The Astros take on the Nationals on the Space City Network and KBME 790, and the Mets, starting the Spring Training schedule with two games on Day 1.
Baseball returns. The first dim glow of dawn brings light to our long, dark, baseball-less night of the soul. Spring is here at last.
The Astros enter 2025 with the most question marks of any Astros team in ten years. With the loss of Kyle Tucker, the Astros look to have one of the weakest outfield trios in MLB. But who will they be? Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick are locks. Who wins the third spot? Watch for Jose Altuve in left field. Or maybe journeyman Ben Gamel locks down the third spot. And there’s always Mauricio Dubon. Spring Training performance may determine who gets the bulk of outfield playing time.
With the recent acquisition of Brendan Rodgers the move of Jose Altuve to left field looks increasingly likely. But will Rodgers be good enough to add real value to the Astros?
Another question mark is the bullpen. With the loss of Ryan Pressly, the pen is down to two reliable arms, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader. Watch the competition for bullpen slots.
The starting rotation looks like a potential team strength, with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown as top-tier MLB pitchers. Will Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti live up to 2024 performances? How will the physical recoveries of J.P. France, Luis Garcia, and Lance McCullers proceed? And how will the newly acquired Hayden Wesneski fit in? Of course, Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander are gone from the 2025 Astros.
The biggest Astros loss of all is, of course, Alex Bregman, who will be missed as much for his leadership as for his performance on the field. But in the Tucker trade, the Astros acquired a young replacement for Bregman, Isaac Paredes. In the last two years, Paredes has accumulated 7.7 fWAR, less than Bregman’s 8.6. But at 26, Paredes has room to improve, whereas it appears that Bregman may be in the declining phase of his illustrious career.
There’s a new look at first base, Chris Walker. Will he be the answer, or another Jose Abreu?
Can Paredes and Walker replace the production lost with the departures of Bregman and Tucker? Get a glimpse of the answer to this question, and the others above, by following Spring Training with us here at the Crawfish Boxes.
Here are the lineups for the televised game with the Nationals.
