Ah gotcha. I didn't realize the Hinch thing was made public.

Yeah, he was never a fan of Tucker. One of the only ones in the organization who felt that way at the time.

I think a long term Tucker deal is going to be a disaster for whoever signs him.

Cam Smith impressed right from the start . His patience and power to all fields is just spectacular. He reminds me of all the expectations we as Astro fans had as the core of the championship group was coming up. Really looking forward to watching it play out.

It never came out publicly. Hinch would never talk bad about a player to the media. He only praised Tucker with the exception about "low motor". He talked about him being a complete player, can change a game, blah blah blah. That was when he first came up. I think the on field success shows Tucker in his prime isn't the same guy as the 18-19 rookie that Hinch knew.

texasaggie2015 said:

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I mean… they all nicknamed him Ted because he reminded them of Ted Williams. Pretty high praise.

That said, I know for a fact that AJ Hinch himself was pretty open behind the scenes about his concerns regarding his work ethic, etc from about the moment he started working out with the big league club.

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I think at some point that is going to come back to bite Tucker in the ass. To play sports at a professional level you HAVE to work at your craft constantly. Tom Brady's work ethic is the one I like to use as an example. That dude was a film nerd to the point he knew what the defense was going to run as soon as he left the huddle. Tucker may be able to get by on pure talent alone for now, but what about when he starts getting into his mid 30s?

Garrett Hampson is exercising his opt-out in contract from Diamondbacks. The infielder-outfielder had a good camp, hitting .290.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 21, 2025

Is he worth taking a look at for the OF?

texasaggie2015 said:

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I mean… they all nicknamed him Ted because he reminded them of Ted Williams. Pretty high praise.

That said, I know for a fact that AJ Hinch himself was pretty open behind the scenes about his concerns regarding his work ethic, etc from about the moment he started working out with the big league club.

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I think that was more about his resemblance to Ted Williams and the fact that PBS used his swing for a Ted Williams documentary.

All I do is Nguyen said:

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texasaggie2015 said:

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I mean… they all nicknamed him Ted because he reminded them of Ted Williams. Pretty high praise.

That said, I know for a fact that AJ Hinch himself was pretty open behind the scenes about his concerns regarding his work ethic, etc from about the moment he started working out with the big league club.

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I think at some point that is going to come back to bite Tucker in the ass. To play sports at a professional level you HAVE to work at your craft constantly. Tom Brady's work ethic is the one I like to use as an example. That dude was a film nerd to the point he knew what the defense was going to run as soon as he left the huddle. Tucker may be able to get by on pure talent alone for now, but what about when he starts getting into his mid 30s?

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You don't become a 400 M dollar player without a work ethic. Didn't we see Cam Smith and Kyle Tucker training at the same place this offseason?

Then that goes counter to what Hinch and others have said on this board. Is he a lollygagger or does he work hard?

Chas McCormick, who desperately needed something to go right, just destroyed a hanging changeup from Sonny Gray for a three-run home run. 105.2 mph off the bat and 397 feet to his pull side

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2025

All I do is Nguyen said:

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Then that goes counter to what Hinch and others have said on this board. Is he a lollygagger or does he work hard?

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You think the opinion of 99% of the people on this board has any real insight? Of course not.

Hinch was around a 21 year old punk. Over the last 4 years he's been a top 10 position player. Do you think he's just that uber talented he can just show up and not work then be better than all but a handful of players?

I think there is a spectrum of hardest workers there are. The Kobe's and Brady's of the world vs guys who just don't care. Do the bare minimum. Get by on talent. I am not saying Tucker is on the same planet as a Kobe. But he's plenty far from the other end too.

BCEDAg said:

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After reading what Lopez and Dubon had to say about Cam Smith made me think - I don't recall anyone talking about Tucker like that. Makes you wonder. Maybe the rumors about the lollygagger were accurate?

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He put 80 games of time into rehabbing that bruise. What more could you ask?

Just catching up on the thread today.
From what I've read, we're expecting at least 60 HR from Cam Smith this year. I'm excited!

His prolonged recovery time sure didn't help with his naysayers. Personally, I think he caught way too much flack for a perceived lack of effort. He's a tall, slender athlete that is pretty smooth in his movement. He was never going to look like Altuve hustling after a ball.

I have no doubt that he's dedicated to his craft and puts in work. I just always got the impression that he was more about having success for Kyle Tucker than he was the team. Hard to feel otherwise about a guy that takes his team to arbitration every offseason.

But if you think about it, the kid came to the big leagues, joined a squad winning 100+ games per season, and quickly played for and won a World Series. When you essentially start your big league career at the pinnacle of your sport from a team perspective, it's probably easy to become focused on personal achievements.

Dom Smith is opting out of Yankees deal. There are probably better fits for Smith since the Yankees need righthanded hitting, not lefties @ByRobertMurray 1st

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 21, 2025

Jeremy Peña clubbed this Sonny Gray curveball 424 feet for his fourth homer of the spring. He's hitting .459 with a 1.257 OPS this spring. pic.twitter.com/ErwlRAMCWH

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2025

Mathguy64 said:

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BCEDAg said:

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After reading what Lopez and Dubon had to say about Cam Smith made me think - I don't recall anyone talking about Tucker like that. Makes you wonder. Maybe the rumors about the lollygagger were accurate?

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He put 80 games of time into rehabbing that bruise. What more could you ask?

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In the military, he'd be subject to malingering charges… in the MLB, you just get a longer vacation and a trade.

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Chas McCormick, who desperately needed something to go right, just destroyed a hanging changeup from Sonny Gray for a three-run home run. 105.2 mph off the bat and 397 feet to his pull side

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2025

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Good for Chas - I'm rooting for him.

iBrad said:

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I have no doubt that he's dedicated to his craft and puts in work. I just always got the impression that he was more about having success for Kyle Tucker than he was the team. Hard to feel otherwise about a guy that takes his team to arbitration every offseason.

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My impression is that he factored a financial decision into his rehab. Maybe he decided he didn't want to work hard to rehab for a team that he thinks didn't value him or wasn't bringing him back. I also think he played the OF at times with that in mind.

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Dom Smith is opting out of Yankees deal. There are probably better fits for Smith since the Yankees need righthanded hitting, not lefties @ByRobertMurray 1st

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 21, 2025

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We should see a ton of this happening this weekend. All the nonguaranteed guys can move around if their situation isn't working. We better let Rodgers know if he's part of our plan to start the year.

Logan VanWey this spring:

10 G | 0.71 ERA | 12.2 IP | 8 H | 1 ER | 12 K

He deserves to be in the major league bullpen! #Astros pic.twitter.com/vELJ9ZPLDd

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) March 20, 2025

Framber Valdez said the Astros did not approach him this spring with any extension talks. Asked if he expects to enter free agency after the season, Valdez said “yes, I think so.”

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2025

Hopefully Framber's contract year goes better than Breggy's

Luis Contreras threw another scoreless inning.

He's now pitched 9.2 IP without giving a run, and has 12 K's.

He's optionable, and it feels like he's got a very strong shot to make the opening day bullpen.

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) March 21, 2025

Do you sign a 32-year old pitcher that hasn't had Tommy John surgery? Verlander was five years older when we gave him a 3-year deal, but we essentially paid him $90M to pitch one of the three seasons.

Not a terrible idea to see how McCullers, Garcia, and Javier come back from their surgeries to better understand our need for a starter.

I'm also curious what Valdez is looking for. I'm sure his reps have let the Astros know. My guess is it's more years than we'd be willing to give.

iBrad said:

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Do you sign a 32-year old pitcher that hasn't had Tommy John surgery? Verlander was five years older when we gave him a 3-year deal, but we essentially paid him $90M to pitch one of the three seasons.

Not a terrible idea to see how McCullers, Garcia, and Javier come back from their surgeries to better understand our need for a starter.

I'm also curious what Valdez is looking for. I'm sure his reps have let the Astros know. My guess is it's more years than we'd be willing to give.

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Quick correction. We never gave JV a 3-year deal.

We signed him to a 2/66 (TJ years) for 1 start then 2/50 but he opted out after 1 season.

Current prediction for Astros opening day bullpen:

Hader
Abreu
Scott
King

Okert*
Contreras
VanWey*

One of Montero/Castro.* *

*Astros would need to clear a 40-man roster spot for the guy.

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) March 21, 2025

I think Beeks makes it

#BlueJays announce they’ve optioned Joey Loperfido and Leo Jimenez to AAA

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 21, 2025

yes, including many of the players on the 2016 Cubs

Pena just being slightly above average at the plate and getting back to gold glove caliber at SS, will do amazing things for this team.

Brewers receive a player to be named later or cash https://t.co/iMpLdBgyvX

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 22, 2025

Kyle Gibson to Orioles. $5.25M plus $1.525M performance bonuses

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 22, 2025

Their Odo. So he would be ready to actually pitch when? Late April?

Unless he's been doing his own version of ST, and I seriously doubt he has been, then he really would need that time.

People seem to want to be the first to write the Astros off because their one issue is going to doom them.

Frankly, if you are expecting more than 95 wins and a World Series; then my advice is to seek counseling. You are addicted to championship winning baseball.

If you set…

— Larry TheGM (@LarryTheGMman) March 21, 2025