Astros’ 2026: Another spring training

The Astros’ pitchers and catchers are in camp already, having reported on Feb. 11. Some position players were already gathered in Palm Beach, but the official reporting date was Monday, February 16. They will play their first pre-season game on Saturday Feb 21  against the Nationals who share their stadium and training facilities.

Looking back…..

  • This is the 65th Spring Training for the Houston franchise.
  • This is their 62nd ST as the Astros – their first three seasons were as the Houston Colt .45s.
  • For Dan P, this is the 61st since his family moved to Houston back in 1966.
  • As best I can find, the Colt .45 / Astros have held spring training at the following locations over the years
    • 1962 – 1963 – Geronimo Park in Apache Junction, Arizona – this park was abandoned after the Astros left after the 1963 Spring Training
    • 1964 – 1984 – Astrotown / Cocoa Beach, Florida – I imagine they might have shared some hotels with the NASA astronauts at this location close to Cape Canaveral
    • 1985 – 2016 – Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida in the heart of Mickey territory (and I mean Mouse, not Mantle)
    • 2017 – present – the ballpark at the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, which has been called FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and currently Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches (which sounds like it should be in Apache Junction, Arizona).

Note – some of what I typed could be wrong as different sources seemed to hand out differing information, especially for the early years. If you know something else let us know.

What is Important This Spring Training?

  • First – How will the Astros “change” to get back to the playoffs after their first miss since 2017. Or will they just shrug and say, they don’t need to change after coming so close to the playoffs with all the injuries in 2025?
  • Second – How will the front office mix, match, compare and divide the starting staff with the “others”? Other than Hunter Brown, are there any locks? Tatsuya Imai? Cristian Javier? Mike Burrows? Where do Jason Alexander, Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Weiss, A.J. Blubaugh, Colton Gordon, Nate Pearson and Kai-Wei Teng fall in the pecking order?
  • Third – If they do not trade Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker – how will they juggle the over-crowded infield? Is Paredes the man getting the least at-bats?
  • Fourth – Will they play Yordan Alvarez rarely in left field (as manager Joe Espada indicates) or a lot (as Alvarez indicates)?
  • Fifth – Is the outfield going to be populated by…
  • Sixth – How will they fill in behind injured closer Josh Hader? Sure, it will be Bryan Abreu immediately, but who will have to move up into the 3 or 4 relievers getting leveraged innings with Abreu, Bryan King, Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa?
  • Seventh – Going back to that list of potential starters, of the ones who don’t make the rotation, who goes back to AAA (or out the door) and who is going to the bullpen as a multi-inning option?
  • Eighth – Will Dana Brown make any moves to muscle up the outfield and/or empty out the infield? Or will he let things go as they are and save his moves for the trade deadline?

What are you looking for this Spring? And how many ST’s have you been through?

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16 responses to “Astros’ 2026: Another spring training”

  1. Ohhhh I love question and answer! Goody!

    Lets discuss the Yankees for a minute. In the heart of their 1996-2005 teams that included multiple WS wins was not a bunch of highly paid free agents, but homegrown talent. It was Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Andy Petitte, Bernie Williams – certainly they brought in the hired help. Clemens, Wells, Mussina, Giambi, they went and got guys, but to only surround the core.

    That’s what the Astros had done. Brantley, Verlander, Cole, the guys we brought in were the supporting cast to Altuve, Springer, Correa, Bregman, Keuchel, a core. That’s what we are missing today. Stars. I think the world of Jeremy Pena, but he is no Derek Jeter. Correa and Altuve are guys who should be the “captains” of this team, that have the reporters asking questions, that get the hard answers out before they get down the line to Cam Smith. But other people should be carrying the water on the field. Let those guys do their things and not ask guys in their later 30s to be the offensive force of the team. I literally feel like Hunter Brown is by himself in this regard, and that is just not going to cut it. I’m not sure what changed on 13 January 2020, but whatever it was, we lost our ability to scout and draft.

    That’s the long way of me saying if the team insists that it will operate below the cap, and it has no minor leaguers coming to the aid of these veterans to play as stars for lower salaries, they are doomed to the fall off. I am rooting for different, I will be watching every game hoping a finally completely healthy Javier proves why he got the money, that this meteor of one year of Imai lands him a 5 year, 120M deal somewhere else, that Mike Burrows can carry 175 innings as the 4 guy, that Spencer Arrighetti can get command to match arm talent. But if I was a betting man, the ZIPS projection of 81-81 doesn’t seem like a reach. If I take off my rose colored glasses, I can see that happening.

    A healthy Yordan will go a long way.

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    • I think the downfall happened before 2020. Look at the 2019 draft. Hunter Brown was a huge win at 166th, but there is literally nothing else to show from that draft. Ryan Gusto is the only other noteworthy name. Look at 2018 and you have Jeremy Pena at 102nd. After that, maybe Cesar Salarar or JP France is the next best pick?

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      • You know Devin, our yield was remarkable between 2011 and 2015. And then we lost the 2020 and 2021 picks. Maybe our good fortune just caught up to us. We have not been very good at picking guys since Forrest Whitley.

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  2. What if Hunter Brown’s final stat line is at or around .500? Not every pitcher turns in a superstar performance every single year. Even Greg Maddux didn’t go 21-2 every year of his career .610 winning percentage. But Atlanta always had star depth. It wasn’t “one guy get it done or our season is shot.” That’s the fire the Astros are trying to catch. Every Batman needs a Robin in case this isn’t one of Batman’s best years. The Astros are asking unprovens like Imai, Burrows and Weiss to catch fire. Arm talent is not a question for Javier, Arrighetti or Blubaugh. Not one bit. Command is the thing that guys with arm talent develop or don’t. I don’t see Javier going beyond what he is, but Arrighetti or Blubaugh either one are at that age where sometimes we see a guy catch fire because he starts locating with consistency. Maybe.

    It’s very possible this team sees Hunter Brown go say, 16-8 with the team going 20-11 in 31 of his starts, and the team also being 10 games over .500. It’s also very possible, like has happened to all the greats, this year Hunter Brown looks a little more human, and the Astros are done. 10 games over .500 would be 86-76, and probably not in the playoffs.

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    • Because it’s ST and I get suckered into thinking we’re a World Series contender every year, let me agree and say it’s not even like Arrighetti or Blubaugh have to be perfect with location. Skubal throws a tons of pitches that aren’t located where he wants them, but the batters get fooled. We just need guys like them to limit their non-competitive pitches out of the zone while not putting too many in the wrong part of the zone. Obviously it’s easier said that done, but if the hitter is thinking they have to swing at a pitch they are more likely to do it than if they’re thinking they’re only swinging if they get a certain pitch.

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  3. Walker is untradeable. I don’t even think most teams out there would consider him over just moving someone to 1B in case of an injury. This is just one I think us fans are going to need to do a rain dance for, and just hope for some reason, at the age of 34, he goes back to playing like he is 29. Unreasonable in my mind, but its really the only hope we got.

    Paredes seems destined to stay after Boston was able to solve 3B with a not quite as good as Isaac guy named Durbin who isn’t bad and plays for a lot cheaper, and for the Red Sox they didn’t have to lose Abreu, Tolle, or Early to do it. On one hand, they have to figure out how to get Contreras, Casas, Yoshida, Anthony, Duran, and Abreu to find playing time in 4 spots (LF, RF, 1B, and DH). Casas and Yoshida are going to be hard to trade if they are not playing and showing teams they are healthy. But that’s not our problem, I just find it weird that the Red Sox just would not deal with us. Tolle and Early are going to open at AAA (Early may end up their lefty out of the pen as well), as the Red Sox rotation is Crochet-Sanchez-Bello-Gray-Ovando. Yet, we couldn’t swing that deal. With that door closed, it seems any chance at using Paredes to improve the 2026 Astros is out, everyone else will want to throw 3 minor leaguers at us, and given Brown and Espada are both managing for the 2027 lives, I expect them to keep Paredes at this point.

    A couple of notes about playing time. Even the players are acknowledging this is going to be tough. There is an easy answer to this to be honest – Yordan would need to play 60-70 games in LF instead of 25. Honestly his “I’ve never gotten injured playing LF” comment this weekend tells us he would rather be out there. His defensive metrics are pretty much league average, so he doesn’t hurt you out there. While he doesn’t hurt you, there is a concern he would hurt himself. I get that. But I’m the crazy one. If my choice is Cole in LF and Isaac on the bench, or Yordan in LF and Isaac at DH, if I’m managing for 2027 job, it’s not a hard choice. I’m rolling some dice. I would end up playing Yordan 110 times in LF. But, it’s not me. It’s Joe.

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    • And, not trying to be Captain Obvious here – we’ve talked many times about the difference in stats for Yordan as a LF and DH. Its pretty significant, over 100 points of OPS.

      I usually dismiss things like this. If he put his LF stats in his younger years, or sample sizes, or sometimes its just what the team was asking him to do when he goes on a bender and everything he sees are 20 MPH beach balls. But it’s a big enough sample, I would want to see if the theory that he is just simply “more engaged” and not just sitting in the dugout 45 minutes between at bats holds water.

      This is his age 28 season. This is it. This is supposed to be his monster year. If he can personally account for 5-6 wins and Hunter does Hunter things, they may be in this in the end.

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  4. No tongue in cheek responses from me today. Everyone else made it clear, by not commenting, that this is serious business!

    Back in the playoffs? The Astros have to stay healthier, they have to get reliable pitching from Dana’s influx of new arms and a couple of guys have to step up on the offensive side and have career years. One of them should be Cam Smith. He can’t duplicate 2025. When I say guys stepping up, I’m thinking primarily of the younger outfielders, the more athletic guys on our squad. Or maybe a Brice Matthews.

    Of all the facets of this club, guys that want to pitch have a real shot at controlling their own destiny. If guys like Weiss and Pearson have a big spring, they could be on the roster. Burrows can only lose his job. Arrighetti is not an automatic. Alexander and Gordon will be fighting for a roster spot. I figure if Imai and Javier are healthy, they are automatics. They’re both getting paid already.

    I hope Isaac breaks camp with an Astro uniform on. Injuries are inevitable. It’ll sure look foolish if Correa or Yordan go on the shelf early and Paredes is no longer an Astro. So let Yordan play a few more games in cozy outfields. Tell Jose that he won’t be playing 150 games. Same with Walker and Correa too. And no way Pena playing 162 is the best thing for his team or him. If this club is going to be competitive come August, the line up has to be fresh, arms can’t be falling off pitchers. Make an uncomfortable situation work, unless Dana Brown can legitimately improve the team by trading Walker or Parades.

    Right now, it’s going to be a young, defense first, athletic outfield. That could change this week. As it stands now, Jake will once again be the opening day starter in centerfield. Smith will be in right. And Yordan will be in left if Isaac is still with us, so that Isaac can DH on March 26. If Isaac is gone, there will be significant change in the outfield. Probably. Maybe.

    Cam Smith will get a longer look than Dana has professed earlier this winter. Matthews needs to play everyday, so that means AAA, but we could see him pretty early. Are we really going to keep a zero bat guy to be a late inning defensive replacement? And it will probably take an injury, but at some point, Zach Dezenzo needs a shot. He might be a hitter. And he’s somewhat versatile.

    So when I said probably, maybe regarding the outfield changing if Isaac goes, I left a little room for him to be traded for a back of pen guy. I’m sure leery about Hader’s health. Bryan Abreu has been so good in the 8th inning role and not so good as closer that I’d hesitate to mess with what works.

    Going back to starter options, we’ll have guys waiting out in Sugar Land. And some other club might need a healthy rotation guy. We will at some point.

    I have to figure Dana is pressured ( even if by himself) to make a couple of additional moves. I just he does not make any deals for the same of getting deals done. Last July did not work out very well. And of course Crane and perhaps associates made the move for Carlos that sure has impacted the serenity of winter in Florida. Both Dana and Joe have a tougher job as a result of that decision.

    And last, I never did receive a Spring Training invite, but I did go to one, back when John McMullen was the boss.

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    • Sorry Dave! I just did not have time this weekend to pay much attention to the internet. If you ever catch my pattern, I’m not a weekend poster. It’s almost always a Monday-Thursday. In my job I have a 4 day work week every other week, so really Monday’s are hit and miss too!

      I live closer to ST facility than most of you, I am going to make it down there for a weekend once this ST. The next two I plan on making that hike down there multiple weekends as my son will be in his junior and senior years of high school and they have turned out to be great trips.

      Whats great is no matter how you see the Weiss, Arrighetti, Pearson, Blubaugh, thing shaking out – the Astros will likely need big innings from all of them this year at some point. So whomever goes to Sugar Land probably needs to stay closer to Houston and not move to the west side of Katy. I think Pearson and Blubaugh have a chance to be impact arms in either role, starter or pen.

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  5. I think the Astros have given themselves a dearth of young to semi-young guys play in the OF and they will see what shakes out in ST. There is no way Cole, Dezenzo, Loperfido, Matthews and Cam all make this roster. Someone is going to get called to the managers office. They all have options, so they all have to know going into ST they are playing for their major league spot, at least opening day spot. I expect we see all of them before all is said and done though. The only thing that seems certain is Jake is in CF. If I was a betting man, on opening day, he is flanked with Cam in RF and Yordan in LF, if the roster stays the same. They are likely facing Yusei Kikuchi on opening day, and that probably puts Cole or Loperfido, whichever makes the team, on the bench and Isaac at DH. Brice Matthews could really help his stock if he shows he can play all 3 OF spots as well as 2B and 3B.

    As for the pen – just too many lefties. You can’t have all lefties in leverage spots. These right handed lineups will end up getting just enough done. I’m really surprised the Astros did not go find a proven right handed arm for higher leverage spots. Joe is going to have to hope for health and availability from Hader and Abreu the way he has never had to before. And probably use Abreu judiciously, like really avoid using him in a spot where maybe you are up by 3 in the 8th, maybe let De Los Santos have that opportunity. But again, there is where it comes down to managing for your 2027 season. If there are 7-10 times this year that Joe has to choose between Abreu’s long term future and his job, I think the world of Joe. I believe he will choose right and look out for the player. But I hate that Crane might put him in that spot.

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  6. Seventh – it all plays into the options games. This includes the IF and back up C. Guys without options always have the first shots, they will have to lose the job. Does Nick Allen or Brice Matthews make this club? Probably Allen, because Matthews going to AAA is no big deal, Allen likely won’t make it through a DFA.

    Probably not a big deal in the rotation – I think all the candidates have options, except the guy you would like to be able to option LMJ. Unless his ST is dreadful, I expect he makes the rotation. Brown, Imai, Javier and Burrows seem locks. Leaves one spot – and I would think if all things are even that the familiarity of Arrighetti to this staff gets him the nod. Weiss has never thrown a major league pitch regardless of his success in the KBO. I’m hopeful, but I’m a realist. Just 20 months ago he was playing independent ball after being released from the minors when there was an injury in Hanwha’s rotation and they needed an immediate fill in. They found him, and he found a place where he could get some consistency and learn what it takes to physically and mentally to be ready to make 30 starts and pitch 180 innings. Maybe this is the corner. Maybe there is a good year or two in that arm. But he is 29 and still has not thrown a major league inning. I would be tempered in my expectations.

    Alexander probably wins the options game and ends up the long man, but De Los Santos and Munoz have to make this team or they could be lost. Hader on the IL to open solves the problem temporarily, but I don’t know that happens. I just know the 5 inning Javier, who sometimes doesn’t even make it out of the 4th before he hits 100 pitches, and Burrows and his 75 pitch games, and LMJ, and Arrighetti’s control issues, this bullpen functioning on 7 has to have 1 or even 2 guys that can go 2 or 3 innings. And 3 1 inning lefty options along with 2 leverage one inning arms is going to make the other 2 guys have to be gumbys. At this point I would see if I could move Sousa or Okert for a low level minor league prospect.

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  7. I’ll conclude my essay for the day by saying – if he gets the right offer for Isaac, I think he takes it. But he is managing this roster to win in 2026 because he won’t have a 2027 if he doesn’t. I think because of that, Isaac is here for the year, and he is going to ask Joe to manage it. Of course, an injury to another team can change that. Isaac can slide into playing everyday at 1B, 3B, or DH for any contender, so even if a team loses an OFer but can slide their DH into the OF, they can come after Isaac.

    I wish they had not traded for Correa. I wish they would sign Isaac to a 6 year extension. He is the exact kind of baseball player I love. Spits on everything. Sometimes, unfortunately, even the pitch he should hit, but I would take that over Yainer chasing birds all day long. But it is what it is. I think it’s likely, at some point this year, Isaac gets used to find an everyday LFer.

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  9. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the sharing here, especially from Steven in this one but all my friends here daveb, Devin, Zanuda, Sarge, etc.

    This will be a fascinating season from many aspects – there are so many ways this can turn out.

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