Pitchers and Catchers Have Reported

What's a Star Shortstop Worth?

Carlos Correa is a really good baseball player. If you needed more proof of this fact, Correa provided it in the top of the 9th inning on Tuesday in Anaheim. Correa drilled a pitch from Angels closer Raisel Iglesias at 108.6 MPH for a game winning two-run homer. After the game, Correa said “I like hitting...when the game is on the line. That’s when I feel sexy.” I also feel sexy when Correa hits late in the game. Correa celebrates his game winning homer. Correa’s late game heroics brings up an important question--how much is a star shortstop worth? In New York, a star shortstop is worth $34.1 million a year for 10 years. In San Diego, a star shortstop is worth $31.6 million over the 10 years their shortstop is eligible for free agency. In Houston, it’s different. Correa is eligible for free agency after this season. The front office did approach Correa with contract extension offers during Spring Training, first offering him $20 million a year for six years....

Who's Responsible for the Astros Pitching Turnaround in the ALCS? There Are Several Candidates

The Astros finished off the Red Sox on Friday night, winning Game 6 5-0. The Astros won three straight to close out the series on the strength of their run prevention. Astros pitching allowed Boston batters a mere 3 runs, striking out 25 while allowing only 10 hits, 10 walks, and 1 hit batsman. Red Sox hitters slashed .111/.208/.244 in the last three games of the series. This is a big contrast to the first three games of the series, when the Red Sox scored 25 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Astro pitchers allowed a slash line of .296/.374/.546. They gave up 32 hits to batsmen from Boston, including 6 doubles and 9 homers. Who is responsible for the big turnaround? Perhaps it is Brent Strom. The 73-year-old came to the Astros coaching staff before Dusty Baker, but he came before even A.J. Hinch. Strom has led the Astros pitchers since 2014 and has developed a reputation as one of MLB's best pitching coaches. Despite being the age of a presidential candidate, he...

Why "Breathin' Orange Fire"

Presumably like all baseball fans, childhood memories of watching the hometown team are seared into my memory. Near the top of my head are the advertising slogans the Astros used to sell the team, and the cheesy song's that went along with them. Sometime in the early '80's, the Astros had a song in their advertisement: Here come the Astros, burnin' with desire. Here come the Astros, breathin' orange fire. The chorus said "Astros Number 1." Even at a young age, I couldn't figure out why it was necessarily good for the Astros to be "breathin' orange fire." While this could help offensive linemen in football and post players in basketball, this skill seems more dubious in baseball. Just remember, the blog name could be worse. One of the Astros' slogans/songs was "Astros Baseball: Who Says It's Only a Game?" I always answered "I do."

Breathin' Orange Fire

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