Speaker 1: Is The Matt Thomas Show with Ross one o'clock straight
up here on Sports Talk seven and ninety.
Speaker 2: Hello and welcome into our number.
Speaker 1: Four of the Astros Street Fest Spectacular. It is The
Matt Thomas Show with Ross, without Matt Thomas, with Adam Wesler,
with Adam Planton and.
Speaker 3: Now with Brian McTaggart. I'm not trying to aid you, attacker,
but what do you do?
Speaker 2: You know what number opening day this is for you?
Speaker 3: Uh, twenty something, twenty three, ok.
Speaker 2: Four, So that's pretty good. You kind of know your stuff,
I hope.
Speaker 1: So we'll see, all right, So a number of different
directions to go. We'll go ahead and start with the
somewhat news of the day. Jeremy Pinyon not in the lineup.
You tweeted out with that that the Astros are expected
to sort of bring him along slowly. How do you
expect that to play out? We know that he got
some live action in Sugarland today.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think within like a week he's probably gonna
be in the lineup every day.
Speaker 3: It was either have him.
Speaker 4: Start three or four games here the first week or
not have him at all available, you know, through the
first you know, seven eight games, however, long when the
ile stint would end, so they just decided he was
close enough to we'll carry him, and hey, they have
an extra infielder, so why.
Speaker 5: Not they have an extra infielder. Another long running off
season storyline Carl's Korea like shortstop today. Obviously, did you
feel like he was able to do all the things
as a leader when he arrived here last year versus
the things we kind of expect him to now do
being here through the offseason, all through spring training, et cetera.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 4: I mean they had a massive void in leadership. I
think after some guys left like Maldonado and Bregman. I mean,
al Tuovey is really not interested in being that type
of leader. I mean, obviously he did his leading was
on the field, but they needed that voice to come back,
and he stepped in right away, and he got them
to change some things in the spring about how they
go about their workouts to try to keep the guys fresher.
He had, you know, he talked with some of the
players about nutrition, watching what they eat. He eats really clean,
really healthy, and he wants the other guys to do
the same. So back at shortstop, but he looked really
good at third base two in the spring, so it's
a good thing for the Astros to be able to
put him.
Speaker 6: A short I feel like this is overly simplistic, but
I don't care because I went through last season like
you did. If the Astros are healthy, isn't that good
enough for like X amount of wins?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think people I see the Astros as a
middle of the pack people ranking the middle of the
pack or lower. I mean last year they had a
devastating amount of injuries and missed the playoffs by one game.
I mean, if Jordan Alvarez is healthy the entire season,
I think they win the division. They still led the
division for more than ninety days last year despite their injuries,
So that's the number one thing. I think this roster
is a playoff roster if they can stay healthy. They
need Jordan on to play one hundred and thirty hundred
and forty games.
Speaker 2: They need pay you to be on the.
Speaker 4: Field every day, and they need they need guys like
Cam Smith and Zach Cole to the young guys to
take a step forward a little bit, and Joey Loperfito
as well.
Speaker 2: And if that health is there.
Speaker 1: I mean, two of the big offseason storylines were Jake
Myers possibly getting traded and then of course the infield
logjam in trades there. What I mean, where do we
stand on that? Is that just everything that's completely cooled
or off the table or just on hold?
Speaker 2: What's the situation do you? Yeah? I think everything's on
hold for now.
Speaker 4: I mean, I think the teams have their roster set
and maybe as we get closer to the trade deadline.
I think the issue with peretis, I mean, they tried
to trade him, but the Astros had sut such a specific.
Speaker 2: Need that they wanted back.
Speaker 3: They wanted a left hand hitting outfielder.
Speaker 4: And now you needed to match with another team that
needed a third baseman, a right handed hitting third baseman.
There just was never a match there. And Myers too,
I mean, I think they dashers. Asking price on Myers
is pretty high as it should be so, and they're
content to go with what they have. It'll be interesting
once they're back healthy, opinions back. How they work pretis in.
Joe Spotta says he's.
Speaker 3: Gonna play pretty much every day.
Speaker 4: They can play him at all the infield spots except
shortstop ND eight, so there's gonna be a bats for him.
Speaker 5: What do you think about the outlook for some of
their younger guys? Two of them are in the corners today,
Joey low Brafido getting the start field returns to the
Astros left handed bat and obviously Cam Smith, he was
the opening day right field or a year ago he
is again. Hey, do you feel like he won the
job in spring training? And what do you think the
outlook is for those two young players this season?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I think Cam won the job.
Speaker 4: I mean, we all know what Dana Brown said in
November that he's gonna have to come to camp and
prove himself, and he did that. He made some changes
with this swing, trying to keep things simpler.
Speaker 3: Looked like he was pulling the ball more. It looked
a lot more comfortable.
Speaker 4: He just seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin,
which is natural as second year. So I think he
definitely came in and won that job. Low Brafido looks
like a different hitter than he was the first time here.
I mean he's not striking out as much, He's hitting
the ball hard. It'll be interesting to see if he
can keep this left field job, or if he struggles,
if they'll start doing a platoon with Christ Matthews or
Zach Cole comes back up. But they had to get
younger and more athletic in the outfield, and they certainly
did that with Cam Smith and Lowperfeedo. And his question comes, now,
are they gonna hit enough to stay in this lineup?
Cam Smith hitting six tonight, so they're showing a lot
of confidence on him.
Speaker 6: I'm talking to Brian McTaggart of MLB dot Com. I
think it's probably the surest sign of confidence in a
guy that nobody's even talking about.
Speaker 2: Hunter Brown.
Speaker 3: He's going today, He's gonna be awesome.
Speaker 2: He's gonna be a cy.
Speaker 6: Young Award candidate right there near the top, because of
course he is right.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I think it was the second third start of the
spring in Florida. It was probably March tenth or eleventh.
He pitched like four innings. No one could touch him,
and I was like, man, you look like you're ready
to go, and he's like I am. It was just
a matter now of just getting the reps the rest
of the spring. He looked really, really good. Their starting
pitching looked really good in spring, and you can get
fooled by that. I mean a lot of the guys
are facing or double A guys or guys who aren't going.
Speaker 3: To play in the big leagues. But Mike Burrows looks.
Speaker 2: Like a dude.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's the guy that will compete and works fast.
Emi has some crazy stuff. I'm anxious to see what
he can do later in this series. But they went
out to try to beef up the depth of their
starting pitching and they didn't look look at his in
Triple A. Now you got Arriic Gatty, Colton, Gordon, Jason
Alexander who won like nine starts in a row from him,
even a guy like JP Franz. So if there's injuries
their position now with some guys who have some a
little bit of a track record to move into the rotation.
Speaker 5: You've been basically a West Palm Beach resident for better
than a month for the past several years. This year
was a season at spring training off of no playoffs.
Last year was the spring training off of not winning
in the playoffs, and then all the ones before that
were off of having great postseasons. Is there any vibe
difference that you felt maybe this year with this group,
not so much the players.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think Spata has talked about how he.
Speaker 4: Didn't sit well with them for the playoffs last year,
not to be in the playoffs, and you know, I
think bringing back a guy like Korea who was in
an organization that didn't win and started tearing down, He's like,
I want no part of this, I want to win.
And somehow he's back. And I think he's bringing that
mentality as well. And you have guys that have been
here and all they've known is when he mccullor's Altuve
and they want to get back there. And I think
that's that's gonna be something. With Carlos at the head
of it. I think that's gonna help drive this team
a little bit. They're not used to not playing in October.
Speaker 6: Since you brought his name up, you're the guy that
kind of shine a little bit more light on that
story with Carlos Korea.
Speaker 3: Just talk about how that.
Speaker 6: Story got told to you, how that came to light,
because as you wrote the article, he had already told
that story, but you're the one that kind of put
it out there and a lot of people are like, WHOA,
I didn't know that happened.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'd heard over the Winner that he did a
a sermon if you will at a retirement home, which
I was like wow, and also that he talked to
this sermon that he almost drowned, and so I kept
it like I need to ask Carlos about this, and
I was the next thing we know over it spring training,
next thing when we're halfway through spring training, and so
finally I asked Carlos, I mean, did you give this sermon?
And he's like, yeah, would love I'd love to talk
to you about it. He's like sure, you know. It
took a little while, and then one day I'm in
the clubhouse, He's like, let's talk. So he brings me
over sit down in the clubhouse, which you're not supposed
to do, but if Carlos Korea tells you to sit down,
to sit down, and so, uh, you know, I started
asking him about the sermon and the way he's sort
of found religion, and then I asked him if there
was a point to where something happened, and he went
into detail about this incredible story in the water that
he told at the retirement home a few months earlier,
and just an incredible story and it ended up being
sort of a life changing event from him where you know,
he he thought he might be done, and you know,
he said a little prayer and now he's he's he
wants to give more sermons. He's gotten really involved in
his church, and you know, good for him. It was
it was a pretty scary deal and a thing that
changed his life off the field.
Speaker 2: Did he bless the elbows of the Astros pitch?
Speaker 3: Because I don't know if it is that kind of power?
Speaker 2: Okay, well I guess and it may take ded. It'll
take time.
Speaker 1: But speaking of Carlos Cray and this season out looking,
I also want to talk about Josel two Bay. We're
kind of just setting in forgetting those guys in the
lineup every day, but these are also guys that are
into the thirties. Carlos has had some injury history, how
two Bay has been declining for a couple of years.
But two guys with a heart and soul. Obviously of
this Astros renaissance, what do you think this is the
realistic season outlook as for those.
Speaker 4: Two Yeah, I mean I think it's gonna be interesting
because they've you know, revamp their hitting, two new hitting coaches,
actually three new hitting coaches, and we hear good things
in the spring. Again, you don't know how it's going
to translate it at three o'clock today, but we'll see.
But I think all two Bay being back at second
base and second base only is probably going to give
him a little bit of.
Speaker 2: Peace of mind. You know.
Speaker 4: I don't think he was too wild about playing left field,
but he did it because he was a team guy.
But you're right, he's a guy who's declined now for
several years. He's going to be thirty six, Candy find
a little bit of an extra gear. I know that
he's super motivated, not only to win. He wants to
get to three thousand hits, of course, and he's gonna
have to start stacking up one hundred and.
Speaker 2: Fifty hit seasons here.
Speaker 4: So if he can do that, I think they'll be
in good shape Koreas as he took more swings this
offseason than he ever has in his life, and again
really enjoyed working with the new hitting coaches, So you know,
I think he's gonna be rejuvenated being back here for
a full season. But man, you never know until they
get out there and start playing.
Speaker 5: What are your thoughts without definite knowledge of both of
their lefties that start the year on the il ben.
It's Susan's situation and where Josh Hater is at.
Speaker 4: Susan sounds like it's gonna be like a six week thing.
I mean, I don't think he's gonna be close at all.
But Hater is throwing a bullpen tomorrow and Dana Brown
said today he's going to face hitters in mid April.
So we're like two threeks, three or three weeks away
from him maybe pitching live VP. Then you start that
whole progression, simulate a game, go to sugar Land. So
I think we're looking at probably early May. And if
that is that's fine. I mean you want Josh Hater
for later in the season. They didn't have him last
year and that was a big blown out having him.
Speaker 2: So if he comes back in early May.
Speaker 3: And can pitch the final five months, I think he'll
take that.
Speaker 1: At this point, we'll wrap up with obligatory crystal ball time.
Brian al Wes and Astros specifically, it feels like wide
range of outcomes.
Speaker 4: But how do you see this planning? Yeah, everyone's picking
the Mariners. I mean for good reason. Their rotation is great.
They have they have some really good players. But I
go back to last Astro stay healthy. Last year they
win the division, and I think if they stay healthy
that they can win this division. I like their offense,
a healthy Astros offense, better than the Mariners. But I
think it's gonna between those two teams. Don't pan out
with the age, they're not going to win the division.
Speaker 2: That team could hit and that.
Speaker 4: Team is going to be a team you're gonna have
to worry about a little bit, And they beat up
on the Astros a little bit last year, So it's
it's gonna be a fun division.
Speaker 2: But I think Astros and Mariner is going to be
right there at the end.
Speaker 1: MLB dot COM's Brian mctagger going to be our weekly
guest in The Matt Thomas Show with Ross