Friday Morning Hot Links

Times for the 2021 regular season schedule were announced and we get to see George Springer lead off another season with a bomb, this time against the Yankees! Haha that's gonna be rad to see our very own George Spr...wait. Toronto!?

There are only eight games with a first pitch after 8pm Central prior to the All-Star Break (15 from the All-Star Break to the end of the regular season). 

*Here are the new rules for the roof at Minute Maid.

*Chandler Rome: Six big questions facing the Astros before Spring Training.

*Jake Kaplan: The Astros have a good front five in their rotation, but what about the depth?

It's worth mentioning the sheer number of pitchers you need to get through a 162-game season. I'm throwing out the 2020 season, much in the same way that I'm throwing out all of the 2020 year, so I went back - I actually did this - and figured out how many different pitchers started at least one game for each MLB team in 2019. The results were interesting.

In the 2019 season, which was coming off a very normal 2018 season (something we're not about to do), the 30 MLB teams combined to need 388 starting pitchers, for an average of 12.93 per team. BUT! The National League needed way fewer pitchers:

Total NL SPs: 165

Avg SPs per team: 11

The National League team with the highest number of pitchers to start at least one game was San Francisco, who needed 16 SPs to get through the season. Four NL teams needed nine or fewer SPs: the Mets, Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals. However:

Total AL SPs: 223

Avg SPs per team: 14.87

The 2019 Toronto Blue Jays led MLB with 21 different pitchers to start at least one game, which feels insane to me. While the NL had four teams with nine or fewer starters over the course of the whole season, the teams with the fewest number of SPs over the course of the season were the Royals and Twins, with ten each. The reasons for this are worth exploring. Due to the DH, AL SPs can go longer in games which may lead to more injuries or recovery stints on the IL. NL SPs get pulled for a pinch-hitter earlier in games, so their pitch counts are lower than AL SPs per start (probably, I may look into this further. But also, I may not.) There are probably reasons I haven't considered yet.

That said: yeah, the Astros' starting rotation looks like it's good. But they might need as many as ten more starters. They needed 14 different SPs in 2019, and a fun game would be to try to name all 14 starting pitchers in the 2019 season. You can find the answers in the comments. Oh wait, I wisely disabled those a while back.

*Related: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says 2021 is the year Forrest Whitley needs to establish himself.

*There are no Astros on the ESPN Top 100 Prospect list.

*Mattress Mack and Alex Bregman: Name a more iconic duo.

*Former Astros Great Jake Marisnick got a deal with the Cubs for $1.5m guaranteed, possibly $5.5m.

*I'm in the process of reading Nicole Perlroth's book about the ongoing worldwide infosec war (not great for the Ol' Anxiety!) and it has already sent me down a rabbit hole. The Atlantic: Who are the Shadow Brokers? 

*What You're Feeling Is Grief.

*Hey maybe Springsteen *wasn't* drunk! (the BBWAA exhales a sigh of relief hard enough to start a hurricane...eventually)

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Oh so we're back to having to do these every day again, huh?

*The Astros have signed reliever Steve Cishek to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, completing the Old Testament Bullpen Trifecta of Cishek (2021), Neshek (2015-16), and Abad (2010-12). Truly amazing. A blessing, really.

Cishek can make up to $2.25m in 2021 if he makes the club. Cishek will be 35 in June and has a career 2.78 ERA / 1.16 WHIP (2.52 ERA / 1.05 WHIP from 2016-2019). He ended 2021 with a 5.40 ERA / 1.50 WHIP which, sure, isn't great. But his first seven appearances of 2021 resulted in an 11.12 ERA / 2.29 WHIP, and a 3.14 ERA / 1.19 WHIP over his last 15 appearances. He and Joe Smith are going to both hit you with the side-arm.

Chandler Rome: Cishek will provide some competition for the Astros in Spring Training.

*Spring Training, by the way, for better or for worse, begins on February 18 with the first full-squad workout on February 22. 

*MLB.com: The Astros' biggest offseason upgrade just might be Yordan Alvarez.

*Baseball Prospectus released their first PECOTA standings projection of 2021, and it has the 93-69 Astros winning the AL West by six games, the 2nd-best projection in the AL.

*Minor-leaguers Anibal Sierra and Stephen Wrenn were released by the Astros on Tuesday. Sierra, 26, hit .210/.282/.293 between Round Rock and Corpus in 2019. Wrenn, the Astros' 6th Round pick in 2016, spent 2019 mostly in Corpus and hit .247/.336/.411.

*MLB and the MLBPA agreed to various health and safety protocols for 2021. 

*SI: Did MLB use juiced baseballs in 2020?

*ESPN: 2020's lost MLB giveaways could be a treasure trove for fans.

*Outside: My Path to Becoming Semi-Rad.

*On Beethoven, and the Gifts of Silence.

*This Unusual Japanese Train Station In the Middle of Nowhere Has No Entrance or Exit.

*I'm very excited to read this book, which came out on Tuesday.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

There's not much happening in AstroWorld right now, but I guess I felt some sort of compulsion. I need professional help. 

*I turned 41 this week. Last night, I needed to pop my back and so I laid down face-down in the floor and my dear wife popped it for me. She also, because she is swole, cracked one of my ribs. This comes on the heels of breaking a bone in my foot in July and tripping before Thanksgiving and breaking two ribs in my back. Things are great. 

*MLB.com on how the AL West's catchers stack up.

*Forrest Whitley gets some love for his changeup and cutter.

*The Astros are preparing for fans in the stands at Spring Training.

*Check out Jake Kaplan's new Astros mailbag, which discusses Carlos Correa and his extension possibilities, Jeremy Pena, the decision to re-sign Michael Brantley after not extending a qualifying offer, Pedro Leon, farm system rankings, the leadoff spot, and Chas McCormick vs. Stephen Souza. 

*FOAC Kevin Goldstein wrote about how minor-league contracts come to be. Don't miss his introductory FanGraphs' column from yesterday. 

*Government officials are recommending delaying the start of the 2021 MLB season by a month.

*Make sure you check out Levi Weaver's (unlocked) article on living with Depression.

*The Rodeo got cancelled. 

*The Atlantic: The Library of Possible Futures.

*Leeds United 1 Everton 2. Leeds dominated the entire second half, but couldn't overcome an inexplicable first goal and a predictable goal off a corner kick. Leeds remain in 11th place, but are at less than 1% to get relegated.

*Outside: Is fast food better for you when it's plant-based? As someone who had an Impossible Breakfast Sandwich just this morning, either I got hoodwinked or that stuff is legit. 

*Myanmar or Burma? Why the different names matter.

*The Golden Globe nominations were released and the only thing I can think of is why Scandal isn't on there.

*Rolling Stone: The Ballad of Justin Townes Earle.

*I am on a year-long quest to listen to all of Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Albums of All-Time. I won't listen to compilations or albums that aren't on Spotify, but I am now on #399 and let me tell you, I've already listened to a whole bunch of bullcrap in 2021.

*The Musical Selection is Not Bullcrap:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

 *The Michael Brantley re-signing is officially official. Among the things he said on a Zoom call (of which I was not a part, hmph):

-He signed, in part, out of respect for Jim Crane.

-His teammates thought he was going to Toronto, as well. As did he, but Brantley feels as though he has "unfinished business" in Houston.

*Carlos Correa has personally reached out to James Click to indicate that he wants to stay in Houston beyond 2021. Click is "obviously" very interested. As am I. And damn if it didn't take Correa's response to the worst scandal in franchise history to bring me on board.

*McTaggart has the ten best moments in Minute Maid Park history.

*Apparently I missed that the Astros traded Cionel Perez to the Reds for a minor-league catcher. Watch Cionel Perez carve up the NL Central where only like two teams are trying to win their division.

*SI's Emma Baccellieri: How should we (the rest of baseball) feel about the Astros? It's complicated.

*Arizona has asked MLB to delay the start of Spring Training due to the high positivity rate in Arizona. MLB basically told Arizona to piss off. The Cactus League said "okay."

*The Hall of Fame will announce the Class of 2021 on Tuesday. Among David Schoenfield's look at 40 current MLB players on a HOF trajectory, we see Current Astros Greats Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke as Locks, Gerrit Cole and Jose Altuve as On The Right Path, and Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa as Have Some Work To Do, with Yordan Alvarez as The Next Generation. I swear the thought of the 2019 Astros, with seven Hall of Famers and no World Series, makes me want to throw a kitten in a river.

*My new favorite NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers, have increased their ownership in my beloved Leeds United, to 37%. Leeds play Newcastle at 12pm Central on Tuesday.

*You can watch Hank Aaron's memorial service at 12pm on FoxSportsGo on Tuesday.

*Vice: The furniture salesman who saved Houston. You already know who it is.

*Astros County HQ highly recommends "Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer" on Netflix.

*One of my favorite bands is Travis. NME interviewed lead singer Fran Healy on what he remembers from his own career.

*A bunch of Redditors (a site which I previously thought was just for planning murders and whatnot) made GameStop's stock price soar in an effort to screw over hedge fund managers trying to short it.

*Before we go, it's time for another installment of Hello, I'm A Massive Nerd! Let's get to it:

1. The Astros are hosting the Pirates, and Jason Castro is up to bat, hitting .193. The Astros are up 3-2 in the 6th. Some other names we recognize that can narrow down that window: Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Wallace, J.A. Happ. 

2. Jason Castro only played with the Astros in the NL in 2010 and 2012. Hunter Pence only played with Jason Castro in the NL in 2010. JA Happ only pitched for the Astros in the NL with Jason Castro and Hunter Pence in 2010. The only possible explanation is that this game is from 2010. 

3. JA Happ (and Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose) was acquired from the Phillies for Roy Oswalt on July 29, 2010. Anthony Gose was immediately flipped to Toronto for Brett Wallace, who is hitting 6th in this game. 

4. Brett Wallace made his MLB debut on July 31, 2010. The only games he played against the Pirates at Minute Maid Park in 2010 were from August 13-15. 

5. On August 13 Brett Wallace batted 7th. On August 14 he came into the game in the 8th and didn't record a Plate Appearance. On August 15 Wallace batted 6th. JA Happ started that game and threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 5K:4BB. 

7. We see from the picture that Jason Castro is hitting .193, he singled in the 2nd and struck out in the 4th. The Astros have put two on the board in the bottom of the 6th. If we go back to the box score for that August 13, 2010 game, we find that Castro singled to CF in the 2nd off of Jeff Karstens, but Karstens struck Castro out to end the 4th inning. 

8. We know that the Astros were up 3-2 when Castro comes to bat. The Astros started the 6th Inning down 2-1. Hunter Pence hit a ground-rule double to lead off the inning. Carlos Lee flied out to deep RF for the 1st out, sending Pence to third. Jeff Keppinger hit a sac fly to score Pence. Brett Wallace got hit by a pitch (the only time the Pirates hit Brett Wallace at home). Chris Johnson singled through the left side to move Wallace to 2nd. Jason Castro singled through the right side to score Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. 

9. This photo was taken immediately after Castro's AB, in the bottom of the 6th Inning on August 15, 2010. Houston would go on to win 8-1 to "improve" to 51-65.

10. Send me a picture of a scoreboard and I will absolutely do this again. 

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. Pitchers and Catchers report in three days. They play an actual Spring Training game in 13 days.

*The Astros are excited about the addition of lefty Michael Brantley. George Springer:
I'm certainly happy to have him. He's an extremely professional hitter and extremely professional player. Seeing him on the other side for a few years and being a pest and being the guy who's always hurt us, I'm glad he's on our team now.

*Chandler Rome has some Spring Training questions like, "Will everyone be healthy?"

*For $44.99 you can get the base package from Fubo that will carry AT&T SportsNet Houston, with which you can watch Astros and Rockets games without a typical cable subscription.

*MLB.com: Sizing up each MLB team's vision for the future.

*Beyond the Box Score: When the Astros traded Ramon Laureano to Oakland for Brandon Bailey, they might have gotten hosed.

*Former Astros Great Josh Zeid is going to the Cubs' analytics side.

*Jay Jaffe: The sustained excellence of Frank Robinson.

*Want to apply for a job with the Astros for which you are supremely unqualified?

*This Italian soccer team was trapped at their training facility by angry sheep's milk farmers.

*Pitchfork: Why is a random 1994 Dinosaur Jr. song charting in Japan?

*A Musical Selection:
Note: I heard this song two years before I knew who it was. I was in a coffee shop in Ohio where I heard it, but wasn't able to catch it on Siri or Shazam or whatever. I asked the barista. He didn't know. No one knew. It sounded like Gorillaz, to me. I spent the next two years periodically trying to listen to every Gorillaz song. I'm not that big of a Gorillaz fan. Then, I was listening to Spotify Radio in class while students were working and it came on as one of them asked me - excuse me, *tried to* ask me - a question. I said to them, "Shut up and let me see who this is." Here it is:



*Don't forget you can follow the oft-updated Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

*Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training on February 13, with their first official workout on Valentine's Day. Position players report on February 17 and the first full team workout is February 18.

It is 38 days until pitchers and catchers report.

*Ken Rosenthal says the Astros - early in 2016 - offered Dallas Keuchel 5yrs/$90m. Obviously, he/his agent turned it down.

*There is literally nothing else to report, Astros-wise.

*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan: What is there to learn from Patrick Corbin's breakout season?

*In the Washington Post, Chelsea Janes writes about mental coaches in baseball.

*The Rays have found a way to make Tropicana Field even more beautiful.

*I started The Oracle Year by Charles Soule yesterday morning, and I'm about halfway through it. Hoo boy I like it. It's free if you have Kindle Unlimited, $1.99 if you don't.

Basically I did this just to add a musical selection.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

*Folk Hero Anthony Gose walked all three batters he faced yesterday in an 8-1 loss to Washington. Tony Kemp, Kyle Tucker, and Derek Fisher had the only three hits. Justin Verlander threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:0BB. Martes struck out four in 2.2IP.

There have been 38IP thrown this Spring by pitchers who are unlikely to make the Opening Day roster:
Trent Thornton: 6.1IP, 5H/1ER, 6K:2BB
Rogelio Armenteros: 5IP, 3H/1ER, 8K:1BB
Cionel Perez: 4IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 1K:1BB
Framber Valdez: 4IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:3BB
Brendan McCurry: 3.2IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:1BB
Mike Hauschild: 3.1IP, 4H/3ER, 5K:1BB
Riley Ferrell: 3IP, 3H/2ER, 2K:1BB
Matt Ramsey: 3IP, 8H/6ER, 6K:3BB
Jacob Dorris: 2.1IP, 4H/3ER, 4K:0BB
Cy Sneed: 2IP, 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB
Yoanis Quiala: 1.2IP, 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB

So that's a combined 38IP, 40H/18ER, 42K:15BB. Another reason why Spring Training results don't tell you the whole story.

*Hunter Atkins writes that the LOOGY position is Tony Sipp's to lose. Hinch:
There's a ton of focus on his split because it was a wipeout pitch in '15. It was erratic in '16 and '17. But in reality those that are around pitchers will tell you, it's hand speed on all of his pitches. If he's got good hand speed on his split, that means he's finishing his fastballs, his slider is pretty good. 

Sipp really has dropped off significantly in 2016-17. In 2014 and 2015 he posted an equal 2.93 FIP, having never posted a FIP below 4.20 in any of his five prior major-league seasons. In 2016 it was 6.19 and 5.22 in 2017. xFIP tells a similar story: never below 4.08 in his five seasons prior to joining the Astros in 2014, where he posted a 2.94 xFIP, and a 3.38 xFIP in 2015. Then a 4.98 xFIP in 2016, and a 4.34 xFIP in 2017. According to FanGraphs the only two seasons in which Tony Sipp's split fastball was above average was 2014 and 2015. Sipp has one year remaining on his 3yr/$18m contract. The Astros won the World Series without - or, maybe, in spite of - Sipp, but it would be nice for him to bounce back on take some of those innings off the horses.

*Jake Kaplan has an in-depth piece in The Athletic (paywalled) about Kyle Tucker's development. Tucker:
I feel like I've done a lot better with plate discipline. That's what I was wanting to do this year. Last year, I was just swinging all over the place. But I think that's the biggest thing that's been helping me so far. 

*Brian T. Smith writes in the Chronicle that Josh Reddick is ready to actually contribute in another World Series. Reddick:
I'm getting a ring because of my teammates. I didn't really help a whole lot in the World Series. I'm not saying I didn't help, I just didn't help at that time.

*Though Justin Verlander threw to Brian McCann in every one of his Astros starts last year, Hinch is using Spring Training to get the pitchers used to throwing to all catchers. Hinch:
I'm really interested in catchers having familiarity with the pitchers, but I'm also interested in the pitchers having comfortability with the catchers, so when they walk on the field that day, no matter who's catching, they know the guy's going to be prepared to handle their stuff and they trust them.

*27-year old undrafted free agent Jack Mayfield is in his first big-league camp and is soaking up all he can.

*Some season tickets went up 14% from last year.

*The new owners of the Fresno Grizzlies slashed beer prices and affirmed that they're staying in Fresno, which is great for the good people of Fresno. Gonna be a shame when the Astros flip back to Round Rock this fall.

Friday Morning Hot Links

*Charlie Morton threw 17 of his 24 pitches for strikes in a clean 2IP outing yesterday. Tony Sipp threw a 1-2-3 inning as the Astros beat the Red Sox 10-5. Collin McHugh allowed 4H/3ER, 1K:0BB in 1.2IP

Kyle Tucker hit his third home run of the Spring while Jake Marisnick, J.D. Davis and Tyler White each hit a double, and Derek Fisher bagged a triple.

*Dallas Keuchel is constantly studying and learning from other pitchers.

*Jon Heyman reports that Forrest Whitley tested positive for a stimulant:
The fact that MLB didn't announce what drug was found in Whitley's sample suggests there were complications or an extenuating circumstance, and perhaps even a negotiation regarding how things would be resolved, possibly including what would be revealed in the announcement. In this case, none was revealed.

*

Been sitting on this... Exit velo and launch angle and it’s correlation to % chance of becoming a homer. 2014 vs. 2017 pic.twitter.com/UrfVVFVuJB

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) March 2, 2018

*FiveThirtyEight x-rayed some baseballs. What they found will SHOCK you.

*Jon Heyman must be getting a commission on Jonathan Lucroy's next contract because he's out here linking Lucroy to the Astros again.

*The Athletic (Philly) has a sabermetric primer for you. (Unlocked from paywall).

*Want to see some baseball at Minute Maid Park? Go to the College Classic, today through Sunday.

*From the Hardball Times: Meet me in Waxahachie - forgotten Spring Training cities from back in the day.

Spring Training Opening Day (Wednesday) Hot Links

*Today marks the day of the official return of the Got Dang Astros. Pitchers and Catchers will be reporting so hard today y'all.

*UPDATE: Today

Tomorrow. #NeverSettle pic.twitter.com/N21CyhCQhQ

— Houston Astros (@astros) February 14, 2018

*In honor of the opening of Spring Training let's cast our minds back to the 2000 Astros and the Most Terrifying Spring Training Ever.

*Five things to watch at Astros Spring Training, by the Houston Chronicle.

Astros County's Five Questions for the Astros During Spring Training:
1. Did you get hurt?
2. How are you feeling?
3. You good?
4. Need anything?
5. Would you like to take a nap?

*The Astros would like to see Derek Fisher win the LF job. Fisher:
Every year I've gone in with the same mindset and I'm going to do it the same this year. It's just to compete and win a job. I know in years past it hasn't been that way, but I'm still going to continue to do what I've been doing, as far as picking the brains of the guys I get to be around every day. This team we bring back is pretty close to the team we had last year that everybody is going to remember forever.

*Harris County commissioners voted to approve a $105m plan to renovate the Astrodome.

I haven't lived in Houston for about a minute now, but I'm also a history/museums guy, so the plan to do something with the Astrodome makes me happy. But I can also understand that $105m could be better spent...I don't know, just bobbin' for brussels sprouts here, maybe improving infrastructure, or maybe something to do with flooding. Both sides have an equal chance of convincing me they're right, but only if they're the last person to which I speak.

*Brian T. Smith writes about how the Astrodome renovation can be a win-win.

*SI released their Top 100 MLB Players of 2018. On the 100-51 list:
#71: Dallas Keuchel
#69 (nice): Alex Bregman
#66: Josh Reddick

Or the #50-21 list:
#27 George Springer

*You can't read it unless you're a subscriber (and I'm not, yet, at least until they beef up the Astros coverage, or take me away in a Euro-Bourne Mercedes Terror Van x300, or, you know, hire me), but the Angels are committed to a 6-Man rotation.

Guess we'll wait and see where Altuve, Correa, Verlander and Good Son Kenneth Giles land....

*Yu-Who?! FanRag gives the Astros the Best Rotation in Baseball nod and now we will all die within a week.

*Good job, Hooks, who are giving $113,000 to Little League and youth programs among the communities hardest hit by the first landfall of Harvey:

Refugio Little League Board of Directors would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the @cchooks organization for your generous donation. Every child in Refugio who wants to play Little League baseball/softball will play for FREE this year. This is a huge blessing to our community. pic.twitter.com/XKagQhJXKx

— Refugio Little League (@RefLittleLeague) February 14, 2018

*Before You Go:

🤔 I can think of a reason. https://t.co/Pt3nTunBNK

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) February 13, 2018

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Ken Rosenthal's story about the possible availability of Collin McHugh has been unlocked. Oh, and there's now a Houston branch of The Athletic, and Jake Kaplan is providing Astros coverage, starting with a Q&A with A.J. Hinch.

*In yesterday's Hot Links, Good Friend Link provided an article in the comments about the shady world of the MVP Sports Group (Chris Devenski's new representation) founder. Now here's Deadspin with a report on a lawsuit filed against the owners of ACES, who represent Josh Reddick and Brad Peacock.

*Somehow the new Spring Training facility still isn't completely ready.

*Joe Musgrove has been reunited with a high school teammate in Pittsburgh.

*Bud Norris signed a deal with the Cardinals, and he's very excited.

*Harris County Commissioners are the only vote remaining before the Astrodome gets a $105m revamp.

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Welcome to the last Saturday of 2018 without the Astros doing baseball things on a field until October.

*Brian McTaggart resets the Astros roster after an off-season that was, by this off-season's standards, INSANE.

*The Associated Press has a Spring Training preview (I guess) of the Astros. Notable quote from Luhnow:
The plan that Jim Crane had in 2011 when he hired me and bought this team was to get the Astros relevant as soon as possible and then win multiple championships. So we're on our way to our goal. We certainly by no stretch have achieved it.

*MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince has the ten best rivalries for 2018 and the Astros have two spots on it: v. New York (#5) and Arlington (#4).

*New York media sure does like to talk about the Astros. Here's the NJ.com beat writers wondering who's better right now: The Astros or the Yankees. Short version is that Randy Miller is all in on the Yankees, while Brendan Kuty gives the edge to the Astros.

*The Astros dominated the Houston Sports Awards thing the other night.

*Brian T. Smith: At last, your World Series champion Astros are back.

*Sam Miller: Why no one will ever hit .400 again. It's a really interesting read. And, for what it's worth, Jose Altuve had an 81-game stretch from May 27-September 2 in which he hit .396/.448/.617.

Friday Morning Hot Links

Happy birthday to my wonderful wife. It's incredible that she's let me do this bolg for going on ten years. She's amazing, and The Absolute Best.

*The Chronicle has five things to watch for at Spring Training.

I'm unveiling my own Spring Training slogan for the Astros:

Spring Training 2018: Don't get hurt.

*The training camp for unsigned players will be led by Former Astros Great Bo Porter.

*Carlos Correa used Jose Altuve as a weight.

*Jon Heyman's latest Inside Baseball column wonders what statement Carlos Beltran is making if not going to the White House isn't about the president.

*Those zany Fresno Grizzlies are at it again, playing a game this season as the Zamunda Lions in a tribute to Coming to America.

*So there was a thing called the Houston Sports Awards last night, and the Astros - as you can imagine - did pretty well.

*Check out the new food options available at Minute Maid this season.

The Saturday Evening Hot Links Post

No Hot Links this morning because there were too many job responsibilities going on last night and early this morning. There were no birthday shenanigans. I swear it. Thanks to all of you who took a moment to send those birthday wishes. It was one of the few days in which social media was not utterly useless. Let's get to it.

*The Ballpark of the Seven Isles (or whatever it's called) is so nice that players have been arriving to work out for weeks. Exactly how Luhnow drew it up. Keuchel:
Florida is a nice area for winter workouts and pre-Spring Training workouts, especially when you get some talented guys putting in work every day. It means that they want it so much more. The sun is shining, guys are in good moods. We just won the World Series. Any time you can get your workload started early, it just means better things for the 2018 season.

*The Masked Marvel advocates for the Astros going with two sets of pitching tandems in the regular rotation.

*It's unconfirmed by the club, but Ken Giles apparently won his arbitration case and will make $4.6m in 2018, instead of the $4.2m the Astros offered.

*Our advocate in the Metroplex Media Hellscape - Houston native Kevin Sherrington - says the Rangers and Mavericks are getting swept away by the Astros and Rockets. Oh, and the Rangers aren't getting Yu Darvish (allegedly). But! Bartolo Colon!

*38-year old Former Astros Great Andy Van Hekken wants to continue pitching. Van Hekken's story is pretty incredible. He threw a complete game shutout in his Major League debut in 2002, pitched in four more games that month, and has never been back to the Majors since. By 2006 Van Hekken was in indie ball. He pitched in the Astros organization from 2008-2011 for Corpus, Round Rock, and Oklahoma City, and has been in Korea since 2012. 311 games in the minors/foreign leagues. Five in the Majors. Good luck to Andy Van Hekken.

*TexAgs has a cool chat with 2017 2nd Round pick Corbin Martin, and his chances of cracking the Majors...at some point.

*Forrest Whitley's 12-6 curve got some more Best Tools love from FanRag, as did J.B. Bukauskas' slider.

*The San Diego Union Tribune's Jeff Sanders has an interesting column on baseball's broken economy, a 'rising tide,' and the first threat to labor peace in decades. Sanders:
Agents are whispering "collusion" but it's the convergence of ideas - the proliferation of data points like OPS, weighted runs created, ERA-plus, and Wins Above Replacement - that is acting out against the 2018 free agent class.

Influential agent Brodie Van Wagenen (seriously, every "Brodie" is influential. That's just science.) suggests a Spring Training boycott.

To that point, the Crawfish Boxes' CRPerry has a really good point about this year's free agent class.

*A baseball revival is happening in Mexico.

Friday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros invited 19 minor-leaguers to the Major League side of Spring Training, including Kyle Tucker, Rogelio Armenteros, Garrett Stubbs, Framber Valdez, and Drew Ferguson. Weird that, of all 19 of these guys, Forrest Whitley wouldn't be invited.

*Kyle Tucker is ranked 5th among outfield prospects. Mike Elias:

The blend of hitting for average and hitting for power and the speed on the bases he showed, all of his numbers were great. But he also went through some ups and downs and showed us that he continued to make adjustments, and that's just as important as the statistics that he put up, because that's a part of the sport.

*Justin Verlander FaceTimed Michael Fulmer, and it meant the world to him.

*Aw man, John Royal is leaving the Houston Press. Check out his final column here.

*The Blue Jays signed Former Astros Great Rhiner Cruz, who hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2013.

*Jay Jaffe recapped the 2018 Hall of Fame voting.

*Tim Brown: The theatre of Vlad Guerrero.

*Jeff Passan: No one is blinking in the staring contest between players and owners.

*Jeff Sullivan: Tampa Bay's lost window of contention.

*Thank God. The Tigers are going to unify the "Olde English" D on their jerseys and caps. That they were different made me realize I have a touch of OCD.

Friday Morning Hot Links

*The previously-announced February 14 report date for pitchers & catchers is actually the first workout date for pitchers & catchers. The first full-squad workout is actually February 19, not February 20.

*After catching 17 of the 18 postseason games (Gattis was behind the plate for ALCS Game 3) of the postseason, Brian McCann took an extra month of rest in order to get his body ready for 2018. McCann:
I'm big on making sure that my body is healed up before I start wearing and tearing and doing weights...Playing that extra month, I feel like I just got done. And I look up and six weeks from now we'll be in camp.

*Carlos Correa hit Tilman Fertitta's "First Shot" before the Rockets/Warriors game last night, earning $5,000 for charity. He's the first Astro to make the shot, besting Springer, Bregman, and McCullers. Correa then proposed to his girlfriend on the court following the shot.

*Apparently the Astros have joined the Giants and Padres as the teams who have made an offer for CarGo and, before your brain does what my brain did and melted upon thinking of a Carlos Gomez reunion, that means Carlos Gonzalez.

*Alex Bregman is out here doing Spanish language informative videos on Instagram.

*On a show that is apparently called "First Take," boxing guy Max Kellerman and shouting guy Stephen A. Smith took shots at the Astros for accepting the White House's invitation to visit. The phrase "wrong side of history" was used before saying that it wasn't a partisan issue.

Ah hell here we go. Okay. I follow politics, I follow world events. I do not get my news from Facebook. I do, however, spend too much time on Twitter. I have thoughts on what is happening in the United States today and I am willing to share those thoughts. However, I do realize that I'm not the reason you visit Astros County dot com. The Astros are. For me, there's a sense of escapism in putting together the Hot Links. I get to spend some quiet time in the mornings not thinking about the size of anyone's Button, and perhaps you feel that this is a (weird) corner of the internet where you can do the same. There would be some whiplash in reading a post making a joke about Jordan Jankowski's wife Jordan and then - BOOM - political commentary.

There's a certain "stick to sports" element in play. I don't always like it, I don't always subscribe to it, but there it is. It's not as though I'm scared to alienate some of you with my political beliefs - I certainly wouldn't be risking any revenue stream - but I retain the right to respect that you and I may disagree on some things. Silently.

Oh, and The Floridian Golf Club (Crane's baby) is 30 miles from Trump National Golf Club. In November the TC Palm noted Crane's "political neutrality" and his "close relationship with" Obama.

A couple of days after the Astros won the World Series Lance McCullers summarized the internal struggle people in this position - being invited by the president to visit the White House - may feel in our current political climate:
There's obviously a lot of things that this country is going through and things that people need to deal with, but it's the White House. It's hard to say you're not going to see the most historic building in our country...The White House stands for a lot, and I would be crazy not to want to see that firsthand.

To be an athlete invited to the White House generally means that you won a world championship, which is an honor.

Thanksgiving Morning Hot Links

Happy Thanksgiving! The Houston Food Bank is in its World Series today, operating at triple its normal function. To date, the Houston Food Bank has delivered 28 million pounds of supplies to the people of Houston.

Of course it's a day to be thankful, a chance to come together with friends and family just hours before you try to rip their heads off for a new flat-screen. I'm thankful for the Astros, for Jose Altuve, for pre-arbitration years, for George Springer, for Brady Aiken's tiny UCL, for Yuli's hair, for Mr. Kate Upton, McCullers' curveball, and for all of you. The Astros are World Series champions. If you talk politics with your family, please remember to film it and send it to astroscounty at gmail dot com.

*2017 Random Astros fact:
When Max Stassi threw out A.J. Pollock on August 17, it broke a streak of 29 straight successful stolen bases by Astros opponents, dating back to June 18.

*The out-of-options catcher Juan Centeno was placed on waivers by the Astros yesterday, clearing a spot on the 40-Man roster. The Astros would like for him to clear waivers so he can return to Triple-A and be next man up in the event of an injury to McCann or Max Stassi, whose backup job it is to lose.   The 40-Man Roster now stands at 39.

Centeno played in 22 games for the Astros in 2017, hitting .231/.286/.346. In his first two games as an Astro, both against Detroit at home (May 23 and May 25) Centeno went 3x7 with two home runs, including a go-ahead solo home run off Justin Verlander. When he came back in August, he went 4x9 with another RBI. He hit .311/.354/.383 for Fresno this season and threw out 14 of 38 base runners.

*Today through Monday, BreakingT is offering a Black Friday sale in which you get 25% off the entire store and free shipping at $50. So click this link and check out the Houston collection. Get your friends and family some *actually affordable* shirts you can't get at Academy.

*Alex Bregman returned home to Albuquerque for the first time since winning the World Series, threw out the first pitch at a brand new sports complex, and signed a bunch of autographs. Bregman's dad, Sam:
I know how hard Alex worked to get to this level, and of course I'm proud of what he's done. But he's still the same kid who has to take the trash out after Thanksgiving dinner. He takes time for everyone, and he's a great person off the field. That's what really makes me proud.

*The Los Angeles Fire Department made good on a bet with HFD Station 60.

*Lance McCullers loves dogs more than he loves you.

*Richard Justice: A reason for each team to be thankful. 

*Carlos Correa is in Puerto Rico throwing a party for everyone.

*Jonathan Mayo has your FAQ on Shohei Ohtani and the new posting system. Note that Ohtani is subject to international spending limits. The Rangers have the most money available to spend on him, while the Astros cannot sign anyone for more than $300,000 thanks to the international free agent spending spree they went on in 2016 that included shortstop Freudis Nova. So the only hope the Astros have in signing Ohtani is if he just wants to play in Houston. By jumping to MLB now instead of in two years, when he would be a free agent a la Yuli Gurriel, he's already shown he's willing to give up literal boatloads of money. Maybe there's some hope? An international scouting director told Mayo:
Him coming out proves it's not about money. He could wait and get a lot - way more than $10 million. It sounds like he wants to win, and will want to be in a good situation for his culture. He makes a lot of money off the field already, and he'll make more off the field here.

The New York Daily News is obviously predicting the Yankees will sign him.

*The Astros and Nationals have been sending their own workers to the Ballpark of the Seven Isles, or whatever the Spring Training facility is called, to get the stadium finished, almost a year after it "opened." Issues between the main contractor - Hunt Construction Group - and the subcontractors have led to a wide array of legal problems.

*The second part of my job ramps into high gear on Monday, so I'm reading as much as I can this weekend. As a purveyor of bizarre non-fiction, I'm currently reading (and enjoying) Marie Antoinette's Watch: Adultery, Larceny, and Perpetual Mostion by John Biggs. It's free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

*Random 2017 Astros fact:

Mike Fiers led the team in regular season innings pitched with 153.1, making the Astros the first World Series champion without a 200IP guy since the strike-shortened 1981 season.

*Matt Young notes the following autograph sessions at Academy:
-Carlos Correa, 5:30-6:30 today at the 9734 Katy Freeway location
-Lance McCullers, 7:00-8:00 today at the Pearland location
-Alex Bregman, 7:00-8:30 tomorrow (Thursday) at the Webster location
-Jose Altuve, 5:30-6:30 on November 20 at the Katy location.

Note:
The autographs are free, but passes will be distributed two hours before each appearance on a first-come, first-served basis. Each player will only sign a copy of the Houston Chronicle poster series, provided by Academy. The players will not be able to sign any outside items or merchandise.

*Jeff Luhnow said the Astros are considering starting Spring Training a few days later and making other changes to February/early March in an effort to prevent a Cubs-esque World Series Hangover:
Our workhorses are probably going to get a later start in spring, but we'll need to have those innings early so we'll probably have more Triple-A and Double-A guys or guys that we sign between now and then.

Gonna have to take a day off from work when Forrest Whitley pitches this Spring.

*Brent Strom talked to MLB Network Radio yesterday about how Carlos Beltran made his job easier. Strom:
He wore me out telling me how my pitchers are tipping. It finally got to the point where I said, 'I know, I know.' He really helped me a great deal with Lance McCullers Jr and Chris Devenski and everybody. It's really frustrating sitting there, watching your pitcher, and he's whispering in my ear that a changeup is coming. And there it was. Or a curveball is coming, and there it was.

*Lance McCullers Jr talked to Mad Radio yesterday morning about the use of his curveball, the postseason, and his frustration with how he was used at the end of the regular season.

*Carlos Correa visited kids at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital.

*You need to see this tribute video from Quan CM Tran:



*A.J. Hinch finished 3rd behind Paul Molitor and Terry Francona in AL Manager of the Year voting. I mean, Hinch had the division won by June, dealt with all those injuries, and a hurricane but hooray Twins and a 22-game win streak!

*Jake Kaplan notes that Mike Minor is a near-perfect fit for the Astros this offseason.

*USA Today picked Jose Altuve as their AL MVP, which will be announced tomorrow.

*The Royals are interested in Early September MVP Cameron Maybin.

*Here are FanGraphs' Top 50 Free Agents.

*Fox Sports has been accused of bribing South American soccer officials.

*I'm off to go pick up 15 dozen donuts, kolaches, milk, and orange juice for 125 11th graders. Pictures (maybe) later. #TylerWhiteDay

Monday Morning Hot Links

*Random 2017 Astros fact:

The Astros were 7-27 (.206) when scoring 0-2 runs. The rest of the American League was a combined 68-573 (.106) when scoring 0-2 runs in a game.

*The GM Meetings start today in Orlando.

*Spring Training tickets go on sale today. The Astros' first game is February 23, 102 days and a lot of winter from today

*Craig Bjornson, the Astros' bullpen coach since 2014, was apparently not going to return to the team in 2018 and has been hired in the same role for Alex Cora and the Red Sox. Bullpen catcher Carlos Munoz will not return, either. So that's a bullpen coach, bullpen catcher, and an assistant hitting coach that Hinch needs to replace.

*Mike Petriello breaks down this offseason's free agent class based on Statcast metrics.

*Hey Erik Kratz is a free agent...

*Beaumont native Jay Bruce would like to play for the Rangers or Astros, but would also like to play for a contender, so I guess that leaves...

Saturday Morning Hot Links

*Random 2017 Astros Fact of the Day:

14.9% of the fly balls Astros relievers allowed left the yard, 3rd-worst in the Majors, worst in the AL.

*I teach two subjects: two sections of AP US History and four of regular US History. I have one baseball (Rangers, of course) super-fan in one of my AP classes that just happens to coincide with lunch and, after the slump the Astros went through in August, he was expressing doubts about the 2017 Astros' chances. I flippantly said that, if the Astros won the World Series, I'd buy them pizza. One of them told my other AP class, and they wanted in, too. So I said okay, if the Astros win the World Series, I'd buy both AP classes pizza.

Told my AP US History students I’d buy them pizza if the @Astros won the World Series. So that’ll be $54, guys. pic.twitter.com/EWDbcsKn68

— Thickie Don (@AstrosCounty) November 10, 2017

A smart-ass objection I often heard on Twitter:

1. Little Caesar's? Eww.

Response A: You can piss right off. $5 pizzas are right in my budget. I'M A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER DADGUMMIT, I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY YOUR FREAKING ARTISANAL WOOD-FIRED PIZZA FULL OF FINE CURED MEATS AND CHEESES FOR 40 HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS, MUCH LESS THE 85 OTHER STUDENTS WHOSE PARTY IS COMING BETWEEN NOW AND CHRISTMAS BREAK.

Response B: I had to find a place that would have them ready to pick up at 10:30, so I could be back to school in time for class.

Response C: One of the students who received said pizza works at the Little Caesar's store from which I ordered them.

Ah but that tweet lead to this:

Got venmo?

— Tyler White (@twhite409) November 10, 2017

Which led to this:

Well since you've already bought it set up the account and they can have another pizza day on me #gostros https://t.co/0LQTLArATX

— Tyler White (@twhite409) November 11, 2017

Update - 5:25am: I created the Venmo account and will wait to see what happens. I've never had a bad thing to say about Tyler White, and even the gesture makes this one of the coolest things to ever happen. Tyler White is a Real G.

Update - 8:51am: He did it.

All The Shoutouts to Tyler White. My students are going to flip when I tell them. Solid all around.

*In a dramatically less feel-good of a story, the Astros/Nationals and the contractors who built their brand new $152m Spring Training facility are having issues paying sub-contractors for their work. The Astros and Nationals are blaming the four major contractors for not paying the local sub-contractors for their work. The sub-contractors are having trouble keeping employees, bidding for other jobs and, in some cases, keeping their homes. Former lawyer Craig Calcaterra has a good rundown on who is to blame.

*Jeff Blogwell wrote about the Astros' lefty situation.

*Peter Gammons talked to a GM who compared Alex Bregman to Paul Molitor, and that is just fine by me.

*ESPN's Howard Bryant has a good retrospective of the 2017 baseball season.

*Paul Quinn College turned its football field into an organic farm, and it changed the community.

Remaining spots on Houston Astros 2017 Opening Day roster

UPDATE: A.J. Reed, Colin Moran, Tyler White, Teoscar Hernandez were all optioned to minor league camp this morning. This likely means Marisnick will be the 12th man. Reid Brignac will get an opportunity to catch on with another club. Feel free to skip the position player section, as I picked Moran over Marisnick.

The Houston Astros 2017 roster is pretty much set. By my calculations there are four spots still up in the air. One maybe two position player spots and two or three pitcher spots. A.J. Hinch wants to carry 13 pitchers into the season.

Position players

Minus Jake Marisnick the Astros have 12 position spots filled. If you include him that's your 13. Marisnick is a great defender. He can cover all three outfield positions. He doesn't hit and that trend has continued during Spring Training. You might be wondering how the OF shapes up without him. George Springer came up as a center fielder in the minor leagues. Josh Reddick will man left. Either Nori Aoki or Yulieski Gurriel or Carlos Beltran will be in left. Marwin Gonzalez can play out there in a pinch. I think there is an opportunity to take someone else over Marisnick.

Teoscar Hernandez has not hit well this spring. That leaves A.J. Reed, Colin Moran, and Reid Brignac. Reed and Moran are killing the ball this spring. Both seem to have found their stroke. We've seen this before though (see: Tyler White 2016). Brignac is a utility infielder. He's played a little outfield but not much. He'd be a part time player.

Reed and Moran are both interesting. Reed for his power. Moran for his hit ability and his flexibility at first or third (wait can he play outfield?). Both have an OPS over 1.000 this spring. I like the idea of giving Moran an opportunity.

Pitchers

This is where things get fun. Three spots. One rotation spot and two relief spots. I don't think Mike Fiers has a rotation spot locked up. I do think Charlie Morton has one. That leaves Fiers, Joe Musgrove, and Brad Peacock as options. Peacock has not pitched well this spring. That leaves the last spot to either Fiers or Musgrove. I like Musgrove and love the idea of starting him on the roster this season. That would leave two bullpen spots. James Hoyt has a good chance of getting one with an ERA below two currently. That leaves Michael Feliz (3.12 ERA), Jandel Gustave (2.70 ERA), and David Paulino (3.86 ERA).

Sorry, no left-handed options unless a trade is made before the season. Feliz has the most service time. I'd default to him if I had to choose.

Who you got?

No matter who you choose, the Astros have a pretty good roster. Those that don't make the roster, make for an intriguing option during the season.