8 Astros listed in top 100 in MLB going into year. 2 in top 10.

So....a few years ago who pegged Marwin as being rated one of the top 80 players in MLB in 2018?

If so, go to Las Vegas and collect your millions.

 

I hope he can keep his new pace up, he was a big reason we won so big last year. I never thought I’d love a super-sub more than Billy Spiers.

 

Hilarious was the host shows the Yankees lineup with 5 Top 100 players.

I'm just like we have 6, and more impressive rankings. I think we both had 8 total.

 

Eric Bruntlett and Jose Vizcaino are offended.

 

Say what you want about Bruntlett, he had the greatest defensive play in Astros history.

Until Marwin's throw, and it's still a toss-up which was better.

 

Via SI's Top 100 Players... 7 on their list... no Marwin.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/02/15/top-100-players-top-10-mike-trout-jose-altuve


71. DALLAS KEUCHEL, ASTROS
Connor Grossman: The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner has plenty of momentum heading into a contract year. Although injuries limited him to 145 2/3 innings, he made the most of them by finishing with a 2.90 ERA, averaging 6 1/3 innings per start and, most importantly, improving across the board from his disastrous '16 season that saw him decline in almost every relevant metric. That year-over-year inconsistency, though, prevents Keuchel from climbing this list any higher.

69. ALEX BREGMAN, ASTROS
Jon Tayler: We got a taste of what Bregman was capable of throughout the season and especially in the playoffs, when the No. 2 pick of the 2015 draft uncorked four homers and played daring if slightly wild defense at the hot corner. He turns just 24 in March, and already he’s shown good plate discipline and power. In particular, his dramatic cutdown on strikeouts (he went from a whiff rate of 24% in limited duty in 2016 to 15.5% in ‘17) and swings and misses (11.8% swinging-strike rate to 6.4%) is a great sign of his developing patience, as is his jump in contact (74.7% to 85.7%). If Bregman can improve his glove work alongside that newfound control at the dish, look out.

66. JOSH REDDICK, ASTROS
Jon Tayler: In the staid world of professional baseball players, Reddick stands out. Whether it’s his use of George Michael’s cheesefest banger “Careless Whisper” as his at-bat music while on the A’s or his predilection for near-naked locker-room celebrations—garbed only in an American flag speedo and goggles throughout the Astros’ run last year—in the playoffs, Reddick seems like the kind of guy worth having a beer or 12 with, even if the night’s likely to end with him daring you to blow up a mailbox with a firecracker. He’s more than the life of the after-game party, though: The 30-year-old was an integral part of Houston’s attack in 2017, posting career highs in OPS+ (134) and WAR (4.4). A lot of that had to do with the Astros’ smart deployment of the lefty-swinging Reddick, keeping him away from southpaws (a career .654 OPS against) and unleashing him versus righties (.800). Reddick is as good a complementary piece as exists—and he probably makes a killer karaoke partner, too.

27. GEORGE SPRINGER, ASTROS
Jon Tayler: It’s easy, when you’re part of a record-setting offense featuring the pint-sized version of Pete Rose (at the plate, anyway) and the best young shortstop since Alex Rodriguez, to get overlooked. Case in point: Springer, who clobbered 34 home runs out of the leadoff spot atop Houston’s dynamite lineup, posted a 144 OPS+ and slashed his strikeout rate dramatically, yet still had to fight for oxygen behind Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. But Springer’s bonkers World Series (.379/.471/1.000 and five homers in seven games, as well as an MVP award that was probably the easiest decision the writers have ever had to make) ensured that his name will ring out a little louder in 2018. It should: At 28, he still has plenty of room to get better, especially now that he’s significantly improved his plate discipline and contact rates.

19. JUSTIN VERLANDER, ASTROS
Connor Grossman: It’s highly unlikely the soon-to-be 35 year old will mirror the end of his 2017 season in 2018. Regular season and postseason combined, Verlander posted a 1.66 ERA over 70 2/3 innings while Houston lost only one his 10 starts. What’s more, his fastball and changeup velocities were up more than a mile-per-hour each. If nothing else, Verlander’s sudden burst of dominance and sterling track record slots him as a top 20 player in the game right now.

Gabriel Baumgaertner: Verlander's turnaround from fallen ace back into one of the game's most dominant starters is remarkable. It was only four seasons ago when he finished with a 4.54 ERA, a league-high 104 earned runs allowed and a career-low 159 strikeouts over a full season. The power looked long gone. Instead, he's back not only as one of the game's best starters (he should have won the AL Cy Young Award in 2016), he's the most feared postseason starter not named Madison Bumgarner. Who knows how much longer he can keep this up, but Verlander is the pitcher who most closely resembles Nolan Ryan.

9. CARLOS CORREA, ASTROS
Jon Tayler: It’s easy to forget, the first time you look at them, how ludicrous Carlos Correa’s numbers are. A .315/.391/.550 line is insane enough for a player no matter the position; to do that as a shortstop is unheard of; to post that kind of production at 23 years of age is mind-boggling. And that’s only a taste of what Correa can do, as he was limited to 109 games by a hand injury but was absolutely mashing before and after.

It’s generally no good to anyone to throw historical comps onto players so young and so early in their career, but the truth is that Correa right now is as close as we’ve gotten to the halcyon days of Alex Rodriguez (at least, without the drugs) at shortstop. That may feel like blasphemy to some and too much too soon to others, but take a look again at the stats he produced, and then come and tell me that that kind of comparison is overblown. Houston lucked into a generational talent with Correa; so, for that matter, did all of baseball.

2. JOSE ALTUVE, ASTROS
Gabriel Baumgaertner: Altuve's hitting stats are so good that they take a minute to process. He has compiled at least 200 hits in four consecutive seasons. He's hit at least 39 doubles in each of those four seasons. He's hit 24 home runs in back-to-back seasons. He led the big leagues in total WAR (8.3) and batting average (.346) on the league's best offense. He hit at least two home runs in each of his three postseason series. The best part about all of this? Altuve is right in the middle of his prime. He's entering his age-28 season, and has proved to be one of the most durable great players in the game (he's played at least 147 games every year since 2012).


At this point, it's just about watching Altuve as often as you can. He's one of the great natural hitters to grace the game in decades and an inspiration to any young player who thinks they're too undersized to make the big leagues

 

Whether it’s his use of George Michael’s cheesefest banger “Careless Whisper” as his at-bat music while on the A’s or his predilection for near-naked locker-room celebrations—garbed only in an American flag speedo and goggles throughout the Astros’ run last year—in the playoffs, Reddick seems like the kind of guy worth having a beer or 12 with, even if the night’s likely to end with him daring you to blow up a mailbox with a firecracker.

"Firecrackers are for p*****s." -- Josh Reddick

Curious how/why they think the Stros "lucked" into drafting him.

 

You've got Bregman's throw to home just behind these two, I take it?

 

Now, there's one we missed the other day in our "our own..." discussion.

 

Bregman moves way up that list after this season. Not sure i put Reddick ahead of him now, but it doesn’t matter really.

Just hoping they all continue to grow and get better. Holy hell if they do.

 

Nahhhh...he played more games with Houston than any ther team.

 

ah. for some reason I my memory had him coming here at the tail end of a long career with the White Sox.

 

I had to look it up. I was surprised when I learned that he played more games with the Astros. I would have guessed Dodgers.