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It's time again to put on your baseball cap, as the baseball season starts tomorrow. Do you not have a team to root for? Read this thread and get introduced to Major League Baseball's clubs! The Defending Champions in GIF form (mostly) Manager - A.J. Hinch  There were no good GIFs of A.J. Hinch. Key Gains Gerrit Cole (SP) Key Losses Carlos Beltran (DH) Luke Gregerson (RP) Cameron Maybin (Taco Hero) Catcher - Brian McCann (.241/.323/.436)  One of the two burly catching lads, McCann is perfectly serviceable as the day-to-day catcher. Maybe I'm spoiled by the 1-4 of the lineup. First Base -  With Yuli sidelined due to injury + racism, The Darvish Killer will get the start at 1st for the first few weeks. Gonzalez is a Jack of All Trades both as a fielder and a batter, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him get traded as part of a deadline deal for some mega-player. Second Base - Jose Altuve (.346/.410/.547)  The second regular-season MVP the Astros have ever had, Altuve is as good as his stats say he is. If he stays healthy and doesn't regress too hard, will get to 3,000 hits. Very short. Shortstop - Carlos Correa (.315/.391/.550)  The other half of the double play combo, Correa might be a better player than Altuve and was in contention for the MVP before getting hurt last year. Should be the favorite for MVP this year if he's healthy and plays 150+ games. Third Base - Alex Bregman (.284/.352/.475)  Drafted as a Shortstop and converted to 3B, Bregman is, without a doubt, the defensive MVP of this team. Twice in the postseason he timed out throws to catch a baserunner out at home. Left Field - Derek Fisher (.212/.307/.356)  It's impossible to see if Derek Fisher is the long-term solution to our LF needs, but he's going to start for us on Opening Day, what with Marwin playing 1B. If Fisher doesn't cut it, Kyle Tucker will get called up, and we'll see if his dog-javelining carries over. Center Field - George Springer (.283/.367/.522)  World Series MVP. Hits home runs. Like that one! Right Field - Josh Reddick (.314/.363/.484)  Despite his poor showing in the post-season, Reddick was pretty reliable as a RF in 2017. He's the Astro most likely to get naked. Designated Hitter - Evan Gattis (.263/.311/.457)  Former janitor and current homeless Kurt Angle, Gattis was de-emphasized last year for Carlos Beltran at DH. With Beltran retired, expect Gattis to be a fantasy favorite. Probably won't get 11 triples this year. SP1 - Justin Verlander (15-8)  Acquired from the Tigers with two seconds to midnight (or so the story goes), the ALCS MVP has one loss to his name as an Astro. Wins? 9. I personally would have put him at SP2, but I'm not managing the World Series champions. SP2 - Dallas Keuchel (14-5)  Former Cy Young winner Keuchel is the lone lefty in the rotation. King of the groundout, not so much the strikeout. SP5 - Lance McCullers, Jr. (7-4)  I'd like to show you 24 consecutive curveballs, but I can't find it. SP4 - Gerrit Cole (12-12)  The big acquisition (if the only one that matters right now). If we're lucky, becomes 2018's Charlie Morton and stuns us all with how good he can be. SP5 - Charlie Morton (14-7)  The man who won Game 7 of the World Series is SP5. Think about THAT for a second. Closer - Ken Giles (1-3, 34 saves)  Giles had more saves in 2017 than he had in his last three years combined. Baseball's a funny game. PREDICTION Oh, we're winning the AL West again. After that, who knows? I'm not saying we're going back-to-back, but we've got as good a chance as any team to win it all.
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Mar 28, 2018 06:58
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 05:13 |
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