There’s no catch: Gattis primarily a DH
There is no plan for Evan Gattis to catch a game in the foreseeable future, manager A.J. Hinch said Friday, cementing him as the Astros’ primary designated hitter — a role in which he’s struggled to begin the season.
Penciled in eighth in the Astros’ Friday batting order to open the series against the Rangers, Gattis is 2 for his last 22 and has three RBIs since April 12.
He pushed a seeing-eye single through the left side in the fifth inning for the club’s only hit of Friday’s 1-0 loss.
Teams are pitching Gattis “backwards,” Hinch said, throwing him off-speed, softer pitches early before ending atbats with fastballs.
“Gattis is probably missing pitches that he normally hammers,” Hinch said. “The key is not missing the pitch that you get. He’s fouled off some pitches that have frustrated him and he’s generally ready to hit.”
That the team is hesitant to catch Gattis is no surprise. Hinch said during spring training he saw Gattis as the third catcher and Max Stassi as the clear backup to starter Brian McCann. Both McCann and Stassi sport an OPS that exceeds .760, too. Gattis has just a .539 OPS, though his splits last season suggest that, perhaps, he hits better when catching.
In 2017, he slashed .288/ .335/.543 in 200 plate appearances while catching. He had a .218/.271/.309 slash line in 118 as a designated hitter, where he will apparently spend all of his time this season. Hinch acknowledged this week in Oakland his spreading of DH at-bats, given Gattis’ lack of production, though the manager does usually give everyday position players some DH days to vary their routine.
George Springer had one in Wednesday’s finale against the A’s. Springer and Yuli Gurriel were designated hitters in two of the four against the Yankees.
Springer exits with sore elbow
A half inning after he was hit with a 92 mph fastball on his left elbow, George Springer exited the Astros’ Friday night series-opening loss to the Rangers with what the team and manager A.J. Hinch called a “left elbow contusion.”
“He's day-to-day,” Hinch said. “It got him pretty good on the bone in his elbow,. It's a contusion. We'll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Hinch said an X-ray taken after the game was negative.
Springer was drilled by Rangers starter Cole Hamels’ 1-0 offering with one out in the third inning.
“Any time you have to get an X-ray, that’s the hopeful (that it’s negative),” Springer said. “We’ll just have to see what happens and hopefully I can get back in there.”
Jake Marisnick entered as his replacement. Derek Fisher pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning.
Writers give 2017 honors
Houston’s chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America presented its awards for the 2017 season before Friday’s series opener against the Rangers.
The group selected American League MVP Jose Altuve as its Player of the Year and Yuli Gurriel, who slashed .284/ .324/.411 in 2017, as its Rookie of the Year.
Carlos Correa was the Darryl Kile Good Guy Award winner, bestowed each year to an Astro deemed the most affable with fans, media and teammates.
Dallas Keuchel and Brad Peacock were named co-pitchers of the year. Keuchel had a 2.90 ERA in a 16-7 season; Peacock emerged from relative anonymity to start 21 games and come out of the bullpen to a 3.00 ERA and 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
Series rings will be awarded
Four contributors to the Astros’ World Series title will, at long last, receive their prize Saturday.
Tyler White, A.J. Reed, Reymin Guduan and Tony Kemp will be presented World Series rings in a ceremony prior to Class AAA Fresno’s home game against the Salt Lake Bees. None of the four players was on the Astros’ three postseason rosters, but White, Guduan and Kemp played in at least 15 regular-season games. All were on the club’s 40-man roster entering the postseason.
First-year Grizzlies manager Rodney Linares, who managed Class AA Corpus Christi last season, also will receive his ring along with returning pitching coach Dyar Miller and hitting coach Darryl Robertson.