https://brobible.com/sports/article/jose-altuve-george-springer-ratings-drop/ Althought they are now in .200 and coming upward , i find the article funny saying this.... Point and laugh, folks. Point and laugh. Without their little garbage can-banging scheme to illegally know what pitches are coming in 2020, Houston Astros stars Jose Altuve and George Springer are having the worst seasons of their careers. Of course that could just be a coincidence, but hey, they made their beds, now they have lie in them. They just love to bring this crap up, when it the suppose trash can thing happen in 2017, and alot of those players are not even on the team anymore.
Just was talking about this article not asking anything, and how may outsiders bringing up the reason Altuve and Springer are playing so poorly is they have had there trash cans takin away from them is to me non sense, and ludicrous poking fun of them like this. Just typical how they talk about the Astros being so called "Cheaters".
Also Altuve has had leg injury for some time and as well as Springer in and out of lineup with few minor injuries. It looks to me its because they are just not healthy this year...
Springer has had bad luck .209 BABIP; his k/bb are close to his career averages. If there is one concerning part of his game this season it’s that his exit velocity is about 3 mph lower than his norm. But there’s nothing at all that indicates his lower slash line is from not knowing the pitches. And to me I don’t see age related decline setting in yet. Altuves situation is slightly different. He is also suffering from low BABIP, which points to some bad luck. And his exit velocity is near his career norms. But there are 2 somewhat concerning places I see potential decline. First, his k rate is at a career high and has been trending upward for 4 seasons; that was fine in prior years because he offset it witph an increase in power and a very high babip. But he now is putting up a relatively pitiful .105 ISO. That could be a lingering injury that will heal, but that’s the best case. Worst case, age related decline is already setting in, and Altuve has such a small margin for error that it won’t take much decline to send him from an MVP candidate to a marginal big leaguer. He sported a sweet trifecta of ability: contact, power, and speed. But he never hit upper deckers, so a small decrease in power will have a major impact on his value. Same for speed. I am not panicking, as I expect a Altuve to bounce back, maybe not back to his prime but at least settle in as an above average 2B through his contract. But there is definitely cause to worry. Either way, I suppose his decreased power could be contact related stemming from not knowing the pitches, but I highly doubt it.
But...we're using ****ing video games to talk about actual sports? I just want to make sure we're all on the same page.
Even with Altuve and Springer playing like Dave Rhode, and without half their roster from last year; the Astros are a better baseball team than the Rockets are a basketball team... because at least the Astros know their **** from their *******.
Springer is hitting about 3 times as many pop ups as normal (15% from about 5%), and when he hits it well, it is right at someone or someone makes a great play. He's still getting some power on the field, but would expect some more with the way he's elevating pitches.
Springer better get it together fast or it might cost him some BIG money. Not a good look to be playing in a contract year.
Unlike Cole, and more like Keuchel, Springer has not stepped up in his contract year. But someone will inevitably overpay for his past performance and reputation, because that's how MLB has worked.
Probably so, but the timing for him is really REALLY bad with COVID and all of the lost revenues. On top of that, some are going to wonder if he’s lost his edge without the sign stealing. Fair or not, the timing for Springer to have a bad year really couldn’t have been any worse for himself. He needs to put it together ASAP or he might find himself not getting overpaid after all. But, you’re right, that’s not usually the way that it works in MLB.
Do you think he'd accept a QO to take a large guaranteed 1-year salary, bet on himself to rebound (and the economy to recover) and then go for a big contract post-COVID?
I doubt it. Like you said, it probably won’t come to that, but interesting to consider if things keep going like they have been.