Cintron has been around a while dating back to when the Astros used to work counts and run up pitch counts. So I'm not convinced this a hitting coach problem.

I honestly think it's some kind of organizational shift to being more aggressive in the zone. Everyone on the team changing their approach doesn't just randomly happen.

Farmer1906 said:

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Since Tucker went down:

• tied in 10th in Runs
• last in BB%
• 7th in K% (7th best)
• 7th in BA
• 14th in OBP
• 16th in SLG
• 15th in wRC+ (103 - basically average)
• 22th in Hard Hit %
• 18th in Barrel %
• 19th in Exit Velo

How are we 10th in runs yet in the middle of the pack in other key metrics? My guess is - 8th in RE24. We may not always get the hit but we've been doing enough of the little things (believe it or not) to make the most of our opportunities.

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Where do we stand in runners stranded in scoring position? Because it feels like we are terrible at getting guys home once they get on base. Our situational hitting is what seems like a good hitting coach could really help. Like when our pitcher just threw a 25-30 pitch inning, and our guys come up to bat and get 3 outs on 5 pitches. That is terrible situational hitting. You know your pitcher is winded, so take a few pitches and give him time to get a breather. Or when we have a guy on third base down by one run, and the next 2 hitters strikeout swinging from their heels trying to get a home run, when all they needed was a base hit, or even a decent bunt.

Maybe the early aggressiveness is countering a lineup of guys with major chase problems.

txags92 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Since Tucker went down:

• tied in 10th in Runs
• last in BB%
• 7th in K% (7th best)
• 7th in BA
• 14th in OBP
• 16th in SLG
• 15th in wRC+ (103 - basically average)
• 22th in Hard Hit %
• 18th in Barrel %
• 19th in Exit Velo

How are we 10th in runs yet in the middle of the pack in other key metrics? My guess is - 8th in RE24. We may not always get the hit but we've been doing enough of the little things (believe it or not) to make the most of our opportunities.

---

Where do we stand in runners stranded in scoring position? Because it feels like we are terrible at getting guys home once they get on base. Our situational hitting is what seems like a good hitting coach could really help. Like when our pitcher just threw a 25-30 pitch inning, and our guys come up to bat and get 3 outs on 5 pitches. That is terrible situational hitting. You know your pitcher is winded, so take a few pitches and give him time to get a breather. Or when we have a guy on third base down by one run, and the next 2 hitters strikeout swinging from their heels trying to get a home run, when all they needed was a base hit, or even a decent bunt.

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IDK about runners stranded but here is where we stand on RISP since Tucker went out.

.306 BA (4th)
.374 OBP (7th)
.378 SLG (19th)
.333 wOBA (11th)
116 wRC+ (11th)

We're good, not great.

I can't find it, but I wonder what our average pitches seen per plate appearance is. I would also love to see that charted against things like on base % and runs scored relative to the rest of teams.

I think we're also middle of the pack (17 or 18) in overall LOB per game.

Farmer1906 said:

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txags92 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Since Tucker went down:

• tied in 10th in Runs
• last in BB%
• 7th in K% (7th best)
• 7th in BA
• 14th in OBP
• 16th in SLG
• 15th in wRC+ (103 - basically average)
• 22th in Hard Hit %
• 18th in Barrel %
• 19th in Exit Velo

How are we 10th in runs yet in the middle of the pack in other key metrics? My guess is - 8th in RE24. We may not always get the hit but we've been doing enough of the little things (believe it or not) to make the most of our opportunities.

---

Where do we stand in runners stranded in scoring position? Because it feels like we are terrible at getting guys home once they get on base. Our situational hitting is what seems like a good hitting coach could really help. Like when our pitcher just threw a 25-30 pitch inning, and our guys come up to bat and get 3 outs on 5 pitches. That is terrible situational hitting. You know your pitcher is winded, so take a few pitches and give him time to get a breather. Or when we have a guy on third base down by one run, and the next 2 hitters strikeout swinging from their heels trying to get a home run, when all they needed was a base hit, or even a decent bunt.

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IDK about runners stranded but here is where we stand on RISP since Tucker went out.

.306 BA (4th)
.374 OBP (7th)
.378 SLG (19th)
.333 wOBA (11th)
116 wRC+ (11th)

We're good, not great.

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I'll admit that seeing numbers that good surprises the hell out of me.

Sure but that's a low bar.

I do wonder how the Cooperstown HOF will view starters and relievers in the future as innings totals come down. What do standards look like in 15 years?

https://t.co/el7YbxJDut

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) August 5, 2024

Quote:

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1. Jacob Melton, OF
Level: Triple-A DOB: 09/07/00
Melton was drafted by the Astros in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft out of Oregon State. Melton had a standout junior year in college slashing .360/.424/.671 with 22 2B, 17 HR, 21 SB as he earned Pac-12 player of the year honors. Melton is a left handed swinging outfielder who stands at 6'3 and 210 lbs. Melton has an advanced approach at the plate and has above average power with the potential to be plus as he also makes a lot of contact. The lefty is a plus runner on the bases and in the outfield and should stick in center field defensively. This year he has made it up to Triple-A and 11 homers and 22 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A. Read more on Melton here.

2. Brice Matthews, SS
Level: High-A DOB: 03/16/02
Matthews was seen as one of the best athletes in the Big 1o going into the 2023 draft. The 21-year-old had a breakout junior season slashing .359/.481/.723 with 20 HR, 20 SB for Nebraska. He has a quick swing with strong exit velocities, even for his size. Scouts note he has 20-25 HR potential with good pull power. He covers a lot of ground at shortstop and has a strong arm but also the potential to be a plus center fielder if he has to move positions. He has some swing and miss in his game but the other positives make up for it. Matthews has shown off the tools so far this year earning a quick promotion to Double-A. In 55 games this season he has 12 homers and 23 stolen bases.

3. Walker Janek, C
Level: Rookie DOB: 09/24/02
Janek was seen as the best defensive catcher in the draft, showing up a plus arm and a quick release. But he also made huge strides with the bat during college too. The 21-year-old has above average bat speed and the ability to produce 20+ homers at the major league level. He hit .364 with 17 homers, 58 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases in 58 games in 2024 for the Bearkats. His raw power has improved and he has chance to be a gold glove type at catcher while hitting for average and power. He quickly becomes the top catching prospect in the system.

4. Zach Dezenzo, INF
Level: Triple-A DOB: 05/11/00
Dezenzo was drafted in the 12th round of the 2022 draft and is looking like an absolute steal. He was a senior who put up a strong year at Ohio State slugging .701 with 19 HR in 51 games before dominating the MLB Draft League. The right-hander has plus power and really strong exit velocities numbers. He is a bat-first prospect who bas played both third base and first base, but has the bat profile to fit at either. This year Dezenzo has made it up to Triple-A and is hitting .310 with 13 doubles, 6 homers in 37 games. Read more on Dezenzo here.

5. Luis Baez, OF
Level: High-A DOB: 01/11/04
The Astros signed Luis Baez for $1.3 million during the 2022 international signing period. The 19-year-old is well built at 6'1 and 205 lbs and possesses plus power from the right side. He is a solid athlete but won't provide a ton on the bases, though he should be an adequate defender in the corner outfield spots. Baez has shown off the bat at times this year, but he hasn't walked much and strikeouts are a little high, though he is still very young for his league. Read more on Baez here.

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Absolutely but that doesn't mean much to me.

Since he's been here people have complained and doubted him constantly. Seems like every year while he's putting up elite numbers everyone is calling for an upgrade at the closer position.

Just criminally under rated and under appreciated.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this team's future based on that list of prospects. Maybe we'll even find adequate replacements for Tucker and Bregman among them in the next couple years. Janek already at #3 is surprising, but i know they were surprised he was still available.

I am hopeful on Bregman, at least the version we would be getting in his 30's. I don't think any of these guys can be at a Tucker level. You just hope collectively they do enough.

Hopefully this is where we really start to see a Dana effect…

CFTXAG10 said:

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I think we have quite a few Astros thread members going to Boston this weekend. Roll Call?

I will be there for all three Friday-Sunday. First time at Fenway and can't wait.

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I'll be there with my brother for the Friday and Saturday games. First time as well

Maybe Tucker's price has gone down enough the last couple months to make an extension more realistic. Bionic lower leg discount FTW!

Not sure why that warranted the angry face but agreed.

cc10106 said:

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Maybe Tucker's price has gone down enough the last couple months to make an extension more realistic. Bionic lower leg discount FTW!

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I dunno, I'd like to see how he plays after this. Weirder injuries have affected guys production.

I'm his price is over $300M, would you rather give Soto $500M? He's younger, more consistent and you can trade Tucker for a bounty. Just seems like if you are going to go that high might as well get the cream of the crop.

n_touch said:

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cc10106 said:

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Not sure why that warranted the angry face but agreed.

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Touche. We were so fortunate to mostly avoid injuries in 2022 that it seems like we're still making up for it.

MaxPower said:

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cc10106 said:

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Maybe Tucker's price has gone down enough the last couple months to make an extension more realistic. Bionic lower leg discount FTW!

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I dunno, I'd like to see how he plays after this. Weirder injuries have affected guys production.

I'm his price is over $300M, would you rather give Soto $500M? He's younger, more consistent and you can trade Tucker for a bounty. Just seems like if you are going to go that high might as well get the cream of the crop.

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That makes sense. Rooting for Soto would be quite the adjustment for me, not that I see Crane spending the money with our 2025 payroll situation.

After this last trade deadline being a seller's market, you gotta consider what Tucker could bring in. We just don't seem to be like the Rays, Padres, or Mariners and willing to shake things up that much.

Our new #relentless aggression approach at the plate has been questionable at best.

Crane's aversion to long contracts is interesting to me. As an example, Seager signed that big 10 year, $325M contract. He's the same age as Bregman and has 7 years, $215M left. Interestingly that's the same amount Bregman is supposedly looking for. Take off your Astros colored glasses and tell me which you'd prefer for the same contract? Hell, maybe you could trade for Seager this offseason with how mediocre the Rangers have looked.

10/325 and 7/215 are very different. The Seager one includes 3 peak prime years before age 31. Maybe Seager would get 7/215 on the open market, but I would guess not. Bregman absolutely will not.