In order to get his major league debut, Blake Taylor studied the Seattle Mariners’ lineup, and he found himself in a similar spot last week. Taylor did not sleep much the night before opening day, but acknowledged that he was nervous. In the office, Baker was concerned about the situation but told Taylor not to …
The Astros have been very fortunate to have an incredibly talented reliever on their roster. Injuries have limited his effectiveness, but he’s still an effective bullpen arm. Ryne Stanek has been a bright spot for the Astros over the past two months. In fact, his 6.25 FIP ranks third in the AL West. The Astros’ …
The Astros signed Christian Javier as an international free agent in 2017. The 23-year-old right-hander is a left-handed pitcher with a mid-90s fastball, a solid slider and a respectable curve. Javier’s 54 1/3 innings pitched and fifty-four strikeouts ranked fifth among all MLB 2020 rookies. His changeup also became a useful pitch while in the …
As a pitcher for the Houston Astros, Rafael Montero has earned many awards and accolades. In addition to his Cy Young Award, he has won the MLB MVP and the Rawlings Gold Glove. The Houston Astros are currently second in the AL West. Montero is 6’0″ and weighs 190 pounds. His contract is worth $2,725,000. …
After being optioned to Triple-A in early January, Bryan Abreu showed up to camp with a surprisingly low ERA. Despite his mediocre performance in the Minors, Abreu was still able to pitch well, posting a 1.49 ERA while throwing against right-handed batters in 22.2 innings. Despite striking out only two batters per nine innings, he …
After a lengthy back injury sidelined him in spring training, Taylor Jones has returned to hitting. Despite the injury, there is no definite timetable for his return to the Astros’ lineup. The 28-year-old hitter has yet to make his major league debut. Jones is expected to miss the rest of the month. While the Astros …
The Astros are going to rely on a lot of hitters in their lineup this year, but the starting catcher in the middle of the order is the guy to watch. While Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Alex Castro will lead the lineup, Castro will likely have to pitch most games. He’s an …
Aledmys Diaz has been a bench player for the Houston Astros this year, filling in for Jeremy Pena, who has been injured for the last few weeks. He has been productive at the plate in his last five at-bats against Patrick Corbin, including three home runs. Although his offensive numbers don’t suggest a great deal …
Jose Urquidy is another talented pitcher with a clear path to the starting rotation. With Zack Greinke and Gerrit Cole traded away, Houston lost several pitching prospects, and Urquidy should now have at least one starting spot locked up. Urquidy’s first half was a breath of fresh air for the Astros pitching staff, and the …
While Roberto Osuna is now out of the Astros’ closer job, Ryan Pressly is the new full-time option. Since joining Houston in 2018, Pressly has been dominant. His ERA and FIP both hover around 2.00, while his WHIP sits at 0.922. His ERA is one of the best in baseball, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is …
