Guillorme over Rodgers for the defense? The 7-9 of that lineup is rough. Would Whitcomb provide more value than Guillorme or Rodgers as still has potential.
Agreed, I know you're not supposed to make much of ST but it'd nice to see what they've had Jake work on in the off-season be reflected.
Guillorme is as good of a defender as Rodgers imho and Guillorme is much better against RHP than Rodgers. I am assuming Rodgers was brought in as a flyer to see if he looked like he would level up, and/or as insurance in case Dubon gets hurt before the season starts. I think he’s on the outside looking in. Guillorme is such a better fit for this roster with his ability to play SS and 3B at a high level, his lefthanded bat, his track record against RHP, and his overall ability to put the ball in play. I think Whitcomb would be a better option than Rodgers at 2B, but while I think Whitcomb’s infield defense is passable, I don’t think it’s good. I’d rather see him kept down unless/until an everyday role opens up; he showed he can be a 20/20 (or even 30/30) offensive player so I don’t want to waste him in a part time role. They need to get him 200+ pa of everyday play to see if he sinks or swims, from there if he isn’t established he can be a bench or AAAA player.
Both Chas and Jake could be a bad 6 weeks away from getting cut loose or demoted. If Smith and the other minor league OF (Whitcomb, Melton, Dezenzo) start off hot in AAA, the leash for those 2 guys will be short. One thing that is notable is that Meyers can still be optioned to the minors. So if they both suck thru May we could be looking at an everyday OF of Gamel/Dubon/Altuve, with McCormick on the bench and Meyers in Sugar Land.
Then we may be out of the playoff picture. Flashes of brilliance (prospects) do not translate to strings of winning. Learning to hit major league pitching after they adjust is what defines an mlb hitter. I’m cautious, because I believe that we have seen the tragically narrow margin between victory and defeat. As much as I like the young guys, I’m afraid we don’t have the lineup to run those two guys out that quickly. Maybe if we get Nolan, but then there’s one less spot for one of the young guns. Unless you meant September 2026 or even 2027?
I have to disagree. It is pretty easy to see Smith in right and Melton in center after mid season. The one I am doubtful of is Altuve in left field. He just does not have the arm to be a regular out there. In the late season and the play offs there is no reason to play anyone except Alvarez in LF.
Arm really doesn’t matter if he can track and catch balls well, especially in LF. He is a sieve defensively at 2B and I can guarandamntee you his arm will cost less runs than his poor 2B defense. If Altuve can’t play LF it will be because he can’t track and catch a ball, not because guys get extra bases on his arm from time to time.
You are flat out wrong about Altuve being more valuable in LF than at second this season. Maybe next year but I doubt it. Aside from that come back and talk to me when there is a better alternative to Altuve at second base on the team. Till then this is a pointless topic of discussion.
I hate the idea of wasting one of Altuve and Yordan's remaining years. This team is flawed and will need luck to compete. They struggled offensively last year and replaced Tucker and Bregman with Walker and Paredes- maybe a wash, but certainly not an improvement. They needed to add a 6th good bat, at least. And hitting vs RHP was the weakness of this team, and Tucker and Bregman were among the best they had. I am hopefully but not confident that the pitching staff will regain some health and a young position player or two will break through. But the time needs to be now. Every player on the 40 man roster will be at least 25 years old this season. Think about that. Altuve is 35, Alvarez is 28. 3 years from now they will be 38 and 31 respectively. Walker, Pena, Paredes, McCormick, Meyers, Caratini, Dubon, Framber, Javier, McCullers, Garcia, and Abreu will be gone. This team needs the young players to break through now if they are going to continue to be competitive beyond this 3 year window Oh, and they must win at least once during it as well.
As long as the outfield options look like they do, this is exactly a pointed topic of discussion. This team is very likely better with Altuve in LF and another 2b option there, than Altuve at 2b and one of the other LF options starting.
There's part of me that just wants to youth movement the whole thing so we DONT waste the last years of Yordan and Altuve's contracts. If we can end up with Matthews and Smith on this team sooner rather than later, the better off they'll be and the better they'll get. I don't really care what you do with Whitcomb, Guillorme, the guy from Colorado - keep them for emergency in AAA. Throw Dezenzo into the mix in the outfield and fight for every game. This team feels better suited to be an underdog, which I like better anyway. The days of the recent monster team in Houston are in the past, but if they play their cards right and prep these kids . . . this year and the next three could be special again. I want to get these guys in there . . . and relive 2015 again so that 2017 gets here sooner, rather than later.
I'd love that to happen, but saying it would be easy for Cam, a 2nd year pro, with all of 5 games above A ball, to start in RF (a position he does not have experience at) in for the Astros by midseason is a lot to ask. And let's pump the brakes on Melton, who slashed .253/.310/.426 between AA and AAA last season, being an impact bat for us in that same time frame. Among all batters who got at least 10 games in at Sugarland, he was 15th in OPS. I'd love for both of those to happen, because that would mean they both excelled in the minors in April/May/June. But it's not likely or "pretty easy to see". If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.
I don't get why anyone would think Alvarez is a better outfielder than Altuve. A rather have a guy with a weak arm that can catch the ball out of the air and chase down a ball off the wall than a guy that I'm afraid is going to get hurt anytime the ball doesn't come directly to him.
Adding a great defensive 3B who is declining two years running won’t help allow one of those guys to have time to adjust If Chas don’t hit it won’t be September before we see a Melton and / or Smith, Dana moves guys much more quickly than that
It’s funny to me how many people have an opinion on how Altuve is in the OF when NONE of us have ever saw him play there
I can't get behind the logic we are wasting one of Altuve and/or Yordan's last years. Too many unknowns for me to be all upset over nothing. There are worlds where Walker/Parades outperform Tucker/Bregman with the caveat Cam Smith could really be this good. Starters are coming off injuries and there's this thing called the deadline. Finally, we are in the AL West... there is time to figure it all out.
If these guys had solid samples in the upper minors I’d agree. Smith is basically coming out of A ball. Dezenzo was hurt most of last year and barely managed to log 200 pa. Melton was very mediocre in AAA last season and is currently hurt. If there’s a guy who seems like is justified in giving a long look to early in the season, it’s Whitcomb. His numbers were good enough in AAA last year to warrant a solid shot, and he definitely didn’t look overmatched at the plate in his small big league sample. It wouldn’t upset me at all if he opened the season as the everyday 2B.
His fielding ability is still a question mark. I know Brown doesn't think much of him as an infielder. I think there will lots of opportunity of him with the question marks around Chas and Meyers. Now if Chas plays closer to the 2023 version and Altuve ends up being average in LF, we will be contending again this season. Chas can really make our season if he shows last season was an aberration.
