https://blogs.fangraphs.com/yordan-alvarez-and-the-replacement-level-bunch/ Article on Yordan’s rough April. Looks like he just isn’t making as good of swing decisions as he normally does.
We have the pitching to win it all this season. We just need health and our hitters to start hitting. Alvarez and Diaz are still way underperforming.
Jeff Pissant on Hunter Brown … It all started May 11, 2024, in Detroit, where Brown grew up rooting for the Tigers and trying to emulate Justin Verlander. He had fiddled with seemingly everything since the Kansas City nightmare, changing his stride and hand placement during his delivery to no avail. He had sought counsel from teammates -- Verlander, Hader and veteran reliever Ryan Pressly. His best advice came from hitters, though, when Brown presented them with a question: If you were facing me, what would you be looking for? "Oh, Brown, that's easy," nine-time All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve told him. "Hard and away." Brown asked Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña the same question and was greeted with the identical answer. Ditto for longtime Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. Each said Brown's arsenal, with his four-seamer, cutter, slider and curveball breaking to his glove side, needed a complementary offering inside to right-handed hitters particularly. His two-seamer re-debuted May 5 against the Mariners but found its footing six days later at Comerica Park. "It's no secret. At the time I was pitching terribly," Brown said. "I knew I was running out of time. Something had to give. I just switched my mentality. Like, all right, this is going awful. I got to see all my family and friends, and I was like, 'You know what, if this is my last major league game for a while, I'm gonna go out there and let it all loose.'" … Slowly, Brown cobbled together strong starts and began to live up to the nickname given to him a few years earlier, when he was at Triple-A. The team had gathered at the airport at 3:30 a.m. to return home, and Brown was pounding a drink loaded with caffeine. Why, his teammate Pete Solomon asked, would he do that in the middle of the night when their flight wasn't scheduled to land until 8 a.m.? "Hey, man," Brown said. "You put diesel in, you get diesel out. I've got stuff to do today."
What I wish we’d do for the next 4 weeks: Peña - SS Altuve - 2B/LF/DH Yordan - DH/LF Paredes- 3B Smith- RF Walker- 1B Chas- CF Diaz/caratini- catcher Dezenzo- LF/2B hit those guys for a month. If it looks good cool. If Dezenzo doesn’t look like a dude send him down. If Chas doesn’t look good send him down or trade him for a bucket of balls. If Diaz doesn’t start hitting I’d be surprised but give Caratini the big share of the split and work on whatever it is you need to work on with Diaz. Let Yordan play some LF and see if that can get him going. Let Dezenzo try some 2B (with the fly ball pitcher types) and see if he can handle that. DH Altuve regularly. If Dezenzo hits and Chas doesn’t I’d like to see smith try CF for a month. I hate Espada’s constant juggling of the lineup, Cam’s not playing regularly enough, Jake is playing too much as is Dubon. Smith has graduated into a dude, now it’s time to see if Chad and Zach do the same. If not the quicker you get that information the better, and then you can focus on getting another bat.
Shitty way to end the series but things are looking up. Rodgers has been hitting the ball well. Dezenzo continues to rake and Meyers is nearly leading the position players in WAR. Feel like that it might be time to trade Chas and some excess pitching for a lefty bat or prospects.
I feel like they are definitely trying to unload Chas. Makes no sense to have him on the roster. Probably not playing him because they fear his performance will scare away suitors. Espada and Brown probably have zero confidence in Chas. or at least Brown
He’s played well in the opportunities he’s had. I think if anything things are just crowded with Altuve in the OF and needing to find PAs for Smith and Dezenzo. Not enough PAs to go around. It’s too bad Chas had such a tough season last year or he’d probably be a lot easier to move.
Chas had a poor April last year and then got hurt. When he came back he wasn’t a starter anymore. He never really got a fair opportunity to win his job back, even when Meyers was struggling really badly at the plate for over 3 straight months. The organization has never viewed Chas as an important piece. This was obvious when he didn’t even start over Meyers or low prospect rookie Cory Julks in the first 2 games of 2023. Chas forced them to play him in 2023 because he was red hot but Dusty was still sitting him like every 3rd game, looking for something else. They had to start him in 2024 because of 2023, but he had a bad April, got hurt, and that was really it for Chas as a semi-full time guy. He has to perform at an elite level to get semi-consistent playing time. I would say it’s a waste of a roster spot at this point. Let him go where maybe he’ll be wanted. I’m sure the Astros are trying to do just that.
Unless something has changed in the last month, the players that other teams want and that the Astros have been willing to listen to have been young pitchers in or near the big leagues. Spencer Arrighetti being the primary name I have heard brought up. His name has been connected to the Astros getting a hitter under team control that is at least solid. Dana Brown is big on starting pitching but has been listening - and is a known fan of a couple of arms in the minors close to the big leagues... so I think we may see a move made, especially if McCullers proves somewhat dependable.
