Pitcher impression may not be totally inaccurate, if they’re having to frequently override his calls to get the same result.
If pitchers are overriding his calls frequently, wouldn't that mean that the pitchers share some of the blame? Whether Stassi is good at game calling or not, the pitcher's perception of it matters a lot. If 10% of the extra runs are Stassi's fault and 90% of the extra runs are the pitcher's fault for not trusting Stassi, the solution is still likely the same as if it is 100% Stassi's fault. Get someone besides Stassi to catch. Whether fair or not, it is on Stassi to call games well and to get pitchers to trust that he'll call games well. It is just much easier to replace 1 catcher than a pitching staff on the fly. Edit: I have no idea who is to blame. I just know that Stassi gets to take the blame even if pitchers are generally part diva.
"The beautiful thing is he's got a live fastball and he's got a quick, deceiving arm action and the changeup is just a f----ing power pitch," McCullers said. "He doesn't realize it yet, but it is and it will be, when he learns kind of how to mix and match and do his things and creates that plan." Arizona is going to be kicking themselves hard if that change-up is legit and repeatable.
Gotcha! I think you're right in that he was the pitcher we were willing to move versus Whitley in our pursuit of Goldy and Realmuto. Great spot to be in with the prospects we still have in the system and the talent that has made their way to "the show.". I wonder what Luhnow has in mind for a mid-season acquisition. Hopefully, he'll be able to extend either Verlander or Cole. And then have a couple of the young arms pan out to help with the payroll crunch that's coming as the bats get expensive.
Love this, we have an interesting group of young pitchers that could make some noise over the next 1-2 seasons. Pretty underrated pitching prospects in our system IMO. The more coaching these young guys can get from Cole, McCullers, Verlander and Strom the better. Not many teams can boast that kind of pitching prowess/saviness. They are all students of the game and able to teach others how to pitch to the best of their ability.
Whitley had a pretty great outing today. Struck out Goldschmidt twice and had 6 total over three innings.
He can still play in ST games as needed, IIRC. It just means that not enough PT for him on MLB team for him to be in MLB camp as Stassi, Cheerios need to get ready.
The Astros scratched Altuve (side) from the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. It's the second time in three days that Altuve has been listed in Houston's lineup before being scratched as a result of left side soreness. Manager AJ Hinch suggested Saturday that he's unconcerned with Altuve's injury and labeled the star second baseman as day to day. With Opening Day just under three weeks away, Altuve has plenty of time to put the injury behind him and erase any lingering doubt about his ability to handle an everyday role.
Jose Altuve (side) won't return to Grapefruit League action until at least next weekend. He'll be held out of baseball activities altogether as the Astros try to get his left side soreness to subside. Altuve has had to be scratched from the lineup a couple times over the last few days, but the team remains confident the injury isn't a long-term thing. "We feel very good about the fact this is a minor issue," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We are going to sit him for a few days and do no activity just to make sure. He’s doing fine, his spirits are up, he’s Jose Altuve. He’ll recover fine." (... Game is on ATTSW right now)
