Who Will Be on the Bench for the Astros?

Sep 16, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez (9) drives in a run with a single during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

With Spring Training less than a month away, it’s time to really start analyzing the team and who will round out the 25 Man Roster. Assuming there are 12 pitchers on the team, there are only 13 spots left for the hitters. And for the first time in years, there will be a real competition going on all over the field in Spring Training. We’ll go into this assuming your starting 9 on the team are: C-Jason Castro, 1B-Jon Singleton, 2B-Jose Altuve, 3B-Luis Valbuena, SS-Jed Lowrie, LF-Evan Gattis, CF-Colby Rasmus, RF-George Springer, and DH-Chris Carter.

So let’s go over the options and see who has the best chance in filling out the roster.

The “All-But-Guarenteed”

These guys will be on the team on Opening Day as long as they remain healthy throughout the spring.

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C Hank Conger: Every team carries at least two catchers on the roster for days off with the starter, platoon situations, etc. That is no different for the Astros, and with him being traded for this offseason, he will be Jason Castro’s backup at the very least.

IF Marwin Gonzalez: The super-utility man just received $1.0625 million, and he won’t be going anywhere. Gonzalez has proven his worth to the Astros since coming over in 2012 and playing all over the field. I don’t expect Gonzalez to receive as much playing time as last season, but his value doesn’t go unnoticed.