I think Parades future is at 2nd base and he is probably going to have to wait till 2013 for a spot. I am thinking 2013, our lineup will look like this: DH - Altuve 1B - Warm body until Singleton comes up mid-season or Wallace 2B - Parades SS - Lowrie (or Villar if Lowrie is traded) 3B - Wallace or Dominguez RF - F Martinez CF - Maxwell? LF - JD Martinez C - Castro Bench: C Johnson 1B/3B - Bixler UTIL - Snider or unk C - Bogusevic OF SP - Keuchel SP - Norris SP - Lyles SP - Harrell SP - Galarraga? BP - X Cedeno BP - F Abad BP - Lopez BP - Rodriguez BP - ? BP - ? BP - ? CL - Stoffel
Why would Altuve be a DH? He is too young to be in that postion. I haven't watched many Astros games but he seems like a solid defender as well.
Just speculating as Parades needs a position and I don't see them moving him to the OF. Maybe Altuve at 2B, Parades at 3B and Wallace at 1B?
Lmao, wow. I've never seen that before. 4 pitches into a start? He must've said something, cause that wasn't enough to toss someone.
Didn't say a word prior to the ejection, and Greinke was more upset with himself than the call. Yet another example of an overly sensitive official with an inflated ego.
Agreed he didn't really look like he did anything except slam the ball and probably say something. He got off late to first no doubt angry with himself. Quick trigger ftw.
DH: Altuve at DH is a nice outside-the-box idea. His bat needs to be in the lineup every day, but due to his stature he'll never be an above average defender. He is a solid defender right now though. MI defense is a priority with so many soft-tossing pitchers. Age on such a young team will be irrelevant. It'll really depend on if Paredes is ready for prime-time. 1B: Wallace will be the warm body until Singleton comes up. He's a Luhnow draftee in STL and will be given every chance to stick as a regular. Wallace himself is the future DH if his bat carries. Singleton is still very young/raw for AA and may not sniff Houston until late 2013/early 2014 2B: Paredes is still very raw defensively and needs to improve his walk rate, but I could see him here. SS: Marwin is the starter if Lowrie is gone. Villar needs about the same 1-2 years of development Singleton needs. Villar has shown flashes but has issues with plate approach and defense. I wouldn't be shocked if he started at AA again with a mid-season AAA promotion in mind. He has all the tools though. 3B: I have no idea what to make of this position. I don't see anyone taking this position from CJ, certainly not Dominguez*. This is a great spot for a veteran free agent as he wouldn't be blocking anyone significant. RF: F. Mart should be given a reasonable shot here. CF: Brandon Barnes should get a look in spring training, otherwise it'll be Maxwell. I don't buy the FO company line on Schafer. LF: JD Rotation: Norris, Lyles, Harrell, Keuchel, Happ. - Happ gets the nod because he's a lefty and he has the best K-rate in the rotation. He also hasn't been awful this season when he's not giving up the big inning. Bullpen: Xavier Cedeno and W. Lopez are locks. There's the chance they take a look at some of the upper-level minor league relievers like Storey (AAA), Chapman (AA), Stoffel (AA), and Abreu (AAA). Stoffel is not ready to be a big league closer, but I could see him getting a middle relief gig and moving up to a setup role later in the year. Overall, the only prospect who really merits starting consideration next spring is Paredes. There's always the chance Singleton or Villar blows up big in spring training though. Barnes will be given a long look in ST too. Based on that, I think the ML team is looking at late 2013/early 2014 for the big prospect rush. *If I had my way, Dominguez would be in extended spring training until mid-season when he'd go to AA. Every report sounds like he needs a serious overhaul of his swing.
Cool. It just became an exclusive Wandy Rodriguez pro day. EDIT* for all my ranting about putting a AAAA player in the 3-hole, Moore is making me eat my words.
Altuve back over .300. I was afraid it would turn into one of those situations where he would never get back over for the rest of the season. Phew.
I will. He's like a pee-wee soccer coach: everyone gets to play. Nice showcase game for Wandy and Myers. Lyon: not so much.
A great fan comment on MLBtraderumors about the Orioles interest in Zach Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez: Kathy Bates is looking a little better today eh?
