Didn’t see a ‘Stros topic for 2024, so thought I would start one.
I’m looking forward to a great season. I’m pretty confident in our everyday lineup, especially since Diaz will be in there everyday. Pitching is the question for me.
I think if we get to the 7th inning with a lead, it’s lights out. I don’t see a better group in MLB for those situations than Abreu, Pressly, and Hader. Definitely have some questions though about the starters and middle relief.
Anyway, it should be an exciting season. I’m pumped to see what Espada does with this group.
I believe we have some very knowledgeable posters in the baseball section, and I’m looking forward to the comments this year!
If the bottoms of the lineup produces it might be okay….but you guys are going to get frustrated after a few times of having Altuve and Yordan stranded.
Larussa tried Pujols batting leadoff years ago with the notion of having his best hitter “get more AB’s”
It didn’t really take.
Someone with the stats would need to go back and see just how many more AB’s the number 2 gets over the number 3 in the course of a season….i know just from seeing so many lineups and box scores there may not even be one extra AB between the two for several games in a row.
I tend to agree with you. The prevailing wisdom is to have your best hitter bat 3rd. I remember a couple of years ago there were some media folks making the argument for having your best hitter bat 2nd. Or…I dreamt it.
Yeah, the only reason him hitting 2nd makes any sense is that it would give him a few more opportunities over the course of the season.
But this only works out if he stays in that spot and doesn’t miss any games. Neither of those is likely. The goal should be to maximize his RBI opportunities, not his plate appearances, and the 3-hole is the best place for that, unless the lineup is insanely deep and you have another Altuve hitting 9th.
He’s a high OBP guy so I don’t hate it but honestly I doubt it’ll lead to noticeably different output one way or another. The Angels have moved Trout and Ohtani around over the years between the 2 and 3 hole. PAs basically stay the same. I think Trout has averaged slightly more PAs when he’s in the 2 hole (like 0.1 per game) while Ohtani is the reverse.
You can’t even make this crap up….this guy has been gift wrapped so many opportunities to be on the big league club….
In addition to all of the stupid things he has done over the last EIGHT years….he has got to be one of the softest players I have ever seen or heard of in baseball.
Yup. Stealing money. I don’t blame him for taking it, but the powers to be must think they see something that hasn’t proven to be there. I need to look up his contract.
