MLB Team Report – Houston Astros – INSIDE PITCH
Bud Norris or Lucas Harrell as the Astros’ No. 1 starter? Tyler Greene or Marwin Gonzalez at shortstop? Rick Ankiel in right field?
Those questions and more have dominated the start of spring training at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla.
Norris has the early lead on the No. 1 starter slot, but Harrell will receive the ball for the Astros’ spring training opener Feb. 23 against Philadelphia. Norris will then take the mound Feb. 24 against the New York Mets.
Jordan Lyles is expected to hold down the third spot in the rotation, but first-year manager Bo Porter recently said all starters except Norris and Harrell will have to compete for their spots. Left-hander Erik Bedard and right-handers Philip Humber, Alex White and John Ely also are battling for rotation jobs.
Porter hopes to have 2012 All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve bat No. 2 this season, potentially leaving the top of the lineup open. At the No. 1 spot, Porter wants an aggressive and speedy contact hitter who also possesses power.
Greene and Gonzalez were initially expected to platoon at short this season, with the right-handed-hitting Greene earning time because of his speed and pop and the switch-hitting Gonzalez taking the field due to his slick glove. Porter acknowledged the Astros’ shortstop will likely bat in front of Altuve, though, leaving Greene with an edge at the start of spring training.
The outfield remains wide open. Justin Maxwell is the expected center fielder, while Chris Carter has an initial hold on left and Ankiel could end up in right. Porter wants a veteran designated hitter, meaning Carlos Pena likely will become the club’s first-ever DH as Houston moves to the American League. If Carter and Ankiel hold on to the corners, J.D. Martinez and Fernando Martinez could be the primary reserves.
Veteran Jose Veras wasn’t ready to call himself the team’s closer at the start of spring training, but he’s expected to fill the role this season. Relievers Wesley Wright, Rhiner Cruz and Hector Ambriz will take the ball before the ninth inning.
Porter has made a strong first impression on his young team, using everything from clubhouse motivational signs to mirrors above players’ lockers in the attempt to erase the Astros’ losing culture. With 17 position players arriving early for camp and 61 players competing for 25 Opening Day spots, the early vibe under Porter has been positive. But what happens when the young, rebuilding Astros — who’ve lost 213 combined games the last two seasons — start playing baseball that counts?
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MLB Team Report – Houston Astros – NOTES, QUOTES
–RHP Bud Norris left the team to deal with the death of his grandmother.
“We need to keep him in our prayers and keep his family in our prayers,” manager Bo Porter said.
Norris is vying with RHP Lucas Harrell to become the Astros’ No. 1 starter this season. Norris recently signed a one-year, $3 million deal and is the highest paid player on the team.
–DH Carlos Pena had been in and out of the Astros’ spring training complex since Jan. 14, training in preparation for the 2013 season.
“I even helped paint the place,” joked the 12-year veteran.
Pena has quickly bonded with OF Chris Carter, who unexpectedly joined the Astros after being part of the Jed Lowrie trade with Oakland.
–Team owner Jim Crane acknowledged his fingerprints are now fully on the Astros, who have everything from new uniforms to a new league but are expected by many to again be the worst team in the majors.
General manager Jeff Luhnow is gradually revamping the club, but the Astros aren’t expected to be competitive at the big-league level until 2015.
“All the changes we made are our changes, Jeff’s changes, Bo’s changes,” said Crane, who expects to visit Kissimmee at least five times during spring training. “Bo told ’em this and I told ’em this: Neither one of us have ever lost at anything we’ve done, so we’re not going to start now. We’re expecting to turn this into a winner and starting today.”
–Former Astros ace Roger Clemens has been at Osceola County Stadium. The seven-time Cy Young winner took a humble, low-key approach while beginning a four-day stint as a special instructor.
It’s the first of three Kissimmee trips planned by Clemens during the Astros’ seven-week spring training.
There was a hug for Pena and an inside joke traded with Porter. But Clemens mostly observed and documented, attempting to get a read on a young, rebuilding club.
“I’m a season-ticket holder, so I’m excited just like anybody to work with these guys and get out there,” Clemens said. “Some of these young, great players for the Angels and some of the other young, great players in the West, maybe we’ve got a couple of those guys this year — you never know.”
–1B Jonathan Singleton, before he can begin playing this season, must serve a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test. He’ll work out at the Astros’ minor league facility and is expected to begin the year in Class AAA Oklahoma City. He could join the Astros midway through the 2013 season. Singleton, 21, hit .284/.396/.497 with 21 homers and 79 RBI in 131 games for Class AA Corpus Christi last year. He came to Houston in the July 2011 trade that sent OF Hunter Pence to Philadelphia.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 — Consecutive days catching prospect Max Stassi missed while recovering from an oblique strain.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It starts with the man in the mirror.” — Manager Bo Porter, referring to placing mirrors above every player’s locker.
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MLB Team Report – Houston Astros – ROSTER REPORT
PROJECTED ROTATION:
1. RHP Bud Norris
2. RHP Lucas Harrell
3. RHP Jordan Lyles
4. RHP Philip Humber
5. LHP Erik Bedard
If Norris stays with the Astros and Harrell builds on a solid 2012, Houston could actually have a decent 1-2 starting punch as it heads into the American League. Lyles posted a 5.12 ERA last season. Humber threw a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox in 2012 but also had a 6.44 ERA and was acquired by the Astros via a waiver claim.
With slots 4-5 iffy and Houston sitting on a ton of mid- to low-level pitching depth, the Astros are expected to constantly move around starters in 2013. A struggling veteran like Bedard could mop up innings, and young pitchers such as Brad Peacock, Dallas Keuchel, Alex White and John Ely will likely be used during the season.
PROJECTED BULLPEN:
RHP Jose Veras (closer)
LHP Wesley Wright
RHP Hector Ambriz
RHP Rhiner Cruz
RHP Josh Fields
LHP Xavier Cedeno
Veras has never been a closer and is being asked to become Houston’s stopper. Fields has never been a major league pitcher, but the Astros are counting on him to take a big step forward. That’s Houston’s bullpen in a nutshell.
Wright, Ambriz and Cedeno were solid last year and they’ll be expected to put the ball in Veras’ veteran hands. Houston’s relievers could face the toughest situation of anyone on the team’s 25-man roster, though, with an AL West move impending and the back end of the rotation in flux.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
1. 2B Jose Altuve
2. SS Tyler Greene
3. LF Chris Carter
4. DH Carlos Pena
5. 1B Brett Wallace
6. RF Rick Ankiel
7. 3B Matt Dominguez
8. CF Justin Maxwell
9. C Jason Castro
It’s a huge if, but if the majority of the lineup can exceed expectations and aging veterans Pena and Ankiel can rediscover their stroke, Houston might surprise for part of 2013. Altuve is solid, and little-known players such as Wallace, Greene, Dominguez and Castro have shown glimpses of being MLB material.
The downside is tremendous, though. There’s no guarantee Ankiel makes the team. If he doesn’t, Houston’s outfield truly becomes by-committee. And if Pena can’t hit above .200 and Carter doesn’t pay off on the power that allowed him to hit 16 homers in just 218 at-bats last season, the offense will quickly become the club’s weakest link in the unforgiving, hitter-heavy AL West.
TOP ROOKIES: RHP Jarred Cosart was a combined 6-7 with a 3.30 ERA in Class AAA and AA last year. He’ll compete for a spot on Houston’s opening-day roster. 1B Jonathan Singleton is suspended for the first 50 games of 2012 after failing a drug test. He’ll likely join Houston by July, though, and the slugging prospect can hit (21 HR, 79 RBI, .893 OPS last season in Class AA).
MEDICAL WATCH:
–RHP Hector Ambriz (sprained right ankle) was hurt while covering first base during a pitching drill. He missed several workouts while wearing a protective boot, and he was on crutches. Ambriz recently removed the boot and is day-to-day.
