Yeah, we keep up with these predictions (you'll be able to click the Predictions label and see them all). Anyhow, Ringolsby's preview barely mentions Houston:
<i>It's difficult to imagine the Cardinals falling below .500, particularly in a six-team division that includes the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.</i>
Prediction: 6th place.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Tracy Ringolsby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tracy Ringolsby. Show all posts
Monday, April 2, 2012
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Ringolsby: If Drayton goes, so goes Tal
Tracy Ringolsby has a column up on Fox Sports where, for the first four sentences, he writes like Ernest Hemingway (8.25 words/sentence). But scroll down far enough, and he addresses the impending sale of the Astros.
On October 1, 2009 Ringolsby mentioned in a Fox Sports column that the Astros were for sale.
He addresses that:
Houston owner Drayton McLane has a buyer, Jim Crane, which is interesting given the strong protests that came out of the Astros' front office when it was mentioned here last season that the Astros were for sale.
That's true. AC even apologized for the mockery.
But here's an interesting note:
Talk in Houston is that former NBA Houston Rockets president George Postolos will assume a similar role with the Astros, replacing longtime baseball exec Tal Smith.
Now THAT'S something.
On October 1, 2009 Ringolsby mentioned in a Fox Sports column that the Astros were for sale.
He addresses that:
Houston owner Drayton McLane has a buyer, Jim Crane, which is interesting given the strong protests that came out of the Astros' front office when it was mentioned here last season that the Astros were for sale.
That's true. AC even apologized for the mockery.
But here's an interesting note:
Talk in Houston is that former NBA Houston Rockets president George Postolos will assume a similar role with the Astros, replacing longtime baseball exec Tal Smith.
Now THAT'S something.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Ringolsby: Rays are front-runner for Soriano
Astro-hater Tracy Ringolsby is saying that the Rays are your front-runner for Soriano:
The Rays and Houston are making the strongest push to acquire right-handed closer Rafael Soriano from Atlanta with growing indications that the Rays are likely to make the move...
...The Astros lost free agent Jose Valverde to free agency also, which is why they are interested, but with the Rays have a team that has shown it is capable of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East there is a need for them to address the bullpen need.
The Rays and Houston are making the strongest push to acquire right-handed closer Rafael Soriano from Atlanta with growing indications that the Rays are likely to make the move...
...The Astros lost free agent Jose Valverde to free agency also, which is why they are interested, but with the Rays have a team that has shown it is capable of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East there is a need for them to address the bullpen need.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Ringolsby just can't help himself
Any time Tracy Ringolsby writes a Top Mistakes column, he just can't help but take a shot at the Astros. And today is no different.
In his Top 10 Free Agent Blunders, the Astros have a guy on the list. Who is it?
Carlos Lee: Signed to six-year, $100 million contract prior to 2007. On a team that is trying to cut costs -- and has done it at the expense of scouting and player development -- Lee is an expensive hood ornament. He's a one-dimensional player -- a run producer, and he has 305 RBI in three years with Houston -- but the total package is a negative. Not only is he defensive deficient, but he is a poster boy for a lack of hustle, and he's hauling in $55.5 million the next three years, Lee, combined with Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, account for $48 million of whatever payroll the Astros have in 2010.
I'll take issue with this. Sure, it would be nice to have an extra $18 million lying around, but Carlos Lee's defensive liability is minimized by the ground he doesn't have to cover in the small left-field at Minute Maid Park. And he sure doesn't belong on the same list as Milton Bradley, Barry Zito, Dontrelle Willis, and Carlos Silva.
In his three seasons in Houston, Lee has hit .305/.354/.524 with 321 RBI, 163K:131BB in 437 games. If Lee is on this list, then Berkman (and I know, he doesn't qualify as a free-agent blunder) should be held accountable for his lack of hustle and attitude issues.
To compare, Gary Matthews Jr (also on the list), has hit .248/.325/.383 with 168 RBI, 271K:140BB in 370 games.
And FanGraphs says that, over the three years Lee has been in Houston, his value has been worth a total $39.6 million, while making $41.5 million - a difference of $1.9 million, on the wrong side. So no, he wasn't worth the $18.5 million he made in 2009, but he has produced about on par for his salary to date. Is Lee a defensive liability? Absolutely. Is he a blunder? Absolutely not.
In his Top 10 Free Agent Blunders, the Astros have a guy on the list. Who is it?
Carlos Lee: Signed to six-year, $100 million contract prior to 2007. On a team that is trying to cut costs -- and has done it at the expense of scouting and player development -- Lee is an expensive hood ornament. He's a one-dimensional player -- a run producer, and he has 305 RBI in three years with Houston -- but the total package is a negative. Not only is he defensive deficient, but he is a poster boy for a lack of hustle, and he's hauling in $55.5 million the next three years, Lee, combined with Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, account for $48 million of whatever payroll the Astros have in 2010.
I'll take issue with this. Sure, it would be nice to have an extra $18 million lying around, but Carlos Lee's defensive liability is minimized by the ground he doesn't have to cover in the small left-field at Minute Maid Park. And he sure doesn't belong on the same list as Milton Bradley, Barry Zito, Dontrelle Willis, and Carlos Silva.
In his three seasons in Houston, Lee has hit .305/.354/.524 with 321 RBI, 163K:131BB in 437 games. If Lee is on this list, then Berkman (and I know, he doesn't qualify as a free-agent blunder) should be held accountable for his lack of hustle and attitude issues.
To compare, Gary Matthews Jr (also on the list), has hit .248/.325/.383 with 168 RBI, 271K:140BB in 370 games.
And FanGraphs says that, over the three years Lee has been in Houston, his value has been worth a total $39.6 million, while making $41.5 million - a difference of $1.9 million, on the wrong side. So no, he wasn't worth the $18.5 million he made in 2009, but he has produced about on par for his salary to date. Is Lee a defensive liability? Absolutely. Is he a blunder? Absolutely not.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Ringolsby: Phillies are lucky Garner ain't around
Tracy Ringolsby's new column says the Phillies will be better next year, just because Brad Lidge will be better.
And there is every reason to believe that Lidge can rebound.
He has done it before. Struggling in Houston, where the inconsistency of manager Phil Garner's use of Lidge was as big a factor as Lidge's own inconsistency, Lidge was given a fresh start with the Phillies a year ago and responded with a summer of perfection. He converted all 48 save opportunities in 2008 — including seven in the postseason...
...A winter to rehab will allow Lidge to be healthy in 2010. Lidge is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his right elbow and also have his right flexor tendon evaluated. More than the elbow ailment, however, scouts are convinced Lidge's season-long struggles dealt more with a right knee problem....
Now, he has an offseason to get his mechanics back in order.
Um-hum.
And there is every reason to believe that Lidge can rebound.
He has done it before. Struggling in Houston, where the inconsistency of manager Phil Garner's use of Lidge was as big a factor as Lidge's own inconsistency, Lidge was given a fresh start with the Phillies a year ago and responded with a summer of perfection. He converted all 48 save opportunities in 2008 — including seven in the postseason...
...A winter to rehab will allow Lidge to be healthy in 2010. Lidge is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his right elbow and also have his right flexor tendon evaluated. More than the elbow ailment, however, scouts are convinced Lidge's season-long struggles dealt more with a right knee problem....
Now, he has an offseason to get his mechanics back in order.
Um-hum.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wow! Ringolsby really screwed the pooch on that one.
And now you see why Astros County cites all rumors, and any speculation is duly noted before said speculation begins.
Tracy Ringolsby's unsubstantiated column-filler that the Astros and Diamondbacks were on the market has been refuted by Drayton, and now by Arizona Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick.
Kendrick:
“It’s a complete and total fabrication of the highest order. That’s the last thing on my mind.”
Tracy Ringolsby's unsubstantiated column-filler that the Astros and Diamondbacks were on the market has been refuted by Drayton, and now by Arizona Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick.
Kendrick:
“It’s a complete and total fabrication of the highest order. That’s the last thing on my mind.”
McLane: Astros are not for sale
Clarifying Tracy Ringolsby's uncited, unattributed popoff about how the Astros are for sale, Drayton McLane clarifies for MyFoxHouston:
"Nothing could be further from the truth. Our goal is to get the best manager in baseball and move aggressively forward to be a champion in 2010."
My favorite part of this story is MyFoxHouston covering their rear end with fellow FoxSports columnist Ringolsby:
Nationally respected writer Tracy Ringolsby, in his story online Thursday..."
If he keeps doing stuff like this, maybe you can scratch the first two words of his introduction.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. Our goal is to get the best manager in baseball and move aggressively forward to be a champion in 2010."
My favorite part of this story is MyFoxHouston covering their rear end with fellow FoxSports columnist Ringolsby:
Nationally respected writer Tracy Ringolsby, in his story online Thursday..."
If he keeps doing stuff like this, maybe you can scratch the first two words of his introduction.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Hang on, are the Astros for sale?
Tracy Ringolsby has an update on the bidding for the Texas Rangers, and then a curious side note - perhaps on the availability of the Astros? All of this is after a rah-rah piece about how great the Rockies are.
The bidding for the Texas Rangers appears to have been reduced to groups headed by Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg and former player agent Dennis Gilbert. Greenberg's group has offered current Rangers president Nolan Ryan an equity position with the deal that he would continue to run the team.
Word is two other teams are available — the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks — although there is no indication that there have been any serious talks with a prospective buyer for either team.
Let me know if I misread this...
The bidding for the Texas Rangers appears to have been reduced to groups headed by Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg and former player agent Dennis Gilbert. Greenberg's group has offered current Rangers president Nolan Ryan an equity position with the deal that he would continue to run the team.
Word is two other teams are available — the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks — although there is no indication that there have been any serious talks with a prospective buyer for either team.
Let me know if I misread this...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Ringolsby: Houston has always been cheap, and stupid
Nothing like kicking you when you're down. Tracy Ringolsby takes some time in Baseball America to discuss the draft, and specifically the 1992 draft, which AC has discussed. What happened in 1992? That was the non-Jeter draft, but we get some insight as to how that went down.
When Derek Jeter became the all-time Yankees hits leader in September, it underscored the failures of other teams.
Jeter was no secret. He was not a matter of the Yankees outbidding anybody else. He slipped to the Yankees because four other teams did not understand the value of the investment they could have made in drafting Jeter.
If the late Hal Newhouser, a Hall of Fame pitcher turned scout, had gotten his way, the Yankees would have never had the chance to draft Jeter. Newhouser was an area scout for the Astros in Michigan in 1992, when Jeter was drafted out of high school.
The Astros had the No. 1 pick in the draft. Owner John McMullen set a $700,000 limit on the signing bonus. While the word among scouts was that Jeter, who had a scholarship to Michigan, would take $1 million to sign, Newhouse lobbied for the Astros to draft him and claimed he could sign Jeter for $750,000.
That was $50,000 over the Astros' self-imposed limit, so they instead drafted Phil Nevin, prompting Newhouser to quit.
Nevin became a solid big league player—though after the Astros essentially gave up on him. No knock on that. But Jeter has evolved into an eventual Hall of Famer, a team leader in addition to an excellent shortstop with offensive ability.
And he would have been an Astro if the organization had been willing to invest in adding the best young players available. Newhouser knew that. Nobody in Houston, however, would listen.
Weep, friends.
When Derek Jeter became the all-time Yankees hits leader in September, it underscored the failures of other teams.
Jeter was no secret. He was not a matter of the Yankees outbidding anybody else. He slipped to the Yankees because four other teams did not understand the value of the investment they could have made in drafting Jeter.
If the late Hal Newhouser, a Hall of Fame pitcher turned scout, had gotten his way, the Yankees would have never had the chance to draft Jeter. Newhouser was an area scout for the Astros in Michigan in 1992, when Jeter was drafted out of high school.
The Astros had the No. 1 pick in the draft. Owner John McMullen set a $700,000 limit on the signing bonus. While the word among scouts was that Jeter, who had a scholarship to Michigan, would take $1 million to sign, Newhouse lobbied for the Astros to draft him and claimed he could sign Jeter for $750,000.
That was $50,000 over the Astros' self-imposed limit, so they instead drafted Phil Nevin, prompting Newhouser to quit.
Nevin became a solid big league player—though after the Astros essentially gave up on him. No knock on that. But Jeter has evolved into an eventual Hall of Famer, a team leader in addition to an excellent shortstop with offensive ability.
And he would have been an Astro if the organization had been willing to invest in adding the best young players available. Newhouser knew that. Nobody in Houston, however, would listen.
Weep, friends.
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