While unlikely, imagine him suddenly getting Altuve Bat to ball skills while keeping his power. Now pair him up with Alvarez.
It's a coin flip between he and I which is more likely to accomplish that. Which, of course, means neither. I would settle for Jermy Pena's bat to ball skills.
More likely to happen 1 A. Cabbage makes better contact, makes team and has a 15/15 season B. Whitley is healthy and gives us a 4th dominant arm at the back of the pen More likely to happen 2 A. Javier shows that last year was all about fatigue and his invisiball returns. Ends up in the running for the CY award B. Chas without any questions about his playing time becomes an absolute star with a 30/30 season
1: Without more info on “dominant” means, I’ll go A. 2: I’ll go A but I think they’re both very unlikely.
I’m very bullish on Javier this year I just think he has never had the workload he had in 22 but more importantly never had the very short offseason when the WS and WBC are both factored in. On the first one I think B is more likely only because I know the ability is there for Whitley even if the brain isn’t. That’s the one that I think both are unlikely, but will enjoy watching this spring to see
I agree. I’m not optimistic on Cabbage, but I see Whitley becoming one of the best 6th inning guys (a role where inconsistency is expected), Javier will be back to his 2021 form (maybe not Cy contention due to innings pitched, but a clear stud) and Chas should be a 125+ OPS+ guy (though 30SBs is not happening). So, with slight caveats, I think 3 out of 4 are more likely than not.
I am optimistic on Cabbage. I think he works hard on this adjustment that Brown has said the Astros think will fix him. I could see a 2021 Jake Meyers kind of season where he Ks 30% of the time but hits with enough power and quality contact that he ends up w/ a 105-110 OPS+/wRC+ And if he gets 300 PA and is the 8th best hitter on this team then its a great season. It's basically that at this point, I have faith in Brown's scouting skills and he identified Cabbage as a sleeper.
Don’t know about Javier off-season training, but Valdez sure did. Sorry can’t get link to article, It I on chron.com
Spring training bench player opportunities 1 Bench Infielder; The primary bench infielder last season was Kessinger but this season looks like it will be a competition between him and Dubon among others. 1st base; Abreu is an aging high value player with a high level of injury risk. His start last season should never have been allowed to go on. Loperfido, Singleton, and Cabbage will be competing for the spot on the bench that playing Abreu may require. 2nd base; Altuve is an all star the Astros rely on that is also aging. His defense is coming into question along with his ability to remain healthy. Dubon is the likely bench infielder with a little competition from Kessinger and Whitcomb. Short Stop; Pena is a defensive phenom whose bat could make him an all star if he can return to form at the plate after a 2023 regression. Dubon is the likely bench infielder with a little competition from Whitcomb and Kessinger. 3rd base; Bregman is at or near his peak in value. Both in dollars and as a third baseman. He has an all star approach and a mostly reliable bat that can get a little spotty at times, usually due to discomfort of one kind or another. Dezenzo is the best available player at the position but is less versatile than Dubon or Kessinger. 2 Bench Bat Designated Hitter; Alvarez is clearly one of the very best hitters in the league who would be spending a lot of his time in left field if he had his way. Management has differing opinions about how his playing time works out but keeping him both happy and safe creates differences. Versatile Bench Bat; Dubon was unquestioned at this position in 23 playing both middle infield and outfield but his hitting was not really good enough to justify all the at bats he got. This season he will have to compete for the bench infielder spot. My favorite here is Loperfido who should play competently at both corner infield and outfield spots, as well as DH. This spot could also be taken by one of Singleton or Cabbage as a 1st base /DH bench player. 3 Bench Outfielder; The bench outfielder last year was Julks but the requirements for the job ideally include competent defense at all three positions along with a reasonably good bat. Leon and Corona both seem like good options to me. Right Fielder; Tucker is not going anywhere, at least not for the next couple of years. He is as stalwart an outfielder as could be hoped for. Leon has the tools to back Tucker up when he needs a breather. Center Fielder; Meyers will start here though I am less hopeful for him than some. If everything comes together just right this could be an opportunity for both him and the team. He will be replaced in center by McCormick when Alvarez is in left field. He could be replaced entirely if he fails to show good progress over last season with both Corona and Melton among the potentials to replace him. Left Fielder; McCormick is the starter here and Alvarez will be the back up. Bench Catcher is pretty much established unless there is an injury.
There There are basically bench 2 spots up for grabs, with Kessinger and Singleton the leaders heading into spring and Cabbage next in line. With 40 man spots open and Dubon’s versatility, almost anyone in camp can probably win a spot if they play well enough. I like Loperfido as a dark horse. Has power and speed, can play all 3 OF spots plus 1B and 2B, hits lefty. Here’s the path for each guy to unseat either Singleton or Kessinger: Salazar: a nagging injury to Diaz or Caratini that creates a need for a 3rd C, or maybe JV or Framber demand him would be enough for him to be kept over Singleton Cabbage: he just has to hit enough to beat out Singleton Hensley: would have to dramatically outplay Kessinger Julks: would have to dramatically outplay Kessinger Melton, Corona: would have to play well enough to win the starting CF job; they’re not rostering him not to play him everyday Berryhill, Palma, Stubbs: extreme long shots that will have to have an enormous breakout spring combined with multiple injuries at C Machado, Gittens: hard to imagine a path for them Dezenzo: he’s here to learn, only a serious Bregman injury gives him a chance Loperfido, Wagner, Whitcomb, Hamilton, Leon: has to dramatically outplay Singleton and Cabbage
