Houston Astros: Three bold postseason roster predicitions

2. Evan Gattis over Max Stassi

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I extensively talk a lot about Evan Gattis in my fan blog on him, The White Bear Chronicles. And yes, some have accused me of having some bias towards him over other players in certain instances.

Well, I have some merit and methods to my madness. Here’s why:

Fangraphs.com still lists Gattis has having a 106 wRC+ and an offensive WAR of about 0.5 as of this writing. Not that sexy, I admit. It’s also true that his overall average and OPS leave quite a bit to be desired. Although, he is technically still an above average hitter.

The resurgence of Tyler White has also complicated the bear’s playing time in the past month. Realistically, the shark has just been more consistent. That becomes more and more evident every game that he plays. It could also signify, dare I say it, the end of Evan Gattis’ time as a Houston Astro. (You can imagine how painful it was for me to type that.)

Nevertheless, even a player as good as Tyler White can have slumps at the plate. For this reason, and also the harsh reality that injuries can still take place around and even during the postseason, I submit that BOTH Gattis and White make the postseason roster.

Honestly, you’re not going to sit the guy who still currently ranks second on the team behind Alex Bregman in both home runs and RBI. That’s Evan Gattis, for those that weren’t aware.

Meanwhile, Max Stassi will be the odd man out. With Brian McCann back and Martin Maldonado making great strides since being acquired, there is no need for a third catcher. In the event an emergency happens to both, you can still put Gattis behind the dish. Contrary to some opinions, he can actually still catch.

Again, no knock on Stassi. He has been an incredible asset to this team in the absence of BMac. However, he will end up being an odd man out for the postseason roster in 2018.