How Houston Astros stack up with probable roster, positional strategies for postseason success
POSTSEASON OUTLOOK
24 September 2024
The Astros have some big decisions to make.Composite Getty Image.
The MLB postseason is right around the corner, and one of the most popular discussions about the Astros has to be (or at least was) Justin Verlander's role moving forward.
It appears Houston GM Dana Brown plans on reevaluating Verlander's status after the first playoff series.
Which is quite a position reversal compared to his last comments about JV when he broke out the “back of the baseball card” nonsense on the club's flagship station on September 11. Better late than never, I suppose.
With that said, it appears the Astros will role with Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Yusei Kikuchi. Which seems like the right choice at the moment.
But now the Astros have another x-factor to navigate. If Yordan Alvarez is able to play with his sprained knee in the postseason, it's hard to imagine he would be playing in left field.
With him locked in at DH, Yainer Diaz will have to either catch or play first base. The same goes for Victor Caratini if he's in the starting lineup. Which also means that games in which both Caratini and Diaz play, Jon Singleton will be on the bench.
We'll likely see a platoon at first between Caratini and Singleton when Diaz is behind the dish. Mauricio Dubon could also factor in.
Which leads us to the outfield. Kyle Tucker is a no-brainer to play right field, and we'll likely see a platoon in left between Jason Heyward and Dubon.
One would assume Jake Meyers gets the nod to play center field due to his excellent play on defense, but you never know. As Chandler Rome noted in his article for The Athletic this week, Meyers has the 4th-worst OPS (.540) in baseball since the All-Star break.
Dubon is starting in center on Tuesday night. Make of that what you will. Could be nothing, or could be something.
We could also see Chas McCormick play some center or left field should he return healthy from his hand/finger injury.
Plus, how many pitchers and position players should the Astros carry in the Wild Card round? Should they keep more hitters so they can pinch hit for guys like Meyers should they find themselves down in a big game?
Don't miss the video above for the full discussion!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Houston Astros made a surprising move this week when they signed former Rockies second baseman Brendan Rogers to a one-year deal.
With Jose Altuve taking reps in left field, this signing really got us thinking about what Rogers' role will be should he make the team.
Did the Astros sign him, hoping he would take over as the regular second baseman with Altuve moving to left? Or did they bring him on as depth which would allow Mauricio Dubon to be used all over the field instead of locked in at second base? Only time will tell.
Dropping Altuve?
Based on the Astros willingness to shake things up with Altuve, could we see another adjustment involving him?
Former Astro Josh Reddick recently talked about the ideal batting order on the Crush City Territory podcast. Reddick made the case that Altuve would be better suited hitting second.
Which is all well and good, but if they do pull the trigger and bump him down in the lineup one spot, who leads off?
That's where things get tricky. Two candidates that could make some sense are Jeremy Pena and Chas McCormick. Both have the speed to steal second base, but their on base percentages from last season don't instill any confidence.
However, if we go back to just 2023, Jeremy Pena's OBP of .324 isn't way off from the .350 Altuve posted in 2024. Pena also walked 43 times that season, just a few behind the 47 Altuve posted in 2024.
McCormick has a similar problem. If he can produce numbers similar to his 2023 season, you would have something. Which speaks to a bigger theme of this season for Houston.
Will Pena and McCormick continue to regress, or can they turn things around? For McCormick, if he's not hitting, it doesn't make a lot of sense playing him in right field considering his lack of arm strength. Ben Gamel is ready and waiting should they need him. And he hits left-handed.
Why does Jake Meyers get a pass?
Meyers is in a different situation entirely. Nobody expects him to hit, but they do need his speed covering the outfield to make the Altuve experiment worth trying.
Call to the bullpen
With Ryan Pressly gone, the Astros have some open spots in the 'pen. Forrest Whitley and Rafael Montero are going to get some opportunities this season, like it or not.
But will Whitley ever live up to his first round expectations, and can Montero regain his form from the 2022 season? The answer is probably no for both players, but they're going to get a shot, just based on the makeup of the roster.
Caleb Ort and Shawn Dubin are already dealing with injuries, so it will likely be all hands on deck for the Astros.
Finally, what do we think of the overall depth of this club, with so many big time contributors now playing for other teams?
Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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