Astros AM: Predicting the Batting Order With Yulieski Gurriel

Predicting the Astros Lineups When Yulieski Gurriel Arrives with the Help of Jeremy Booth of Program 15.

I know you have done it, we are all guilty of it. We have been licking our lips thinking about how potent this Houston Astros lineup can be once Yulieski Gurriel arrives on Tuesday. It’s only natural to look forward to what’s next for your favorite team. At first, it was Alex Bregman, then Joseph Musgrove, then Teoscar Hernandez, and now it is Gurriel. The Astros currently have ten rookies on the team, but will have to swap one on Tuesday.

In Gurriel’s final stop in the minors with the Corpus Christi Hooks, he hasn’t exactly wowed us with his performance yet. Some of the local fans in Corpus have not been too impressed with what they have seen. There have been some people on Twitter thinking that we have rushed him through the minors.

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Is Gurriel Ready?

No matter what Gurriel does this weekend, it seems that he will make his debut with the Astros on Tuesday. He has played mostly designated hitter and third base so far in his minor league tour. This is the one piece of the puzzle that I have not been able to solve yet, where will he play? They say that he will split time between DH, third base, and could see some time in left field.

It’s hard to predict who will go down when Gurriel gets the call. The obvious choice would have been Preston Tucker, but he was placed on the DL to activate Hernandez before Friday’s game. Tony Kemp or Tyler White would be the other more likely to go down to Triple-A with the other one going down when Luis Valbuena returns.

By that time, it could be September and the Astros will more than likely bring up the who group again. Until that date, let’s assume that Kemp or White is going down Tuesday. Let’s look at the potential batting order. I talked to Jeremy Booth of Program 15 about who should bat where. We had one disagreement on where to bat Carlos Correa should bat, below is the batting order we came up with versus LHP and RHP.

Disclaimer

The suggested lineup has something that may be different than how A.J. Hinch sees things. While George Springer has turned things around hitting leadoff, he should be batting third or fourth. According to Booth, “Springer is a dangerous hitter with power who is not a base stealer. He is more of a fifth hitter but could hit cleanup as well.” Booth suggested that I put Springer hitting cleanup, but I like Correa in that spot.

With how the lineup is lengthening, the Astros have had several opportunities for the leadoff hitter to drive in the big runs. Not to say that Springer has failed in these situations, but having an MVP-like Jose Altuve in batting leadoff could lead to some more runs. “Altuve can affect the game in six ways. You want that guy leading off.” He has the ability to disrupt the pitcher on the bases more than Springer does.

Next: The Predicted Lineups