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Astros “Baseball Only” thread

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by The Beard, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. The Beard

    The Beard Contributing Member

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    Let’s use this thread to only talk about baseball this spring

    Fourth and Fifth starter battle

    Bullpen spots

    Who will eat Lances extra innings

    How does the 26 man roster fill out

    NO SIGN stealing talk in here. That is in literally every other thread on here. It will be almost impossible to use the Spring Training thread to discuss baseball as it will be filled with cheating crap
     
  2. The Beard

    The Beard Contributing Member

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    26 Man prediction.....obviously a lot will happen over the next few weeks to affect this, but here is where I think we will land

    C: Maldanado
    1B: Yuli
    2B: Altuve
    3B: Alex
    SS: Carlos
    OF: Brantley
    OF: Springer
    OF: Tucker
    DH: Alvarez

    Those guys are locks if healthy

    Bench: Garneau beats out Stubbs who will go back to AAA and we will see him at several different times during the year
    Diaz and Reddick (also locks if healthy)
    I say the last bench spot goes to Straw. Good on base guy, pinch runner if needed, can play OF and SS. I just think he gives more flexibility than Toro, Taylor Jones and Mayfield who will likely be the other guys battling for that last spot

    SP1: JV
    SP2: ZG
    SP3: LMJ
    SP4: Urquidy
    SP5: James

    I think they will want to go for "upside" if all things are close for that last spot. With questions about Peacock health already i'm not really looking at him for that spot. A guy like Pruitt would give more experience there, and guys like C Perez, Sneed, Framber will battle for it, but I just don't see the high upside in those guys that could be in Josh James

    We will almost surely carry 8 relievers, so....

    Osuna
    Pressly
    Smith
    Peacock
    Devenski
    Biagini

    Those 6 are locks if healthey

    I'll go with Pruitt as the 7th, and if he does win the 5th spot in the rotation this would be James here

    For the last spot I like Abreu. With the last 3 spots in our rotation going to guys who won't throw a lot of innings even if they do well, we will need someone down there who can eat up some innings.

    I am also interested to see how Martes and Christian Javier do this spring, two more guys who could end up being multi inning relievers on a team that will need them

    Last two things here

    1) We are freaking loaded at every everyday position except catcher
    2) The Rangers Suck
     
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  3. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    Looks like they want James to seize the SP5 job. Given his upside I hope he does. Whitley, James, Urquidy, Martes, and Abreu are 5 pretty high upside pitchers, and if 3 of them pan out, Houston’s SP worries after Verlander/Greinke/McCullers leave next season will be greatly diminished.
     
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  4. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    Agree. If you believe in giving top prospects a chance to break in, the only roster spot that isn’t stacked is Garneau’s. If they had Grandal, Castro, or Chirinos in his place, there would be no weaknesses anywhere (again, assuming you believe guys like Tucker, James, Abreu, Whitley, and Urquidy should be given a chance to establish themselves in their most valuable spot). Of course you can nitpick guys like Biagini and Devenski but if those are your 7th and 8th best RP you have a stacked bullpen, as both of those guys have put up dominant relief numbers at various points in their career.
     
  5. Buck Turgidson

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    Scheduled days off look to continue much like with Hinch, Baker said ~150 games for a regular is all they need.

    “I believe in rest and I believe in telling guys when they have rest days,” Baker said Friday. “There’s mental rest days, there’s baseball rest days, there’s days you say, ‘Hey man, go out and have a good meal and a couple of drinks and let your hair down a little bit and you won’t be off for another couple of weeks.’ I know the road map through the season.”

    https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...not-deviating-from-predecessor-s-15062226.php
     
  6. eliefor3

    eliefor3 Member

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    time for tucker to sink or swim!

    here is hoping whitley can turn it around and eventually claim like the 4th spot this year at some point
     
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  7. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Don't be surprised if we see some moves.

    Click and the owner have now met and have discussed the direction of the team and the financial element.

    There are still some holes to fill now that everything isn't frozen anymore.
     
  8. raining threes

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    I think at some point either Whitley or Javier will be in the starting rotation. I also could see a trade for a Lance Lynn type starter. Click has great knowledge of the Rays system and could tap into that to trade for a starter at some point. Bielak is my sleeper mid season and from the farm.

    I'm more worried about the C position.
     
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  9. The Real Shady

    The Real Shady Contributing Member

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    Anybody know what McCullers is hitting on the gun with his fastball?
     
  10. Buck Turgidson

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    Pitching, pitching and more pitching.
     
  11. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    I think Matt Boyd, German Marquez, and Jon Gray are likely available.

    Tough to see an obvious available upgrade at catcher. Posey, S Perez, and R Perez should all be available given their teams’ situations but I bet none of them actually are.
     
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  12. Nook

    Nook Member

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    If you believe what people have said about Click to me....... the Astros will target cheap or under control offensive players and will spend their money on pitching. Also the Rays are run a little different than the Astros have been. The Rays will take a guy that has a serious weakness if he is affordable and can really do something else well.
     
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  13. NewRoxFan

    NewRoxFan Contributing Member

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  14. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    Hughes has mostly been a replacement level reliever outside of 2018, when he was very effective (1.3 fWAR, 1.93 era). Maybe Click knows something, but hard to see a path for him to make the roster, even with multiple injuries.
     
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  15. NewRoxFan

    NewRoxFan Contributing Member

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    Better than average as a ground ball pitcher. Best known for his "sprint to the mound". Worth a shot.
     
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  16. The Beard

    The Beard Contributing Member

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    Would love to see J Gray here in Houston
     
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  17. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

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    Samardzija and Cueto seem to be the only overpaid pitchers on losing teams who might be available, and Cueto probably needs to show he is back before anyone trades for him.
    Marquez and Gray have middle tier salaries but lots of surplus value. I’ve posted this before but I would be totally cool with Houston taking on one or two of Colorado’s bad contracts (Blackmon, McGee, Shaw, Davis) to lessen the prospect cost of adding Gray or Marquez.
     
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  18. Redfish81

    Redfish81 Member

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    I like bringing in Hughes. I can see a way for him to make the team with the Astros wanting James to be the 5th starter and Peacock having nerve problems in his shoulder/neck again.
     
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  19. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    Hughes is a FIP-beater with his heavy sinker. Not a big fan of his going forward.
     
  20. Buck Turgidson

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    It's Kirk Bohls, so deal with that, but here a bit about Whitley:

    For now, after a dreadful 2019 on top of a 50-game suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy, Whitley’s added about 40 pounds to what was once his “absurdly skinny” frame, reduced his workouts from six to four days a week in Phoenix and is embracing his redemption tour.

    https://www.statesman.com/sports/20...o-whitley-is-ready-to-atone-for-2019-failures
     
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