2026 AL West Division Champs Astros

[AggiesAreWe]

4 minutes ago, rupert3 said:

They said we used 676 plus batters this year.  Considering the first 2-3 months, I think they did great except for the pitcher/hitter hiccups along the way.  Anything can happen in post season.  Let's hope we don't leave the bats at the Saremento airport.

Spence can't be on playoff roster which is sad.

I'm sure AAW will fill in mores stats.

Outscored them 34-13 in this series I think.

Why can't Spence be on playoff roster?

[rupert3]

The announcers said he hadn't played enough. IDK.  I had to watch a Sacramento stream.  Hope they are wrong.  The annoucers that is

[rupert3]

I just Googled it up and MLB said he is on the roster.

[myrecordwashorrible]

Betting odds have the Astros as the favorite. 

If you are crazy enough to bet on baseball, well go ahead. 

[WOSdrummer99]

 

 

[AggiesAreWe]

Projected Astro roster for Wild Card series:

 C (2): Diaz, Vazquez

IF (5): Walker, Altuve, Pena, Paredes, Allen

OF/DH (6): Alvarez, Smith, Spence, Trammell, Velazquez, Wade Jr.

SP (4): Brown, Wesneski, Lambert, Pecko

RP (7): Hader, Abreu, Blubaugh, Ullola, VanWey, Sousa, King

Leaves 2 P spots left: P (2): Okert (IL), Blanco, Imai, Teng, Santa

Other IF/OF/C in consideration: Barrosa, Delgado, Price, Loperfido

[navydawg31]

Well I secured my tickets for games 1 and 2…hopefully that’s all I need and they close it out.
 

Pappasito’s for lunch tomorrow couple margs before the game check in at the Marriott Marquis and shoot over to the game.. Wednesday Brunch at Hull and Oak hang out by the pool, then eating at the stadium that night is what’s on the agenda. Let’s go Astros! 

[WOSdrummer99]

 

 

[baddog]

A friend of mine, who is a diehard Yankees fan, and his wife is an Astros fan, has an Astros/Yankees matchup for the A LCS.

[AggiesAreWe]

[WOSdrummer99]

1 hour ago, baddog said:

A friend of mine, who is a diehard Yankees fan, and his wife is an Astros fan, has an Astros/Yankees matchup for the A LCS.

2022 ALCS gm1 Verlander K'd 11. 3 solo HRs. Astros beat Yankees 4-2

That was the last game I saw in person 

[AggiesAreWe]

As of tomorrow, Jose Altuve will have played more postseason games than:

The New York Mets

Baltimore Orioles

Cincinnati Reds

Pittsburgh Pirates

Minnesota Twins

Toronto Blue Jays

Kansas City Royals

Arlington Rangers

Tampa Bay Rays

Anaheim Angels

Milwaukee Brewers

San Diego Padres

[rupert3]

Wow where did you find that

[AggiesAreWe]

Houston is starting reliever AJ Blubaugh in Gm 1 tomorrow.

Likely Brown in Gm 2 and Wesneski in Gm 3 if necessary.

 

[rupert3]

46 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Houston is starting reliever AJ Blubaugh in Gm 1 tomorrow.

Likely Brown in Gm 2 and Wesneski in Gm 3 if necessary.

 

I don't know about that but I guess he is as good as anybody at this point.  Just gotta cross our fingers

[baddog]

If the Astros can continue this hitting, the pitching can be mediocre. Spence batting in bottom of the order has given a huge spark to the rest of the hitters. For me, the way Peña goes with his hitting is a telltale sign. I’ve been wrong before.

[AggiesAreWe]

8 minutes ago, baddog said:

If the Astros can continue this hitting, the pitching can be mediocre. Spence batting in bottom of the order has given a huge spark to the rest of the hitters. For me, the way Peña goes with his hitting is a telltale sign. I’ve been wrong before.

Call me old school but I never like having my lead off hitter having the worst walk to strikeout ratio. In 447 AB's, he has walked just 24 times while striking out 116 times which is 3rd most on the team. Of all the everyday guys his strikeout ratio is the worst. To me, the lead off guy shouldn't lead in that category.

With that said, we have no other choice to put at leadoff. Sadly, Pena is the best choice for that spot.

[baddog]

Just a Google search since I said I have been wrong before. Not disputing your stats, but I thought he had a good year.
 

Jeremy Peña's 2026 performance as a leadoff batter has been excellent, serving as a highly effective spark plug at the top of the lineup for the 

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Peña's 2026 Splits as a Leadoff Batter

When manager Joe Espada penciled Peña into the #1 spot in the batting order, the shortstop responded with high-level production. In 93 games batting first this season, his leadoff-specific metrics include: [

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• Batting Average: .270

• Hits: 103

• Home Runs: 17 (including multiple leadoff homers)

• RBIs: 44

• Runs Scored: 68 [
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(Note: Overall across all lineup spots in 2026, Peña hit .276 with 22 home runs, 81 runs, and an .802 OPS). [

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How He Compares to Other Leadoff Batters

Peña brings a unique blend of power, contact, and improved plate discipline that places him among the upper tier of major league leadoff hitters.

• Elite Power for a Leadoff Hitter: Hitting 17 home runs purely from the leadoff spot puts him among the more dangerous power threats at the top of a lineup in MLB. His total of 22 home runs on the year matches his career high. [
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• Advanced Metric Growth: According to 
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  , Peña's metrics have surged over the 2025 and 2026 seasons. He has dramatically improved his ability to hit fastballs, dropping his strikeout rate against four-seamers and elevating his line-drive rate to 35.7%. This approach allows him to consistently set the table for power hitters like Yordan Alvarez trailing behind him. [
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• Consistency: He has maintained a highly stable batting average (.270 as a leadoff man, .276 overall), making him a more reliable tone-setter than high-strikeout, low-average modern leadoff profiles. [
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While pure speed-and-on-base leadoff archetypes might draw more walks, Peña’s ability to punish fastballs, hit for power, and limit empty swings has made his 2026 leadoff campaign an unqualified success for Houston

 

[AggiesAreWe]

116 K's to just 24 BB's in 447 AB's is certainly not ideal for the leadoff spot.

The power and total hits are very good. OBP is .325 along with the batting average of .277. Those are quality numbers.

I agree he has had a good season. 

I just like my leadoff guy to have more BB's and an OBP around .340 or higher.

That's just me. 

[myrecordwashorrible]

1 hour ago, AggiesAreWe said:

116 K's to just 24 BB's in 447 AB's is certainly not ideal for the leadoff spot.

The power and total hits are very good. OBP is .325 along with the batting average of .277. Those are quality numbers.

I agree he has had a good season. 

I just like my leadoff guy to have more BB's and an OBP around .340 or higher.

That's just me. 

Take what you got and love with it, but with Alvarez in the 2 hole a high OBP guy hitting lead off would be ideal. 

If the Astros had a true (traditional) lead off hitter,  Pena in the 3 hole would be nice. Create many situations where Pena would see very hittable pitches. 

[AggiesAreWe]

Starting Blubaugh didn't work out.

Walked 3 in 2/3. 

King coming in

[AggiesAreWe]

King got the final out of 1st.

Then faced 4 batters in 2nd giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a HBP.

Ullola comes in with bases loaded no outs.

[spidersal]

Blubaugh couldn’t find the strike zone. My question is why would you put King in who still thinks he is playing for the opposition In the 2nd inning he gave up 4 hits and hit a batter with a 1-2 count before they took him out. The 1st thing I would do in the offseason is send him packing