2023 Official Astros World Champs Offseason Thread

[Dutchrudder 11138]

The altering Right/Left hitters for the first 6 batters is nice. Not sure if Brantley will make a good DH, but I hope he returns to form.  Brantley also has some bonus money in his contract based on plate appearances, so I could see him in the 7 spot, swapped with Pena, to save a little cash. He gets an extra 750k for every 25 PAs from 450-525. 

[Scraps 13561]

Brantley should bat 7th, but LRLRLR

[Hank Chinaski 6314]

Altuve

Alvarez

Bregman

Tucker

Abreu

Brantley

Pena

Chas

Maldy 

 

[TonyTexas 10510]

Every little bit counts.

 

[Guest]

Thanks to the AAA squad in Alameda County.

Hard to believe the Halos and Rangers won't be improved in 2023. Seattle was more than competitive.

[Scraps 13561]

Everyone have a good laugh tonight

[WBT 20564]

Who?

[TonyTexas 10510]

34 minutes ago, slorch said:

Thanks to the AAA squad in Alameda County.

Hard to believe the Halos and Rangers won't be improved in 2023. Seattle was more than competitive.

I kinda agree but remember that teams are playing 24 fewer intradivisional games this year so strength/improvement of divisional opponents is not as meaningful. That’s bad news for the AL and NL Central teams. 

[Gut Wagon 8065]

1 hour ago, TonyTexas said:

Every little bit counts.

 

What really makes our schedule easy is that we have no games vs. the Astros. 

[tx 3 putt 76916]

Probably best to not even show up to those Yankee games 

[TonyTexas 10510]

Too bad for the Yankees that the 2022 season wasn’t 60 games like 2020. They could have joined the Dodgers as bogus champions. 

[Huckleberry 32858]

So I was watching the Game 6 condensed game on MLB.com because why wouldn't I and noticed for the first time Bagwell behind the plate on Schwarber's foul bunt strike three. First of all it's embarrassing how many fans behind the plate followed the ball because they thought it mattered where it landed. But anyway, Bagwell is the first guy behind the plate to stop watching the ball and just looks at Schwarber with a "what the fuck was that?" look as he walks back to the dugout. You know, the same reaction everyone had he just had it first out of the home plate fans. 6:30 time stamp:

https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-game-hou-phi-game-6

Ha.

[Dutchrudder 11138]

Ok ok,.I think I have a solution everyone can get behind:

Step 1: sign Profar for about 2 years 20m

Step 2: sign Yuli for 1 year 2.5m

Step 3: send Maton to KC, Pittsburgh or Miami for a bag of chips to free up a roster spot. 

Everybody wins! 

[HtownHorn 14677]

What is fucking love affair with a washed up baseball player? He sucks now, he provides no fucking value at any amount of money to take up a spot on the 26 man roster. No other team wants to sign him either, that is usually a good sign that you are done.

[Rimbo 25921]

3 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

What is fucking love affair with a washed up baseball player? He sucks now, he provides no fucking value at any amount of money to take up a spot on the 26 man roster. No other team wants to sign him either, that is usually a good sign that you are done.

quiet you

[tx 3 putt 76916]

Was profar a starter last season ? 
 

i don’t think we need him and roll as is, make a move at the deadline if needed 

Edited February 4, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76916]

1 hour ago, TonyTexas said:

Too bad for the Yankees that the 2022 season wasn’t 60 games like 2020. They could have joined the Dodgers as bogus champions. 

if only the season had ended the day before this game …..

 

[Scraps 13561]

So I was watching the Game 6 condensed game on MLB.com because why wouldn't I and noticed for the first time Bagwell behind the plate on Schwarber's foul bunt strike three. First of all it's embarrassing how many fans behind the plate followed the ball because they thought it mattered where it landed. But anyway, Bagwell is the first guy behind the plate to stop watching the ball and just looks at Schwarber with a "what the fuck was that?" look as he walks back to the dugout. You know, the same reaction everyone had he just had it first out of the home plate fans. 6:30 time stamp:
https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-game-hou-phi-game-6
Ha.

That 4:53 mark thooo

[WBT 20564]

1 hour ago, Scraps said:

That 4:53 mark thooo

Bagwell's reaction is good there too, kind of a polite golf clap

[Mez2 4023]

14 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Every little bit counts.

 

Of course it's easy, we're the Houston fucking Astros.  

[Hank Chinaski 6314]

11 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Was profar a starter last season ? 
 

i don’t think we need him and roll as is, make a move at the deadline if needed 

He was - had 658 PAs. Interestingly, he only played LF last year, though he did also play CF, 2B and 1B in 2021. He seems like a good fit to fill that Marwin/Diaz role, but I really don’t know how well he can play IF positions.

I suppose Dubon fills that role, but Profar is a better offensive player. But Dubon is already here. Neither should ever hit 2nd in this lineup, but if one did, it should be Profar.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Hank Chinaski

[TexArcher 37774]

Some random Yankee in 2034:

"There's no way we're gonna lose to the Astros in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive time.  We've solved it this year.  Watch."

[Guest]

Or "Reggie is Mr October, but just think if we had the playoffs in June..."

[tx 3 putt 76916]

2 hours ago, Hank Chinaski said:

He was - had 658 PAs. Interestingly, he only played LF last year, though he did also play CF, 2B and 1B in 2021. He seems like a good fit to fill that Marwin/Diaz role, but I really don’t know how well he can play IF positions.

I suppose Dubon fills that role, but Profar is a better offensive player. But Dubon is already here. Neither should ever hit 2nd in this lineup, but if one did, it should be Profar.

 

He’s not ready to be a bench / limited at bats player 

[HtownHorn 14677]

17 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

He’s not ready to be a bench / limited at bats player 

Who? Profar? That has been his role for almost his entire career. He would have had a similar role last year if Tatis was healthy and not taking illegals. He'd make great Brantley insurance.

Edited February 4, 2023 by HtownHorn

[formermav43 4606]

3 hours ago, Hank Chinaski said:

He was - had 658 PAs. Interestingly, he only played LF last year, though he did also play CF, 2B and 1B in 2021. He seems like a good fit to fill that Marwin/Diaz role, but I really don’t know how well he can play IF positions.

I suppose Dubon fills that role, but Profar is a better offensive player. But Dubon is already here. Neither should ever hit 2nd in this lineup, but if one did, it should be Profar.

I think it depends on what role you expect the guy to fill. Dubon is by far the better defender, and can it do well at  key defensive positions (CF and SS in particular), but he can't hit. Profar is a subpar defender except in LF, and he hasn't even attempted to play SS in 5 years - I'm not sure he's capable of it. But he's obviously a much better hitter.

I'd probably lean toward defense if we were truly talking about a bench player - you just don't need pinch hitters that much anymore (even more true in this lineup), Profar's best position is already crowded, and Dubon's best use is probably shoring up OF defense late in a game to protect a lead. But given the suboptimal ways Dusty uses his bench, it might be nice to just eliminate the option of starting Dubon in CF 3 times a week. Who knows.

Edited February 4, 2023 by formermav43

[runthebone 7978]

42 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

Some random Yankee in 2034:

"There's no way we're gonna lose to the Astros in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive time.  We've solved it this year.  Watch."

"This is the year we finally beat Whitley."

[tx 3 putt 76916]

Brantley and Yordan have LF covered. I don’t see many starts out there for a 3rd guy 

I would think we find someone with more infield experience 

[TexArcher 37774]

47 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

Some random Yankee in 2034:

"There's no way we're gonna lose to the Astros in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive time.  We've solved it this year.  Watch."

 

4 minutes ago, runthebone said:

"This is the year we finally beat Whitley."

 

Us:  "Haha, Whitley hasn't lost a game in 4 years, and whenever he does, it won't be to Grandpa Judge's .188 for $82 million ass."

[Wulaw Horn 19069]

1 hour ago, formermav43 said:

I think it depends on what role you expect the guy to fill. Dubon is by far the better defender, and can it do well at  key defensive positions (CF and SS in particular), but he can't hit. Profar is a subpar defender except in LF, and he hasn't even attempted to play SS in 5 years - I'm not sure he's capable of it. But he's obviously a much better hitter.

I'd probably lean toward defense if we were truly talking about a bench player - you just don't need pinch hitters that much anymore (even more true in this lineup), Profar's best position is already crowded, and Dubon's best use is probably shoring up OF defense late in a game to protect a lead. But given the suboptimal ways Dusty uses his bench, it might be nice to just eliminate the option of starting Dubon in CF 3 times a week. Who knows.

If you can’t keep your kid from running with scissors (Dusty filling out a lineup card) my preference is to get rid of all the scissors in the house. Apparently this is the one thing click and I agree on. 

[tx 3 putt 76916]

19 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

If you can’t keep your kid from running with scissors (Dusty filling out a lineup card) my preference is to get rid of all the scissors in the house. Apparently this is the one thing click and I agree on. 

 

he handled last year’s line ups and roster like a Jedi last year

it also helps that playing in the World Series is expected and an obtainable goal here 

Edited February 4, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[Guest]

The pitching allows for a lot of fucking variance in the batting order.

[TonyTexas 10510]

Much more interesting than all of the 26th man discussion. 

 

[APMP 688]

So I was watching the Game 6 condensed game on MLB.com because why wouldn't I and noticed for the first time Bagwell behind the plate on Schwarber's foul bunt strike three. First of all it's embarrassing how many fans behind the plate followed the ball because they thought it mattered where it landed. But anyway, Bagwell is the first guy behind the plate to stop watching the ball and just looks at Schwarber with a "what the fuck was that?" look as he walks back to the dugout. You know, the same reaction everyone had he just had it first out of the home plate fans. 6:30 time stamp:
https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-game-hou-phi-game-6
Ha.

Lol I'd never noticed Bags before.

Upside-down baseball game is one of the great Houston sports calls of all time.

[HtownHorn 14677]

7 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Brantley and Yordan have LF covered. I don’t see many starts out there for a 3rd guy 

I would think we find someone with more infield experience 

And when both go on the IL?

[tx 3 putt 76916]

3 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

And when both go on the IL?

what if we blow it all up after a slow start and trade both ?

1-2 start, abort abort !!!!

Edited February 5, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[TonyTexas 10510]

This makes for a good hot stove discussion . I agree with most of this one  Maybe replace Springer with Cedeño and Oswalt for the Rocket  

 

 

[Jshep34 2308]

No JR Richard ???

[tx 3 putt 76916]

Lofton - CF

Altuve - 2nd

Bregman - 3rd

Alvarez - DH

Bagwell - 1st

Berkman - RF

Brantley - LF

Biggio - C

 

SP - JR Richard

SP - Verlander 

SP - Rocket 

SP - Ryan 

SP - Scott

[TonyTexas 10510]

^^^
Lofton , with his .469 OPS in his 20 games as an Astro, over George, Cesar or the Toy Cannon? Are you high?

[HtownHorn 14677]

The OF is tough with Cruz, Springer, Alou, Berkman, and Wynn.

Alou's 3 seasons were 98% HOF worthy, .331/.403/.585/.988 148 OPS+.

[rvm96 1643]

49 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Lofton - CF

Altuve - 2nd

Bregman - 3rd

Alvarez - DH

Bagwell - 1st

Berkman - RF

Brantley - LF

Biggio - C

 

SP - JR Richard

SP - Verlander 

SP - Rocket 

SP - Ryan 

SP - Scott

I love Uncle Mike but REALLY?

[Hank Chinaski 6314]

51 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Lofton - CF

 

[tx 3 putt 76916]

1 hour ago, TonyTexas said:

^^^
Lofton , with his .469 OPS in his 20 games as an Astro, over George, Cesar or the Toy Cannon? Are you high?

Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996), and at retirement, was ranked 15th among all-time stolen base leaders with 622

[Hank Chinaski 6314]

Well yeah, but if you’re putting Lofton on an all-time Astros team (based on production he had for other teams) then you should have Randy Johnson on there too. And Joe Morgan. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Hank Chinaski

[uoftorange 1386]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996), and at retirement, was ranked 15th among all-time stolen base leaders with 622

But none of that was as an Astro.  I take stuff like this to mean them as an Astro.  But yeah, in real life he was probably better than the others, but certainly not as an Astro.  It would be like the Red Sox putting Bagwell at 1B to me

[tx 3 putt 76916]

ok, then he greatly improves over the next 500 at bats 

[Gut Wagon 8065]

1 hour ago, Jshep34 said:

No JR Richard ???

Traveshamockery to put Clemens over him. And I'm not anti-Roger. 

[tx 3 putt 76916]

18 minutes ago, uoftorange said:

But none of that was as an Astro.  I take stuff like this to mean them as an Astro.  But yeah, in real life he was probably better than the others, but certainly not as an Astro.  It would be like the Red Sox putting Bagwell at 1B to me

 

bagwell never played one game with the Red Soxs 

Edited February 5, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76916]

19 minutes ago, Hank Chinaski said:

Well yeah, but if you’re putting Lofton on an all-time Astros team (based on production he had for other teams) then you should have Randy Johnson on there too. And Joe Morgan. 

 

Astros 2nd base men - Morgan, Biggio, Altuve. Morgan was only traded because the team had a fucking hick racist manager from Mississippi. easily the worst trade in team history. the reds owe us one, he was a HUGE spark for the Big Red Machine