Earlier in the offseason Hinch talked about wanting to split up the RHHs at the top of the lineup. Against RHPs, it makes a ton of sense to have Reddick (a guy who mashes RHPs) up there at 2 thus dropping Bregman to 6.
Anyone else kind of nervous about Springer at CF? He's for sure athletic but he takes some janky-ass routes a lot.
It was done some time ago, but I remember a scientific breakdown of the route Springer takes on fly balls, the "jump" he gets off the bat and his closing speed. Not surprisingly his closing speed was ultra elite, his jump was also near the best in baseball...... but a little surprising is that the route he took on fly balls was comparable to other Gold Glove outfielders.
No it will be easier and plus he got an arm. I can't wait for him and Reddick to tear up the outfield.
MLB's Statcast tracks Route Efficiency, but I can't seem to find the actual stats anywhere online. If somebody can, that'd be great.
Interesting that it has us giving up the fewest runs in the AL. They also have the Indians scoring the most runs in the AL.
PECOTA projected the Stros to have the best record in the AL last year as well. This is the year it all turns around.
Yes. While it is certainly possible we get there, as we've been pretty good the last 2 years (despite the rotation struggles last year), but I certainly like the Indians and Red Sox better. The Indians are a surprise to me, but they did finish 2nd to Boston last year so I guess not out of left field, but Boston was so good. I don't think they fall off that much despite losing Ortiz.
PECOTA's fairly reliable; their 2016 predicted playoff teams: AL: Rays (AL East), Indians (AL Central), Astros (AL West), Red Sox (first wild card), Blue Jays (second wild card) NL: Mets (NL East), Cubs (NL Central), Dodgers (NL West), Nationals (wild card, tied), Giants (wild card, tied) Nailed the Indians, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants & Blue Jays. Were right about the Red Sox, Mets & Nationals making the postseason. Eight out of 10 with five being on the dot is fairly encouraging. I saw an article that picked PECOTA's five weirdest 2016 predictions... What the Hell? The Kansas City Royals will only win 76 games? They won 81. Whoa! The Cleveland Indians will win 92 games? They won 94. C'mon, you think the Texas Rangers lose 82 games? (This one was waaaaaay off, of course; although... given PECOTA likely has no historical context for a team going 82-1 in one-run games, or whatever Texas was.... not surprising they were so off.) What are you smoking that you think the St. Louis Cardinals will only win 82 games? They won 86. How can you look at yourself in the mirror, knowing you projected the Pittsburgh Pirates to lose 83 games? They lost 83 games.
The stabilizing factor to me about judging projections from last year compared to this year is that we've spent this entire off-season adding solid, veteran batters to this lineup. Gone are the professional strikeout machines otherwise known as Carlos Gomez, Jason Castro, and Colby Rasmus. Instead, we've replaced them with 3 players who have an incredibly astute approach at the plate, not to mention a full year of Bregman, Gurriel, and Aoki. I'm very optimistic about our offense doing some pretty special things this upcoming season. I'd also add that I'm expecting a HUGE year out of Correa, due to the fact that pitchers can no longer pitch around him. Common sense would dictate that since we've added a bunch of guys behind him that can put the ball into play, Correa will see more fastballs. Now, the biggest thing he has to do is the get the damn bat off his shoulder, and SWING.
While I agree with all of this, the Elephant in the room (pitching) is completely omitted from your pitch (pun intended).
Intentionally so. I'm already on record having stated that I think, as of right now, our pitching is what will hold us back from being in the World Series.
I too am on record for the same sentiment, which is why I am a little troubled when some seem to think that winning our division will be a cakewalk and post-season play virtually assured.
Outside of trading an excessive amount of medium and long term value or a huge influx of cash, the Astros are about as good on paper as you can hope. Granted, a lot of Astros near-future depends on the health of McCullers.
