Gregerson's career ERA in the 8th inning is 1.98, which is obviously superb, while his ERA last season was over 3. On the flip side, pretty much every peripheral stat says it was the best season of his career. I'm definitely looking forward to Gregerson/Giles handling the back-end.
Giles will be the closer, we gave a lot of talent for a 9th inning guy, not a set up reliever. This is a domino effect, now we have an above average set up reliever, and Sipp/Neshek in the 7th. The 6th inning will be Harris. We still need another left handed reliever in the bullpen.
I think he ultimately ends up with the 9th, but I also think Hinch will make him earn it. I think Greg breaks camp as the closer.
That would mean that Gregerson would have to actively fail to lose the job.... Giles can be as lights out/electric as possible in the 8th, but highly unlikely that would lead to him *earning* the position. Obviously I'd rather not have the team face blown saves/losses in order to put the pitcher with better stuff as the closer.... also I'd rather it not be simply due to seniority/experience reasons as Gregerson is also new to this closer gig, and if you're worried about experience, he has more experience handling the 8th inning anyways. We do know that there will be roles assigned (as much as everybody likes the idea of a different closer any given night, it simply won't happen)... will be intriguing to see how the club undergoes that evaluation process this spring.
I want guys to have assigned roles, but I want Hinch to put in his best option in big spots (like the bases being loaded with a 4-run lead in the 8th inning of a playoff game).
Wasn't Gregerson put in that spot? Or was it Sipp? And if it was a lefty at the plate, wouldn't Sipp have been the better option (as he was the best bullpen pitcher down the stretch and was still doing well in the playoffs)? Sorry if my normally precise memory is forgetting the specifics, as I've almost completely blocked out that horrible game that I had the joy of watching in person (was actually next to Charlie Pallilo who was completely shocked that Correa missed that double-play ball up the middle).
Harris was left in to face a 4th batter, then Sipp came in, and lastly Gregerson. Outcome probably would have been the same, as it involved a lot of weak contact from the Royals that just found holes. I'm still more angry at Gomez than anyone for what happened there.
Yeah, that's what I recall... Harris actually was lucky to get out of the inning before that as it ended up being a replay review at 3B on a caught stealing or fielders choice that ended up getting the Stros out of the inning. The fact that the Royals came back in similar fashion against both the Jays and the Mets does lead to the probability of a similar outcome... and also creates the impetus for acquiring a pitcher that can strike guys out consistently.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Guys taking grounders at 1B. Singleton, Reed, White, Duffy & Tucker. <a href="https://t.co/xgFsKkXv3R">pic.twitter.com/xgFsKkXv3R</a></p>— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) <a href="https://twitter.com/JuliaMorales/status/702836378195857412">February 25, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Spoiler
It was epic... in contrast to Bregman, very little was discussed regarding actual baseball. The best part was they went into details on how much work it is to run club astros... and possible upgrades this year. His girlfriend also makes him eat vegetables... "What the hell is a zucchini?!?" Just overall a fun interview that was all entertainment.... GS has come a long way with his stuttering issues, and while he's a fun-loving/easy-going guy, you can tell that he relishes his role as the vocal clubhouse leader. He also said that Correa is on the verge of owning everything anyways... (in a totally respectful/in-awe way). You should be able to find it on the PGS/790 podcast.
I'm an ignorant old man that can barely use a smart phone, I'll have to ask for help with a link. They did say they were going to replay the interview in the 9 o'clock hour.
I really liked what I read from Gregerson recently. That's all what I wanted to hear from him. http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Luke-Gregerson-wants-to-close-but-says-we-re-6856834.php
