I think Toro would make a fantastic 13th position player. Plus defense at 3B, ability to play 2B and 1B. 25 HR power, switch hitter. I’m hoping Gurriel is the 13th position player next year in a similar role, and Toro can take over for him in 2021.
I'm hoping by next year, the 13th position player is in AAA. The 10th through 12th position players need to be able to cover SS, CF, and C.
With Verlander healthy, Cole, and Miley chewing up innings, Hinch still has worn out 7-man, sometimes 8-man pen. You can't see any scenario that Astros would want to have as many arms as possible in pen? If you give managers relievers, they will use them. Astros might not go 14-men in pen, but I expect some teams will. The determining factor will generally be how long do their starters go, do they have enough quality arms for a 14-man pen, and does MLB set a 13-pitcher cap.
I expect they will set a cap. But either way, Hinch has kept 13 position players the majority of the season with a 25 man roster, which serves as pretty strong evidence to me that they would keep 13 position players on a 26 man roster (at least for the majority of the time). Also, because almost every team will have optionable pitchers filling out the 10th-20th pitcher spots on their 40 man roster, and because pitchers cannot pitch every day, it makes more sense to keep 13 and send guys up and down when/if a 14th is needed, rather than occupy a 14th spot with a tired/unavailable pitcher.
We would have to acquire a pretty strong 1B to push Yuli to the bench cause that person doesn't seem to currently be in our organization
If they are able to shed Reddick’s salary this offseason, they can probably afford an upgrade at 1B, as there’s a pretty good group available in Abreu, Smoak, and Encarnacion. But more likely is Reddick (or Brantley or Alvarez) converting to 1B during the offseason to allow Gurriel to shift to a platoon/bench role and make room for Tucker.
It's a little concerning that even though Tucker has been hitting the ball well since his miserable April, his SwStr% is still over 15% for the season, more than 3% higher than last season in Fresno. That really needs to come down if he is to have success at the next level.
Carlos Calderon has gotten his pro career off to a nice start; he's 3-0 with an 0.81 ERA in seven appearances (two starts) down in the Dominican. He's allowed 6 runs (2 earned) on 13 hits, walked 14, and struck out 27. He got the start today and allowed an unearned run on four hits, walked two, and struck out five in four innings of work. Calderon, a 17-year-old Dominican, signed on July 2 last year... obviously, it's the lowest level on the minor league ladder, but he might be someone to put in the back of your mind. And... Yohander Martinez turned in yet another two-hit game after coming off the bench.
Why does it seem everybody here seems to want Yuli to become a bench player. He's a professional hitter, who right now is the Astros hottest hitter. He also hit one of the biggest homeruns in franchise history. I would be happy if Tucker turns out to be as good as Yuli is. You could do alot worse than having Yuli starting on your team.
All of these hitters are getting paid (minor leaguers not very much) so by definition, they're all professional hitters.
Gurriel is a solid, above average hitter with an elite ability to avoid strikeouts. But he’s not a great hitter. He rarely walks and his power is merely average. He offers no baserunning value and is generally regarded as an average fielder at 1B and below average fielder at 3B. Bottom line, in 3 full seasons worth of games, he’s been worth a total of 4.2 fWAR. That’s barely an everyday-worthy player, and certainly not what anyone should hope for from Tucker. I like El Pina. Seems like a good dude and I like guys who don’t strike out. But on a championship team he’s best used as a bench bat.
Astros can't afford an 8.4 million dollar bench bat next year. Either he's starting at 1st or he needs to be moved with a prospect to shed his salary.
Put it this way: I think a Reddick/Gurriel 1B platoon could put up a .280/.380/.480 line with 25 HR and decent defense (2.9 fWAR), for $21.4M total. Those stats are what Anthony Rizzo put up last season, and I think most would agree he’s worth $21M/yr.
All things being equal wouldn't the Astros use the exact same infielders next year as this? The four starters and Diaz backing everything up?
