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2018 Houston Astros Season Thread

Planet Houston

By Planet Houston
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clapclapclap

clapclapclap 9000

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2019 Beat the heat games:  @Colorado July 2 & 3.  @ Toronto last weekend in August, @ Oakland mid-August (but drums) and @ Sea early June (could still be rainy.)  @ NYY in late June could be nice, could be muggy hot.

Early May in Monterrey, MX.  Will it be like Stadium Azteca?

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Edited by clapclapclap
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TexArcher
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Bregs is going Crawford Boxes right here.

ERhine
ERhine

Prior to the footage being edited by Bender:

wesleywest
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Two Diamond Club tickets available for the Sunday night game.  Free.  Need to pick them up from me in 77027. Rules: Poster must be a big contributor to this thread/last years shag thread.  No gue

Scraps

Scraps 13531

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2019 Beat the heat games:  @Colorado July 2 & 3.  @ Toronto last weekend in August, @ Oakland mid-August (but drums) and @ Sea early June (could still be rainy.)  @ NYY in late June could be nice, could be muggy hot.
Early May in Monterrey, MX.  Will it be like Stadium Azteca?
imgur>

Good luck @colorado. I went this past july and it was hot as fuck still there.

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Mitch Hedberg

Mitch Hedberg 2090

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19 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

So, because our hitting sucks we should sacrifice good hitting for defense. Gotcha.

 

What good hitting are we sacrificing? You keeping Kemp who makes the routine look difficult and has weakest arm of the outfielders? Gotcha. Fourth OF in playoffs isn’t gonna play much barring injury or as a def replacement. Fisher didn’t do squat but pinch run last year. And I didn’t say I would do it but just trying to think how Luhnow and AJ do. Jake has been here for four years for a reason. If anyone is losing a spot it’s Gattis to White.

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TonyTexas

TonyTexas 10478

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What good hitting are we sacrificing? You keeping Kemp who makes the routine look difficult and has weakest arm of the outfielders? Gotcha. Fourth OF in playoffs isn’t gonna play much barring injury or as a def replacement. Fisher didn’t do squat but pinch run last year. And I didn’t say I would do it but just trying to think how Luhnow and AJ do. Jake has been here for four years for a reason. If anyone is losing a spot it’s Gattis to White.

Your comment was in response to my post that Jake, when healthy, might be losing his roster spot to White. White has been the best hitter on the team since his call up. Kemp , hitting .289, is the only other choice..Gattis isn’t going anywhere. Marwin, George, Reddick and Kemp can handle the outfield.

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UTexasFight

UTexasFight 9369

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Kaplan on potential September call-ups

My biggest takeaway:

a) there will be a name or two (or three) lost to the rule 5 draft this year that we look back on in a couple of years and say “what the hell were they thinking!”

or

b) one or two (or three) of those are about to moved to the SF organization for a certain outfielder...

 

 

 

SEATTLE — The most valuable additions the Astros will welcome in the regular-season’s final month will come from their disabled list.

 

Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., catcher Brian McCann, reliever Chris Devenski and centerfielder Jake Marisnick are each due back in September, if not in the final days of August, and figure to re-assume prominent roles as the Astros battle the upstart Oakland Athletics for the AL West title.

 

But like every other team, they will also summon reinforcements from the upper levels of the farm when rosters expand on Sept. 1. At least a couple will be pitchers manager A.J. Hinch can deploy to soak up innings and preserve the team’s core bullpen arms for optimal usage. The others will be position players to be used primarily off the bench and perhaps even vie for the final spot on a playoff roster.

 

When it comes to September call-ups, Jeff Luhnow’s general rule in the Astros’ contention years has been “there needs to be a reason why we need them up here in September to use them.” Ideally, the team’s president of baseball operations indicated last week, he doesn’t want an expanded roster this September of more than about 34 players “because I think that gets a little difficult to manage all of those people, especially given that September’s going to be intense and then we go right into October hopefully.”

 

The Astros’ call-ups could come in a couple different waves, as has been the case in the past. The Fresno Grizzlies, their Class AAA affiliate, are poised to make the postseason, so their season will continue beyond their Sept. 3 regular-season finale. Some potential call-ups could stay with Fresno through the Triple-A playoffs and join the Astros afterward.

 

After Tuesday’s addition of lefthander Framber Valdez, the Astros have one open spot on their 40-man roster. They could easily create a second by transferring injured reliever Jandel Gustave from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. Several non-roster candidates for a promotion must be protected with a 40-man spot this winter or they will be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December.

 

With September around the corner, let’s run through the players the Astros will likely consider for a promotion.

 

(Note: For the purposes of this exercise we excluded the just-recalled Valdez, who might be optioned to Class AAA before Sept. 1 and then recalled when rosters expand.)

 

Josh James

 

No player in Houston’s minor league system has broken out this season more than James, a former 34th-round draft pick out of Western Oklahoma State College who leads all minor leaguers in strikeouts per nine innings (13.66).

 

James was thought to be a candidate for the Astros’ spot start Tuesday before they decided to fill it with a bullpen game started by Brad Peacock. The 25-year-old righthander should be considered for Sunday’s start at Anaheim, which is currently listed as “TBA.” James is scheduled to make his next start for Fresno on Saturday.

 

Whether during the season or in the offseason, it’s all but certain the Astros will add James to their 40-man roster before November’s protection date as to not lose him in December’s Rule 5 Draft. They were fortunate he went unselected when exposed to selection last December.

 

James, whose rise coincides with a significant velocity increase, had a 2.49 ERA in 21 2/3 Class AA innings this season before he was promoted to Class AAA, where he’s posted a 3.29 ERA in 87 2/3 innings.

 

His power fastball-slider combo would play up in shorter stints out of the bullpen, so even after McCullers Jr. returns in September the Astros could experiment with James in a relief role. They continue to develop James as a starter, but his inconsistent command suggests he will end up a reliever longterm.

 

J.D. Davis

 

Davis has struggled offensively in all three of his three stints with the Astros this season but figures to be brought back as depth. In addition to perhaps the occasional start at first or third base, he could be a useful right-handed bat off the bench in a pinch-hit situation against a left-handed reliever. Maybe he could even make a relief appearance or two.

 

Since his last demotion to Class AAA, Davis has been unconscious at the plate. He homered in four consecutive games last week, the latter two of which were multi-homer performances. But his ability to hit in the Pacific Coast League has never been in question. In 161 major league plate appearances over the last two seasons, Davis has only a .197/.261/.340 line.

 

It would be premature to give up on the potential of the 25-year-old Davis, but his major league results to date suggest more of a Quad-A player. At this point, he’s entrenched behind Tyler White on the organizational depth chart. He will have one more minor league option year remaining after this season.

 

Cionel Perez

 

Perez is a lock to be recalled by the Astros when rosters expand if not brought back sooner. Sent down to Class AAA on Monday night in favor of Valdez, the 22-year-old Cuban left-hander was for a couple months the team’s go-to option for a promotion in the event of injuries.

 

A potential starter the Astros have committed to using as a reliever for the rest of this season, Perez while in the majors was used primarily to eat innings in lopsided games. His strike-throwing proved to be inconsistent. Of his six appearances for the Astros, he issued at least one walk in four of them.

 

Derek Fisher

 

In his recent cameo with the Astros, Fisher struck out in each of his five plate appearances off the bench. Overall, he’s batted a woeful .165/.209/.392 in the majors this season and .196/.274/.369 dating to his debut last year.

 

But Fisher’s elite speed is a valuable tool that could make the difference in a game in September. At the very least, the Astros could once again recall the once touted outfield prospect for a bench spot.

 

Kyle Tucker

 

Though Tucker was demoted only Monday night to clear a spot ahead of Tuesday’s activation of José Altuve, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Astros recall him again. He would probably continue to play very sparingly, but the team might feel the 21-year-old left fielder could benefit from being around the major league team for the final month of the season.

 

Ultimately, Tucker will have to wait until 2019 to get his next shot at everyday at-bats. In 59 major league plate appearances so far, he’s batted a dismal .154/.254/.212.

 

Dean Deetz

 

Deetz is in contention for his first major league call-up. The 24-year-old right-hander is already on the Astros’ 40-man roster, as they added him last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

 

Once a sleeper prospect in Houston’s system, Deetz throws his fastball in the 93-96 mph range and supplements it with a slider (his best secondary pitch) and a changeup he uses here and there. The former 11th-round draft pick from Northeast Oklahoma A&M College has struck out 38.5 percent of the batters he’s faced this season in Class AAA and has an 0.72 ERA in his 25 innings.

 

Deetz has logged so few innings this year because of an 80-game PED suspension to begin the season that was levied against him in January after he tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. The nature of his ban made him postseason ineligible for this season.

 

Garrett Stubbs

 

 

 

Stubbs’ odds at a September call-up decreased when the Astros traded for Martín Maldonado. When factoring in the looming return of McCann, they will already have three catchers splitting time on their active roster. They might not need a fourth.

 

Stubbs has bounced back offensively from a down 2017. In 313 plate appearances entering Tuesday night, he’s posted a line of .310/.376/.458. He, too, would be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December if the Astros don’t add him to their 40-man roster between now and the November protection date.

 

With McCann and Maldonado set to become free agents after the season, Stubbs is a candidate to contribute in the majors next season. The biggest knock on him is his undersized 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame, which has led to concerns about his durability over the course of a long season.

 

Myles Straw

 

Straw, another minor leaguer who will be Rule 5-eligible this winter, could be a weapon on the basepaths for the Astros late in games.

 

Straw’s speed is elite, as demonstrated by his minor league-best 63 stolen bases (in 71 attempts) in Class AA and Class AAA this season. His bat leaves much to be desired, though. Through his first 250 plate appearances in Class AAA, he’s batted only .255/.340/.309.

 

It seems unlikely the Astros would need both Straw and Fisher on the roster, as they would essentially serve the same purpose. Straw is the better defender of the two but Fisher’s already on the 40-man roster.

 

Straw, who has a plus arm, can play all three outfield positions but is most experienced in center field and right field. He’s also taken groundballs at shortstop to increase his versatility but has played only four innings of actual game action at the position.

 

Reymin Guduan

 

Guduan would be somewhat redundant on a roster with Perez and Valdez, but the hard-throwing left-hander still has a chance to be recalled because he’s already on the 40-man roster.

 

The Astros brought up Guduan in June to fill the open spot created by Joe Smith’s DL stint but used him only once before he was optioned. In Class AAA this season, he has struck out 33.5 percent of the batters he has faced against 14.1 percent walks and has a 4.14 ERA in 50 innings.

 

As a major leaguer, Guduan has a 7.50 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 12 walks in 18 innings over the last two seasons.

 

Brady Rodgers

 

If the Astros reward Rodgers with a call-up, it will be his first appearance in the majors since the end of the 2016 season and he would serve as a long man to pitch in games already decided. The former third-round draft pick underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year, which took him out of action up until only recently.

 

Rodgers, 27, has made six starts for Class-AAA Fresno since he rejoined its rotation and has an uninspiring 7.71 ERA in 28 innings. He has shown flashes of his pre-surgery self but has been largely inconsistent, which is to be expected.

 

AJ Reed

 

Reed has gotten only one call-up this season and it lasted shorter than a week. His .260/.352/.514 line in Class AAA this season all but mirrors his 2017 (.261/.358/.525), a year that didn’t culminate in a September promotion.

 

Perhaps the Astros will recall the 25-year-old Reed to give them a left-handed bench bat and occasional first baseman or designated hitter against right-handers. But it’s long been clear that if the former top first baseman prospect has a regular major league role in the future, it will be with another organization.

 

Rogelio Armenteros

 

 

Rogelio Armenteros | Rich Schultz/Getty Images

In his first full season in Class AAA, Armenteros has been one of the best starters in the Pacific Coast League. Like they could with James, the Astros could deploy him in September as a multi-inning reliever. But they also don’t need a ton of arms. Their bullpen has pitched the second-fewest innings in the majors as is.

 

If Armenteros isn’t added in September, the Astros will have a decision to make on him ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. The Cuban right-hander has a 3.68 ERA in 107 2/3 innings for the Fresno Grizzlies this season.

 

Trent Thornton

 

While probably behind James and Armenteros in the pecking order, Thornton has had another solid season in Class AAA. In 113 2/3 innings, he has a 3.96 ERA and is another minor leaguer entering a Rule 5-eligible winter.

 

However, it’s difficult to envision the Astros having enough innings in September for James, Armenteros, Rodgers and Thornton let alone even two of them.

 

Forrest Whitley

 

The Astros’ top prospect has become a longshot to debut this season, but if Whitley wasn’t on this list the comments section would fill up with questions asking about his exclusion.

 

Whitley has hardly pitched this year because of his 50-game suspension to begin the season and two injuries that cost him time after his ban. His innings count totals just 26 1/3 innings, a sample in which he has a 3.76 ERA ERA with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks.

 

Though he’s still eligible for inclusion on a postseason roster, Whitley appears to need more development time in the high minors. After Corpus Christi’s season ends, don’t be surprised if the Astros send Whitley to the Arizona Fall League to build his innings and pit him against some fellow elite prospects.

 

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