Super 2 has likely passed, but we won't know for a few years for sure. It is the smart thing to wait to be absolutely 100% positive Super 2 has passed, but needing something to be absolutely 100% positive before taking a chance is the defining characteristic of a chicken.
Wasn't Gurriel supposed to be the guy that can move all over the infield? He should be playing 2B or 3B with Bregman at SS, if Correa/Altuve are both out for a while. 1B should be wide open now, if we want it to be. It's really about whether they want Alvarez playing as opposed to Kemp or Mayfield as middle infielders.
Astros played last night without an IF on the bench. Astros would have lost the DH if someone on IF got hurt. Yuli, in particular, needs some time off. Fisher basically is redundant with Kemp except he can't play 2B. If Alvarez comes up, it will likely be Fisher or a reliever (if bullpen gets some rest first) that goes down.
When you're talking about the potential of forcing your owner to spend an additional $10-20M because you didn't want to wait an extra 2 weeks, I don't think calling Luhnow a chicken is going to faze him.
Yep. Some people just don't understand. We are 7.5 games up in our division. Which is the blue-print for baseball folks. Win your ****ing division. Get best record in the MLB? Of course that is the goal, but not a requirement. We proved that in the 2017 WS. If we were 7.5 games back in our division, Alvarez would have already been up. This is not Rocket Science.
It isn't meant to phase him. I'm fine waiting a couple extra weeks (except when I'm drunk). It is what I would do. I'd also have no delusions of grandeur. I'd know I'd be acting like a chicken.
Agree - I meant that people like Kemp/Mayfield should be on the bench (or spelling Gurriel, if he needs rest), not in the starting lineup. Before, the argument was that there was no place for Alvarez to play, but he can fit in easily now.
Patience, the team has to evaluate the talent it has. You bring in a guy too soon, it might affect trade value, for him or another player, it can affect confidence, development... It’s fairly assumed that Tucker will be On This squad sooner rather than later. Alvarez might get called up or he may get traded... Luhnow knows how important defense is, so Alvarez is likely getting scrutinized. Alvarez trade value has to be pretty high. Tucker is mashing the ball in Round Rock, he’s got superstars stats despite his terrible start to the season. Oh and Tucker can hold his own defensively.
Marisnick is going to be the regular CF. I think Fisher will get the bulk of the time in LF, with Brantley DHing. White will play the infield regularly, and Kemp, Mayfield, and Straw will mix in as needed.
Awesome. Need a guy to play CF: call up Alvarez (nope, how about a guy who can actually do it) Need a guy who can play all 3 IF spots? call up Alvarez (nope, how about a guy who can actually do it) I'm as ready to see White go away as anyone.
They already have a guy that can play 3 IF spots: Gurriel. They also have 3 other backup middle infielders on the roster in Kemp, Mayfield, and now Straw, along with White as yet another light-hitting infielder. It's fairly redundant. You can play an infield of Alvarez/Gurriel/Bregman and 1 of Kemp/Mayfield/Straw, with a 2nd one as a backup so everyone can get rest. That still leaves White on the roster as well. There's no need for all of these guys on the roster.
The Astros have no reason to panic at this point. The injuries have racked up but the wins have continued. We will try and ride this out as long as possible.
No they don't. Just stop it. Have you watched Yuli play 2B? ....... we all know why they're not called up yet, and that's ok. Give it a week.
I'd like to give a tremendous amount of credit to management for having the insight to try Straw out at SS, telling him it would increase his value (especially with Tucker, Fisher, Alvarez), while providing themselves insurance for Correa's propensity to get hurt. Genius.
Yes - and he can play it. It won't be great, but the difference between him and Kemp is not that much. If you don't like that, put Yuli at 3B and Kemp/Mayfield at 2B, as they did today. Regardless of the configuration, you don't need 4 AAA infield players in Straw, Kemp, Mayfield and White (or 5 if you add Fisher for CF when you also have Straw and Marisnick). 2 of them will almost always be on your bench.
