Houston Astros Team Page

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All-Star
Welcome your 2015 Houston Astros
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Your Houston Astros are back and ready for another exciting year of baseball - The team as a whole has quite a bit of talent returning yet we are still in the developmental stages to reach our expectations - A young team surrounded this year by a few veterans in addition to a new coaching staff could be exactly what the city of Houston needs in order to win their first championship in franchise history!
Let's review the infield unit first ...
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Infield
The infield is led by 2B Jose Altuve who is now starting his 4th season in the big leagues and is now considered the veteran on the team ... Altuve is a pitcher's nightmare as he can hit for average and is a base stealing threat ... and with the new coaching staff, the Astros plan to run in order to produce runs ... At 1B is power hitting right hander Chris Carter who yoked 37 home runs last year ... Chris will be expected to produce this year and he will need to work on minimizing his strikeouts (394 k's over the past two seasons) ... The big news breaking from spring ball is that #1 pick from 2012, Carlos Correa, has made the major league roster at the age of 20 ... Carlos will be starting at shortstop and he will develop on the biggest stage of baseball from here on out ... Correa is a 5 tool prospect so much will be expected ... Luis Valbuena who came over in the Cubs trade for Dexter Fowler will man the hot corner ... his left handed bat will be a welcome addition to an already right handed heavy lineup

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Outfield
In yet another offseason move, Evan Gattis was aquired from the Atlanta Braves to add more power to the lineup - Gattis will man left field and possibly platoon at catcher from time to time ... The Astros 2011 first round pick George Springer will man right field with his power arm ... Springer now in his second season will need to raise his average in order to hold down the spot ... His speed and power could possibly keep him in the big leagues but his .232 BA last year is less than desirable ... Look for Springer to spend a lot of time in the batting cage this year ... Jake Marisnick will cover center field ... Jake came over in a trade with the Marlins last year after the Astros traded away Dexter Fowler ... The job is Marisnick's to lose as he will be in competition with rifleman Colby Rasmus ... Colby has big time power from the left side of the plate however his inability to stay consistent has relegated him to the bench coming out of sprint training ... a platoon could also be in the works for the CF job
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Catcher
Jason Castro, 2008 1st round pick, will man one side of the battery ... His left handed stick will need to get back to the success he had in 2013 in order to see the field everyday ... his average took a big dip last year and his overall production fell off
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Starting Pitchers
Southpaw pitcher Dallas Kuechel will be the ace of the staff this year ... he experienced his first winning season last year with a remarkable 2.93 ERA ... if the offense can produce with all of this youth this year, then expect Kuechel to be mentioned for Cy Young Award considerations ... right handed flame thrower Collin McHugh will hold down the 2nd spot in the rotation ... like Kuechel, Collin experienced success in the win column and had a team best 2.73 ERA ... he was also able to average 1 strikeout per inning ... Holding down the 3rd spot will be southpaw Brett Oberholtzer ... He struggled with control last year which is evident in his 5 and 13 record along with a .295 BA ... Brett had a strong spring and hopes to rebound from his disastrous 2014 ... RHP Dan Straily has been added to the 4th spot to allow some minor league prospects more time to develop in AAA ... In addition to Straily, journeyman Jeff Niemann has been added to the rotation in hopes of mowing down opposing batters and again to allow the young pitchers to develop in the minors for another year

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Relievers
The key contributors in the bullpen are veteran relievers ... sidearm sinkerballer Chad Qualls, southpaw Tony Sipp, along with righthanders Josh Fields and Will Harris

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Closer
The closer role will be filled by one of two candidates ... righthanded sidearm Pat Neshek who was signed this offseason after a dominating performance in St Louis last year ... a 1.87 ERA as a setup man is pretty impressive and one that could equate to a full time closer's role ... alongside Neshek will be Luke Gregerson who was also a free agent pickup this season ... Gregerson also finished last season with an outstanding 2.12 ERA in Oakland


 

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woodsmall12

All-Star
Your Opening Day Lineup:
2B Jose Altuve
CF Josh Marisnick
RF George Springer
LF Evan Gattis
1B Chris Carter
DH Jed Lowrie
3B Luis Valbuena
SS Carlos Correa
C Jason Castro

Starting Rotation:
LHP Kuechel, RHP McHugh, LHP Oberholtzer, RHP Straily, RHP Feldman

2015 Transactions:
6/17 - Signed SP Jeff Niemann
6/18 - Signed SP Josh Stinson
6/18 - Astros trade CF Rasmus, RP Qualls, and SP Wojciechowski to Rockies for CF Blackmon and 1B Mourneau
 
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woodsmall12

All-Star
Houston Astros Top Five Prospects

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1 - Mark Appel - SP - 70 ovr (#25 ovr MiLB)
Potential future staff ace, Appel throws in the mid 90's and can top out at 98 mph - an above average slider and change up makes him more than a one trick pony - Commands his pitches well yet needs to possibly add one more pitch to his arsenal
Projection: 2016 mlb roster is not out of the question as the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation should be up for grabs - possibly staff ace 2017 / 2018


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2 - Domingo Santana OF - 62 ovr (#60 MiLB)
Santana is built for either cornerstone outfield spot, preferably right field with his strong arm - Raw power allows him to spray the ball to all sides of the field while adding some home run potential however Santana needs to hit for average as he tends to strike out more often then he gets a hit
Projection: 2017 mid season ... The big leagues are currently stocked with talent and the same trio of Gattis, Marisnick, and Springer will return next year plus Santana needs at least 2 more years to develop his hitting

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3 - Vincent Velasquez SP - 71 ovr (#73 ovr MiLB)
Could be considered one of the best pitching prospects in the organization however injures have slowed him down (Tommy John, groin) - A low to mid 90's fastball with late life coupled with an above average change up allows him to throw off batters - Needs to gain better command of his curveball before making it to the show
Projection: 2016 arrival out of spring training or possibly mid season - Could end up in the bullpen as the odd man out

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4 - Michael Feliz SP - 60 ovr (#87 ovr MiLB)
Feliz still in the early developmental stages at age 21 - A mid 90's fastball that tops out at 98 along with a hard slider and control of his change up - Needs to refine his delivery motion to relieve the stress his motion puts on his body - Won the ERA title in 2013 in NY - Penn League and played in the All Star Futures game last year - Expect more all star performances from Feliz in his career
Potential: 2018 arrival to build on his early successes - This will allow the other top pitching prospects (Appel & Velasquez) to get established and possibly free up a spot in the back end of the rotation for Feliz

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5 - Brett Phillips OF - 64 ovr (#97 MiLB)
Phillips is known for his patience, contact oriented approach, and speed, all of which allowed him to earn the Astros Minor League Player of the year in 2014 at Class A Quad Cities - He is a top of the order hitter who has recently tapped into some new found power - Has a cannon for an arm so he is suited for right field however most scouts see him as an every day center field with his speed
Projection: Expect to see Phillips crack the OF lineup in 2018 - Gattis will be long gone and Marisnick could be trade bait if Phillips develops as expected
 
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