Valdez is one of the 5-10 best starting pitchers in baseball when he has command. His issue isn't between his ears, it is in his command..... he is very much a feel grip guy. When he doesn't have the grip down, he tends to leave the ball in the zone and is crushed.
He is supposed to be the hardest worker in the Astros minor league system by a long shot. He also has worked very closely with the Astros trainers designing a system that maximizes strong and lean muscles.... maybe someone else (cough the Jewish Hammer) should have done the same.....
Only if it's for the 'gram! Here's hoping Breggy can get back to his 2019 form and maintain a good get and stay healthy regimen.
There are lots of pitchers that is true of. Would be great to see him take that next step, and be a true ace. With his groundball and K rates, he could easily be more. His groundball rate is even higher than peak Dallas Keuchel. Problem is he walks more guys than Keuchel and gives up harder contact.
I don't know that there are a lot that are as extreme as Valdez, but I get your point. His walk rate was his biggest problem, he reverted back to a lot of walks after cutting them way back in 2020. Usually that type of drop back doesn't hold true but we will have to wait and see... a lot of the hard contact is a result of his lack of command. I will be very interested to see how he does in 2022, I think that will tell us a lot. I know that the pitching coaches for the Astros believe that the hand injury really prevented him from getting into the groove he needed.
Some in the Astros front office called him the Jewish Hammer and he joked about getting a tattoo his back.
Nah that is another Jewish baseball player, called the Hebrew Hammer...... Bregman was called the Jewish Hammer.... the original Hebrew Hammer was Hank Greenberg.
Command and having confidence in the pitch being thrown can also be a mental issue. Mechanics and rhythm very much mental. Slightest hitch or an unrecognized mental blip leading to pitch tipping was also suspected in the post season. No doubt there’s more than one explanation… but I don’t agree that mental issues cannot impact command.
Is anyone else worried about the lack of firepower in the 2022 lineup? The lineup is basically an NL lineup to begin with, only 8 deep. Yuli (5) and Brantley (3) are older hitters who completely lost their power hitting a combined 8 HR in the second half last year. McCormick was exposed once pitchers had a chance to adjust to him as he hit 4 hr with .382 slg in 2nd half vs 10 hr and .514 In 1st half. Essentially same number of plate appearances. If Correa does not resign and they hand the reigns to Pena, this lineup could suddenly have only 4 players with 15+ hr. Or even 10+. It could be the 70s all over again but without the base stealing.
In 2021 we had the 2nd best OPS in MLB and the 2nd most runs scored. And that was with Bregman having a down year. I agree we'll take a step back offensively if Correa leaves, but I think the offense is still sufficient to win a championship. The pitching should improve with Verlander and hopefully a healthy McCullers throughout the playoffs. If we find that we are weak in an area, then hopefully the front office can address it at the trade deadline.
Not at all. Brantley is a great hitter. Yuli I could see dropping off some, but not to a terrible level. I think Maldonado will have a better year that will offset any Yuli decline (not that Maldy will hit well, just better than the year he had). Bregman should be a big improvement to the lineup. Jeremy Pena is strong. He hit 10 HRs in only 30 games at Sugarland.
While I agree on Brantley, Yuli, and somewhat on McCormick (looks more like natural regression after a hot streak than pitchers adjusting), the Astros are still likely a top 5 offense if not the best in baseball. I do expect the Astros to add an OF.
If the Astros don't resign Correa (which would be a major surprise if they do), they intend to add another bat to the line up to off set the loss of offense with Correa. While the Astros aren't the Yankees with a healthy Judge/Stanton/Gallo..... they should get a good number of homers from Altuve, Tucker, Alvarez and Bregman. Last year Bregman was banged up, if he is healthy he is good for 25-40 homers. Alvarez and Tucker both are candidates to hit with more power if they stay healthy. Gurriel and Maldonado likely get you 12-20 each as well. I agree with you that I don't think Brantley is going to hit a lot of homers.... but Pena really may surprise people, his wrists are extremely impressive.... and the outfielder they sign or trade for likely will have some pop as well. Personally I am more concerned about the bullpen and possibly the rotation if Verlander cant give 200 innings.
The 2021 lineup "only" had 4 players with more than 15 HRs. However, with the exception of catcher and pitcher, they had 7 positions with more than 15 HRs.
