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Houston Astros 25-man roster prediction for August 31st

By Eric Huysman |
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Houston Astros 25-man roster prediction for August 31st

Aug 16, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (right) celebrates with teammate Carlos Gomez after hitting a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park. The Astros defeated the Tigers 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While the Houston Astros need to play better to warrant even. The playoff discussion, the truth is that despite the poor play recently, they are still in first place in the AL West. Things can change between now and the end of the regular season, but I wanted to take a stab at what this roster will look like on August 31, 2015. This day is the deadline for a player to be playoff eligible.

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A player must be on the Astros 25-man roster on the last day of August. However, if a player is on the disabled or suspension list, they can still be eligible for postseason play. For the sake of this article, I will not resort to placing an active player on the disabled list for risk of jinxing that player. I will, however, resort to putting a player on waivers if needed.

The roster as is is pretty close to what the roster will look like in the playoffs, with a few exceptions. This post is only a prediction of what it could be, but the events of the next two weeks could change.

Next: The Infielders and Catchers

The Infielders and Catchers

Aug 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) and shortstop Carlos Correa (1) against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While there may not be any big surprises at second, shortstop, or third base, the biggest surprise on this proposed roster is that Chris Carter is not part of it.

Carter is currently not starting on the Astros first place team, which limits his overall value. Carter is struggling this year overall, but he remains hitless in eight pinch-hitting appearances. A.J. Hinch wants Carter on the team because he is a game changing player with his ability to hit a home run at any time. Recently, when Hinch puts Carter in a game, he has disappointed Astros fans most of the time.

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The question that Jeff Luhnow has to ask himself is, if the Astros put Carter on waivers, would someone claim him? I know the Astros still see the value in Carter, but his trade value is next to nothing right now. Carter is still relatively affordable, so the Astros would be risking losing him to another team. This idea may be a stretch, but could the Astros be worried about another repeat of losing J.D. Martinez via waivers? Could Carter rejuvenate his career with another team, maybe? However, can another team teach him to hit a breaking ball?

The breaking ball troubles by Carter will leave the infield fairly short. For my list, I kept an extra outfielder instead of calling up Jon Singleton to play first. With the loss of Carter, this would leave Valbuena and Gonzalez as the players who can play first base. To carry the extra outfielder and a 13th pitcher, they will have to rely on five players to play four spots on the infield.

Alternative Players: Jon Singleton, Tyler White, or A.J. Reed.

Next: Outfield and Designated Hitter

Outfield and Designated Hitter

May 20, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus (28) , center fielder Jake Marisnick (6) and right fielder George Springer (4) smile as they run in from the outfield after defeating the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Astros outfield was already loaded, but with the addition of Carlos Gomez to the Astros and the impending return of George Springer soon has pushed it to a crowded outfield.

As I have written before, I don’t see Springer returning until after the August 31st deadline. This move allows the Astros to carry another player as playoff eligible. The fun part would be when Springer does return, who would get removed from Club Astros? My guess would be between Preston Tucker and Jake Marisnick.

When looking at the potential battle between Marisnick and Tucker, you have to ask yourself what would be needed more for the Astros to win often down the stretch and playoffs.

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While Tucker wins the overall advantage over Marisnick, the Astros may want Marisnick’s defense in the playoffs. Should the Astros make the playoffs, he starting outfielders will probably be Springer, Gomez, and Rasmus. Tucker or Marisnick will take turns relieving the starters, but Evan Gattis can also play left field when needed so that the Astros could carry an extra infielder instead of an outfielder.

Should the Astros decide to promote a player like A.J. Reed, Tyler White, or Tony Kemp, they could keep Marisnick off the roster. Gonzalez has proven to be able to play in left field, so the Astros could be testing his ability to play the outfield before they shorten the outfield.

Next: Starting Staff

Starting Staff

Aug 1, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Even though there are six pitchers currently in the rotation, don’t expect a traditional six-man rotation.

Even though there are six pitchers currently in the rotation, don’t expect a traditional six-man rotation. Keuchel and Kazmir will be pitching on regular rest as much as possible, as they are the number one and two pitchers in the Astros rotation. They need the routine to be effective, so the Astros will pitch these two on regular rest. McCullers is probably the #3 pitcher in the rotation but is coming off a brief shutdown at Corpus Christi to save innings for September and October.

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McCullers would be the beneficiary of extra rest or being skipped in the rotation for one turn. It appears that Hinch will set the rotation based on who matches up better against the competition. McHugh appears to be the fourth pitcher right now, and he has pitched better recently. The Astros could choose to option Fiers to Triple-A Fresno, and keep Feldman in the rotation for now while allowing Vincent Velasquez to stay in the bullpen. However, barring injury, this would remove Fiers from being playoff eligible. Luhnow might have a hard time justifying the trade if Fiers is not playoff eligible.

Next: The Bullpen

The Bullpen

Aug 11, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Fields (35) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Bullpen

There are really no big surprises here, this is pretty much the meat of the Astros bullpen. As mentioned earlier, the Astros could decide to carry Velasquez in the bullpen with his power arm. I believe this could be the best option for the Astros, but I don’t see them leaving Feldman (contract) and Fiers (trade) off the playoff roster. The bullpen has been a strength for the Astros all season. Because of the way Hinch has handled his bullpen, they should be strong and healthy come playoff time.

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While Fields was sent down yesterday, don’t think that it was due to any poor performances by Fields. He was a victim of being one of the other bullpen pitchers who is eligible to being optioned to the minors. He will be back with the team after the ten-day stay in the minors, before the August 31st deadline. The only change that I can see happeninf is Velasquez could join the bullpen on a regular basis.

Alternative Players: Vincent Velasquez

Next: The Astros Record without George Springer in Lineup

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