Seems the starting rotation to start the season has been turned upside down on its head. But through the first 2 months of the season we know a few things, the guys we thought were going to carry the workload are going to be a little different. Sure the Ace at the beginning of the season was and still is Hunter Brown. He looked every bit like the ace; unfortunately he’s been injured for most of the season. However I read he isn’t too far away from getting back into playing time. Burrows has floundered from the high expectations. But he still looks like solid contributor. Though instead of being a #3 guy in a rotation, he’s more of an end of a rotation innings eater, a fella with an ERA that should be high 4’s or mid 5’s. Hopefully he improves as the season goes on. I think there is good potential. Lambert was a one time 2nd round pick that may have finally figured out how to pitch in the major leagues. Pitching in Colorado all of his career so far did him know favors. But he’s looking like a #3 or #4 rotation pitchers. Teng is another super pleasant surprise. He’s a 6’4” pitcher that has been such a dominating guy. He didn’t pitch too well for the SF giants. But here in Houston to start the season, he’s been amazing. Spencer Araghetti is another guy that looks every bit of a #2 or even an Ace level pitcher. I can understand why the Astros were so high on him, refusing to include him in many rumored trades. Brown Spencer Teng Lambert Burrows It’s taken 2 months, but it seems the Astros have found a group of pitchers that make a formidable rotation that can get them back in the thick of a playoff run.
I have no clue this year. I've just about completed a role reversal from 95% Astros focus to 95% Texans focus. Maybe I should have played organized baseball as a kid since my 3 years in football from 69-71 keeps me going back no matter how upset I get with it at times.
Without a reliable rotation, it’s a lost cause; even if the team has excellent offensive prowess. But the Astros might just have a rotation worth noting. Even I was surprised with the development in the starting pitching. Sure it’s a small sample, but if you can have 3 legit top of the rotation pitchers, there is a realistic chance to win enough games to make the playoff. Then you pair it with Lambert and Burrows as your end of the rotation guys; they should workhorse through 5-6 innings and if they sustain an ERA of 4.5 - 5 that should be enough to get you into the playoffs. Offense is lackluster with all the injuries. But Alvarez, Walker, Paredes, Peña, Vazquez, Myers, Loperfido, Smith, and Altuve may build enough chemistry to make the offense go just enough to backup strong pitching.
Calling the rotation "formidable" is a very liberal use of the word. The numbers under the hood for Arrighetti are far less positive than his current results. We'll see if he can start getting his walks under control without sacrificing results. His current BABIP and HR/FB rate absolutely will not stick and will eventually correct. His stuff is awesome and always has been. Teng and Lambert are looking really solid right now, but neither has had to deal with full time workload and adjustments that come with being starters in the MLB. Burrows has pitched into a ton of bad luck, but even his advanced numbers only put him as an averagish pitcher. We still also have Imai and Pecko, but of whom could make an impact at some point. It's certainly a huge step up from the train wreck we had earlier, but after Brown there's still a lot of question marks with potential but nobody I would be confident in calling a "good" starter for the next 4 months. If we had an elite offense I would be more excited for these rotation developments, but it looks like we have a meh offense even if everybody that can come back does.
Yeah, this is kinda like looking at Gordon, Alexander and Walter last year and thinking we have our team. Way too early to depend on non dependable guys.
Brown made two "significant" SP moves in the offseason and several other lesser ones In games not started by the "significant" SP we picked up, Imai and Burrows, we are a .500 baseball team
Agree somewhat with this, but think it’s a bit pessimistic on Arrighetti and Teng. Eye test with Arrighetti has passed, his ERA isn’t sustainable considering the walks - but he’s definitely shaping up as a good number 3 that will compete every time you give him a chance and has the raw stuff to have dominant performances. Teng I find really hard not to get excited about, he’s got a starters build and great stuff - only pitched 40 innings the last 2 years in the big leagues. There’s reason to feel like he could be passed his adjustment period. Plus we have 6 years of control with him, think he could be a big piece moving forward.
Imai says “what’s all this talk about rotations without me!”…. He just threw 6 no-hit innings, and was a part of another marvelous “No hit” game against the Rangers! Nice Job Imai Astros Starting Rotation keeps looking NICE!!!!! Sure it’s a small sample, but you take the golden nuggets when you get them….
I think the Astros need to find someone suitable at RF. It’s becoming apparent that Cam Smith is feeling overwhelmed and he’s pressing too much, therefore his offense has been pretty bad. Maybe platooning him with another strong armed RF who can take over RF for a while or share the time equally. But I hear you, I think they need to get a solid RF if they don’t feel confident with anyone already in the organization.
Cam Smith is sporting a .644 OPS. I suspect that this is at or below replacement level. Cam atp has not earned the right to start in RF and is in serious need of more development work. The Astros might be best served by doing whatever serves Cam's development interests the most.
Yes, you are correct. The average OPS for a RF in MLB is .720. Hence Cam is .76 points below the average…. That’s not sustainable long term if a team is in the thick of a playoff race. Typically your top OPS is from your 1st baseman, then your DH, the your RF…. https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/what-is-league-average-ops-this-season-by-position
