I’m not sure how to define or value consistency but White has a wRC+ of 111 over >600 PA. That level of production is high, but pretty replaceable (it’s around where guys like Logan Morrison, Evan Gattis, and Justin Smoak sit).
Yeah, I'm probably more down on White than I should be. But if Yordan forces himself up to the big club, that's the obvious spot he'd take. Same with Tucker.
I honestly don’t know and I have no idea if there will happen but the Astros reached out and the sides have been talking about it.
Alvarez has (and always has) a far better feel for hitting and is just better with the bat. Personally I think Tucker’s pitch recognition sucks. I have questions about his approach and how he handles pressure. Last year he rubbed some coaches/scouts in the Astros the wrong way with his demeanor. Others in the organization love him. I feel about him like I did with Giolito. Something isn’t right about their make up.
I'm trying real hard to temper my expectations and not get too geeked about him, but everything I've seen just screams "hitter". Tucker is an unknown to me, he's so unorthodox that I don't know how to judge him. The prospect people love him, the Stros love him...but AJ Reed was also the #20 prospect in MLB at one point, so....? Need to plan a few days soon when they're in town and go to 5 or so games in a row.
The Astros tried moving Reddick this winter. There is a good chance they will continue trying. Alvarez can play LF, 1st and DJ. The biggest problem Tucker faces is so far he doesn’t deserve to be in the big leagues.
I am with you on Alvarez. After I got to see him in the low minors I was impressed with his bat. Last year I started viewing him as a better prospect than Tucker even with Tucker being quicker. I am not expecting Alvarez to come out of the gate and be a deadly bat. However there is a decent chance that he becoming a #3 hitter eventually. I had a friend involved with the Frisco Roughriders asking me where Alvarez will play. Eventually I told him there is like a 20% chance it doesn’t matter where he plays. He could end up being one of those bats where he is in the heart of the order even if he can barely jog down to first.
The things that surprised me are his ability to hit to all fields (not even with power, but lacing singles the other way) and his eye at the plate. He's not just some huge masher who grips it and rips it, that's honestly what I expected initially. He's a hitter, and his bat will play at some position. Yeah, I'd think the only thing stopping Tucker is Tucker.
I strongly suspect that his .024 ISO isn't his true talent level. A good OBP is just fine for now with the depth of the Astros lineup.
If things go well with our prospects I expect the Astros to move Reddick after the season. Hopefully he has a good year and the Astros won't have to eat too much salary. The only problem for Alvarez, in terms of being on the Astros ASAP, is Kemp and White being out of options. They will get a longer leash this year because of it. Yes, and he's at the point where his value is already or about to decline. Time to move him before he goes the way of the AJ Reed.
Career low GB% plus no pop ups yet per Fangraphs. With his raw power, hitting the ball in the air often will work wonders.
But the discussion was about the season he is having so far which eliminates the ability to discuss small sample sizes and regressions and the like.
Josh Rojas is currently 4-4 with a couple of doubles and a couple of RBI today for Corpus. He has driven in a run in all but one game this season.