2018-2019 Astros Offseason Thread

[huge 3,793]

Was talking about Verlander and Cole yesterday at lunch.

I said 3/90 for Verl and 5/125 for Cole

Reasonable?

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

17 minutes ago, APMP said:

30 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

3 aces is a pretty good way to start a poker hand

7-man rotation?

[Fudge Nuggets 19,190]

19 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

adding a change-up almost makes me think he's gonna be in the rotation.  not sure how i feel about that.

2017 staff ace for 3/4 of the year.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,190]

19 hours ago, Monty Capuletti said:

Thought I'd read somewhere James, Peacock and maybe Valdez were going to battle it out for the 5th starter spot this spring training.  Personally I hope James gets the spot.

I was hoping James, Peacock, Valdez, and Miley would be battling out for spots 4 and 5.

[Mez2 4,023]

IMO, going with what we have right now, miley will likely be penciled in at the 4 with james, framberlamps, and maybe peacock battling for the 5 in ST leading up the start of the season. 

i see James winning that spot and miley eventually bowing to Forest at some point in the middle of the season. i would really like to what what rogelio can do as a starter too, (even brady rogers) and see if we can move him to clear a spot on the 40 man roster for whitley and bukkake

 

[Hank Chinaski 6,314]

1 hour ago, huge said:

Was talking about Verlander and Cole yesterday at lunch.

I said 3/90 for Verl and 5/125 for Cole

Reasonable?

3/90 for JV is a lot for his age 37, 38 and 39 seasons. Granted, he's coming off his best season since he was 29. I wonder if he'd sign a 2/60 extension though. 

5/125 for Cole is reasonable, but not sure that gets it done. If he has another year like last year, that may be light. Of course, with free agency like it is, who knows at this point. 

It'll be interesting to see how the development of guys like Whitley, James, Martin, Valdez, Perez and Bukauskas affect the club's approach to JV and Cole. Do you spend a  lot to keep those guys in the fold? Do you secure one of them and hope some combination of the young guys bolster the rotation  - and allocate the dollars saved to extending Springer or Bregman? Will be interesting. 

[henrygandorf 29,189]

1 hour ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

2017 staff ace for 3/4 of the year.

i love peacock.  even with the emergence of mchugh out of the pen last year, i view bp as one of our more valuable bullpen weapons.  i was really just trying to anticipate what our front office/hinch are up to.

[Fozzz 152]

Adding a changeup means Peacock wants to be in the rotation and thinks the new pitch will help him, but i'm sure it's going to be an uphill battle against McHugh.  imo, though, both Peacock and McHugh would likely be better SP than Miley.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Fozzz

[Fozzz 152]

With Verlander and Cole both potentially leaving after this season, the Astros really need Martin to have a good year.  Lot of flux, but a rotation of McCullers, Whitley, James, Martin, and some scrub innings eater (or maybe Martes makes a triumphant return?) could be pretty decent.  Also have Framber and Cionel as options as well.

[ckhorn 208]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

i love peacock.  even with the emergence of mchugh out of the pen last year, i view bp as one of our more valuable bullpen weapons.  i was really just trying to anticipate what our front office/hinch are up to.

Fairly certain. Most likely not seeing 2017 Peacock again.

hope I’m wrong.

[henrygandorf 29,189]

1 hour ago, Fozzz said:

Adding a changeup means Peacock wants to be in the rotation and thinks the new pitch will help him, but i'm sure it's going to be an uphill battle against McHugh.  imo, though, both Peacock and McHugh would likely be better SP than Miley.

 

 

i wonder if they're considering stacking starters like they did in the minors.  having mchugh go 3-4 then having peacock go 3-4.  i wouldn't mind that in a vacuum, but i worry that the rest of our pen wouldn't be able to handle the load without one of those guys.

really looking forward to a full season with the likes of osuna, pressly, etc.  we've come along way since depending on guys like the gerg.

[Fozzz 152]

Outside of September, I kinda doubt they will piggyback starters.  Piggybacking is more of a developmental tool that is used to maximize innings from your prospects.  Most of your true pitching prospects are going to be SPs so you want to maximize the number of innings they pitch and minimize the number of innings your pen pitches as they are usually org guys who will never sniff the majors.

 

[formermav43 4,606]

McHugh is a lock. Peacock is battling for the #5 spot.

[APMP 688]

we've come along way since depending on guys like the gerg.

I get what you're saying. But. Gerg's slider guruism had a considerable impact on the careers of some of our current roster, and on that World Series title. For that he will forever be Gerg The Slider Guru.

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Seasick Sailor

[Mez2 4,023]

47 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Mez2
formatting

[Player 4,575]

Strom already looks to be in peak mid-season form. 

[henrygandorf 29,189]

52 minutes ago, Player said:

Strom already looks to be in peak mid-season form. 

same same.

[tx 3 putt 76,906]

We are stacked with young Arms

[Snake Diggity 4,621]

On 2/14/2019 at 9:12 AM, huge said:

Was talking about Verlander and Cole yesterday at lunch.

I said 3/90 for Verl and 5/125 for Cole

Reasonable?

If Cole has a good year $150M/6yr is his floor.  $90M/3yr for Verlander is steep but in range.  I’m not sure how much Verlander will be focused on money or winning or location.  Ideally Houston could get him for $60M/2yr plus a vesting option.

2020 rotation of Verlander, Whitley, McCullers, James, and Martin would be fine as long as Whitley and James establish themselves this season.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Snake Diggity

[Mez2 4,023]

Toggle navigation

 

The key to Chris Devenski rediscovering his effectiveness

By Jake Kaplan Feb 15, 2019 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On paper, the Astros have a formidable bullpen. Roberto Osuna represents the stability in the closer spot they long lacked and Ryan Pressly has one of the best swing-and-miss arsenals in baseball. Héctor Rondón, Will Harris and — if he loses the fifth starter competition — Brad Peacock make for a deep pool of seventh-inning options.

But the Astros have a chance to boast an elite bullpen if they get back the version of Chris Devenski that baffled hitters with his fastball-changeup combo in 2016 and 2017, his first two seasons as a major leaguer. After struggling last year to the point where he was a non-factor in the second half and in the playoffs, Devenski is the wild card of Houston’s 2019 pitching staff.

The former All-Star’s bounce back or lack thereof could have large ramifications for the AL West favorites. A return to form by Devenski would give manager A.J. Hinch yet another high-leverage weapon, especially against the opposition’s best left-handed hitters. More ineffectiveness might necessitate trade deadline reinforcements.

	Games	Innings	ERA	FIP	WHIP	bWAR
2016	48	108.1	2.16	2.34	0.914	2.8
2017	62	80.2	2.68	3.49	0.942	1.9
2018	50	47.1	4.18	4.49	1.162	0.1

Houston’s front office has operated as if under the belief Devenski will more closely resemble his previously dominant self this season. President of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow didn’t touch the bullpen in the offseason, not even after sidearmer Joe Smith blew out his Achilles while working out in December. The Astros have analysts and coaches with more information than anyone about why Devenski regressed and they are counting on him to perform this season. Maybe that will prove to be telling.

Count Hinch among those who anticipate a bounce back. “I expect him to be really good,” the manager said on Friday, about a half-hour before Devenski threw 20 pitches to catcher Robinson Chirinos in his first bullpen session of spring training. The 28-year-old right-hander’s upcoming Grapefruit League outings will offer better feedback.

“We need him to be really good,” Hinch added. “Without a definitive left-handed presence in our ‘pen right now, he’s somebody that we would rely on heavily to get some lefties out and provide a little bit of length given the fact that he’s done it before.”

Hinch said he envisions Devenski pitching “anywhere from early for a couple innings all the way to the back end if guys are needing a break.” For that to work, though, Devenski needs to rediscover the effectiveness that made him the Astros’ most valuable reliever across the 2016 and 2017 seasons. To best evaluate the chances of that happening, it’s helpful to have the perspective of what went wrong last year.

Devenski’s rise to prominence was unexpected.

Look no further than the Rule 5 Draft in December 2015 as evidence. The Astros didn’t feel the former 25th-round draft pick with the funky delivery worthy of protection and had left him exposed to being selected. None of the other 29 teams were enticed enough to take a flier on him.

Four months later, on the third day of the 2016 season, he joined the Astros at Yankee Stadium. And quickly it became clear he wasn’t going anywhere.

Devenski would go on to finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2016, behind a 2.16 ERA in 108 1/3 innings, a striking 83 2/3 of which came as a reliever. In 2017, a dominant first half as a multi-inning relief weapon sent him to the All-Star Game in Miami, where he got into the action and struck out Joey Votto on his signature pitch.

That circle changeup, coined the “circle of death” by a mentor of his back home in Southern California, fueled Devenski’s ascent. Playing off a four-seam fastball that sits 94 mph and tops out of 97 mph in relief, he had the deception and late sink on his changeup to confound even the best of hitters. Devenski’s willingness to throw the offspeed at any time improves the effectiveness of his fastball, too. The pitches work in tandem.

So when his fastball lost its usual action last season, Devenski all of a sudden became very hittable. According to Brooks Baseball, he lost more than two inches of vertical movement on his four-seamer in 2018 compared to 2017 and 2016, turning him from a pitcher with above-average ride to one with below-average ride.

Why the diminished fastball? Well, Devenski’s average release point dropped significantly last season, which altered his spin axis and replaced the usual ride and drop on his fastball with more sideways movement. Fewer swings and misses and more hard contact ensued.

Generally, a significant change in release point like this one comes with a range of potential causes, from something as ominous as a serious injury to as innocuous as a slight mechanical difference. Devenski experienced the latter. In his case, it’s easy to speculate fatigue could have played a role. He pitched a lot in 2016 and 2017 and is known as a workout fiend. After the 2017 World Series, for example, he took only a week off before he started his workouts for 2018, which he admits now was probably a mistake.

“There are certain guys like Devo that work so hard that they don’t realize sometimes less is more and if you just pare back on the work a little bit it pays off in longevity through the season,” Luhnow said in December at baseball’s winter meetings. “I think that’s hopefully something that we’ll see with him this year.”

Whatever the reason, Devenski developed flaws in the lower half of his delivery last summer. The issue, he said, stemmed from the direction of his pelvis as he strode down the mound. “I didn’t feel like I had any momentum going toward the plate,” he said. He doesn’t know why or how or when exactly it started, but it changed everything.

“It’s a fine line that I have to walk because my mechanics are so unorthodox,” he said. “But when I got ’em right, I got ’em right, and I know that it’s very dangerous (for the hitter) and I have really good stuff.”

Cleaning up the issue during the season proved challenging.

“It’s hard. You’ve got to make (adjustments) on the fly and sometimes you can’t make them on the fly,” he said. “But me going through that and the way I went through that (led to) me having a better understanding now.”

Not all of last season was bad for Devenski, but the cumulative numbers render his 1.73 ERA on July 10 a distant memory. He allowed a slugging percentage of .551 against his four-seam fastball last season, more than .100 worse than the year before (.434), according to Brooks Baseball. From July 12 through the end of the season — a sample of only 11 innings — that number skyrocketed to a woeful .741. Batters lifted his four-seamer more frequently than ever before.

Devenski’s second half started dreadfully. In a July 22 outing against the Angels, he allowed three runs without recording an out. In his next appearance, five days later against the Rangers, he surrendered five runs and again didn’t record an out. It was clear something was wrong.

	Appearances	Innings	ERA	HR	Opponents’ OPS
1st Half	40	38.2	2.33	3	.576
2nd Half	10	8.2	12.46	6	1.209

In early August, Devenski landed on the disabled list with an injury the Astros described as “left hamstring tightness.” They had him make two rehab appearances in Triple A and three more in Double A. In between, he briefly rejoined the team during a series at Safeco Field in Seattle, where he worked on his delivery in a bullpen session with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. He was activated at the end of August and relegated mostly to low-leverage situations for the rest of the season. Come October, he didn’t even have a case for inclusion on the postseason roster.

After the Astros’ ALCS exit, Devenski took more time off than he had the previous year, to let his body recover — about three weeks. He didn’t throw a ball for a while, either.

Devenski felt heavy last season, so he set out in the offseason to fix that by making better dietary choices — less sugar — and eating less. On the first day of spring training, he said he weighed about 215 pounds, down from 230.

“I’ve learned a lot about my body over the past couple years and how I feel when I’m at my best,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to get to. That was the goal that I envisioned for myself.”

Flexibility has been a focus, and Devenski feels the mobility he has in his hips and the stretches he’s implemented to his routine have him in the right position with his lower body. He’s also encouraged by his offseason work to refine his delivery.

“I trust it. I put in a lot of work in the offseason on that,” he said. “(It was) a lot of trial and error, but I was able to build a good foundation and a good roadmap. I’m just going to stick to that and make my adjustments when I have to.”

Said Hinch: “If we can work on the plane of his fastball and the consistency of his delivery, then I think you’ll see that complete pitcher come back that I turn to in the most critical parts of the game.”

Spring training should provide clues as to which version of Devenski the Astros will get at the start of the season. Their front office and coaching staff will be able to evaluate the movement of his fastball from the Trackman data recorded from his outings. They can also study his release point and the action of the ball out of his hand on one of their Edgertronic high-speed video cameras, which they station behind pitchers during their bullpen sessions.

Devenski’s preparing for the season with his usual three pitches; his third pitch is a slider he deploys mostly against righties. If he can recoup the qualities of his best fastball, the rest should take care of itself.

“To get that ride back,” he said, “would be huge for me.”[\Spoiler]

I, for one, think Devo has a huge year this year. 

[Mez2 4,023]

Just now, Mez2 said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Toggle navigation

 

The key to Chris Devenski rediscovering his effectiveness

By Jake Kaplan Feb 15, 2019 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On paper, the Astros have a formidable bullpen. Roberto Osuna represents the stability in the closer spot they long lacked and Ryan Pressly has one of the best swing-and-miss arsenals in baseball. Héctor Rondón, Will Harris and — if he loses the fifth starter competition — Brad Peacock make for a deep pool of seventh-inning options.

But the Astros have a chance to boast an elite bullpen if they get back the version of Chris Devenski that baffled hitters with his fastball-changeup combo in 2016 and 2017, his first two seasons as a major leaguer. After struggling last year to the point where he was a non-factor in the second half and in the playoffs, Devenski is the wild card of Houston’s 2019 pitching staff.

The former All-Star’s bounce back or lack thereof could have large ramifications for the AL West favorites. A return to form by Devenski would give manager A.J. Hinch yet another high-leverage weapon, especially against the opposition’s best left-handed hitters. More ineffectiveness might necessitate trade deadline reinforcements.

	Games	Innings	ERA	FIP	WHIP	bWAR
2016	48	108.1	2.16	2.34	0.914	2.8
2017	62	80.2	2.68	3.49	0.942	1.9
2018	50	47.1	4.18	4.49	1.162	0.1

Houston’s front office has operated as if under the belief Devenski will more closely resemble his previously dominant self this season. President of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow didn’t touch the bullpen in the offseason, not even after sidearmer Joe Smith blew out his Achilles while working out in December. The Astros have analysts and coaches with more information than anyone about why Devenski regressed and they are counting on him to perform this season. Maybe that will prove to be telling.

Count Hinch among those who anticipate a bounce back. “I expect him to be really good,” the manager said on Friday, about a half-hour before Devenski threw 20 pitches to catcher Robinson Chirinos in his first bullpen session of spring training. The 28-year-old right-hander’s upcoming Grapefruit League outings will offer better feedback.

“We need him to be really good,” Hinch added. “Without a definitive left-handed presence in our ‘pen right now, he’s somebody that we would rely on heavily to get some lefties out and provide a little bit of length given the fact that he’s done it before.”

Hinch said he envisions Devenski pitching “anywhere from early for a couple innings all the way to the back end if guys are needing a break.” For that to work, though, Devenski needs to rediscover the effectiveness that made him the Astros’ most valuable reliever across the 2016 and 2017 seasons. To best evaluate the chances of that happening, it’s helpful to have the perspective of what went wrong last year.

Devenski’s rise to prominence was unexpected.

Look no further than the Rule 5 Draft in December 2015 as evidence. The Astros didn’t feel the former 25th-round draft pick with the funky delivery worthy of protection and had left him exposed to being selected. None of the other 29 teams were enticed enough to take a flier on him.

Four months later, on the third day of the 2016 season, he joined the Astros at Yankee Stadium. And quickly it became clear he wasn’t going anywhere.

Devenski would go on to finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2016, behind a 2.16 ERA in 108 1/3 innings, a striking 83 2/3 of which came as a reliever. In 2017, a dominant first half as a multi-inning relief weapon sent him to the All-Star Game in Miami, where he got into the action and struck out Joey Votto on his signature pitch.

That circle changeup, coined the “circle of death” by a mentor of his back home in Southern California, fueled Devenski’s ascent. Playing off a four-seam fastball that sits 94 mph and tops out of 97 mph in relief, he had the deception and late sink on his changeup to confound even the best of hitters. Devenski’s willingness to throw the offspeed at any time improves the effectiveness of his fastball, too. The pitches work in tandem.

So when his fastball lost its usual action last season, Devenski all of a sudden became very hittable. According to Brooks Baseball, he lost more than two inches of vertical movement on his four-seamer in 2018 compared to 2017 and 2016, turning him from a pitcher with above-average ride to one with below-average ride.

Why the diminished fastball? Well, Devenski’s average release point dropped significantly last season, which altered his spin axis and replaced the usual ride and drop on his fastball with more sideways movement. Fewer swings and misses and more hard contact ensued.

Generally, a significant change in release point like this one comes with a range of potential causes, from something as ominous as a serious injury to as innocuous as a slight mechanical difference. Devenski experienced the latter. In his case, it’s easy to speculate fatigue could have played a role. He pitched a lot in 2016 and 2017 and is known as a workout fiend. After the 2017 World Series, for example, he took only a week off before he started his workouts for 2018, which he admits now was probably a mistake.

“There are certain guys like Devo that work so hard that they don’t realize sometimes less is more and if you just pare back on the work a little bit it pays off in longevity through the season,” Luhnow said in December at baseball’s winter meetings. “I think that’s hopefully something that we’ll see with him this year.”

Whatever the reason, Devenski developed flaws in the lower half of his delivery last summer. The issue, he said, stemmed from the direction of his pelvis as he strode down the mound. “I didn’t feel like I had any momentum going toward the plate,” he said. He doesn’t know why or how or when exactly it started, but it changed everything.

“It’s a fine line that I have to walk because my mechanics are so unorthodox,” he said. “But when I got ’em right, I got ’em right, and I know that it’s very dangerous (for the hitter) and I have really good stuff.”

Cleaning up the issue during the season proved challenging.

“It’s hard. You’ve got to make (adjustments) on the fly and sometimes you can’t make them on the fly,” he said. “But me going through that and the way I went through that (led to) me having a better understanding now.”

Not all of last season was bad for Devenski, but the cumulative numbers render his 1.73 ERA on July 10 a distant memory. He allowed a slugging percentage of .551 against his four-seam fastball last season, more than .100 worse than the year before (.434), according to Brooks Baseball. From July 12 through the end of the season — a sample of only 11 innings — that number skyrocketed to a woeful .741. Batters lifted his four-seamer more frequently than ever before.

Devenski’s second half started dreadfully. In a July 22 outing against the Angels, he allowed three runs without recording an out. In his next appearance, five days later against the Rangers, he surrendered five runs and again didn’t record an out. It was clear something was wrong.

	Appearances	Innings	ERA	HR	Opponents’ OPS
1st Half	40	38.2	2.33	3	.576
2nd Half	10	8.2	12.46	6	1.209

In early August, Devenski landed on the disabled list with an injury the Astros described as “left hamstring tightness.” They had him make two rehab appearances in Triple A and three more in Double A. In between, he briefly rejoined the team during a series at Safeco Field in Seattle, where he worked on his delivery in a bullpen session with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. He was activated at the end of August and relegated mostly to low-leverage situations for the rest of the season. Come October, he didn’t even have a case for inclusion on the postseason roster.

After the Astros’ ALCS exit, Devenski took more time off than he had the previous year, to let his body recover — about three weeks. He didn’t throw a ball for a while, either.

Devenski felt heavy last season, so he set out in the offseason to fix that by making better dietary choices — less sugar — and eating less. On the first day of spring training, he said he weighed about 215 pounds, down from 230.

“I’ve learned a lot about my body over the past couple years and how I feel when I’m at my best,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to get to. That was the goal that I envisioned for myself.”

Flexibility has been a focus, and Devenski feels the mobility he has in his hips and the stretches he’s implemented to his routine have him in the right position with his lower body. He’s also encouraged by his offseason work to refine his delivery.

“I trust it. I put in a lot of work in the offseason on that,” he said. “(It was) a lot of trial and error, but I was able to build a good foundation and a good roadmap. I’m just going to stick to that and make my adjustments when I have to.”

Said Hinch: “If we can work on the plane of his fastball and the consistency of his delivery, then I think you’ll see that complete pitcher come back that I turn to in the most critical parts of the game.”

Spring training should provide clues as to which version of Devenski the Astros will get at the start of the season. Their front office and coaching staff will be able to evaluate the movement of his fastball from the Trackman data recorded from his outings. They can also study his release point and the action of the ball out of his hand on one of their Edgertronic high-speed video cameras, which they station behind pitchers during their bullpen sessions.

Devenski’s preparing for the season with his usual three pitches; his third pitch is a slider he deploys mostly against righties. If he can recoup the qualities of his best fastball, the rest should take care of itself.

“To get that ride back,” he said, “would be huge for me.”[\Spoiler]

I, for one, think Devo has a huge year this year. 

Article on Devo from The athletic

[Mez2 4,023]

today from the athletic.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Presuming they survive spring training with their health intact, the Astros, at first glance, appear to have only one position player spot up for grabs on their opening day roster.

Their two catchers (Robinson Chirinos and Max Stassi) and six infielders (Yuli Gurriel, José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Aledmys Díaz and Tyler White) look to be all but set.

Add in their starting outfield (from left to right) of Michael Brantley, George Springer and Josh Reddick and it seems to leave only one bench job for outfielders Jake Marisnick and Tony Kemp.

That scenario, however, is contingent on the Astros carrying 12 position players and 13 pitchers, which is usually their preferred configuration. But given the roster crunch they face this spring — Kemp is out of minor league options — they will strongly consider the possibility of carrying 13 position players and only 12 pitchers as a way for Marisnick and Kemp to both make the team.

“There are definitely configurations where they’re both on the team,” Astros president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow said. “In fact, (a roster with 13 position players is) probably more likely this year than it would have been last year.”

A full-strength roster with both Marisnick and Kemp would mean only seven relievers, a number the Astros dropped down to at various points last summer. For that to work, they would need multiple relievers who can pitch multi-inning stints, which they might have between Chris Devenski and whichever of Josh James, Brad Peacock and Framber Valdez loses the fifth starter competition.

There would be risk for the Astros in a seven-man bullpen. Their starting pitchers, on average, likely won’t pitch as deep as last season’s, meaning an increased workload for the bullpen as is.

On the flip side, the increase in scheduled team off days MLB implemented ahead of last season makes a seven-man bullpen more reasonable than before. The Astros have four off days in April, for example, and don’t play more than seven consecutive games until the end of April.

“The new schedule really gives you a little bit more breathing room,” Luhnow said. “You have less of these long, long stretches with no off days. And so you can work your bullpen a little bit differently that way. The brutal ones are when it’s 12, 13 games in a row. You just try to survive at that point, basically.”

The right-handed hitting Marisnick and the left-handed hitting Kemp serve different roles for the Astros. Marisnick is their best defensive outfielder and affords manager A.J. Hinch the ability to improve his outfield defense late in games by inserting Marisnick in center, pushing George Springer from center to right and Josh Reddick from right to left. Marisnick’s also their best baserunner.

But outside of 2017, when after overhauling his swing he produced an .815 OPS in 259 plate appearances, Marisnick’s bat has been a liability. He has a career .226/.278/.374 batting line in more than 1,500 plate appearances. Last season he hit .211/.275/.399 and struck out 35.7 percent of the time.

Marisnick showed signs of improvement with his swing after a demotion to Triple A last May but upon finding a groove suffered a groin injury. After the season, he traveled home to Riverside, Calif. and dug into video study of his first half versus his second half to better grasp what adjustments worked best. He arrived to West Palm Beach “probably the most confident and best I’ve felt in my career coming in” to a spring training, he said.

When he watches Marisnick this spring, Hinch said he’ll most pay attention to the outfielder’s posture in the batter’s box.

“It’s something that Alex Cintrón has talked to me about early in the spring, to try to get him a little bit less upright and a little bit more into his posture, a little bend at the waist, which will allow him to have some clearance inside,” Hinch said. “His first movement has often been under the ball, and I think if we can eliminate that we’ll see his contact rate go a little bit higher and see him move the ball around the field a little bit. He’s got tremendous power but the swing and miss, especially up in the zone, can sometimes be created by your posture and just how you get into the hitting zone.”

Compared with Marisnick, Kemp probably has less upside but a higher floor. His strike-zone discipline matched with his high contact rate makes him an ideal spark in the nine-hole to turn the lineup over to Springer. Last season represented by far his biggest major league opportunity and he produced at an above-average rate with a .263/.351/.392 in 295 plate appearances.

Defensively, Kemp fits best in left field but Hinch will also give him some reps in center field in Grapefruit League games. Because he bats from the left side, he appeared to be the most obvious odd man out when the Astros signed the left-handed hitting Michael Brantley to his two-year, $32 million deal in December. But Brantley splitting his time at designated hitter would clear a path for Kemp to get at-bats, too.

The 5-foot-6 Kemp reported to spring training weighing 172 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than he finished last season. He focused his offseason training in his native Nashville to strengthening his arm and improving offensively. Because Kemp has exhausted his three minor league option years, the Astros can no longer demote him to Triple A without first exposing him waivers, where they would face a high risk of him being claimed.

“I think for me it’s a win-win situation,” Kemp said. “If the Astros want to keep me on their team, that’s great. But I think I kind of forced their hand last year to where I think other teams know that I’m available, and if it does come to the point to where I do get put on waivers, I think that there are other teams out there that would love to have me.”

Marisnick still has one option year remaining. But 40 days into the major league season he will reach five years of service time, a benchmark that affords players the right to decline minor league assignments. His salary for this season is $2.215 million, and he will be arbitration eligible a fourth and final time next winter. Kemp is still in his pre-arbitration years.

The Astros carrying both Marisnick and Kemp would leave only two winnable spots in their bullpen if everyone is healthy. Roberto Osuna, Ryan Pressly, Héctor Rondón, Will Harris and Devenski are their five locks. At least one spot will go to a loser in the fifth starter competition, be it James, Peacock or Valdez. Cionel Perez will also factor into the discussion. Rogelio Armenteros could be a dark horse candidate because of his ability to pitch multi-inning stints.

Roster crunches such as this one often have a way of working themselves out, and Houston’s decision makers will let spring training unfold before committing to an opening day configuration. But the Astros rostering 13 position players on March 28 against the Rays is now very much in play.

“We’re not going to make that decision until the very end,” Luhnow said. “But if I had to draw it up right now, that’s probably how I would draw it up because then we get to keep all of our players happy and productive and motivated.”

[Storm the Field 5,294]

Looks like we get to watch some Astros baseball this weekend. Sunday matchup will be televised according to the schedule.

All in all, I count about a dozen ST games that will be on TV.

 

[WBT 20,561]

4 hours ago, Mez2 said:

today from the athletic.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Presuming they survive spring training with their health intact, the Astros, at first glance, appear to have only one position player spot up for grabs on their opening day roster.

Their two catchers (Robinson Chirinos and Max Stassi) and six infielders (Yuli Gurriel, José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Aledmys Díaz and Tyler White) look to be all but set.

Add in their starting outfield (from left to right) of Michael Brantley, George Springer and Josh Reddick and it seems to leave only one bench job for outfielders Jake Marisnick and Tony Kemp.

That scenario, however, is contingent on the Astros carrying 12 position players and 13 pitchers, which is usually their preferred configuration. But given the roster crunch they face this spring — Kemp is out of minor league options — they will strongly consider the possibility of carrying 13 position players and only 12 pitchers as a way for Marisnick and Kemp to both make the team.

“There are definitely configurations where they’re both on the team,” Astros president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow said. “In fact, (a roster with 13 position players is) probably more likely this year than it would have been last year.”

A full-strength roster with both Marisnick and Kemp would mean only seven relievers, a number the Astros dropped down to at various points last summer. For that to work, they would need multiple relievers who can pitch multi-inning stints, which they might have between Chris Devenski and whichever of Josh James, Brad Peacock and Framber Valdez loses the fifth starter competition.

There would be risk for the Astros in a seven-man bullpen. Their starting pitchers, on average, likely won’t pitch as deep as last season’s, meaning an increased workload for the bullpen as is.

On the flip side, the increase in scheduled team off days MLB implemented ahead of last season makes a seven-man bullpen more reasonable than before. The Astros have four off days in April, for example, and don’t play more than seven consecutive games until the end of April.

“The new schedule really gives you a little bit more breathing room,” Luhnow said. “You have less of these long, long stretches with no off days. And so you can work your bullpen a little bit differently that way. The brutal ones are when it’s 12, 13 games in a row. You just try to survive at that point, basically.”

The right-handed hitting Marisnick and the left-handed hitting Kemp serve different roles for the Astros. Marisnick is their best defensive outfielder and affords manager A.J. Hinch the ability to improve his outfield defense late in games by inserting Marisnick in center, pushing George Springer from center to right and Josh Reddick from right to left. Marisnick’s also their best baserunner.

But outside of 2017, when after overhauling his swing he produced an .815 OPS in 259 plate appearances, Marisnick’s bat has been a liability. He has a career .226/.278/.374 batting line in more than 1,500 plate appearances. Last season he hit .211/.275/.399 and struck out 35.7 percent of the time.

Marisnick showed signs of improvement with his swing after a demotion to Triple A last May but upon finding a groove suffered a groin injury. After the season, he traveled home to Riverside, Calif. and dug into video study of his first half versus his second half to better grasp what adjustments worked best. He arrived to West Palm Beach “probably the most confident and best I’ve felt in my career coming in” to a spring training, he said.

When he watches Marisnick this spring, Hinch said he’ll most pay attention to the outfielder’s posture in the batter’s box.

“It’s something that Alex Cintrón has talked to me about early in the spring, to try to get him a little bit less upright and a little bit more into his posture, a little bend at the waist, which will allow him to have some clearance inside,” Hinch said. “His first movement has often been under the ball, and I think if we can eliminate that we’ll see his contact rate go a little bit higher and see him move the ball around the field a little bit. He’s got tremendous power but the swing and miss, especially up in the zone, can sometimes be created by your posture and just how you get into the hitting zone.”

Compared with Marisnick, Kemp probably has less upside but a higher floor. His strike-zone discipline matched with his high contact rate makes him an ideal spark in the nine-hole to turn the lineup over to Springer. Last season represented by far his biggest major league opportunity and he produced at an above-average rate with a .263/.351/.392 in 295 plate appearances.

Defensively, Kemp fits best in left field but Hinch will also give him some reps in center field in Grapefruit League games. Because he bats from the left side, he appeared to be the most obvious odd man out when the Astros signed the left-handed hitting Michael Brantley to his two-year, $32 million deal in December. But Brantley splitting his time at designated hitter would clear a path for Kemp to get at-bats, too.

The 5-foot-6 Kemp reported to spring training weighing 172 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than he finished last season. He focused his offseason training in his native Nashville to strengthening his arm and improving offensively. Because Kemp has exhausted his three minor league option years, the Astros can no longer demote him to Triple A without first exposing him waivers, where they would face a high risk of him being claimed.

“I think for me it’s a win-win situation,” Kemp said. “If the Astros want to keep me on their team, that’s great. But I think I kind of forced their hand last year to where I think other teams know that I’m available, and if it does come to the point to where I do get put on waivers, I think that there are other teams out there that would love to have me.”

Marisnick still has one option year remaining. But 40 days into the major league season he will reach five years of service time, a benchmark that affords players the right to decline minor league assignments. His salary for this season is $2.215 million, and he will be arbitration eligible a fourth and final time next winter. Kemp is still in his pre-arbitration years.

The Astros carrying both Marisnick and Kemp would leave only two winnable spots in their bullpen if everyone is healthy. Roberto Osuna, Ryan Pressly, Héctor Rondón, Will Harris and Devenski are their five locks. At least one spot will go to a loser in the fifth starter competition, be it James, Peacock or Valdez. Cionel Perez will also factor into the discussion. Rogelio Armenteros could be a dark horse candidate because of his ability to pitch multi-inning stints.

Roster crunches such as this one often have a way of working themselves out, and Houston’s decision makers will let spring training unfold before committing to an opening day configuration. But the Astros rostering 13 position players on March 28 against the Rays is now very much in play.

“We’re not going to make that decision until the very end,” Luhnow said. “But if I had to draw it up right now, that’s probably how I would draw it up because then we get to keep all of our players happy and productive and motivated.”

 

I like the idea of only carrying 12 pitchers.

[tx 3 putt 76,906]

I'm on board with 12 pitchers until we need 13

[suddenly shaggy 929]

11 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

I'm on board with 12 pitchers until we need 13

We can always trade Bregman for a bullpen guy at the deadline. 

[Horny Bull 2,759]

 

[UTexasFight 9,431]

Good to see the clubhouse sense of humor is already in midseason form
JV presented it to him

[WBT 20,561]

The Ringer had an interesting table in their article on Machado's signing.  I wouldn't have guessed that we would be so high on this list.

 

Seasons of 6-Plus WAR, 1997-2018

Team	Qualifying Seasons
Red Sox	33
Cardinals	27
Braves	25
Astros	24
Yankees	22
***
Orioles	8
Reds	8
Royals	7
Padres	6
Pirates	5

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

 

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

 

[Hank Chinaski 6,314]

4 hours ago, WBT said:

The Ringer had an interesting table in their article on Machado's signing.  I wouldn't have guessed that we would be so high on this list.

 

Seasons of 6-Plus WAR, 1997-2018

Team	Qualifying Seasons
Red Sox	33
Cardinals	27
Braves	25
Astros	24
Yankees	22
***
Orioles	8
Reds	8
Royals	7
Padres	6
Pirates	5

There are a lot of prime Bagwell/Biggio years in there...Without looking it up, I'd guess Bagwell hit that mark every year from 1997-2001, and Biggio from 1997-1999. That's 1/3 of those seasons right there. And Berkman probably had 3 or 4 I imagine. 

[Scraps 13,561]

1 hour ago, Hank Chinaski said:

There are a lot of prime Bagwell/Biggio years in there...Without looking it up, I'd guess Bagwell hit that mark every year from 1997-2001, and Biggio from 1997-1999. That's 1/3 of those seasons right there. And Berkman probably had 3 or 4 I imagine. 

Also Altuve, Oswalt with multiple and then you got a bunch of the single years recently....Keuchel, Verlander, Bregman etc.  

 

Hidalgo and Alou probably each had one as well 

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Scraps

[runthebone 7,974]

Per baseball reference, top 10 seasons in Astros history:

 

1.    Craig Biggio • 1997    9.4
2.    Jose Altuve • 2017    8.3
3.    Jeff Bagwell • 1994    8.2
4.    Cesar Cedeno • 1972    8.0
5.    Jose Altuve • 2016    7.7
Jeff Bagwell • 1997    7.7
7.    Jeff Bagwell • 1996    7.5
8.    Jeff Bagwell • 1999    7.4
Cesar Cedeno • 1973    7.4
Dickie Thon • 1983    7.4
Jim Wynn • 1965    7.4

[htownjd 43]

4 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

where can i watch this PLS

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

[Fozzz 152]

Good video Driveline posted a few weeks ago showing Whitley's offerings.  Guy just has so such a diverse set of plus offerings.  

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Fozzz

[Fudge Nuggets 19,190]

1 hour ago, Scraps said:

Also Altuve, Oswalt with multiple and then you got a bunch of the single years recently....Keuchel, Verlander, Bregman etc.  

 

Hidalgo and Alou probably each had one as well 

 

 

2 hours ago, Scraps said:

Also Altuve, Oswalt with multiple and then you got a bunch of the single years recently....Keuchel, Verlander, Bregman etc.  

 

Hidalgo and Alou probably each had one as well 

 

Ensberg in 2005

[Fudge Nuggets 19,190]

Using baseball-reference:

Berkman 4

Altuve 3
Bagwell 3
Biggio 2
Correa 2
Oswalt 2
M. Alou 1
Bregman 1
Clemens 1
Ensberg 1
Hampton 1
Hidalgo 1
Pettite 1
Verlander 1

  Edited February 20, 2019 by Fudge Nuggets

[Fudge Nuggets 19,190]

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Pretty sure I could get a few swings and misses from Jake.

[Mez2 4,023]

Toro, toro, toro:

 

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Each morning from 9 to 9:30, the 61 players in Astros major league spring training gather around their spacious home clubhouse for a team meeting.

Manager A.J. Hinch likes to keep these gatherings light, as demonstrated by top prospect Forrest Whitley emerging from Tuesday’s with a jersey that read “DADDY” on the back. For players like Whitley, who are in their first big league camp, Hinch has them stand up in the middle of the room and educate everyone on their background.

When he eventually gets to Abraham Toro, the topics to touch on will be obvious. Toro, a 22-year-old switch-hitting third baseman prospect, has the unique distinction of being both French Canadian and Venezuelan and speaks three languages fluently: French, Spanish and English.

Whether Toro identifies himself as French Canadian or Venezuelan varies based on who’s asking. He likes to switch it up.

“It depends,” he said, smiling. “When Americans ask me, I’ll say Venezuelan. When Venezuelan or Latino guys (ask me), I’ll say French.”

Toro was born and raised in Canada. He grew up just outside of Montreal in Longueuil, a city in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking region. But his parents, Douglas and Natalie, are Venezuelan. They moved from Venezuela to Quebec a year before Toro was born in search of a better life.

English was Toro’s third language. He learned it in school and was fluent by 15. He grew up speaking both Spanish and French. When he calls his parents, they converse in Spanish. With his friends back home, he speaks French.

“It’s crazy because he’ll be on the phone sometimes and I’m like, ‘What is he speaking?,'” said outfielder Ronnie Dawson, who roomed with Toro in the Arizona Fall League last year.

Toro’s father was always a baseball fan and imparted his love for the game on his sons; Toro has an older brother, Douglas, who played at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., and in an independent league in Quebec. One of Toro’s favorite players to watch with his dad growing up was Omar Vizquel. While his friends played hockey, Toro focused on baseball, soccer and volleyball.

Toro played baseball at Polyvalente Édouard-Montpetit High, the alma mater of former Dodgers closer Eric Gagne and current Dodgers catcher Russell Martin. After a year at Vanier College in Quebec, he was connected through a former coach to longtime Seminole State College coach Lloyd Simmons, who offered a full scholarship to the Oklahoma junior college.

Seminole State has produced more than 50 professional baseball players, including major leaguers like Gagne and Adam LaRoche. Toro has in recent years become friendly with Gagne, the 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner. He swings a bat from B45, the Quebec-based company of which Gagne is part owner.

It was in his one year at Seminole when Toro put himself on the Astros’ radar for the 2016 draft. Their area scout, Jim Stevenson, scours the JUCO ranks in Oklahoma annually for toolsy amateurs who have been overlooked. He’s responsible for finding Josh James, Ramon Laureano and Dean Deetz. In Toro, Stevenson was drawn to the amount of hard contact he produced from both sides of the plate.

The Astros might’ve been able to get Toro later in the draft but knew of at least one other team that really liked him. They popped him in the fifth round, a risk but one that scouting director Mike Elias was willing to take because of his trust in Stevenson. The Astros signed Toro for a below-slot $250,000 bonus.

“It’s getting old now to say this but Jim Stevenson zoned on this guy,” said Elias, now the general manager of the Orioles. “He was a little more well-known than some of the other finds that Jim has had. I think most of the scouts in the area had at least seen him. But Jim was very high on him.”

Count Toro among those not expecting the fifth-round selection.

“Going there (to Seminole State), I wanted to get drafted,” he said. “But that was a big surprise for me going that high.”

In parts of three seasons since, Toro has flashed everyday player potential in the eyes of some. He’s undoubtedly a bat-first player and has shown legitimate power, plate discipline and a general feel to hit. He hits for more power left-handed, where he gets most of his at-bats, but makes more contact right-handed, his natural side. He’s been switch-hitting full time since he was 16.

“I tell everybody I love watching that guy hit,” said pitcher Brandon Bielak, a teammate at two levels last season. “Just the way he attacks the ball and the way the ball comes off his bat, it’s something special. It’s fun to watch.”

Defensively, Toro can hold his own at third base but has a lot of room for improvement. The Astros explored the possibility of turning him into a catcher earlier in his pro career but have all but scrapped that experiment. The coaches will expose him to some first base during spring training in the hopes of increasing his versatility. He didn’t play anywhere but third base in 124 games last season across High A and Double A.

“I think I’ve improved a lot since my first year in pro ball,” Toro said of his defense. “I think mostly it’s just overall my range. I think I can cover more ground.”

Toro opened a lot of eyes with his performance in the Arizona Fall League, where a small adjustment to simplify his swing paid dividends. After working to get lower in his stance and tamp down his leg kick, he posted a .348/.463/.561 line in 80 plate appearances.

The Astros might send Toro back to Corpus Christi this season, as he hit only .230/.317/.371 in 202 plate appearances in Double A after batting .257/.361/.473 in 349 plate appearances in High A to start the year. The January trade of J.D. Davis to the Mets cleared a path for Toro to become the organization’s best upper-level depth option at third base.

“He’s made himself into a very intriguing prospect,” Hinch said.

Toro should see plenty of Grapefruit League action in his first big league camp, particularly with star third baseman Alex Bregman coming off January surgery to remove two bone chips from his right elbow. “I think he’ll play a lot, especially early,” Hinch said of Toro. The more comfortable Toro can become at both corner infield spots, the better the odds of him contributing at some point in Houston.

“He is like the most underrated prospect in our system,” said Whitley, the top prospect and Toro’s teammate in Double A and the AFL. “There are a few guys who don’t get as much attention as they deserve and I feel like he’s the main one.”

Edited February 20, 2019 by Mez2
tuscon toros!

[runthebone 7,974]

5 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Wow, Whitley's stuff must be good if he's getting Marisnick to swing and miss.  

[APMP 688]

Good video Driveline posted a few weeks ago showing Whitley's offerings.  Guy just has so such a diverse set of plus offerings.  
 

I am annoyed at the quality of Bauer's pitches, but LOL'd he gave up the bet-winning double and then a homerun.

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

 

[Scraps 13,561]

Yooooooooooo

 

[Mez2 4,023]

those are bitchin

[Jshep34 2,308]

Will need to order one of those throwbacks.  Lilshep will be throwing out the first pitch this year before a round rock game. Probably in the summer. 

[tx 3 putt 76,906]

#teamlilshep 

[Scraps 13,561]

Lol