The goal is simple and the work has begun for the Astros in West Palm Beach as the defending champions are ready to defend their crown. For a camp not filled with storylines, our time in Florida this week provided a few, one of which feels more significant than the other.
The loss of McCullers is significant due to the fact that the Astros have a less than soft landing now in the event that another pitcher were to pop up with an injury while Lance is on the shelf. Hunter Brown locks in as the fifth in the rotation today and the Astros will have no issue with overworking their guys in the first month of the season due to the schedule giving them Thursday's off throughout that first month.
What is most concerning of course is the fact that once again McCullers has popped up with an injury, this time after just one bullpen in spring training. This is a player that has a history of getting injured and once again it brings into doubt that the Astros will ever get a full season out of him. With four years and nearly seventy million left on his deal, the Astros will want return on their investment that they made in him. The question that some have of the bullpen is silly, the Astros will always and should always exhaust everything they can out of him as a starter. When the man is on his game, his stuff is as nasty as it gets and shut down lineups for six to seven innings at a time.
There is only one other piece of health concern in camp and that is Yordan Alvarez who is still not taking part in any of the team workouts and to this point has not swung a bat. When I asked him the question about his hand, I like others was not expecting him to break the news that the hand issue flaring back up this winter.
If for some reason the Astros were to get a couple weeks into the spring and Yordan was still missing in action, than you can fire off the alarms, but until than, there is no real reason for panic. This is just something that clearly he and the Astros will always have to keep a close eye on and give him rest when it is needed.
Michael Brantley caught plenty of eye during our time in Florida as he makes his way back from shoulder surgery. After getting eyes on him and listening to everything they are saying about him, it is clear that the chances are pretty strong that he will be ready to go by opening day, if not at least in the first few weeks of the season. We saw him go through just about every drill you can imagine and looked good doing everything.
The most interesting nugget with Brantley is the fact that we saw him working on first base drills. The wear and tear of left field over the years is real and as time moves along, range will go as well. Getting him work in the spring at first is a great option to have in the event that you lose José Abreu for any period of time in the regular season.
Centerfield is going to prove to be one of the only true competitions this spring, but the odds are still stacked highly that Chas McCormick is the one that sees the majority of the work in center. The Astros would love to see Jake Meyers have a strong Grape Fruit League and solidify their ability to platoon him more with McCormick. Chas is a strong option against left handed pitching, and Meyers has a real opportunity to grab a bulk of the at-bats against right handed pitching if he can show strong in the spring.
That puts a bow on another year of spring training for yours truly, now I will sit back and watch/listen to the games from home like most of you. I cannot finish this post without a huge thank you to Karbach Brewing. They always come through for us with the Astros and give us the opportunity to get out on the road with the club. Without their commitment to us throughout the years, so much of this coverage away from Houston would not be possible. I am truly grateful to all of you at Karbach that trust in me to get the job done for your brand that I love so much, while bringing our listeners the coverage they deserve as fans. If you missed any of my daily recap videos, check them out below. Here's to another long run of covering your team in 2023.