If he's the best 1B option then that is still weak and below average for an MLB 1b spot. Better than Abreu for sure, but hopefully that's not the best option the team has. It's like being in a blizzard without a coat. A sweater is better than nothing but won't stop you from looking for a coat (or freezing to death)
Espada said the three options at 1B are Loperfido, singleton and dubon. I want to see Loper and singleton get some run, but if they don’t distinguish themselves or give us MLB quality ABs, Caratini should be considered. Sadly, it’s not a HOF group. The real answer might lie outside the organization, but until then, options ain’t great and there’s a world in which Caratini might be the best LHB there.
He won’t play but I like Amaya as a potential bench piece. Good defensive player who doesn’t strike out, has below average power but enough to keep pitchers honest. Doesn’t offer much on the bases but that’s why he was available pretty cheap.
The problem is the pace of the game... hear me out: there's never been a limitation on timing/pace between swings until now. Managers and players both (well, esp HOU AstrosBaseball org) haven't figured out how to manage that pace.
never shouldve let Brent Strom walk... how come Dusty was able to retain all the other coaches other than Strom? (how come Crane wasn't able to retain Strom) why not elevate Strom to Manager?
Because it wasn’t Crane’s decision for him to leave, it was Strom’s. Strom was here for 2 Dusty years (20, 21) and they didn’t always see eye-eye and like many of us, he was getting too old for dealing with bullshit. Rather than retire, he chose to work in a place that he could also retire… and happened to help get that team to a WS as well. Can’t fault him for making the “wrong” decision on his end.