Czech out the Hooks, and who they're throwing at the Big Club tomorrow

Interesting to see who is playing for the Hooks in the exhibition game tomorrow against the Astros:

Pitchers - Erick Abreu, Douglas Arguello, T.J. Burton, Paul Estrada, Casey Hudspeth, Brad James, Jeremy Johnson, Felipe Paulino, Sergio Perez, Chris Salamida, Rob Semerano, Polin Trinidad, Andy Van Hekken, Chad Wagler

Catchers - Brian Esposito, Lou Palmisano

Infielders - Jhon Florentino, Mark Ori, Drew Meyer, Felix Molina, Chad Spann, Wladimir Sutil

Outfielders - Collin DeLome, Mitch Einertson, Josh Flores, Andrew Locke, Jimmy Van Ostrand

I'm surprised that Polin Trinidad is at Double-A, and Brad James, too. You?

Acknowledging an error

I found out today I have been mis-remembering information. So in the spirit of accountability, I must correct this wrong. In this piece, it's being noted that C4 Lou Palmisano was offered back to the Brewers, who owned his rights. I've been saying he would go back to the Orioles. That's not correct. The Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft, and traded him to the Astros. So he would go back to the Brewers if he didn't make the 25-man roster. Which was expected following Pudge's signing.

So the Astros offered him back to the Brewers, who are all set at catcher, and the Brewers said "No, thank you." Using context clues, Palmisano would have had to decline free agency, and has since been declined by the Brewers. That means the Astros can send him to the minors, where he will most likely head to Corpus Christi.

I'm actually very excited about this. Palmisano wasn't faring well, but is still a catcher in his mid-20s working his way through the system.

Words not designed to make Lou Palmisano feel better

It's part of a larger article about P-ez officially joining the Astros today.

Rodriguez's arrival pushes Humberto Quintero to the backup role and likely means J.R. Towles will start the season at Triple-A Round Rock. Rule 5 draftee Lou Palmisano also has little or no chance to make the club.

I guess McTaggart has been talking to Justice

In a nice little about-face, Richard Justice is singing a slightly different tune.

It goes as such:
1. Pudge is old.
2. The Astros kind of stink.
3. Drayton got nervous about empty seats.

So is Pudge a Band-Aid for a team with a broke neck? Here's the thing - we don't know how this is going to shake out for a few months. Is it interesting? Sure, because it's better than talking about how the Astros haven't won a Spring Training game since February 25. Is it risky? Of course. There may be a very good reason a Boras client wasn't signed until March 16.

Stone cold locks don't go unsigned until March 16. But we just don't know. If maybe we all take a step back and look at this objectively, who would you rather have behind the plate in 2009: Quintero, Towles or Palmisano? Or Pudge? Castro is clearly the catcher of the future (unless he shows up and goes 1x17 in 2010), so this is obviously just a stop-gap, $1.5 million signing until Bobby Heck's farm system kicks in.

Pudge and Towles

A little later, when I can find a little more time, we'll look at the projections for Pudge over Q and Towles. However, faithful Citizen Spruce had this to say:

"I think I like this move. I hope it injects a little life into what seems to be a lifeless team. I wasn't truly excited about any of the four C options coming into camp, so sending them off in different directions doesn't bother me a whole lot.

I do have a question about Towles. If Castro is our guy of the future, what does that mean for JR? Does he become our career Round Rock starter? That sounds thrilling."

I honestly have no idea what it means for Towles. If Quintero struggles, maybe there's a switch. But I think between Quintero and Towles, Towles gets the C3. I do think Easy Eddie couldn't have been happy with his four catchers coming in. It clearly wasn't a best-case scenario. And who I thought would get the C1, Toby Hall, jacked up his arm within 30 seconds of coming to camp.

I do think this means Palmisano is headed back to Baltimore. Remember, because of his Rule 5 status, if he doesn't make the 25-man roster all season long, he goes back to his original team.

I'm with Spruce in that I'm interested in the impact the Pudge signing will have on the Astros. Tomorrow's game will be interesting. If they come out swinging and throw 10 on the board, maybe this is exactly what they needed.

Roy said this:
"It’s going to help us out for sure. Hopefully we can work together a little bit at the end of spring and get going. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. The guy’s got a lot of experience and I think it will work out pretty well for us."

Quintero is back to C2, but at least will not likely be sent to Round Rock, where Towles and Esposito/Santangelo seem to have C3 and C4/C5 on lock-down until Castro (C3a) makes his way through. The fact that the Astros drafted Castro last June shows that they were probably hedging their bets on Towles. At the very least, they've given both Quintero and Castro another year to develop and learn. And honestly, if the difference between a .220-hitting catcher and a .280 hitting catcher is $1.5 million, why the heck not? It's not our money.

And bringing it around to Spruce's question - What does it mean for Towles? Is he trade-bait? I don't know. I doubt it, because clubs wouldn't exactly be buying high. Is his standing within the organization diminished? Absolutely it is. But he'll be the first called up if Pudge or Q gets hurt. It's not an ideal situation for him, but keep in mind, had any of three catchers stepped up and hit some baseballs far and/or at least often, there's no way Pudge signs.

This certainly puts a dent in the "Drayton McLane only wants to make money" argument. Although, if the Astros cut Backe by 2pm April 1, there's your $1.5 million - robbing Brandon to pay Pudge.

Dude, seriously, I'm on a roll here

And speaking of Ridiculoso (a new tag), the Bleacher Report has this article.

Typical stuff: Bourn was bad last year. The rotation is a question. But there are some serious content questions in this article. Let's look:

On Brandon Backe: He gives up too many dingers (31 last year).
Small problem: He gave up 36.

On Felipe Paulino: Has injury concerns but could vault himself onto the big league staff with a good spring. His speed and plus stuff would make him a huge asset.
Small problem: Not this Spring. Has the author been watching?

On Fernando Nieve: He has great control and stuff but has never gotten to showcase it at the big league level. If he's healthy, he'll push for a spot on the roster.
Small problem: Again, I went up and checked to make sure this wasn't written in February.

On Catcher: Palmisano has been impressive and should stick as the backup, but the starting spot is in sorry shape. Humberto Quintero, who's managed to hang around the organization for several years now, is the top option. Quintero isn't much with the bat or behind the plate, but he's a serviceable catcher in the right situation. Towles, who hit so well as a 2007 call-up, is the guy Ed Wade and Cecil Cooper are hoping will surprise them in 2009. After hitting a miserable .137 last year, he's on the cusp of being sent packing his bags. If he can show some of the bat and defense that brought him up in 2007, he will be the starter when Houston breaks camp.
Small problem: What? Yeah, Towles wasn't good, but nobody has been "impressive."

The Race for Round Rock: March 11 edition

In the Race for Round Rock, let's get an update on who's trying to nail down that C3 spot!

Through yesterday's game...

Quintero: 2x16 (.125), 1HR, 2RBI, 1K - .125/.125/.313
Palmisano: 1x11 (.091), 1R, 2L - .091/.182/.091
Towles: 1x12 (.083), 4K, 1BB - .083/.154/.083

Maybe they should be called the "Killer Ls"

Another day, another tail-smokin'. This time, once again, to the Pirates, 11-4.

At least there were seven hits, spread out over seven players: Bourn, Ramirez, Pence, Boone, Newhan, Gall and Palmisano (who started at C and went 1-for-3, with a double).

Five pitchers got in, after Backe went and strained his ribcage:
Hensley: 2IP, 2H, 3ER, 1BB, 1K
de la Vara: 1IP, 4H, 3ER, 1BB, 1K
Paronto: 2IP, 1H, 1BB
James: .1IP, 0H, 4R (1ER), 3BB
Lumsden: .2IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 1K

The Astros made three more errors, this time by Bourn (1), Gall (1) and Sutton (2). And of the Astros' pitchers to throw in more than one game, only Paronto, Geary, Wright and Fulchino have ERAs under 3.00. And seven Astros pitchers have ERAs above 10.00: Lumsden (10.12), Norris (10.38), Nieve (11.25), de la Vara (12.27), Gervacio (13.50), Trinidad (18.00), Hensley (23.62).

However, Easy Eddie says to pump the brakes:
"I've seen teams have tremendous spring trainings and play really poorly out of the chute, and I've seen teams really struggle in Grapefruit League play and hit their stride the last week of the exhibition season and go from there," he said. "Hopefully at some point here in the next week to 10 days, the regulars will play more and stay in games longer and we're trying to get them to the point where they're ready to hit their strides."

This is a good point. Because basically, Corpus Christi and Round Rock are basically 1-8-1 this Spring Training. And about those ERAs, statistics get skewed when you're only talking about an inning here and two innings there.

We can also expect to see more guys get sent to minor league camp this week. Their names will be removed from the sidebar as they come in.

Playing catch up

-Doug Brocail's groin feels better and he made his first appearance of the spring today vs Panama.

-Chris Sampson threw 40 pitches off the mound today and reported feeling no pain...

“I felt good and am on schedule,” he said. “It’s another step. (Manager Cecil Cooper) said he’ll put me back in the general population with all the other guys, which is very exciting. Hopefully I’ll be game ready as soon as possible.”

-Lou Palmisano was sent home with flu-like symptoms...

“I kind of tentatively pushed him back to maybe Saturday to see if he’s OK, and if he is, he’ll start maybe Saturday’s game,”

So how's this catching thing going?

Looking at some Spring Training statistics, which are meaningless until I want them to have meaning, I was curious: Who is making a name for themselves out of our plethora of catchers?

So far...(BA/OBP/SLG)

Quintero: 0x9, 1K. .000/.000/.000
Palmisano: 0x5. .000/.000/.000
Towles: 1x6, 1BB, 2Ks. .167/.167/.286
Santangelo: 0x1, 1BB. .000/.500/.000
Castro: 1x3, 1K. .333/.333/.333

Maybe I shouldn't have been so curious...

Perhaps Cooper thought he would find Palmisano in tears?

To this point, he's looked real good," manager Cecil Cooper said of Lou Palmisano. "He doesn't seem like he's overwhelmed."

"My strength is calling a game, handling pitchers," Palmisano said. "I think the more you catch, you get used to calling a game. Right now, I'm starting from scratch. You've got to learn your guys. I'm trying to get to know the majority of them here, and that will make it easier."

Anthony DiComo - continuing with the happiness - also points out that Quintero is, by no means, assured of C1.

Chat Wrap Wrap with Ricky Bennett

Astros Assistant GM held a live chat with the Chronicle this morning, talking about the Astros' youngsters. Here are some highlights:

-It's not likely Jason Castro will join the Astros this season, but 2010 is more likely.
-The Astros are impressed with Drew Sutton, Chris Johnson, Brian Bogusevic and Bud Norris so far this spring.
-Bogusevic is more likely to start the season in the minors to get consistent at-bats.
-Maysonet, Manzella, Smith, Kata and Newhan are basically competing for the 25th spot on the roster.
-Chris Johnson, defensively, is "major-league ready."
-Manzella's main problem right now is hitting the ball in the air, and then the ball not going farther than the fence. Tommy needs to be more consistent with his knowledge of the strike zone and his ability to make consistent contact.
-The Astros will let the Spring play out before deciding on Towles or Palmisano as Quintero's backup.
-Sergio Perez and Felipe Paulino project to be starters.

Intrasquad highlights

From JJO's notes:

-Lou Palmisano hit a "monstrous" two-run home run off Clay Hensley

-Drew Sutton went 2-for-3 with a home run in the intrasquad game.

“Drew has a great idea at the plate,” manager Cecil Cooper said. “He has a little pop in his bat and can hit from both sides. We’re kind of trying to find a position for him because we know he can really hit.”

-Yordany Ramirez hit an inside-the-park home run to center off Brad James.

Here's a question

So let me get this straight: We saw J.R. Towles hit .375 over a month in September 2007 facing Major League opponents in real-game situations, crapped our collective pants, and gave him the C1 in 2008, where he crapped the bed.

But now we're going to crap our pants over Lou Palmisano (and trust me, I hope he's the real deal) because he may dominate in Spring Training? Sound weird to anyone else?

Ken Rosenthal still won't rule out the Astros marrying Pudge

Says Rosenthal:

The Astros need a catcher after losing potential backup Toby Hall to shoulder surgery, but the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly. That's a problem: Humberto Quintero probably is more of a backup than a five-day-a-week catcher, J.R. Towles batted .137 last season and Rule 5 pick Lou Palmisano is not the answer.

Maybe so, but unless Pudge comes down to League Minimum, it ain't happening and the Astros will gamble on Quintero and Palmisano paying off.

It burns when Toby Hall swings

Toby Hall, who has an inside track on C2, has been shut down due to shoulder problems.

“I think the second day he started having some issues with his shoulder,” Cooper said of Hall. “I think he actually had problems with it last year. At the end of the year he got injured playing first base, I think, and apparently it just started bothering him here the last few days, so we had an MRI done.”

"Your adrenaline goes out there and you're swinging hard," Hall said. "It was a pitch down and away and I went and got it and felt a weird burn."

Should this be permanent, it would indicate Q is C1, leaving Towles and Palmisano to fight it out for C2 (and remember Palmisano's Rule 5 status).

"We have some kids who can actually do it if it doesn’t pan out for Toby. We’re hoping he’s going to be fine and be able to get some work in here maybe later on in the spring and really have an opportunity to be with us.”

One also might think this would be a perfect time to sign a veteran catcher, albeit a veteran catcher who looked like a Backstreet Boy the spring after the drug testing program was revamped. But you would not be thinking like Ed Wade:

"We're not signing Pudge," Wade said. "Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

Jose Valverde asks not what his country can do for him, but what he is willing to skip out on his country to do

JJO's article in the Chronicle today filled me with cheer and warmth as I read that Valverde and Paulino threw bullpen sessions while Moehler, Brocail, LaHawk, Backe, Geary, Sampson, Nieve, Quintero and Palmisano worked out. No word on whether or not Quintero and Palmisano crouched menacingly at each other in preparation for a battle in which the player who does not win the starting catching position will have to die.

And Jose Valverde told Cecil Cooper he will not be pitching in the World Baseball Classic.

"(Valverde) is the stabilizer. He is the anchor. That’s great that he wants to be here and be a part of this and not be concerned with going to pitch over there. He’s committed to us and our season, and that’s great. Not that it’s not important to pitch for the WBC, but that shows his commitment here."
-Cecil Cooper.

Alyson Footer breaks down the catchers

In an article yesterday evening, Alyson Footer brought the noise on who, exactly will win the right to bat 8th in 2009.

I think all the worrying about catcher pretty much sums up the farm system woes, because we're all really worried about who is going to pick up Ausmus' slack. Are you kidding? Sure he was a great guy, and could "handle a pitching staff" - which, by the by, is ridiculous.

An aside: I'm looking into the impact Ausmus has had on the pitching staffs of his teams. That's coming soon.

Within the article, there is an interesting note saying Pudge Rodriguez' representation has contacted Easy Eddie on different occasions this off-season. But since he'll cost more than $2.13/hour + tips, they'll pass, thanks. Anyhow there are seven catchers on the roster, but only four in the mix to make the team: Quintero, Towles, Palmisano and Toby Hall.

Here's how I'd handicap the race...
1. Quintero
2. Hall
3. Palmisano
4. Towles

Q and Hall, I feel, will open the season on the team. Remember Palmisano has to stay on the roster all season in order not to lose him. But Hall is a veteran, and could provide some leadership for Quintero. Footer notes that Palmisano has some pop in his bat, which would be a change, but I just don't think he'll outplay Hall in Spring Training.

Easy Eddie said this about Palmisano:
"I've never seen him, but our scouts have seen him and [assistant GM] Bobby Heck had first-hand knowledge and contact with him. The knee issue he dealt with last year that kept him out longer than anticipated has completely healed. He has a chance to be an offensive catcher for us. With Rule 5 guys, you stick them out there and try to get as good of a look as possible to get a true evaluation."

Don't rule out Bobby Heck getting what Bobby Heck wants. I still believe the starting catcher's job is Quintero's to lose.

Update on Valverde's financials + Paul LoDuca

Brian McTaggart's article on Valverde's financials indicated the following performance bonuses:

NL Rolaids Relief winner = $100,000
Most Valuable Player of the NLCS or World Series = $50,000
All-Star appearance, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger award = $25,000 each.

That Silver Slugger bonus is a pretty safe $25,000.

Easy Eddie also mentioned discussing a long-term deal with Valverde's agent before deciding to get the one-year deal done and talk about that extension later. At least Valverde/his agent (Bill Rego) are open to it...

Buried in this article is the nugget that Paul LoDuca has been in negotiations with the Astros. This is odd, because that means there's Quintero, Towles, Palmisano and possibly now LoDuca behind the plate.

Bobby Heck wants to put names to faces

USA Today is reporting the Astros will hold team-building exercises, including ropes courses and trust falls, in Houston this week.

Assistant GM / Scouting Director Bobby Heck will welcome all 21 scouts (11 of whom are new to the Astros, and six of whom were staff additions) for meetings starting Monday afternoon, and full meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Tasked with rebuilding the farm system, the Astros got off to a nice start to doing just that by signing 16 of their top 17 picks (32 of 52 overall). Only 3rd rounder Chase Davidson decided to go to the University of Georgia instead of signing with the Astros.

Other interesting notes:
C Jason Castro has been given a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.

It's been well-documented, but still worth noting: in his first 44 ABs in Winter Ball, Michael Bourn was hitting .409 with 8 walks and 7 strikeouts.

J.R. Towles was "trying to find his swing" in Winter Ball. Ricky Bennett said he's "swinging the bat OK." That's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Depending on what happens with Castro in Spring Training, you could see him at AA this year. Remember the Astros took C Lou Palmisano in the Rule 5 Draft, which means they have to keep him on the 25-man roster all season or give him back. Towles will probably start at AAA, Castro sent to AA after playing well in the NY-P League, and the backup job is Palmisano's to lose. This is pure speculation, but given the Astros' demonstrated financial need (do they have FAFSA for major league teams?) I doubt they would have taken Palmisano just to see about wasting $50,000.