The Astros swept the Mariners in the ALDS and are about to face off against the Yankees in the ALCS. The roster is largely unchanged, though right-hander Seth Martinez has been swapped in for outfielder Jake Meyers. Here is the full squad…
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Bryan Abreu
- Hunter Brown
- Luis Garcia
- Cristian Javier
- Seth Martinez
- Lance McCullers Jr.
- Rafael Montero
- Héctor Neris
- Ryan Pressly
- Ryne Stanek
- José Urquidy
- Justin Verlander (Game 1 starter)
Left-Handed Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
- Jose Altuve
- Alex Bregman
- Aledmys Díaz
- Mauricio Dubón
- Yuli Gurriel
- David Hensley
- Trey Mancini
- Jeremy Peña
Outfielders
The omission of Meyers leaves the Astros with just three players listed as outfielders: Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick and Kyle Tucker. However, infielders Trey Mancini, Aledmys Diaz and Mauricio Dubón are all capable of spending some time on the grass. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle points out that Dubón was used as a defensive replacement in all three games of the ALDS, while Meyers started Game 2 and struck out twice before being replaced and didn’t get into the 18-inning marathon that was Game 3. It seems that Dubón passed Meyers as the backup center fielder, which has allowed the Astros to carry an extra arm in this series.
The Astros have no lefty relievers and could have brought Will Smith onto the roster but have instead opted for Martinez. That’s likely a reflection of the Yankee lineup, where Anthony Rizzo is the only left-hander likely to be in there every day. Matt Carpenter could also get some at-bats, though likely in a pinch-hitting capacity. Then there’s the switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera, but the Yanks subtracted two other switch-hitters from their roster by removing Marwin Gonzalez and the injured Aaron Hicks. Given that the lineup is slanted towards righties, Martinez has gotten the nod over Smith. Martinez faced 99 righties this year and held them to a .135/.214/.180 batting line.
Solid roster.
Dropping Meyers for Martinez makes sense because Martinez strengthens the Astros biggest strength: pitching depth. The bottom of the Astros lineup isn’t strong, and Meyers doesn’t really make it better. Also, most of the hitters in the Yankees lineup bat right-handed.
Nor does Dubon.
Dubon brings utility because he can play centerfield in case something happens to McCormick.
Meyers had been hitting well since coming back from his demotion to Sugarland.
I really hope David Hensley can get a start or two. Mancini is just off this year and should not be starting ahead of him
I like the Martinez addition & they have some good flexibility of other players that can help in the OF.
Just glancing at the headline, I saw “Astros add Seth Meyers to ALCS roster.”
Pdx, I hear ya….My eyes play tricks on me with at least 10% of the headlines on this site….I have seen some crazy things haha