Talkin' Baseball (MLB Podcast) - Houston Astros | Profile & Projection | 642

Episode Date: March 28, 2023

Use code JOMBOYPRESEASON for 15% off your next purchase at SeatGeek* https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/JOMBOYPRESEASON*max discount $50, expires 3/31/2023The reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros were voted the best team in baseball by the listeners! Will H-Town repeat in 2023? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do we going to get a dusty impression this episode? Wait to find out. Welcome back to another talking baseball team profile and projection. It's the last of the season the Houston Astros voted as the number one team in baseball by our audience. Brought to you by Ckeek, Jake Astros, they have a busy offseason, or are they just so good that they didn't really have to do much? Well, their off-season started on the best note ever getting to celebrate winning the World Series. Dusty had a plan.

And, man, Houston is an absolute wag. 106 wins. They beat Philly in the World Series fortitude. They added Jose Abraeu. I mean, coming over from the White Sox three years. My favorite. 58 and a half million dollars. Matt Gage waivers from the Blue Jays, little scary, because I'm,

not familiar at all, which means he's probably going to have a massive year. A couple of their death pieces, otherwise nothing crazy. And they did lose Justin Verlender. Sai Young winning Justin Verlanner last year. A couple of their trade pieces, Christian Vasquez and Trey Mancini. Al-Ledmas D.S. Always gets me. Will Smith's out of town.

Same with Nico Goodrum. And Yule Gariel, that's going to be different. You know, he'd been their first baseman for a while there. Travis Jason Castro retired. Josh James out of town. So not the biggest offseason. Jose Ibrahim and I said, Justin Verlander should be a big loss to most teams,

but does it ever really matter with this org? And Trev, I know the top of the lineup is still strong, even with some recent Altoouva WBC news. Yes, they've been going through some injuries here. Brantley's not going to be ready. Now we know about Jose Altovae, who's going to be out. I'm saying two months. That brings us right away to the top of the lineup.

Who's going to replace them? And we'll see Jeremy Pena there. I'm sure at some point during the year, he's an incredible shortstop for them. Kyle Tucker, that Abraham, Lincoln, M.Fer, who I love so much, will be in right field. Alex Bregman, man in down third base, Jordon Alvarez, know him, love him.

He'll be deaching. Stay out of the outfield. Please, Jose Breu, Cuban ball players, get him on your team. He'll be at first base. And then this is a battle here. Who's going to play center field? Chas McCormick, Jake Myers,

they'll kind of both be splitting time out there. One will be in center. One will be in left. Then David Hensley could be the guy that replaces Altuve at second base. And then Martine Maldonado with the cannon behind the plate. You know, on the bench, Maricio Dubon, they have Corey Lee as a backup catcher right now. Although, yeah, there's some guys there at the top of their prospect list who are catchers. We'll see who wins that battle.

Justin Durden, JJ Madagevich, also there. But Brantley is a missing's big. Obviously Al-Tubei missing is big. The lineup is still strong. James, talk to us about the rotation in bullpen. Rotation's pretty good. They got this guy named Frumber Valdez. Says Fromber here, but I haven't always been a Framber guy,

but that could just be the East Coast in me. Christian Javier. Yes. He's good. Luis Garcia. Doesn't have the baby cradle. motion anymore he grew up

Jose uh kitty and I butchered that has Hunter Brown listed here as the fifth they could have had Forrest Whitley but they already optioned him right Astros fans you know more than us

so make sure you let us know in the comments there and then in the bullpen they got Presley who's so good I really enjoyed watching him in these WBC games where it wasn't mowing down my Yankees in the ALCS because he is so

good. The Yankees got to him twice last year, but it was like at the postseason, he just to have that many pitches, he's so good. Montero, Abraeu, Hector Nerris, the pirate Stanek, Phil Maiton. Yeah. They're good, man. They're just that rotation's so good.

The colors is hurt. So they the question is when he returns, they're going to go a six man are they going to get rid of someone we've seen them like say they would trade or kitty at some point which i think is kind of silly uh they have depth forever and that comes to help you out in the post season so i don't i don't even if you guys have any prompts here i mean this team is just like really good they're going to be in the post season and they're going to be in the alcs i amo this is my set how many years we've done this five years now four years like the the lcs

goes through houston yes the american league goes through houston yes the american league goes through Houston. And look, this Altuve news has opened up some things for them. You know, you're going to have to put someone young there, someone who's not your heart and soul of your franchise. I mean, that's a big blow to them. Now, do they care about the regular season much? No, this is a team that's going to be able to navigate. They're another team like the Dodgers. When they call people up, they're ready to go. It's just I think Jose is different than a lot of other guys. He's batting lead-offs immediately puts the defense, you know, they're scared. When Jose Al-Tube is batting leadoff, he's going to swing first pitch, and he's going to put the ball in play, and you better be ready.

And it just gets you on edge a little bit. You're going to be missing that, although putting Pena there doesn't seem like such a bad second option. So I think, you know, at the beginning of the season, yeah, we're going to have some question marks, you know, even with, you know, that outfield. Jake Myers, you missed most of last year or all last year, so he's coming back. We'll see how that goes. But the depth is enough where they're going to be in the playoffs, that pitching is disgusting. bullpen's disgusting. This is World Series or bust 100%. They're the best team in baseball right now. But Jake, tell them about repeating.

Hardest thing to do in sports. And especially baseball flex. Man, that little, that pod, if we're talking about Wales, Hensley, McCormick, and Myers, all 26 or 27, all getting a shot to run it with the Astros, man. And, you know, Chaz McCormick, with all the confidence in the world, has to be after his playoff performance. Interested to see what happens there.

Talking baseball fans will remember, I've sniffed out Hensley from the start. He's a 6-6-second baseman. There's some absolute Astros devil magic going on with him. All three of those guys are also, like, late-round picks. You pause on Hensley real quick? I'm paused. Hensley and the minors last year.

898 OPS in 104 games with a 420 on base percentage. They called them up for some action at the end of the season. 345 batting average 1.027 OPS in 344 games. In spring training so far, 28 at bats in over 14 games, 9-1-2 OPS with a 412 on base percentage. Altuve going to be back after the All-Star break. This kid gets some time to shine. He hasn't had bad.

I couldn't find bad numbers. So Jake sniffed him out, but just like I just went through every chunk. There ain't bad numbers on this kid. Try telling you guys last year when they called him up. There's a 6-6 kid playing second base for the Houston Astros who have been the class org of baseball. Like, yes, something's off there. He's going to be lights out, and I can't explain it,

but he's going to have a great career. And the bigger thing of all this, Michael Brantley's going to come back at some point. Probably they're saying close to opening day. We'll see. Altuvae, we'll be back at some point. And okay, there's two amazing hitters that you'll add to your lineup at some point. This team starts with the pitching too, man.

They were second in the RA last year from their starters and they were first from their relievers. I mean, echo the Dodgers with a little more playoff success. You know, their bullpen, you have, I don't know, six guys deep that you'd almost feel fine. Closing a game. Like you mentioned with their rotation, Hunter Brown, you know, people are buying stock on him for like a little rookie of the year type cup of coffee. And yeah, McCullors comes back. Do you go six, man?

Orchidies floated around. Could they, you know, trade from a point of depth there? Which I know you say is a little scary, but they did that with Odo last year. Like this organization can almost do whatever they want. And they have been, I mean, just so dominant. Just so dominant in the American League for the past six seasons that, yeah, I mean, Alex Bregman's baseball season goes into mid to late October every year. That's like what he knows.

So that's pretty nuts. I don't even know what to look at. Who cares about They're just going to be in the ALCS. Edit. Sorry, guys. See, you celebrated too early. We told you before the TPP.

Chickens and hatching, man. How about this? Yorne Alvarez MVP. Hunter Brown Rookie of the year. Christian Javier Sy Young. Ryan Presley, Roll-Aid's reliever of the year. I think, did they change it to the Mariana

Rivera Award? I think they talked about that. I don't know if they did it. Kind of a hilarious name when you think about it. Roll-Aid's reliever of the year. That's pretty fun. Yeah, it was pretty good. Relief. Are they still paying for it? I don't think so. I think that's why they're out. Yeah. And yeah, one of their two catching prospects will click two. Tucker, Silver Slugger. Oh, easily. Mm. Second in the MVP. I don't know. Yeah, there's, there's not a lot of, gosh, damn it. Can the Mariners catch them? In the regular season, can the Mariners beat the Astros. Not if the Astros stay this healthy.

I don't know what I said in the Mariners episode, but the Astros stay healthy. Their rotation stays healthy. No. But maybe you get them in the postseason. Who knows? They're really, really, really good. And they're so good that they don't do any trickery.

Like they use their relievers. They just gave them an inning. They were one of the few teams to, not like they had the least amount of inherited runners. Most of their relievers just got a clean inning. And then you brought in the next reliever and the next reliever. And their positions and their lineup kind of stays the same. It's like they're so good that Dusty and the analytics teams don't have to get cute.

They're like, oh, no, no, we'll just put our guys out there, go play. Trev? As you can tell, I'm having technical difficulties over here. I can hear you guys. I just don't know how choppy that I. am right now. You're clean. You look and sound great on our end. On my end I look just like absolute dog shit.

So that's why I've been kind of sitting here. I have no questions about this team. They're going to be in the playoffs. How many games are they going to win during the regular season? That's the game we like to play here at the end of these 95 and a half of the draft kings over underwin total. They won 106 last year, I believe. 106 and 56. I know the Altovae news hurts, but this team is they're just too good.

I think I'm going to take the over as well. Game signaled for the over. Crush the over. I mean, why is it so low? Just because, like, you have to. How many did they win last year? 106.

They won 195 and 21. 107, 103, 101. Yeah, I mean, the blip on this team's radar is 2020, which was weird. 60 game times. And they still went to the CS that year as a little bit of a reminder. So what's the number at? 95 and a half.

Starts with a nine, so I'm going over. Over. Astros fans, tell us where we got wrong. Where are you guys actually back? Are you worried about anything? Are you worried about anything? You're worried about how two of it because he's heart and soul, but Hensley's going to fucking mash up.

And he'll be back. And it'll be back in time for when you need. So, like, are you worried about anything, Astros fans? Dusty, you're still out partying. That's the biggest concern. I took this Dallas hat off just because for Houston. It's for you guys. For the H, baby.

I'll be finished under 10 unders.