glance at the clock when it hits zero and then decide whether the offense is snapping it or delaying.

      I’m not a fan of the players participating in the Olympics, but can understand why some would want to do so.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Bregman probably has a higher floor and a lower ceiling than Bellinger. He has been a bit inconsistent, but never falling as far as Bellinger did before his comeback last season.

        Like

      • Rodon is probably as much at fault for Bellinger’s spot as anyone not named Bellinger. His career has been extremely inconsistent. And he still got 3/80, its not like anyone needs to feel bad for him.

        Bregman seems to be much more consistent. Boras will point at his career year and try to get paid like he is still that, but any team that gives him the money hoping that he does that won’t be crushed if he hits .265/25/90 with an excellent walk rate. With Bellinger, you just don’t know. Is he going to hit .165 with a 35% K rate next year or repeat 2023? Who knows.

        Like

  13. It sure is a good thing we started the guys with the big bats today against the Nats. Just think how bad it would be if we hadn’t had Altuve, Alvarez, Bregman, Tucker, Diaz, Abreu, and Pena in the lineup!

    Like

    Reply

  15. YIE, but our big guns haven’t impressed yet. I realize that we’re giving up a lot of runs but that appears to be guys that aren’t on the 40 man roster. I would think that we’d at least do something that resembles a hit or two. Hopefully, this is not a preview of expectations for early in the season.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment