2023 Houston Astros Thread

[Chuckie Finster 22694]

 

He should take Madris’s roster spot in the very near future.

[tx 3 putt 76957]

41 minutes ago, Scraps said:

1 hour ago, Gourmand said:

 

Jose Abreu getting hurt and replaced by Jon Singleton who goes on to win WS MVP with 8 bombs in 5 games would be so 2023 Astros

lights up a blunt after crossing home plate,  walking off the WS series win 

[billfromlaketravis 11479]

Dusty will lose his GD mind, but I’d deal Meyers for any decent starting pitcher. I think they have enough outfielders in the minors + Singleton to figure out another bat. 
 

That said Bregs is only contract until 2024 and Altuve through 2025, so they might want to take a bigger swing. And Crane likes grand, aggressive moves and just fired a guy for being too conservative. 

 

[BornOrange 1441]

19 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Dusty will lose his GD mind, but I’d deal Meyers for any decent starting pitcher. I think they have enough outfielders in the minors + Singleton to figure out another bat. 
 

That said Bregs is only contract until 2024 and Altuve through 2025, so they might want to take a bigger swing. And Crane likes grand, aggressive moves and just fired a guy for being too conservative. 

 

Who's going to trade a decent starting pitcher for Meyers?

To get a starter better than the rookies we've been trotting out there, it would take Meyers plus others....and Meyers wouldn't be the main asset we would lose.

[billfromlaketravis 11479]

11 minutes ago, BornOrange said:

Who's going to trade a decent starting pitcher for Meyers?

To get a starter better than the rookies we've been trotting out there, it would take Meyers plus others....and Meyers wouldn't be the main asset we would lose.

We could get a no. 3 on a bad team for Meyers, right?

[BornOrange 1441]

Singleton smoking minor league pitching is great.

Singleton blowing up in the majors would be epic.

That would really get the crowd fired up.

 

[BornOrange 1441]

1 minute ago, billfromlaketravis said:

We could get a no. 3 on a bad team for Meyers, right?

A number 3 starter on a bad team? Would that be an upgrade over what we've gotten from France, Blanco, Bielak, etc?

Even if it would be an improvement, the trade market has become tougher since the playoffs expanded. Someone else would probably offer more.

[tx 3 putt 76957]

BP needs another arm or two, they're racking up innings. especially maton abrea neris pressley 

[UTPhil2006 3807]

10 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

BP needs another arm or two, they're racking up innings. especially maton abrea neris pressley 

This man chased me down and sat with me at the game. His words cannot be trusted unless about mortgages 

[cabowabo 4484]

7 hours ago, BornOrange said:

Who's going to trade a decent starting pitcher for Meyers?

To get a starter better than the rookies we've been trotting out there, it would take Meyers plus others....and Meyers wouldn't be the main asset we would lose.

Remember, we have Montero to deal too. Lulz. 

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

If you believe that the values on that Trade Simulator website are close to reality, Meyers valued at 17-18 should bring back Hader and Snell from the Padres who are valued at 15+ combined. Both are rentals but I would do that before I hung up the phone and throw in some Texas BBQ and Shiner beer.

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

Seattle calling up a pitcher from AA to start tonight against the Astros. 

[Scraps 13561]

7 minutes ago, Mitch Hedberg said:

Seattle calling up a pitcher from AA to start tonight against the Astros. 

great....we seem to always do well against these types of dudes with our 2 hits 

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

3 minutes ago, Scraps said:

great....we seem to always do well against these types of dudes with our 2 hits 

I was going to say the same thing. 

[Scraps 13561]

I thought Kirby was already the SP for tonight though.  

[Gourmand 7774]

Isaiah Campbell, former Arkansas pitcher drafted in 2019. 

Looks like he will be the opener and pitch one inning or two. 

[Wulaw Horn 19070]

31 minutes ago, Mitch Hedberg said:

If you believe that the values on that Trade Simulator website are close to reality, Meyers valued at 17-18 should bring back Hader and Snell from the Padres who are valued at 15+ combined. Both are rentals but I would do that before I hung up the phone and throw in some Texas BBQ and Shiner beer.

If the Padres only trade offer was Meyers for those 2 yeah, they probably ought to do that imo. If they were rational. Alas, that wouldn’t be their only offer. 
their catching is actually worse than maldy by far with the bay (how does a 450 ops and 17! OPS+ sound), CF isn’t awesome for the. And they are a mess at DH. I they are awesome at the corner Of spots and all over the IF. I would be fine offering them Lee and Meyers for those two. That would be a commitment to play Diaz 120G next year at catcher and you’d go find an old guy to be the play once every 5 games guy. An old guy not named maldonado to clean the slate for Diaz. 
don’t know if that would get it done. I’d also throw in one of our 2nd tier OF’ers. Maybe they’d like Leon. He has bigtime upside. He’s sort of blocked by Chas and less than Gilbert at CF which is why they’ve been looking for a position for him at 2B. 

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

Saw this on the Twitter. Posted last night. Maybe I misread it to mean starting tonight. Maybe just making debut this weekend

[Gourmand 7774]

Just now, Mitch Hedberg said:

Saw this on the Twitter. Posted last night. Maybe I misread it to mean starting tonight. Maybe just making debut this weekend

yep, looks like he has been called up to take a bullpen spot

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

2 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

If the Padres only trade offer was Meyers for those 2 yeah, they probably ought to do that imo. If they were rational. Alas, that wouldn’t be their only offer. 
their catching is actually worse than maldy by far with the bay (how does a 450 ops and 17! OPS+ sound), CF isn’t awesome for the. And they are a mess at DH. I they are awesome at the corner Of spots and all over the IF. I would be fine offering them Lee and Meyers for those two. That would be a commitment to play Diaz 120G next year at catcher and you’d go find an old guy to be the play once every 5 games guy. An old guy not named maldonado to clean the slate for Diaz. 
don’t know if that would get it done. I’d also throw in one of our 2nd tier OF’ers. Maybe they’d like Leon. He has bigtime upside. He’s sort of blocked by Chas and less than Gilbert at CF which is why they’ve been looking for a position for him at 2B. 

Yes I was going to say all of this also. San Diego second rated prospect is a catcher slated to debut in 2028. They are so bad at catcher they recycled Gary Sanchez. If they become sellers there is no doubt to me that they would have interest in a package that included Lee

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

Francisco Alvarez is the hottest thing since sliced bread at catcher according to MLB.

Alvarez 67GP 45hits 8 2B 16HR .216 0.7WAR  108 OPS+

Diaz  54GP 45hits 12 2B 10HR .260 1.1WAR 110 OPS+
 

One is a burgeoning superstar, one plays behind Maldy.

[Wulaw Horn 19070]

20 minutes ago, Mitch Hedberg said:

Francisco Alvarez is the hottest thing since sliced bread at catcher according to MLB.

Alvarez 67GP 45hits 8 2B 16HR .216 0.7WAR  108 OPS+

Diaz  54GP 45hits 12 2B 10HR .260 1.1WAR 110 OPS+
 

One is a burgeoning superstar, one plays behind Maldy.

Diaz war if exclusively at catcher would be over 2 right now. 

[huge 3793]

9 year old wants some autographs and we are going tonight.

What is the best way to do this?

[tx 3 putt 76957]

3 minutes ago, huge said:

9 year old wants some autographs and we are going tonight.

What is the best way to do this?

buy early access tickets from STH or look for field pass from sth

there are two big Astro ticket groups on fb. I only buy from these groups, no fees and very fair prices 

Edited July 6, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76957]

7 minutes ago, huge said:

9 year old wants some autographs and we are going tonight.

What is the best way to do this?

I’ve seen bracamonte sign in the BP 

[wood 11225]

15 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Could just be a separate one for one move for over the weekend to shore up pitching in that series. Paredes? Someone else on the 40 man that’s stretched out to throw 3 or 4 if a game goes sideways?  

Paredes looked great last night in Round Rock. One very efficient inning.

[wood 11225]

14 hours ago, Gourmand said:

 

Hey, we're in that vid. He absolutely destroyed that ball.

[tx 3 putt 76957]

7 minutes ago, wood said:

Paredes looked great last night in Round Rock. One very efficient inning.

im surprised he hasn’t got a call up 

[wood 11225]

14 hours ago, Make em eat Taco Bell said:

the no names have stepped up big time - Julks, Dubon, Diaz . Chas not a no name but has done fantastic. 

I'm having a hard time calling any of those guys nonames at this point.

[tx 3 putt 76957]

Someone post this article, please and thanks 

 

[Snake Diggity 4624]

6 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Someone post this article, please and thanks 

 

Not much in there.  If you’re on an iPhone you can click the link and switch safari to “reader” mode (upper left corner) and it’ll give it to you.

[runthebone 7982]

8 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Someone post this article, please and thanks 

 

On phone, may look bad

Spoiler

Astros GM Dana Brown, considered a draft guru, gets chance to ‘nail this draft’
Chandler Rome
8 - 10 minutes

HOUSTON — Drafting is Dana Brown’s domain. He is a lifelong amateur scout with too many success stories to fully list. But to name a few: The Atlanta Braves chose Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider and Vaughn Grissom during Brown’s tenure as their vice president of scouting. Or, from 2002-09, he oversaw eight drafts with the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals. Seven All-Stars were selected, including Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg.

Brown’s drafting background appealed to Astros owner Jim Crane this winter. Crane chose Brown as his general manager, in part, for his prolific player evaluation and out of an urgency to replenish a depleted farm system.

“I’m passionate about the draft,” Brown said. “It’s all about nailing the draft. The draft is the future of the organization and, at the end of the day, you have to take good players. There’s just no excuse.”

Graduation and some early-round misses have gutted what was once one of baseball’s deepest prospect pools. Not having a first or second-round selection in the 2020 and 2021 drafts due to the sign-stealing scandal only exacerbated it, a self-inflicted wound that Brown is here to help heal. The process starts on Sunday, when Brown oversees the first draft of his tenure as a general manager. Houston will pick 28th and have a $6,747,900 bonus pool to spend on its first 10 picks.

Brown had a goal of scouting the Astros’ first-round draft pick in person. He took 18 scouting trips to see “around 20” players during the amateur season as a result — in addition to his many new duties as a major-league general manager. Brown is still a scout at heart, so his strategy is unsurprising, but it also allowed him to evaluate the Astros’ scouting staff and their methods.

“Going to games with him, some of the high level of detail he puts towards his evaluation process has been very instrumental for my learning curve,” said Astros amateur scouting director Kris Gross. “So I think we’ve been able to learn from each other and he’s been a great person to learn from and work with throughout this deal.”

Gross joined the team’s scouting staff in 2013 and took over Houston’s draft operations in 2019. Brown will have a heavier influence on the draft than either of the previous two general managers Gross worked under: Jeff Luhnow and James Click. Brown also hired veteran scout Russ Bove as a special assistant and dispatched him to see the “top” players Houston could select with the 28th pick.

“I told (Gross) when I first came in, don’t feel that I’m looking to replace you,” Brown said. “The Astros have done a good job and we’re going to do what we do with everyone else — just evaluate you. Don’t be nervous about your job, just go get it, get it done.”

In addition to Bove and Brown, Gross has a staff of 14 domestic scouts, three national cross checkers and two special assistant scouts. Click expanded the scouting staff during his tenure. Brown intends to bolster it further, with an emphasis on experience.

“I think getting some more veteran scouts would be nice,” Brown said. “I think we have a good mix right now of younger scouts. I think that we can add a little bit more veterans to the mix, that could make us a stronger staff.”

The Astros rely heavily on TrackMan data and other analytics in their scouting process, something Brown lauded and wants to continue. He has put more emphasis on learning about the prospects off the field — Brown called them “makeup assessments” — which can include interviews or deeper dives into their off-field demeanor.

“The level of detail he puts into the little things as far as how they warm up, how they interact with teammates, I think we’ve been able to learn from each other and in that aspect,” Gross said. “We’ve always had it very important in our process, but I think getting an extra source here and there, making sure we’re thorough with everything we do and really try to focus on their background, where they come (from), (whether) they’ve played other sports. Just how he weighs some of that stuff has been an interesting thing.”

Since 2012, the Astros have drafted and signed 64 players who’ve played in the major leagues, be it in Houston or with other clubs. No organization has more. But that’s only half the story. Denigrating the Astros’ overall drafting feels silly, but their inability to conquer the first or second round is confounding — and something Brown has been vocal about changing.

According to Baseball-Reference’s version of the metric, Houston’s last second-round pick with a positive major-league WAR is Adrian Houser, whom the Astros took in 2011 and traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, while first-round successes like Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Kyle Tucker vie with cautionary tales like Mark Appel and Brady Aiken in recent Astros draft history. From 2016-18, the team used first-round picks on Forrest Whitley, J.B. Bukauskas and Seth Beer. Bukauskas and Beer have combined for negative-1.8 bWAR, but were part of Houston’s trade package to get Zack Greinke from Arizona. Whitley is still hurt, still awaiting his major-league debut and in his final season with minor-league options.

Houston has only made two first-round picks in Gross’ tenure running the draft: catcher Korey Lee in 2019 and outfielder Drew Gilbert last season. The gap between high-round picks — and some of those misses prior to it — leave the Astros’ farm system in flux. It is without much top-end talent but does boast enough depth to help on the margins of Houston’s major-league roster. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked it 26th out of 30 organizations before the season. So did MLB Pipeline. Gilbert is the team’s only Top 100 prospect in any outside publication.  

“The tough part is missing picks in ’20 and ’21. That’s very difficult because it’s four really high picks,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, even if you hit on two of those four, that’s still two players that you’re going to see at the major-league level that you’re probably missing. That’s a really difficult thing. We’re still waiting on some of the other picks. You look at things like (Hunter) Brown and (Jeremy) Peña, they were really good picks. That’s a nice little wave. But we need the wave to get a little bit bigger.”

Houston’s recent draft successes are generally second-or-third-day picks who thrive in the team’s player development system. J.P. France, a 14th-rounder in the 2018 draft, just posted a 3.26 ERA in his first 11 major-league starts. Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick, taken in the 13th and 21st rounds of the 2017 draft, respectively, are part of the team’s center field timeshare.

Finding major-league contributors in the middle of the draft is an art form. The Astros have mastered it. Now, the onus is on Brown and Gross to funnel more top-end talent into a system that needs it and a franchise that prefers self-sustainability to splurging in free agency.

Josh Reddick’s four-year, $52 million deal remains the longest free-agent contract of Crane’s ownership tenure. José Abreu’s $58.5 million pact this winter is the richest. Crane is not fond of long-term contract extensions, either, especially not of the type it could take to keep Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez or other arbitration-eligible players around past their first six seasons.

A farm system that churns out foundational major leaguers to build around would make adhering to those preferences easier.

“Nailing the draft is getting at least four major-league players in every draft and also adding some extra players with different picks,” Dana Brown said. “The average is usually two, but I like to double the average. We were able to do it in Atlanta and I expect to do it here.”

This particular draft is top-heavy, but deep enough with college position players and, according to Brown, a surplus of high school position players that could slide down to Houston at No. 28. Targeting a position group isn’t part of the Astros’ plan, though the team does have a glut of outfielders at its upper minor leagues. Pitching or an up-the-middle infielder would seem to be closer to ideal for a team that needs to reverse its early-round fortunes.

“I’ll be the hardest one on myself in terms of the draft,” Brown said. “I’ll judge myself so no one else has to judge me. I’ll make sure I’m judging myself to get the best player every time we pick. I’ll hold that standard with Kris Gross as well and tell him, look, we have to nail this draft.”

 

[huge 3793]

buy early access tickets from STH or look for field pass from sth
there are two big Astro ticket groups on fb. I only buy from these groups, no fees and very fair prices 

I already have tickets. There is an additional thing to buy?

[UTHornFan014 710]

2 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Diaz war if exclusively at catcher would be over 2 right now. 

I don't think WAR accounts for him calling all those HR pitches down the middle

[Gourmand 7774]

1 hour ago, wood said:

Hey, we're in that vid. He absolutely destroyed that ball.

[wood 11225]

1 minute ago, Gourmand said:

LMAO at that dude. We were laughing about him last night & I watched the video over & over just for that. No, we were next to the Express dugout.

[UTPhil2006 3807]

Who is starting tonight. 

[Gourmand 7774]

13 minutes ago, wood said:

LMAO at that dude. We were laughing about him last night & I watched the video over & over just for that. No, we were next to the Express dugout.

other guy offered him the ball like you would to a little kid and he waved him off lol

Just now, UTPhil2006 said:

Who is starting tonight. 

Ronel Blanco

[tx 3 putt 76957]

This rumor from last year is stirring up again, the Yankees have a lot of interest in chas McCormick 

 

[wood 11225]

5 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

other guy offered him the ball like you would to a little kid and he waved him off lol

Yeah to me that was the funniest part. He's like "Ah, fuck it. You keep it. I'm exhausted". 

[UTPhil2006 3807]

15 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

This rumor from last year is stirring up again, the Yankees have a lot of interest in chas McCormick 

 

Only if Dusty goes with 

[tx 3 putt 76957]

[tx 3 putt 76957]

Good summary of trade targets …

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/top-50-deadline-trade-candidates-early-july-edition.html

[Scraps 13561]

Rather see Hensley than Madris....and I hate Hensley

[WBT 20571]

Hensley was decent in the playoffs last year.  More than you could ever say for Madris

[runthebone 7982]

36 minutes ago, UTPhil2006 said:

Only if Dusty goes with 

No way, we want to Yankees to keep their manager.

[UTPhil2006 3807]

22 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Rather see Hensley than Madris....and I hate Hensley

Blue Mattress has no business on this team. 

[Gourmand 7774]

Speaking of Hensley, this dumbass was confidently wrong about him and Mauricio Dubon

 

 

[Hank Chinaski 6315]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

This rumor from last year is stirring up again, the Yankees have a lot of interest in chas McCormick 

 

They should have interest; he’s an extremely valuable player when you factor in his production, team control and cost. We’re just too dumb to play him every day.

[Mitch Hedberg 2090]

10 minutes ago, Hank Chinaski said:

They should have interest; he’s an extremely valuable player when you factor in his production, team control and cost. We’re just too dumb to play him every day.

The fact he hits with some power toward right field plays well to their stadium also I think.