Curbing Cabbage’s strikeouts is main focus
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A chance meeting preceded a recent Astros acquisition. Houston hitting coach Troy Snitker lives in Atlanta and this offseason visited a training facility where he met Trey Cabbage, then in the Angels' system. Snitker was there to see other players, but when the Astros traded for Cabbage in late January, he recalled the stocky lefthanded hitter and returned to the facility for another look.
Those brushes offered Snitker some early insight into a hitter now under Houston's purview and whose development is a subplot of its spring camp. Cabbage compiled a 30-homer/30-steal season last year at Class AAA, flashing tools the 26-year-old has yet to translate in the majors. He will begin his first spring training with the Astros in position to compete for a bench spot on a crowded roster.
“The power is legit,” Snitker said. “The performance last year was awesome. So we definitely feel like if he can tighten up a few areas — there's no major wholesale changes or anything like that — he's got a chance to be a good player.”
Proof of Cabbage's power invites intrigue. He hit a 487-foot home run with the Angels' Class AAA affiliate last year (in a hitter-friendly PCL ballpark). He struck a line-drive single at Class AA Rocket City in 2022 which, according to that team, carried an exit velocity of 121 mph.
Other tendencies have proved pitfalls. Cabbage is a career .261 hitter across eight minor league seasons with a 32% strikeout rate. His 22-game major league debut with the Angels last year magnified the latter issue as he hit .208 and struck out in 26 of his 56 plate appearances with a 51.4% swing-and-miss rate.
Astros manager Joe Espada cited cutting down on swing-and-miss as a priority for Cabbage this spring. Cabbage reported early to the Astros' facility and spent much of an informal position players workout Thursday under Snitker's gaze. He hit underhand tosses from Snitker in the batting cage and later took batting practice on the field with Snitker watching intently and offering feedback after rounds.
“We have to identify exactly why we think that's happening, and once you feel confident with the why, then we can start to look at, all right, how are we going to attack this?” Snitker said.
“You never want to lose sight of the fact that he hit .300 and was a 30-30 player in Triple-a last year. He obviously does a ton of things well. … So we want to make sure we have the right plan and we're smart about it.”
A fourth-round pick of the Twins in 2015, Cabbage spent seven years in Minnesota's system — including the canceled 2020 season — never climbing above Class AA. He signed with the Angels in 2022 and hit .327 with 10 home runs in 30 games at Class AA before fracturing his arm. He returned to hit .306 with 30 home runs in 107 games for Class AAA Salt Lake last season.
Cabbage said he “tried to hit everything in my younger days” and attributed the uptick partly to a more selective approach. Cabbage still struck out in 34.6% of his plate appearances in 2022 and 30% at Class AAA last year. But he said he often found himself in more favorable counts and in position to attack pitches he could drive.
“I would just zone up and look for a spot that I felt like I could handle well,” Cabbage said Wednesday. “Whether it was location, whether it was pitch type … instead of just seeing and swinging, actually be looking.”
Cabbage struggled to carry that approach into two stints with the Angels last season and said his MLB debut reinforced that: “I've got to make sure I'm swinging at the right stuff, putting myself in the right position, not pressing,” he said.
Cabbage also stole 32 bases in Class AAA last season and played all three outfield positions and first base. Versatility renders him a potential option for an Astros team looking to finalize its bench this spring.
Houston's bench will include backup catcher Victor Caratini and utilityman Mauricio Dubón. Candidates for two other spots include Jon Singleton, a lefthanded hitter with power, outfielder Corey Julks and infielders Grae Kessinger and David Hensley. Cabbage has minor-league options remaining, so if he does not make the major league roster, he could open the season in Class AAA as a depth option.
The Astros will hold their first full-squad spring training workout Monday. Cabbage said he is eager for “the opportunity to fight for a job.”
“I don't necessarily know that there was a chance to break with the club out there,” Cabbage said in regard to the Angels. “But coming to an organization that I'm excited for, and they're excited for me, is just elevating. It makes it fun to show up to work every day.”