Recent article by McTaggert where he says Whitcomb’s future is probably in the OF where they can take advantage of his athleticism.
Great, another OF. You would think if the Astros do make a trade at the deadline that an outfielder will be part of whatever package that they put together.
You may be right about Whitcomb. He was in LF again last night … the first game I have seen him in live … but he did not get much action. He fetched a couple of doubles down the line and made (maybe?) one routine catch. I do read a lot into the fact that he has been appearing more often in the OF than. the IF lately, though he seems to be serviceable or better at 3B.
As for the rest of my impressions from last night at the Dell:
Ryan Gusto looked really good. Fastball sat 92/93 and peaked at 95, but he changed speeds a lot. My angle was not idea, but it looked like slider (84-86) and curve (76-79) and maybe a change (80-83)? He missed a lot off bats, but the ones that he hit, he hit hard; three of the four hits were doubles (one off the wall in RCF and the other two down the line in left), and the one single was cut off by Leon in LCF before it could go all the way to the wall.
Ray Gaither did not impress and Dylan Coleman is wild.
Quincy Hamilton is fast!
Dixon Machado hits the ball hard; he was robbed on a screaming line drive.
David Hensley does not look like he is trying very hard to return to MLB.
The fans are horrible. Attendance was less than a third of what it was a few years ago when the Babystros were still the occupants, and there were many Astros hats and jerseys among them. They did not even announce attendance.
The ticket prices are through the roof. This may have some relationship to the previous point.
If Whitcomb can’t/doesn’t play the left side of the IF…then what kind of prospect is he? Don’t the Stros have a dozen OF in line around or in front of him?
I have no real idea, I’m asking.
Yes – That was more or less my point. I use playing time as a proxy for management valuation, and until very recently he has been getting starts more or less equally at SS and 3B, just under half the starts at each position. Then suddenly he is seeing time in LF.
IMO, the most likely explanation is that they are wanting him to get more versatility as a potential IF/OF/DH/Utility guy in the future. He has played 2B quite a bit (though less this year), and versatility might raise his value either as a keeper or as a trading chip.
Eventual Dubon replacement?
Current management of the Express is worse than terrible. That info is from someone who knows.
I trust your source, but my own eyes confirmed the same.
And Whitcomb is back at 3B tonight.
Astros released Luke Berryhill (return from the Reds for Cionel Perez) today. I was a little surprised based on how much playing time he has gotten this year – C/DH/1B. I looked more closely, though, and his bat has declined consistently since 2021 and his caught stealing rates have been 13%, 12%, and 11% over the past three years. I guess at some point numbers do matter.
Too bad. Hopefully he catches on with someone else and makes his way to the majors.
I met him and his family last year when I took my family to see him play at a restaurant reasonably close to where I live. Very upbeat and humble guy. Maybe this pushes him to give up baseball all together and pursue his music career full time. Either way I wish him the best.
In an interview a couple of weeks ago, Dana Brown said Whitcomb’s future is in the OF.
It may have been at his (Berryhill’s) request. He does not look like a defensive standout, and his bat is not really progressing. Rather than hang on with little hope, he may just want to get on with his life.
Meanwhile, Zach Dezenzo was promoted from Corpus and we may see him at 1B. He was hurt earlier in the year, but showed great promise last year. The promotion to AAA seems to indicate that management still sees that promise.
Jacob Melton also called up from Corpus
Interesting. Discouraging but interesting.
I also wonder if this might also be preceding the signing of the 1st round draft pick and movement of other catchers moving up the system to make room for him in Asheville?
Good point.
Rethink the positioning of these words in your sentence, Billy!
Was this about his music? That would make sense.
Yes, That was what I assumed after I read it a few times.