The Astros will be an interesting team to watch. May finally be ready to turn the corner.

 

I'm very interested to see how OF George Springer progresses.   Springer had 20 HR's in 78 games before a quad injury ended his rookie season.   Eventually,  I can envision Springer having a 40 HR season,  with 20 SB's,  and 100 BB's.    Springer has differential potential as a hitter and he's also a good Defensive OF.

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I'm very interested to see how OF George Springer progresses.   Springer had 20 HR's in 78 games before a quad injury ended his rookie season.   Eventually,  I can envision Springer having a 40 HR season,  with 20 SB's,  and 100 BB's.    Springer has differential potential as a hitter and he's also a good Defensive OF.

 

I say a 200 strikeout season is more likely than a 100 walk season. His K rate is pretty abysmal. He does have a nice power and speed tool, but his strikeouts will keep him from ever being on that Mike Trout / McCutchen level of elite.

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I say a 200 strikeout season is more likely than a 100 walk season. His K rate is pretty abysmal. He does have a nice power and speed tool, but his strikeouts will keep him from ever being on that Mike Trout / McCutchen level of elite.

 

The high strikeout rate is a legit concern.   It's probably the main reason for his low rookie BA.    Yet,  as a rookie George Springer had 39 walks in less than a half a season.   With another season or two in the major leagues,  I think there's a good chance that either Springer's walks go up to at or close to a 100 BB rate over the course of a season or he will see more pitches in the strike zone.  

 

While it's a huge uphill path for any batter to get on the Mike Trout level,   I think George Springer's potential is high enough that he's one of 3 players I'm considering keeping in a Fantasy League that's using a 3 keeper format for the first time.  Andrew McCutchen,  Kris Bryant, and Johnny Cueto are the other 3 players in the mix.   The decision will probably come down to Springer vs Cueto.    Jordan Zimmermann , Julio Teheran,  and Jacob deGrom are other pitchers that I would ideally like to keep but probably won't be able to based on opportunity cost.

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I'd probably keep Springer over Cueto based on age and upside, too.

 

To draw 100 BB, a batter has to have an elite eye and elite patience. There were only 2 players to do that last year and they are both heralded for their plate discipline.I don't see Springer as that type of player. We'll learn a lot more about him this year, though.

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I'd probably keep Springer over Cueto based on age and upside, too.

 

To draw 100 BB, a batter has to have an elite eye and elite patience. There were only 2 players to do that last year and they are both heralded for their plate discipline.I don't see Springer as that type of player. We'll learn a lot more about him this year, though.

 

  One player who comes to mind that had a very high strikeout rate but also was one of the leaders in walks for a long time is Adam Dunn.   While George Springer probably won't walk as often as Dunn did,  I think he's going to strike out less and hit for a higher average. 

 

  Another aspect of George Springer's game is he gets hit by more pitches than most players.  In the last 3 seasons,  minors and majors combined,  Springer was hit by 28 pitches.  The concern is it increases the chances of injury.   Yet,  it also adds an even higher OBP dimension.  

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  One player who comes to mind that had a very high strikeout rate but also was one of the leaders in walks for a long time is Adam Dunn.   While George Springer probably won't walk as often as Dunn did,  I think he's going to strike out less and hit for a higher average. 

 

  Another aspect of George Springer's game is he gets hit by more pitches than most players.  In the last 3 seasons,  minors and majors combined,  Springer was hit by 28 pitches.  The concern is it increases the chances of injury.   Yet,  it also adds an even higher OBP dimension.  

As a Pirate fan, Alvarez comes to my mind, sheesh.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

You want to see some astronomical strikeout figures, check out Cubs prospect Javier Baez from last year.


95 strikeouts in 229 plate appearances. 95!

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Hope my Tigers can get another W today!

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Hope my Tigers can get another W today!

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Base running speed is awesome for the Tigers right now. We're a really fast team now.

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I woke up in time to follow the Pirates loss in extra innings around 1:15 in the morning.  Rough start to the season.

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That Buck Showalter commercial that has been airing this week is pretty great.

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As a Rays fan, I can't say I am very optimistic about this season.

 

As a baseball fan, I always look forward to opening day.

As a fellow Rays fan, I share your view of this season. And so far, like every Rays season, they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. As always, they really need pitching and defense.

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As a fellow Rays fan, I share your view of this season. And so far, like every Rays season, they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. As always, they really need pitching and defense.

 

Pitching should get better when Smyly gets back. He was great at the end of last year and looked good in a rehab stint yesterday.

 

Offense, this team is putrid. Like always.

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Pitching should get better when Smyly gets back. He was great at the end of last year and looked good in a rehab stint yesterday.


Offense, this team is putrid. Like always.

Odorizzi, looked great the other night. I didn't realize that he was only 25. He should improve.

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Pitching should get better when Smyly gets back. He was great at the end of last year and looked good in a rehab stint yesterday.

 

Offense, this team is putrid. Like always.

Yeah, Smyly was great last year after that trade. It was nice getting him for David Price. And yes, this team has never had an offense. Even the so called "Hit Show" back in the day was a flop.

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Odorizzi, looked great the other night. I didn't realize that he was only 25. He should improve.

Yeah, he did look pretty good, and we needed every bit of that, considering the offense that night.


And I have you guys winning the division this year. Solid team.

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Hopefully Smyly and Cobb get back soon.

 

I saw Jaso is already on the DL. But Mahtook got promoted so we get to see what he has.

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Yeah, he did look pretty good, and we needed every bit of that, considering the offense that night.


And I have you guys winning the division this year. Solid team.

We're taking a whopping this afternoon.

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I hope the Pirates can get one tonight. Lost two they shouldn't have in Cincy. First series of season, but it's a three game hole already. 

 

Big series with the Brewers now.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"