He would have to be on the 40-man to be in the dugout, as far as I know. The reason those guys were with the team was to let them stay on their regular workout schedule in case they were needed as an injury replacement, and in the case of Fiers and Sipp it was just the right thing to do since they were with the team all year. I'm sure Fiers was also going over scouting and pitch chart data with the guys, just like they do all year. We don't know what kind of OFer Tucker is at the MLB level. We do know that Reddick is pretty good. We don't know what Tucker would/will do against MLB pitching.
Aren't most home runs in Spring training hit against similar competition? Still Tucker is doing it consistently better than most. Not saying he will come up, but you can only hit against who they throw at you. I doubt he comes up at all this year unless Reddick, Gonzalez, Marisnik regress to their former selves. They all had career years at the plate last year.
Fisher a great "run" last year, the run that won game 5 might have been the greatest run ever scored by an Astro. Seriously Fisher deserves his chance and he'll get it. But Tucker's time will come soon enough. I want to see the Astros do something that has been done since 2000.
he can come up in September for 2-3 weeks and then add those 2-3 weeks to the 2 weeks you mention in 2019 (i.e. start in June or whenever, especially if Super 2 is a consideration anyway and/or if the team is still stacked)
Its funny how all the young guys are hitting the homeruns when the pitching is so bad and not our Major League guys.. I guess its probably because the younger guys played against these pitchers? lol
Tucker averaged 1 HR per about 18 plate appearances last season in the minors. The little tear he has been on in ST is certainly out of the ordinary for him and unsustainable. If anyone were hitting dingers at Tucker's current clip at the major league level, teams would just start walking him intentionally. Also, players who were that much of a threat would be scouted and scrutinized heavily by opposing pitchers and pitching coaches. Tucker's weaknesses would be identified and exploited. But in ST the pitchers are not going to try to develop an individualized pitching strategy for all of the 40 or so batters the Astros might choose to throw at them in a given game. Tucker hit .265 in AA last season so if he can do at least that well in the first few months of this season at Fresno, it would go a long way towards showing he can handle major league pitching. Then again, AJ Reed shows us that no amount of minor league success can guarantee major league success.
I think the two groups of hitters (guys assured of being on the OD roster and minor leaguers trying to fight their way in) have two totally different plate approaches. Altuve, Correa, Marwin and those guys are just perfecting their timing, maybe experimenting with a slightly modified bat grip or stance at the plate... and are not so concerned with the outcome of their AB. On the other hand, Fisher, Tucker, White, Reed, Stassi... all those guys feel they need to prove something to Luhnow and Hinch and so for them, it comes down mostly to the results of their ABs but also things like hustling down to 1B, avoiding baserunning gaffes, and not making fielding errors.
The man went from second to home in 6 seconds. McCann would have taken around 9 seconds to run the same distance. Those are seconds that can win or lose a game. Or win/lose a playoff series. They say this kid Freudis Nova (SS prospect in the low minors now) is even faster than Fisher. Like a Carl Lewis type who can play short. Maybe we get to see him in ST next year or in 2020.
This team is already stacked so there is no rush. Give him some more time in the minors and bring him up June-July, or whenever it pushes his arbitration back a year. Team needs to focus on keeping around as much young talent as possible before the exodus when players start becoming free agents.
Kyle Tucker and Astros in a good spot. Like some posters here, I don't see him getting the call-up even if he slams 10-15 homers this spring (so tempting though). An extra year of arbitration matters ALOT. Yes, Astros have done a phenomenal job in orchestrating the payroll and have contracts falling off right before they extend Altuve/Correa (50-60 million a year in salary just for those guys and worth every penny)... BUT we need to be cautious in the way we handle the next 2-3 years. No need to bring him up just yet, unless a bad injury happens in the OF (praying our guys stay healthy). Get that extra arbitration year. Let him learn and marinate on a season. Let his value sky rocket and I assume he will be a top 5-10 talent in all of baseball by years end once players graduate. Marwin could leave next year opening up a spot for him. Lot's of things can happen. Patience is key.
Although there will be a hole at catcher, if Fisher, Reed, and Tucker reach their ceilings, the 2019 roster of position players will be better than this year and likely one of the best of all time, as Reed would replace Marwin (by playing 1B and having Gurriel shift to a utility role) and Tucker would replace Gattis (by sharing the 4 OF/DH slots with Reddick, Springer, and Fisher): CF Springer 3B Bregman 2B Altuve SS Correa RF Tucker 1B Reed LF Fisher DH Reddick C TBD Bench: Gurriel, Stassi, Marisnick I suppose Tucker’s emergence could make Reddick a trade candidate but I wouldn’t think he’d have much surplus value and would be better kept as a good DH who can also play the field.
I wonder for whom will the Astros dig deep into their pockets, considering how talented the next guys up are? Fisher, Tucker, are looking legit. Marwin, Keutchel, McCann, Gattis, Morton, etc will likely command handsome payday contracts. And the way the organization is stacked, there is a plethora of guys in the minors who’d get a baseball junkie excited about the ML projections. I’m just thinkg, just enjoy this stacked team this season. Because next year will be somewhat different, but the Astros are operating from a position of strength in regards to depth.
Agreed. My guess is... to answer your question. 1.) Marwin will get something around 4 years/48 million more or less. He deserves all he can get and if he bolts for money... I'm all for it. Good for him. 2.) Keuchel will leave unless we can snag him at 5 years/90-100 million or less. 3.) McCann has stated he loves this team and I think he would be willing to take a slight paycut on a two year deal. Braves also option as he's eluded to returning back to his roots. 4.) Gattis could come back as well, or dip for more money. I don't think Astros give McCann/Gattis more than a two year deal which doesn't factor in the long term of the Correa extension. TBH even if Marwin and Keuchel left, we would just bring up Tucker and move Peacock/whoever into rotation. Having Verlander/Cole/McCullers/Peacock/etc is just icing on the cake and I would assume they would pay Verlander whatever it takes to keep him with Astros in 2020-2022. Maybe a three year deal.
Marwin is one season removed from an OPS under .700. In order for him to get paid, he'll have to prove he deserves it.
Cozart is 32 (will be 33 in August) and got 3 years/38 million. Marwin and Cozart are a very solid comp (Marwin even has better numbers in various categories). Marwin's ability to play multiple positions is also very valuable and a decent age of 29 (come march).
I say keep stacking. Stack that sh*t to the ceiling. Stack the deck. Build a damn Jerry Stackhouse. Why be great when you can be... specstackular?
Tucker never making an error in MLB? Also, has caught everything hit his way and thrown out every runner trying to stretch while playing in the majors.
