THE PALLILOG
Here’s how roster pressures, pace of play will uniquely impact Astros outfield
Mar 2, 2023, 6:42 pm
Kyle Tucker is poised to have a big year. Composite image by Jack Brame.
It’s just one week of spring training games but so far, so GREAT for Major League Baseball’s pace of play rules changes. Of course there has been grousing from some over the pitch clock. 100% customer or player satisfaction is impossible. Most people are creatures of habit and for some change is more difficult than for others. Well, suck it up buttercups! In AAA last year the average game length dropped 25 minutes. So far in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues average game length has dropped by more than 20 minutes.
Time cops
For the Astros the apparent most significant adjustment to be made was for Luis Garcia with his elaborate windup banished to the archives. Garcia had zero problem adapting in his first outing. Kyle Tucker didn’t go on a rant but he’s the Astro who has expressed the most dissatisfaction about the timer to this point. One suspects he’ll be just fine. Maybe Tucker is a tad grumpy after losing his salary arbitration case. Think positively Tuck. 20-minute shorter average game lengths get you home sooner to your new fiance! Batters are allowed one timeout per plate appearance. That’s plenty. Stepping out of the box, adjusting batting gloves, rubbing more dirt on one’s hands, or contemplating the meaning of life after every or every other pitch is a tedious waste of time.
Perhaps a cranky Kyle will be extra locked in to start the season as he tries to strengthen his case for a contract extension worth a couple hundred million dollars. The last two years Tucker has been awful out of the gate. In 2021 he finished April with a woeful .181 batting average and a feeble .610 OPS. After going 0 for four on May 1, Tucker then played at an MVP level the rest of the season, batting .324 with a .996 OPS. Last year’s start wasn’t as miserable but was not better by leaps and bounds, with Tucker waking up May 1 with the average at .224 and OPS at .685. While his 2022 start wasn’t as bad as 2021, the rest of Tucker’s 2022 wasn’t nearly as good as the rest of his 2021 was. From May 1 of last season Tucker hit .263 with an .828 OPS which is plenty good but not 30 million dollars per season worth of production. Tucker is 26 and should be at about the peak of his physical talents. With merely a solid first month of the season at the plate, Tucker could have a monster 2023. He’ll be boosted by the maybe 10 hits he’ll pick up on balls he smashes that aren’t turned into outs by now banned defensive shifts.
Potential hidden bonus of snappier pace of play rules: maybe the wave gets washed away. Though somehow I doubt it.
Who's standing out so far this spring?
With time to kill and space to fill, the media inevitably overplays some spring training stories. Justin Dirden has six at bats so far this spring. Two of them resulted in home runs. He’s not the second coming of Kyle Tucker but see if this sounds familiar: Bats left, throws right. Plays right field but can slide over to center. Notable power. Turns 26 years old in 2023. Here’s a bit of a difference: Tucker’s signing bonus as the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, four million dollars. Dirden’s bonus as an undrafted free agent in 2020, 20 thousand. Injuries, a transfer year, and COVID ending the 2020 college baseball season early held Dirden to a paltry total of 79 games played over five years. But in the time he did play at Southeast Missouri State, Dirden mashed. The Astros signed him and then Dirden mashed in the low minors. Last year he scuffled at AAA Sugar Land, but that was after earning a promotion for his mashing at AA Corpus Christi. If Dirden becomes a legit sleeper to make the Astros, one factor in his favor is the left-handed hitting. Chas McCormick bats right and last year was spectacular against left-handed pitching, awful vs. righties. Dirden offers a platoon possibility that Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubon do not.
College baseball in H-town
Minute Maid Park this weekend sees its last game action before the Astros get home from spring training. It’s a typically strong field for the annual Shriners Children’s Classic. TCU, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech are all in the Top 25 and here this weekend. Rice is the lone unranked Texas school in the field. Louisville is in the top 25. The Cardinals and Michigan fill out the six team field.
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Here's why it's time to put these Houston Texans concerns to bed
Oct 11, 2024, 10:40 am
The Houston Texans head to Foxborough this weekend to take on the 1-4 New England Patriots. The Pats will have a different look this week, with rookie QB Drake Maye making his first NFL regular season start.
The Texans also come into this matchup with some changes in place, as superstar receiver Nico Collins is on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell will need to pick up the slack with Collins sidelined. Diggs will have his work cut out for him though against New England's standout corner Christian Gonzalez.
Diggs may be able to escape Gonzalez when moved into the slot, but it's hard to know how both teams will choose to match up this week. Will Diggs play more on the outside with Collins out of the equation? Will Gonzalez shadow Diggs all over the field? Gonzalez had success pressing Dolphins all-world receiver Tyreek Hill last week, and recorded 1 interception and 2 forced incompletions.
Per PFF, Pats corner Marcus Jones was actually the highest-graded Patriots player last week against Miami, so this team has some talent in the secondary.
The big question for the Texans passing game comes down to Dell's usage. Even with Collins out for most of last week's game, Dell only received four targets and played on 68% of the snaps.
Houston receiver Xavier Hutchinson actually out-snapped Dell, playing on 71% of the snaps, but with one less target.
Texans OC Bobby Slowik likes having bigger receivers on the field to help block in the running game. So we should learn a lot this week about how Slowik will deploy his weapons with Collins injured.
Speaking of the running game, both Dameon Pierce (full) and Joe Mixon (limited) returned to practice this week. It would be huge for the offense to get those guys back, to say the least.
Slowik should also be prepared to get the tight ends more involved, to take advantages of mismatches. The Texans brought back tight end Teagan Quitoriano this week. If he's active, perhaps we see him used for pass and run blocking, with Dalton Schultz lining up in the slot from time to time.
Bulls on Parade!
On defense, the Texans should have success against a rookie quarterback in his first start, especially after seeing what they did to Josh Allen last week.
Both Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter played well against the Bills receivers. But Lassiter is dealing with a shoulder injury that may prevent him from getting on the field. He didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday.
Houston #Texans Thursday Injury Report for Week 6 at the New England Patriots: pic.twitter.com/pv9F3yZXnO
— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 10, 2024
Fortunately for Houston, the Patriots don't have a ton of talent at receiver. But with a new quarterback in the fold, anything can happen.
The Texans' ability to pressure Maye with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter should give the team a big advantage. Houston leads the league with a 42% pressure rate.
The Patriots' biggest weapons this season have been running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Stevenson is dealing with a foot injury and didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday. If he's at all limited or doesn't play, that will work in Houston's favor.
What does Vegas think?
The Texans are favored by 7 points, and the total is set at 38. So don't expect too many points in this contest!
There are so many angles to cover in this matchup. Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap gets you ready for the big game!