Wabs said:

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AustinCountyAg said:

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this. no way in hell you trade Dubon if he continues what he's doing. Biggest factors being that he's controllable and cheap.

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I would never say "no way in hell". Depends on what the other team offers, no?

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for sure. Let's be real, he's a potentially valuable piece but this is the highest his trade value will probably ever be.

Someone out there might be convinced he is the next Ben Zobrist.

Wabs said:

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Looks like we're not facing Degrom this weekend. Perez, Gray and Heaney.

I wonder if he'll be healthy at all.....

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FIFY

Harry Dunne said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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He said he put on 20 lbs this off-season. Possibly that was muscle weight and made him stronger and faster. It doesn't take much at this level to make a difference. And we are talking about going from .200 to .250. That's a 5/100 increase. 5 balls that fall in that didn't before. Being a little quicker and stronger makes that happen.

Whatever it is I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth and I hope he becomes the next Marwin.

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I think he probably is the next Marwin minus 2017 - take away that season and he is Isaiah Kiner Falafel.

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He's a utility guy giving 3-4 guys a day off each week Or covering an IL stint as needed. I'll take IKF level from that all day. Especially given his cost.

Is DeGrom not healthy? I missed that

Ag_07 said:

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Is DeGrom not healthy? I missed that

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He pitched on Tuesday, so I'm assuming he pitches on Monday? I thought he'd be matched with Framber on Sunday but apparently not....

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/yainer-diaz-astros-fit-catcher-plan-offense-17893207.php

I am not sure when Brown had these quotes, but it sounds like the trust is not there yet.

Quote:

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"I think if he gets hot with the bat, he may play a little bit more," Brown said Wednesday. "Right now, he's being groomed under (Maldonado) in terms of catching, throwing. His bat will, at some point, have a life of its own. I think that's when you may see him in the lineup a little bit more. Don't want to put too much pressure on a young kid right now."

The team demonstrated its trust or lack thereof in Diaz's defense during Tuesday's 7-4 loss against the Pirates. Manager Dusty Baker pinch-hit for Maldonado during Houston's ninth inning rally. Salazar, not Diaz, entered the game to catch the home-half, making clear what's long been known: Diaz has to hit his way into the starting lineup.

"At the end of the day, the way the roster is constructed, we have (Maldonado) as our everyday guy," Brown said. "We're breaking in Diaz and we can also give Diaz some at-bats in the DH spot if we have that third catcher. It's going to allow us some flexibility. I think you'll see it more as we go forward."

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Farmer1906 said:

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Astros announce that fans are able to purchase both food and alcoholic beverages from limited locations through the end of games.

Seat vendors will stop at the end of the 7th inning but 40% of locations will sell food and alcohol until the game ends.

— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) April 13, 2023

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saw that coming a mile away.

shorter games = lower revenues (concession as well as advertising)

Lower Revenues eventually = ???? (smaller increases or no increases in avg player salaries, a few team have to move to bigger markets to survive, much higher ticket prices)

Is that decent?

I've always thought the "pushback" that MLB would get for the pitch clock change would not come from the fans, it would come from the owners. Teams are starting to adjust by expanding alcohol sales windows. Will this be enough to recover the lost revenue? Time will tell I guess.

texasaggie2015 said:

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Quote:

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Either the defensive issues in the scouting reports were overstated or Diaz has worked his ass off to get better.

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From what I've heard, most of the concerns came from Diaz having a lack of interest in catching over the last couple years. He was so focused on his bat and versatility and simply lost interest in catching and wasn't putting the work in.

I believe that changed this offseason and he's put a lot of hard work into improving behind the plate. Good for him.

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Do you think the front office sees him as a future full time catcher now? Or is he still seen more as a backup C with DH/1B/LF flex?

Maybe TBD depending on how he progresses behind the plate this year.

I'm glad he's up with the big club working with Maldy and the pitching staff behind the scenes everyday. Given that April typically isn't when we make our run anyway, it would be nice to get Diaz a few more reps behind the plate and let him learn from his mistakes. Added benefit of lightening Maldy's load now before we hit the dog days.

Farmer1906 said:

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Forrest Whitley after 2 outings:

.077 BA
.226 OBP
.192 SLG
.418 OPS

1.13 ERA
0.625 WHIP

12.4 K/9
3.4 BB/9

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Don't forget his previous start against the Astros at MMP. Really good then, too

Deluxe said:

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texasaggie2015 said:

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Quote:

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Either the defensive issues in the scouting reports were overstated or Diaz has worked his ass off to get better.

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From what I've heard, most of the concerns came from Diaz having a lack of interest in catching over the last couple years. He was so focused on his bat and versatility and simply lost interest in catching and wasn't putting the work in.

I believe that changed this offseason and he's put a lot of hard work into improving behind the plate. Good for him.

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Do you think the front office sees him as a future full time catcher now? Or is he still seen more as a backup C with DH/1B/LF flex?

Maybe TBD depending on how he progresses behind the plate this year.

I'm glad he's up with the big club working with Maldy and the pitching staff behind the scenes everyday. Given that April typically isn't when we make our run anyway, it would be nice to get Diaz a few more reps behind the plate and let him learn from his mistakes. Added benefit of lightening Maldy's load now before we hit the dog days.

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I hope it's both. I want Lee to be a big leaguer player too.

With Brantley no longer under contract next year, more DH at bats will be available.

2024-2028 Diaz and Lee can share reps 50/50 and Diaz can get another 1 or 2 starts a week at DH or a flex position.

Both will be cheap. It'll keep both from wearing down.

texasaggie2015 said:

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I'm not saying he's going to be Wilson Conteras, but I do think the Wilson Conteras role is sort of how the Astros see him. He won't ever be the primary catcher (at least as of today), but he'll have his fair share of starts behind the plate but also get his ABs in the lineup at DH, 1B, LF.

I think a part of it is also longevity. He has a really, really good bat and the Astros have full confidence his success in the minor leagues will translate to the big leagues over time. They don't want to wear him down by catching every day.

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Makes sense. Thanks.

Flex position. Unless we carry a third catcher Diaz can't DH.

Not a bad piece considering the cost was Myles Straw

Oops... meant to reply to Deluxe

Lonestar_Ag09 said:

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Flex position. Unless we carry a third catcher Diaz can't DH.

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Which Brown is showing us, he's willing to do.

texasaggie2015 said:

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Not a bad piece considering the cost was Myles Straw

Oops... meant to reply to Deluxe

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Click did well at finding under-the-radar contributors in trades

I agree.

I am more referring to next year post-Maldy and also probably post Uncle Mike

Eso si, Que es said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Yainer had 3 throwdowns yesterday (1 for 3) and 1 in his previous start. While the sample is still tiny, it's a strong start. His pop time is tied in third for guys with more than 1 throwdown. His arm strength is second only to JT Realmuto.



Outside of 1 poor frame job for a nasty Abreu slider, I didn't notice anything bad behind the plate. Either the defensive issues in the scouting reports were overstated or Diaz has worked his ass off to get better.

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One incident where Urquidy shook him off 5 times and then just took the pitch clock violation. Not a bug deal, but pitchers may not be getting the pitched they want. Urquidy threw a hell of a game so it is probably not an issue. He also caught Brown's outing last week that went so well if I remember correctly.

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Sounds like a 50-50 thing. If Urquidy trusts him to call the game then trust him to call the game. If not, then wear it yourself and call pitches now.

I have a feeling, as an organization, our catchers are better prepared to call the most effective game. They seem to be the ones most dialed into the scouting reports and game plan. Maybe that's just a Maldonado thing tho.