Two roster spots a tossup
Hinch may be trying to decide between Straw and Stassi, plus Smith or James in the bullpen
“Agonizing discussions” began in shrouded secrecy at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday afternoon. As the Astros omit worthy candidates from their 25-man American League Division Series roster, the task of delivering the news falls to A.J. Hinch.
In an interview on MLB Network Radio on Tuesday, Hinch claimed he was 45 minutes from starting the process. The Astros will not release their 25-man roster until Friday morning prior to Game 1.
The Astros chose not to make players or coaches available for interviews until Thursday, save for Ryan Pressly and Tony Kemp’s appearance at City Hall alongside Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday afternoon. Indians man-
ager Terry Francona, speaking for a second consecutive day, revealed nearly his entire ALDS roster to Cleveland reporters Wednesday.
Pressly and Kemp are assured spots on the ALDS roster. Household Houston names like Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman will join them.
Mystery lies in the final two selections — and the first may never be summoned for a plate appearance.
Choosing between carrying Max Stassi as a third catcher or Myles Straw as a pinch-running specialist is a “tough one,” Hinch acknowledged last week.
After acquiring Martin Maldonado during the nonwaiver trade deadline, general manager Jeff Luhnow said the team planned to carry three catchers during the postseason — Maldonado, Stassi and veteran Brian McCann.
Maldonado’s impact has perhaps surpassed what the organization envisioned. His caught-stealing percentage is second in the major leagues. Just three runners have stolen against him since he joined the Astros. Occasional pull-side power is a plus for the offensively challenged catcher.
Maldonado a keeper
Hinch, himself a former catcher, takes notice of other teams shortening secondary leads or becoming more hesitant on the bases when Maldonado catches.
The Indians led the majors in stolen bases. Keeping Maldonado in the game — however long it may drag — seems advantageous.
Stassi’s playing time has plummeted since Maldonado’s arrival. Whether he would be trusted in a crucial situation, especially with Maldonado and McCann on the roster, is unknown. Evan Gattis is not a candidate to catch.
Stassi caught two full games on the Astros’ last road trip. Both were after the Astros had clinched the AL West. In a meaningless Saturday doubleheader against the worst team in baseball, Stassi caught two innings at Baltimore. He caught just 28 innings in September.
“Martin’s defense stands out as something I always want to keep in the game if he’s the starting catcher,” Hinch said. “On the flip side of it, a guy like Myles Straw is an upgrade as a pinch runner to virtually everybody on the field. I wouldn’t run for everybody on the field, but there’s not a situation where he’s not faster than the guy who’s on base.”
Straw stole 70 bases in 79 attempts in the minors this year and has two steals in as many tries in the majors. He would function as Derek Fisher did during last season’s playoff run. Fisher received one plate appearance in the three series. Wanted solely for his speed, Straw could face a similar fate .
In six “competitive runs,” Baseball Savant measured Straw moving at 29 feet per second. Among the Astros, only Jake Marisnick is faster. The outfielder moves at 29.2 feet per second. Indians catcher Yan Gomes has thrown out 20 of the 49 men who have tried to steal against him.
“They prevent the stolen base with Gomes and their pitching staff very well,” Hinch said. “If you could tell me that extra step, extra two or three steps, would come into play, then it’d be an easier decision. We’ll debate that back and forth over the next couple days.”
More conversation will consume how to round out a burgeoning bullpen.
Pressly and closer Roberto Osuna have cemented ALDS spots. Resurgent lefty Tony Sipp and Collin McHugh — he of a 1.99 ERA in 58 appearances — have earned them as well.
Lance McCullers Jr.’s dominant three stints during the last trip seemed to erase any concerns of his effectiveness after a twomonth layoff. His spot in the bullpen appears clear, though his specific role remains murky. He threw only 25 pitches in the three outings and faced seven hitters. McCullers did complete outings on back-toback days without issue.
Despite his wretched final month, Hector Rondon will pitch in the ALDS. Hinch called the righthander “snakebitten” during his September swoon. A mechanical flaw was detected in Rondon’s delivery midway through the month.
Fixing it has yielded two straight scoreless outings. Still, Rondon entered September with a 2.13 ERA. He’ll begin the postseason with a 3.20 clip. Eighteen of the 58 hits he yielded came in September.
“There’s been some tough games for him, but he’s also had some soft contact that’s had some weird innings,” Hinch said. “It’s about Rondon’s delivery. If his delivery is intact, he has high-end stuff across the board where he can execute. I’m really comfortable with Hector.”
No room for All-Stars
Presuming those six relievers are shoo-ins, room remains for one more arm. The Astros have carried a seven-man bullpen in their previous two ALDS appearances.
Candidates for the seventh spot are Will Harris, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, Joe Smith and Josh James. Four of the five pitched in an ALDS series last season — Smith was with the Indians, while Harris, Peacock and Devenski pitched in Houston. Two, Harris and Devenski, were once All-Stars.
“We’re going to leave guys off the roster that should be playoff-caliber relievers,” Hinch said, “and that’s the nature of the depth this team has been built with.”
James is armed with a 100 mph fastball that navigated him through leverage innings at Fenway Park. He or Smith seems the most likely choice for the final spot.
Smith’s role would be specific. The sidearming righty specialist would be summoned for Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson, the two fearsome righthanded hitters in Cleveland’s order.
In 127 plate appearances against Smith this season, righthanded hitters have a .644 OPS. Donaldson has three singles off Smith in 10 career plate appearances. Encarnacion has two singles in 12.
Whether Smith’s experience provides him an edge is unknown. James is, of course, a rookie. Smith has appeared in seven playoff games across his 12-year major league career.
But James is renowned for his moxie, unflappable confidence that was not shaken by a three-run homer in his major league debut or being placed in the sixth inning of a three-run game at Fenway Park.
James has 29 strikeouts in his first 23 innings. Mixing in a plus changeup to accompany his power fastball has varied his repertoire. All six of the earned runs on his line arrived via home run, somewhat concerning as the Astros consider their options.