Astros Crawfish Boil: December 7, 2022

Dec 7, 2022 - 1:35 PM

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It’s the Wednesday Boil!

Draft lottery, juiced Yankee balls, and rule 5. It’s a noteworthy day in baseball (unless you actually wanted to sit down and watch a game).

Astros News

Astros looking for good fit among free-agent outfielders ($houstonchronicle.com)

Houston Astros reportedly explore trade for Sean Murphy (chron.com)

Nine Years For Aaron Judge Would Be The Astros’ Biggest Win of the Offseason (climbingtalshill.com)

Astros looking at different paths to man left field (mlb.com)

Five More Houston Astros Set to Play in 2023 World Baseball Classic (si.com)

When David Ortiz called out Mike Fiers for snitching against the Astros’ at an opportunistic moment (sportskeeda.com)

If he was to do it when he was playing for the Houston Astros, I would say Mike Fiers has guts. But to go and do it after you leave the Houston Astros because they don’t have you anymore, that doesn’t show me anything. You’re just a bad teammate. - Pedro Martinez, on WEEI.

MLB News

Major League Baseball used two balls again this year, and evidence points to a third (insider.com)

This development undoubtedly helped Aaron Judge reach his record-setting mark. The “juiced” balls showed up mostly during promotional events, the All-Star festivities, and New York Yankees games. So the matchbox they call a stadium wasn’t quite enough, they had to assist Judge even further.

Cody Bellinger signs one-year, $17.5 million deal with Cubs (nypost.com)

Pirates Win #1 Overall Pick In Draft Lottery (mlbtraderumors.com)

I guess other teams care about the draft lottery? Asking for a friend...

MLB Rule 5 Draft preview: 10 unprotected players who could be on the move (cbssports.com)

Gammons: As the Winter Meetings dawn, baseball arrives at its new normal under different set of rules (theathletic.com)

Oops! All Astros: Brayan Sanchez

Brayan Sanchez is a six-foot, 195 lb. right-handed catcher from Valencia, VZ. Born on December 19, 2004, the still-not-old-enough-to-vote backstop signed with the Astros on January 15, 2022.

Sanchez played in 29 games for the DSL Astros Orange, and an additional nine games for the Blue squad. His combined slashline is impressive in one way and less so in another, at .183/.404/.268. In 99 plate appearances, he went 13-for-71 with 21 bases-on-balls. He also struck out 29 times, and stole two bases in four attempts.

Defensively, Sanchez played 120 1/3 innings behind the plate, registering a .983 fielding percentage and a 26 percent kill-rate on runners trying to steal. He was also guilty of 12 passed balls, or one every 10 innings. In addition, Sanchez played 64 innings at first base (.933) and one inning in left field (zero chances).

Sanchez didn’t really get enough time in to make a long-term projection on him just yet. Look for him to start the 2023 campaign back with the Rookie-level DSL once more.