Astros Crawfish Boil: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Spring Training is officially over a week into the books.

After seeing the play of Justin Dirden and the impact of J.J. Matijevic, I’m reminded that Spring Training is, among a lot of other things, a place where the battle for 26th man happens. A few noteworthy players usually make a case for their inclusion on the Opening Day roster. This year hasn’t been an exception, but what happens when you have too many players that you can’t not break camp with?

Houston Astros News

Earning a spot on the Astros roster - These guys have a shot (click2houston.com)

Roger Clemens makes surprise appearance at Astros’ Spring Training (chron.com)

FOCO Launches Highly Anticipated Houston Astros WBC Bobblehead Collection (si.com)

When Mike Fiers refused to be intimidated by threats after exposing the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal (sportskeeda.com)

Astros: José Urquidy Slows Things Down in Second Spring Start (houstonchronicle.com)

Feeling ‘awesome,’ Bregman ready to regain superstar form (mlb.com)

Non-Houston Astros AL West News

Mariners continue annual tradition of whacking some snakes on Snake Whacking Day, defeat Diamondbacks 6-3 (lookoutlanding.com)

Early Mariners camp intel: Robbie Ray looks sharp, young pitchers turn heads (theathletic.com)

Hurtado BBQ and the Texas Rangers (lonestarball.com)

Ray Davis optimistic, anxious about Rangers season amidst tumultuous TV situation (dallasnews.com)

A’s prospects brainstorm new nickname for up-and-coming talent (nbcsports.com)

Elephant Rumblings: Top prospect Soderstrom looks to 2023 MLB debut (athleticsnation.com)

Today’s lineup could be the Angels Opening Day lineup with one big change (halohangout.com)

Insider predicts bidding war for Angels’ Shohei Ohtani between two NL contenders (yardbarker.com)

Non AL-West MLB News

Faces in new places for the 2023 MLB season (yardbarker.com)

MLB preparing to take over broadcasting games if Bally Sports files for bankruptcy (kare11.com)

WATCH: Mets ace Max Scherzer has already figured out how to use the pitch clock to his advantage (cbssports.com)

Red Sox use loophole in new MLB shift rules against Joey Gallo (sports.yahoo.com)

‘His shoe game is pretty tight.’ Why Dodgers hope Miguel Rojas’ play matches his ‘swag’ (sports.yahoo.com)

Kiké Hernandez recalls embarrassing bathroom incident during 2020 playoffs (sports.yahoo.com)

Astros Birthdays

Andy Mota (57) was a part of Houston’s organization from 1987 through 1993. In 1991, he got his chance to make an impact at the major league level. In 27 games, he went 17-for-90 with a homer and six RBI.