|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 18, 2022 11:13:40 GMT -6
So Brown is obviously ready for the MLB team. But what do you do with him? We don't need another starter right now. Do we just put him in the bullpen when the rosters expand? Bullpen or maybe let Garcia skip a start and Brown fill in for him. Garcia looks tired to me. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 18, 2022 11:17:48 GMT -6
The post-draft MLB Astros Top 30 prospects is posted at Astros.com. Drew Gilbert is ranked #2 and Yanier Diaz #3 behind Hunter Brown. Leon is #4. I actually like Gilbert more than Brown (potential-wise), but I certainly won't fault them for ranking the guy who is doing very well in AAA over the guy who only has a few games in Low-A so far. For those worried about our outfield picture, half of our top 10 prospects are now outfielders. Glad to see the Diaz respect there. It will be interesting to see what route the go at 1B this off-season. They should probably leave Diaz in AAA at least for the start of 2023 so he can continue to refine his catching game. I'm guessing that means free agent help at 1B, but I'm betting they won't go big on Bell because of Diaz's future. He's a guy that could play 1B 3-4 times a week and catch 2-3 times a week behind Lee. I feel like a Mancini resigning would make sense; when Diaz is ready, Mancini can play some LF and some DH like he's doing now, and he probably wouldn't command more than a 3-4 year deal. But maybe they'll surprise us all and just install Diaz at the 1B out of Spring Training, letting him work on catching with the coaches and catching 1-2 times per week at the ML level. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 18, 2022 11:27:21 GMT -6
So Brown is obviously ready for the MLB team. But what do you do with him? We don't need another starter right now. Do we just put him in the bullpen when the rosters expand? A little bit ago I suggested that they call him up, let him work in relief, and an occasional spot start in order to skip and rest guys like Garcia and Urquidy. Alternately, he could be a 2-3 times per week member of a piggy-back thing, where one of the starters goes for 60-75 pitches and then Brown comes in and gets you to the 7th or 8th. Aside from JV, who they wouldn't ask to be a part of that anyway, all our other starters came up through our system and it would not be the first time they were a part of such a setup. Which brings up a pretty cool thing to think about; Astros have five starters at the MLB level right now that they developed themselves, and are all pitching above-average to well-above-average. I don't think any other franchise can say that. |
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 18, 2022 11:39:14 GMT -6
The post-draft MLB Astros Top 30 prospects is posted at Astros.com. Drew Gilbert is ranked #2 and Yanier Diaz #3 behind Hunter Brown. Leon is #4. I actually like Gilbert more than Brown (potential-wise), but I certainly won't fault them for ranking the guy who is doing very well in AAA over the guy who only has a few games in Low-A so far. For those worried about our outfield picture, half of our top 10 prospects are now outfielders. Glad to see the Diaz respect there. It will be interesting to see what route the go at 1B this off-season. They should probably leave Diaz in AAA at least for the start of 2023 so he can continue to refine his catching game. I'm guessing that means free agent help at 1B, but I'm betting they won't go big on Bell because of Diaz's future. He's a guy that could play 1B 3-4 times a week and catch 2-3 times a week behind Lee. I feel like a Mancini resigning would make sense; when Diaz is ready, Mancini can play some LF and some DH like he's doing now, and he probably wouldn't command more than a 3-4 year deal. But maybe they'll surprise us all and just install Diaz at the 1B out of Spring Training, letting him work on catching with the coaches and catching 1-2 times per week at the ML level. Have you seen a list of which prospects the Astros will send to the AFL this fall? Is it too soon to send Dirden? Would you send Y. Diaz? Whitley? |
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Aug 18, 2022 14:29:54 GMT -6
So Brown is obviously ready for the MLB team. But what do you do with him? We don't need another starter right now. Do we just put him in the bullpen when the rosters expand? They're getting laborious starts from García. If he can be a clear upgrade, what’s the harm? |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 18, 2022 16:51:56 GMT -6
I actually like Gilbert more than Brown (potential-wise), but I certainly won't fault them for ranking the guy who is doing very well in AAA over the guy who only has a few games in Low-A so far. For those worried about our outfield picture, half of our top 10 prospects are now outfielders. Glad to see the Diaz respect there. It will be interesting to see what route the go at 1B this off-season. They should probably leave Diaz in AAA at least for the start of 2023 so he can continue to refine his catching game. I'm guessing that means free agent help at 1B, but I'm betting they won't go big on Bell because of Diaz's future. He's a guy that could play 1B 3-4 times a week and catch 2-3 times a week behind Lee. I feel like a Mancini resigning would make sense; when Diaz is ready, Mancini can play some LF and some DH like he's doing now, and he probably wouldn't command more than a 3-4 year deal. But maybe they'll surprise us all and just install Diaz at the 1B out of Spring Training, letting him work on catching with the coaches and catching 1-2 times per week at the ML level. Have you seen a list of which prospects the Astros will send to the AFL this fall? Is it too soon to send Dirden? Would you send Y. Diaz? Whitley? Haven't seen a list. I would not expect one until at least the end of the MiLB season. Diaz is a good bet to play at least somewhere this off-season. The AFL is usually North American-born players, so Diaz might play in a Caribbean League somewhere. Whitley could be a good bet, but he's already been to the AFL, so he might be a Winter Ball guy as well. Dirden seems like a good bet to me. I don't remember Solomon in the AFL, so maybe him. Shawn Dubin and Jayden Murray stand out to me as well. It will be interesting to see since a lot of our top guys are either new (drafted this year), have already been, or are international guys. |
|
|
|
Post by m240 on Aug 18, 2022 18:08:43 GMT -6
So Brown is obviously ready for the MLB team. But what do you do with him? We don't need another starter right now. Do we just put him in the bullpen when the rosters expand? Bullpen or maybe let Garcia skip a start and Brown fill in for him. Garcia looks tired to me. Garcia is suffering from that age old affliction of many young pitchers, he has I was managed by a dumbass last yearitis. There have been studies on how to not screw up young pitchers, unfortunately Dusty did not read them. Under normal circumstances Garcia needs to be put on the shelf for about a month and then brought back. There is really no way to stretch him back out now so it looks like we will have a playoff starting staff of Verlander, Valdez, McCullers, and Urquidy. Then we have options for long relief in Javier, Garcia, and perhaps Brown. We have a large lead in our division, we have a lot of good solid arms, and I can think of no reason not to start rotating these guys out for some R and R to have them fresh for the playoffs. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 19, 2022 11:32:17 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by bearbryant on Aug 19, 2022 13:57:54 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 19, 2022 15:55:13 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 20, 2022 0:39:40 GMT -6
Sugar Land lost the first game of their double-header 4-1. They uh...got their revenge in the second game, 21-4, thanks to a 17 run 6th inning. LOL.
Across both games, Diaz was a combined 2-for-5 with 4 RBI, 4 runs, 3 walks, two strikeouts, a homer, and a partridge in a pear tree. Lee was 2-for-8 with a stolen base. Dirden 3-for-7 with a steal.
In Asheville, Correa was 3-for-5 and drove in three runs. Loperfido was 3-for-5 as well. Zach Daniels was 4-for-5 with just 1 strikeout, and that's good news. We haven't talked much about him but this guy has tools, plus raw power and double-plus speed. He fell to us in the 4th round of 2020 because he didn't do very well during college and Cape Cod. Strikeouts could very well make him bust before he even hits AAA, much less the Majors, but his ceiling is pretty much George Springer.
Melton had a night. 3-for-5, single, double, and homer, 5 total RBI. Whitaker 2-for-4.
And we should probably talk about Colton Gordon more, he's doing great this year. In 11 games he has a 2.11 ERA, 13.2 K/9, and 1.4 BB/9. In 2020 he missed time from COVID, and not long after coming back from that his arm exploded and he had Tommy John. Despite that, the Astros liked him so much they used their 8th round pick on him. The low number of games pitched this year is due to just being back from the surgery. Tall LHP with solid stuff, and obviously killing it so far. Nice sleeper prospect.
|
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 20, 2022 13:19:57 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Aug 20, 2022 13:22:30 GMT -6
We wait all this time for a call-up, and it's a guy only 3 of you have ever heard of. |
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 20, 2022 13:34:56 GMT -6
We wait all this time for a call-up, and it's a guy only 3 of you have ever heard of. Apparently Dubon is going to be out a while. |
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 20, 2022 13:41:33 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by abregmanfan on Aug 20, 2022 15:41:51 GMT -6
We wait all this time for a call-up, and it's a guy only 3 of you have ever heard of. I heard for a big guy he can run. Guess we will see. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 20, 2022 21:59:28 GMT -6
We wait all this time for a call-up, and it's a guy only 3 of you have ever heard of. I heard for a big guy he can run. Guess we will see. "For a big guy" yeah. He's got average speed in a body type that almost always has below-average speed. Good instincts, too. He could probably steal 10-15 bases a year while he's young and spry. Doesn't really have power. Being a solid hitter, drawing some walks, and playing 5-6 positions are the things that have got him here. If he looks okay for the next 1-2 months, you might see them let Diaz go in free agency and just run with Hensley as the future utility guy. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 20, 2022 22:06:58 GMT -6
Yainer Diaz was 2-for-5. Dirden was 1-for-4, double and a walk.
Joey Loperfido was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI.
Jacob Melton was 2-for-4 with a walk. He's hit .310/.382/.552 in the 7 games since he joined Fayetteville.
|
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Aug 21, 2022 0:46:00 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Aug 21, 2022 9:47:16 GMT -6
Man, I like how “contusion” has become “dislocation”. Looks like Dr. Fauci has a side job.
|
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 21, 2022 18:44:18 GMT -6
An encouraging outing by Whitley tonight:
5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB 5 K
|
|
|
|
Post by m240 on Aug 21, 2022 18:57:35 GMT -6
Until he can put together 3 or 4 of these my opinion will be "hello blind squirrel here's your acorn".
|
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 23, 2022 23:21:23 GMT -6
Well, Sugar Land's game isn't officially over, but they're up 23-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth. They've hit some homers. Lots of homers. Korey Lee has hit three homers in this one game. Yainer Diaz has comparatively slacked off by hitting just two himself (he's 3-for-5 with a walk). Dirden 2-for-6 with 3 RBI. Brinson is 3-for-4 with two bombs, two walks, 7 RBI.
Jacob Melton was 2-for-4 tonight.
|
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 27, 2022 20:50:44 GMT -6
Yanier Diaz had a home run in his first at bat for Sugar Land tonight giving him 12 in 84 at bats in August… 1 every 12 ABs. He came into the game with a .925 OPS and .291 BA for August.
Hunter Brown has obviously got to be one of the two September call ups for the Astros. Surely the other will be a bat. Who do you think will be the Astros September call ups?
|
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Aug 27, 2022 21:23:58 GMT -6
Yanier Diaz had a home run in his first at bat for Sugar Land tonight giving him 12 in 84 at bats in August… 1 every 12 ABs. He came into the game with a .925 OPS and .291 BA for August. Hunter Brown has obviously got to be one of the two September call ups for the Astros. Surely the other will be a bat. Who do you think will be the Astros September call ups? Dirden or Diaz? |
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 27, 2022 23:10:03 GMT -6
Wouldn't be surprised to see none of those guys. Brown is the most likely, but they'll have to make 40-man room to do it. They might just rather call up guys already on the 40-man roster, like Enoli, Bielak, Mushinski, Blanco, Solomon, etc. Heck, maybe Whitley, since he's already on the 40-man, they may decide it's time to see if he can show anything against MLB hitters before potentially DFAing him in the off-season if they need the space.
Korey Lee is already on the 40-man and has MLB experience, expecting him to come back up and not Diaz.
I would especially not expect to see Dirden. He's only just gotten to AAA level, they won't rush him to the Majors and have him sit on the bench after a hot first month at that level. Niko Goodrum is healthy again and they kept him on the 40-man all this time, I imagine he comes back up. Matijevic could come back up, but he's basically a lesser Mancini so that would seem pointless.
In short, don't get excited about seeing any hot prospects. The smart approach is to bring up the role players to flesh out the bench and spell guys so they can be more rested for October. I doubt they do anything splashy.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 27, 2022 23:13:34 GMT -6
Here's Dirden's bomb tonight. Love that swing. Really quiet lower body, tiny little toe tap then the bat explodes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ashitaka on Aug 27, 2022 23:49:03 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 28, 2022 5:59:12 GMT -6
Well Las Vegas answered those 11 unanswered runs by scoring 6 off Enoli Paredes and 1 off Ronel Blanco in the bottom of the ninth to beat Sugar Land ‘boys 15-14 last night. |
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Aug 28, 2022 6:48:06 GMT -6
Wouldn't be surprised to see none of those guys. Brown is the most likely, but they'll have to make 40-man room to do it. They might just rather call up guys already on the 40-man roster, like Enoli, Bielak, Mushinski, Blanco, Solomon, etc. Heck, maybe Whitley, since he's already on the 40-man, they may decide it's time to see if he can show anything against MLB hitters before potentially DFAing him in the off-season if they need the space. Korey Lee is already on the 40-man and has MLB experience, expecting him to come back up and not Diaz. I would especially not expect to see Dirden. He's only just gotten to AAA level, they won't rush him to the Majors and have him sit on the bench after a hot first month at that level. Niko Goodrum is healthy again and they kept him on the 40-man all this time, I imagine he comes back up. Matijevic could come back up, but he's basically a lesser Mancini so that would seem pointless. In short, don't get excited about seeing any hot prospects. The smart approach is to bring up the role players to flesh out the bench and spell guys so they can be more rested for October. I doubt they do anything splashy. I agree with you on Korey Lee over Yanier Diaz for a September call up. After last night’s game their numbers for the month of August at Sugar Land are OPS - Diaz .10.16 Lee 10.19, AB - Diaz - 89 Lee 74, HR - Diaz 7 Lee 9, BA - Diaz .326 Lee .270, OBP - Diaz .388 Lee .357 - Diaz .618 Lee .662. Lee is on the 40-man roster. Diaz is not.That is the clincher. Brown has earned a call up. I think it will be Lee and Brown |
|
