I couldn't be further on the other side of the aisle apparently. Cant stand Baker and was very frustrated that he was extended so early last year. Miss Hinch a great deal and still upset with Crane for not riding the suspension out.

If we go on another deep playoff run, say WS win/appearance or game 6 or 7 loss of the ALCS again, does Baker get extended again or are we still looking for another manager?

I have to believe we look for someone else. I do like that Baker isn't all about the numbers and goes with his gut when it comes to leaving pitchers in or pulling them. He is very loyal to his hitters though and seems to rarely pinch hit starters unless its a completely obvious move.

bearkatag15 said:

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If we go on another deep playoff run, say WS win/appearance or game 6 or 7 loss of the ALCS again, does Baker get extended again or are we still looking for another manager?

I have to believe we look for someone else. I do like that Baker isn't all about the numbers and goes with his gut when it comes to leaving pitchers in or pulling them. He is very loyal to his hitters though and seems to rarely pinch hit starters unless its a completely obvious move.

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Not sure if Baker himself wants to coach much more. Would be nice to finally get him a ring though

Updated projections from 538. It's been a good first week and a half for us

Astros 95-67
Angels 84-78
A's 80-82
Mariners 73-89
Rangers 69-93

CoachRTM said:

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Updated projections from 538. It's been a good first week and a half for us

Astros 95-67
Angels 84-78
A's 80-82
Mariners 73-89
Rangers 69-93

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I still think the Astros can get over the 100 win mark. Maybe not 106 or higher but over 100 wins for sure.

I'd be surprised if the A's finish below .500. They're still a solid club, despite the terrible start.

SW-14 said:

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I'd be surprised if the A's finish below .500. They're still a solid club, despite the terrible start.

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Yea they started slow in 18/19 too. It's like they need a couple months to calibrate their roster and approaches. Then around the all star break they start to get hot. Key for us is to put them in a 10-15 game hole before that happens.

Quote:

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Not too early to say these big bats are back

...

Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
Nothing went right for Altuve in 2020 -- during the regular season, at least. In the wake of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal, the 2017 American League MVP hit .219 with a .629 OPS in 48 games, and the underlying metrics weren't much better. But after busting out of his slump in the postseason with five homers and a 1.229 OPS in 13 games, the 30-year-old has carried it over into 2021.

Altuve has struck out only four times in his first 42 plate appearances, and he's made hard contact (95+ mph exit velocity) on half of his batted balls. The second baseman's .369 expected batting average, based on quality of contact and real-world strikeout numbers, says it all.


...

Carlos Correa, SS, Astros
The second Astro on this list, Correa has kept pace with his double-play partner Altuve, hitting .333/.400/.583 with two homers and three doubles in nine games. The 26-year-old has been demolishing the ball, recording a 53.7% hard-hit rate and producing four batted balls with an exit velocity of 110+ mph -- including a 116.4 mph single, the third-hardest ball in MLB this season -- after maxing out at 109 mph in 2020.

An impending free agent like Bryant, Correa seems poised for a strong rebound campaign after posting a career-low .709 OPS in 2020. Whether he can stay healthy is another story. The shortstop appeared in 58 of Houston's 60 games a year ago, but he hasn't played more than 110 games in a season since 2016.

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https://www.mlb.com/news/star-hitters-rebounding-in-2021

Statcast released their 2021 #s.



Quick thoughts

Castro need more ABs.

The Hard Hit % is very promising almost across the board.

Tucker looks to be a bit unlucky since we know he's only hitting sub .200

Who had Altuve having a longer HR than everyone not named TED?

Yuli has been a nice surprise, but if he elevates the ball more, he'd be a top 3 1B.

Farmer1906 said:

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Castro need more ABs.

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I am surprised he hasn't, even though it is still early in the season. Wonder if it is more of a pitcher preference or Dusty just giving Maldonado time to come around.

CFTXAG10 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Castro need more ABs.

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I am surprised he hasn't, even though it is still early in the season. Wonder if it is more of a pitcher preference or Dusty just giving Maldonado time to come around.

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Dusty has missed a ton of opportunities to pinch his to get a favorable L/R match-up. Then when Castro does start, its not vs a righty. This drives me crazy. Click gave Dusty the tools to have avg to above avg hitting production from his catcher position and he's not going to get it done.

Farmer1906 said:

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CFTXAG10 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Castro need more ABs.

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I am surprised he hasn't, even though it is still early in the season. Wonder if it is more of a pitcher preference or Dusty just giving Maldonado time to come around.

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Dusty has missed a ton of opportunities to pinch his to get a favorable L/R match-up. Then when Castro does start, its not vs a righty. This drives me crazy. Click gave Dusty the tools to have avg to above avg hitting production from his catcher position and he's not going to get it done.

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But he plays with his gut and doesnt overanalyze the numbers!!!

As it should be. Beautiful weather today!

Yordan would fit in well in this thread as he is an avid hater of Myles Straw, his lack of swag, and basically said he's going to take his spot in the OF later this year.

Lineup tonight 4/12 vs. Tigers:

Altuve
Brantley
Bregman
Alvarez
Correa
Gurriel
Tucker
Straw
Maldonado

Greinke on the mound

I was hoping we'd get to see the handwriting of an angel.

Farmer1906 said:

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Yordan would fit in well in this thread as he is an avid hater of Myles Straw, his lack of swag, and basically said he's going to take his spot in the OF later this year.

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Didn't realize the Tigers had so many switch-hitters.

agdaddy04 said:

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Didn't realize the Tigers had so many switch-hitters.

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I was thinking the same thing. Leading off with three in a row is impressive.

SW-14 said:

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agdaddy04 said:

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Didn't realize the Tigers had so many switch-hitters.

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I was thinking the same thing. Leading off with three in a row is impressive.

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And at least two more on the bench from the view I'm looking at.

Anyone else excited just to get a Chris Castliani breakdown involving the Astros? I really like that kid, and he had some serious love for the Astros before the scandal

April 12, 1986: Astros 4, Braves 3

Attendance: 19,803, Time of Game: 2:30
Record: 3-2, 2nd place, 1 game behind SF in the NL West

Starting 9
Doran 2B
Bullock LF
Walling 3B
Davis 1B
Bass CF
Ashby C
Thon SS
Hatcher RF

My first Astro game to attend of the 1986 season as a belated birthday gift from my grandparents saw Craig Reynolds sock a 6th-inning grand slam off Rick Mahler to give Nolan Ryan the first win of his season and the 242nd of his career. Ryan allowed the Braves just 4 hits and 1 earned run in seven innings, and Dave Smith pitched the final two frames for his second save of the year. The Braves built a 2-0 lead thanks to a 2-out sacrifice fly by Terry Harper in the 4th and a double by Dale Murphy in the 6th. In the bottom half of the inning, Denny Walling started off with a single, but Mahler looked to be working his way out of trouble when he struck out Glenn Davis and got a long fly ball to right from Kevin Bass. Alan Ashby followed with a single and Jim Pankovits came in to run for Ashby. After Dickie Thon, who reached base four times in the game, drew a walk to load the bases, Hal Lanier pinch hit Reynolds for Billy Hatcher, and the normally light-hitting shortstop launched a grannie to left to give the Astros the lead for good.
The next day, the Houston Post ran one of my favorite sports headlines ever, "Reynolds' rap foils Braves".

Five games into the year, Dickie Thon was hitting .538 with a 1.493 OPS. Eric Bullock was hitting .056, Bailey .063, and Hatcher .091.
Nolan Ryan had a single off of Mahler, one of six he would collect on the year.