It looks like altuve doesn't draw a lot of walks, is that right? His average is almost what his obp is.
Again, small sample size. Altuve showed decent plate discipline in the minors, particularly at the lower levels. It's too early to pass judgment on what he'll do at this level. Same with Martinez. I think Altuve is a contact hitter with a good eye (sort of like Keppinger... not a whole lot of BBs but low SOs) and it will show at some point. Not uncommon for young players to come up and be aggressive like this.
Don't like that comparison. Altuve has a better eye and is a much better contact hitter who won't SO as much. I see what you're saying in that it's not clear whether Altuve will walk "a lot" but it's too early to tell. All signs are that he has a much better eye than Paredes though.
JD's 1st inning blast...nice swing right here. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17805779&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_17805779&v=3
What's the scouting report on Shuck as a CF, defensively? Is his issue a lack of range, instincts, or ? The reason I ask is that I love his approach at the plate, and he seems a likely candidate to have a solid OBP at the Major League level. If Shuck could even be passable in center, defensively, he could be a nice placeholder starter for a few years while Springer and others develop. Obviously, he's not a viable starter in LF/RF based on lack of power. (Yes, I know his starts thus far have been in right. I'm just wondering if we should be trying him in CF and seeing what happens, given this lost season, or if that's just a lost cause.)
Not watching, only following via gamecast and some early radio, but it appears Wandy didn't have his best stuff early and survived. Now, he appears to be locked in and his line, minues 4 walks, looks outstanding. Good thing too, apparently they're tons of scouts there.
I think Shuck lacks the range to play CF full time at MMP. He could probably be okay in a normally stadium but with so much room to cover, it limits him. I wouldn't mind giving him a shot anyway, his approach is refreshing.
I think the astros definitely have the makings of a great offense. Specially if singleton is who he claims to be. This could get interesting.
Martinez, Altuve, Ovando, Springer, Singleton and #1 pick next year's draft. I think our future is pretty bright.
Throw in a possible rotation of Norris, Lyles, Cosart, Clemens and Foltyz...interesting young team on our hands in 2 to 3 years. All this assuming Crane doesn't spend on FAgents. I don't think he will go nuts in FAgency but I wouldn't be surprised if he targeted an individual or two to go after when the time is right...much like Drayton did with Drabek and Swindell. Josh Beckett becomes a FAgent in 2015...just saying lol
I know it is just a few games, and I know that the first few at bats for a hitter can be overblown once pitchers figure them out, but JD Martinez seems like the guy has a FLARE and he is CREATING big moments in every game. And with Altuve getting on on a consistent basis, JD is seeing a lot of opportunity and taking advantage of it.
I'm leaving Wednesday for Hawaii, but I stop in Phoenix for one night and Thursday morning I catch the flight to Maui. So it's a pretty cool coincidence that my 'Stros are playing the one day I'm in Arizona. So with that said, I'm deciding if I should go Wednesday night to the game. It would be cool to check out Chase Field... Ahh what the hell, I'll probably go. Won't be wearing an Astros jersey though, don't wanna face the embarrasment.
Only 17,000 folks there last night so you should find a good seat. If you have kids with you, they all get in free with one paid adult ticket.
