Houston Astros: Three options to replace Jose Altuve in the field
By T.A. Mock
Marisnick in center, Springer in right, Reddick in left, Gonzalez at second
Now, we’ve already seen the case to move MarGo to second base. His bat stays in the lineup and he brings very solid defense to second base in Altuve’s absence. However, Hinch may want to shake up strategy entirely after the Red Sox stroked several hits into the outfield in game two.
Hinch could want to field the best defensive lineup possible with Dallas Keuchel taking the mound. Keuchel is one of the best groundball pitchers in the game but the Red Sox are adept at hitting into the gaps, both line drives and grounders.
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In order to combat this and ensure the best defense possible, Hinch could choose to completely reshuffle the outfield. This would mean Jake Marisnick sliding into centerfield and the nine-hole, Springer would shift to right field and stay in the leadoff spot, and Reddick would slide across to left field and likely hit seventh or eighth.
This defensive lineup is filled with A++ arms in all three spots. Marisnick, Springer, and Reddick also all have unbelievable change and nearly anything would be catchable with these guys out there. They would also be able to eliminate a lot of extra bases the Red Sox may try to take.
However, this lineup would suffer offensively. As good as Marisnick is in the field, he is streaky and risky in the batter’s box in a series that has and will see a lot of runs. The defense is a major plus with this lineup but does it make it up enough for the offense?
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To me, the best option is putting MarGo at second base and inserting Kemp in left field. Like I said earlier, this gives the Houston Astros the best combination of offense and defense, especially with adding the lefty matchup Kemp provides.