February 18, 2026 • 10 mins
Wednesday on The A-Team, Ross Villarreal shares his top takeaways from Astros Spring Training, and what his expectations are for the club this season.
Listen
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Or as we were driving myself and Matt Thomas to
the Fort Lauderdale Airport where I am in a corner
right now.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Try not to be too loud. Yeah, he's catching.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
I don't know exactly where it's going to go from there.
I mean, we've been through pitching injuries a million times
here in Houston. Of course, eventually he'll start throwing off
a harder off a flat ground than off of a mound.
Then we're gonna get some probably bullpen sessions in live batters,
maybe a rehab stint, who knows. So it feels like
an opening day is going to be a little bit
(00:30):
too far away from Josh for Josh hater, But my
expectation is it's not going to be an extended period
of miss time.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Each time an opportunity is presented to ask Joe or
Dana about it, it appears the same. It's just this
just part of where he is now. The setback took place,
we've moved on from it, and each day he's had
the baseball here in camp. It's only been eight days.
Everything's been fine to where he is. Is that accurate?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, I mean he is walking around in the clubhouse
chatting with the guy. Seemed like everything was pretty normal.
His arm is not in a sling or anything like that,
wasn't wrapped up or you know, he just looks like
he's going about his business and rehabbing as best as
he can and trying to get ready and back with
the Astros as soon as possible. As far as just
I mean, being the guy that he was signed here
to be, that that lockdown hopefully thirty five to forty
(01:16):
saved type of closer.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We were talking about this earlier at length because we
didn't we didn't really visit it yesterday when Joe's spot
had talked about it, but the automated balls and strike
system and specifically the fact that Joe Aspata, which I
don't know if a lot of teams will handle it
this way. He went out of his way to say, look,
I think the catcher is going to be the guy
that you know puts forth a challenge in any given
(01:39):
situation where they think that something needs to be challenged.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
What do you think about that particular aspect of it?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
And I told WEX this, I feel like this is
getting buried because there's all these other subplots for the
Astro season specifically coming into spring training.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, I mean, it's certainly something was talked about, especially
at length and Joe Aspota's availability yesterday, talked a little
bit about it today as well. They're testing it out
with the hitters, saying who's good and who's not, kind
of like who is going to have more leeway than
maybe some others. He also said he understands guys are
going to be emotional, Guys are going to be competitive,
and you know, sometimes in the heat of the moment,
(02:17):
we all have our biases. We all think call should
have went a certain way when they didn't. But he's
going to try to tell the guys not to be
so emotional, and I think it'll be rare, honestly, if
ever that we see the occasion where a picture is
allowed to be the guy who is going to make
a challenge. I mean, maybe Hunter Brown will get the
green light, But outside of that, it feels like, just
(02:39):
the way that Joe spot has talked about it, that
the pictures don't want to be a part of that.
He doesn't want the pictures to be the challengers because
they are so far away, because they can be so biased.
And Spencer Araghetti, who we had on Monday even told
us like, I think everything is strike so and he's
also somebody, of course who has a lot of movement
and can have late movement on his stuff. So he's
(03:01):
certainly a pitcher who can can have his biases. So
I think it's going to be mostly a situation where
it's going to be Guyaner Diez or says Our Salazar
who's going to be making those challenges. And Joe even
talked about says Ar Salazar having a pretty good challenge
hit rate or success rate, I should say, in triple A.
So they've been picking his brain trying to figure out
(03:22):
the best practices to try to get everybody on the
same page and then try to win these challenges and
find the right moments for them.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
He caught up quite a few people over the course
of the week, even today, Jeremy Pane among them. We're
going to have our listeners catch a portion of that
interview coming up at round five fifteen. Christian Walker also
a player. You caught up with what from the conversation
with him and everybody can catch that in its entirety
at sports stock seven to ninety dot com or certainly
very easily via the iHeartRadio app. Easy to have that
(03:50):
free app, and of course you want to subscribe to
all of our podcasts to get that. What from the
conversation with Christian Walker, if anything was noteworthy in something
that fans would be interested to go back and catch
to listen.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I think he's fine, a little bit under the radar.
I mean, the East Ok paradist thing has been talked about,
but Josel Tuva at second has been talked about as well.
I think Christian Walker is somebody who maybe even in
my mind, has been written off a little bit too
much by Astros fans because he talked about it that
oblique injury. Now, even though he said multiple times he
did not want to make an excuse, but it's the
(04:23):
reality of it is that hampered him. He wasn't being
able to get the swings that he wanted to in
the spring. And as you guys know following baseball for
a long time, any little thing that gets off for
a hitter that can just ruin their entire swing, and
it could ruin it for a long time. So if
you look at the second half numbers where there was
a lot of power in an eight hundred ops that
was the guy that the Astros thought they were getting
(04:46):
when they signed him from Arizona. So I'm buying some
Christian Walker stock. Look at spring training and you want
to buy stock at everyone in spring training. You're always
going to be excited and optimistic. But I truly feel
it with Christian Walker because he just talked about how
he learned so much from last year and he got
so much encourage, a lot of encouragement by the way
(05:06):
that he improved as the year got along. He's got
a full offseason, he's healthy, he's a new papa. We know,
we know how Dad's strength has infused some power into
Astros of the year's past. So I'm buying some Christian
Walker a stock. I do think that oblique Hendrie was
a big part of his first half that it just
wasn't good at all to.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Try to tie that into some of your other visits
with players. I don't know if you're buying Christian Walker
stock with Joey lo Berfdo's Toronto money, because I know
you got into the exchange rate with him.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Very interesting conversation you had.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
But among Joey Loperfido, Cam Smith, Zach Cole, Jake Myers.
You talk to all of them over the last couple
of days. Unless other moves are made, they're basically fighting
for for two spots. There's four of them, and they're
all guys with major league talent, we think in major
league experience to varying degrees. How how would you handicap
(05:56):
that at this point in time and any early impression
just on the dues that they are obviously talking to
Zach Cole at length is something that not many of
us had the chance to do yet.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, Zach Cole was, I mean, just felt mature beyond
his years, the way that he was talking about his
perspective and just kind of going and doing whatever he
can the best way that he can and figure out
things from last year. I would be I'm okay, I'm
not as bullish on Christian as I am on Christian
Walker's talk, because there's just is so much more of
(06:27):
an element of the unknown. Walker, of course a much
more established major leaguer, But Zach Cole was a late
bloomer in high school, he was a late bloomer in college,
and now it seems like he could just be a
late bloomer in the major leagues and Christian Walker is
a guy who can be an example of that who
he wasn't really an established major leaguer until he was
like twenty seven to twenty eight years old, so it
(06:48):
is possible. It can't happen.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I'll tell you.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
He looks strong mentally, he looks very prepared and well
prepared and like he's he's in the right headspace and
all those things. So I'm feeling pretty good about Zach Cole,
Jake Myers. I mean, we kind of know what he
is and who.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
He can be.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
He's got to keep up what he did from last year.
We'll see if he's able to do that, and even
if he's not, he's still going to be an asset
in center field. And then far as Cam Smith, I
just get it just feels like a question mark because
of the flashes we saw. We know the pedigrees there.
I mean, being in front of the dude, he is
just like six foot four built from granted, he's certainly
one hundred percent looks the part. Also seems like he's
(07:27):
got a good head on his shoulders. So I'm hopeful
on all of them. I'd like to buy stock in
all of them and win.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
But I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I don't think that's necessarily going to be the reality.
But I feel like we can kind of just look
through whatever lens we want where we can make this
like all three are going to work out. That's probably
not likely, but it's also not likely that all three
are going to be failures.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Ross Viial chatting a little Astro's spring training with us
here on the eighteen Sports Talk seven to ninety Space
City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Okay, so of the.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
All this guy's asking me if I can take his bags?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Oh? Really?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Did I say yes?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
No? Is that okay? I don't think you're supposed to
do that?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I know.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, that's a that's a full pod. Sorry, yeah, oh
never mind. Did he go away? Yeah? He's gone. All right,
so you're not going viral. You've got a bold head
and glasses. Never trust a guy with a bald head.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Hi, Matt Hey, real quick of the of the starting
pitchers and again emphasis on starting pitching that are either
coming back from an injury or they came back from
one last year and maybe they didn't, you know, look themselves.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Which are you most bullish on? And why is it?
Christian Xavier.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Favier is interesting, l rep. I mean look, uh, both
Dana Brown, I mean, okay, Joe Spawn and Dana Brown
are I'm gonna They're gonna be optimist.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Both both of them were giving high praise to Christian
Xavier and talking about getting him where he needs to be.
I kind of like that as a pick as somebody
who can maybe just get back to that l rep toe.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Form that we know he can be.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I think we're all kind of collectively sleeping on Spencer Arraghedty.
And again I will say that use the head on
the shoulders thing. I mean, he's just so smart, and
he's just so measured, and if he's healthy and he
can go out there and show a little bit more control,
I just feel really good about him as far as
he's got great stuff and then he's gaining more experience
(09:22):
and then he's just I mean, it's such a mental
game as well being a pitcher. So I would key
in him those those two guys, if you're gonna ask.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Me, sounds awesome, And not to mention the fact that
you might actually get double dad strength from Spencer Aarraghetty.
As he goes through eight days of spring training, he
is kidless, but most of this season will be spent
with two little boys at home as his a wife
is about to give birth to twins.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
So that's double dad strength. That's a smart play by you. Ross.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Appreciate your coverage all week, appreciate you joining us today
and very much look forward to you being in studio tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yes, I will see you guys tomorrow. Go Asters. Shere
went on
Or as we were driving myself and Matt Thomas to
the Fort Lauderdale Airport where I am in a corner
right now.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Try not to be too loud. Yeah, he's catching.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
I don't know exactly where it's going to go from there.
I mean, we've been through pitching injuries a million times
here in Houston. Of course, eventually he'll start throwing off
a harder off a flat ground than off of a mound.
Then we're gonna get some probably bullpen sessions in live batters,
maybe a rehab stint, who knows. So it feels like
an opening day is going to be a little bit
(00:30):
too far away from Josh for Josh hater, But my
expectation is it's not going to be an extended period
of miss time.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Each time an opportunity is presented to ask Joe or
Dana about it, it appears the same. It's just this
just part of where he is now. The setback took place,
we've moved on from it, and each day he's had
the baseball here in camp. It's only been eight days.
Everything's been fine to where he is. Is that accurate?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, I mean he is walking around in the clubhouse
chatting with the guy. Seemed like everything was pretty normal.
His arm is not in a sling or anything like that,
wasn't wrapped up or you know, he just looks like
he's going about his business and rehabbing as best as
he can and trying to get ready and back with
the Astros as soon as possible. As far as just
I mean, being the guy that he was signed here
to be, that that lockdown hopefully thirty five to forty
(01:16):
saved type of closer.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We were talking about this earlier at length because we
didn't we didn't really visit it yesterday when Joe's spot
had talked about it, but the automated balls and strike
system and specifically the fact that Joe Aspata, which I
don't know if a lot of teams will handle it
this way. He went out of his way to say, look,
I think the catcher is going to be the guy
that you know puts forth a challenge in any given
(01:39):
situation where they think that something needs to be challenged.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
What do you think about that particular aspect of it?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
And I told WEX this, I feel like this is
getting buried because there's all these other subplots for the
Astro season specifically coming into spring training.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, I mean, it's certainly something was talked about, especially
at length and Joe Aspota's availability yesterday, talked a little
bit about it today as well. They're testing it out
with the hitters, saying who's good and who's not, kind
of like who is going to have more leeway than
maybe some others. He also said he understands guys are
going to be emotional, Guys are going to be competitive,
and you know, sometimes in the heat of the moment,
(02:17):
we all have our biases. We all think call should
have went a certain way when they didn't. But he's
going to try to tell the guys not to be
so emotional, and I think it'll be rare, honestly, if
ever that we see the occasion where a picture is
allowed to be the guy who is going to make
a challenge. I mean, maybe Hunter Brown will get the
green light, But outside of that, it feels like, just
(02:39):
the way that Joe spot has talked about it, that
the pictures don't want to be a part of that.
He doesn't want the pictures to be the challengers because
they are so far away, because they can be so biased.
And Spencer Araghetti, who we had on Monday even told
us like, I think everything is strike so and he's
also somebody, of course who has a lot of movement
and can have late movement on his stuff. So he's
(03:01):
certainly a pitcher who can can have his biases. So
I think it's going to be mostly a situation where
it's going to be Guyaner Diez or says Our Salazar
who's going to be making those challenges. And Joe even
talked about says Ar Salazar having a pretty good challenge
hit rate or success rate, I should say, in triple A.
So they've been picking his brain trying to figure out
(03:22):
the best practices to try to get everybody on the
same page and then try to win these challenges and
find the right moments for them.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
He caught up quite a few people over the course
of the week, even today, Jeremy Pane among them. We're
going to have our listeners catch a portion of that
interview coming up at round five fifteen. Christian Walker also
a player. You caught up with what from the conversation
with him and everybody can catch that in its entirety
at sports stock seven to ninety dot com or certainly
very easily via the iHeartRadio app. Easy to have that
(03:50):
free app, and of course you want to subscribe to
all of our podcasts to get that. What from the
conversation with Christian Walker, if anything was noteworthy in something
that fans would be interested to go back and catch
to listen.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I think he's fine, a little bit under the radar.
I mean, the East Ok paradist thing has been talked about,
but Josel Tuva at second has been talked about as well.
I think Christian Walker is somebody who maybe even in
my mind, has been written off a little bit too
much by Astros fans because he talked about it that
oblique injury. Now, even though he said multiple times he
did not want to make an excuse, but it's the
(04:23):
reality of it is that hampered him. He wasn't being
able to get the swings that he wanted to in
the spring. And as you guys know following baseball for
a long time, any little thing that gets off for
a hitter that can just ruin their entire swing, and
it could ruin it for a long time. So if
you look at the second half numbers where there was
a lot of power in an eight hundred ops that
was the guy that the Astros thought they were getting
(04:46):
when they signed him from Arizona. So I'm buying some
Christian Walker stock. Look at spring training and you want
to buy stock at everyone in spring training. You're always
going to be excited and optimistic. But I truly feel
it with Christian Walker because he just talked about how
he learned so much from last year and he got
so much encourage, a lot of encouragement by the way
(05:06):
that he improved as the year got along. He's got
a full offseason, he's healthy, he's a new papa. We know,
we know how Dad's strength has infused some power into
Astros of the year's past. So I'm buying some Christian
Walker a stock. I do think that oblique Hendrie was
a big part of his first half that it just
wasn't good at all to.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Try to tie that into some of your other visits
with players. I don't know if you're buying Christian Walker
stock with Joey lo Berfdo's Toronto money, because I know
you got into the exchange rate with him.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Very interesting conversation you had.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
But among Joey Loperfido, Cam Smith, Zach Cole, Jake Myers.
You talk to all of them over the last couple
of days. Unless other moves are made, they're basically fighting
for for two spots. There's four of them, and they're
all guys with major league talent, we think in major
league experience to varying degrees. How how would you handicap
(05:56):
that at this point in time and any early impression
just on the dues that they are obviously talking to
Zach Cole at length is something that not many of
us had the chance to do yet.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, Zach Cole was, I mean, just felt mature beyond
his years, the way that he was talking about his
perspective and just kind of going and doing whatever he
can the best way that he can and figure out
things from last year. I would be I'm okay, I'm
not as bullish on Christian as I am on Christian
Walker's talk, because there's just is so much more of
(06:27):
an element of the unknown. Walker, of course a much
more established major leaguer, But Zach Cole was a late
bloomer in high school, he was a late bloomer in college,
and now it seems like he could just be a
late bloomer in the major leagues and Christian Walker is
a guy who can be an example of that who
he wasn't really an established major leaguer until he was
like twenty seven to twenty eight years old, so it
(06:48):
is possible. It can't happen.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I'll tell you.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
He looks strong mentally, he looks very prepared and well
prepared and like he's he's in the right headspace and
all those things. So I'm feeling pretty good about Zach Cole,
Jake Myers. I mean, we kind of know what he
is and who.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
He can be.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
He's got to keep up what he did from last year.
We'll see if he's able to do that, and even
if he's not, he's still going to be an asset
in center field. And then far as Cam Smith, I
just get it just feels like a question mark because
of the flashes we saw. We know the pedigrees there.
I mean, being in front of the dude, he is
just like six foot four built from granted, he's certainly
one hundred percent looks the part. Also seems like he's
(07:27):
got a good head on his shoulders. So I'm hopeful
on all of them. I'd like to buy stock in
all of them and win.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
But I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I don't think that's necessarily going to be the reality.
But I feel like we can kind of just look
through whatever lens we want where we can make this
like all three are going to work out. That's probably
not likely, but it's also not likely that all three
are going to be failures.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Ross Viial chatting a little Astro's spring training with us
here on the eighteen Sports Talk seven to ninety Space
City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Okay, so of the.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
All this guy's asking me if I can take his bags?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Oh? Really?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Did I say yes?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
No? Is that okay? I don't think you're supposed to
do that?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I know.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, that's a that's a full pod. Sorry, yeah, oh
never mind. Did he go away? Yeah? He's gone. All right,
so you're not going viral. You've got a bold head
and glasses. Never trust a guy with a bald head.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Hi, Matt Hey, real quick of the of the starting
pitchers and again emphasis on starting pitching that are either
coming back from an injury or they came back from
one last year and maybe they didn't, you know, look themselves.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Which are you most bullish on? And why is it?
Christian Xavier.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Favier is interesting, l rep. I mean look, uh, both
Dana Brown, I mean, okay, Joe Spawn and Dana Brown
are I'm gonna They're gonna be optimist.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Both both of them were giving high praise to Christian
Xavier and talking about getting him where he needs to be.
I kind of like that as a pick as somebody
who can maybe just get back to that l rep toe.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Form that we know he can be.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I think we're all kind of collectively sleeping on Spencer Arraghedty.
And again I will say that use the head on
the shoulders thing. I mean, he's just so smart, and
he's just so measured, and if he's healthy and he
can go out there and show a little bit more control,
I just feel really good about him as far as
he's got great stuff and then he's gaining more experience
(09:22):
and then he's just I mean, it's such a mental
game as well being a pitcher. So I would key
in him those those two guys, if you're gonna ask.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Me, sounds awesome, And not to mention the fact that
you might actually get double dad strength from Spencer Aarraghetty.
As he goes through eight days of spring training, he
is kidless, but most of this season will be spent
with two little boys at home as his a wife
is about to give birth to twins.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
So that's double dad strength. That's a smart play by you. Ross.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Appreciate your coverage all week, appreciate you joining us today
and very much look forward to you being in studio tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yes, I will see you guys tomorrow. Go Asters. Shere
went on
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!