Speaker 1: He's the Maccomis Show with Rock eleven O three on
Sports Talk seven on a let's spend ten quality minutes
with our friend, a fine University Houston graduate, longtime beat
writer for MLB dot Com at astros dot com Brian
McTaggart every Thursday here on the radio program five and two.
Are we raising the flag for an American League West
title at the Dinkin Park? Brian mctagger.
Speaker 2: I don't think so. Probably not a wise thing to do,
but it does seem like the Astros have gotten off
the slow starts year after year pretty much. So yeah,
I mean after the first homestand I think you take
five and two for sure, especially after the way the
first two games went all right.
Speaker 1: We were asked to this from our audience earlier. What
is one or two of the most surprising things you
have seen so far during this winning streak.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's just the quality of the advanced
I mean, and they preached this all offseason and into
spring training, and even I don't know if you remember
the first few Great Fruit League games, the spot as like,
oh we drew six walks, drew seven walks, and they
were excited about the different approach that they have, but
it's really been a point of emphasis with the new
hitting coaches and their new hitting coordinator is let's make
these pictures work, let's stay inside the strike zone. And
it's it's really paid off. I mean, and it's across
the board, you know. I think one guy at the
forefront of it is the guy who was probably their
biggest free swingers, jose L TV. I mean, his his
chase rate last year was fifty percent and right as
of right now, it's like thirty four percent. That was
a swing rate. Sorry, his chase rate is down like
sixteen percent. And even swinging in the zone. He was
swinging in the zone last year it's like sixty three
percent and now it's less than fifty percent. He's got
more walks than strikeouts. And this is a guy who
usually strikes out twice as many times as he walks.
So up and down the lineup, they're really making the
pictures come in the zone. They're getting the starters out
of the game. To me, that's the biggest thing. And
then I think, I like what I see from the bullpen.
They've been able to deploy these long relievers a couple
of times to chew up two or three in his
blue ball. Looks really good. They got to get the
closing situation ironed out. But a brain you looked, you know,
quite a bit better yesterday. So you know a lot
of things that if you're the Astros, you think this
is positive and we can sustain this.
Speaker 1: What did you know about the hitting coaches coming in?
And look, Astro fan base can be a finicky bunch.
They're touting them highly now, but if they go on
a streak where they only score three runs over a
five game stretch, they'll be calling for their job. So
what did you know about them going in? And I
know there is a there was co hitting coaches last year.
There is definitely a hierarchy chart this timmer around.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think on Friday the Astros fans wanted everybody
fired again. I think I were talking about there the
fire spot of guys were back, and I haven't heard
from them now, but they're probably having a rough time.
But yeah, I mean they thought they obviously needed some
different voices in the room, and they brought in Victor Rodriguez,
who has done this for a very long time, has
worked with some super elite players, some some big time hitters,
and they brought in Anthony and I Posty, who've been
with the Tigers, and yeah, they wanted they wanted a hierarchy.
So Rodriguez is the hitting coach. I post he's the
assistant guy. And even they even promoted uh, you know,
one of their I guess hitting gurus, the guy who
knows more about hitting biomechanics than anybody in the game
probably And Dan Hennigan, he's their offensive coordinator so to speak,
you know Korea. Talking with Korea during spring training, he says,
gotten a lot of great information from him, So it
was time that they needed some new new leadership. I
think in in their their hitting room and uh, and
I think those guys have been instrumental in trying to
get them to change their approach as a whole, as
a team, and so far it's working out.
Speaker 1: A couple more minutes here with Brian McTaggart on Sports
Talk seven ninety. Uh, Christian Vasquez goes deep yesterday, which
then immediately sent Astro Twitter into he needs to play
more often. Yan are Diez, how would you describe his
spring and how would you you know, we don't ask
you to describe the numbers so far it's not been
good at least behind the plate and and behind the
dish at catching. So a thought or two about the
long term in your mind future for Yarnier Diez not
necessarily Christian Vasquez pushing for more playing time, but how
much are we gonna spend looking at Walter Onick's development
this year at the Monor league level.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean the advants haven't been good from from Diaz.
The you know, the approach hasn't been great. He swung
and mist at three balls outside the zone the other day.
He's not making hard contact, so they have to be
concerned about that. I mean the spring he looked okay,
not great at the play. Defensively, I think he's making stripes.
The Colors gushed on him the other day about, you know,
how well he called the pitches and and so forth.
I know that Hunter Brown really trust him as well.
But he's gonna have to hit a little bit. And
I think if they if you put Christian Vasquez as
a starting catcher, then uh, he's gonna be Christian best
guys that we expected and hit two hundred and you know,
not to take anything away from him, but he's a
backup catcher at this point in his career. Long term,
Yannick is the guy. He had a tremendous spring for them. Defensively,
I think he's a major league ready starting catcher. He
made some strides offensively in the grape Fruit League. So
he's starting out at Double A, which he hasn't even
played in Double A yet. But if he can hit,
I think Dana will move in pretty quickly. I think
we could see him in Triple A, and I think
we'll come to camp next year he has a good
season at the plate. I think he could come to
camp next year battling for definitely a spot on the roster,
but maybe even a starting spot unless he has really
gets it turned around at the plate.
Speaker 1: Far let your run. Let's get a thought or two
about when we should see Spencer arrogaty call up. Is
there any time frame, because I know there's a stretch
now of two weeks without a day off, so the
presumption is a six man rotation will come into play
at least for the short term. When do you expect
that decision be made?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it'll probably be another week April. I
think they have an off day April tenth, so maybe
before they hit before they hit Seattle. I think they'll
have to start that's when when this when they go
out like this thirteen game stretch. So I think we're
another week away from from getting uh the six man rotation.
So Eric Getty's gonna have another one, one or two
starts down there. But it's nice that they have him.
They have Jason, Alexander and Triple Triple A Cold and Gordon.
You know, they have some guys that they would feel
comfortable about coming up and adding to this rotation if
they have to.
Speaker 1: Tag safe travels to Sacramento. Will talk gain next Thursday.
Thanks for the visitors always, all right, thanks guys,