My bad, he was 24 the first year he got playing time. C4 was just an old nickname, he was indeed #3 iirc.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> officially reassign SS Carlos Correa, LHP Darin Downs, C Tyler Heineman, RHP James Hoyt & IF Gregorio Petit to minor league camp.</p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/582162878997786624">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Downs, Heineman, Hoyt & Petit will remain with the club thru the exhibition season.</p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/582162933322416128">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Additionally, the club optioned RHP Jake Buchanan, IF Matt Dominguez and C Max Stassi to minor league camp.</p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/582162968843935744">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Spoiler <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>By my count, Astros have 21 of 25 roster spots nailed down. Need final starting pitcher, one reliever & two backup position players.</p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/582165115832823808">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>My picks for the final four roster spots: Grossman, Villar, Thatcher and Roberto Hernandez.</p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/582167672978309120">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sam Deduno had been told he make the team as a long reliever. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a></p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/582153644193292288">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>With Deduno making the club, there is one bullpen spot remaining. Chapman, Thatcher and Will Harris competing. Fields injured, however.</p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/582157294609272832">March 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In his 40+ plate appearances (granted, a small sample size), Valbuena's line is .395/.442/.684/1.126. Valbuena was 7th in OPS among ML third basemen last year, Dominguez was 23rd (last among qualifiers). This spring Dominguez's line is .250/.282/.250/.532.
Not that surprising to me. Valbuena was an average-above average starting 3B last season and Matty D was the worst everyday player in the majors last year. Valbuena doesn't have anything to prove. Matty D was always going up against MarGo and Villar for a back-up infield position, and given his extreme lack of positional flexibility, it's not surprising the FO is sending him to Fresno to get full time work at 3B and reps at 1B.
By many metrics, Dominguez was one of the worst everyday players in baseball last year... and the Astros had him batting in the #5 spot for a number of games. Valbuena was significantly better than him last year... and doesn't have to be all that great now to win the spot (even though he still won it outright).
He pitched extremely well this spring. I saw the phrase eye-opening used in several articles. He had a huge up-hill battle to win a spot in the bullpen. Five of the seven bullpen spots are accounted for (Qualls, Neshek, Gregorson, Fields, Sipp). Other guys have compelling reasons to make the team ahead of him: already 40-man rostered (Deduno, Wojo, Chapman, Harris, Buchanan) or expensive NRI contract (Hernandez, Thatcher). Not to mention literally everyone else has prior ML experience and Hoyt had mediocre numbers in AAA last year. It sounds like Luhnow thinks highly of the guy; this just isn't his time.
Looks like Singleton might start the year in Fresno. After a good start, he's had a horrible spring. If so this will clear up the Carter/Gattis roadblock. Marisnick should start in CF, I doubt it was promised to Rasmus. With Dominguez gone, Villar seems to have made the club, I can't imagine they start the season with only 1 backup infielder. Comes down to Presley vs Grossman. Grossman deserves it, but Presley has the guaranteed contract. Woj v Hernandez has been discussed. I think Woj should get the job, but Hernandez will get it.
Package him, Grossman, Villar and Singleton and see what you can get... probably not much as you'd be selling low on all of them.
I'm not sure you'd be selling low on Feldman. He had one of his better years last year, and I believe his contract was front-loaded, presumably to make him more attractive in a trade in the latter part of his contract.
Was mainly referring to the prospects with "potential". Feldman is what he is and most teams will realize that and value him accordingly.
Simply, he wasn't on the 40-man roster, which means the team was going to cut someone if he stayed, and the guys on the roster didn't do anything to lose that spot (except White), especially since there is a good chance Hernandez will displace somebody.
The team that Nick thinks has 3 or 4 open spots on their 40-man, and wants to trade their spare parts for our spare parts and then tries to get the engine redlined before the race even starts. #cautionflag
Made those suggestions mostly in jest... there is no team that can, or will, take on all of those players. But, if the Astros really do have needs... and there's a semblance of value left for Singleton/Villar/Grossman... this may be the year they need to act on that.
