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2018 Houston Astros Season Thread


Planet Houston

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Yuli update:

Yuli Gurriel is poised to beat the six-week recovery timetable the Astros prescribed after his February 28 left-hand surgery, so much so that the team has considered not placing the first baseman on the 10-day disabled list to begin the season.

Gurriel progressed to batting practice last week and continues to work out at the team's spring-training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida. He must serve his five-game suspension for his racially insensitive gesture during the World Series, making April 3 the earliest he could play. If he starts the season on the DL, he won't make his 2018 debut until April 13. April 11 will mark six weeks from his surgery.

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I know they've already said Tucker is starting in the minors this year, but he has more than proven he belongs in the bigs. Early on it was "spring and pitchers are working on things and not really trying to get batters out".  But he just keeps raking. He's go to get called up this year, he's just too good.

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59 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

I know they've already said Tucker is starting in the minors this year, but he has more than proven he belongs in the bigs. Early on it was "spring and pitchers are working on things and not really trying to get batters out".  But he just keeps raking. He's go to get called up this year, he's just too good.

He will probably be 2nd on the list behind Kemp when an OF spot opens up.

It sounded like Hinch is very high on Kemp right now. We know how good Tucker can be, but there isn't a need to rush him along just yet.

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7 hours ago, Tim Beck said:
7 hours ago, Tim Beck said:

My body is ready

fuck yeah. I remember arguing with those simpletons last year about not switching games and they had the last,estimated fucking excuses. Fucking loser franchise.

 

Edited by maninblack
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15 minutes ago, TEXAS1026 said:

He will probably be 2nd on the list behind Kemp when an OF spot opens up.

It sounded like Hinch is very high on Kemp right now. We know how good Tucker can be, but there isn't a need to rush him along just yet.

No one is high on Kemp.

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8 hours ago, Ichabod said:

Sat with my source tonight. Marisnick has the month of April to figure it out. After that it’ll be Fisher. Still no plans for Tucker until September 

And I called the Fedorowicz walk and Tucker grand slam before Fedorowicz got to the plate. Had a lot of high fives in our section. 

God damn I love baseball

I find this a bit hard to believe, mostly because I already expect Fisher to get the bulk of the playing time and Marisnick to return to his role of starting against LHP and late inning defensive replacement.

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47 minutes ago, TEXAS1026 said:

He's a natural 2B forced to play in the OF, who is currently the #5 outfielder on the best lineup in baseball.

Clearly he is garbage and should feel bad.

Kemp ain't in front of Tucker for any reason other than future contract/financial reasons

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15 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Kemp ain't in front of Tucker for any reason other than future contract/financial reasons

^this right here^

My appreciation for Mr.Crane continues to grow. On top of what he did for us. He is honoring all the employees thursday with thier ring ceremony. Giving each employee thier ring on the field. Add the fact he called out the south Oklahoma rangers on thier bs last year.  

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1 hour ago, formermav43 said:

I find this a bit hard to believe, mostly because I already expect Fisher to get the bulk of the playing time and Marisnick to return to his role of starting against LHP and late inning defensive replacement.

Yeah, I had the same thought. Not doubting the source, but the part about giving Marisnick a chance to "figure it out" seems off - he's been on the club for years and seems like a mostly known quantity at this point - a great 4th OF. And it doesn't make a ton of sense to keep Fisher on the roster to sit on the bench. I expect at least a platoon of Jake and Fisher to start the season, and expect that Fisher's output will ultimately have the most direct impact on Tucker's arrival. 

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1 hour ago, Jshep34 said:

^this right here^

My appreciation for Mr.Crane continues to grow. On top of what he did for us. He is honoring all the employees thursday with thier ring ceremony. Giving each employee thier ring on the field. Add the fact he called out the south Oklahoma rangers on thier bs last year.  

100% agree.  He ordered 900 rings (there are four different types) - everyone down to the ushers and parking lot attendants.  Class act.  

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Neither Kemp nor Marisnick are guys you want starting every day, although Marisnick has skills that make him useful to include on the 25 man roster (Kemp is just org depth).  Fisher has enough tools to be an every day player in the OF.  He's a solid fielder in left and has the potential to hit 25+ home runs a season if he can elevate and pull the ball in the air more often.

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1 hour ago, Scraps said:

Kemp ain't in front of Tucker for any reason other than future contract/financial reasons

Exactly.  They're holding off as long as possible before having to restructure his contract.  Keep him as cheap as possible for as long as possible.

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12 minutes ago, Fozzz said:

He's a solid fielder in left and has the potential to hit 25+ home runs a season if he can elevate and pull the ball in the air more often.

Agreed, but this also describes Marisnick.  If his power surge last year wasn't a fluke, he absolutely could/should be an everyday regular on most teams in the league.  But we have the luxury of being able to platoon both guys given their opposite handedness and mutual great athleticism.

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23 minutes ago, Planet Houston said:

100% agree.  He ordered 900 rings (there are four different types) - everyone down to the ushers and parking lot attendants.  Class act.  

Has anybody seen what the rings look like? 

houston-astros-world-series-championship

There are images of replicas like the one above out there, but wondering how closely they resemble what the actual rings are going to look like. 

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36 minutes ago, Planet Houston said:

Agreed, but this also describes Marisnick.  If his power surge last year wasn't a fluke, he absolutely could/should be an everyday regular on most teams in the league.  But we have the luxury of being able to platoon both guys given their opposite handedness and mutual great athleticism.

Yeah, that's true - he had a 117 wRC+ last year, which, with his defense, definitely plays as an everyday OF. Thing is, he is at 77 for his career and a sub-.300 OBP. He is only 26, so it's possible he is something like a league-average hitter. 

Fisher is really interesting to me. He's somewhat overlooked because of Tucker, but Fisher is an excellent athlete and has produced at every stop, including .318/.384/.583 with 21 HR in 84 games in AAA last year. And he is supposedly the fastest guy on the team. 

Between the two of them, I expect pretty good production. And if not, Tucker is there.

 

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I also talked to an inside source last night.  Biggest news I got was that we have no intention of offering Keuchel more than a 3-year deal, and that's if this season is successful with no injury concerns.  Our front office is pretty worried about the health of a guy like Keuchel (for good reason, given the past 2 years), in line with Bill James's analysis of the injury histories of softer-throwing lefties.

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3 minutes ago, Planet Houston said:

I also talked to an inside source last night.  Biggest news I got was that we have no intention of offering Keuchel more than a 3-year deal, and that's if this season is successful with no injury concerns.  Our front office is pretty worried about the health of a guy like Keuchel (for good reason, given the past 2 years), in line with Bill James's analysis of the injury histories of softer-throwing lefties.

 Interesting, and I think that's the right approach. Hopefully Martes makes some progress with his command this year, as some rotation spots are set to open up over the next couple of years.

After this offseason, though, I wonder if anyone is going to be willing to give Keuchel more than 3 years...I guess a lot depends on his health/performance this year. 

Edited by Hank Chinaski
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This is just one man's opinion, but as good as Correa was on his way up, no Astro prospect in the last decade was more ballyhooed by fans clamoring for The Call than George Springer. Reading those old stories from March 2014 about the reported 7yr/$23 million the Astros offered him when he was still in the minors brings back fond memories of how I followed his minor league games like he was our Obi Wan. Those quotes from those stories are great as well. Everything turned out pretty damn good for him and the Astros.

The Kyle Tucker talk is eerily reminiscent of the George Springer hype, the only difference is this is a 100-win team and DEFENDING MOTHERFUCKIN' WORLD SERIES CHAMPS.

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1 minute ago, Gourmand said:

This is just one man's opinion, but as good as Correa was on his way up, no Astro prospect in the last decade was more ballyhooed by fans clamoring for The Call than George Springer. Reading those old stories from March 2014 about the reported 7yr/$23 million the Astros offered him when he was still in the minors brings back fond memories of how I followed his minor league games like he was our Obi Wan. Those quotes from those stories are great as well. Everything turned out pretty damn good for him and the Astros.

The Kyle Tucker talk is eerily reminiscent of the George Springer hype, the only difference is this is a 100-win team and DEFENDING MOTHERFUCKIN' WORLD SERIES CHAMPS.

lol, yeah...Springer represented the light at the end of that horrible 2011-2013 stretch; he was the only thing to be particularly excited about, other than watching Altuve develop. 

A lot has changed in 4 years. 

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