Houston Astros: Weekly Recap and Links

We are now one week closer to Houston Astros pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida.

Nothing much has been going in baseball over the past week or so. And the same can be said about the Houston Astros. There have been a few rumors making the rounds (Tyler Clippard, Jonathan Lucroy), but the Hot Stove has cooled off considerably for the first time in weeks.

MLB Network released their annual rankings for the top ten players at each position with Jose Altuve being listed as the top second baseman and Ken Giles rated as the seventh-best reliever heading into the 2016 season. Needless to say, that both players deserve their rankings based on their production the past two seasons. And don’t forget the recent prospect rankings, which were discussed on Talking Stros with Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper during last week’s show.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch held his annual Q&A session for season ticket holders at Minute Maid late last week, and some interesting quotes were coming from the team’s skipper. The budding rivalry with the Texas Rangers, the addition of Giles, and the position battles heading into Spring Training were all key talking points. Needless to say, he said some interesting things that should excite Astros fans for the present and future. And talking about the future, have you ever wonder what the team in two years would look like? Well, our newest writer, Alexa Elliff, has you covered in her first post with Climbing Tal’s Hill.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

Then there are the arbitration hearings of Jason Castro and Evan Gattis. Castro’s case is expected to be resolved today after his hearing was held yesterday with Gattis’ taking place soon. The difference regarding dollars appears to be small, so it appears to be unusual that an arbitration case is taking place.

Not a lot of news, but don’t despair Astros fans! After all, spring training is just around the corner.

Houston Astros News and Notes From Around Fansided

Houston Astros: Jose Altuve Rated as #1 Second Baseman [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Cody Poage]

"The Houston Astros can now boast that Jose Altuve is the best second baseman in baseball."

Houston Astros: A Peek Inside STH’s Town Hall With A.J. Hinch [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Eric Huysman]

"Houston Astros’ Manager A.J. Hinch Talks to Season Ticket Holders."

Astros Roster: Predicting the Astros 2018 Squad [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Alexa Elliff]

"A look at the possible 2018 Astros roster."

Astros Prospects: Talking Stros w/ JJ Cooper, Defends Martes over Bregman [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Eric Huysman]

"Chatting About Astros Prospects with JJ Cooper of Baseball America."

Houston Astros’ Fans Talk Prospects, But Don’t Forget About Jose Altuve [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Stefan Miluszusky]

"It’s a fun time to talk about which top prospects will be up with the Houston Astros, but please don’t forget about the player that the Astros already have in Jose Altuve!"

Astros: Ken Giles Ranked 7th Best Reliever by MLB Network [Climbing Tal’s Hill – Cody Poage]

"Ken Giles, the newest Astros reliever, may only have 115.2 innings pitched at the major league level on his resume."

More Houston Astros News and Notes From Around the Internet

Astros have 3 eyeing rebound ’16 seasons [MLB.com – Brian McTaggart]

Houston Astros: Projecting the Infield [Astros in Orbit – Jason Burke]

Astros, Jason Castro await arbitration ruling [Houston Chronicle – Evan Drellich]

The Astros weren’t tanking [The Crawfish Boxes – Chris Perry]

Next: Houston Astros: Talking Stros with the Real Matt Duffy (Interview)

Stay tuned with Climbing Tal’s Hill for the latest Houston Astros news and analysis!

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