Tag: baseball
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Astros’ 2026: Many ways to slice the pie

One of the questions about the Astros team heading into 2026 is the “logjam” in the infield, which also affects the designated hitter spot.
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Astros’ 2026: Dealing from a position of weakness

One of the more interesting things in the early off-season is watching the Astros machinations as they address or don’t address their outfield situation.
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Why Jim Crane may be hesitant about big contracts

In our previous post, there was some bantering back and forth about where the team might be headed in support of a questionable starting pitching staff heading into 2026. Founder of the blog, Chip Bailey, threw out a sentence that triggered this post. “The money in baseball — and all sports — is ridiculous now,…
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Astros’ 2026: Starting pitching discussion

To say the starting pitching for the Astros to begin the 2026 season will be changed from the 2025 season, especially the start of 2025 is an understatement of the highest order.
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Are Astros only interested in the Blue Light Specials?

It feels almost treasonous to go back to the old Bopert era in the Chipalatta blog and complain about Jim Crane’s spending. Bopert was a friend of the blog, who a) Loved the Astros very much and b) Thought that the tiny amount Jim Crane was spending on payroll while the team was spiraling to…
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Astros’ hitting: The chicken or the egg?

The one thing that all Astros’ fans can agree on is that the team needs better hitting across the board to be a contender in 2026. The biggest question may be whether the firing of Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker and the hiring of head hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, his assistant Anthony Iapoce and the…
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Astros’ off-season: “Stuff”

Your faithful servant has again reached a moment when his mind is clogged with mental constipation. So, this post will be filled with “stuff” that needs to be unloaded to allow room for more “stuff”.
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Astros 2026 Look Ahead – The Big Ifs….

In many ways, it feels like the Astros are owed some positive karma after two straight seasons of bad luck on the injury front. In 2025 alone they faced season ending or long term injuries with pitchers Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter, Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort and position players Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Zach…
