Are there any position battles for the best team in baseball? Most of the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros are already locked as starters, such as Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Alex Bregman. Losing impeccable ace Justin Verlander to the New York Mets will be tough for Houston, but their roster is still one of the deepest in the league.
RBI machine and former AL MVP Jose Abreu was signed to a three-year deal in the offseason to fill in the position left by first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Rafael Montero and Michael Brantley are returning to Houston for 2023. It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Astros, which is no matter for this loaded roster.
Even with their immense success, there are a couple of Astros position battles to watch in 2023 Spring Training.
Six starting pitchers
Some organizations have trouble finding two or three reliable and consistent starting pitchers. Still, Houston has a whopping six major league-level pitchers who can pitch five or six innings on any night. Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, and Hunter Brown will be the six starters manager Dusty Baker will rely on for their 2023 campaign.
The looming question is if Baker will run with a six-man rotation or choose five guys and shift the other pitcher to the bullpen. It is more of a dilemma for the Astros than a lingering problem. Still, one major decision can result in a couple of critical losses or wins, especially in September. The AL West has stacked up their rosters, especially the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, so it will be more challenging than before for the Astros to clinch the top spot in the division.
LF & CF: McCormick, Meyers, Brantley
Like any typical prospect from the Astros' farm system, Chas McCormick began his MLB career excellently. He hit .257 with a .317 on-base percentage in 2021 and replicated similar numbers in 2022. McCormick was the starting CF in the postseason, and he even made a heroic play in Game 5 of the World Series to save the game for Houston.
That play alone will cement his starting spot this year, but the question is whether it will be in left or center field. McCormick can play either position, so that it will depend on the availability of Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez. Brantley and Alvarez can both start in left field or DH, respectively, but the problem is if either can start in the field at the early juncture of the season.
Brantley is recovering from shoulder surgery, while Alvarez is experiencing inflammation in his hand. Both will be remarkable assets in their 2023 campaign, so the optimism is for them to get healthy in the next month or so.
Another player who wants the opportunity to start in the outfield is youngster Jake Meyers. Last season was dismal for him, and he failed to get into a continuous rhythm. Additionally, Baker and the front office had an issue because Baker wanted Meyers to get more repetitions in the minors. Promoting him quickly may have caused his misery in 2022, and this season will be the best time to bounce back for Meyers.
Either way, the Astros are in line for another big season as they look to repeat as champions. But it will still be interesting to see how these position battles play out.
Follow Us
Subscribe