I do not discount Dubon's regular season last year but he needs to do it again before I believe it's more than just a 1 year wonder. Many many players have a single all-star caliber season and are never able to duplicate it. However I will point out that without Altuve's injury and Dusty's sudden decision to start him in CF and bench Meyers once JV joined the team (Meyers had 95 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR, Dubon had 80 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR in 93 more PAs at the time) Dubon doesn't even get to 1 WAR. And I point out REGULAR SEASON. He got 5 PA in the ALDS and the Astros won. He started 5 of 7 games with a .586 OPS in 21 PAs in the ALCS and they lost.
But he did get hurt, that's the exact reason why a guy like Dubon is valuable. You are comparing him to everyday players, not his actual roster competition which is backup infielders. Your perception of what can reasonably be had from the 11th/12th man on a roster is askew.
He was that good in limited time in 2019 and 2020. 2021 he killed it at AAA. In fact, in general his minor league numbers were consistently very good. I don't think last year was a fluke. I'm surrounded by Giants fans and they were sad that they lost him to us a couple years ago. I think his numbers are repeatable. I agree with you about Kessinger, though. He's been a bust considering his draft position. Hasn't ever produced in the minors like Dubon did. He lacks power, doesn't run anymore, just not an offensive weapon. He's unlikely to magically improve at his age. And for that reason, I'm fine with having him as a utility guy getting occasional ABs in the majors. Dubon may be in the lineup a lot again this year and Kessinger is a guy who could come in for defense all over the infield.
Astros leaders on July 30th 2023 OBP: Meyers 6th, Dubon 10th SLG: Meyers 7th, Dubon 9th ISO: Meyers 7th, Dubon 12th wOBA: Meyers 7th, Dubon 11th wRC+: Meyers 7th, Dubon 11th fWAR: Meyers 5th, Dubon 9th Fangraphs Defensive value: Meyers 1st (+6), Dubon 3rd (+2.5) So let's bench Meyers and play Dubon the rest of the season
But once Altuve returned they kept playing him instead of sending him back to the bench where he belongs
What in the hell does that matter for 2024? Stupid ass Dusty is gone, and Dana Brown has been pretty clear where his CF hierarchy lays.
I don't understand the upset. Meyers was a regular until 8/15. Dubon ended the year very strong. His overall numbers were better than Meyers, and he had a .900+ OPS as a CF. Seems like the outcome suggest it was the right choice. Both were fairly mid overall. I was really upset Dusty refused to play Diaz and Chas full time. But Meyers? Eh... I'm not sure he's ever recovered fully from that shoulder injury in 2021.
I'm not sure Meyers is fully recovered from shoulder injury. Dubon looked improved as a hitter. That said, Meyers is so good defensively that Dubon should never have played CF. Dubon hitting well as well as he did as a CF could have played at SS or 1B. Meyers's defense more than made up for the difference in hitting.
Dubon was +4 OAA in CF in 102 attempts. Meyers was +9 OAA in 246 attempts. I don't see the difference in glove showing up statistically. What I do know is that Dubon has a good arm, and Meyers has a noodle by comparison. I think that's the effect of the lingering shoulder injury.
It’s only been a few games. Arrighetti apparently looked really good today. Pitchers are always ahead of hitters the first couple weeks. I’m liking what I’m reading about Loperfido.
Meyers is a really good defensive centerfielder but I don’t know that he is THAT special. The Astros arguably have a couple better ones in the minors and when arm is considered - Pedro Leon may be better…. Jose Siri was as good when on the Astros too. With Meyers it all comes down to him hitting and staying healthy.
I know it's early. Cabbage striking out twice today doesn't make me feel good. I'm hoping for a JD Martinez turnaround. I know it's not realistic but it is possible.
Arrighetti is a really weird prospect. I have read a lot of industry people talk about his ceiling being really limited. When I have seen him, that isn’t my observation at all. I think there is actually a world where he is very good, it’s just that the chances of it happening are like 10-15%. He does max out his delivery effort and he also goes through periods where he walks too many guys. However his arm delivery is really hard to pick up consistently and he naturally changes his release point several times a game. Couple that with some late movement and he is really hard to make strong contact against when he is focused. Sometimes I feel that the industry fails to take into account how well a pitchers offerings dove tail into each other, and sometimes they really discount how some deliveries make it very hard to sit on a pitch or read a pitch early. It isn’t always a gimmick, some guys can hide the release point against big leaguers as well as AA players. We will have to wait and see with Arrighetti - he must get over his bouts of control issues, but if he does that, he could likely be a solid big league starter with a small upside of being a #2 starter, similar to Daryl Kile. Loperfido is a guy that really is smart, similar to Pena or Bregman… those types of guys usually exceed expectations.
