Stay on the road long enough that the home stadium also feels like an away park. Chess, not chutes n ladders.
On this day 9 years ago (Sept. 29, 2014), I posted the following on Facebook: Astros hire AJ Hinch as new manager... A psychology major from Stanford. Former manager of Arizona with a 89-123 record. ...and I roasted the Astros for that selection.
Within a full calendar year it is reasonable to consider any prospect already in AA or AAA to potentially be ready for the major leagues. Loperfido, Wagner, Leon, Whitcomb, and Hamilton are 5 AAA position players who could be ready to help Houston early next season. I expect Whitcomb to be added to the 40 man roster this fall which gives him a leg up. Arrighetti, Gordon, Kouba, Tamarez, and Solis are pitchers in AAA who could be up by mid-2024; Tamarez and Solis are Rule 5 eligible. Forrest Whitley is out of options so could make the opening day roster if he is healthy and pitches well in the spring. In AA, Brewer, Barber, Corona, Daniels, Dezenzo, and Melton are all high ceiling prospects who could be in Houston by the end of next season. I expect Barber and Corona to be added to the 40 man roster this fall which gives them a leg up. On the pitching side, Julio Robaina, Jaime Melendez, Angel Macuare, Blair Henley, Ryan Gusto, and Valente Bellozo all have moderate ceilings and are Rule 5 eligible, so it will be interesting to see which if any of those guys are added to the 40 man roster next month. Any of them who are protected are likely to see at least some time in the majors next season. If I were making a guess, I would say that Arrighetti and Gordon will see signifant time in the majors next season on the pitching side, while Whitcomb and Barber see time on the position player side. But it would not shock me if Loperfido or Wagner became a key bench piece on the 2024 Astros.
How much trade value does someone like Whitcomb have? If not the Astros, some team may be willing to see how Whitcomb performs in the MLB next season.
I'm glad we get a few days off to de-stress. Between the Astros and Texans games, my Sunday morning anxiety level was way up. The big drop later on that day felt great.
He is a grade 40/45 prospect. He was the minor league HR leader and can play SS, 2 pretty significant positives. But he has consistently posted high strikeout rates and low walk rates in the minors, which is a big drag on his value. He’s the type of prospect who usually sits on the 15-25 range of an org’s prospect list and can be traded for a rental RP or fringey rental big leaguer or included as a complementary prospect on a larger trade. For Houston I think it makes more sense to keep him for a year to see if he can take a step forward on the k rate, considering how thin they are on the middle infield in the upper minors.
