Also, I might add, Javier was most consistent in 2022 but he has had a lot of good performances outside of that 1 year. I think if he’s working hard and staying away from injury, he can be a really good pitcher for us. looks like he’s slotted as our #3 this year, even with his issues. The Astros definitely believe in his abilities. They think he’s closer to 2022 than many here do. He’s only started like 15-20 games last 2 years combined right? And didn’t pitch all that well outside of a few outings. They still slot him at #3. This says the Astros are still on the javier train.
I think this is an under the radar super relevant take. Maybe @Nook could weigh in. How much rope will Crane give Brown to re-make this roster and minors? Will he tolerate missing the playoffs this year? If not, Brown would be wise to find that bonafied bat for the OF
The pitching has been lights out this spring. I hope it continues into the season because this team will struggle mightily to score runs.
There is a world where both Burrows and Javier have great seasons. And with the incredibly anemic offense, this actually has to happen.
Where did I say $65M was nothing? I said it wasn’t a massive investment, as in it’s not going to sink this team if he pitches like a SP4. Those guys are getting paid $12-$15M a year these days. Yes, obviously the team had high hopes for him and they were hoping he’d end up being a bargain. We’ll never know for sure because of the injuries, especially if he was injured in 2023 like Nook is suggesting. Hopefully I’m the one that’s wrong and he had a sub 3 ERA this season.
I would be ecstatic with a full healthy season in the mid 3’s. Only Brown can be counted on to be sub 3. Many teams don’t have a sub 3 starter. What I really want to see is his whip stay below 1.20 like his first 3 seasons and that he limits the long balls and gets into the 6th and 7th innings more. one or two terrible games can really screw up your ERA. It’s more about can he give us a quality start 4 out of 5 starts or so.
Honestly, I don't think anyone, including Brown and Crane know the answer to that right now. I can say that as of last year, Crane really got along well with Brown, and he likes that the front office and organization isn't toxic like it was under Click and to some extent Luhnow. If Brown was only concerned about 2026, they would have overpaid for an outfielder. This is just my speculation - but if I think that if the farm system does really well this year, Brown is probably safe regardless of what happens on the field, within reason. Crane is aware of the bottle neck that exists with free agency, trades and signing his own players-- unless you are the Dodgers, you will need a good number of young players under team control at low salaries to compete. If there are 3-4 legitimate future starters in the minor leagues by the end of this season, that is likely enough to give Brown time to rebuild.
Honestly, I don't think anyone, including Brown and Crane know the answer to that right now. I can say that as of last year, Crane really got along well with Brown, and he likes that the front office and organization isn't toxic like it was under Click and to some extent Luhnow. If Brown was only concerned about 2026, they would have overpaid for an outfielder. This is just my speculation - but if I think that if the farm system does really well this year, Brown is probably safe regardless of what happens on the field, within reason. Crane is aware of the bottle neck that exists with free agency, trades and signing his own players-- unless you are the Dodgers, you will need a good number of young players under team control at low salaries to compete. If there are 3-4 legitimate future starters in the minor leagues by the end of this season, that is likely enough to give Brown time to rebuild.
Who knows. I think there is a wide variance with the offense. It isn't a sure thing like it was when the Astros were the best team in baseball, but there are pieces -- I think a lot it is if the Astros remain healthy and can extend the line up. Alvarez, Paredes, Correa, Pena and Altuve all have had recent success and are capable of being very dangerous. Walker, Smith, Dezenzo, Diaz are guys that have shown some degree of success -- and if two of them hit, the line up should be good, but if they all struggle, the team will struggle to score. Meyers is kind of a known quantity at this point, he is a placeholder, that brings an excellent glove but middling offense and poor arm. Still, he is perfectly fine if he has good bats to the left and right of him in the outfield.
I keep wanting to be optimistic about Diaz, but it’s starting to look like he is who he is. Maybe he’ll figure it out but I wouldn’t be surprised if they try and fast track Janek. Diaz could really solidify this lineup if he played up to his potential.
Jake Meyers was a very good pitcher in college. He threw in the 90’s too. Kinda weird how that doesn’t translate to at least a decent outfield arm. maybe the torn labrum? I can’t remember what the scouting reports said about his arm pre injury.
Yep. Astros have 5 hitters they can reasonably expect to fall between “good” and “elite” if healthy. Meyers is a fine 8-9 hole hitter and known quantity who brings enough defensively to justify himself. And teams can field middling hitters in the 8-9 holes and still contend. So it boils down to staying healthy and seeing how good Houston will be in the 6-7 holes between Walker, Diaz, and whoever else earns at bats (Smith, Matthews, Dezenzo, Cole, Loperfido, Trammell, Biggio, etc etc etc). I think the Astros will have one of the 5 best offenses in the league against LHP, but unless Smith/Walker/Diaz or someone else takes a big step forward from last season, they will be merely average against RHP.
Agree -- and if the defense and pitching is good, that is good enough to be a playoff team and get the club to the trade deadline, where they can decide what they want to do. The cost of expiring bats are sometimes substantially lower at the deadline. However, the list of outfielders that are FA's in 2027 isn't all that great.
Yes - it is the torn labrum; it shredded his arm. His arm before the injury was a lot better, but not always consistent.
"He is a 70 runner who plays a solid center field and he also has an above-average arm." That's what baseball america said about him so guessing had to be the injury. Even an average arm would be nice.
A professional baseball team that can't hit is a contradiction in terms. Hitting is "fan candy," and when a team struggles to hit, it is not as much fun to watch them play.
Watching them get shelled isn't much fun to watch either. As long as they are winning, don't really care how they do it. Now if they are losing, I agree I'd rather at least see them score.
The Astros are due for someone to have a season where they vastly outperform their batting projections. Catching offensive lightning in a bottle. Some out of nowhere all-star season. See it all the time for other clubs. It’s time.
