As season nears, 5 roster spots open
Decision down to final 2 relievers, backup catcher and rest of the bench
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Dusty Baker dreads the next three days. At least nine fringe players are vying for five openingday roster spots. All of them boarded a Houstonbound airplane Sunday afternoon unaware of their fate.
Baker and general manager Dana Brown intimated finality won’t arrive until the Astros’ final exhibition game against Class AAA Sugar Land on Tuesday. Baker acknowledged he “hates to wait this long,” but competition for the spots is still close.
“This is probably my least favorite time of the year. Not probably — it is,” Baker said Sunday before Houston’s final Grapefruit League game. “As a manager, I don’t look forward to this week. Maybe I have too big a heart, but these young men, I’ve been where they’ve been before.”
Jose Altuve’s fractured thumb only furthered the roster uncertainty. His injury opened one spot no one ever envisioned, causing Baker and Brown to create permutations of a roster few had considered. The two men held a long closed-door meeting before Sunday’s game.
Conversations with Brown and Baker over the weekend brought at least some insight into the final roster spots. It’s clear both are concerned about Houston’s offensive output without Altuve and Michael Brantley, but must balance that pressing need with developing a few prospects who’ve impressed in spring training.
Baker mentioned the team’s full 40-man roster as an impediment, too, but Altuve is a prime candidate to go on the 60-day injured list. Placing him there could open a spot for Justin Dirden or Corey Julks, both of whom have made a magnificent impression in camp. Both men can only help their cause during the next few days.
Twenty-one roster spots are all but guaranteed:
Starting pitchers (5): Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Hunter Brown.
Relievers (6): Ryan Pressly, Hector Neris, Rafael Montero, Ryne Stanek, Bryan Abreu and Phil Maton.
Catchers (1): Martín Maldonado.
Infielders (4): José Abreu, David Hensley, Jeremy Peña and Alex Bregman.
Outfielders (4): Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers and Kyle Tucker.
Bullpen
Seth Martinez, Ronel Blanco and Brandon Bielak are competing for two spots. Length is a priority, especially when starters aren’t built up early in the season. That Hunter Brown appears fine after a minor back injury last week doesn’t bode well for Bielak.
Brown threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday morning. Afterward, he said “everything is back to normal” and revealed he will pitch in a simulated game sometime this week. Presuming Brown stays healthy and on schedule, he should start Houston’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 3.
Martinez’s spot on the team seems secure. He can pitch multiple innings and ended last season as one of baseball’s best right-onright relievers. Martinez is scheduled to pitch Monday at Constellation Field behind Blanco, who could cement his spot with another good outing.
Blanco allowed one earned run, struck out 17 and walked three in 14 Grapefruit League innings. Given how forceful Dana Brown was about stretching Blanco out — and how effective the experiment has been — it’s difficult to envision Houston omitting him.
Backup catcher
On Sunday morning, Baker shared some statistics scribbled on a purple sticky note. Yogi Berra played 149 games in left field. Elston Howard played 247. Baker reminded two reporters how talented those New York Yankees teams were — and how both catchers had to get into the lineup somehow.
Baker offered only a sly grin when asked whether he looked the numbers up for a specific reason. Baker exposed both of his young catchers to left field this spring. It could portend opening-day roster spots for both Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz.
“I’ve seen flashes of brilliance. I’ve seen flashes of still young and rookies that need some more seasoning sometimes,” Baker said of both catchers. “Do we season them here? Or do we season both of them here? Is there enough playing time? Who needs to maybe go back to play? Does that back whoever else is out there? I mean, it’s kind of a domino effect.”
“At least until we get Michael back, do we need some offense?”
Entering camp, conventional wisdom suggested only one of Lee or Diaz would win a roster spot as Maldonado’s backup. Altuve’s injury and the family emergency that delayed Brantley’s return from shoulder surgery might require the team to inject more offense onto its roster.
Diaz can provide it. He hammered a grand slam Sunday against the Cardinals for his seventh extrabase hit in Grapefruit League play. Last season, Diaz started two games at Class AA Corpus Christi in left field, and he has 46 career starts at first base. If necessary, Houston could put Diaz in left field at Minute Maid Park or deploy him at designated hitter.
Lee is the far superior defender behind the plate. If defense is the priority for Houston’s catchers — and all indications are that it is — Lee has won the backup job without question. The man he may have defeated could join him for a few weeks.
Brantley will need longer than the 10 days he’s required to remain on the injured list, but he isn’t expected to miss extended time. Dana Brown didn’t seem keen on carrying three catchers, but it’s worth wondering if the team will carry Diaz and Lee for however long Brantley is away.
“You also have to understand that both of the two young catchers are prospects who need to play,” Brown said Saturday. “So it’s very difficult to carry three. We’re not against carrying three, so I don’t want to say no, and then all of a sudden, we carry three. There is an opportunity to carry three.
“But carrying three would be difficult, I’ll put it that way. I’d rather for one of the guys to be getting a lot of bats in Triple-A. But we’re still evaluating it. It’s still fluid.”
Bench
If the Astros carry both Lee and Diaz, one open spot remains on their bench. That both Justin Dirden and Corey Julks are still in major league camp is proof of how heavily they’re being considered.
Neither man is on the 40-man roster, which Baker said “will hurt their initial chances.” If the club really wanted to carry either prospect, clearing a spot on the 40-man is easy. The general manager, at least, didn’t seem hellbent on fast-tracking Dirden, who dazzled throughout Grapefruit League play but did fade toward the end.
“There’s no rush to put him in the major leagues,” Brown said Saturday. “We’ve been absolutely excited about what he’s done. If he ends up making the big league team, it could be because of things like Brantley being delayed. But right now, there’s no rush.”
Baker has long been a fan of Julks, the University of Houston product who launched 31 home runs last season for Sugar Land. Somewhat surprisingly, the 27-year-old went unselected in last winter’s Rule 5 draft.
Baker would prefer a lefthanded hitter on his bench, meaning Julks — a righty — might not have a legitimate chance to crack the roster. Dirden is a better defender at all three outfield positions and possesses speed Julks does not. Neither is on the 40man roster.
“You can bang your way onto the roster, too, if you’re given the opportunity, which I’ve given it to them both,” Baker said. “Julks is more of a run producer and righthanded. Dirden has more tools, more speed, able to play all three outfield positions, where Julks is basically kind of a pretty good corner man.”
If Brown proves prophetic and the team does not “rush” Dirden to the major leagues, either Bligh Madris or J.T. Matijevic should secure the final roster spot. Both hit lefthanded. Baker views Madris as a better left fielder than Matijevic, but Matijevic is a more natural first baseman.
Altuve’s injury will force David Hensley to play more second. Rylan Bannon could also crack the roster if Baker and Brown determine they do not have enough middle infield coverage.
“Or do we need some more offense?” Baker wondered. “These final couple spots are what’s taking so long, because it really threw a wrench in our plans when Altuve went down.”