Houston Astros Countdown: Top Five “Sixth” Men for A.J. Hinch

Nori Aoki and Jake Marisnick

For the No. 5 spot, it is hard to pick between these two outfielders off of the bench for the Astros. Both have strengths and weaknesses but provide specific skills needed on the roster.

In the offseason, the Astros needed a fourth outfielder with a combination of speed and contact to generate offense near the end of the lineup and the end of games. Nori Aoki fits that job description pretty well.

A career .286 hitter, Aoki is hitting .282 with a .329 on-base percentage this season. In 25 games, he has hit four extra-base hits, including a home run, and scored nine times. Although it is not a major part of his game, Aoki has first-to-third speed, stealing 90 bases in his six-year career.

However, even though his average is about where it should be in regards to his career, Aoki’s OPS is at a career low. This has to do with the increasing number of strikeouts, with a career high 11.6 strikeout percentage through 25 games.

Jake, the ladies man!

As for Jake Marisnick, he is one of the best centerfielders off the bench in the league. He provides Gold Glove-caliber defense late in games replacing defensive liabilities such as Aoki and Carlos Beltran.

Just look at how the May 11^th game against the Yankees ended. Playing left field, Marisnick threw out the tying run at home plate to secure the 3-2 victory and the best record and baseball for the Astros.

His offense leaves a little bit to be desired, though. Even though his average and OPS are both at career highs, Marisnick is striking out close to 50 percent of the time. This should not warrant confidence in giving him pinch hit appearances. He does have the ability to change games with his feet though, stealing 51 bases in his career.

Aoki and Marisnick both are specialized bench outfielders that can make a difference if called upon late in games.

Will Harris

When it comes to late-inning bullpen guys, Will Harris is among the best in the American League. In 14 appearances, Harris has a 1.17 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched.

When it comes to Harris, it is all about his durability. He has pitched in over 65 games over the last two seasons with the Astros with an opponents’ batting average under .230 and an ERA sub-2.50. So far in the month of May, Harris has pitched in four games, giving up zero runs on five hits and one walk and striking out eight in five innings of work.

Durability is not his only weapon though. It’s also efficiency. Throwing a cutter 51.1 percent of the time, he thrives on generating contact with a ground ball percentage over 50 percent in his first two seasons with the Astros and at 47.6 percent so far this season. Even though this may not mean high strikeout numbers for the right-handed reliever, it does mean fast outings. Harris has thrown 15 pitches or less in eight of his 14 outings this year, throwing a full inning in each of those games.

Harris has proved to Astros manager A.J. Hinch and the rest of the coaching staff that, even without the overpowering fastball of Ken Giles or the devastating slider of Luke Gregerson, he can still get hitters out on a consistent basis.

Chris Devenski

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Chris Devenski? There are multiple right answers.

One could be that he is unhittable. With a 0.65 WHIP, Devenski has only given up ten hits in his 23 innings pitched this year. He has an opposing batting average of .125.

Another could be that he is nasty. With a mid-90’s fastball and a devastating changeup, the best pitch on the Astros roster right now, he has struck out 42 batters in 23 innings, walking only five.

In this case, the most important aspect of Devenski’s game is durability. He has thrown 23 innings in only 12 appearances this season. Coming up in the system as a starter, he has proved he can be counted on for multiple innings per game. Eight of his 12 appearances have been for more than one inning of work, including back-to-back appearances to start the year of four innings.

That amount of time on the mound does not seem to affect his stuff either. In his last two outings, he has thrown 3.1 hitless innings, walking two and striking out seven in those two games.

As of now, opposing hitters have not been able to figure out Devenski out of the bullpen. Until then, he will continue to be one of the best late-inning weapons in the American League.

Evan Gattis

When the Astros signed Brian McCann in the offseason, it seemed like Evan Gattis did not have a roster spot anymore. Playing over 125 games in each of his first two seasons with the Astros, he hit 59 home runs and drove in 160 RBIs in 2015 and 2016 combined. So far in 2017, Gattis seems to be complimenting McCann extremely well.

Gattis still has an impact.

In 22 games split between catcher and designated hitter, Gattis has eight extra-base hits, including three home runs, and has driven in 16 RBIs. However, that is what is to be expected in Gattis’ offensive game. What has been unexpected is his increased contact-first approach at the plate.

With his walk percentage still below 10 percent, Gattis has raised his contact percentage by 4.2 percent. That may not seem drastic, but that little jump has dropped his strikeout percentage from 25.5 percent in 2016 to 17.1 percent so far in 2017. It can be seen in his batting average as well. Gattis is hitting .292 with a .852 OPS, the highest of his career.

Defensively, Gattis may leave a bit to be desired, with a .975 fielding percentage and allowing ten stolen bases on 12 attempts. However, regarding calling games behind the plate, he has done a solid job, with opposing hitters only scoring five earned runs in his last two games behind the plate.

Gattis is an offensive machine. With the ability to call a solid game behind the plate, that makes him one of the most valuable players off the bench.

Marwin Gonzalez

If you were to name an MVP for the Astros 2017 season right now, Marwin Gonzalez has to be near the top of the list.

First of all, Gonzalez has turned himself into an everyday player just because of his versatility on the baseball diamond. So far in 2017, he has played left field, right field, first base, third base and second base. Oh, I almost forgot. Gonzalez came into the league primarily as a shortstop.

Margo goes Fargo

Second of all, offensively, Gonzalez has been on fire. After only 27 games this season, he has hit nine home runs, four away from surpassing his career high 13 home runs in 2016, and driven in 21, scoring himself 11 times. He is hitting .270, leading the team in OPS at 1.037, .185 points higher than Gattis who is in second place.

The increased offensive production may have something to do with his increased patience at the plated. His walk percentage has sky-rocketed from just over four percent in 2016 to 12.2 percent this season. He is also taking fewer swings, lowering his swing percentage by 8.6 percentage points. However, his strike zone contact percentage is up to 92.3 percent, his highest since his rookie season in 2012.

Next: Astros Face The Perfect Test Against The Yankees

In summary, Gonzalez, playing nearly every day at nearly every position on the baseball diamond, is being more selective at the plate, giving him better pitches to hit, which is increasing his power. In fewer words, Gonzalez is becoming one of the best utility players in all of baseball.

***Stats provided by MLB.com, Baseball-Reference, and FanGraphs***