Here’s what to be watching for in this season sprint.
Here’s what you need to know as Astros prepare for baseball’s shortest season in 142 years
Between the shutdown of spring training and the opening of summer camp, months of bickering between Major League Baseball and the Players Association produced no agreement on how many games would be played in 2020.
The result? A league-imposed 60-game schedule that both parties pray can survive amid the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the shortest season since the 60game slate of 1878, which marked the third year of the National League’s existence and second year of the Rutherford B. Hayes administration. (Put another way: The mound-to-plate distance was 45 feet, and pitchers had to throw underhanded.)
The Astros, maligned for months over their 2017 signstealing scheme, get a clean slate and can refocus on the franchise’s singular goal: a second World Series championship. They won’t become the first team to win 100 games four years in a row, but with the usual marathon reduced to a relative sprint, here’s a chance to get up to speed with 60 things germane to this truncated season.
1
Projections: FanGraphs projects the Astros to finish 35-25 — the second-best record in baseball — with a 77.5 percent chance to make the playoffs. A 35-win season amounts to a 94-win pace in a 162-game slate.
2
Four thought: If the Astros win the American League West for the fourth year in a row, they’d claim four consecutive division titles for the first time in franchise history.
3
Personnel department:
Each team has a pool of up to 60 players eligible to play this season. By cutting off the Asros’ pool at 56, first-year general manager James Click has the flexibility to acquire discarded players without having to release any of his own.
4
Roster allowances: With most starting pitchers still needing to build up their innings at the season’s outset, teams will start play with 30-man rosters. After 14 days, the number drops to 28. After another 15 days, it settles at 26.
5
Corpus Christi crew: Players who do not make the Astros’ 30-man opening-day roster will train at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, home of the Class AA Hooks. All will be available for call-up in case of illness or ineffectiveness on the major league roster.
6
Taxi call? All Astros road trips can include a threeman taxi squad composed of players not on the active roster. If the team brings three additional players, one must be a catcher.
7
Buy or sell? This year’s trade deadline is Aug. 31, essentially giving teams six weeks to decide whether they’re contenders. Keep in mind the Astros have been active during each of the past three deadlines.
8
Sense of urgency: Patience favors no one in a 60-game season, so fast starts and hot streaks will be magnified. Consistency also will be rewarded. The 2019 Astros were 40-20 after the first 60 games, 39-21 from games 31-90, 38-22 from games 61-120 and 42-18 from games 101-160.
9
Silence, not slurs: Barring a dramatic turnaround in COVID-19 trends, fans will not occupy any stadium the
Astros enter, saving players — at least this season — from an avalanche of vitriol on the road in response to the 2017 sign-stealing scheme.
10
Fake noise: The Astros experimented with piped-in crowd noise during their intrasquad games at an empty Minute Maid Park. New manager Dusty Baker said it sounded more like a leaky faucet.
11
Who’s cut out for this?
The Astros will place cutouts of fans in the Minute Maid Park outfield and Crawford Boxes to compensate for a crowdless venue.
12
Home cooking: Beginning with a six-game homestand against the Mariners and Dodgers, the Astros will play 24 of their first 38 games at Minute Maid Park, where they were 60-21 a year ago. Of course, whether home-field advantage exists in this season’s crowdless environment remains to be seen.
13
Road warriors: Sixteen of the Astros’ final 22 games are on the road, including six matchups with the A’s and Dodgers. Houston went 47-34 away from home last season.
14
Central Pacific standard time: As part of its TV strategy when teams in different time zones play this year, MLB wanted starts conducive to fans of both teams. Thus, 23 of the Astros’ 42 night games will start at 8:10 p.m., including 10 at Minute Maid Park. Opponents involved in those 23 games are the A’s, Angels, Mariners, Giants, Rockies, Padres, Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Primetime starts against the Rangers will be in the 6:05-7:10 range.
15
Dodgers drama: The Astros’ games against the Dodgers feature a rematch of the 2017 World Series — a seven-game win Houston captured under now-nefarious circumstances. Dodgers players were particularly peeved in February after the Astros apologized for their sign stealing. Reigning National League Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger was blunt, claiming Jose Altuve stole an MVP from Aaron Judge and that “everyone in The Show, in the big leagues, lost respect for those guys.”
16
Coliseum clashes: Seven of Houston’s 10 games against the A’s are in Oakland, a difficult draw against a team that made last year’s AL wild card game and presents the Astros’ most formidable challenge in the division. The Astros went 5-4 at the Coliseum last season.
17
Fiers not forgotten:
Forgive the Astros for wanting to know the probable pitchers ASAP in their three series against the Athletics. Depending on how things play, they could face Mike Fiers, the whistleblower in their sign-stealing scandal, as many as three times. They go to Oakland on Aug. 7-9 and Sept. 7-10 and host the A’s on Aug. 28-30.
18
First visit: The Astros, who play seven of their 10 meetings with the Rangers at home, will get their initial look at Arlington’s Globe Life Field in their final series of the season Sept. 24-27.
19
The injured lists: Besides the regular injured list, players can be placed on the COVID-19 injured list during the 2020 season, though it is not necessarily confirmation they tested positive for the coronavirus. Players who exhibit symptoms or have confirmed exposure to a positive individual can be placed on the COVID-19 IL. Unlike with the 10or 60-day IL, there is no minimum stay on the COVID-19 IL. And unless a player gives his permission, teams are not obligated to disclose when or if a player is on it.
20
Tests ahead: The Astros missed workouts during summer camp because of delayed COVID-19 test results. No one seems to know how the situation could be handled in the regular season. Players will be tested every other day.
21
Masked up: Though players are not required to wear masks on the field during the regular season, Astros utilityman Aledmys Diaz and first baseman Yuli Gurriel said they will try. Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Josh Reddick wore them during summer camp workouts but suggested they won’t in the regular season.
22
Verboten: Spitting, high-fives and sunflower seeds are banned from baseball in 2020. Inciting a benches-clearing brawl or even just arguing with an umpire could earn a suspension.
23
Who’s on second? In
extra-inning games during the regular season, each half-inning will begin with a runner on second base. For those keeping score, his run would be considered unearned, although no error will be charged.
24
New relief rule:
Pitchers coming out of the bullpen now must face a minimum of three batters unless they retire the side sooner.
25
The Dusty road:
Dusty Baker needs 137 wins to reach 2,000 — a feat only 11 other managers have achieved. He wouldn’t have gotten there even in a traditional 2020 season, but 1,900 can be reached if the Astros win 37 games. Just 13 other skippers can claim 1,900-win careers.
26
Drive for five: If the Astros make it to October, Baker will become the first manager in major league history to guide five franchises to the playoffs. The Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals reached the postseason under his guidance.
27
Back for more? Baker’s contract is guaranteed for only the 2020 season, but it includes a club option for 2021. This year’s unprecedented circumstances suggest the Astros could retain Baker regardless of the 2020 results — meaning he could be within reach of 2,000 wins once the 2021 season starts.
28
Innings eater: Justin Verlander will pitch his 3,000th career inning, becoming the only active pitcher to reach the milestone. Verlander enters the season just 18 innings away from this latest goal on a long list he intends to achieve.
29
Strikeout surge:
Verlander already leads active pitchers with 3,006 strikeouts. He needs 111 in 2020 to pass Bob Gibson for 14th all-time. Assuming he starts every fifth day, Verlander could make 12 regular-season starts in 2020. Last year, he struck out 118 during a 12-start streak from June 12-Aug. 16.
30
Full rebuild:
Though he won the 2019 Cy Young
Award, Verlander underwent a “full rebuild process” of his mechanics this winter after groin surgery. He is less vertical in his delivery and has lowered the height of his release point.
31
Repeat? Were Verlander to capture this year’s Cy Young, he’d be the first American League pitcher to win two straight since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000. Jacob deGrom (2018-19) Clayton Kershaw (201314), Tim Lincecum (2008-09) and Randy Johnson (four in a row from 1999-2002) have accomplished the feat in the National League in that span.
32
Opening statement:
Verlander’s openingday start will be the 12th of his career, eighth-most in the modern era. Six of the seven men with more are Hall of Famers.
33
Greinke getting
there: With 47 strikeouts, Zack Greinke would pass David Cone (2,668) for 25th place all-time. Greinke won’t join Verlander with 3,000 innings this year — he needs 128 — but should hit the milestone in 2021, his final year under Astros team control.
34
Familiar foes:
Greinke will face his previous division, the National League West, in interleague play and see two of his former teams — the Diamondbacks and Dodgers — at their home ballparks. Greinke had a 2.90 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 146 innings against the NL West last season.
35
No more Zack hacks:
The universal designated hitter means Greinke will not bat in 2020, dealing a bitter disappointment to the two-time Silver Slugger winner who doesn’t hide his affinity for hitting. He also desires a 10th career stolen base.
36
McCullers is back:
Assuming he starts the Astros’ second game of the season July 25 as scheduled, Lance McCullers Jr. will throw a major league pitch for the first time since Oct. 17, 2018 — ending a 647-day absence because of Tommy John surgery.
37
No limit: A 60-game season removes any innings limit the organization might have placed on McCullers, who likely would have talked his way into a heavier workload anyway. McCullers entered summer camp workouts further ahead than most of his teammates.
38
Who else? Beyond Verlander, Greinke and McCullers, the Astros’ rotation is unclear. Projected fourth starter Jose Urquidy hasn’t made it to camp, with the club saying only that he has “a condition that prevents him from taking the field.” Josh James and Framber Valdez seem to be the leaders for the fourth and fifth spots, particularly with the health of Austin Pruitt (elbow) and Brad Peacock (shoulder) leaving the depth thin.
39
Starter Josh: James devoted his winter to developing a starter’s mindset, learning how to best sustain his velocity for longer stints and making his delivery more linear to home plate.
40
Piggyback possibility: With the back of his rotation unsettled amid such a short summer camp, pitching coach Brent Strom said the Astros might deploy some “piggyback” or “tandem” starts early in the season, pairing two long relievers for extended stints to start games.
41
Close-minded: At age 25, Roberto Osuna already has 154 career saves, putting him seventh among active pitchers and tied for 80th all-time. Ten saves would put him in the top 75.
42
Vesting Pressly:
All-Star setup man Ryan Pressly is under club control for 2020 and 2021. He has a $10 million option for 2022 that vests if he pitches in 60 games during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. With this season’s number now prorated, Pressly must appear in 23 games for the option to have a chance to vest.
43
Back in stride:
Though he was an All-Star in 2019, Pressly’s subpar second half featured a 4.91 ERA. Persistent knee troubles caused him to shorten his delivery stride and use too much of his arm while throwing. Surgery in September corrected the problem, and Pressly felt back to form in summer camp.
44
Mr. August/September: En route to his runner-up finish in AL MVP voting, Alex Bregman owned those two months in 2019, hitting .372 with 15 homers, 21 doubles and 49 RBIs in the season’s final 51 games. His OPS was 1.235 in August, 1.239 in September/October.
45
Altuve’s march: Jose Altuve is more than halfway to 3,000 hits — a pace this shortened 60-game season will stall. He needs 82 hits for 1,650, which would get him past Lance Berkman (1,648) for fifth in franchise history.
46
Flirting with .400?
If any Astro is capable of hitting .400 in a shortened season, it is Altuve, the three-time batting champion with a .315 career average. His greatest 60-game stretch was during his MVP season in 2017 when he slashed .420/.474/.645 and collected 103 hits in 245 at-bats from May 27 to Aug. 8.
47
Fast start: George Springer was the leading AL Most Valuable Player candidate after his first 48 games last season, slashing .308/.389/.643 in 216 plate appearances. A similar start during this 60-game sprint could be crucial.
48
Seven for Springer:
With seven home runs, Springer will pass Cesar Cedeno (163) and Glenn Davis (166) for fifth in Astros franchise history. Springer required only 21 games to get to seven homers last season.
49
Leading off: Springer set single-season club records for leadoff home runs in 2017 (nine) and
2019 (12). Last season, he fell one leadoff dinger shy of tying Alfonso Soriano’s major league record.
50
Mr. Consistent: The past four times he has played a full season, Michael Brantley has finished among the American League’s top five in batting average. He was fourth in 2019 (.311), fifth in 2018 (.309), fourth in 2015 (.310) and third in 2014 (.327).
51
6-for-6? Carlos Correa is the first shortstop in major league history to hit 15 or more home runs in each of his first five seasons. He hit 21 in 75 games last year, offering hope he can extend his recordsetting streak to six.
52
Finally healthy? Beset by several befuddling injuries for the last three years, Correa finally could finish an entire season. He has missed 50 or more games in each of the past three seasons and hasn’t played more than 110 since 2016.
53
Piña pop: Yuli Gurriel established several career highs last season (31 home runs, 104 RBIs, .343 on-base percentage, .541 slugging percentage), utilizing a more open batting stance he’ll carry over into 2020.
54
They like contact:
Brantley (8.7 at-bats per K), Gurriel (8.7) and Josh Reddick (7.6) all were among the majors’ eight toughest players to strike out in 2019.
55
DH duties: Once he’s active, defending AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez is the team’s unquestioned designated hitter. But don’t count out Dusty Baker spreading the duties, especially if Alvarez, who has been prevented from taking the field at summer camp, starts the season on the injured list. Brantley, Springer and Bregman all started at least six times at DH last season.
56
Tucker time? An expanded roster gives former top prospect Kyle Tucker a secure spot. He’ll battle Reddick for playing time in right field, might serve as the designated hitter in place of Alvarez, and even could see time at first base.
57
Defense first: Considering their career slash lines, catchers Martin Maldonado (.219/.289/.355) and Dustin Garneau (.207/.290/.343) will be relied on mostly to call good games and keep baserunners in check.
58
What about Whitley?
Top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley is among the group of players who will train at Whataburger Field, rendering him eligible to make his major league debut this year. Though his past two minor league seasons have been disastrous, Strom believes Whitley will be a “superstar.” Described during spring training as “not ready physically” to compete for a spot on the major league roster, Whitley lost 30 pounds during the shutdown preceding summer camp.
59
Waiting in the wings:
Among the group of prospects at Whataburger Field, pitchers Brandon Bielak, Cristian Javier and Enoli Paredes, along with first baseman Taylor Jones, are the most likely to make their major league debuts in 2020.
60
Last looks? After the season, free agency looms for Springer, Brantley and Reddick — the Astros’ entire starting outfield — along with Gurriel and Peacock.