Monday Morning Hot Links

The Astros will officially not play in the wild card game this season! If you would like to catch the full audio recording of the Astros afterparty where Steve Sparks goes trademark bonkers in the celebrating clubhouse, you can find the whole thing right here.

If you like photography, maybe this form of media will suit your needs.

As for the game itself, it went just about as normal as you would think. The Astros dropped 13 at home on the pour guests and absolutely dominated in every facet of the game. George Springer also had his first 3 home run game of his career. The next important game is October 12th. Mark your calendars.

In celebration of the year that was, here is the Top 10 Astros Moments of 2019.

Also to celebrate how awesome our team is, here is a fun refresher of when Trevor Crowe was hitting 3rd in our favorite real life baseball team, to remind us how far we've come.

Back to fun stats about the 2019 Astros, they do, in fact, have the best offense since the '27 Yankees. I'd argue they have the best offense of all time considering half your beer league softball team could probably hit a 1927 mlb pitcher's fastball with 400 innings and a gnarly case of yellow fever under his belt, but I digress.

Could the Astros make the first end-of-awards sweep this season?

Alleged-fully-functional-pitcher-this-time Brad Peacock is back just in time for playoffs and baby, that's real good.

Here is the rotation for the remainder of the regular season, which also includes a floating of an idea that involves Urquidy making the playoff roster over Wade Miley. Because. You know..

Altuve called his 30 HR season "a dream come true"

Larry Dierker reminisced about the "great ride" he has had with the Astros.

Astros v. Twins ALDS. What would that matchup look like? How sick would Flick Nickem feel if he had to actively root against Marwin Gonzalez. Time may soon tell..

Forrest Whitley was awesome in his AFL debut, which is a very good sign.

New words were added to the dictionary recently for 2019. Words like "fatberg", "fabulosity", "aphantasia", and more.

Indiana University students, because I'm sure it's getting old for them to always watch their sports teams lose all the time at this point, decided to take up a new pastime that doesn't revolve around a whole lot of competition but I'm sure just as much fun: making giant paper mache things!

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Ever since I have taken over the Hot Links, the Astros have outscored their opponents 36-1. No problem everyone.

The Astros won 15-1 last night, and then hit some baseballs incredibly long distances. Here is a recap of some of the good ones.

To go along with this, the Astros have, yet again, set even more records following THIS evening's pummeling.

Yordan Alvarez has now played just a little over half a season and has broken the Astros rookie record for home runs.

Speaking of Yordan, it seems as if Hinch really wanted him on the roster over White, Marisnick, or Kemp at the start of the season.

Alex Bregman has been a madman since August.

The Astros are selling some seats they are removing in the offseason, if you want to spend probably an unnecessary money on a chair. 

Should the Astros be worried at how the back end of the rotation looks going into October?

Here is a look inside some of the crazy numbers the 2019 Astros offense has put up this season, including an updated stat mentioned in the article after tonight's beatdown.

Chandler Rome has injury updates for both Yuli and Carlos and their potential returns. Also, Lance McCullers has began throwing on a mound. (here is Lance McCullers throwing off the aforementioned mound)

Jake Kaplan reports Urquidy may be a key contributor going into the 2020 season ($).

Breaking-T has released a new Astros-themed shirt, this time for Gerrit Cole.

Larry Dierker is going to be inducted into the Houston Baseball Media Hall of Fame on September 22nd.

A Portland man is facing ten total criminal charges after he stole a dump truck full of gravel and spilled it all over the interstate trying to shake police

It looks as if vinyl records are going to pass CD sales for the first time in 33 years.

Saturday Morning Hot Links

*Okay, it's a little busier than I expected. So let's start here:

*Jose Altuve won the 5th Silver Slugger Award of his career. Astros Silver Sluggers, franchise history:

-Jose Altuve: 5
-Craig Biggio: 5
-Jeff Bagwell: 3
-Jose Cruz: 2
-Moises Alou: 1
-Glenn Davis: 1
-Morgan Ensberg: 1
-Mike Hampton: 1
-Carlos Lee: 1
-George Springer: 1
-Dickie Thon: 1

*Dallas Keuchel went on Fox Business yesterday to talk about investing in some company that makes disposable equipment to deal with sweat. Oh, and the Yankees:
For the right opportunity, I would happily shave this beard off...The lure of the city would be really cool. I like pitching in Yankee Stadium...I am hoping there's more teams then (sic) just a couple. I think everybody is in play right now.

/Hard, heavy sigh

*Larry Dierker says, of the loss of Keuchel, McCullers, and (possibly) Morton:
If you're not worried, you're stupid.

*Mike Petriello takes a look at five pitchers right in the Astros' wheelhouse who could use a little Stromming: Sonny Gray, Trevor Cahill, Garrett Richards, Drew Pomeranz, Jeremy Hellickson. Click the link for the rationale.

*In the wake of the departures of Sig Mejdal and Mike Fast, the Astros have restructured their research & development department. Among the hires:

-Ehsan Bokhari, who will lead the department, and comes from the Dodgers.
-Sarah Gelles, who will be the new program manager, and spent the last three seasons as Baltimore's director of analytics.

*Jake Kaplan writes in The Athletic about J.B. Bukauskas, a car wreck, and a season saved.

*Alex Bregman left a $500 tip as part of a YouTube channel in which he apparently focuses on delivering random acts of kindness.

*Randy Cesar, who had a Texas League record-breaking 42-game hitting streak, is now a free agent. Former Astros Greats also on the Minor League Free Agent list: Jake Buchanan, Preston Tucker, L.J. Hoes, Fernando Rodriguez, Asher Wojciechowski, Brett Oberholtzer, Kevin Comer, Kevin Chapman, Tyler Heineman, Harold Arauz, David Rollins, Rhiner Cruz.

*Get to know the next Japanese free agent, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

*Joe Mauer retired yesterday, ending a 15-year career with Minnesota. His numbers are Nice: .306/.388/.439. MVP award. Five Silver Sluggers. Six-time All-Star. But are those numbers Hall of Fame-worthy?

-His 2123 hits would be the fewest for a Hall of Famer elected since 2006, when Gary Carter and his 2092 hits were inducted. Mike Piazza was elected in 2016 with 2127 hits.

-His 143 home runs would be the fewest since Wade Boggs and his 118 home runs were inducted in 2005.

Those are just dashboard numbers. Consider that Mauer's 49.2 fWAR is the highest among catchers since his debut in 2004, and it's not even close:
1. Mauer (49.2)
2. Buster Posey (38.2)
3. Yadier Molina (37.9)

By Jay Jaffe's JAWS standards, Mauer ranks 7th all-time in MLB history at catcher and has above-average HOF catcher numbers. But even if you are skeptical so far, consider that Mauer was basically the face of the Twins for a generation. And, for me, that should matter in a Hall of Fame case. I want the Hall of Fame to represent the best of the game for each team (an argument I made in favor of Jeff Bagwell's candidacy), and Mauer absolutely does that. So for me, is Joe Mauer a Hall of Famer? Yes.

*Inside the booming business of background music.

*A musical selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

The Astros managed to hold on despite the best efforts of umpire Clint Fagan to sweep the A's 6-5. Evan Gattis homered twice to become the first Astro with 30 home runs in a season since Chris Carter in 2014. In fact, here is a complete list of Astros to hit 30+ homers since 2007:

1. Chris Carter, 2014
2. Evan Gattis, 2016

Gattis:
Just trying to finish strong...You don't want to limp out of the season. You kind of want to sprint, you know? 

*Hinch, on the win:
We're really taking this one game at a time, which is the worst cliche you can use at this time of year, but it's the reality of how we show up every day....We know if we win, good things can happen to us. 

Here's how the Wild Card race looks now:
Toronto: 83-69 (+1)
Baltimore: 82-70 (-)
Detroit: 80-70 (-1)
Houston: 81-71 (-1)

*FanGraphs has the Astros' odds at 28%. FiveThirtyEight has it at 36%. This is remarkable

*Worth noting that George Springer - who has admittedly had a down year - is really struggling in the 2nd half:
1st Half: .262/.359/.473, 19HR, .302 BABIP
2nd Half: .234/.346/.415, 9HR, .306 BABIP

August: .246/.360/.412
September: .200/.326/.373

But that was a pretty sweet slide to score a run yesterday.

*Colby Rasmus had a remarkable interview yesterday with the Chronicle on why he's not playing as much down the stretch. Rasmus:
I just haven't been feeling like myself out there on the field, so I just felt that it may be better for somebody else to get in there. (Tony Kemp) got in there and did something cool. Just taking a little breather...I just don't feel that I can get out there and do as good a job as somebody else. So I don't think that it's fair for them or fair for the team for me to try to just get out there if I'm not feeling like I can get the job done. 

I've never heard anything like this from a player before. This goes to the very heart of something I've wrestled with: if you're struggling, is it more admirable to try to play through it - hurting your team in the process - or do you have an obligation to take the field every time you're called upon, regardless of how it turns out.

*MLB overturned one of the error calls on Altuve last week, to give him 203 hits on the season.

*FanGraphs: The Astros gave the Rangers a quality outfielder named Carlos Gomez. Pro tip: Don't read this.

*Hardball Times: Jose Altuve and the quest for .400.

*Preston Tucker had surgery on his shoulder blade, ending a season of pain. Hinch:
It bothered him a little bit in the Minor Leagues before he got called back up, and he was able to tolerate it as long as he didn't swing and miss or have an awkward swing.

Oh, okay. Tucker should be ready for Spring Training.

*David Paulino has been added to the Arizona Fall League roster.

*Happy birthday, Carlos Correa and Larry Dierker:

For Carlos Correa's 22nd birthday... Here's a spray chart of all his base hits. Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/dDSDI6dhYn

— Daren Willman (@darenw) September 22, 2016

*An oral history of Vin Scully.

Order has been restored to the universe

Let's see. Since this happened, the following has taken place:

*Astros give up 11 runs in an inning.
*Carlos Corporan gets hit with a foul ball, putting him on the 7-Day DL.
*Jake Elmore has to catch.
*Jake Elmore then has to pitch.
*Max Stassi comes up, gets a hit, wanders off second base for no good reason.
*Travis Blackley pitches well.
*Back-up catcher Max Stassi gets first RBI by getting hit in the face by Tanner Barfight Scheppers.
*Astros lose on walk-off, getting swept by Texas.

So now, as the Blue Jays come to town, we need to restore order...

Dierker's back!

2nd day on the job, and Reid Ryan has mended the fence with Larry Dierker. The Astros announced today that Dierker will be a Special Assistant to the President, serving as a goodwill ambassador and advising Reid Ryan.

Notes from the Reid Ryan Press Conference

A few things to takeaway from this Reid Ryan Press Conference:

*Ryan:
If we take care of the fans, the fans will take care of us.

*Ryan:
Baseball is Jeff's department. I'm here to support him. If Jeff wants my advice, I'll give it.

*Jim Crane is meeting with Larry Dierker on Monday.

*Crane on Ryan:
He'll be holding most of the press conferences, not me, and I'm very happy about that.

Reid Ryan has signed a three-year contract with Jim Crane and the Astros. Crane:
It's just a standard deal. Gives him some security. Lets family get focused in the community. We'll certainly work beyond that. I've seen him in action. I've seen how good he is and that's why I wanted him.

Comparing the 2012 Astros' Position Players to the League Average

After meeting Bill Brown, Jose Altuve, Brett Wallace, and J.R. Richard on Friday, I was intoxicated by the small taste of that which I have been craving since the end of last season. Baseball. It was my first experience meeting major league personnel in any capacity, (other than running in to Larry Dierker at Larry's Big Bamboo), and it left an impression on me to say the least.

Bill Brown asked my name and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear like a 10 year old. It brought back the nostalgia of walking into the Astrodome when I was a kid, memories of orange folding chairs with huge cushions, and up close views of Kevin Bass and Jose Cruz at the plate seen through binoculars. I was young and simply enjoyed being there; a fan of the spectacle not yet involved in the love affair to come. It reminded me of an innocence that I will never have again. But part of that innocence lives on every season in positivity of possibility. It had me so ready for the season to begin that it was hard for me to look back at last year, a year that was the lowest of lows in the Astros' franchise relative to the major league club. But I did look back, and with an eye to the average player.

Recently I came across the numbers of the league average slash line of batting average/on base percentage/and slugging for every defensive position aside from pitcher from the 2012 season. Most people hear the word average and think not very good, but in the baseball world average is actually pretty good. These numbers are a compilation of at bats from anyone who played the position and swung the bat. Some of the numbers I have put together are slightly skewed by the fact I could no locate a position per at bat break down. So I had to lump in some players total at bats for one position, even though they contributed at multiple spots. However, the biggest chunks of AB's for each position were accounted for accurately, so that the numbers should only be slightly skewed.

C
League: .248/.318/.400
Houston:  .234/.313/.386
The catching platoon of Snyder and Castro were fairly close to league average last season. However, Snyder hit a lowly .176 compared to a .257 average from Jason Castro and a .269 average from limited ab's from Carlos Corporan. So if Castro can have more plate appearances this year and Corporan can provide as a serviceable back up, Houston should have a better showing at the catching position in 2013.

1B
League: .262/.336/.442
Houston: .266/.306/.428
Although I was not able to identify every AB at every position, I was able to only include the Houston at bats from players who were traded during the season. Carlos Lee, B. Wallace, and Scott Moore made up the majority of the AB's I used for the 1B position. Moore out slugged and got on base at a higher clip than Wallace and Lee but Lee hit for a better average than the Wallace and Moore. Wallace and Moore had similar averages and each out slugged Caballo. Overall probably a similar showing at the 1B position in 2013, depending on how much 1B Pena plays and if and when Singleton is called up. Probably higher slugging, similar OBP, and lower average.

2B
League: .257/.318/.383
Houston: .239/.286/.309
The majority of AB's came from Jose Altuve at the 2 bagger spot last year, but not all as Altuve did miss some time due to injury last year. These numbers are below average and well below average in the slugging department. If Altuve can stay healthy, these numbers probably look better.

3B
League: .266/.327/.427
Houston: .268/.329/.418
Surprisingly solid numbers at the 3b position last year. Between Chris Johnson's .276/.329/.428 and Matt Dominguez's .273/.310/.477 lines, the numbers look pretty good. But when you include the lines of Steve Pearce and Brandon Laird the average and slugging dip. Though Dominguez will likely not slug at a rate of .477 the 3rd base position could have another nice showing in 2013.

SS
League: .257/.318/.378
Houston .241/.296/.408
The only category where Houston' short stops performed above league average was in the slugging department, and a healthy Jed Lowrie, yes healthy, means the possibility of a similar result from the SS position in 2013.

LF
League: .261/.326./431
Houston: .227/.284/.356

CF
League: .265/.330/.418
Houston: .220/.303/.360

RF
League: .262/.327/.434
Houston: .220/.305/.406

The 3 outfield positions were where Houston really suffered last year, in all categories. It is pretty brutal to look at. The main silver lining I can see is the possibility of a higher slugging percentage provided by a full season of JMax and Fernando Martinez, who slugged 427 and 466 respectively. Take away Brian Bogusevics slash line of 203/310/229 and things are already looking better. A repeat of productivity from the outfield in 2013 would be tragic.

Here's to pitchers and catchers reporting in 2 weeks and to positivity of possibility.

Dierker, Ashby rumored to join broadcasting team

Larry Dierker, Alan Ashby, and Steve Sparks have been linked to the vacancies in the broadcasting booth for 2013, according to David Barron - who says the booth will have at least one player with major league experience.

Ashby works for the Blue Jays, and Steve Sparks has a full-time job in mortgages (take a second and let that sink in) in addition to work with the company formerly known as Fox Sports Houston.

Dierker, however, that's an interesting one. Take it away, David Barron:
Dierker, whose tenure with the ballclub dates to the Colt .45s as player, manager and broadcaster, could be a candidate if it works within the team's budget.

If it works within the team's budget. The team's. Budget. To take the wording of Barron's article quite literally, the team whose largest financial commitment for 2013 is $5m to the Pirates for Wandy Rodriguez might not have the financial flexibility to hire a color analyst.

We also find out in that article that Milo will be calling "a few games" each year.

Monday Morning Link Dump

While You Were Drinking: here's your Monday Morning Link Dump...

The Astros are beginning the managerial search immediately. Meanwhile, minor league hitting instructor Ty Van Burkleo is the interim hitting coach, and special assistant to the GM Dan Radison (formerly in the Cardinals' organization) is the interim first-base coach.

The hope is to have a manager in place by November, and a short list of names has already been compiled.

Luhnow, on the timing:
"It was about a week ago that we made a decision that we weren't going to renew Brad for next year," Luhnow said. "Once that decision was made, in thinking through the logic, it made sense to make these changes sooner rather than later, not have a lame-duck administration really."

Brad Mills seemed to be relieved by his firing.

Luhnow:
But there's something to be said for sticking to a plan. And sometimes sticking to it can be harder than figuring out what the right plan is."

Dierker:
"I like the philosophy. I wholeheartedly endorse the process. I don't know if it will work. (Luhnow) doesn't know if it will work. It all depends on if these guys get better. If they already were better, you couldn't get three of them for one major league player."

Jeff Gordon, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, of course, had some things to say. When he quoted DeFrancesco's desire to help move the Astros in the right direction:
Yeah, well, good luck with that. Real progress is at least a few years away.

Maury Brown has a post in Baseball Prospectus about Jim Crane, the Astros, and payroll:
What the Astros really are is three seasons into a five-year rebuilding plan that’s certainly going to need more than five years to come to fruition...

Qs, As with Larry Dierker

Coming up on February 27, Larry Dierker will host the Reader Cup, a golf tournament to benefit Literacy Advance of Houston. Astros County had the opportunity to ask him some questions. So you better get out there and play some golf - or it will be obvious that you don't like reading, or people.

AC: 1998 was your 2nd full season as manager of the Astros, after going 84-78 (good enough to win the Division) in 1997. What were the most important lessons you learned, going from the 1997 season into 1998?

LD: The most important lesson was to be patient when things weren't going so well (although that seldom happened in 98. It happened a lot in 99) . And the other thing was that with our power/speed attack, bunting and using the hit-and-run were not as effective as just stealing when we could and slugging away.

AC: The amazing thing for me, looking at that 1997 team, is that only two players - Biggio (.916) and Bagwell (1.017) - had an OPS over .800. As you reflect on the 1997 team, what were you most excited about, leading into 1998?

LD: First of all, the pitching improved enough in 97 to allow us to win the division with only 84 wins. Most of our important pitchers were still in their prime or even approaching their prime at that time. I thought we would continue to pitch well, and I really got excited when we got Moises Alou and Carl Everett because I knew we would have a more potent offense.

AC: Heading into 1998, the pitching staff was undergoing a transition: Darryl Kile would head to Colorado via Free Agency, Jose Lima would be moving from the bullpen into the rotation. As a former pitcher, what were your thoughts on your pitching staff at the beginning of the season?

LD: I was worried about Lima. He was no Darryl Kile. But he didn't know it. He reminded me of something Mark Twain reportedly said, "All you need in life is ignorance and confidence and you will surely succeed." His stuff was mediocre but he wasn't afraid to throw strikes, which worked well in the Dome. It didn't work well at Enron, and once he lost the confidence, it didn't work anywhere.

AC: At the end of April, the Astros were 17-10 (still the most April wins in franchise history), but ended the month tied with the Brewers (16-9) for 1st, and a game ahead of the Cardinals. The team wouldn't relinquish its hold on 1st for the rest of the season. At what point did you know the 1998 team was special?

LD: I knew the team was special on opening day. But, I also knew that special teams sometimes don't fulfill their promise. Even before we got Randy Johnson near the end of July, I was pretty sure we would win the decision. With him, I thought we'd go all the way. Then came Kevin Brown. As they say, on any given day...

AC: The turning point of the season - and one of the most exciting days in Astros history - was July 31, 1998, when the Astros traded Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and John Halama to the Mariners for Randy Johnson. Were you aware that Hunsicker was going for Johnson, and what was the reaction in the clubhouse when word came down about the trade?

LD: Everyone was excited about getting Randy, but he was not having a great season in Seattle. We knew he would help us, but never dreamed he'd go 11-1.

AC: You won eight straight games from September 5-12, and then finished the season 6-7. What was the feeling in the clubhouse leading up to the postseason?

LD: Clinching early can be a problem. The veterans want and need rest, but they don't want to get rusty. Still, when they play with nothing on the line, it's not the same as when you're trying to clinch. Still, we were confident we would beat the Padres and, for that matter whomever we played in the NLCS. Randy hadn't lost a game, had only given up a few runs in all his starts in the Dome. The bench guys got to play a lot during the last two weeks and I think that helped their confidence too.

AC: In the post-season against the Padres, the Astros fell 3-1. Looking back, how do you feel about that 1998 team?

LD: The '98 team was the greatest Astros team ever in terms of total wins. But we weren't as well balanced as the '86 team. Our pitching wasn't quite as good and weren't as well balanced as that team offensively. We had both speed and power, but didn't have many left-handed hitters. We weren't very good at playing "little ball." and that's what you have to do sometimes against the league;s top pitchers, which are usually the ones you face in post season.

AC: On February 27 you'll host the Larry Dierker Golf Classic, benefiting Literacy Advance of Houston. Obviously you're very involved in charitable works around the city - what does Houston mean to you?

LD: I do a lot of charity work because I have the time. My favorite charity is Literacy Advance of Houston. It is an adult education agency and am a volunteer there. We have a diverse city and that is one of Houston's great attractions. But we are way too diverse at the bottom end of the literacy scale. Adult illiteracy is a problem everywhere, and an even bigger problem here. It is a contributing factor in joblessness, homelessness, broken families and crime. Every time we get a person educated, it opens up their world and makes our world better. More importantly, it also improves their kid's chances for success in school. So we not only enhance the lives of the people we teach, but also the lives of their children.

Check out Literacy Advance for more information about how you can sponsor, play, or support.

Astros FanFest 2012: Kool-Aid Edition

As I wandered around MMP early Saturday morning, one thought kept sticking out at me "Why does the scoreboard show the AstBros losing 9-7?"

I know that we are a long ways from Opening Day (April 6th) but this can't be a good omen for the upcoming season. Is this just an unfortunate reminder of the final home game of last season? Was anyone even there to see the end of our boys last game?

After some quick checking, they did lose that last game 13-6 to the Cards. So whats the deal? Well...

The Astros finish up their Winter Caravan by pulling into Union Station and trying to obliviate all memories of 2011. There are new faces on the side of the building and new faces on the dais.

I sat down in the first talking baseball session of the morning, fans were greeted by 63 year vet, Milo Hamilton. Milo is a strange cat. He seems to be reinvigorated by the long offseason and is talking three more years. I'm actually surprised my man can still find the stadium, but more power to him. Brett and Dave will be herding cats trying to keep him on topic.

Next to Milo was George Postolos, Jim Cranes right hand man. This is when the Astros started pouring my Kool-Aid. GP came out blasting with his accomplishments, and I think that was the right move. He has a resume most of us dream of, and connections that a man his age should not be able to have. I like knowing the Houston 9 are being led by a guy at his professional peak, not a guy sailing off into the sunset. He still has more to prove and the experience to pull the trigger without peeps questioning him.

GP went on to make some fine points about why Mr. Crane chose to pursue the AstBros instead of other options. The immaculate condition of MMP was a big selling point. It may be weird and have some non-traditional playing conditions but I'll be damned if it doesn't even need touch-up paint. The TV deal that's in place with the HouRox, is only going to get better next year and Houston's economy is in pretty good shape compared to most places.

The main point GP wanted to leave fans with is he wants to invest in becoming the best organization with the best talent. And the first step was identifying a new GM. He looked under every rock, in every cave, went to palm readings and got recommendations from his barber. All roads led to the same guy, Jeff Luhnow, formerly of the Redbirds. Mr. Luhnow was the architect of the Championship team last year, drafting and scouting almost the entire roster and building a pipeline of MiLB talent that gives Baseball Americas pants a rise.
The next step in packing the Juicebox with rabid fans is to find ways to have fun at the ballpark. Everything from free family friendly initiatives to $5 beers and a wine bar, there will be affordable ways to get your Shooting Star swerve on. Side note: I brought my first bottle of water in and used it to wash down a protein bar from home. This made my day. No hot dog and soda in this temple.

When the topic of the dreaded name change came up, GP made it clear that every option in making the fan experience is on the table, and the openness of Mr. Crane to all possibilities and the press needing a good headline combined to make a throw away comment a national news story. In effect, they accomplished a huge objective by gaining attention for all the real iniatives being put in place. How you like them apples?

Next up was the club's 1st choice for leading our organiztion's player evaluation and acquisitions, Mr. Luhnow. Who will be forever pegged the GQGM by Brad Mills after Jeff took a friendly jab at Brad's lack of follicular prowess. My Kool-aid glass is nearly half full at this point. GQGM's resume was already exalted by GP so he dove right into his plans. He'll be in Dominican tomorrow to help out our Latin team and then head onto Kissimmee after that for Spring Training. Did you know he speaks Spanish? Maybe he can tell Carlos to put down the fork in a way he'll understand (At least Dierker agrees with me on that. If you witnessed his diatribe about Carlos, you will not forget it.) GQGM went on to let fans know that 9 players have already reported and doors were opened on Feb. 1st for players to fire it up if so inclined. the caravan was a huge success this year from the standpoint of getting to meet fans and take in all their ideas (Hey guy that want's to abolish the closer role, shut up). Fan interaction is a big objective for the new front office and GQGM is at the front of that wave, using twitter and good old fashioned handshaking. When Mr. Crane returns from Pebble Beach, you can expect the same from him as well. It is a new day.

Mr. Luhnow then went on to promise that the one thing the organization can control from the players is effort. We're going to see guys busting their proverbial tails night in and night out. This is how you win Houston fans hearts, and he really saw that first hand at the Texans playoff game this year. We adore our blue collar guys, and that's what he expects from his players and coaches. We're going to out work and out hustle everyone else.
With 21 rookies last year there were a lot of chances to learn about themselves according to Brad Mills. Losing took its toll on the group and he wants all the guys to remember how it felt to get bent over a barrel repeatedly, learn from history and all that.

This group of guys has a couple all-stars waiting to break out and with the addition of select free agents and the #1 overall draft pick , there will be an influx of talent and open competition at almost every spot. While having the top spot in the draft is a blessing this year GQGM does not want it to ever happen again. they'll be spending more than every other team on the draft and trying to keep up in international signings. All these pieces will give us the ability to trade for established talent when the time comes. My glass is getting full.

Coach Brad Mills was the last guy on the stage to get a turn at the mic, and he used it to talk about the competitions going into this season. There are 61 Bros headed to camp and a few extra MiLB catchers to spell the 4 ML invites. (I spied Chris Snyder signing today, that's a big dude. Looks like a masher.) Coach Mills is excited to add some proven ML players like Jack Cust, Zach Duke and Livan Hernandez but the name that came up all day from everyone was Jed Lowrie. They are expecting huge things from him and Mills also believes we have a unscratched lotto ticket with Fernando Martinez. I love the optimism this time of year.

Some final notes from the day:

-We will be teaching winning at every level. the expectation is to develop talent while winning. Will effect player choices in free agency and the draft.

-Brad Mills reads Jerry Maxwell books on leadership.

-CBA changes this offseason are positive for Astros

-GQGM is off the market ladies. He recently got hitched. Congrats

-The first Astroline guest (of February) will be Jim Crane. I'll be listening for sure.

-Altuve got 900 AB's between all the leagues last year. Had to get him to take a short break before spring.

-Coaches have been given player capsules that contain Bio's, Headshots, Video and career stats for their meetings Feb. 18-19.

-Expect CJ, Bogusevic and Wallace to get every chance to win jobs outright.

-Bud Norris has matured into a staff leader, and has my vote to be the Opening Day starter. Used this offseason to mentor young gun Jarred Cosart. That's time well spent Bud.

-Bud wants to be a lifelong Astro, loves Houston

-Bud is inspired by Roy O and how he evolved as a pitcher throughout his career, and hopes to emulate his success.

-Bud also had a great line of pitching coaches coming up and credits each one for maximizing his current skill set.

-JD Martinez feels lucky to be at ML already. Once he got his confidence it was only a matter of time before he hit his way to Houston.

-JD's mom is the President of his fan club and keeps him humble while getting him interactions with fans.

-JD's unique batting stance is a product of evolution over many years. It is not an imitation of anyone as most believe.

-Larry Dierker's fondest baseball memory was the ceremony for the all-Astrodome team before the final game in 1999. 30 minutes of baseball heaven.

-LD is excited about a uniform change and mentioned all former designs are being considered, even the navy and gold.

-John McMullen's wife hates the color orange. That was the reason we abandoned the Rainbow look. Crazy.

-Flashback Friday's guarantee throwbacks including batting helmets and hats all season. There will be 2 jersy giveaways and the rest will be available for purchase.

-The Walk of Fame will be opened this year honoring all players with their numbers retired and Milo and Gene Elston as well. Plaques will be placed outside MMP.

Play ball kids! $15 for 5 swings on the field was a great way to raise money for the Urban Youth Academy. But not having kids bats was a huge mistake. I saw a 40 pound girl try and swing a 34 inch piece of maple out of necessity.

So about that losing scoreboard. It was probably an omen after its all said and done, but I'll be happy to see us go down swinging. It feels like 1962 or 1991 in Houston right now and thats not a bad thing.

Before I walked back to truck, I slammed that glass of Kool-aid down, and it was good. Baseball season is here and I'm ready to live-blog. Who's coming with me?

Et tu, Dierker?

Larry Dierker's new column for MLB discusses how awesome Nolan Ryan is (this comes on the heels of Richard Justice's hero worship of Lance Berkman), but has an odd closing note:

Up until the last five years or so, I've been a National League guy all the way. But there is no line between the leagues now, no reason to be loyal. There's no National or American League baseball, no National or American League umpires. With Interleague Play, there's no mystique about the other league. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. I guess the only thing I like about one-world baseball is that I don't have to feel guilty in hoping the American League wins the World Series.

Even Dierker can't explain Martinez

Larry Dierker spent some time thinking about J.D. Martinez:

Watching him, I can't explain it. Martinez has an odd stutter step in his swing. And he takes it when the pitcher starts his delivery -- too soon. What's more, he holds his hands too far from his right shoulder, which elongates his swing. He shouldn't be able to hit like that. But I guess nobody told him.

Still, haters gon hate:
There is just one thing that's bothered me. As a former pitcher, I wondered why Martinez is playing in the outfield. He'll never be better than average out there.

Jamie Quirk said Martinez is not playing the infield because the Astros are concerned about his knee, and Dierker seems to like the idea of Martinez taking over the 3B spot from Paredes/Johnson, with Paredes moving to the outfield, thanks to his speed. What do you think?

Larry Dierker outlines what the Astros need

And it's not pretty. It's a big ol' piece, so we won't take too much from it, but it does address the need to trade Pence:

But if the Astros don't improve quickly, Pence and Bourn won't be prime-time players when the team comes together. And in the meantime, the team will have to face the prospect of re-signing them when they become eligible for free agency.

The biggest problem the Astros will face in rebuilding the team is the paucity of Major League-ready prospects. In the Astros' organization, if you are young and ready for the show, you are already in Houston.

Larry Dierker has some thoughts on Happ

Here's a good column from Larry Dierker about J.A. Happ and what he's doing wrong.

Dierker:
If I were managing a team that was facing him, I would instruct my hitters not to swing at anything but a fastball right down the middle until he threw at least one strike. That's what the Marlins did and it worked pretty well...

...So, how do you avoid walking so many batters if you don't have good control? You stop throwing a wide variety of pitches and concentrate on two or three.

Dierker: Screw Spring Training, it's too long

Larry Dierker has a "Spring Training is too long" column on MLB.com:

I think every team could be ready to go in a month. Players are generally in better shape when they arrive in Spring Sraining than they were in my day. Most teams have offseason training programs to make sure they can hit the ground running in February. Agonizing over which players to cut and which to keep isn't really necessary. It seems like a big deal, and it gets a lot of print in the last week of spring training, but by the time May comes around, most teams have sent some guys down and brought others up anyway.

Some compelling arguments here, but I disagree if only to note that I would have been ready to rampage if baseball hadn't "started" today. Waiting another couple of weeks would have been like waiting for Christmas 25 years ago.

Dierker has 9000 words on trading Roy Oswalt

Larry Dierker's routine post for MLB.com discusses the ins and outs of trading Roy Oswalt, and doesn't understand what all the fuss is about:

If you trade for Oswalt, you pay the price in the player(s) you lose, and also in salary. But Roy still has another year on his contract and he is having a great year. If you really like him, are confident you will contend again next year and are willing to gamble that he will stay healthy, his salary may actually be an advantage...

...Finding a trading partner isn't easy. Most teams have good young players, but don't want to part with them for the same reason the buying team wants them -- they have great talent and don't make much money. If you are selling, you typically need help at specific positions and have to match up with a team that has the type of players you need. The Astros need help in almost every position, which should make it easier to trade Roy.

So JUST DO IT, ALREADY!

Sit down, and let Grandpa tell you a story

Larry Dierker's new article today has some things that you need to remember, young'un:

When I got the manager's job with the Astros in 1997, I often said I didn't want to simply do what everyone else was doing, but do it better. Instead, I wanted to do what everyone else was going to do next, but do it first. I didn't want to use my mop-up men in the bullpen. So I tried to push the starters deeper into the game. Since most hitters of recent vintage have no clue what contact hitting means, I hardly ever employed the hit-and-run play. I did encourage practically every one of our players to steal on their own. But -- and this is a very big but -- I told our hitters to hit away when a runner was stealing. "You're only going to get that fat pitch a few times in a game," I said. "If you get it, swing! Forget the runner!" You'd be surprised how many times I was credited with the masterful use of the hit-and-run play.

We didn't win because I had a crystal ball. We won because we had good players. But I do believe that I anticipated the next cycle, though perhaps prematurely. If the pitchers gain the upper hand again, it will augur a new trend toward speed and defense.

I grew up in L.A., following the Dodgers of the late 50s and early 60s. They won a lot of games with a puny offense. But it was exciting because almost every game was close.

I still remember trying to beat Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton, Claude Osteen, Bill Singer and Tommy John. I also remember 1968.

Good pitching beats good hitting -- period!

This article sets the record for the most implied "Back in my day"s in MLB.com history...

McLane has whooped this team into shape

Huge article this morning from David Barron on the history of the Astros' ownership. It's far too long to pull a couple of money quotes, so we'll go with the close, and you can read it for yourself:

Larry Dierker, on Drayton:
“He has been the best by far. This is the best shape the team has ever been during the course of his ownership.”