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2019 Houston Astros Thread


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Thought this was a worth a read if you’re interested in the “behind the scenes” guys that are helping the Astros to churn out the “Josh’s” of the world (James and Rojas)

Writeup on Pete Putila. Astros farm director (effectively). Dude is only 30 (and has been in current role for 3 years). He actually started with the Astros under the Ed Wade regime.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has long emphasized his goal of building a sustainable winner, not just a team that contends for a few seasons and then must endure another rebuild. It’s why he has refused to part with his top prospects in trades and why he has opted for shorter-term fits as opposed to long-term mega-contracts in free agency.

It also explains why the Astros have invested so heavily in player development, a department as important to them now as ever after they traded arguably their third-, fourth- and fifth-best prospects in the Zack Greinke deal. With their star players now hitting free agency annually, their success or failure in cultivating the next wave of talent will determine how long they can prolong their reign as an AL West powerhouse.

Enter Pete Putila, their director of player development and thus a pivotal member of Houston’s front office. Behind the scenes, the 30-year-old has gradually ascended the ranks of Luhnow’s baseball operations department as the Astros have evolved from perennial 100-game losers to annual 100-game winners and a model franchise. He has been in his current role for three years.

Putila’s job is akin to a farm director, but the Astros wrote his title as such because he has also been involved with player development at the major-league level. Ultimately, though, Putila’s main focus is the minor leagues. He spends much of the season at the team’s various affiliates — typically, it’s two trips to each — or at the team’s complex in the Dominican Republic.

The Astros have developed a reputation in recent years for being at the cutting edge in player development behind an individualized and data- and technology-driven approach. Putila is among those who helped them shape their goal-setting program for every player in the organization. He’s also tasked with hiring the minor-league coaches and vetting potential new technologies to determine whether the team should invest.

“He’s extremely thoughtful, and he doesn’t react to short-term outcome,” Luhnow said. “He really thinks about, ‘What’s it going to take?’ And I think he has a really keen understanding of the fact that when you’re actually trying to change something in a player, they’re going to probably go back before they go forward, and having a little patience with that and knowing how to communicate that to the player. He has spent a lot of time one on one with our players but also helping our coaches communicate with our players and really educating everybody on the importance and the value of measurements and what it means and how to interpret a result: ‘Is it just random, or are we on a better trajectory now?’ ”

The current state of the Astros’ farm system is solid but far from remarkable in the wake of several high-profile graduations and trades in recent years. It still features headliners with vast potential in outfielder Kyle Tucker and right-hander Forrest Whitley but took a huge hit with the losses of right-handers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, first baseman Seth Beer and super-utility man Josh Rojas in the Greinke trade with Arizona.

Baseball America ranked Houston’s system 15th in the majors after the trade deadline, and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis has it in the bottom third. There now exists a significant dropoff between the top two (Tucker and Whitley) and the Astros’ next-best prospect, whose identity is up for debate. And the Astros figure to continue to pick at the bottom of the draft for the foreseeable future.

“I think there’s always pressure to try to get guys through the system. I think working in the front office, you tend to think a little bit more of two or three years down the road all the time,” Putila said. “It’s kind of where your focus tends to be, because you know when players are going to reach free agency and you might not be able to bring everybody back and you’re thinking about what spots you’ll need to fill and considering how you’ll fill them.

“Any time we make a trade it’s obviously incredibly exciting. But there is also that consideration of years down the road and what the impact is. I don’t think you ever really feel you’re just like flush with major-league-ready (prospects) and everything’s peachy. You never really know how guys will do. There will be guys who surprise. There will be guys who take a little bit longer to adjust.”

Putila interacts directly with the players during his affiliate visits, though he ultimately leans on the coaches to implement new ideas. He oversees the Astros’ four minor-league coordinators — Bill Murphy (pitching), Jeremy Barnes (hitting), Jason Bell (fundamentals) and Mark Bailey (catching) — as well as the managers, pitching coaches and hitting coaches at each minor-league level. Colleagues have praised him for his open-mindedness and his ability to connect with players, coaches and analysts alike.


Pete Putila (Courtesy of the Houston Astros)
In addition to being younger than most of the coaches who report to him, Putila has a unique distinction in Houston’s front office: He’s the lone baseball operations executive who predates Luhnow, having been hired as an intern in 2011 by former GM Ed Wade.

Putila grew up a Pirates fan in the tiny Western Pennsylvania coal town of Carmichaels. He attended West Virginia University, where he got his degree in sport management. When his Astros baseball ops internship began, the team was in the process of being sold by Drayton McLane to Jim Crane, and everyone knew that front-office turnover was imminent.

At that point, Putila naturally figured his tenure would be short-lived. But after Wade’s firing and Luhnow’s subsequent hiring, interim GM David Gottfried was among several in the front office who recognized Putila’s upside and encouraged Luhnow to not let him get away.

Early in Luhnow’s rebuild, Putila was a baseball operations assistant whose focus shifted between player development and amateur scouting as the baseball calendar turned. In 2014 and 2015, he traveled with the major-league team and handled the in-game video replay review in addition to supporting the video-based advance scouting unit. Being around the major-league staff and players, he gained valuable perspective about how the game operates at the highest level.

At the end of the 2015 season, the year that signified the team’s return to contention, Putila’s role shifted to player development full time. This was around the same time the Astros realized that the skill-based technologies they used to refine their players in the majors needed to be implemented in the minors, too. The Astros have been at the forefront of leveraging TrackMan information and video from Edgertronic high-speed cameras to help players improve, especially on the pitching side.

“One of the reasons I felt comfortable stretching this year to make that Greinke acquisition was knowing that we have a group of people running the farm system and the scouting operation that are going to find the next generation of Josh Rojases and Josh Jameses,” Luhnow said. “We all expect the first- and second-rounders to be valuable trade chips and/or come up (to the majors). But when you have a Josh Rojas, when you have a Josh James, (José) Urquidy, those are players that you weren’t really counting on to be big-league impact and they are, and I give a lot of credit to obviously not just Pete, but Pete plays a big role in that.

“So to a certain extent, the pressure’s on. Because now he and that group have to continue to develop players in a way that we will have more trade chips and more options for the big leagues in the years to come.”

 

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Tucker update. Including info on him at 1st base.

Both of these by Kaplan at The Athletic. Get a subscription, especially with college football starting. Best money I’ve ever spent for a news/sports outlet



ROUND ROCK, Texas — Kyle Tucker is the best major-league prospect on Triple-A Round Rock’s roster. Given top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley’s immense struggles this season, Tucker is probably once again the premier prospect in the Astros’ entire farm system.

The left-handed hitting corner outfielder has had a strong season — but not a spectacular one, especially considering the offensive explosion in Triple A this year. In most organizations, the .930 OPS with which Tucker entered Sunday would still have been good enough to garner an opportunity by now. But not with the Astros, not with Yordan Alvarez having bypassed him for everyday major-league at-bats and with Josh Reddick and Jake Marisnick still entrenched on the roster.

Five position players have been summoned from Round Rock to Houston this season. None have been Tucker, who at this point last year was six weeks removed from his major-league debut. He’s blocked by Michael Brantley in left field and by Alvarez at designated hitter. When the Astros have needed a bench player in a pinch, they’ve opted for Myles Straw because of his speed and his rare ability to play both center field and shortstop.

All the while, Tucker’s wait has continued.

“I mean, I get it,” he said. “(George) Springer. Reddick. Brantley. Jake. Straw’s been up there for a while. They’ve all been doing a great job and I totally get it. But obviously, I wish I’d be up there helping out, too.”

Tucker will get his opportunity when rosters expand next month, be it on Sept. 1 or after Round Rock’s season ends. He stands a chance to be included on the Astros’ American League Division Series roster, too, presuming they stick to their usual script of carrying 11 pitchers and 14 position players in the best-of-five round.

But until the calendar flips, the 22-year-old remains blocked. The discourse around Tucker has been reinvigorated by the struggles of Reddick, who has been one of the least productive hitters in the majors since June and even worse since July. But with no roster spot available and Reddick owed the rest of his $13 million salary for this season and another $13 million for 2020, Houston’s only alternative to Reddick is Marisnick.

Tucker also hasn’t produced to a point where he’s forced the Astros’ hand. His season in Triple A has been extremely streaky. He was terrible in April and July but sensational in May and really productive in June. He’s heated up again in August. Overall, it’s translated to a .271/.355/.576 season line entering Sunday, which still marks regression from his .332/.400/.590 line at Triple A last season. His strikeout rate has increased, from 18.1 percent in 2018 to 22.2 percent this season.

Kyle Tucker in 2019 AVG OBP SLG
April .165 .211 .388
May .333 .429 .741
June .303 .366 .646
July .194 .333 .347
August .358 .422 .717
Tucker said he made no major adjustment that sparked his turnaround earlier in the season, though he does seem to be standing more upright in his stance compared to spring training. His April was reminiscent of his lackluster 72 plate-appearance sample in the majors last season, but in May, he outproduced even Alvarez in OPS, 1.169 to 1.110. Much of it boils down to his swing decisions.

“He’s really good when he’s able to hit the ball to all fields,” Round Rock manager Mickey Storey said. “I think he started the year a little pull happy. With the new balls and seeing some of the damage everyone was doing, maybe he got a little pull happy and was hooking some stuff, being a little over aggressive, swinging at stuff that just isn’t in the zone. But when Kyle Tucker’s locked in, he’s the best player in the minor leagues. And when he’s been on his hot streaks, he’s been locked in, he’s controlling the strike zone, he’s swinging at pitches that he should be swinging at and when he hits the ball he hits it hard.”

Service-time implications might explain why Tucker wasn’t called up in May, when his bat was hottest and Houston’s major-league roster encountered a rash of injuries. By keeping Tucker in the minor leagues until June 2 or later, the Astros ensured he will be under team control through 2025 as opposed to through 2024.

Tucker’s future value is also why the Astros didn’t part with him in a trade-deadline deal. After sending four other prospects to the Diamondbacks for Zack Greinke on July 31, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said he “pretty much” told teams Tucker and Whitley were off-limits. That didn’t stop Tucker from being speculated about for weeks as a possible trade chip, which has become the norm every July and every offseason.

“I don’t pay attention to it too much,” Tucker said. “I don’t have any say in whether I get traded or not or to what team. For some people it does open up opportunities. Like (Josh) Rojas and (Derek Fisher), they’re in the big leagues now. But it’s also a good feeling that Jeff’s saying he still wants me here and (he views me as) a big part of their team and stuff like that.”

Tucker signifies a potential cornerstone player for the Astros in 2021 and beyond, as Springer, Brantley, Reddick and Marisnick are set to become free agents following the 2020 season. But he stands to contribute next season, as well, even if the Astros don’t trade Reddick and his $13 million salary in the offseason. Tucker’s recent practice at first base increases the odds playing time will open up for him at some point next season. If he was an option at first base earlier this season, he could’ve taken a lot of the at-bats that went to Tyler White.

Inspired by how quickly Straw carved out a major-league role after learning to play shortstop, Tucker was the one to initiate the first base experiment. He asked Storey in June if it might be an option for him and the manager worked him out at the position. A staffer shot video and it was sent up the chain of command. After a couple weeks of work, Tucker started seeing game action in mid-July, first late in blowouts and then as an occasional starter.

“It’s gone well. He’s done a heck of a job,” Storey said. “He’s definitely put in a ton of work. There were times where I would have him for early work and it would go 30, 40 minutes instead of the 15, 20, which is normal. He was really intrigued and really engaged in the work and trying to get better at it.”

This recent stretch has been Tucker’s first meaningful experience as an infielder, so he had never before picked balls out of the dirt and made throws to second base on double plays. Roughly six weeks into his time at the position, he feels confident he can play it moving forward. His start at first base on Saturday night was his seventh since July 18.

“It’s pretty fun,” he said. “I feel pretty good over there and obviously the more time I have over there the more comfortable I get.”

As long as the Astros remain at full-strength with their position players, it seems unlikely they’ll have many first base reps available for Tucker in September. Most of his playing time figures to be as an outfielder, especially if he produces in his initial chances. But will his next stint be when he adjusts to major-league pitching? Until he proves himself at the highest level, that will remain the big unknown.

 

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trucker hat update:

this list is shipping today:

@YChang

@runthebone

@Rustic Horn

@elguapo

@Southernthunder

@Seasick Sailor

@Mack Tripper

 

the following list are people who reserved one, but i haven't heard from yet:

@APMP

@Rip76

@tx ind

@Doug E. Fresh

 

if you're on the second list, you have about 90 minutes to pm me your shipping info, if you want your hats to go out today.  i'm not sure if i'm gonna make another trip to the post office this week.  if you're on the first list, you're all set.

as for the reorder, i had the hats shipped directly to where they're getting printed, so i will be compiling that list soon.

but just to be safe - if you want to be on the reorder list - send me a pm (unless you have already).  please don't just post on the thread.  i've been using my inbox to keep everything semi-organized.

 

thx,

hg 

exec vp, hg's trashy hats and lingerie, llc

#truckerhatmafia

 

 

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1 hour ago, UTexasFight said:

Tucker update. Including info on him at 1st base.

Both of these by Kaplan at The Athletic. Get a subscription, especially with college football starting. Best money I’ve ever spent for a news/sports outlet
 

  Reveal hidden contents



ROUND ROCK, Texas — Kyle Tucker is the best major-league prospect on Triple-A Round Rock’s roster. Given top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley’s immense struggles this season, Tucker is probably once again the premier prospect in the Astros’ entire farm system.

The left-handed hitting corner outfielder has had a strong season — but not a spectacular one, especially considering the offensive explosion in Triple A this year. In most organizations, the .930 OPS with which Tucker entered Sunday would still have been good enough to garner an opportunity by now. But not with the Astros, not with Yordan Alvarez having bypassed him for everyday major-league at-bats and with Josh Reddick and Jake Marisnick still entrenched on the roster.

Five position players have been summoned from Round Rock to Houston this season. None have been Tucker, who at this point last year was six weeks removed from his major-league debut. He’s blocked by Michael Brantley in left field and by Alvarez at designated hitter. When the Astros have needed a bench player in a pinch, they’ve opted for Myles Straw because of his speed and his rare ability to play both center field and shortstop.

All the while, Tucker’s wait has continued.

“I mean, I get it,” he said. “(George) Springer. Reddick. Brantley. Jake. Straw’s been up there for a while. They’ve all been doing a great job and I totally get it. But obviously, I wish I’d be up there helping out, too.”

Tucker will get his opportunity when rosters expand next month, be it on Sept. 1 or after Round Rock’s season ends. He stands a chance to be included on the Astros’ American League Division Series roster, too, presuming they stick to their usual script of carrying 11 pitchers and 14 position players in the best-of-five round.

But until the calendar flips, the 22-year-old remains blocked. The discourse around Tucker has been reinvigorated by the struggles of Reddick, who has been one of the least productive hitters in the majors since June and even worse since July. But with no roster spot available and Reddick owed the rest of his $13 million salary for this season and another $13 million for 2020, Houston’s only alternative to Reddick is Marisnick.

Tucker also hasn’t produced to a point where he’s forced the Astros’ hand. His season in Triple A has been extremely streaky. He was terrible in April and July but sensational in May and really productive in June. He’s heated up again in August. Overall, it’s translated to a .271/.355/.576 season line entering Sunday, which still marks regression from his .332/.400/.590 line at Triple A last season. His strikeout rate has increased, from 18.1 percent in 2018 to 22.2 percent this season.

Kyle Tucker in 2019 AVG OBP SLG
April .165 .211 .388
May .333 .429 .741
June .303 .366 .646
July .194 .333 .347
August .358 .422 .717
Tucker said he made no major adjustment that sparked his turnaround earlier in the season, though he does seem to be standing more upright in his stance compared to spring training. His April was reminiscent of his lackluster 72 plate-appearance sample in the majors last season, but in May, he outproduced even Alvarez in OPS, 1.169 to 1.110. Much of it boils down to his swing decisions.

“He’s really good when he’s able to hit the ball to all fields,” Round Rock manager Mickey Storey said. “I think he started the year a little pull happy. With the new balls and seeing some of the damage everyone was doing, maybe he got a little pull happy and was hooking some stuff, being a little over aggressive, swinging at stuff that just isn’t in the zone. But when Kyle Tucker’s locked in, he’s the best player in the minor leagues. And when he’s been on his hot streaks, he’s been locked in, he’s controlling the strike zone, he’s swinging at pitches that he should be swinging at and when he hits the ball he hits it hard.”

Service-time implications might explain why Tucker wasn’t called up in May, when his bat was hottest and Houston’s major-league roster encountered a rash of injuries. By keeping Tucker in the minor leagues until June 2 or later, the Astros ensured he will be under team control through 2025 as opposed to through 2024.

Tucker’s future value is also why the Astros didn’t part with him in a trade-deadline deal. After sending four other prospects to the Diamondbacks for Zack Greinke on July 31, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said he “pretty much” told teams Tucker and Whitley were off-limits. That didn’t stop Tucker from being speculated about for weeks as a possible trade chip, which has become the norm every July and every offseason.

“I don’t pay attention to it too much,” Tucker said. “I don’t have any say in whether I get traded or not or to what team. For some people it does open up opportunities. Like (Josh) Rojas and (Derek Fisher), they’re in the big leagues now. But it’s also a good feeling that Jeff’s saying he still wants me here and (he views me as) a big part of their team and stuff like that.”

Tucker signifies a potential cornerstone player for the Astros in 2021 and beyond, as Springer, Brantley, Reddick and Marisnick are set to become free agents following the 2020 season. But he stands to contribute next season, as well, even if the Astros don’t trade Reddick and his $13 million salary in the offseason. Tucker’s recent practice at first base increases the odds playing time will open up for him at some point next season. If he was an option at first base earlier this season, he could’ve taken a lot of the at-bats that went to Tyler White.

Inspired by how quickly Straw carved out a major-league role after learning to play shortstop, Tucker was the one to initiate the first base experiment. He asked Storey in June if it might be an option for him and the manager worked him out at the position. A staffer shot video and it was sent up the chain of command. After a couple weeks of work, Tucker started seeing game action in mid-July, first late in blowouts and then as an occasional starter.

“It’s gone well. He’s done a heck of a job,” Storey said. “He’s definitely put in a ton of work. There were times where I would have him for early work and it would go 30, 40 minutes instead of the 15, 20, which is normal. He was really intrigued and really engaged in the work and trying to get better at it.”

This recent stretch has been Tucker’s first meaningful experience as an infielder, so he had never before picked balls out of the dirt and made throws to second base on double plays. Roughly six weeks into his time at the position, he feels confident he can play it moving forward. His start at first base on Saturday night was his seventh since July 18.

“It’s pretty fun,” he said. “I feel pretty good over there and obviously the more time I have over there the more comfortable I get.”

As long as the Astros remain at full-strength with their position players, it seems unlikely they’ll have many first base reps available for Tucker in September. Most of his playing time figures to be as an outfielder, especially if he produces in his initial chances. But will his next stint be when he adjusts to major-league pitching? Until he proves himself at the highest level, that will remain the big unknown.

 

With Diaz going on the IL it might open up first base earlier for him, but they probably still wait until September. I know the activated Peacock but if Diaz turns out to be a longer stint then he might get an earlier call up. I'm anxious to see how he fares this year as oppressed to his call up last year. 

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On 8/18/2019 at 1:49 PM, TonyTexas said:


Strange move to put him on the IL if that’s all it was. Might be some shenanigans to allow for a extended bullpen for a few games. I imagine Straw or Mayfield will replace Sneed once we get home and the bullpen is a little less worn out.

 

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10 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Honestly forgot Mayfield existed.

He's been hitting pretty well at Round Rock since getting sent back down.

 

19 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

So the off-season isn’t enough time off for Kalas?  Eschenfelder on the call blows.  

He just called the knot-less netting "no knot netting"

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23 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

So the off-season isn’t enough time off for Kalas?  Eschenfelder on the call blows.  

He also already took off at least one series since the ASG.  Sparky is also off with Ford and Bill Brown on the radio.  They should send Eschenfelder to radio and bring Brownie back on tv.

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