VOICES OF EXPERIENCE
Offseason acquisitions Beltran, Reddick, McCann could be just as valuable in the clubhouse as on the field
The lockers along one wall of the Astros’ spring clubhouse at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches spoke volumes about the team this season.
Mixed with the franchise’s quartet of rising young stars — Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and George Springer — were three MLB veterans: Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick and Brian McCann.
The mix is one that has baseball fans everywhere intrigued.
The Astros had clear goals during the offseason, and they were manifest in the signings of the three veterans.
The Astros needed to shore up the bottom half of their offense, and the bats of Beltran and Reddick (who signed as free agents) and McCann (acquired via trade with the Yankees) will help with that.
But there’s so much more to the roster changes than hits in the box score.
“They bring a lot to the clubhouse,” manager A.J. Hinch said. Leadership. Experience. Credibility.
In this case, older is good
The Astros got older this past offseason, and for this ballclub, that’s a good thing. The crop of veterans gives the Astros one more element to be excited about.
The team boasts talented youth to build on, quality depth (Nori Aoki, another free-agent signee, helps there) and a pitching staff that has a lot of potential.
The Astros are determined, hungry and ready to live up to high expectations that have built up after years of trusting the process.
It’s what made Beltran excited to sign with his former team.
“Astros fans, I’m here to tell you: It’s going to be a special year. Mark it down,” Beltran wrote in the Players’ Tribune in January.
Beltran is excited to work with the younger players. He requested that his locker be near theirs — the way his was near Craig Biggio’s when he played for the Astros in 2004. The team fell just short of the World Series that year, and Beltran hasn’t forgotten. He finally got to the Fall Classic with the Cardinals in 2013, but he has yet to win a championship and probably won’t get many more chances, considering he turns 40 this month.
He is motivated to help the Astros get over the hump in any way he can.
Plenty to share
So are McCann and Reddick. McCann, 33, is a seven-time All-Star with a track record for 20-homer seasons. Reddick is a Gold Glove winner who after years in Oakland and a partial season in Los Angeles is savoring the chance to play his home games in a hitter-friendly park.
“We added guys who have been through a lot and have a lot to share with us,” Bregman said during spring training in West Palm Beach. “They’ve been through things. They definitely add a lot.”
Reddick is wrapping his head around being one of the veteran players in the clubhouse.
“I’m only 30,” he said. “I don’t feel that old. But this is a young team. It’s a fiery team.
“I love my role here. I love that I still have a lot I want to do and still see myself improving, but I’m also here to answer questions, give advice, whatever I can do.
“It’s a really unique situation here, and I think it’s something special.”
With everything the Astros have going for them — it should also be mentioned they’re getting their first full season of Cuban signee Yulieski Gurriel and have Evan Gattis on hand to supply additional power — it’s not crazy to think they can put together a momentous season.
Especially when they have veterans who bring different perspectives to the mix.
Enviable mix
A group of 20-somethings who have been on the verge of a big breakout for the past couple of seasons have been complemented with the right pieces to break through.
Beltran, McCann and Reddick will be a part of that on the field and in the clubhouse.
“I’m excited to be here with this team,” Beltran said. “I want to come to the ballpark every day and work with these young, talented players. There are a lot of guys on the team (who want) to come to the ballpark every day and get better. That’s what I want to be a part of.”
That’s the energy Beltran brings.
It’s the mentality McCann and Reddick add.
The Astros are wiser, more mature and more experienced.
The offseason brought the right kind of change to Houston.