I think Chas gets better and better at the plate and shows plenty of pop in his bat as well as steady and effective center field defense to stave off the competition.
It will be multiple guys. I'm going with Meyers to get the plurality, but think Gilbert hits his way onto the team by September. I think Chas plays a lot of LF in 2024. I think Leon will be up and down and ultimately he or Meyers will be traded.
I think it's Jake Meyers. 450 PA in 2022 with a 105 - 110 OPS+ with great defense in CF is what I'm expecting from him in 2023. That should lock down the starting position for him in 2024.
The job is McComick's to lose. If he does lose it I have always liked Barber and hope he comes up fully formed late this season. Leon would be my second choice but I like him better as a versatile bench player. Meyers has some positive results in MLB to his credit but I would kind of like to see him traded for some depth at SS. I do not see Gilbert or Melton being ready that soon.
Drew Gilbert He focused on pitching in high school and at first in college. He has the quickest bat speed in his class, he has plus power and a developing eye. Defensively he is average speed wise for an MLB centerfielder but he gets very good reads, he has a very quick second step and a strong arm. He Should have gone in the top 10 but fell because he is only 5'9" and there are concerns that even with the bat speed, he won't hit for power and at his size he will get hurt a lot. I don't care, even if that is the case, he is Adam Eaton and I am cool with that........ a 4-6 WAR centerfielder with a 750-800 OPS? Sounds great to me. If he hits for power? Then we have an all star. The tools are really strong for him...... and he continues a trend of the Astros being willing to take shorter guys that have quick bats.
I'm holding out for Trout (with Ohtani) after LAA sucks again. ~ this is 95% tongue in cheek and 5% Hopium~
I voted for Chaz but I sure hope it's Gilbert. I think Gilbert's going to bring something to this team from an attitude standpoint. He really reminds me of Lenny Dykstra in a good way.
The two people who come to mind when stature concerns them when it comes to mind are Jimmy Wynn, who many have not heard of, and Jose Altuve, who almost everyone on this board knows. They were both short in stature, but not in strength. By I remember the Toy Cannon along with the Rooster being painted on the seats in the highest deck of the Astrodome.
Its Chas's position to lose. Not saying he wont. I like the situation. But I would like some clarity about it before SP is over.
This time next week we'll have real Spring training games to talk about. We might not recognize many of the names, but it will be baseball.
Just because the thread is here doesn't mean it was created for you. If it doesn't interest you just ignore it and move on to the next one. apprently other people don't mind it. JFC
Yeah I like the thread. It’s really great to be an Astro fan, because we are going to be a decade long dynasty and with the attitude of this organization it might be several decades as at least a playoff contender. Gilbert and Leon really have me most excited from a CF perspective, but man we have a lot of OF options. We are obviously the AL WS favorite, so there really isn’t a lot to talk about for 2023.
It's also worth noting the two are not mutually exclusive. We can worry about who the CF will be in 2023 and in 2024 simultaneously.
Smart move by Dana Brown to try to stimulate competition from the top 4-5 CF prospects. The best results occur when you have a strong collection of talent PLUS intense competition for the job. Complacency and staleness occurs when you have safe, entrenched starters. Getting Gilbert, Leon, Meyers, and even Barber and Melton thinking about competing immediately for the CF job with McCormick is fantastic. This is a move straight out of The_Conquistador's managerial playbook for getting the most out of my employees.
