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2019 Houston Astros Thread

Planet Houston

By Planet Houston
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My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow she starts her treatment. She's been a wreck ever since the diagnosis. I mentioned a few pages back how a friend of the family manage

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Newest Astro fan was born earlier today at 12:09 am Mez3, holla!

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Jebus

Jebus 1,341

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Just now, Seasick Sailor said:

Verlander catching shit for requesting that a reporter from the Detroit Free Press not be allowed in the clubhouse:

 

Anybody know what the history is there?  searching just brings up a ton of articles about the astros denying this guy access.

 

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UTexasFight

UTexasFight 9,788

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Nm
 

I’m interested in the answer to this too.
I don’t recall hearing any recent 40 man roster moves that might have temporarily bumped it to 41.
the guduan team suspension doesn’t open up a spot, does it?

that would seem absurd but who knows what the PA and owners have agreed to on that sort of thing
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Scraps

Scraps 13,745

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Found this article:

Now, folks who read this website know the scoop on Fenech. He’s a moron who once flipped over his PT Cruiser while driving SUPER drunk, causing an injury accident. He also is the human debris who once sexually harassed a co-worker at CMLife.com, telling an unsuspecting female student journalist that he was better looking than her ugly boyfriend while trying to get in her pants via Facebook Messenger.

And of course, he also was involved in a workplace affair in which he was fucking a superior of his in the Freep’s parking lot, which eventually led to his paramour’s departure from the paper.

(Or Paramore. “Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone …. Just the one two of us is counting on … that never happens …. I guess I am dreaming again ….. let’s be more than this.” Fenech and Stefanie Murray should have taken that advice instead of doing it in their cars. Now, back to crushcrushchrushing this moron.)

Because of all of Fenech’s personable foibles, the fact that he is an absolute liar sometimes gets overlooked at this site. The best example of this came back in 2015 when the Tigers were contemplating having their first trade deadline fire sale. Fenech wrote articles and posted podcasts in which he insisted the Tigers should not deal David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria and build towards the future, instead insisting the team should idiotically “go for it.”

Then, when Dave Dombrowski did unload all three of his pending free-agents, Fenech did a complete 180 and stated that this was a great idea and he had agreed with it all along. Even though there was copious evidence that Fenech was full of shit.

Well, “The Beast” has done it again — which is what occurs when a struggling paper hires a cheap dipshit with no moral compass to cover the Tigers. Here are some quotes from Fenech’s article today in which he claims Ausmus should have been fired in 2015

 

http://detroitsportsrag.com/anthony-fenech-is-a-disingenuous-piece-of-shit/

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HtownHorn

HtownHorn 15,243

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1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

I’m excited about this call up. He’s a better prospect than Moran or Davis. The marwin spot on next year’s roaster is his to lose. 

Fangraphs said he's got a long ways to go to be able to play multiple positions. 3B is his best position and he has a ++ arm. I think the Marwin comp isn't that far off though. It appears he has a pretty good idea of the strike zone, and makes a lot of contact.

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Fozzz

Fozzz 152

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1 hour ago, Cooder said:

 


Ummm what?

.907 ops with 32 HRs and 94 RBIs this season I’m Round Rock.

He has 2 errors

 

Tucker has been about 11% better this season than a league-average PCL hitter.  Reddick is a pretty good RF while Tucker profiles more as a mediocre LF.  

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TonyTexas

TonyTexas 10,683

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That's why they found a "new" injury.
It's all very logical.

So it’s logical that they knew he needed surgery a month ago, said fuck it, let’s wait 4 weeks and while we’re waiting, pitch him several times in meaningless games? Because the Astros have a history of being reckless with injuries.
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rvm96

rvm96 1,643

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Toro is coming to the show!!!!! I've been posting updates on him all season. 

1 hour ago, Fozzz said:

Wonder now if they will give Cristian Javier and Enoli Paredes test drives in September.  

They would have to be added to the 40 man. I would expect Abreu.

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Gourmand

Gourmand 7,778

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2 minutes ago, Mack Tripper said:

Can someone post the Athletic article on Toro’s call up?

With at-bats available, the Astros want to see what they have in Abraham Toro

 

Abraham Toro wasn’t expected to arrive in the majors until 2020. Before Thursday, he was not on the Astros’ 40-man roster. He was a lock to be added in November as protection from December’s Rule 5 Draft. But the idea he would contribute in Houston this season seemed like quite a stretch.

But then Aledmys Díaz fell ill over the weekend, Carlos Correa experienced a stiff back on Monday and Toro continued to rake in Triple A. While they have the playing time available, the Astros are going to take their latest shiny new car for a spin. Why not?

“Toro’s been one of our best offensive producers in the minor leagues for really the whole season but certainly recently,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said on Thursday ahead of Toro’s major league debut. “He can play third base, he can play first base; he gives (manager) A.J. (Hinch) some options. It was a little frustrating for everybody (Wednesday night) to see (Justin Verlander) pitch a two-hit complete game and us come out on the losing side. So, we’re trying to get a spark going in the offense and hoping that Toro is that spark.”

Toro will be an option at third base until Correa returns in September and third baseman Alex Bregman is no longer being relied on to start at shortstop. The 22-year-old French-Canadian-Venezuelan has much more upside than the 28-year-old Jack Mayfield, who filled in on Tuesday and Wednesday before he was demoted to Triple A after Wednesday’s game to clear a spot. A switch-hitter, Toro could amount to a valuable bench bat down the stretch if he hits in his cameo.

Luhnow said on Thursday that Toro’s promotion isn’t indicative of a change in Correa’s status and more so just an attempt to improve their lineup. Correa, who went on the IL on Tuesday night, is still expected to return in the first half of September.

“He’s still going through evaluation and we’ll know more in the coming days,” Luhnow said of Correa. “But the calendar that is in my mind is that he’s playing in rehab games the first week of September and then is able to spend three full weeks with the big league club prior to the end of the season. That’s my best guess, an estimate at this point. A lot depends on how he responds to treatment over the next few days and how he’s feeling.”

Díaz, the Astros utility infielder, will return ahead of Correa. He’s on pace to come back next week; Tuesday is the first day he’s eligible to be activated from the injured list.

Toro got the call over a more touted prospect in Kyle Tucker because of his experience as an infielder. Tucker, a corner outfielder by trade, isn’t yet viewed as a first base option in the majors. He’s made only seven starts at the position in Triple A, all since July 18. Tucker is expected to highlight the Astros’ list of September call-ups but primarily as an outfielder.

Toro has emerged as an interesting prospect behind his bat. His breakout began in last year’s Arizona Fall League, when he made an adjustment at the behest of Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker. By tampering down his leg kick and standing wider and lower in his stance, he’s able to cover more pitches. When he stood taller, he couldn’t catch up to high fastballs.

He carried his simplified mechanics into spring training and this season and rebounded from his .688 OPS in 202 plate appearances in Double A in 2018 to post a .906 in 435 plate appearances in Double A this year. He’s continued to perform since a recent promotion to Triple A, where he had a 1.112 OPS in only 79 plate appearances.

“It’s been a lot of mechanical work that I’ve done but also the mental part of the game,” Toro said last week before a game in Triple-A Round Rock. “Like last year in Double A I struggled. I guess I wasn’t that mature, so I was kind of not freaking out, but I was getting a little bit more in my head. This year I was able to face those struggles a little better and just take it day by day.”

Toro has a lot more power from the left side as opposed to his natural right side, from which he’s more of a contact hitter. Only about 15 percent of his plate appearances this season have been against left-handers, so most of his work on his right-handed swing has come in the batting cage. He’s been switch-hitting full time since he was 16.

The main source of uncertainty regarding Toro’s future with Houston is his position. His natural position is third base, where he’s obviously blocked by Bregman. The Astros experimented with converting Toro into a catcher early in his pro career, but it didn’t take. They exposed him to first base in Double A earlier this season and since the All-Star break have tried him at second base. Even as a utility player, he’ll be blocked next season by Díaz, a first-year arbitration-eligible player in the winter.

But those are questions for another day. With Correa sidelined, the Astros believe Toro might be able to help them in the present.

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