Basking in a spring break
With roster nearly set, Meyers’ status in CF, backup catcher are among rare issues
Spring training during the Astros’ golden era is uneventful. In the last five years, rarely has the team reported to West Palm Beach, Fla., without 24 or 25 roster spots already accounted for. Competitions in camp are limited to backup roles and bench bats — first-world problems teams around baseball should envy.
Now is no different. Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday, and the first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 21.
Eight of the nine everyday position players, five starting pitchers and the entire bullpen return from last season’s World Series champions. Projecting an opening day roster is easy, removing much of the intrigue from the Astros’ six-week stay in south Florida.
Still, here are five storylines to follow as Houston takes its first step toward a repeat.
Can Meyers re-establish himself?
Call Meyers’ 2022 season what it was: lost and mismanaged. He spent most of the first three months finishing his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery. When he returned, Meyers seemed like a shell of himself. He struck out 54 times in 150 major league at-bats — including once against a position player — and had a .582 OPS.
In the anemia’s aftermath, manager Dusty Baker said he wanted Meyers to spend more time in the minor leagues but claimed he was overruled by the front office. Former general manager James Click acknowledged the team needed to “review its return-to-play procedure” after Meyers’ major league struggles. Meyers himself always maintained he returned at full health, but anyone watching could spot something off.
Expectations will increase for Meyers after a healthy winter. An obvious path exists for him to make the opening day roster as Houston’s fourth outfielder, but
a good showing in spring training could move him up the hierarchy. Baker has never been a fan of incumbent center fielder Chas McCormick and only warmed up to playing him regularly last September.
McCormick is far from a finished product, but he will enter spring as the presumed starter. Meyers is a more natural defender, and if he shows his pre-surgery form at the plate, a competition could emerge.
Who is this spring’s surprise?
Baker always arrives at spring training seeking a “surprise.” Bryan De La Cruz and David Hensley are some of the skipper’s past discoveries on the back fields or, in Hensley’s case, minor league minicamp.
This spring, Baker might not need to travel far to find one. Outfielder Justin Dirden is perhaps the most heralded non-roster invitee on Houston’s spring training roster. A good showing should put him further on the major league radar.
Dirden has skyrocketed up Houston’s farm system hierarchy. He signed as an undrafted free agent after the five-round draft in 2020 and reached Class AAA Sugar Land in September. En route, Dirden destroyed minor league pitching throughout the lower levels. Prior to his promotion, Dirden slashed .324/.411/.616 at Class AA Corpus Christi. He worked 41 walks, struck out 94 times and had 57 extra-base hits.
Dirden did get exposed during a brief cameo in Sugar Land — he struck out 40 times in 128 at-bats, slugged just .398 and had a .703 OPS. The sample size is too small to draw alarm, and Dirden has a chance to create a better impression in major league camp. He plays all three outfield positions but is probably better suited in a corner and could turn into a legitimate candidate for Houston’s major league bench if he continues his breakout.
Is Forrest Whitley in a position to contribute?
The enigma will extend to a fourth spring training. This time, it’s actually worth wondering whether Forrest Whitley could make his long-awaited major league debut.
Whitley should arrive to West Palm Beach with a clean bill of health and on the heels of a normal offseason — two things he’s rarely had since Houston put him on the 40-man roster. Whitley was scratched from his final start at Class AAA Sugar Land with “shoulder discomfort,” but at the time, Click called it nothing severe.
Presuming Whitley does arrive this week with a healthy right arm, he must put himself in a position to help the major league team. He walked 27 batters in 40 innings last season, one he began late after finishing his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
Whitley is still just 25 and showed flashes last year of the dominant arsenal that once made him baseball’s best pitching prospect. Harnessing it is imperative, especially as 40-man roster spots become more precious.
Defense or offense behind Martín Maldonado?
Barring injuries elsewhere, Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz will wage Houston’s only true spring training battle to back up Maldonado. Deciding who wins it might be no more complicated than this: defense or offense?
If Baker and his coaching staff prefer defense, Lee is the choice. He regressed offensively last season while searching for more power but still possesses an elite throwing arm and is a far more advanced catcher than Diaz.
Diaz is a bat-first prospect who is still raw at most of the finer points of catching. His throwing arm is above average, but he can sometimes struggle with accuracy, framing and blocking pitches. His ability to play first base and bat-toball skills as a pinch hitter make him more versatile than Lee.
Both Lee and Diaz made their major league debuts last season, and neither is in need of much more seasoning at Class AAA. If Michael Brantley isn’t ready for opening day, Houston could construct a roster that features both catchers, but one eventually will claim the title of backup.
Does Dana Brown have more extensions in works?
Brown fulfilled one of his initial promises last week by signing Cristian Javier to a five-year, $64 million contract extension. The natural next question: Who’s next?
Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker are the most obvious candidates, but neither is likely to accept a deal like Javier just signed. Both have two full seasons of established major league success, more than Javier at the time of his extension.
Both Valdez and Tucker are coming off the most well-rounded seasons of their careers. Each was a first-time All-Star and received American League MVP votes. Tucker won his first Gold Glove, and Valdez led all American League starters in innings pitched, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. More money and years will be needed to lock them in.
Brown must also consider the futures of Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, both of whom have two more seasons under club control. Altuve said last season that he hopes to finish his career as an Astro. Bregman could be in the same scenario.
Mega agent Scott Boras represents both players. Although he often prefers to take his clients to free agency, Boras negotiated Altuve’s first extension with the Astros and a five-year, $85 million pact with pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. two springs ago.