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Houston Astros: Three options better than Carlos Beltran right now

By James Zeankowski

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - AUGUST 31: Carlos Beltran #15 of the Houston Astros reacts after being hit with a pitch by pitcher Jose Leclerc of the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning of a game on August 31, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - AUGUST 31: Carlos Beltran #15 of the Houston Astros reacts after being hit with a pitch by pitcher Jose Leclerc of the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning of a game on August 31, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

1. Evan Gattis

I’ve been harping on this in my fan blog, The White Bear Chronicles, all season long! When he’s not behind the plate catching, Evan Gattis needs to be inserted into the lineup as DH. There’s just no point to benching him extensively anymore.

September call ups are here for depth. Both Juan Centeno and Max Stassi are available if an injury should happen to Brian McCann, and have proven themselves worthy.

This can free up Gattis to take more reps as DH. Yes, it’s well known that he hits better as a catcher than a DH overall. The split stats on that certainly back that sentiment up. Something about taking your mind off the previous at bat does wonders for the bear.

However, the sad truth is that his playing time has been cut into too much already. Two unfortunate injuries, neither of which were the fault of his own health, dictated that. A.J. Hinch has even spoke out numerous times about the decreased role of the bear this season:

"“I’ve got to work harder to get him some more regular at-bats,” Hinch said. “It’s been hard with the DH spot going to Beltran most of the time. … I know when he warms up and starts getting some hits, the power’s going to come. He can do a lot of damage…."

"“He can really do some damage,” Hinch said. “He’s not getting the playing time that his skill level warrants….I’m trying to get him as many at-bats as we can. When I put him in there, the threat is always there. His damage is really good lately. And that’s not forgotten.”"

When Bears Attack!

Along with the numbers that say he’s not really good in the DH role, there are also numbers on Evan Gattis that show clear evidence of his more disciplined and patient approach to hitting. Just look closely at his situational numbers, courtesy of ESPN.com

It should also be noted that El Oso Blanco has led this Houston Astros club in homers for the past two seasons, and had 32 of them just last year. All since 2015, his first year he arrived in Houston. He also led in RBI with 88 of them. There is so much damage potential with the bear, it is a wonder why his role had to be lessened in 2017.

With Carlos Beltran likely departing next season, the team may need to start handing DH reigns back to Evan Gattis. It would only make sense, seeing is how his contact rate and outs have been far more productive that Carlos Beltran overall, anyway. Let’s hope the team does not continue to make him the forgotten man on the roster.

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