Astros Crawfish Boil: Monday, January 2, 2023

Another year of Astros baseball starts now.

As hard as it may be to believe, more days have passed since the final game of the World Series than remain until full squads report for Spring Training. What happens in the offseason usually pales in comparison to the interest generated from in-season developments. Even so, we try to keep you engaged with interesting, informative, and sometimes even oppositional content. So what of import has happened since the calendar rolled from one year into the next?

R.I.P. 2022 (2022-2022)

Astros News

The Latest Display of Disrespect From ESPN to the Houston Astros is Downright Laughable (climbingtalshill.com)

Rebuilds and title hunts: Ranking Houston’s top sports questions for 2023 (chron.com)

This Day in Braves History: Atlanta trades Eddie Mathews to the Astros (batterypower.com)

When Houston Astros star Martin Maldonado couldn’t resist trolling Yankees fans after ALCS win: “They asked for us, they got us, & they got swept!!” (sportskeeda.com)

Jeremy Peña Makes the Astros a Very Scary Team (si.com)

10 greatest Astros players of all time, ranked (clutchpoints.com)

Despite Postseason Slump, Altuve is Still the Houston Astros’ Biggest Star (si.com)

MLB News

Predicting the major award winners for 2023 (MLB.com)
Cristian Javier is predicted by MLB.com to win the American League Cy Young Award.

RUMOR: Yankees’ Josh Donaldson, Aaron Hicks trade update won’t surprise anyone

Here are the first Power Rankings of 2023 (mlb.com)

Pete Rose, recipient of lifetime MLB ban for betting, places first legal sports bet in Ohio (foxnews.com)

Hirokazu Sawamura Looking For MLB Opportunities Over Return To Japan (mlbtraderumors.com)

Predicting the 12 Biggest MLB Storylines in 2023 (bleacherreport.com)

New Year’s resolutions: 30 plans for 30 MLB teams, from new owners to a World Series for the Mets and Yankees (cbssports.com)

Oops! All Astros: Carlos Cauro

Carlos Cauro is a six-foot-two, 184 lb. catcher and first baseman from Carora, VZ. Born on June 14, 2005, Cauro signed with the Astros through free agency on May 11, 2022, a month prior to turning 17-years-old.

Cauro was assigned to the DSL Astros Blue, a Rookie-Level outfit in the Dominican Republic-based Dominican Summer League. On June 30, he got into his first professional contest, going 0-for-1 in a 4-3 loss to the DSL Rockies.

After not appearing in another game for three weeks, Cauro appeared in 24 games for the Blue from mid-July through late-August. On August 19, he registered his first career three-hit game in a 7-1 win over the DSL Blue Guardians, with two singles, a double, a run, and an RBI.

In total, Cauro went 13-for-68 in 25 games in total, with two doubles, six runs scored and five RBI. He drew 11 walks and struck out 21 times, slashing .191/.317/.221. He was thrown out in his only stolen base attempt. Although possibly owing to Small Sample Size, Cauro’s left-handed splits were notable with a four-for-eight performance with five walks versus only one strikeout in 14 PA.

Defensively, Cauro registered a .985 fielding percentage in 62 innings behind the plate, with one runner gunned down in 10 stolen base attempts. He added 59 ²⁄₃ of errorless-free innings at first base. Look for Cauro to begin his second year with one of the DSL affiliates in 2023.