I might be the most irrational Collin McHugh fan out there, but... remember last year when Mike Fiers had to carry the rotation for the month with everyone going down? That being said McHugh took it really gracefully when he was left off the ALDS roster. (I also remember Charlie Pallilo say on the radio when McHugh was first called up that he was simple cannon fodder on the 2014 team -- he ended up fourth in ROY voting).
https://twitter.com/astrosleaf I want to thank you all for the kind words, after being called into emergency action, we got the cover removed off the 2017 WS banner. My work is done for now All credit goes to @jluhnow for allowing me to be a part of tonight’s banner reveal. I am truly honored to be a part of it. I may have to admit, Altuve and Correa may be as good a 1-2 combo as me and my good friend, pole saw. They do a great job working together as a team as we do.#NeverSettle It’s been real guys, can’t leave my crew hanging so time to get back to work taking care of these gorgeous grounds. See you guys tomorrow
We had awful health last season Fiers was the staff ace for like 2 months... hopefully the rotation stays much healthier this season
That was also a rotation that was highly reliable on 3 players who have rarely been able to go through a full season healthy (Keuchel, LMJ, Morton). Verlander and Cole (knock on wood) have been amazingly durable.... and I expect both to emerge as the staff leaders by the end of the season. If the doomsday scenario where all 5 of them go down at the same time.... then, its a good thing they're holding onto McHugh...
Looking at some of the Orioles' swing and miss numbers against JV in their career it could be a really nice night for JV tonight.
Keuchel's only missed 6 more starts than Verlander and 4 more than Cole since 2015. Keuchel has had health relative to other starting pitchers (maybe even a little above average), though that isn't really a high bar. I would not lump him with LMJ and Morton.
To be fair, I suspect Davis and Rasmus are high in the swing and miss category for a lot of pitchers.
The last two years Verlander has made 34 and 33 starts, Keuchel has made 26 and 23. Verlander has progressed since the 2015 season, Keuchel regressed. Essentially, Verlander has not missed a start since early June, 2015.
Just incredible to be there last night. To see them reveal the banner...the trophy at home plate. Insane. I still can't believe the talking heads are talking about "my Astros" when they talk about how good this team is.
Of all Verlander's accolades, the fact that he has made at least 32 starts and pitched 201 innings in 10 of the last 11 seasons is the most impressive. In an age where pitchers miss starts for an endless amount of things and constantly come out early, it's downright amazing.
I really really hope Fisher is actually good. What a terrifying lineup that would be. To me, he's ideal as our #9 guy - has some on base skills, speed and pop to set up the top of the order.
Verlander despite being the healthiest pitcher the last two and half years and still only has 8 more starts than Keuchel over the last 3 years. Worries about Keuchel should be the worry that he's a pitcher, and pitchers get hurt. There just aren't many pitchers as good as Keuchel that are healthier even if you cherrypick the data only to exclude Keuchel's good healthy streak.
I think its fair to give more weight/consideration to the more recent seasons... Keuchel is getting older and playing less... that seems to be a trend and it probably isn't going to get better.
Keuchel of the last two years has had health issues... issues that have directly affected his performance. A lot of it could be stemmed from the heavy workload of 2014-2015... but I do feel he’s just as big of a health risk going forward as there is (not to mention he has a penchant for hiding injuries).
