I can't argue with any of this. The question becomes ... why didn't the Astros work on holding base runners, on running bases, on fielder positioning and on advancing runners? I suspect that if the FO ask Espada to work on these things and he did not, he would be gone ... maybe even mid-season. One can hope with all of the staff changes that the Astros will get some of these things sorted out.
NOT ADVOCATING THAT AT ALL But it's funny that it's not the Tony Gwynn's of the world that make the best hitting coaches. It's the dudes that hit .200 in AA. If you look at the current list of MLB hitting coaches, there are probably 4 that you would consider having successful MLB careers...Kevin Seitzer, Brett Boone, Pat Burrell, and Erik Chavez. The Dodgers hitting coach never even played professional baseball (he's the one that fixed JD Martinez).
So let me get this straight - you want our lineup, which regularly featured four hitters with some of the worst chase rates in baseball, to consistently hit behind in counts where they are going to get even more pitches out of the zone to chase? The issue this year was Yordan and Paredes missing so much time coupled with Walker not being the Walker of the past. Those three guys were supposed to balance the lineup with the capability of working ABs and driving in runs.
Ridiculous No. I want the manager to actually decide whether or not a player swings because the hitters can't be trusted to make a positive baseball decision. You act like every 1st pitch is in the strike zone But even if it is, what is the difference between that and what we watched in 2025? Called strikes instead of whifs out of the zone?
Nah, what you’re suggesting is ridiculous. This isn’t little league. Jeremy Peña had a career year and guess what - he swung at the first pitch a lot. Jose Altuve has made a HOF career doing the same. And once again, I explained what we watched in 2025. Yordan missed essentially the entire season. Paredes missed 60 games and played the last two weeks on one leg after no rehab stint. Pena and Meyers missed a considerable amount of games. Walker was not the same player he was in Arizona. Altuve had a significant foot injury while being 35 years old in decline. Now could they maybe work on sitting on a certain pitch or location to swing at on the first pitch? Sure, I would agree with that. Giving them the take sign is absolutely ridiculous though.
This is true...the ones that get it natrually can't teach it. The Dubons and Phil Garners of the world make the best coaches.
Giving every hitter the approval to swing at the first pitch each and every AB is stupid why even have a manager? Just let every player do whatever he wants whenever he wants. I am dumbfounded that you think laying off the first pitch of an AB after a pitcher has thrown 8 consecutive balls and couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat is ridiculous.
And how many times did Jeremy swing at the first pitch and either miss it or put a pitcher's pitch in play and get himself out? I think its very reasonable to think if Espada had given him a take sign occasionally he could have had a even better season. What if a pitcher actually thinks he is taking and throws a very hittable "get me over" pitch that Jeremy can pummel? If a hitter is too aggressive there is little to no incentive for a pitcher to throw good pitches. Hitters get themselves out. He has to think you may be taking to throw it in the strike zone if you chase often.
Yeah, you’ve lost me there. You can educate yourself with the article below on why they are swinging at the first pitch. https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/hitters-attacking-first-pitch-more-than-ever.html
When did I ever say this? This happens maybe a handful of times a season - if that’s what you’re crying about, sure give them the take sign in those situations. I’m talking about in generality here. What needs to be happening is controlled aggression on the first pitch. It seems like most of our hitters have the mentality “if it’s a strike swing” instead of looking at pitcher tendencies and only swinging if they get the pitch/location they’re looking for based on those tendencies.
What I don't understand is why you think its ridiculous that a manager may consider having a hitter take the first pitch? Once? Ever? By saying that's ridiculous you are saying a manager should never do that. And that's why I say what's the point of even having a manager if its ridiculous for him to implement that strategy. And since I did not give any details before about how often I think the manager should give a take sign, so you have a better idea, I was thinking maybe 5 times per game ( in specific situations) maybe 10-15% of the time
When did I say never give the take sign? I’m talking mainly about this comment from you below which you then double downed on with another comment about taking first pitches that I have then responded to: “From an offensive perspective, I think Espada actually and frequently giving a take sign on the first pitch of an AB or "take a strike" could result in a big improvement.” 5 times a game is fine if that’s what you’re talking about. Most of the 3-0 counts are take signs so you’re already going to have several of those a game anyway. I don’t consider frequently to be 5 times a game though. The way I interpreted what you were saying was almost never swinging at first pitches. Edit: Also, for the record, yes I agree there are times they should be getting the take sign. I know for a fact one should have been given that White Sox game we lost that was called because of rain. It was pouring rain and the guy just walked our first batter on four pitches and then the next guy swung first pitch into a DP. Can’t remember who it was but pretty sure the pitch was also a ball.
Let's say its the 5th inning with 1 out of a tie game. Mauricio Dubon is up and Jake Meyers just walked on 5 pitches. Pena is on deck. I have Dubon take the first pitch 10 out of 10 times. Dubon has a 566 OPS on the 1st pitch. The pitcher likely has iffy command (at best) and may be close to the end of his day. And Dubon is unlikely to drive in the run even if he has a great swing. He also handles the bat well so I am mot concerned of a K if he goes down 0-1 If Dubon can get on, Pena has a .987 OPS facing a pitcher for the 3rd time in a game.
So clearly we are simply not on the same page. From the beginning I have simply said Espada NEVER does it and needs to start including it. Doing it more than a few times a game was never in my mind. But there are situations I think should always be a take. #9 hitter on 3-0 count down 2 with nobody on base. It has just been ZERO up to now. It has been so frustrating watching guys swing at the first pitch in a clear take situation.
Alright that’s fair - it sounded to me like you were against swinging at first pitches in general but must have misunderstood. Yeah, I am in agreement the swing decisions at times weren’t good.
Munoz walks 2 straight batters and looks like he's having trouble with command and you swing. Come on man.
If you can't trust the players to make good decisions then you need better players. You don't need a manager to try to second guess and micromanage them from the dugout. The flipside of this is a #9 hitter down on a 3-0 count is likely going to get a fastball down the middle. It's the best pitch he'll ever get to hit. If you don't swing at it, most of the time you'll just be at a 3-1 count on the next pitch. You wanted this to happen for Sanchez I believe with a few weeks left in the season. Instead, he swung at it, doubled, broke out of a long slump, and ended up scoring the winning run if I remember correctly. You're looking at at-bats as singular data points where it doesn't change anything else in the larger picture, but a single regular at-bat plays into a much larger game of hitter confidence, trust in the manager, etc.
It is a very good question and one I have grappled with. One possible answer is that Brown is elite and talent evaluation but maybe not at micro managing… another possibility is that the coaches on the field didn’t make it happen… I think Brown was fed up with it before mid season. He addressed some of it.
I still think Sanchez swinging at that pitch was dumb. He got lucky that he was at Daiken. Thats a flyout in 28 of 30 stadiums.
