The Astros have been weird about a lot of this. I know they are only a million below the next tax level, and that likely play a part in all of this - but there have been arms that the Astros could have acquired that were not expensive and would likely help the team. Even someone like Stanek didn't sign for much. There is a 50/50 chance he is really good this year. Michael Lorenzo out of the pen would be nice - or even Mike Clevinger as a starter. I know that Clevinger is a jerk, but at a low cost he can get you 150-200 innings of mediocre to good innings. With the Astros offense, he would likely be at worst .500% and if he pitches to a sub 4.00 era, he could win a good amount of games.
He did - and he was pitching hurt for most of that time. He also had pitched more innings than anyone else in baseball the previous 3 years. I always worry to some degree about Valdez because he can make unforced errors. However - he doesn't deserve all of the criticism he is getting from some fans.
I definitely don’t want them to add anyone detrimental to the culture, which I think Clevinger would be. Especially considering whoever that might be doesn’t really represent a huge upgrade over Bielak or whoever else might be in line as an internal option.
3.45 2.82 3.14 3.57 (short 2020 season) Also set the record for consecutive quality starts Yes, there have been a few short rough patches. But jesus the way people talk about him around here i'm not sure there is a pitcher in baseball they would be happy with. Some (most?) of the same people are the ones who want Snell. It's pretty predictable how they would react the first time he has 4 walks in the first two innings and goes into the third at 70 pitches
The worst game (and the one most remember) was the game against the rangers, when he was OBVIOUSLY struggling badly and neither maldy nor dusty would even go out and talk to him. He was run through the grinder by his own people that day and it was pretty disgusting
Better deepen the pen if you take Snell over Framber Snell did get to 180 innings last year (still 20 short of Framber) but that was the first time he was over 128 since 2018, and those are the only two times he has been over 129 his entire career.
I don't know enough about Clevinger to know if he would be detrimental to the culture of the team. I know that when he was younger, he had the reputation of being wild and a jerk. Is that still true? IDK. If he has settled down, then I would like him on a one year deal - but if he is still an ass, then he can pitch elsewhere.... the Astros have been careful over the years to weed out jerks. There are some guys like Verlander that rub some people the wrong way, but they aren't ever jerks to their teammates and they avoid issues off the field as well. Verlander also has a history of helping players that make the effort to get and know him. When you go down the Astros roster - the organization should be proud, there are a lot of very good people - and at worst there are guys that are neutral.
My opening day roster if I were gm: 2B Altuve 3B Bregman DH Alvarez 1B Abreu RF Tucker C Diaz LF McCormick SS Pena CF Meyers Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Singleton, Julks Rotation: Valdez, Javier, Brown, France, Blanco Bullpen: Bielak, Strotman, Mushinski, Sousa, Martinez, Montero, Pressly, Hader Julks has had a good spring and can run the bases and hit for power. He also has some experience at 3B so can be an emergency option there. I’d also like to see Kessinger play everyday to see if there’s any more development left in him. Strotman has looked really good this spring and has elite RP upside; I’d give him a shot in low leverage. Mushinski would be my 2-game fill-in while Abreu serves his suspension. I’d keep 6 guys stretched out in the rotation to preserve innings and maintain as many options as possible. I’d also only use Bielak twice a week in 2-3 inning stints to keep him stretched out until Verlander gets back since the SP options in the minors are pretty scary outside of Arrighetti who I wouldn’t want to start his clock yet.
I don't get why Singleton is a lock for the bench. He’s never been good or consistent in the big leagues. His “upside” is he may walk and/or supposedly poses a threat to hit the long ball but our lineup, short of Myers, is full of guys who can go deep. I’d rather a pinch hitter get on base at a high clip and keep the line rolling . His defense is also suspect and he plays one whole position… poorly. So what are we doing with him ? Give someone else a shot with a little more flexibility - his left handed bat will only take him so far and doesn’t help the Astros if he can’t do anything with it.
The only thing that kills me about Framber are his errors to first base. For someone who makes millions throwing a baseball, he really sucks at pickup the ball off the ground and throwing it to first base.
It's weird. He's literally has sucked for over 10 years, and he still gets chances when he has no upside. He's not going to turn into Schwarber over night.
Agree 100% It's really odd to me I would much rather even have a guy like Leon, who also strikes out a lot, but is at least a much better athlete with some position flexibility and is actually a good defender at some of them Either way, the love for (may be the wrong phrase but) Singleton is very strange to me
Leon and Julks won't make the same team. Pedro has way more positional flexibility and upside, but they essentially fill the same role. Singleton makes this team for the same reason Julks does - his floor is higher than all the other options. He has shown that he will be a dependably below average player while everyone else still has potential to be a complete disaster. Plus he has no options, just like Bielak. They are on the team until someone else steps up to take it away from them. I wish they would let them both walk, but until others take that step, this is the best the organization has.
It’s because there are 11 good everyday caliber players in front of him. If everyone stays healthy he’d be in line for less than 150 pa, a lot of that coming as a pinch hitter in situations where the team needs a lefty power bat who can hit a HR or walk, and the rest coming in situations to give Abreu a rest day. Those 12th and 13th position player roles are very narrow and honestly the biggest need is just a guy who is going to fit in the clubhouse. It’s not worth starting a prospect’s clock or signing a more expensive veteran to replace a guy expected to play that little. Because of Dubon’s versatility and how good Diaz can hit, the 12th and 13th guys can be very specialized; a lefty power bat and a guy who can steal bases are probably the best fits.
To me, the problem with that is Abreu. Abreu needs 3 days off every 2 weeks and should be a 75-80% starter, not an everyday starter. And if that was the case, we would be talking about 200+ PA and probably the 11th most important position player instead of 13th.
