Click made the moves to get them a ring and traded for Diaz and Maton on the cheap. That makes him the 2nd best GM in Stros history and I'm not a big Click fan.
I would have to go back and refresh my memory but what about Bill Wood. Seams like he brought in a ton of good young players and did well with the 1990-91 fire sale
He has to get the strikeouts under control. For a player his age and at that level, it’s a major concern. If he does that, then he is a long term big leaguer. In his amateur and college experience, he wasn’t a player that made incremental improvements like most players - he tended to stagnate for a long time and then make a major leap. If I were a small market team, I would hire Click. A couple things to remember with him though - he works less hours than probably any other GM and that really rubs major league owners the wrong way. Second, I don’t know how good he is at scouting because he begrudgingly relied upon those in house for the Astros. He may end up being someone that had the talent to be a very good GM but decides to do something that allows him to spend more time with his family.
I think that we will see an Ohtani type player from time to time now - because scouts largely did not believe it was possible before Ohtani. The last player to really do it was Babe Ruth almost a hundred years ago. However, I also think that for most players in the minors trying to get to the big leagues, it is going to almost impossible to do both even if they have the "stuff" to do it. My reasoning is that it is very competitive, and as a player you are competing against guys that almost 100% are focused on hitting or pitching....so a player splitting their focus will be at a disadvantage. I think the next step in the evolution is finding a player that can play both offense and defense competitively for a decade or more. The injuries seem to pile up. Maybe it will be a guy that can come out of the pen and also hit? IDK
I think that what we will see over the next 5-10 years unless there are changes to roster size is a few teams develop a guy who can play defense and throw low leverage. Likely would be a 4th OF with a big arm who also has some speed. Maybe he can’t hit much, but he can hose baserunners, steal bases, and throw thirty 100mph strikes a week. Rick Ankiel types.
Hope so, but I think Ohtani is a once in a 100 year kind of talent. His mentality in insisting he do both, and willingness to sacrifice short term money probably played equally into his other worldly talent. I agree that unless a player could legit be plus both ways, I don’t see why it would make sense for them to do both. Hence why I don’t anticipate this more than twice a century.
At some point in their lives these players have all played both offense and defense. Many have done it all the way up to the time they are drafted, whereupon they are pigeon holed into one role or another because that is the way teams can most easily develop them. There is too much money at stake for the team to take a chance on anything they are unsure of.
I honestly have no clue how hard it would be on the body physically, but I've always wanted to see it. It is why I never wanted the DH. I didn't like watching the pitcher be an easy out, but I wanted pitchers to learn to be better hitters. Most of them were great hitters as kids, so why not at least work at it to add value to yourself (Teams didn't value it like I believe they should have). I doubt we ever see anything at Ohtani's level again, but do hope we see some players make it doing both. That versatility should be valued.
How soon we forgot Brooks Kieschnick, former Longhorn great. Pitched and pinch hit for the Brewers about 20 years ago. Played a little bit in the field as well. Not a bad two year stretch really looking back at his stats.
It does seem like there would be a market for mediocre 2 way players these days. We see position players thrown out there all the time to pitch nowadays, they had to implement a new rule to stop it from happening as frequently. A guy who is primarily an offensive player, but can be thrown out there to absorb some bullpen innings without being completely non competitive. Ohtani having such absurd talent makes him an outlier, even if players were allowed to try. If a guy has his arm in the MLB pipeline then he's a pitcher, I don't see that changing.
Some interesting best tool rankings there: Best Hitter for Average: Will Wagner Best Power Hitter: Luis Baez Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Brice Matthews Fastest Baserunner: Michael Sandle Best Athlete: Zachary Cole Best Fastball: Miguel Ullola Best Curveball: Shawn Dubin Best Slider: Forrest Whitley Best Changeup: Jose Fleury Best Control: Colton Gordon Best Defensive Catcher: C.J. Stubbs Best Defensive Infielder: Tommy Sacco Jr. Best Infield Arm: Cristian Gonzalez Best Defensive Outfielder: Kenedy Corona Best Outfield Arm: Pedro Leon I’m interested to see how Tommy Sacco does in AA. He was a slightly above average hitter in High A and if he can carry that over to the upper levels he probably has a major league future given his defensive value; maybe a Tommy Manzella type.
Best Tools from Baseball America Floor and Ceiling from my Most Valuable Prospects list Best Hitter for Average: Will Wagner (#26) bench bat/3rd baseman Best Power Hitter: Luis Baez (#2) left fielder/ ++right fielder Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Brice Matthews (#1) third baseman/++2nd baseman Fastest Baserunner: Michael Sandle (not ranked, crowded position) pinch runner/bench outfielder Best Athlete: Zachary Cole (not ranked, strike out issues) pinch hitter/bench outfielder Best Fastball: Miguel Ullola (not ranked) middle reliever/set up man Best Curveball: Shawn Dubin (not ranked) organizational pitcher/middle relief Best Slider: Forrest Whitley (not ranked) organizational pitcher/situational relief Best Changeup: Jose Fleury (#19) middle relief/#3 starter Best Control: Colton Gordon (#3) #5 starter/#2 starter Best Defensive Catcher: C.J. Stubbs (not ranked) 3rd catcher/bench catcher Best Defensive Infielder: Tommy Sacco Jr. (not ranked) organizational infielder/2nd baseman Best Infield Arm: Cristian Gonzalez (not ranked) organizational infielder/short stop Best Defensive Outfielder: Kenedy Corona (#10) +bench outfielder/center fielder Best Outfield Arm: Pedro Leon (#30) bench outfielder/versatile bench bat
Even Ruth rarely did both full time and Ohtani has not done it consistently after injuries have kept him from doing both and will again in 2024.
An optimist’s view of 3 Astros prospects I believe were disproportionately affected by the COVID layoff: Jairo Solis: Commonly listed next to Forrest Whitley and Bryan Abreu as Houston’s highest ceiling pitching prospects from 2017-2021, Solis missed 3 seasons of development between 2019 TJ surgery, 2020 COVID year, then another TJ surgery in 2021 that also cost him 2022. He came back last year still throwing mid/high 90s heat, but was rocked in AAA. He never pitched in High A or AA, and between the long layoff and jump in levels, 2023 might’ve been one long adjustment period. Given all the AAAA pitcher signings this offseason, it’s hard to believe Houston thinks that highly of any of its AAA pitchers (especially ones not on the 40 man roster), but there’s reason to believe Solis might be due for a breakout in 2024. Pedro Leon: The pandemic delayed his minor league debut, which extended a long layoff for Leon, who played with Cuba in early 2019 then didn’t play in an official game again until 2021. He was limited by injuries in 2021 and 2022 (and even a bit in 2023), and was also asked to play 5-6 different position over that time. He was the highest bonus signee in the entire MLB international signing period when he signed, and has consistently received 60+ grades on his speed, arm, and raw power. He posted a 20/20 season in 2023 and proved he can play 2B acceptably along with CF, while being an emergency option at SS/3B and quality defensive player at RF/LF. With established defensive versatility and elite speed and raw power, he remains a swing-and-miss adjustment away from being a star player. Going into his age 26 season, that may not seem likely, but considering he’s only had 2 seasons playing as a pro, there may be room to project a breakout. Alex Santos II: An advanced, projectable HS pitcher who was drafted in the 2nd round and given an overslot bonus, the pandemic messed with his development as an amateur more than as a pro. Santos was sent directly to A ball as a 19 year old, skipping the complex league. With plus spin rates on his curve and solid velo on his FB, the stuff is there, as is the body type to add velo. He’s consistently struck out guys a year or two older than him so far, but has had trouble with walks and homers. Pitching in Asheville as a 21 year old probably made his numbers look worse than they really are. The ceiling is there even tho the shine is off since 2020. He could break out in Corpus. Forrest Whitley and Colin Barber could also be on this list, since 2020 exacerbated the impact their injuries had on their development. Jordan Brewer also might be underrated, but that is more due to injuries than missed time in 2020. Not covid related either, but I think Jaime Melendez could jump back onto the radar in 2024.
