Hope this brings back some of the magic for ‘22. He hasn’t been himself for a long time. No word on recovery time but I assume he’ll be ready for spring training.
Not a surprise at all.
Between that, Brantley’s knee, and LMJ it seems more like 2018.
1 Like
At least this explains his complete lack of power and production the last few weeks of the season and into the post season.
I have hope that in 2022 we will see 2017-2019 Alex.
Avg of those 3 seasons:
156 g
105 R
42 2b
30 hr
95 rbi
.289 avg
.391 OB%
.533 slg
.924 OPS
I would prefer THAT Alex every year or almost every year for the near future more than 2019 Alex once and then multiple years to recover.
Those were his 23-25 age seasons. There should be no reason he can’t get back there at 28.
A healthy and run producing Alex will go a long ways in softening the blow of losing Carlos if/when that happens.
1 Like
He may not have a >.900 OPS anymore, but he doesn’t necessarily need to, especially if he moves over to short.
He was slashing .297/.375/.457 thru September 10 (last day of his ten-game hitting streak).
They probably should have been playing Diaz the whole time, but I guess that doesn’t matter now.
Could have acknowledged the problem earlier, and adjusted accordingly. He was dropped in the order only after the brunt of the damage was done. An injury was highly suspected among all.
It sure feels like Correa isn’t coming back.
If not. . .
I’m torn between giving Jetemy Pena the job putting him in the 8 hole and living with the growing pains
Or
Looking at the trade or free agent market for a stop gap veteran.
Lineup thoughts.
If Correa is somewhere else then one of the RH run producing bats is gone.
Would you keep Brantley 2nd? He is still an elite hitter but his HR/RBI numbers were way way down
I think I would move him to 7th.
Altuve
Bregman
Alvarez/Tucker
Gurriel
Tucker/Alvarez
Meyers/McCormick/Siri
Brantley
SS
Maldy/Castro
One unexpected benefit of this lineup may be the protection that Brantley provides the CF. It may help him/them have a better season
Is Diaz too valuable coming off the bench to start at 3rd or SS? Or is him being injury prone too much to consider him for a starter? Maybe some sort of tandem of Diaz and Pena to take a little pressure off of Pena?
I doubt the top of the order will change much.
A run producer in the seventh spot seems to make more sense.
But who knows?
If Bregman is the SS I expect a Diaz/someone else platoon at 3B.
Of course I also expected the Astros would win the WS so consider the source.
I have yet to read anything that has changed since last week in regards to Correa staying. It was always going to drag out into free agency unless Crane offered a 10-year deal. If he stays, great. If not, I imagine the Astros start the year with Diaz at short and call Pena up mid season (unless Pena blows them away in Spring Training). Another idea would be to try and get a versatile guy like Chris Taylor or Jonathan Villar that can play all over the diamond. (Taylor can play CF, which is a plus with the Astros’ roster). Only downside with Taylor is he costs a draft pick.
I can’t see the Astros putting Bregman at SS under any circumstance considering all the lower-body injuries he’s dealt with the last two seasons,
I don’t know Pena’s mental makeup, but off the top of my head I would think giving him the job straight out of spring training, regardless of how her performs there, isn’t a wise decision. I think he probably needs to be eased into the role. Platoon would be the only thing I would consider and I think that is a stretch. I don’t like Diaz as an everyday player either. He’s my utility guy and can barely stay healthy for that. If Correa leaves, and I truly think Pena can be the everyday shortstop in 2023, then I’m signing someone to one year deal and brining Pena up during the year to get his feet wet……but that’s just me.
Villar makes a lot of sense if they want to give Peña a real shot to win the job. I’d love Taylor but I think they will avoid anyone who got a QO. Maybe the Yankees will be looking to move Gleyber Torres if, well, you know.
1 Like
I could also see Story being an option if his market is so depressed that he could be had for a one-year, prove it deal after his disappointing season. If the Astros significantly upgrade in center field, an elite defender but poor hitter like Andrelton Simmons as another one-year option might make sense, too.
There is also the factor that being the guy who follows The Guy is a lot of pressure.
2 Likes
MLBTradeRumors.com has put out their predictions for the top 50 free agents.
Bad news : none of the writers expect either Correa or Verlander back.
But at least one writer predicts:
Trevor Story to sign for 6yrs 126 mil.
Graveman to resign for 3 yrs 27 mil.
Carlos Rodon to sign for 1 yr 25 mil.
Raisel Iglesias to sign 4 yrs/56 mil.
At least it’s something new to talk about.
I’m not big on a third year for a reliever much less a fourth.