IN WITH THE NEW
Bregman to open first full season in No. 2 hole
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Any lingering uncertainty about the top five in the Astros’ batting order was put to rest Wednesday when manager A.J. Hinch confirmed Alex Bregman will bat second to begin the season.
Although Bregman was long considered the favorite to be the two-hole hitter in a loaded Astros lineup, the lefthanded-hitting Josh Reddick was also an option as a means of breaking up the righthanded bats. Hinch ultimately decided on Bregman despite its ensuring four consecutive righthanded bats atop the order.
Handedness doesn’t seem to matter much when it comes to the caliber of righthanded bats the Astros will stack Nos. 1 through 4 respectively in George Springer, Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. The latter three actually hit righthanders better than lefthanders last
season.
Bregman, who turns 23 on Thursday and will play in his first opening day Monday, spent most of his rookie season batting out of the two hole. His move there from the sixth spot coincided with the turnaround from his 1 for 34 start, and he finished his rookie campaign batting .264 with a .791 OPS in 201 at-bats.
“I feel really good in the box when I get an (at-bat) in the first inning,” he said Wednesday before the Astros’ Grapefruit League finale, a 5-5 tie against the Miami Marlins. “I feel like it just starts the day the right way for me.”
When the Astros face righthanders, the switchhitting Carlos Beltran will be the first in their batting order swinging from the left side. Reddick will probably bat sixth, with the bottom three in the order dependent on Hinch’s matchup-based outfield and designated hitter configuration for that given game.
The only decision Hinch has yet to make for his opening-day lineup Monday against Seattle Mariners righthander Felix Hernandez is whether to play Beltran as a designated hitter or in left field.
If Beltran plays as DH, the lefthanded-hitting Nori Aoki will play left field and bat ninth. If Beltran plays the field, the righthandedhitting Evan Gattis will DH and bat as high as seventh.
In the scenario with Aoki in left field, the righthanded-hitting Yuli Gurriel could bat seventh, with the lefthanded-hitting Brian McCann batting eighth. If Gattis plays, Gurriel might be pushed down to ninth. Gattis could also bat ninth, which he did twice last summer.
Beltran serving as DH and Aoki playing left field appears the more likely scenario for Monday night. Beltran has played defense only sparingly this spring, and Gattis, a noted slow starter, will play plenty in the first 10 games, considering the lefthanders in the rotations of the Mariners and Kansas City Royals.
Neither Aoki nor Gattis has faced Hernandez enough to render any definitive judgments as to who matches up better. Aoki, who spent last season as a teammate of the former Cy Young Award winner with the Mariners, is hitless in four at-bats against him, while Gattis is 2-for-9 lifetime with a home run.
“I’ll think about it a couple more days,” Hinch said.
Bregman’s opening the season between Springer and Altuve in the lineup is far from a surprise, but Hinch until Wednesday hadn’t committed publicly to No. 2 in the No. 2 spot.
“First off, he’s one of our better hitters,” Hinch said. “He got off to a slow start in the big leagues last season and quickly adapted to being a very dangerous hitter. I think hitting in front of Altuve is one of the better places to hit in our order. He handles righthanded pitching very well. Obviously, he needs to learn and adapt to the league a little bit as a young player.
“But when you look at the top of the order and I see Springer and I see Bregman and I see Altuve and Correa and Beltran as the top five, I have comfort in all of those guys being good hitters first, dangerous hitters as well, and Bregman fits right in the middle of that.”
Despite missing two weeks of at-bats while riding Team USA’s bench in the World Baseball Classic, Bregman feels he’s garnered sufficient plate appearances since returning to camp Friday to be ready for the regular season.
“I feel ready to go,” he said. “I feel right where I need to be offensively with my swing, and I’m excited to get going.”