Then you know Singleton should be in the lineup, as you know, if a RHP is going tomorrow Ooops..Detmers is another Lefty starter I'd run that same lineup back
Hell if I know. I'll get back to you on that one I'm just playing the percentages. Who's pitching for the Stros? Put Caratini at 1B and Diaz at C and Yordan at DH? It doesn't seem that complicated.
It will not shock me if Singleton is a hero in the playoffs. He always puts together good ABs and is capable of hitting a homer at any time. Especially if Yordan is out for the playoffs, Houston will be relying on Big Jon in a big way.
I don’t think many folks thought Jon could sustain this level of play over the whole of the season. Granted he isn’t playing anywhere near an all-star, he is playing winning baseball. He isn’t an easy out by any stretch of the imagination, and he’s got tons of hidden power that makes pitchers respect his swing. He’s amongst the most prolific Astro to work a walk. He makes pitchers work to get him out. And if you squeeze out 2 or 3 pitches from a pitcher, you’ve done your job! Consider that most pitchers cap at 100 pitches in 6 innings. The average WHIP is 1.25 100 pitches / 6 innings = 16.67 pitches per Innings. 3 outs + 1.25 WHIP = 4.25 16.67 / 4.25 = 3.92 pitches per batter. The more a batter works the count; even by getting the out, valuable energy has been used. Energy that could have been used to get the pitcher into the 6th, 7th, or 8th inning. Quick knockout of the pitchers are effective, because they cause bullpen exhaustion.
Singleton in a way is kind of like a bizarro version of Chris Carter. Their approach is one dimensional but in very different ways. Carter would step in the box and try to guess pitches, he had zero pitch recognition. If he guessed right, the ball would go 400 ft...he guessed wrong A LOT, but he also led the NL in homers one year. Singleton said last night that he basically waits for a mistake, and if he doesn't get one "I'll take my walk." So he steps in looking to hit a mistake, the issue is pitchers only make a couple of mistakes a game, and there's no guaranty the mistake will happen during his AB. When he gets one, we get epic bat flip homers, when he doesn't, he's walking or hitting into an out.
If you are patient, work counts, extend at bats, and frustrate the pitcher, you will most likely get a mistake in there somewhere.
As I said before, it's about the other 12 players the Astros choose to keep on the roster. He can only play 1b and does not bring any baserunning value. Walker, Paredes, Diaz, Caratini, and Dubon can all play 1b if needed. With Yordan being more of an everyday DH, that hurts his value too. If the other 12 players can cover all 8 positions 2-3 deep then there is a spot for him. Extreme and unlikely examples: The Astros suddenly decide that Chas and Dubon can't play CF and they need to keep a guy like Trammell or Leon. The Astros go all in on Altuve in LF and say he will never go back to 2b while also deciding Paredes isn't viable there either. Then an additional middle infielder needs to make the team. If Diaz and/or Caratini get banged up a bit, not enough for an IL stint but enough that he/they can't catch for a week or so, then Salazar will be that 13th player. I like Jon and wish him well. I honestly hope he makes the team because that likely means the Astros think they can win with the other 12 guys. If not, his season last year reestablished his trade/AAAA insurance value and the off season work cemented it.
Can Jon bust HTownwheelhouse Brett behind I think so. Saying Jon Singleton is the first one to get cut.
That's ridiculous He will be traded, make the team, or be the absolute last guy cut because he has no options. Some guys just don't understand the behind-the-scenes parts of baseball.
I for one think Jon Singleton is quite the story. He was a guy who at a time was seen as the best or at least amongst the best prospect in baseball. He signed that contract with the Astros buying out his arbitration years; then got unprecedented flack by MLB and even some of his teammates. But as I heard he needed the money because his father had health problems and he needed to take care of him (kudos to the man who takes care of his parents - that earns my respect). He had typical struggles and went back to AAA, but got caught for smoking weed, and got suspended (though MLB does not test for weed). He missed out on large swath of time because of the suspension. I recently even found out he has been a diabetic all of his life and has to manage with the disease/condition. If you’ve ever felt your mood swing based on blood sugar going up or down, at least anyone can have empathy for someone who has to deal with that all of their life. Then Singleton going back to independent ball and event traveling to the Mexican league to play there. Showing he still had game in him, he signed with I think the Brewers. After the Brewers released him Astros signed him to a minor league deal, and he tore up AAA the Astros brought him on board to the big league club. And now you can tell the man has taken fitness to another level. He has one of the best eyes on the entire team, he can read the ball and will take the walk. He swings at the balls he want to swing at, perhaps hitting into an out, but he swung at a ball that was definitely in the strike zone. With that said, he is limited because Alvarez is the DH, Walker is the 1 baseman, and Singleton isn’t elite in hitting or on defense. I am rooting for Singleton, but as a betting man, unless he tears up Spring training, he doesn’t look like an option on the club. The other bench guys call all play multiple positions and have good enough offense to Hoover around .700 OPS I think the good news for Singleton, is that he has played good enough to get picked up by another team. And I think he has all that raw potential that I would not be surprised if he will soon be smashing 30 HR and drawing 75 walks. But at the same time the Astros don’t have the room to gamble on a still pie in the sky. But Singleton seems like he’s such a cool dude.
As a human I want Singleton on the 2025 Astros so I can continue following him and he continues to accrue service time towards his pension. As an Astros fan, I want him to show his great fitness and have a great ST then get traded for a young controllable player that fits well and helps this team continue to compete for the next several years. Part of the 2nd part is dependent on other players taking a step forward and becoming viable bench options on a good MLB team.
