Houston Astros Off Season Thread

It hasn't taken long for awards and honors to start rolling in for Jose Altuve. Check this out from Astros.com. The article also talks about Colin McHugh being named AL Rookie of the Month for September, new manager A J Hinch's first day on the job and Jose Altuve named to the All Star team to play in Japan.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/97135452/accolades-pouring-in-for-batting-champ-jose-altuve-of-astros

 

One other thing, Jose Altuve is a nominee for the Hank Aaron award given to the player from both the National and American Leagues as the most outstanding offensive player for each league. The award is presented by Hank Aaron himself at the opening of this year's World Series. This year is the 110th version of the fall classic and it would be hoot if Jose wins it. We can all help by going on MLB.com or Astros.com and voting for Jose. Let's all get behind him and vote to the max and help a player who really deserves this honor win.

The Astros have made a couple of roster moves to get below 40 on their 40 man roster. The moves were made as a normal course of business. Most teams do make some cuts to make room for a player or two they may be targeting in free agency or Rule 5 draft or something of the sort.

The players no longer with the Astros are:

> 1B Jesus Guzman who was given his outright release.

> LHP Rudy Owens was given his outright release.

> P Matt Albers - Houston declined to exercise their option for Albers.

 

Also P Jorge De Leon was claimed off waivers by the Oakland As. This means the Astros are currently at 36 players on their roster. Albers pitched in 8 games this past season before triceps tendonitis sidelined him the remainder of the season. By not exercising the option Houston will pay Albers $200K as a buyout of his contract which saves them from paying Albers $3 MM next season.

 

The Astros new manager, AJ Hinch, was inducted into the Stanford Players Hall of Fame this past Saturday. Hinch, a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, graduated from Stanford with a degree in psychology in 1996. The catcher hit better than .300 in all four seasons at Stanford, including a .381 mark with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs as a senior. He also caught for the Cardinal's '95 College World Series team and earned a bronze medal at the '96 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Hinch, who was hired by the Astros two weeks ago, will be inducted with Nicole Barnhart (women's soccer), Notah Begay III (men's golf), Toi Cook (baseball and football), Laura Granville (women's tennis), Skip Kenney (men's swimming and diving coach), Anika Leerssen (sailing) and Heather Olson (synchronized swimming).

 

The biggest loss for the Astros this off season could be their hitting coach John Mallee. Mallee has been the Astros hitting instructor for the past two seasons and is responsible for helping Jose Altuve win a batting title this year. Mallee could have remained with the Astros under new manager AJ Hinch but he accepted the position of hitting coach with his home town Chicago Cubs. Mallee is from Chicago and his family lives near the Windy City in the off season. For Mallee, this is a dream come true. Mallee swore that one day he would stand on Wrigley Field in a Cubs uniform and last Tuesday he called his father, John, to tell him their dreams had come true. Mallee has helped Jose Altuve become one of the best hitters in the American League if not all of baseball. Mallee has also had a positive influence on Chris Carter and George Springer. With a lot young players about to start hitting the major league roster a steady hand like Mallee will be missed.

The Astros have made several moves on their coaching staff as AJ Hinch prepares for his first season as the Astros manager.

 

On the 15th Houston announced the hire of 4 new coaches. Trey HIllman as bench coach, Dave Hudgens is the hitting coach, Gary Pettis is the 3rd base coach and Rich Dauer is the 1st base coach. Pettis and Dauer have other responsibilities and you can get to know all four in the article from Astros.com.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/98871144/astros-name-four-coaches-to-new-manager-aj-hinchs-big-league-staff

 

Mark Appel did another good job in his latest outing in the Arizona Fall League. The news that Appel is looking good is great news for Astros fans as his straight line to the bigs was side tracked by an emergency appendectomy in late January and it took most of the summer for him to get back to his old self. Appel finished the minor league season strong and he's continued that in the Fall League. Here's a link to an article about Appel's fall success. Take note of the item that the fall league is using a 20 second pitch clock to help save time. The game Appel pitched in lasted a mere 2 hours and 14 minutes!

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/98571718/astros-pitching-prospect-mark-appel-dominates-again-in-afl-start

 

Last but certainly not least is an article about 3B Colin Moran who is impressing coaches in the Astros fall instructional league. Moran was a top 10 pick in the 2013 MLB draft and a guy seriously considered by the Astros before they selected Mark Appel. He must have been a player Houston was sorry to say bye-bye to but sometimes things work out in your favor. This past summer Houston completed a trade with the Miami Marlins that sent P Jarred Cosart to Miami in exchange for Jake Marisnik who did some nice work for Houston since the trade, a minor league pitcher and Moran as well as a compensatory draft pick in 2015. Houston also gave up minor league outfielders Enrique Hernandez and Austin Wates in the deal. It's neat to have 4 1st round draft picks and 3 #1s in the past 4 drafts. It's just as neat to see that all of them are doing well---no busts in sight!

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/97861128/colin-moran-hitting-stride-at-houston-astros-instructional-league

Dallas Keuchel won the AL Gold Glove for the pitcher position last night.

 

http://astros.mlb.com/news/2014/11/04/100554244/houston-astros-dallas-keuchel-wins-american-league-gold-glove-award

 

And in a move I don't really agree with Houston had acquired catcher Hank Conger from Anaheim in exchange for minor league catcher Carlos Perez and RHP Nick Tropeano...think NiTro would have been a solid middle of the rotation guy or a quality arm out of the bullpen at worst...we'll see what the future hold for Jason Castro as he was reportedly on the market prior to last season or if this means we've seen the end of Carlos Corporan.

 

http://astros.mlb.com/news/2014/11/05/100629490/astros-acquire-hank-conger-from-angels-for-carlos-perez-nick-tropeano

I'm scratching my head.... I do not understand trading for an over paid backup catcher when we already have an adequate one on the roster. Unless there is something in the cards of Jason Castro. Just makes no sense.

I hate to be a nay-sayer but despite the fact that he made the All Star team in 2013 I think Jason Castro has been a bit of a bust. Despite his 270-ish batting average he was part of the problem with Houston setting a record for strikeouts in 2013. The fact is his .243 career batting average isn't all that great. He is a good-not great-defensive catcher and he definitely strikes out way too much. In 2013 he struck out 130 times and this past season he struck out 151 times. I realize that catchers first responsibility is to handle the pitchers followed by being a good receptor of the ball and the ability to play good defense including throwing out base runners. I just described Brad Ausmus. He was an excellent defensive catcher in all phases so you could tolerate his .250 BA. See what I mean? My point is maybe it isn't Carlos Corporan on the trading block. I would not be surprised at all if Castro is dealt during the Hot Stove meetings.

 

I agree that I'd rather have NiTro rather than a backup catcher who is worse at the plate than Castro. Castro is actually younger than Conger. To me if this is the type of move that new manager AJ Hinch is going to make I don't have much faith in the future of the Astros.

Ever wonder why American baseball teams continually poach players from the Japanese leagues? It's because those guys are pretty darn good. Need evidence? Look no further than the exhibition series of MLB All Stars facing Japanese All Stars dubbed Japanese Samuri. In the 5 game series, with an exhibition game to begin and end the series Japan proved to be better than the MLB. The MLB squad beat Hanshin-Yormiuri in the first exhibition game 8-7 but lost to the Japanese Samuri 3 strait before winning the last two. Japan came back and won the final exhibition game to close out the MLB All Stars trip to Japan. Jose Altuve didn't get to play until the 4th game of the best of 5 series because he was on the bench in favor of Seattle 2nd sacker Robinson Cano. Altuve got his chance in game 4 and he showed why he was the AL batting champ going 3-4 with a run scored in a 6-4 win and in the final game he went 3-5 with a run scored and an RBI in a 3-1 MLB win. In all Altuve batted .429 in the official 5 game series.

 

P Josh Zeid is now a Detroit Tiger. Detroit claimed him off waivers yesterday. Zeid said he is disappointed to leave but he's excited to go to a team that wants him. He said he will give his all for the Tigers and their manager, former Astro, Brad Ausmus.

 

Detroit also was in talks with Houston about acquiring one of the four catchers they have but the talks broke down and no deal was made. Houston's primary catchers the past 2 seasons have been Jason Castro and Carlos Corporan. Houston has also used AAA prospect Max Stassi at times. Earlier this month Houston traded a couple of minor league prospects for Anaheim Angel backup catcher Hank Conger. It is felt that Houston could deal as many as two of the catchers they have and it was speculated that Detroit was looking to sign Corporan. But, that's a moot point at this time.

 

The Arizona Fall League ended with the Salt River team winning the championship over Peoria. On Thursday the list of the top 25 prospects in the AFL was released and Houston's Mark Appel was ranked No 7. Here's the complete list of the top 25 from Astros.com.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/101975482/ranking-the-top-25-prospects-from-the-arizona-fall-league

 

An hour before the final Thursday deadline for announcing their 40 man roster Houston added 3 players to their roster as a protection against losing them in the Rule 5 draft. Here's the article from Astros.com about the moves.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/102032666/astros-add-trio-to-roster-for-rule-5-draft-protection

 

Last but not least former Houston player Lance Berkman has returned to Rice University to complete his degree in kinesiology. His enrollment comes 1 year after he retired from baseball ending a very successful playing career. Berkman is scheduled to complete his degree and graduate next summer.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/102089686/back-to-school-lance-berkman-hits-the-books-at-rice-university

The Astros were finally sign a free agent pitcher they had their eyes on, 2 actually. They signed Luke Gregorson and Pat Neshek, both right hand pitchers to a 3 year and 2 year deals. This is another attempt to upgrade their bullpen which hasn't been good the last couple of years. It is also good to see them sign free agents after chasing David Robertson and Andrew Miller and losing out on both of them. They had actually outbid the Yankees for Miller, if you can believe that, offering the lefty $40MM contract to the $35MM the Yanks offered. Miller went to the Big Apple inspite of that. When he sees his check after taxes Texas might look a little sweeter in the future. But, it is the Yankees and it is New York so what the hell. Robertson, the Yankees closer last year opted for a contract with the Chicago White Sox shunning a deal to stay with the Yankees and an offer from the Astros. The White Sox upgraded their pitching with Robertson and making a trade with Oakland for Jeff Smardzija. Here's the article about the signings of Gregorson and Neshak for Astros.com.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/103699844/astros-agree-to-deals-with-luke-gregerson-pat-neshek

 

GM Jeff Luhnow got a contract extension this week with owner Jim Crane commenting that he's stuck to his plan and he has high hopes for the team going forward.

 

Speaking of Luhnow word on the street (or rather Astros.com) is they may be in the market for former SS Jeff Lowrie. What? With Carlos Correa coming up? Oh well.

 

Here's an article profiling the top draft prospects for 2015 which Houston will have a vested interest in with the 2nd(?) pick.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2015/#list=draft

The Astros and free agent pitchers Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshak signed their contracts in San Diego at the MLB winter meeting with GM Jeff Luhnow on hand for the Astros. They were going to fly to Houston yesterday to take physicals. The Astros needed the help and hopefully these guys work out better than Matt Albers and Jesse Crane who spent all or almost all of the season on the injured list.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/103854346/houston-astros-find-necessary-bullpen-help-at-winter-meetings

 

The Winter Meetings also saw Houston lose 3 players in the Rule 5 Draft. Delino DeShields Jr, RHP Jandel Gustav and LHP David Rollins are now on their way to different teams.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/103821294/houston-astros-lose-delino-deshields-two-others-in-rule-5-draft

I'm wondering, and have been since it happened on December 15th, why Houston signed former SS Jed Lowrie. Lowrie had a sub par year in Oakland this past season and he had a lot more talent around him to succeed. I don't get this move unless the 3 year deal they gave Lowrie is about how long Houston expects Carlos Correa to mature in the minors. Correa lost most of this past season to a broken leg that required surgery to repair.

 

I'm also surprised that KABrother88 and Big T didn't jump all over this story. This signing doesn't necessarily make the Astros better unless they plan to move Marwin Gonzalez to 3rd in place of Matt Dominguez. I guess I need a fresh perspective on how this makes Houston better because I just don't see it.

Jed, even with the sub par year last year, is an upgrade at the SS position. Gonzalez is not the answer and Correa is at least two years if not three away from breaking into the majors. Jed is just a stop gap and if someone else steps it up he would make a fantastic utility guy of the bench. Second, he was playing in Oakland. That is where hitters go to die. The simple fact that he was able to put up the numbers that he did, while not great they were not terrible, in Oakland gives hope that he can put up some numbers at MMP. And if he is able to rebound next season they can swap him at the deadline and the extra two years of his contract will make him more desirable to other teams as they will have him under control. It's not a bad move IMO. While Jed Lowrie is not the guy that many of us were hoping to see the Astros sign, he can and will bring value and much needed experience to this team as well as a decent glove at SS.

Jed, even with the sub par year last year, is an upgrade at the SS position. Gonzalez is not the answer and Correa is at least two years if not three away from breaking into the majors. Jed is just a stop gap and if someone else steps it up he would make a fantastic utility guy of the bench. Second, he was playing in Oakland. That is where hitters go to die. The simple fact that he was able to put up the numbers that he did, while not great they were not terrible, in Oakland gives hope that he can put up some numbers at MMP. And if he is able to rebound next season they can swap him at the deadline and the extra two years of his contract will make him more desirable to other teams as they will have him under control. It's not a bad move IMO. While Jed Lowrie is not the guy that many of us were hoping to see the Astros sign, he can and will bring value and much needed experience to this team as well as a decent glove at SS.

 

Good to see you BT! Jed Lowrie may or may not be an upgrade at SS because Marwin Gonzalez was better last season at the plate---much better---like 40 points in BA better. The big thing is it does give Houston an alternative at 3rd base because Matt Dominguez is and was just awful. Nobody in the bigs hit into more double plays. His BA speaks for itself. Houston could do so much better than Dominguez. Their minor league guy is reportedly a year or so away so Marwin can handle 3rd.

Lets try this again. Lol So, the Astros have made a couple of key moves in the past several weeks. I have to admit that I was waiting for EE to break the news but since he hasn't here I am. First, the Astros sent Folty, Ruiz, and Thurman to the Braves in exchange for power hitting LF/1B Evan Gattis. Second move, the Astros signed OF Colby Rasmus to a one year 12 million dollar deal. Lets just say that the battle for the outfield just got interesting. Springer is a lock and up until the signing of Colby Rasmus I though Dexter Fowler was as well. But now with Colby in the fold you have Springer, Rasmus, Gattis, Fowler, Marisnik, and Hoes all battling for playing time in the outfield. Part of me wonder if the Astros didn't trade for Gattis to put him at 1B. But if so, where does that leave Singleton? They also sent Corperan to the Rangers in exchange for minor league pitcher Akeem Bostick. I will make lineup predictions later as I am now running late for class.

With the flurry of moves I'll forgive you for missing Fowler was dealt to the Cubs for 3rd baseman Luis Valbuena and RHP Dan Straily. Not gonna lie I wasn't a big fan of the Gattis trade but I can see concern as to if Folty was ever going to harness his command...I can also see them seeing Ruiz as being expendable after acquiring Colin Moran last summer too. Our farm system has taken a big hit this offseason.

 

But I'll go ahead and give my shot at the pre-spring training opening day line-up (subject to change lol)

 

1.) Jose Altuve - 2B

2.) George Springer - RF

3.) Jed Lowrie - SS

4.) Chris Carter - DH

5.) Evan Gattis - LF

6.) Colby Rasmus - CF

7.) Jon Singleton - 1B

8.) Jason Castro - C

9.) Luis Valbuena - 3B

 

Rotation

1.) Dallas Keuchel

2.) Scott Feldman

3.) Collin McHugh

4.) Dan Straily

5.) Brett Oberholtzer

 

I think Atluve, Springer, Lowrie, Rasmus, Keuchel, & Feldman are locked into their positions...spring training battles I'm ready to watch play out:

 

Finding the right combination of 1B/LF/DH/C...feel like my opening day guess is what it will start with but there are many questions/variables here...Gattis can play 1st, catch and DH as well...we traded for Catcher Hank Conger this off-season...how are Castro's knees?...can Carter play any D? Marisnick played well at the end of the year, is he more valuable in LF than Singleton at 1st?...many questions to be answered.

 

The battle between Luis Valbuena and Matt Dominguez for 3B.

 

3-5 in the rotation should be up for grabs. Was McHugh the 2014 version of the 2012 Lucas Harrell? 3 other guys to look out for are Brad Peacock, Alex White, and Asher Wojciechowski

 

 

Can Feb. 20th hurry up?!?!

Edited January 23, 2015 by KABrother88

Wow... I completely wiffed on the Fowler trade. Lol.

KA, while Luhnow has traded away a few prospects, I don't think the farm system has taken a huge hit. Folty was going to get the call this year anyways. Ruiz, while showing some potential last season he was at least four years away from being ready for the big leagues. The biggest loss is Thurman IMO. But they also picked up some prospects from the rangers and the apparently the Cubs. They will also be receiving two top ten picks in this years draft. I think the farm is just fine.

 

1) Altuve 2B

2) Lowrie 3B

3) Springer CF/RF

4) Gattis LF

5) Carter DH

6) Rasmus RF/CF

7) Singleton 1B

8) Castro C

9) Gonzalas SS

 

The Rotation IMO is a freaking mess.

 

Dallas Keuchel

Scott Feldman

Collin McHugh

Dan Straily

Alex White (I really like this guy.)

But, I do have to admit that I am not wild about the Gattis trade. While he has been able to show quite a bit of power, he has never put the full package together. The Astros were desperate to get a bat and I think that showed in this trade because they gave away too much. Now if Gattis can get it together, then the Astros come out of this smelling like a rose.

The most interesting things happen in the off season. You can predict a lot of moves in the summer but the hot stove is always virgin territory and you never know what you'll get. (Anyone thinking about Forrest Gump right now? Ha!) Who would have though Houston would actually trade for Hank Conger? Am I the only one who was shocked about the trade of Fowler? I wonder why you guys don't mention Jake Marisnick as a viable option is your pre-season lineups! The stuff I've read is that Big Jake is the Astros best defensive outfielder.

 

To start the season I think it's going to be this;

 

1. Lowrie SS

2. Altuve 2B

3. Springer RF

4. Carter DH

5. Gattis C

6. Rasmus LF

7. Valbuena 3B

8. Marisnick CF I

9. Dominguez 1B

 

Call me crazy but as bad as Singleton was last season I wonder if he can make the roster. You know you've had a bad year when LJ Hoes has a better season at the plate. I could even see Gattis playing 1B with Castro catching even though Castro struck out way too many times for my liking. To me GM Jeff Luhnow rolling the dice against house odds. I think Fowler will be missed but it looks like the Astros are banking on Marisnick to step up. You are also hoping Rasmus finds his form, and praying that Carter's 2014 offensive explosion wasn't a fluke. You look at this roster and you still see a lot of holes. 1B is the only slot that isn't pretty cut and dried. I'm thinking that Chris Carter is in line for a shot at first sack. Spring training will be interesting for sure.

The starting rotation is a mess, Big T? Looks like the top 3 guys are pretty solid with Kuechel, Feldman and McHugh. You still have Oberholzer, Peacock (not my favorite), White (who needs to show me something) and Wojo. I am happy that Houston went after some big name pitchers and I will have to look and see what the guy who resigned with the Giants meant when he said he didn't like what was happening in Houston. Screw him. It's darn near February and it's almost time to head to Florida. Will Houston make a big jump in wins this season? Will they have a winning record? All interesting things to debate.

The whole deal seems to be clouded in mystery. What deal? The whole deal about why Ryan Vogelsong didn't sign with Houston a few weeks ago. For his part Vogelsong was about as clear as that glass people put in bathrooms. You know the kind, that lets in the light of day but you can't see outside. All Vogelsong said was he was "uncomfortable" with what was going on in Houston. This was after Vogelsong looked for all the world he would be an Astro, even coming to Houston for a physical who it all went south. Days later he resigned with the San Francisco Giants for one year earning $4MM. Here's a little article that doesn't really shed any more light on anything that I've written so far. All it does is make you wonder what really happened.

 

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/24/ryan-vogelsong-really-wasnt-comfortable-with-what-was-going-on-with-astros-before-returning-to-giants/

 

The preseason ranking of prospects is out and Houston has 4 players in the Top 100 prospects. Here are links to the article about the Astros who are part of the 100 and also about how Carlos Correa is the No 1 prospect at shortstop. There is also a link to an article that talks about Correa being ready to resume his quest to make it to the bigs.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/107806346/carlos-correa-ranked-no-3-on-mlbcoms-top-100-prospects-list

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/107655298/prospect-watch-top-10-shortstops

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/107252846/healthy-carlos-correa-eager-to-resume-big-league-quest

The most interesting things happen in the off season. You can predict a lot of moves in the summer but the hot stove is always virgin territory and you never know what you'll get. (Anyone thinking about Forrest Gump right now? Ha!) Who would have though Houston would actually trade for Hank Conger? Am I the only one who was shocked about the trade of Fowler? I wonder why you guys don't mention Jake Marisnick as a viable option is your pre-season lineups! The stuff I've read is that Big Jake is the Astros best defensive outfielder.

 

To start the season I think it's going to be this;

 

1. Lowrie SS

2. Altuve 2B

3. Springer RF

4. Carter DH

5. Gattis C

6. Rasmus LF

7. Valbuena 3B

8. Marisnick CF I

9. Dominguez 1B

 

Call me crazy but as bad as Singleton was last season I wonder if he can make the roster. You know you've had a bad year when LJ Hoes has a better season at the plate. I could even see Gattis playing 1B with Castro catching even though Castro struck out way too many times for my liking. To me GM Jeff Luhnow rolling the dice against house odds. I think Fowler will be missed but it looks like the Astros are banking on Marisnick to step up. You are also hoping Rasmus finds his form, and praying that Carter's 2014 offensive explosion wasn't a fluke. You look at this roster and you still see a lot of holes. 1B is the only slot that isn't pretty cut and dried. I'm thinking that Chris Carter is in line for a shot at first sack. Spring training will be interesting for sure.

The starting rotation is a mess, Big T? Looks like the top 3 guys are pretty solid with Kuechel, Feldman and McHugh. You still have Oberholzer, Peacock (not my favorite), White (who needs to show me something) and Wojo. I am happy that Houston went after some big name pitchers and I will have to look and see what the guy who resigned with the Giants meant when he said he didn't like what was happening in Houston. Screw him. It's darn near February and it's almost time to head to Florida. Will Houston make a big jump in wins this season? Will they have a winning record? All interesting things to debate.

 

I do not think the Astros have either a number one or number two starter. They have two number three starters and McHugh who IMO needs to prove he can do it again before I buy in. I am sorry, but Kuechel and Feldman are not Cain and Bumgarner, Cueto, Baily and Leake, Price and Verlander. I think you may be getting the drift. We have become so used to terrible pitching that when we find a good number three starter that keeps his ERA in the high threes we think we have found the greatest thing since sliced bread. That rotation in still a mess.

As for Marisnick, the Astros made all of these moves to build offense. Why would you take a good fielding and one year removed from an all star catcher out of the lineup and place in the lineup a weak hitting but good fielding outfielder? The Astros already have Castro and Conger behind the plate. Unless Conger or Castro is traded then Gattis will most likely not see any time at all behind the plate which only leaves 1B and the OF. They also added Rasmus who is a decent outfielder. Singleton is too high on the Astros radar for him to not be with the big team when camp breaks. What happened to everyone screaming at the Astros to not give up too early on their prospects? Now all of a sudden we want to throw Singleton by the wayside? Yeah he had a terrible debut now lets see what work he put in during the offseason. I will guarantee that he will break camp with the team. If he doesn't then the Astros front office looses face.

Now Big T nobody said that Houston wasn't the second coming of the Detroit starting pitching (from 2014 anyway). But, if you look back to last season Kuechel could easily have won 18 games instead of the 12 he ended up with. With a little run support and better relief pitching it could have been, on the outside 20 wins. Kuechel's 2.93 ERA and 5 complete games which were both in the top 10 or top 5. I think Kuechel is a borderline No 1 and I look for him to be the starter on opening day. Colin McHugh came on and shocked everyone with how well he pitched. As with Kuechel, he needs to show he can do it year in and year out but McHugh's 2.73 ERA was better than Kuechel's and he was second to Kuechel in wins (11) and that's pitching 4 fewer games and almost 50 less innings. I'm counting on McHugh until he proves otherwise. Feldman was victimized maybe more than any of the other starting pitchers with lack of run support and bad bullpen woes. His 8-12 record is very deceiving especially considering his healthy 3.74 ERA. I think I just gave you the starters in order to begin the season, Kuechel, McHugh and Feldman. Feldman was the opening day starter last year and he should benefit greatly moving down in the rotation a bit. The signing of Neshak and Gregorson should help end the severe leakage from the bullpen and with Sipp and Qualls closing the door, watch out. IMO that's at least another 10 wins on the season. Oberholzer was up and down last year but he will benefit from the experience and I think the battle will be over the 5th spot and it could be by committee for the first month or so.

 

You are right about not giving up on Singleton but we agree he wasn't good at all in the batters box. The way or the time frame he was signed in may make it impossible to NOT keep on the 25 without losing him. That was the gamble Jeff Luhnow made last May(?) and he was needing some offense from somewhere and the way George Springer came on I suppose it was worth the gamble. Trouble was Singleton struck out a lot in the minors and it only got worse when he got to Houston. Singleton could play first and getting in the game on defense might take some of the pressure off at the plate. My fear is if he struggles coming out of the box when the regular season starts or, God forbid, he struggles in spring training it could ruin him. My concern was if he didn't improve his approach at the plate he won't be better and staying the same isn't an option. We will have to see because the Astros have a new hitting coach. The man that turned around Jose Altuve at the plate is gone and it remains to be seen what he will do with the young players coming up including Singleton.

Edited February 2, 2015 by eagle eye

Here is a link to an article from Astros.com that I found very interesting. It's an article about the path new Astro Evan Gattis took to the big leagues. In a big way it's a very inspiring story of a young man who overcame himself to finally reach his dream. Of course the story isn't fully written yet but if his passion and drive carry forward Houston may have gotten a real diamond in the rough. As for Gattis, he may have come to one of the best places in baseball to see his career flourish. A hitter in a hitter's ball park. Evan Gattis will be worth watching unless I totally miss my guess.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/108350638/astros-slugger-evan-gattis-grateful-for-career-after-overcoming-obstacles

It is roughly 11 days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Gotta admit, I'm getting pretty stoked! I've seen concerns that Houston gave up too much in recent deals to acquire guys Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus. I've seen concern about gutting too much of the talent in the minors. I don't really think that is something that Astros fans need to worry about too much. GM Jeff Luhnow comes from an organization, the St Louis Cardinals, where a strong minor league pipeline to the big club is a given. Luhnow began his tenure in Houston with the idea that you build from the ground up, meaning Rookie ball all the way to the bigs, as the way to build an organization. Owner Jim Crane bought into Luhnow's vision and his subsequent hires for front office organization has been saavy and holds true to this business plan. I could go on and bore you with blah-blah business talk but as an example of the strength of this minor league system check out the link below for an article about what MLB.com columnist Jim Callis feels is a dyed in the wool sleeper prospect in the Houston Astros system, one Brett Phillips. Phillips was signed out of high school in 2012 and he had a breakout season at both of Houston's A affiliates in 2014. An outfielder with more than just a good bat. Check him out and let me know what you think.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/108842032/jim-callis-astros-outfielder-brett-phillips-tops-list-of-best-sleeper-prospects

The Astros.com folks began a series of articles today profiling their roster which should be a pre-spring training stab at predicting the starting lineup and pitching rotation. Today they take a look at a few players who are coming off injuries like George Springer, Jon Singleton among five players profiled.

 

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/108915742/astros-hope-to-get-improved-numbers-from-young-sluggers