Astros Roster Predictions: Catchers and Designated Hitters

Eric (Twitter handle: @huysman_eric)

Catchers

This is one of the most set positions on the Astros. With three candidates for two spots, Jason Castro, Hank Conger, and Max Stassi.

The Starter: Jason Castro – Even after a down year in 2014, the former first round pick has the potential to be a top-10 catcher. While his batting average went down from .276 to the .222, he is still capable of hitting 15-17 home runs. Plus my son would be mad if his favorite player was not playing every day.

The Backup: Hank Conger – The Astros traded for him for a reason, he is a pitch framer and great defensive catcher. While he has potential to be the everyday guy, he has failed to show this promise in the majors. If the Astros were to make him the everyday catcher, it would be a strong statement that the Astros have enough offense to sacrifice some pop at catcher.

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Designated Hitters

This is one position that I think can change, day-to-day, week to week, and month to month. The three candidates for the designated hitter position are incumbent Chris Carter, Evan Gattis, and Jason Castro.

The Starter: Chris Carter – He is the only person the Astros have who has experienced the designated hitter position. It’s a different role to serving as the DH, that most people have a hard time doing. Chris Carter has seemed to embrace the role. Last year Carter had a breakout season after a poor start to begin the year. If the second half Carter shows up this year, he would move to the top of the DH rankings soon.

The Backup: Evan Gattis – A.J. Hinch said on Friday, that Gattis would get most of his playing time in left field during spring training. Hinch warned though, don’t read anything into that. I see two situations where Gattis is the primary DH;

• Jon Singleton starts in AAA, and Carter plays first.
• Gattis proves a liability in left field, so Carter ends up playing there.

Both of these instances could possibly happen. Spring training should settle this.

Catchers

Jason Castro will start with Hank Conger backing up.

Designated Hitters

Chris Carter will start the season as Astros designated hitter.

Next: Thomas and Jason's Predictions

Mar 8, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; The New York Yankees play the Houston Astros in a spring training exhibition game at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas (Twitter handle: @obaniont)

Catchers

Jason Castro. The job is his to lose. With an improved lineup, Castro returns to All-Star form, hits .270 w 15 HRs. The Astros will then sign Castro to a long-term deal in the offseason.

Designated Hitters

Chris Carter. The job is his to lose, though if he starts slow like in 2014, Gattis may take over for him sooner than later.

Jason (Twitter handle: @BaseballMiAmor)

Catchers

Has anyone said Jason Castro yet? Probably. Well, he makes the most sense to start the season behind the dish. Conger is there to provide a short leash for Castro, and Stassi is waiting in the wings as well. If Castro is off to another bad start, the Astros may consider moving him come June. Stassi can’t be in Triple-A forever, and Evan Gattis could take on a larger portion of the catching duties if need be.

Designated Hitter

Chris Carter is obviously the guy in the DH spot, but I get the sense that Houston is trying to do a little of what Oakland has done in recent years: platoon. With versatility up and down the lineup, Carter may be asked to play other positions (first, left field) depending on match ups, playing time and resting days. If Gattis needs a break from left field, or behind the plate, Carter could play first while Gattis is the DH and Jake Marisnick mans left. This likely won’t become a daily occurrence, so expect Carter to log somewhere close to the 120 games he logged from the DH spot last year.

Next: Issa and Kennon's Predictions

September 6, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow before the game against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Astros 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Issa (Twitter handle: @ipc1221)

Catchers 

The Starter: Jason Castro. Although I believe that Max Stassi will eventually be the main man behind the plate for the Astros, I simply can’t see Castro not being on the Opening Day roster. Even after the off year last year, there’s no way that A.J. Hinch lets a guy that was a 2013 All-Star sit behind Conger or Stassi to start the year. I expect Castro to raise his 2014 batting average of .222 to about .240 or .250, but no higher than that. If Castro is hitting .230 at the end of April, I wouldn’t expect him to start in May.

The Backup: Max Stassi. This pick might shock some as I am straying away from my statistical approach and going off of a gut feeling here. Many people might be shocked by this as Conger would seem like the ideal candidate for this role. What I think propels Stassi to the backup option is that he is a Jeff Luhnow guy. I think the potential to start Chris Carter and Max Stassi, two of the three acquisitions in the Jed Lowrie trade, would be very tempting, and if they both get off to good starts, the GM will be feeling pretty good about himself. Also, that Lowrie guy that they traded away in that deal, he’ll be in the starting lineup too.

Designated Hitters

The Starter: Chris Carter. I am envisioning a breakout year for the big man, as are many others around the league. If he can bring up his batting average from .227 to .247, stay in the 30 home run range, and improve to 90+ RBI, he will be considered as one of the best designated hitters in the American League. However, if his batting average drops, Carter’s future could be looking a bit more grim in an Astros uniform.

The Backup: Evan Gattis/Jason Castro. It’s way too difficult to predict an everyday backup for the Astros at DH when there are so many guys who can fit in that spot. I would expect Singleton, Castro, and Gattis all to get at-bats here. If Castro has a bounce back season and Carter struggles, I would expect to see Castro at DH and Stassi behind the plate.

Kennon (Twitter handle: @kcrileyCTH)

Catchers

Primarily Jason Castro, Hank Conger for a few, while Max Stassi should start a handful of games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of the three traded mid-season.

Designated Hitters

Primarily Carter, but I expect Gattis, Castro, and Jonathan Singleton to get some at bats there as well.

Next: Summary

Jun 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro (15) catching against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, the consensus is that Astros manager A.J. Hinch will send out Jason Castro as the starting catcher and Chris Carter as the designated hitter. There’s plenty of variation as far as how the backup roles will play out, but to be perfectly honest the Astros have plenty of options at both spots.

In my opinion, if Carter and Castro have solid 2015 seasons, the Astros will be the winning team that a lot of people are expecting them to be this year. With consistent production from the middle of the lineup, combined with Jose Altuve, George Springer, Evan Gattis, and Jed Lowrie, the 2015 Astros lineup could be among the tops in the American League. This might also be able to help take some pressure from some younger hitters like Jonathan Singleton and Matt Dominguez, causing them to have improved seasons at the plate.

Next: Another Bold Statement by Issa: Three All-Stars