Astros 3 Discussion Items

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

1.)

After rumors taking A.J Hinch to the White Sox, the only Astros manager to win a World Series championship at last landed on the Detroit Tigers. Hinch had a rocky debut in management going 89-123 with the Diamondbacks before ultimately getting the axe. On the Astros though, Hinch earned a reputation as one of the top managers in the game embracing analytics and leading one of the most talented rosters in baseball to a 481-329 (.594) falling just short of some all-time Astros records.

Do you think Hinch deserves his reputation as one of the great masterminds among MLB managers. or was he just along for the ride at a time when the Astros had dominant talent?

Will he find similar success as on up-and-coming Tigers team, or does his future look like his first stint with the D-Backs.

2.) On the 24th, it was announced that Josh James will be undergoing hip surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip. The unheralded prospect quickly drew attention after the treatment of sleep apnea resulted in a significant spike in his velocity, where he started throwing 100+ mph with ease. Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate and build on his success, and ended this season with the worst results of his career. And I don’t just mean his ERA (7.27), loss of control (20.5% BB%), or even how hard he was hit, he also saw a clear tick down on his velocity. The question will be how much the hip injured played into his performance. Does this change how you view his 2020? Does this change how aggressive you want the Astros to be in pursuing rotation and/or bullpen help?

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

3.) I thought it was worth highlighting, Kyle Tucker’s performance this year.

First, taking a look back a year ago when Hatter wrote an article talking about Tucker’s 131st at bat, making him ineligible for 2020’s Rookie of the Year. While Tucker likely wouldn’t have pulled off the rookie of the year, his .268/.325/.512 triple slash, gold glove nominated defense, and 1.6 WAR all would spell out a serious contender.

What are you expectations of Tucker going forward? If it wasn’t for media bias, do you think he had a legit shot to win RoY? Do you take back anything bad you said?

BONUS

4.) As you may have heard, there have been hundreds of lay-offs in the MLB. With stadium and support services being obviously hit, there has also been massive layoffs within scouting departments, coaching, and minor leagues. What changes do you expect to see out of MLB over the next couple years? Do you think the Astros are positioned better given their shift to this type of models a few years ago?