Hinch likes Giles in 9th, will leave situational options open
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After seizing the job last August, Ken Giles comes into spring training as the Astros’ presumed closer for 2017.
That doesn’t mean Giles will always close, however. In a baseball landscape where bullpen usage is evolving, Astros manager A.J. Hinch reiterated Tuesday he reserves the right to deploy his closer earlier than the ninth inning if the situation calls for it.
A game’s highest-leverage moment often occurs before the ninth inning, a notion managers have acted on more and more in recent seasons. Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona’s non-traditional usage of Andrew Miller in last year’s postseason is the most notable example.
“I don’t feel this angst of having to do the same thing over and over again,” Hinch said. “Your actions speak louder than any sort of declaration that I (make), and more times than not, Ken’s going to be at the back of the game. But I always want to leave it open to the fact that I might want to do something a little bit differently.”
Hinch said he has equal confidence in Giles, Luke Gregerson, Will Harris and Chris Devenski, who vary stylistically as pitchers. The extent to which managers name closers, Hinch said, usually correlates to the gaps of talent between relievers in a given bullpen. For the Astros, relief pitching is a strength.
“Our job is to get to the 27th out, and how we get there is generally going to be how people expect it to be,” Hinch said. “But it’s just not a topic that keeps me up at night. It seems to be a bigger topic than I give credit to.”
McHugh wins arbitration case
Starting pitcher Collin McHugh won his salary arbitration case against the Astros, meaning he will make $3.85 million this season rather than the $3.35 million proposed by the team.
A three-person panel in St. Petersburg, Fla., made the ruling Tuesday. The sides presented their cases Friday, but a decision had to wait until after the last of the cases for first-time arbitration-eligible starting pitchers were heard Monday.
McHugh, who projects as the Astros’ No. 3 or 4 starter this year, had a 4.34 ERA in 33 starts spanning 1842⁄3 innings last season. The 29-year-old righthander has a 3.71 ERA in 90 career regularseason starts with the Astros, who acquired him on a waiver claim from the Colorado Rockies in December 2013.
For a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility, the process takes into account his career to date, not only the most recent season. McHugh’s 19-win campaign of 2015 certainly helped his case.
McHugh’s was only the second arbitration case to go to a hearing in Jeff Luhnow’s tenure as the Astros’ general manager. The team is now 1-1, having won last year’s case with catcher Jason Castro over a difference of $250,000.
The eight Astros who entered the winter eligible for arbitration will account for roughly $33 million on the team’s 2017 payroll, which should exceed $120 million.
Regardless of his arbitration result, McHugh was in for a substantial raise. This year’s salary will be his first in seven figures. He made $529,000 last season.
Among the other firsttime arbitration-eligible starters to go to a hearing, Toronto’s Marcus Stroman and Tampa Bay’s Jake Odorizzi won their cases, while St. Louis’ Michael Wacha, Milwaukee’s Chase Anderson and Arizona’s Taijuan Walker lost theirs.
Overall, players and teams have split the 12 arbitration rulings made so far this year.
Oswalt will be guest instructor
Add Roy Oswalt to the list of former Astros greats who will serve as guest instructors in spring training this year.
Oswalt is expected to join the team for a stint fairly early in camp, which officially begins with the first workout Wednesday. Former manager Phil Garner is set for his stint as a guest instructor in early March, while Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell are expected to come around mid-March.
Roger Clemens might also stop by at some point, as he has done in the past.
This will be Oswalt’s first time as a guest instructor in Astros camp. Manager A.J. Hinch said he had been trying to get the former ace involved the last couple of years.
“(For) guys like Lance McCullers, who’s physically strong, relies on his breaking ball, Roy Oswalt had one of the best breaking balls (in the game) during his career. That’s got to rub off a little bit,” Hinch said. “The competing part of Roy Oswalt is something that I always respected from the other side, and I’m sure he’ll pass that mindset on to some of our pitchers.”
Odds and ends
While six of the Astros’ World Baseball Classic participants will leave spring training on or around March 6, outfielder Nori Aoki will depart Feb. 27 or 28. Aoki is playing for his native Japan, which plays its first-round games in Tokyo. … Aoki was among at least seven non-pitchers and catchers to report to spring training early. “He’s new to our organization, so he’s got to learn the staff, he’s got to learn all of our plays ... baserunning and all of that,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “But (from) everything I’ve heard, he retains things very quickly. He’ll learn and acclimate quickly.” …
Alex Bregman, A.J. Reed, Colin Moran, Tony Kemp, Reid Brignac and J.D. Davis were the other six nonpitchers and catchers spotted at camp Tuesday. … Righthander Dayan Diaz is the only pitcher or catcher the Astros were not sure would make it to the complex on Tuesday. Diaz, who is coming from his native Colombia, was a more recent addition to the camp roster as a minor league signee and might be a day or two late.