*Baseball America released their Top 10 Astros Prospects with a system overview, best tools, and projected 2021 lineup. Click the link for the overview, etc., but here are the Astros' top ten prospects:
1. Forrest Whitley
2. Kyle Tucker
3. Yordan Alvarez
4. J.B. Bukauskas
5. Freudis Nova
6. Jairo Solis
7. Hector Perez
8. Jorge Alcala
9. David Paulino
10. J.D. Davis
Click here for the chat with J.J. Cooper.
*J.D. Davis still can't believe the Astros won the World Series.
*Davis and Astros County Favorite Rogelio Armenteros were honored as the 2017 Hooks Player and Pitcher of the Year last night at the 14th Annual South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet.
*Jim Callis ranked the prospect duo of Kyle Tucker/Forrest Whitley as the 3rd best hitting/pitching tandem in baseball.
*Baseball is going to a pitch clock and limiting mound visits in an attempt to appease casual fans and attract new ones who don't understand why the batter doesn't just hit the pitcher with the top of his helmet.
*Jenny Dial Creech: The Gerrit Cole trade shows the Astros want nothing less than a repeat.
*George Springer is getting married tomorrow, and A.J. Hinch is staying at Dave Roberts' house.
*Reid Ryan got to take the Commissioner's Trophy home to Alvin.
*Delino DeShields remembers that 2014 Rule 5 Draft very well, and the 2017 World Series even better:
It puts a little chip on my shoulder. I want to go out there and take some of the wind out of their sails.
*CC Sabathia knows people hate the Yankees, and he loves it.
Last year we were the team that everybody loved (Ed. Note: [looks around, eyebrows arched, palms half-turned up]) that feel-good story. But getting Giancarlo just brings us back to being that hated team. That's what we like, man, we want to go out there and put the best team on the field and, you know, crush everybody every game.
*The Athletic is after all the beat writers.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
