In 13 plate appearances, Meyers has 4 hits, 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Obviously he is just hot and it's spring training, but the presence and confidence at plate is something that spills over to the regular season. I'm good with him being a 2023 Dubon with more power. We don't need him to be an all star.
Not sure I would want Loperfido sitting on the bench most of the time. I'd rather him get the plate appearances in AAA.
Definitely a consideration. He could get 350 pa pretty easily just backing up CF, RF, and 1B, assuming all the starters stay healthy.
If meyers doesn’t hit RHP he could be meyers full time platoon partner and he could still back up positions at OF and 2B/1B and get 450 PA’s. That’s aggressive but possible. I had him as my candidate to make the team if something off the radar happened and a starting spot opened up similar to Arreghetti pitching wise. If not I think they went both those guys to get serious AAA reps with the idea they play a lot there this year and maybe get their feet wet at the end of this year before being a pretty big part of the plan going forward.
Last year on August 7th after team game #113 Meyers had a wRC+ of 99 (Dubon was 78) which is over 2/3 of the way through the season. He had a terrible last 50 games of the season which can't be ignored, but the first 2/3 gives plenty of hope for 2024. And a wRC+ of 99 makes Meyers a very valuable CF.
Astros had a total of 6253 PAs last season. If Altuve, Abreu, Bregman, Pena, Chas, Tucker, and Yordan average 600, Diaz and Caratini total 800, and Dubon and Meyers total 800 that still leaves over 450 PAs for someone else.
I also listed 7 players who would average 600 PAs. The Astros had exactly 3 players w/ 600 PAs last year and haven't had more than 3 since 2009. There are plenty of PAs for Loperfido if the team wants him on the roster.
Add a bunch of appearances at DH and maybe a few at 3rd and you got yerself a versatile bench man with a good bat that plays more often than not.
You never know what might happen. Dubon looked awful last Spring Training. He was hitting 12 ft pop ups in the infield off of Miami scrubs when I saw him. He looked so lost and weak at tge plate. Then Altuve goes down and some way Dubon came out of the gate slapping basehits everyday. Spring training is a way to get a look and numbers mean very little. Personally I think Meyers could have a solid season if he is healthy. They plan to give him the ABs come April. Lets hope he is another cheap guy that punches way above his rate. Dubon can be super utility and give the older studs a day off regularly so they are fresh come October. Even Pena if he isn't locked in.
Whitcomb is having a heck of a spring training. Any chance he is good enough to back up Bregman? Looks like he had the same issues as all of our prospects. He strikes out a lot.
He wouldn’t be a bad option but with his power and speed he has a little higher ceiling so I’d rather him be in AAA to see if he can develop a little more and improve his defense and maybe cut down a little on the strikeouts. He doesn’t really project to be better than Kessinger.
ST stats are a notoriously poor predictor of in-season performance. For every JD Martinez there’s 20 guys who look amazing and later flop in the regular season. Especially early on, there’s a lot of minor leaguers and NRI’s getting playing time. The regular starters are also nowhere near regular season ready.
Of course I know that which is why I asked. He looks like a decent prospect especially since he can play shortstop also. If Bregman doesn't sign an extension, we need someone that can replace some of his production. Whitcomb has shown he can sell out for power with his 35 homeruns, so he has a decent ceiling. He just needs to cut down on the strikeouts like everyone else. He hasn't struck out like Cabbage and Kessinger this spring training which is a decent indicator of his approach.
So what do people think of Loperfido? Will he stick in the outfield or go to 1B? Does he have the upside to be our future RF or 1B? Not saying he has to be a Tucker or Abreu, but … should I be excited ?
