Players making adjustments, searching for a new spring home, and all is well in Amador Land.
A Happy Resolution
We still don't know if Japhet Amador will play in the Major Leagues for Houston, and certainly not if he'll be any good. We don't even know if he'll stick around in the minors for that long (if he doesn't figure out how to walk against non-Mexican League pitchers, he might be headed back south of the border before long).
But, in the end, those things aren't important when talking about the health of his wife and unborn child. Fortunately, it seems his wife is through the worst of whatever illness befell her and caused Amador to miss the reporting date to Major League camp. He's now expected to report to camp on Friday and may even be in uniform for the first Spring Training game that afternoon.
What do you think? How much has his stock taken a hit? He did miss the reporting date, but it was for a pretty good reason and it looks like he may only miss one or two actual games because of it.
Tucker's Good ImPreston
CRPerry13 ain't the only one who loves him some Preston Tucker. Reportedly the former Florida Gator has raised Bo Porter's eyebrow with his hitting prowess and power. He figures to get a good look in Spring Training, but may end up cut after the first couple of weeks, as he's not really on the radar as a guy who could break camp with the club.
He's on the fast track though, right? Making it all the way to Double-A in your first full season is no small feat (his super-polished teammate from Florida and second-round pick, Nolan Fontana, sputtered in Lancaster, after all). Do you think he'll head back to Corpus to start the year, or could we see him in Triple-A on opening day? The Majors later in the year even?
House Hunting
In the ongoing saga to find a spot to build a new Spring Training facility, the Astros have apparently parted ways with the Jays and thrown their hats in with the Nats. (I'm stopping, promise)
Evan Drellich tells us that, with Palm Beach Gardens off the table, the Astros and their representatives are expecting to receive a list of possible alternate sites within the next ten days. Among possible sites are somewhere along Military Trail, the Magnolia Park neighborhood just north of Lake Magnolia, and downtown in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Upset that the Blue Jays backed out? Like the new affiliation with the Washington Nationals? Do you like that they may move, or do you think Kissimmee is fine? Or maybe they should just go to Arizona?
Tweaks, Fixes and New Pitches
It wouldn't be spring training without stories of people learning new pitches or fixing their mechanics after watching video. While many of them are much ado about nothing, you never know when a player is finally going to make a change that lets it click for him. So far we've heard about:
- Kyle Weiland is finally on the road to return
- Reliever Jorge De Leon adding a Rocket-taught a splitter
- J.D. Martinez opting for a complete mechanical overhaul
- Marc Krauss is keeping a catcher's mitt handy, just in case
- Chad Qualls is back to his old self, thanks to improved health
- Grossman seemed to have benefited from an eye exam last year
Which one of those guys intrigues you most? Personally I hope Weiland makes it back ASAP; he's a really solid ground ball pitcher who can also miss some bats, and look at the rate stats he managed to put up in those three MLB starts with us while he had a bum shoulder and an infected biceps muscle.