I saw this on Espn. DH is the one position that you can easily have good production. Why are the Astros undervaluing this position? "BAD STARTS: The Astros and A's rank at or near the bottom in virtually every meaningful offensive category out of the designated hitter's spot. The Astros' .186 and the A's .205 batting averages going into Wednesday were the league's two worst. The A's DH's were tied with the Chicago White Sox with the fewest home runs (8) and alone at the bottom with 33 RBI. Houston's DH's ranked third- and fourth-worst in the league with 38 RBI"
As bad as this is, I dont think it means we go out and find a DH. Rather, we continue to improve our position player staff and as that evolves, guys in need of rest or bench depth will fill the spot (in time) with guys who can hit.
I think this is more a function of bad luck than anything. Preston Tucker and Evan Gattis started off slow and by the time Gattis warmed up at all he was catching. Also I think Hinch uses the DH to for guys who need to either get rest, break out of a slump, or are trying to establish themselves. So a majority of the time Houstons DH is a guy who is either slumping, tired, or a rookie.
It's actually one of the reasons I think Reed should still be getting regular PA until Gurriel and Bregman are both on the roster. Marwin and Gattis are not good enough to be everyday players at 1B and DH. Marwin is a useful player as a platoon against lefties, and utility man, not a regular. Likewise, Gattis is useful as a platoon against lefties, and as a backup catcher, not everyday. Now they are more proven than Reed, but when the known isn't good enough, it's worth taking a risk on the unknown.
Astros DH BA is .201 and the A's BA is .252, so not sure where they got those stats from. We are the worst though
That said, I wonder how many teams are so loaded at 2nd and SS. Heck, 3rd base is also good currently and should get better when Gurriel takes the position, which then significantly improves the 1st base position. If Bregman can feel comfortable in LF... whoa.
The Astros have it backwards. The positions that are defensive minded SS and 2nd they are elite offensively (Catcher not so much) but at 1st, LF and especially DH they are way behind. Interesting philosophy to value position flexibility and rest over production.
