This is how the Astros line-up will likely look on opening day (this is from their game yesterday). I don’t look at the bottom half of that order and see a championship. Maybe some of those guys will surprise.
Jeremy Peña, SS
Yordan Alvarez, DH
Alex Bregman, 3B
José Abreu, 1B
Kyle Tucker, RF
Chas McCormick, LF
Jake Meyers, CF
Mauricio Dubón, 2B
Martín Maldonado, C
Dubon will be out and replaced by Altuve.( no more than two weeks and Hensley will get the bulk of the starts)
Then Julks or Dirden will replace Meyers.
You add Yainer as a hitter from multiple positions and you only have one-two weak links in line up….How many teams go legit 7 deep?
Then factor in a top 5-7 rotation and a top 5 pen.
And I trust DB to get what needs to be got before the trade deadline.
I understand who’s not in the line-up that might/will be at some point, but that’s who we’re rolling with for the short term. Peña as a leadoff guy could work out well, but that’s kind of a crapshoot, and there don’t seem to be any good alternatives if it doesn’t.
The fact that Dubon is even starting bothers me. They know what he offers, and it isn’t much, so why not give Hensley that spot to begin with and see if he has what it takes?
I don’t know what to think about Meyers, but I sure wouldn’t have a long leash with him, either. Even if one of those other guys does replace him, both are unproven at this level and are going to have some struggles.
McCormick is likely the same as he was last year. If we get post-trade Maldonado, then things look OK, but if not, we could find ourselves in kind of a bad spot after two months without Altuve. We really need Brantley back in the lineup by the end of April.
The “Dubon thing”….100% Dusty.
That is old school give the more experienced guy first shot……it won’t last long….if it does it’s because he’s actually hitting the ball.
It would not surprise me to see DB strap a rocket to Gilbert’s A$$ and actually see him up with the big boys this year….apparently he’s been crushing in the minor league spring games.
Starting at high A and I would bet he is at AA before June….Honestly, a lot of the guys at AA have better sh/T than the guys in AAA.
Would not shock me if he made the jump from AA to MLB.
Yeah, I think we’ll find the pieces. My point was that our opening day lineup is a long way from where we want to be, unless our pitchers are all throwing up zeros every game. We may actually see a return of small ball with those bottom 4. 
Hopefully we are playing Yordan in the OF more often than not, especially until Uncle Mike gets back.
You have four guys at the bottom that can’t hit their way out of a paper sack
Korey Lee and Justin Dirden didn’t make the Astros roster. I’m surprised.
Read above for explanation on Dirden.
Also, Yainer can play LF, 1B and obviously C….look for he and Yordan to swap back and forth.
Don’t you remember?! Dubon gained 20 LB’s!!! Three of it was even muscle.
He plans on hitting his singles every fifth AB much harder.
I agree, which is why I said that a “fast start” as Coog51 mentioned, wasn’t a given.
Game day!!! I will be there!!!
Jealous.
I usually don’t get to the park until June….sucks
Same here. 
I actually think I’ve made every Opening Day since the last year in the Dome, except for the COVID year.
It costs too much, but whatever - always a good time.
It’s been a looooong time since I’ve been to an opening day. Fortunately, I was invited to one of the party decks in center field. I’ll be far away from the game, but I’ll be in the building.
I’ve always wanted to try those out - looks like fun up there.
It is. We were up there for game 1 of the Seattle series.
Thinking about opening day. My dad used to take me back in the Dome. I was there when Stevie Ray Vaughn did his horrible National Anthem. He was blitzed out of his mind and could barely walk.
Just heard that Verlander is on the IL.
Wow, I think the Mets way overpaid for him. He was not Justin Verlander at the end of the season.
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