Speaker 1: You loved it last week that Brian mctagger made his
season debut with US, and now he's with US every
Thursday again right now, joining US from the West Palm
Beach metropolitan Area. Brian McTaggart, first of all, first, good
morning to you. Secondly, how bad was those for those
field conditions yesterday and Jupiter?
Speaker 2: Yeah, don't I don't think they were super terrible.
Speaker 3: I mean it was just sort of it's right here
for a couple of days pretty much NonStop, and so
there was a drizzle during the game, So I just
don't think they wanted to take any chances. I mean,
look at the lineup they had out there. I mean
they had pretty much their opening day lineup out there
except for Jeremy Panya. So they just wanted to take
zero chances. And when I saw Perettis come off the
field in the middle of the third, I was like, Okay,
I think I see what's going on here, And then
Alvarez left and then al Tuvey, and yeah, they just
he wanted those guys, I think, to get four to
five at three fourth bats. They ended up getting just two,
but they just didn't want to take any chances.
Speaker 1: So ironically, enough all the Twitter nervousness has meant was
nothing correct, and ebody's doing okay.
Speaker 4: No injuries to report of as it this morning.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no injuries, Yeah everybody.
Speaker 3: I mean, the Ashley's play a night game, so none
of the players are here yet. They do have the
spring breakout prospect games about the start, but yeah, the
major league club hasn't even reported yet.
Speaker 1: All right, Before we get to the big picture on
the current twenty six, tell me about Walter Yannick and
tell me where he is, where he's going to be
and is he slow to move up the Astros organizational chart.
Speaker 3: Well, he probably opened more eyes here in this camp
than anybody else, especially when it came to prospects.
Speaker 2: I mean, he really came in here and did a
really good job.
Speaker 3: I think everybody knew what he could do defensively, the
elite pop time, the arm strength, he showed all that
throwing behind runners.
Speaker 2: At first base, showing off the arm. I mean, it's
all there.
Speaker 3: I think he's got major league ready defensive skills, handled
the pictures pretty well, so they were really really pay
with what he did. And then he swung the back too,
hit a home run, made more contact, just looked very
comfortable up here against the pitching. So you know, he's
a guy that has spent pretty much the last two
years ever since he got drafted at High A, and
so yeah, he's going to start the season, I would
say at Triple A Corporus Christie. He's from Corporus Christie
his hometown, so some home cooking. But I could see
him a Triple A by the end of the year.
Speaker 2: And you know, hudos.
Speaker 3: I mean, we all know the Astros have a little
bit of a drop off and catching depth after Yainer,
but we could I wouldn't rule out seeing him in
the big leagues by the end of the year.
Speaker 2: But I think certainly next year he's in the big
leagues all right.
Speaker 1: Staying with the catcher spot, is Vasquez the leader in
the clubhouse in your mind to be the number two
catcher behind you on here?
Speaker 3: I wouldn't necessarily say that, Matt. I mean, I think
the fact that Salazar has been here all camp and
he's so he's so widely respected in the clubhouse. You know,
he's worked with these pitchers all spring. You know, he
does swing a left handed bat, although you know he
hasn't swung much of a bat. I'm not ready to
say this is Basquez's job to lose. So you know,
Christian's first game, I think was it over and breaks
from the other day. He did pretty well, So I
think right now it's a coin toss. It's fifty to
fifty depending what they're looking for. But I'm not ready
to rule out salz Aar making the open a day roster.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but either way, Brian, it just doesn't seem like
a great option. I mean, your Diaz came into camp
with that foot sprain, your one aggravation or any kind
of injury away from having to put Salazar or even
a Vasquez who hasn't put up good numbers in a
couple of years out there every single day. I mean,
how much of a should alarm bells be going off?
I mean it feels like it's not necessarily something we're
talking about every day.
Speaker 4: But you could be in a bad situation here with
just one.
Speaker 3: Injury, Yeah you could. I mean they do have some
depth at the position. You know, they got Carlos Perez who's.
Speaker 2: Been in the big leagues. But I get it.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's not the drop off after Diaz is
there's nobody you feel comfortable with getting the everyday starts,
but you know, I'll keep an eye over the next week.
Some guys are going to be getting cut from camps
right at the end of camp. You know, maybe if
there's a catcher that they like who they feel maybe
is a better option for their backup catcher, they can
go and try to nab somebody off the off waivers
or make a trade or whatever. But yeah, it is
a concern, but you're right, they have to hope you
on your DS says healthy at a position that's very
demanding and your one fouls hit away from going on
the IL. So it's I think it's something they're going
to be keeping an eye on other team's rosters here
for the next few days.
Speaker 5: Brian McTaggert with us here on a Sports Talk seven
ninety cover in the Ashtros for MLB dot Com. Tell
me what you're seeing hearing everything about Bryce Matthews in
terms of his work in the field, at the plate
and what type of role he could possibly carve out.
Speaker 4: I know you had him making the roster in your projection.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I had him making the roster if if Penya
starts to starts the season on the the il, which
I think right now again is probably a fifty to
fifty proposition.
Speaker 2: He's supposed to.
Speaker 3: Grab a bat and start swinging this weekend, which leads
me to believe that he might be ready for the
start of the season. But you know, Bryce has had
a pretty good spring. You know, he's got a homer,
driven in some runs, he's stolen some bases and drawn.
Speaker 2: Some watch which they really like.
Speaker 3: If he makes this club, it'll be obviously is kind
of the last guy off the bench. He can play
some second if they have to, you know, maybe put
out two Vay in DH or. He can certainly play
center field as well, So I don't think he would
get a ton of the bats.
Speaker 2: You know, he's.
Speaker 3: Probably a better serve to go to Triple A and
then be ready for a call up. They don't seem
really motivated to play him at shortstop going forward, the.
Speaker 2: Position he was drafted at.
Speaker 3: So but he's looked pretty good in the outfield. He's
I mean, he's very athletic. We know he was a
you know, a star quarterback at a task CASEETA, so
he can certainly, he certainly has the athleticism to handle
center field.
Speaker 1: Ryan McTaggert with us from West Palm Beach, ar lb
Astros Insider with us every Thursday at eleven o'clock here
on Sports Talk seven ninety Is ten or Tremmeell fighting
for a spot or am I just looking at March
numbers and going man ten?
Speaker 4: Nice camp? But we know who he is.
Speaker 3: Ultimately, I think he I think he's got a really
good shot to make the team. Maybe he's not on
the forty man, so they would have to create a
spot for him. But if you look at the guys
that are battling for those four outfield spots, I mean
Jake Myers of course has made the team. I think
I think Cam Smith has made the team at this point.
He's had a pretty good spring eight seventy one ops.
Joey low Berfedo's had a great spring, so I think
he's a lot. So I think it'll come down to
Trammel or Zach Cole. They both hit left handed, both
have a little bit of pop, can both play all
three outfield positions. But but Cole just has not swung
the back very well this spring. He's six for thirty
two with sixteen strikeouts, which I think is a big concern.
So he hasn't even played at tripa A yet very much.
So I think I think right now begins the season
in Triple A, and I think Tremell makes this team
because he has had a solid tamp yet. You do
know what you're getting, but you also know what you're
getting and you know you can put him in any
of those outfield spots. He's going to give you some
good defense and he will give you a good at
bat off the bench from from the left side.
Speaker 1: When you said sixteen strikeouts, might jaw drop, Brian, That's
that's a terrible that's a terrible number.
Speaker 3: It's fifty, I mean, and that that was the thing
on him coming up is he's very aggressive at the play.
Speaker 2: You know, is a swing hard and he makes contact.
Speaker 3: He hits the ball hard, and he has hit the
ball hard this spring, but he's hit the ball hard
on the ground.
Speaker 2: But there's just too much swing in this yet. So
I know it's.
Speaker 3: Something that that they're working on with him. But that's
that's just a lot of swing and this. So yeah,
I think he'll be in Triple A and they'll try
to get that ironed out before we see him back
up here.
Speaker 1: Staying with the outfield, Jrdon has been pulled twice because
of weather to play the outfield. How anxious when you
walk around the clubhouse is he's like, man, I got
this glove, I want to use it. Is he getting
enough working left field for his satisfaction? My guess is
probably the answer is not to that.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I mean he's done a lot of work on the
backfields too, so your and likes to play outfield. I
mean he he he would like to be out there
a couple of times a week. And I mean when
they signed him to that big contract, they didn't sign
him as a dah. They sign him as an outfielder,
and you know, he really likes to do it. Is
he a great outfielder?
Speaker 2: No? Is he a butcher?
Speaker 4: No?
Speaker 3: But I think the Astros know that they would like
to get a little more athletic out there, which is
you know, kind of their goal with the where their
outfield is configured right now, so we can still see
him out here next few games and we the only
have what four games left here a couple of couple
of Dike in park, So he is going to play
outfield this year, not a ton, but yeah, we will
see him out there and he wants to do it,
and I think Joe's going to keep him out there
enough to keep him fresh and left.
Speaker 5: Field you mentioned or we were talking about Myers, are
talking about the outfield earlier.
Speaker 4: It's funny to me, it was all off.
Speaker 5: Season it just seemed like an eventuality that he was
going to be traded away.
Speaker 4: And then of course on the estac paratus.
Speaker 5: Thing I mean is that, are we just assuming that
neither or either of those trades are just not.
Speaker 4: Going to be made.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I thought all off season that Myers
would get traded and I wrote that several times. I mean,
I wasn't guessing. I'm telling you know, these are things
I was being told. I mean, they obviously were shipping
him around.
Speaker 2: It didn't happen.
Speaker 3: You know, obviously they've tried to trade Perettis this spring
as well. You know, the chances I keep getting told
are slim.
Speaker 2: It is just there's just.
Speaker 3: A fine margin with what the Astros want in return.
So yeah, I mean, it looks like, unless something happened,
we're a week from opening day. But this next week,
like I said, it is going to be rosters are
going to be changing here, left and right.
Speaker 2: Some guys are going to get cut from teams.
Speaker 3: Some teams are going to get desperate, you know, maybe
somebody needs a center fielder and wants to make a
deal with the Astros, or or maybe the Red Sox say, hey,
we would like Cretis after all, so maybe they can
make a deal. So I would say more likely than not,
just because where we're at in the calendar that both
Myers and Perettis are on the opening day roster. But
some things could happen here in the next few days.
They could with other teams that could force the Astros
maybe to make a deal and change their roster up
a little bit as well.
Speaker 1: Brian final question, any clarity to the back end of
the Astros rotation. I think I've got a pretty good
feel of one through three. How's my four to five
and potentially six?
Speaker 2: Look at this point, well, what are your one through three?
Speaker 1: I'd probably go Hunter Brown, Hobber, Emi Burrows makes four,
so maybe I could go five to six.
Speaker 4: Help me out with five to six.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Lace mccullochs junior is in this rotation.
I mean he's he's throwing the ball pretty well this spring,
so I think he's in there that five and then
it comes down to Arraghetty in that sixth spot, and
I guess it comes it's a question of whether do
they open the season in a five man rotation or
a six man rotation. And even if it's a six
man a five man rotation, maybe Arraghetty makes.
Speaker 2: It in the bullpen. He throws a couple of.
Speaker 3: Times in long relief and then and then it's put
in the rotation. But I think it's pretty clear who
their five rotation guys are going to be, with Arraghedtty
uh being that six guy if they choose to go
to a six man rotation right now, So that gives
us some pretty good options down in Triple A after
the season starts. I mean they have Alexander down there,
Colton Gordon's down there. JP France will probably be in
that Triple A rotation. So they built this pitching depth
and so far it looks like it's it's done pretty
well because the guys like Burrows and Emi, the additions
to the rotation have been terrific and great fruity play.
Speaker 1: Could you see a scenario and I only said one question,
I'll give you one more. Could you see a piggyback
between mccullors and arrogating, is maybe your first two guys
on a night where those two guys are ready to
throw and go in the same game.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I could definitely see that. Yeah, I think that's
a real distinct possibility. And they're going to have a
couple of guys in the bullpen. I think they're going
to be capable of doing those multiple innings. There's a
guy starting tomorrow, Peter Lambert. He's going to start the
game tomorrow against the Marlins who was a non roster guy,
has big league time with the Rockies. But he's throwing
the ball really, really well. Nine innings. I think he
might have given up one run of throwing the ball hard.
So he's the guy that could get multiple innings out
of the bullpen. If kay Wayne Tang nexts the team,
you know he started a game down here. He could
also pitch behind another starter throw three or you know,
two or three innings. So their goal is to have
two or three of those multi inning guy. Ryan Wisse
is another one, another guy who's throwing the ball really well.
Another new comer or newcomer, a guy who wants to
be a starter, but it looks like he'll be long
relief from the pen, so yeah, I don't think they'll
call it a piggyback, but they have They have lots
of options where if the starter comes out after five innings,
they feel pretty comfortable about the guys coming behind them
to get the ball to the ninth inning