Meyers value reminds me of Dexter Fowler, he’s a very good player that will help you win while he’s still on his rookie contract. Not quite a star, but you’re in good shape if he’s hitting 7-9.
We're playing so much better right now, and there is still a ton of room for roster improvement. Pitching literally without a 5th starter, and we have 3 guys hopefully on their way back from injury to rectify that. Tucker, probably our most valuable all around player, has missed the entire stretch. We are still getting very little production out of 1B and LF/DH opposite of Yordan, the easiest positions in baseball to add offense. There are also a few key players (Diaz, Bregman, Yordan) who I'm confident will have substantially better number by years end, and nobody who I think is due for a big regression.
They are certainly setup for a 2nd half run. They have 3 very good starters and the anomaly that is Hunter Brown. All of a sudden it feels like the best team in the AL for the 8th season in a row. Baseball is weird and I still can’t put my finger on the Abreu effect on the team.
I think Brown has figured something out on a consistent basis now. Maybe he won't be an outlier anymore. I felt like it was important for him to take a leap this year from the dismal season last year and so far, he's been better for the majority of the season. Would be a huge boost for him to be a net plus consistently in this rotation that desperately needs it.
I think Abreu was optioned to Florida May 1. The Astros pitching prior to May had a 5.10 ERA. After May 1 Astros pitching has a 3.58 ERA. Their opponents OPS is about 50 points lower and their K / W ratio has gone from 2 to 2.5. The Astros had 4 blown out of 6 save opportunities prior to May 1. They’ve blown 6 out of 22 since. Abreu was bad and contributing to their poor record. He was also indirectly blocking some of the younger guys who have stepped up. There is no indication he was causing problems in the clubhouse though and the Abreu “effect” is that pitching has been much better (and to a lesser extent Bregman has been much better).
It looks like he either fixed a tell in his delivery or has found a way to be more deceptive in it. That mid 90’s fastball is all of a sudden missing a lot of at bats. It’s a big change. Baseball and golf have a ton of similarities in that one simple mechanic can change everything. I’m hoping what I have seen the last several starts is what I mentioned because it truly looks like it is.
His velocity on the fastball has been up, they've also been throwing it less. Used to be 40-50% and it's been down to 25-30% over his good stretch. They've also decreased usage of the breaking balls and started throwing sinkers and cutters instead. It's far simpler repertoire that gives a ton of room for missing spots.
True. That absolutely is a factor. I guess for me it’s more about missing bats in hitters counts. Being late while sitting fastball is something I’ve noticed with the hitters lately. Something is going on.
Hunter brown said the increased usage of cuttter has been the difference. He is able to throw it for strikes more consistently, esp when he struggles with 4 seam command. And it helps the 4 seam play up, and he can just rip it into the zone without being as worried about location.
I was thinking about this the other day. These guys are a team that have consistently been winners and they know a fellow winner when they see one. They know a loser when they see one too, and this particular loser got run out there every day. The front office did nothing to ameliorate the situation. To the team this probably felt like ownership had hung a stinking albatross from their necks. The relief of seeing him gone was all it took to turn the team around. Clubhouse cancers are not always easily recognizable. I think Abreu was probably a genuinely good guy and a hard worker but left the team feeling like they had been saddled with a loser and nobody cared enough to spend the money to get rid of him.
I would never call Abreu a loser. He is a former MVP who by all accounts worked his ass off and was loved and respected in the clubhouse. That makes him far from a loser. Father Time is undefeated and he never put himself in the lineup.
Former winner - loser. Potato - Potahto. The difference in how the team is performing is hard to ignore.
The record without Tucker only leads me to wanting to trade him more now. He is not signing next year unless Crane backs up the Brink's Truck. Do the Deshawn 2.0 trade. Trade him for his own replacement and Breg's as well. With JV's option looking in jeopardy for next year. This would take us from almost the 2nd tier of luxury tax to having some FA money in the off season. Just spit balling here. It will never happen but...........
The Astros are winning Despite Tucker hurt, not because of it. The chances of Tucker bringing back a package that includes anyone who is as good as him in 2025 is extremely remote, so they can't do it if they expect to compete in 2025. Though I would personally be very excited for 2026+
