Saturday Morning Hot Links

*Random 2017 Astros fact:

Cameron Maybin only had 13 hits - including the postseason - for the Astros in 2017. Four of them were home runs.

*The Astros did not tender Mike Fiers a contract. Fiers, who was acquired in the Carlos Gomez trade, made 67 starts plus three appearances in relief for the Astros. Those 67 starts, by IP (Keep in mind I'm not counting the 8+ IP appearance in the 7+ IP appearances):
8+: 1 (the no-hitter against the Dodgers)
7+: 12
6+: 20
5+: 17
4+: 12
3+: 4
2+: 1

Fiers was a fine back-of-the-rotation guy and let's not forget that Fiers stepped up mid-2017 when Keuchel, McCullers, Morton, and McHugh were all on the DL. In ten starts between May 30-July 21 Fiers threw 61IP, 43H/16ER, 69K:21BB, a 2.36 ERA/1.05 WHIP. Despite that 10-game stretch of brilliance, Fiers ended 2017 with a career-worst 5.22 ERA (I'm not counting his eleven games with Milwaukee in 2013). Fiers was inconsistent, at best.

Ultimately, Fiers' final game was ugly: 3.2IP, 10H/8ER, 5K:1BB on September 13 at Anaheim. Luis Valbuena took him deep for a 2-run 1st inning home run, which Valbuena predictably bat-flipped. Next Valbuena plate appearance saw Fiers throw over Valbuena's head (Valbuena would get a double later in the AB), which resulted in a 5-game suspension that Fiers did not appeal. He didn't pitch for the Astros again. On a related note, remember that Brett Oberholtzer threw at A-Rod in June 2015, got ejected, and got sent to Fresno after the game. He made one more start for the Astros and then was traded to Philly for Ken Giles later in the offseason. This has sort of been a theme, albeit with some exceptions - Lance McCullers comes to mind - in which a pitcher who intentionally throws at/near a batter gets (wait for it...hold...HOOOOLLLD) fired.

Fiers with the Astros:
2015: 3.32 ERA / 4.39 FIP; 1.06 WHIP; 110 ERA+
2016: 4.48 ERA / 4.43 FIP; 1.36 WHIP; 88 ERA+
2017: 5.22 ERA / 5.43 FIP; 1.43 WHIP, 76 ERA+

Fiers was projected to make $5.7m in arbitration this season, $800,000 less than Jose Altuve. Fare thee well, Mike Fiers, you held it down when the Astros really needed it.

*40-Man Roster subtractions since the Astros WON THE WORLD SERIES:

Carlos Beltran ($16m)
Juan Centeno ($500K)
Tyler Clippard ($3m-ish)
Mike Fiers ($4m)
Luke Gregerson ($6.25m)
Cameron Maybin ($2m-ish)

So that's about $32m coming off the books for 2018.

*The Astros are planning a "full-court press" for Shohei Ohtani. Jim Crane:
We'd certainly be interested. Based on everything our guys have seen, he's got really good stuff and he could be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, and he's got a bat. We need a left-handed DH, so there you have it. 

Take a moment to breathe into a paper bag. Reports are that Ohtani is in Los Angeles and could begin interviewing teams next week. The deadline to sign him is December 22.

Jon Paul Morosi reports that Ohtani will be looking for opportunities to pitch and hit. Eno Sarris notes that keeping Ohtani healthy will be a key recruiting point and, even after the Rotation Wreck of 2017, the Astros rank 2nd overall in a composite DL study.

I swear, if Yuli Gurriel's actions in the World Series cost the Astros...

*MLB.com is celebrating "Statcast Star Gary Sanchez." This is how I celebrate Gary Sanchez, and will launch a GoFundMe later today to raise funds erecting a statue outside Minute Maid Park of his greatest Astros moment:

*Jon Heyman's "Inside Baseball" notes consist of hard-hitting insider information regarding Dallas Keuchel switching agents, and organization-wide disappointment after the Not Events of July 31.

*Former Astros Great Aaron Boone is the new manager of the Yankees.

*Former Astros Great Asher Wojciechowski signed a minor-league deal with Baltimore.

*YEAH JEETS: The Marlins fired a hospital-bound scout days after he had surgery for colon cancer and who is also awaiting a kidney transplant.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

*Altuve's Mad Dash. The Verlander Game. Whatever you want to call it, yesterday was a nerve-wracking bundle of nerves I'll never forget. Of course the two most potent offenses in the American League have combined for six runs in the first two games. Justin Verlander threw a complete game and Gary Pettis induced a collective heart attack on the Astros' way to another 2-1 win. Win two of the next five games.

*Correa, to Altuve before the 9th:
We got to do this for the team, we got to come through right now in this inning.

*Altuve was on 1st in the bottom of the 9th when Correa hit a double to right-center field. Correa:
When I saw him running I was like, 'Oh God.' And then obviously he beat it out.

Same. Except he didn't beat it out. Gary Sanchez misplayed the throw, allowing the Altuve to score and the Astros to take both games in Houston. Bob Klapisch has an excellent piece on why Sanchez didn't make that tag.

*Gary Pettis:
I was just happy we won the ballgame. At that point, everybody is celebrating. You don't remember anything but the fact you won, and that's good enough.

*Altuve went 1st-to-home in 10.27 seconds.

*Verlander, who threw 9IP, 5H/1ER, 13K:1BB:
When I decided to say yes, these are the moments that you envision. You don't envision going 5-0 in the regular season once you get here, that's all fine and great, but that's not why I was brought here. I was brought here to help this team win a championship.

*More Verlander:
I'm pretty tired right now, honestly. It's pretty mentally exhausting, the playoffs, but that's what it's all about. After that game is over and just kind of sitting in the clubhouse and having my teammates come over and say how much they appreciated that effort, that's what it's all about.

*Hinch:
I would have had to rip the ball away from that man if I was going to take him out. And sometimes you have to combine what you know with what you see. And that's really hard to do in this job, obviously it's a results-oriented game. When it works out you feel great about it. If it didn't work out I would have felt terrible about it. But when you see him finish games the way that he finishes, it's really hard to take him out of that moment.

*Verlander became the 7th pitcher to allow five or fewer hits with 13+ strikeouts in a postseason game. Read this article to see how Beltran has influenced the Astros' hitters and how data has helped Verlander become a more dominant pitcher. Correa:
That was the most fun I've ever had on a baseball field.

*NY Post's Mike Vaccaro: That's why the Astros traded for Verlander.

*Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, Games 1/2 combined: 0x14, 8K.

*Josh Reddick, who robbed a Chase Headley maybe-homer and then threw out Brett Gardner at 3rd base:
The little things may be blown into a lot bigger proportion than you're usually used to. During the season you come in here and miss the cutoff guy, you worry about the next day and doing it better. If your team loses because of it, you look back and go, 'Well, there's always tomorrow.' Now, you don't get that opportunity to look back.

*The Game 2 win made the Astros' FiveThirtyEight's favorites to win the World Series. The Astros win the pennant in 83% of their simulations. And in 86% of FanGraphs' simulations.

*Richard Justice: G2 win adds to the Astros' special resume.

*Everyone wants to call Carson Riley "Jeffrey Maier II"

*Yahoo's Jeff Passan: The Yankees couldn't live up to the Astros' "play clean" mantra.

*The New York Post ain't slick.

*Newsday: The difference between the Astros and Yankees is minimal. Other than that 2-0 thing.

*Alex Cora will interview with the Red Sox, Mets, and Tigers for their managerial opening.