Jay Austin How did he get here?: Drafted, 2nd Round (2008) Stats: 5'11", 175 lbs, Bats/Throws: L/L Age as of April 1, 2010: 19
Splits!
Split
ABs
BA/OBP/SLG
K:BB
XBH-RBI
Season
397
.267/.320/.360
78:31
29-33
vs LHP
99
.212/.278/.253
29:9
2-4
vs RHP
298
.285/.334/.396
49:22
27-29
Home
182
.225/.291/.319
38:17
14-16
Away
215
.302/.345/.395
40:14
15-17
Bases Empty
243
.284/.328/.387
49:16
16-1
Runners On
154
.240/.308/.318
29:15
10-32
w/RISP
104
.221/.308/.308
20:13
7-31
April
68
.191/.267/.250
12:7
4-5
May
97
.247/.291/.299
22:6
5-5
June
61
.311/.364/.426
13:5
6-7
July
107
.290/.339/.430
20:8
9-10
August
33
.273/.351/.364
5:4
2-4
September
31
.323/.344/.419
6:1
3-2
Season Totals
Year
K:BB Ratio
K/PA %
K:BB
XBH/H %
2008
3.68
29.8%
70:19
14.3%
2009
2.52
17.9%
78:31
27.3%
Austin spent his 99 defensive games in CF, and posted a .980 Fld% (four errors), but got himself 10 assists, and took part in three double plays. He also stole 23 bases in 36 attempts (63.9%), but you'll see below, there might have been another factor at work.
It's a shame that Austin got hurt during the season and battled hamstring problems, because he was starting to put it all together. After a rough start to the year, Austin was putting up solid numbers in June and July (OPS' of .790 and .769, respectively) when he went on the DL, twice: once on June 1 and on August 12. Austin was named the Astros 8th-best prospect by Baseball America back in November, and is considered Eddie's Farm's fastest baserunner.
He improved in every way from 2008's Greeneville season to 2009 in Lexington, raising his OPS from .512 to .680. .680 isn't great, but the away splits are more encouraging than the home splits, and may be a better indication of the type of hitter he can become. Had the hamstring issues not occurred, and with an off-season to recover, it will be exciting to see what he can do in 2010. Let's not forget, he won't turn 20 until August 2010, either.
The Citizens have spoken, and thus we shall continue our look at Eddie's Farm, player-by-player. It's my goal to get through Round Rock by the start of Spring Training, meaning I need to step it up. Once Spring Training begins, we'll begin our look at the 2010 Major-Leaguers, including those signed to minor-league contracts and invited to Spring Training.
One item of note: As we advance through the ranks, we'll be adding the career numbers to the season totals. In the instance in which the 2009 splits aren't available, we'll do what we can.
Okay, so it's taken almost three months to get through the recaps of the GCL Astros, Greeneville Astros, and Tri-City ValleyCats. Do you find these recaps valid? Shall we continue with Lexington, or shall we call it a day?
The ringing in of the new year is a time to reflect and ask the outgoing year to kiss your ruby red ratleg. The new year is a time of hope and promise, however fleeting for us Astros fans. So let's take a look back at 2009 and reflect on the ways in which The Apparatus (which is how the front office will, from now on, be known) tried to eat our souls.
1. Exercising Coop's option (April) Because of the dreaded, and formal, vote of confidence, the Astros will pay Cooper $850,000 in 2010 to not manage the team. After a mediocre start, The Apparatus killed the clubhouse, effectively allowing Berkman and Lee to loaf all season long.
2. Signing Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz (offseason) It was a low-risk, high-reward couple of moves that just didn't pay off. Hampton predictably got hurt during the season and Ortiz was flat-out released mid-season.
3. Not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf #2 was precipitated by this one. Wolf was coming off a strong 2nd-half with the Astros, and were in negotiations to re-sign him to a 3-year deal. The Apparatus had an offer on the table, and pulled it before Wolf could respond. Then they didn't offer him arbitration, and the Dodgers picked him up for $5 million. We have the benefit of hindsight, and Wolf had a great year. Now he's with the Brewers, who will likely finish higher in the standings than the Astros.
4. Not playing Tommy Manzella I think everyone knew the Astros wouldn't be offering arbitration to Tejada, because he would have taken it and cost The Apparatus a whole lot of money. So to leave Tejada in, and let him chase 200 hits - which of course just fell short - instead of giving 2010's SS1 Tommy Manzella some playing time was completely short-sighted. Now the Astros have a rookie shortstop coming in with FIVE career plate appearances. Would playing Manzella for 20 games have prepared him for his first major league season? Not totally, but it would give him a taste of a job that will hopefully be his for a few years.
I'm sure there are others. But I just had to pick myself up off the floor and take a Zoloft. So what did I miss?
To justify giving Lyon three years and $15 million requires a grave misunderstanding of, well, the game of baseball. Lyon, like most unspectacular relievers, has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career. But the Astros, who work daily to distinguish themselves as the worst organization in baseball, seemingly believed in the 2009 version of Lyon. Indeed, last season Lyon posted a 2.86 ERA, but he did so despite some of the weakest peripheral numbers of his career. In other words, he was lucky. The Astros, despite all evidence to the contrary, are gambling that Lyon will continue to be lucky for the next three years. If they're going to throw that much at Lyon, then why wouldn't Ed Wade have just given Jose Valverde, a much better reliever than Lyon, the multi-year deal he sought?
Brandt Walker How did he get here?: Drafted, 8th Round (2009) Stats: 6'1", 165 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 22
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
50
7.92/1.90
39:36
.296
as Starter
37.1
9.64/2.09
33:24
.344
as Reliever
12.2
2.84/1.34
6:12
.119
vs LHB
24.1
9.25/2.05
18:19
.326
vs RHB
25.2
6.66/1.75
21:17
.269
Home
36
8.00/1.89
27:20
.327
Away
14
7.71/1.93
12:16
.212
Bases Empty
20.1
x/2.36
18:15
.347
Runners On
29.2
x/1.58
21:21
.250
w/RISP
17
x/2.06
17:16
.250
June
7.2
2.35/1.30
2:7
.115
July
19.2
9.61/1.88
27:25
.282
August
15.1
8.82/2.15
10:9
.381
September
7.1
8.59/2.05
9:5
.313
Season Total K/9 Rate: 7.0 BB/9 Rate: 6.5 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.21 K:BB Ratio: 1.08
Walker was one of four ValleyCat pitchers to throw 50IP, but the problem - as you may have guessed - was with those walks. The 36 walks led the team (and were the second highest in the NYPL). We can see all of Walker's starts, as they were in his last ten games, and it's not pretty: 37.1IP, 54H/40ER, 33K:24BB, .344 BAA, and an upside-down groundout/flyout ratio. Walker got out of the 5th inning once, and gave up 5HR in his last 9.1IP (3 games). Now, he also posted 9K in his last 7.1IP. So there's that. But until those walks come down, and the ball stays on the ground... Walker played for Stanford last season, so like Stines, let's see what he can do with an off-season of rest.
And thus concludes our look at the Tri-City ValleyCats.
Brendan Stines How did he get here?: Drafted, 33rd Round (2009) Stats: 6'2", 190 lbs, Throws: Right (of course) Age as of April 1, 2010: 23
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
38.1
4.93/1.59
23:17
.286
vs LHB
16
8.44/1.31
6:7
.250
vs RHB
22.1
2.42/1.79
17:10
.306
Home
20.2
4.35/1.79
14:12
.301
Away
17.2
5.60/1.36
9:5
.268
Bases Empty
15
x/1.93
12:9
.294
Runners On
23.1
x/1.37
11:8
.279
w/RISP
15.2
x/1.21
8:6
.224
June
4.1
2.08/1.62
0:1
.333
July
18
4.50/1.67
9:5
.325
August
15
6.60/1.60
13:11
.232
September
1
0.00/0.00
1:0
.000
Season Total K/9 Rate: 5.4 BB/9 Rate: 4.0 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 2.42 K:BB Ratio: 1.35
Okay, so there's quite a bit to see from Stines' first year in professional baseball. If he wasn't getting hammered by batters (June, July), he was busy putting them on base for free (August). Over two appearances in August (23 & 27), Stines walked eight batters in five innings. Now, he could very well have just been tired, but the BAA should come down some next year if he can keep up the 2.42 GO/AO rate he posted. But those walks need to come down. Stines also gave up two homers, both of them to LHBs, but look at the RHB splits: 40 base-runners, and 10 of them scored (6ER). That means either someone else came in and cleaned it up, or he got it together (and the RISP splits seem to indicate that could very well be the case). Let's see what he can do without playing a collegiate season first.
Mike Schurz How did he get here?: Drafted, 44th Round (2009) Stats: 6'2", 205 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 23
Splits (w/Tri-City)!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
29.2
1.52/1.08
37:13
.188
w/GCL
16
2.25/1.00
22:6
.185
w/TRI
13.2
0.66/1.17
15:7
.191
vs LHB
7
0.00/0.86
5:3
.143
vs RHB
6.2
1.35/1.50
10:4
.231
Home
6
0.00/1.00
7:3
.158
Away
7.2
1.17/1.30
8:4
.214
Bases Empty
4.2
x/2.14
6:6
.211
Runners On
9
x/0.67
9:1
.179
w/RISP
4.2
x/0.64
4:1
.133
August
11.2
0.00/0.86
13:6
.108
September
2
4.50/3.00
2:1
.500
Season Total K/9 Rate: 11.2 BB/9 Rate: 3.9 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.58 K:BB Ratio: 2.85
It's hard to get jazzed up about splits with a 13.2IP sample - Coop had Wesley Wright throw that many innings at Wrigley in one night. Still, Schurz showed enough in the GCL that he jumped to the more age-appropriate NYPL, where he flat-out dominated. The only thing to get too concerned about from these splits are the six walks with the bases empty, but he hammered down once the runners were on. A 0.64 WHIP with a .133 BAA with RISP? Nice.
Dan Sarisky How did he get here?: Drafted, 40th Round (2009) Stats: 6'1", 175 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 21
Splits (w/Tri-City)!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
35.1
3.82/1.44
41:13
.271
w/GRN
13.1
4.72/1.35
17:4
.259
w/TRI
22
3.27/1.50
24:9
.279
vs LHB
10.1
2.61/1.84
13:4
.349
vs RHB
11.2
3.86/1.20
11:5
.209
Home
11.1
1.59/1.59
14:5
.289
Away
10.2
5.06/1.41
10:4
.268
Bases Empty
9.2
x/1.76
12:6
.275
Runners On
12.1
x/1.30
12:3
.283
w/RISP
8.2
x/1.38
8:3
.273
August
16
4.50/1.81
14:8
.313
September
6
0.00/0.67
10:1
.158
Season Total K/9 Rate: 10.4 BB/9 Rate: 3.3 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.35 K:BB Ratio: 3.15
After ten appearances in Greeneville, Sariskly was brought up to Tri-City for 12 appearances. At Greeneville, Sarisky was striking out 11.5 batters per nine innings. That strikeout rate dropped (to 9.8 K/9) and his BB/9 rate went up a walk per nine innings, but he did finish strong, striking out ten batters in his last three appearances (6IP). Sarisky tends to keep the ball on the ground, and he only allowed one homer - in Greeneville - all season long.
Want further proof that the Kaz Matsui deal sucks? 2B Kelly Johnson will sign a deal with Arizona for $2 million.
I know Johnson had a down year, last year, hitting .224/.303/.389 for the Braves.
Kaz Matsui hit .250/.302/.357 for the Astros last year, and after the All-Star Break Matsui hit .248/.292/.374. In the second half of 09, Johnson hit .261/.358/.493.
Furthermore, Johnson will be 28 in February. Matsui's 34. And Matsui will make about $3.5 million more than Johnson.
I'm not happy about this, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that Matsui was the worst signing of Ed Wade's Houston tenure. This only amplifies it.
Hey, the Greater Hewitt Chamber of Commerce will host its annual banquet at the First Baptist Church of Woodway on February 4 at 6:30pm. What say that I, and seven of you, get together and buy ourselves a table for $280?
Why would we do this? Drayton will be the keynote speaker. Not enough for you? The Greg Bashara Jazz Trio will be providing entertainment! And George's Restaurant is catering! What else could you ask for!?
The Associated Press is reporting that Valverde "appears" to be heading back to Arizona.
This means that, because the Diamondbacks were 70-92 and finished in the bottom half of the overall standings, their 1st Round draft pick is protected - so should Valverde sign with the Diamon'backs, the Astros would receive Arizona's 2nd Round pick.
I love the Baseball Hall of Fame. There are a lot of reasons, but it's mainly because it's perhaps the only HOF that is totally relevant. And the deadline for voting is right in the middle of the off-season, when there's screw-all going on (see this morning's post on Garrett Bullock helping out with a youth camp). So, in the tradition of many a national columnist, let's waste some time filling out a Hall of Fame ballot.
And we may as well follow the BBHOF's rules, so that means that no more than 10 players can receive votes, and that voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
With that, here are the ten players who would get Astros County's vote, in alphabetical order:
Roberto Alomar 12-time All-Star. 5-time Top-10 in MVP voting. Lifetime .984 Fld%. 10 Gold Gloves (if that award means anything to you.) Four-time Silver Slugger. Career .300/.371/.443; top-10 in batting average five times. Stole 30 bases eight times. Alomar was a complete player.
Bert Blyleven There is one constant throughout baseball's history: batters swing as hard as they can. ERAs change, as do home run totals, but strikeouts still mean something, because it tells you how pitchers were able to fool hitters. Blyleven's 3701 strikeouts are still the 5th-best of all-time. His K:BB ratio (2.80) is 50th-best of all-time. His ten closest Similarity Scores link him to eight Hall of Famers, and two who have a case (Kaat and Tommy John). He consistently played on what we would now consider small-market teams, and if he had played in New York or Boston, there would already be a movie about him.
The thing about Blyleven, as my cousin (who will remained unnamed. I'm no Bill Simmons.) pointed out, is his complaining about not getting in has kept him out. In one of the great paradoxes of life, to get something, you can't appear as if you really want it. Blyleven really wants it.
Another paradox I want to bring up: if you play in a small market, then you won't get a whole lot of national exposure. If you played in a small market in the 70s and 80s, you did not get a lot of exposure. But if you eschew the small market for a large market, the media crucifies you for selling out. Blyleven has two World Series rings, a career 3.31 ERA/1.20 WHIP. And only four pitchers have more strikeouts. Ever.
I looked through his game logs, and found that he lost/NDed 177 games in which he threw a quality start (and 9 games where he threw 7IP+, allowed 0 runs, and NDed)
So obviously you don’t win every game that you throw a quality start, but if we just give Blyleven a third of those games as a win (a third to win, a third to lose, and a third to get no decision), that’s adding 59 wins to his total, which puts him at 346 wins. Blyleven also had nine seasons in which his ERA was under 2.90 – and he lost a total of 113 games in those seasons.
And let’s not forget that he pitched his entire career (save three seasons with the Pirates) in the American League, with the DH. So he was facing nine hitters. It’s not like he was playing the Astros and Giants. He did have to play against the Yankees, Red Sox, and A’s.
Andre Dawson I'm an Astros fan and even I loved The Hawk. You know a lot of the story: 1977 Rookie of the Year. MVP on a last-place team (1987). Two-time MVP runner-up. A power-hitter who didn't strike out all that often (in only three seasons did Dawson strike out 100+ times, and two of those were in his 2nd and 3rd seasons). Eight-time All-Star. Top-ten in SLG eight times. 1,039 extra-base hits. While he didn't enjoy a whole lot of team success - he only went to the playoffs twice in 21 seasons - Dawson was the face of the Cubs, and was a great player.
Edgar Martinez This is the first test of the DH the HOF has had to deal with. Paul Molitor spent 1174 of his 2683 games as a DH, and he is quite obviously a Hall of Famer. But Edgar Martinez only played 591 of his 2055 career games in the field. How do the voters deal with that? But Martinez, according to the (inferior) DH rule, is as valuable as the next guy. So with his career 147 OPS+, with 13 seasons with an OPS+ over 125, that's incredible. This also coincided with a 7-season run, from 1995-2002, in which Martinez had an OPS+ over 150. This also coincided with the most successful seasons in the Mariners' history. It should also be noted that Martinez ranks in the top 100 in all of the slash line numbers: .312 (91st)/.418 (22nd)/.515 (69th).
Lee Smith He never won a Cy Young award, but he did finish in the Top 10 four times. Oh yeah, and there's the 478 saves. Smith could almost go in to the HOF as a pioneer, paving the way for the Trevor Hoffmans and Mariano Riveras. Smith struck out almost a batter an inning, and he also threw 100+ IP three times, and posted a career 1.04 WHIP.
I feel for Mattingly and Murphy, because for all intents and purposes, if I'm including Dawson, then a case can be made for Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy. But those two were excellent players for a shorter amount of time. But there's one guy I would not vote for, and it might not be for the reason you think.
Mark McGwire I get it. He saved baseball with Sammy Sosa, and he's got an awkward press conference coming when he's unveiled as the new hitting coach for the Cardinals. He hit a lot of home runs. His OPS was over 1.000 seven times. That's amazing. But let's look at this further, because he only had 1626 hits. 583 of those hits were home runs (35.9%). 252 were doubles (15.5%) and 6 were triples. So 841 of his 1626 hits were for extra-bases (51.7%). Again, this is amazing. But if you look at the five tools, McGwire only had one - power. He got on base because he would hit the ball really hard, and pitchers wouldn't just pipe one down the plate. He wasn't particularly fast, he didn't play great defense, and he sure didn't hit for average. In only three seasons that McGwire played 100+ games did he hit over .280. And let's talk about strikeouts. McGwire struck out 1596 times. If your head doesn't hurt from statistics yet, then you might notice that he struck out almost as many times as he got a hit.
Now, McGwire's OPS+ is 12th-best of all-time. That's hard to overlook, especially considering that OPS+ was a major part of why I would elect Edgar Martinez to the Hall of Fame. But it's the strikeouts that kill me. 1596 in 7660 PAs. Dave Winfield struck out more, but in 12,358 PAs. Harmon Killebrew struck out more than McGwire, but in 9831 PAs. Mickey Mantle struck out more, but did so in 9909 PAs (and also hit .300 in nine seasons of over 100 games). Same with Tony Perez, Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell, and Reggie Jackson (although Jackson, the all-time strikeout king, struck out 22.7% of his PAs - McGwire's K/PA rate was 20.8%). But Reggie Jackson also had almost 1000 more hits than McGwire. So McGwire would swing really hard, and connect a lot, and miss almost as much as he hit. He was a one-tool player in a time when that one tool was valued higher than any other tool. So what say you?
Colton Pitkin How did he get here?: Drafted, 41st Round (2007) Stats: 6'3", 210 lbs, Throws: Left Age as of April 1, 2010: 20
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
68.1
4.21/1.58
49:32
.285
vs LHB
20
4.50/1.05
21:7
.200
vs RHB
48.1
4.10/1.80
28:25
.315
Home
28
3.54/1.43
13:11
.269
Away
40.1
4.69/1.69
36:21
.296
Bases Empty
33
x/1.73
33:18
.277
Runners On
35.1
x/1.44
16:14
.294
w/RISP
20.1
x/1.72
11:9
.294
June
11
1.64/1.00
10:5
.158
July
29
4.34/1.79
12:14
.325
August
26
4.15/1.38
23:11
.255
September
2.1
15.43/3.86
4:2
.500
Season Total K/9 Rate: 6.5 BB/9 Rate: 4.2 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 0.73 K:BB Ratio: 1.53
2009 was Pitkin's third season in the organization, and his first in Tri-City, having spent the previous two seasons in Greeneville (though pitching in only seven games in 2007). This year saw a 24.1IP jump over 2008, and with it, a 1.14 jump in ERA, and 0.22 in WHIP. His Ks were down almost 3K/9, while his relatively high walk rate stayed about the same (4.2BB/9 in 2009, as opposed to 4.1 BB/9 in 2008). Still, the increase in IPs could account for some damage, seeing as how Pitkin was 2-6 with a 5.44 ERA and a .315 BAA in his last ten games. He encountered a rough patch from July 25-Aug 5, giving up 14ER in 13IP, but those walks need to come down, and his upside-down groundout:flyout ratio needs to get on the plus side of 1:1.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Nationals have signed Eric Bruntlett to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Major-League Spring Training.
Nathan Pettus How did he get here?: Drafted, 27th Round (2008) Stats: 6'1", 200 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 21
Splits (with Tri-City)!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
38.1
2.11/1.20
35:14
.229
w/GRN
17.1
2.60/1.10
18:5
.226
w/TRI
21
1.71/1.29
17:9
.231
vs LHB
9
2.00/1.44
8:3
.286
vs RHB
12
1.50/1.17
9:6
.186
Home
6.2
2.70/1.35
3:2
.269
Away
14.1
1.26/1.26
14:7
.212
Bases Empty
11.2
x/1.46
9:6
.239
Runners On
9.1
x/1.07
8:3
.219
w/RISP
6.2
x/1.05
6:2
.208
July
0.2
13.50/4.50
1:0
.500
August
14.2
1.84/1.43
14:7
.255
September
5.2
0.00/0.53
2:2
.059
Season Total (both GRN/TRI) K/9 Rate: 8.2 BB/9 Rate: 3.3 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.91 K:BB Ratio: 2.08
This was Pettus' second year in the organization, with Pettus spending all of 2008 in Greeneville, posting a 4.91 ERA/1.68 WHIP in 22IP. He began the season back in Greeneville, and was promoted to Tri-City on July 26. There's a lot to like about Pettus so far, such as his improving his K/9 rate (7.4 to 8.2), BB/9 rate (4.5 to 3.3), his Hits/9 (10.6 to 7.5), and WHIP (1.68 to 1.20), from 2008 to 2009. He keeps the ball on the ground, doesn't give up a lot of home runs (4 in 60.1IP), and hammers down as the situation becomes more precarious.
Mike Modica How did he get here?: Drafted, 24th Round (2009) Stats: 6'0", 175 lbs, Throws: Left Age as of April 1, 2010: 23
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
31
2.61/1.42
19:13
.279
vs LHB
11.1
2.38/1.76
6:6
.341
vs RHB
19.2
2.75/1.22
13:7
.243
Home
13.1
2.03/1.20
8:6
.222
Away
17.2
3.06/1.58
11:7
.318
Bases Empty
13.2
x/1.76
8:4
.323
Runners On
17.1
x/1.15
11:9
.224
w/RISP
8.2
x/1.73
6:6
.360
June
5.1
0.00/0.38
5:1
.059
July
12.2
1.42/1.34
6:3
.280
August
9.1
6.75/2.25
5:8
.394
September
3.2
0.00/1.09
3:1
.273
Season Total K/9 Rate: 5.5 BB/9 Rate: 3.8 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.91 K:BB Ratio: 1.46
2009 was actually the second year in which the Astros drafted Modica, selecting him in the 46th round of the 2008 draft. And, as you can see from the above splits, the only real damage done to his stats were in August. And, you might be interested to know, most of that came on August 15, when Modica allowed 6H/4ER and 3BB in 2IP. So, removing that game dramatically improves his numbers. The strikeouts are a tad low, but the groundout/flyout ratio is pretty good.
Sure, the Diamondbacks have signed Bob Howry, but Nick Piecoro tells us that they're also still keeping tabs on Jose Valverde (which shouldn't be that hard of a task):
The club had been monitoring closer Jose Valverde's availability, and though Howry's signing makes a Valverde reunion somewhat less likely, team sources say they will continue to track Valverde and theoretically could stretch their budget for him if the cost makes sense.
The Diamondbacks would have to give up a second-round draft pick to sign him, but the savings on signing the pick (about $750,000) could help off-set the cost of Valverde.
Do you think Valverde got his agent a Christmas present, other than a flaming bag of crap?
J.B. MacDonald How did he get here?: Drafted, 18th Round (2009) Stats: 6'2", 190 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 22
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
32
2.53/1.34
29:10
.264
vs LHB
13.1
2.03/0.98
12:5
.170
vs RHB
18.2
2.89/1.61
17:5
.321
Home
18
3.00/1.39
15:6
.271
Away
14
1.93/1.29
14:4
.255
Bases Empty
12
x/1.75
12:5
.296
Runners On
20
x/1.10
17:5
.239
w/RISP
14.1
x/0.91
13:4
.191
June
5
5.40/1.80
4:1
.364
July
14.2
1.23/1.16
15:4
.250
August
9.1
3.86/1.50
7:4
.250
September
3
0.00/1.00
3:1
.182
Season Total K/9 Rate: 8.2 BB/9 Rate: 2.8 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.86 K:BB Ratio: 2.90
MacDonald served as the ValleyCats closer, recording eight saves, and only giving up 9ER in 32IP. MacDonald kept the ball on the ground, almost a 2:1 groundout/flyout ratio, and gave up two homers - one solo shot, and one two-run shot. MacDonald also finished strong, posting a 1.59 ERA in his last ten games of the season, giving up runs in just two outings. The only concern would be the splits against righties, who hit .321 against him (25 hits in 18.2IP). The strikeouts are nice, as are the low-ish walks.
We all know about the Astros' former penchant for signing free agents as opposed to focusing on the draft, but I got to wondering: what did the teams do with the picks the Astros gave up for signing their Type A Free Agents?
2003: Astros sign Jeff Kent, Giants draft David Aardsma
2004: Astros sign Andy Pettitte, Yankees draft Phil Hughes
2005: Carlos Beltran signs with New York, Astros draft Eli Iorg (released, 2009)
2007: Astros sign Carlos Lee, Rangers draft Blake Beavan (still in minors)
It's time for a little optimism. What did Easy Eddie give us for Christmas this year?
-Michael Bourn
Let's give it to Eddie. Maybe Cecil Cooper, too. God bless him/them, they stuck with Bourn in CF, and he responded with a +.150 in OPS from 2008 to 2009. Add 61 stolen bases and his first Gold Glove award, and there is reason for optimism. At least with 2/3 of the outfield.
-Bud Norris
So this whole "drafting" thing does work! The 24-year old Norris was 12-25 in his minor-league career, with a 3.67 ERA/1.32 WHIP. So to come out and go 6-3, including his debut (to which I listened) that made a 12-0 loss to the Cubs (thank you, Mike Hampton, for being so awful at Wrigley that it brought in The Troof, memorable. With Norris' spot in the rotation slotted at #3 at best, and #5 at worst, I'm actually going to keep this blog alive.
-Trading Pudge
It was a gamble. A big gamble. And yet, when Pudge hit .251 over 93 games (and it never seemed like his BA was that high), a full-fledged releasing was in order. But to turn around and spin Rodriguez for not one, but two prospects, in Matt Nevarez and Jose Vallejo was like alchemy.
-Sam Gervacio
He only pitched in 29 games in 2009, and 21IP. But 25K:8BB just warms my heart. And in those 29 games, he only allowed a run in four of those games. Drafting him as a 17-year old in 2002 is now paying off. Let's just be thankful that he wasn't traded for Tejada.
-Drew Locke
The Dodgers left him unprotected, where in two seasons with High-A Inland Empire, he had posted OPS's of .737 and .841, respectively. So the Astros selected him in the 2008 Rule 5 Draft, and Locke dominated Double-A, hitting .338/.389/.581, with 84 strikeouts in 558 PAs. He'll be in Round Rock in 2010, looking at a September Call-up (that is, if Eddie believes in them).
-Bobby Heck
Heck has had two drafts with which to work, and has seemingly turned around a farm system which Tim Purpura laid as bare as a centerfold. 2010 will bring us a top-10 pick and, if/when Valverde signs somewhere else, a sandwich pick. This will boost a team that should financially be able to compete in 2013/2014. And hope, however fleeting, is the best Christmas gift of all...
McTaggart posted his newest inbox yesterday. Of course this was the day I was 80 miles north of Houston with no internet access. What can we learn?
-I do think the Astros are one good starting pitcher away from contending for the playoffs, but it doesn't appear as if it will happen.
-Let's see how these guys respond to new leadership in Brad Mills, and don't rule out the possibility that Ed Wade really is applying a thoughtful blueprint like the Phillies followed to become what they are.
How might the Opening Day roster shake out? -At this point it appears Johnson will likely begin the season at Round Rock and start at third base. You'll probably see Drew Locke, Brian Bogusevic and Yordany Ramirez in the outfield and Jason Castro at catcher if he doesn't make the big club. Also keep an eye on outfielder Collin DeLome and infielder Drew Meyer. Among the pitchers who could be in Round Rock: Fernando Abad, Chia-Jen Lo and Polin Trinidad.
The Sporting News' Stan McNeal lists the Christmas wishes of all 30 MLB teams. And it's reeeeeaaaalllll funny.
An outfield wall without that ridiculous yellow line. And if you don't believe it's ridiculous, read the ground rules. Whatever happened to hit the ball over the wall and it's a homer?
Stan Benjamin, Astros scout for almost 40 years, has passed away.
Tal Smith: “Stan was a vital cog in the Astros organization. He was a keen judge of talent and had great personal associations throughout the game as a result of his long career as a player, high school coach, college basketball official and scout. All of us who knew Stan will have great memories of him.”
Benjamin played in parts of five seasons in the Majors, with the Phillies and Indians. His only "full" season of work came in 1941 with Philadelphia, hitting .235 with 3HR, 27RBI, and 17SB (2nd in the NL).
Dallas Keuchel How did he get here?: Drafted, 7th Round (2009) Stats: 6'3", 200 lbs, Throws: Left Age as of April 1, 2010: 22
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
56.2
2.70/1.08
44:9
.240
as Reliever
4.2
7.71/2.14
1:1
.409
as Starter
52
2.25/0.98
43:8
.221
vs LHB
16.2
2.70/0.84
19:3
.183
vs RHB
40
2.70/1.18
25:6
.261
Home
28
1.93/0.86
23:4
.208
Away
28.2
3.45/1.22
21:5
.270
Bases Empty
32
x/0.97
28:2
.221
Runners On
24.2
x/1.22
16:7
.267
w/RISP
13
x/1.62
12:5
.308
July
16.2
2.16/1.02
12:1
.254
August
34
2.65/1.09
24:7
.231
September
6
4.50/1.17
8:1
.250
Season Total K/9 Rate: 7.0 BB/9 Rate: 1.4 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.60 K:BB Ratio: 4.89
Keuchel is probably the pitcher from this year's draft class I'm most excited about. If you take out his appearance in relief on July 26 at Oneonta, he wouldn't have allowed more than 3ER in an outing all season (and we're only talking about 10 starts, but still...). He made NYPL hitters look silly pretty much all year long, and threw scoreless outings in four of his ten starts.
A new profile on Felipe Paulino by McTaggart has some encouraging news regarding off-season workouts.
Beginning last season under an ultimatum by Wade and Cooper (along with Nieve, who was dropped like 3rd period French), Paulino took his job seriously - which I find ridiculous that he might not have taken it seriously before. Now he's vowing to work harder.
Wade: "I told Felipe that I couldn't ask for anything more, and this was an opportunity he shouldn't pass up. I told him he has a chance to take the ball every fifth day and be a dominant big league pitcher. I commend him for seeking me out and wanting to talk to me."
On those workouts: From the beginning of November to the middle of December, he arrived to Minute Maid Park at dawn four days a week for two-hour workouts with some teammates under the direction of Astros strength and conditioning coach Gene Coleman.
Paulino teamed with catcher Humberto Quintero and was one of about 10 players who participated in the conditioning workouts, including Hunter Pence, J.R. Towles, Michael Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez and Jason Bourgeois and Minor Leaguers Koby Clemens and Ross Seaton.
What do they entail? The workouts began with solo movement to get the players ready for three circuits of weight training with seven minutes of metabolic conditioning and 150 core-type movements in between each one. The players then have finisher exercises they have to do before they can leave. The players burned muscle mass, increased flexibility and work capacity and modified their diets to end up with a negative caloric balance. The goal was to lose 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week. Coleman gave each player a target weight to reach by Dec. 17, and most had reached it by the first week of December.
Coleman: "It's a good group with good camaraderie, and they have pushed each other. He changed his diet and his habits, and it worked. Typically we don't have many guys that need to lose weight, but Paulino's had weight issues ever since we signed him. Everybody's goal is to break even [on weight] between now and Jan. 4. We know that they're going to do stuff, but as long as they do it in moderation."
Wade on Paulino: "So far he's followed through on what he said he was going to do. Humberto's wife has worked with Felipe's wife to improve his diet. They go shopping together to try to make sure he's eating the right foods. All the feedback I've gotten has been very positive."
Richard Justice's new blog post takes the opposite track of a previous entry regarding the ownership of Drayton McLane.
Sure it's easy to say the next owner of the Astros will be better than the current owner, but the bottom line is we don't know. There are many owners worse than Drayton McLane.
If we take a deep breath and look at the whole picture, the Astros have had a pretty good run under this guy...
...We just don't know what the next guy will be like. We know the Astros can win with Drayton in charge. What if the next guy is like Daniel Snyder, who has been an absolute nightmare as owner of the Washington Redskins? What if the next guy is like Peter Angelos, who took over one of baseball's crown jewel franchises and ran the Orioles right into the ground?
I'd rather have Drayton over either one of those guys, and over quite a few owners, too. I believe the Astros will get a new owner within the next year, and hopefully it'll be a guy who gets it.
It's funny, because Drayton has been compared to Peter Angelos onanumberofoccasions.
This week's posts are going to be a little lighter, given the holidays, and the interaction with family. So posts are mainly going to be limited to what I can get done before everybody else wakes up, and after everybody else goes to bed. Or when I am in the bathroom.
The Port Arthur News' Bob West has this in his column:
Word out of the winter baseball meetings was that a handful of teams, including the Boston Red Sox, were asking about Astros first baseman Lance Berkman. Word out of Houston, however, is that hell will freeze over before Astros owner Drayton McLane agrees to deal his overweight fan favorite, despite the fact Berkman's coming off a subpar season that suggests he might be on the downside of his career.
If you followed the Winter Meetings fairly closely, you know the Red Sox are hot for Adrian Gonzalez, which isn't going so well. If you had the opportunity to trade Berkman to the Red Sox, would you do it, and who would you want in return?
After 15 hours in a car with two dogs yesterday, the time has come to play a little catch up.
Run-DMc and Jim Crane have made up, but that doesn't mean a deal is back on.
One note. I'll be 30 on my next birthday, and I'm starting to accrue wisdom, knowledge and the divine light stuff. If you've ever said, "I don't hold grudges," you're telling your grudge, and not anybody else.
Former ESPN analyst Eric Young has joined the Astros as a roving instructor, with the goal of eventually becoming a Major-League manager.
At some point soon "Baseball Tonight" is going to consist of John Kruk and the Kielbasa from Milwaukee staring at each other.
Of course Jayson Stark is writing about Roy Halladay. But we do get a little love for Oswalt.
In a little statistical analysis on the record of the Blue Jays when Halladay pitched, as opposed to the other four guys, there's a startling stat: When Halladay has started a game since 2002, the Blue Jays have gone 149-89. That's a .654 winning percentage. In other words, when he's had the ball, they've played like a 106-win team...
...-- but 71 games under .500 when any other Blue Jay pitched. When anyone else started, they went 493-564. That's a .466 winning percentage.
He calls it the "Roy Halladay Effect." And Roy-O comes close to it.
When Oswalt has pitched in the same span of time, the Astros were 151-96 for a .611 win%, but 516-532 (.492) when he didn't. That's a difference of .119 points. Only Johan Santana (.134) and Halladay (.188) have a better differential.
Zachary Grimmett How did he get here?: Drafted, 28th Round (2008) Stats: 6'3", 185 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 20
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
41.2
7.34/1.90
28:16
.362
vs LHB
16
6.75/2.00
12:8
.369
vs RHB
25.2
7.71/1.83
16:8
.358
Home
19.1
7.91/1.81
17:8
.342
Away
22.1
6.85/1.97
11:8
.379
Bases Empty
17.1
x/2.13
11:7
.357
Runners On
24.1
x/1.48
17:9
.367
w/RISP
15.1
x/2.02
9:5
.413
June
5
0.00/1.00
5:2
.200
July
23
6.26/1.74
14:8
.333
August
13.2
11.85/2.49
9:6
.462
Season Total K/9 Rate: 6.0 BB/9 Rate: 3.5 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.02 K:BB Ratio: 1.75
This is Grimmett's second year in the organization, having spent 2008 in Greeneville, throwing 31.2IP (meaning he threw 10 more innings in 2009 than in 2008). His K/9 ratio went up from 5.1 to 6.0, but his BB/9 rate doubled from 1.7 to 3.5. And his hits/9 jumped from 11.7 to 13.6, as well. Grimmett also had 11HBP and four wild pitches. As you can see from the splits, June started out okay, but then the wheels fell off. So 2010 will be a big year for Zach, but let's keep in mind that he still will only be 20 on Opening Day 2010.
In Buster Olney's new blog post, BO highlights the surprising number of available free agents still available. One of those free agents is Jose Valverde, whose agent didn't really do him a solid:
(Valverde) had a strong season as the Astros' closer, posting a 2.33 ERA with just 40 hits and five homers allowed in 54 innings. But there are very few closer positions open now -- in Detroit, Florida and perhaps Washington, all teams that are not necessarily inclined to spend big dollars on a closer -- and there may be no opportunities for him to make in salary what he might've made had he accepted arbitration from Houston last week.
Mmm. And the question is, which team is willing to pay him AND give up the draft pick. Valverde's agent definitely nutted this one...
Another of those free agents is Miguel Tejada: He hit .313 with 61 extra-base hits while playing in Houston last season (and yes, his home-road splits are acute, and he has indicated a willingness to play some other position besides shortstop. Scouts love his energy, but he made almost $15 million in salary last year and, like Bobby Abreu, he might be facing a major adjustment in salary.
FanGraphs' Marc Hulet takes on the last four Astro drafts. Nuggets, you say?
2009 On Mier: He stole 10 bases but was caught five times, so he needs to improve his base running. The 13.5% walk rate was also very impressive for a teenager hitter, but the strikeout rate of 23.4% was a little high. Even so, the organization will certainly take a wOBA of .385 from Mier.
On Bushue: With a ground-ball rate of 37.3%, the right-hander will want to try and keep the ball out of the air a little more, especially if he’s going to play in Minute Maid Park.
On Nash: The outfielder swung-and-missed too much, with a strikeout rate of 31.7%. He showed a lot of raw power as an amateur but his ISO rate of .106 suggests he has a long way to go to tap into that home-run ability.
2008: The club had a nice draft haul in ‘08 (See what can be done when you don’t punt your draft picks!) and six members of the Top 10 prospect list can be found in this draft: Castro, Lyles, Austin, Seaton, Steele, and Dydalewicz.
2007: Ugh. This was a nasty, nasty draft. It actually makes the Blue Jays’ ‘09 draft look good. Dietrich snubbed Houston for Georgia Tech and he hit .311/.426/.511 in 225 at-bats as a sophomore in ‘09. The ultra-athletic Collin DeLome (5th round) just squeaked into the Top 10 list, based on his power/speed/defensive potential.
2006 On Chris Johnson: The 25-year-old Johnson projects to be a solid utility or platoon player for Houston after hitting .281/.3232/.461 in triple-A.
Max Fearnow How did he get here?: Undrafted free agent. Signed June 30, 2009 Stats: 6'4", 205 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 23
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
36.2
4.42/1.55
21:17
.288
as Starter
15
3.00/1.20
8:4
.264
as Reliever
21.2
5.40/1.80
13:13
.302
vs LHB
13.1
5.40/1.80
9:5
.333
vs RHB
23.1
3.86/1.41
12:12
.256
Home
17.2
5.09/1.53
9:6
.318
Away
19
3.79/1.58
12:11
.260
Bases Empty
13.1
x/1.95
9:8
.295
Runners On
23.1
x/1.33
12:9
.282
w/RISP
14.1
x/1.05
6:6
.220
July
21.1
2.11/1.17
12:7
.240
August
12.1
9.49/2.27
8:8
.364
September
3
0.00/1.33
1:2
.222
Season Total K/9 Rate: 5.2 BB/9 Rate: 4.2 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.00 K:BB Ratio: 1.24
Like Donovan, Fearnow started four games this season - but they were at the beginning of Tri-City's year, where he posted a 3.00 ERA/1.20 WHIP line. I'm not sure of the circumstances, but Fearnow was then moved to the bullpen, where he flat-out struggled (just go back and look at those August appearances). Of Fearnow's seven appearances in August, four of them were 2+ ER outings - which will kill an ERA. Only once did he get out of a game without allowing a run, and he walked two batters in that game. So let's go ahead and slide Max back to the rotation.
Robby Donovan How did he get here?: Drafted, 23rd Round (2009) Stats: 6'5", 195 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 21
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
33.2
3.74/1.51
28:21
.233
as Starter
16.1
1.65/1.29
14:7
.233
as Reliever
17.1
5.71/1.70
14:14
.232
vs LHB
14
3.21/1.71
8:9
.283
vs RHB
19.2
4.12/1.37
20:12
.197
Home
12
7.50/2.00
14:8
.296
Away
21.2
2.57/1.25
14:13
.187
Bases Empty
15.1
x/1.37
14:13
.140
Runners On
18.1
x/1.64
14:8
.306
w/RISP
12
x/1.67
9:7
.295
June
3
12.00/3.00
1:4
.357
July
10
6.30/1.60
10:6
.244
August
15.2
1.15/1.09
16:9
.145
September
5
1.80/1.80
1:2
.268
Season Total K/9 Rate: 7.5 BB/9 Rate: 5.6 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 0.73 K:BB Ratio: 1.33
There are quite a few things to note here. Donovan's last four appearances of the season were games in which he started and, as you can see from the starter/reliever splits, he fared much better pitching out of the rotation. In his start against Staten Island on August 29, he struck out eight batters in 4IP - so that's nice. And despite an upside-down groundout/flyout ratio, Donovan didn't give up a homer all season long. Also, if you take out one of his appearances - on July 22 against Auburn in which he allowed three earned runs without recording an out - his ERA drops below 3.00. So get those walks under control, young Robby, and we'll see you in Lexington.
Alyson Footer handled the tweeting during Astroline with Enos Cabell. What did There Once Was a Man Named Enos have to say?
On Pedro Feliz: "He plays great defense. He played a lot of games last year. (The Phillies) kind of ran him down. With Blum there, Blum can rest him...With the short left field porch, I think he's going to hit a lot of home runs."
On Manzella: Manzella can really play defense. If you have a great defensive team on the left and the right side, with our young pitching throwing strikes, we should be very effective. We're still looking for another middle infielder in case anything happens to Manzella."
On Lindstrom: "We see him as our closer. (Que interesante!) He's 6-3, 220 pounds and he throws hard. We needed somebody to make sure can close out a game.
But. Hey. What about the $15 million man? The guy that Ed paid about $8 million more than the last 8th inning guy who just signed with the Brewers? He's been a stopper before. Once we lost Valverde, we tried to cover the back end and that's the key. He's more of a veteran than Lindstrom and he can step in if Lindstrom struggles.
On Castro: It'll be up to him how he plays if he breaks with team after Spring Training. This kid is smart, he played really well. He moves so fast it's unbelievable. If he can catch in Spring Training & catch our pitching, catch our starting rotation, he might make the team."
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt (who I think I incorrectly identified as the Brewers' GM last week. My bad.), LaHawk took the initiative to meet with the Brewers.
The actual Brewers' GM, Doug Melvin, said of the negotiations: "LaTroy wanted to come up and meet us. We had a chance to spend some time with him. We expressed our interest in LaTroy and he expressed his interest in the Brewers."
Haudricourt: Negotiations accelerated when Hawkins' former club, Houston, pressed him to commit to returning or leaving. The Brewers boosted their offer from one year to two years, and the next thing you knew they had a $7.5 million agreement.
Way to go, Ed.
LaHawk: "It was pretty much my idea (to attend the meetings) a few months ago. I'm a firm believer that talking to a guy in person, you get to know him a little bit better. I watched this team from afar and really admired what they've done the last few years putting a team together. I just wanted to be a part of that."
So the Brewers signed LaHawk because of his durability, and his being a team player, doing whatever is asked. Nope. We don't need guys like that.
Good for Geoff Geary. After getting run down by Cecil Cooper last season, and sent down to Round Rock by Ed Wade last season, Geoff Geary signed with the Rangers today.
He was signed to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Drayton finally responded to McTaggart in an effort to clear things up with the falling-through of the Astros sale last Fall.
Basically it's this: He did try to sell the team, but isn't anymore. Which sounds remarkably like when someone gets in trouble, they did do something bad, but haven't done said bad thing in quite some time.
Drayton: "If somebody comes to me or one of my sons and was a highly credible person or organization and had the financial wherewithal, we'd talk to them. If you ask me, 'Are the Astros for sale?' No."
So the Astros aren't for sale, but they are sellable.
McTaggart explains that the matchmaker who made a match between McLane and Crane (who would have immediately been dubbed "McCrane") was former Rockets President/CEO George Postolos: McLane said he was approached in 2007 by Postolos...about selling the team to Crane. Postolos left the Rockets in 2006 to form a group that helps with the acquisition of sports franchises.
This wasn't some random encounter. Captip to McTaggart for pointing that this wasn't two Houston boys sitting down and a light being flipped on. Postolos helped buy and sell teams.
"George worked for him, and George first approached me in late 2007. I told them I had no interest, and they came back later with a very attractive price and said they were willing to pay for the Astros. We started negotiations, but never reached a financial agreement, nor did we sign a contract. Jim changed his mind. The recession started in 2008, and he called and said he wanted to end negotiations. I have no hard feelings towards him. I had mixed emotions about selling in the first place. We never got close to finishing a deal."
This is immediately refuted by McTaggart: McLane did say he and Crane shook hands and agreed on a price.
McLane: "We still had to work out all the details. We were working out the details and beginning to work towards a contact but never finished the contract. It's kind of like when you and your wife go out and look at houses and you talk to someone two or three times and negotiate with them and either you change your mind and he changes his mind and it all goes away."
Just like buying a house. A $500 million house. The wife was willing to go to $600 million, but I was standing firm at $480 million. It ends with blahblahblah "next year will be wicked good" and all. But I bet you won't see Ringolsby, McLane, and Jim Crane out at dinner anytime soon.
As there's not a whole lot going on at the moment, let's pick up where we left off on these player profiles.
Kirk Clark How did he get here?: Undrafted free agent, signed August 2009 Stats: 6'2", 202 lbs, Throws: Right Age as of April 1, 2010: 21
Splits!
Split
IP
ERA/WHIP
K:BB
BAA
Season
19
1.89/0.89
24:3
.215
vs LHB
9.1
1.93/1.07
15:2
.242
vs RHB
9.2
1.86/0.72
9:1
.188
Home
12
1.50/1.00
15:2
.238
Away
7
2.57/0.71
9:1
.174
Bases Empty
10.2
x/0.94
17:1
.220
Runners On
8.1
x/0.84
7:2
.208
w/RISP
4.2
x/1.07
5:2
.231
August
17
2.12/0.88
19:3
.211
September
2
0.00/1.00
5:0
.250
Season Total K/9 Rate: 11.4 BB/9 Rate: 1.4 Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.21 K:BB Ratio: 8.00
The Astros signed Kirk Clark back in August out of the Alaskan Baseball League and a college career with Creighton. There's a lot to be excited about from 19 innings here - 14 hits/3 walks in 65 ABs (.262 OBPA). Clark did give up two homers, certainly not alarming - and the lines with runners on/RISP are certainly encouraging, as well. We're talking about a full month of numbers here, and that's it, but still, it's a good signing - so far.
Back on October 1 I ripped FoxSports columnist Tracy Ringolsby for throwing the following toss-away line in his column on the bidding for the Texas Rangers. He said:
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.
The next day, Drayton said the following to Fox26: 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.
So when JJO published his piece on the heels of T.R. Sullivan's ushering the cat out of the bag that Run-DMc almost sold the Astros to Jim Crane last fall, I thought that it's possible that I owe Ringolsby an apology.
Drayton: “We had a tentative deal. Nothing lasts forever. I don’t want to sell, but when people call you listen."
JJO: In reality, though, McLane now admits that he and Crane had a tentative deal before Crane backed out. According to people close to McLane, at the time the Astros’ owner was furious that Crane backed out because of the economic downturn.
Drayton: He called one day and said he was no longer interested."
Justice says: Drayton was willing to see the Astros in 2008, he certainly is willing to sell them today. If the price is right, he's out the door...
...Now, though, he'll be getting other telephone calls from people interested in owning the Astros. If he listened once, he'll listen again.
This is curious. Last year, when it became clear that the national economy was going the way of Highway 36 from Temple to Cameron, anybody who was into a deep financial obligation and had an opportunity to get out with a profit would do it. No questions asked. And who would blame them?
Drayton has caught a lot of flak. From fans, from bloggers, from the Houston media, from the national media. He hasn't made consistently good decisions since 2005 (or beginning with the ushering out of Gerry Hunsicker), and if he sold the Astros, it wouldn't be the worst thing. But I like him. I can't tell you why.
One time I had the opportunity to meet Drayton. It was a couple of years ago and La Constabless and I lived in New York. You get more attention as an Astros fan in New York, because most people in New York only know of Houston from when Chien-Ming Wang hurt his foot, and they couldn't figure out why he was there in the first place, and not playing the Red Sox on Fox. So when Drayton came in, my boss pulled me in to meet him.
El Jefe: "Drayton, this is our resident Astros fan." Drayton: "Oh yeah? Are you going to root for the Astros this year?" Me: "Like I have my entire life." Drayton: "Do you remember when we opened the Astrodome?" Me: (confused. Because I was 27.) "Uhhh. That was a little bit before my time." Drayton: "That's great. Thanks for your support."
That was it. I went back to work. I was more concerned with the possibility that I looked like I was in my 50s. The Astros wouldn't be the same without Drayton. And maybe that's not the worst thing. Would the Astros look different without Drayton? Does one billionaire have better baseball sense than another? Now that it looks like Jim Crane has been eliminated from the possibility of buying the Rangers, will he turn his attention to the Astros again?
I'm guessing not, given the initial backing-out last fall. But it all depends on how badly Drayton wants to get out. Allegedly, Drayton was "relieved" that it fell apart, but you have to wonder about that kind of money. Drayton's a businessman, after all.
This came out back in April, but it certainly is worth another post in a year of cost-cutting, Valverde-dropping, and Brandon Lyon-signing.
What we have here is the Forbes' list of the business of baseball, in which we see the following:
Team value: $445 million (12th-highest in baseball). This is down 4% from 2008, and the Astros were among ten teams who saw a decline in team value.
But were up 9% in what Forbes calls the annual value change (current team value compared with latest transaction price).
Revenue: $194 million (11th-highest)
Operating income: $17 million Player expenses: $111 million Gate receipts: $78 million
When the 2009 numbers come out in April, we'll take another look at this, because all numbers involved will likely go down, thanks to all those empty seats.
In the MLB.com article on Aroldis Chapman's workout at Baseball USA in Houston, Ed Wade positively gushed - and the Astros were there "in force":
"The kid's got a great arm. He's a physical specimen. He's left-handed. He throws hard. Obviously, anybody would be interested in an arm like this. He's got some great stuff. The early feedback from our guys, and everybody else, is he's a tremendous talent. It was important for us to be out here, being in our backyard. I have seen lots of side sessions over 33 years. You judge guys by their bodies of work and scouts who have seen guys multiple times in competition. If we were going to get involved with a guy like this, we'd make sure we had a lot of information and not just something based on a side session."
So all that's to say: He's big. He throws hard. With his left arm. But we're still not sure.
Update: Chapman at one point was represented by API. Now he's represented by the Houston-based Hendricks Brothers (maybe you remember them from Clemens' days). Jorge Arangure, who has been all over the Chapman story - from defection to residency in Andorra (which Joe Buck hilariously referred to during the playoffs as an island) to his free agency, is reporting that API is suing the Hendricks Brothers for interfering with API's representation of Chapman.
According to Arangure: (Chapman's former agent) Edwin Mejia said API found evidence that an employee of Hendricks contacted Chapman with the intent of having him breach his contract, and thatAPI will try to recoup hundreds of thousands in expenses, the expected commission and damages.
Why are we talking about this? Because (a) it's interesting, and (b) affects the standing of the Houston-based agents.
It's also worth noting that the Red Sox are the only team to have reportedly offered a deal - $15.5 million - to Chapman.
In an updated blog post by the Dallas Morning-News' Evan Grant, Houston businessman Jim Crane reportedly has a bid in for the Rangers around $530 million, allegedly the best bid so far - better than the Dennis Gilbert bid or the Ryan/Greenberg bid.
But there's a snag. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has already shown support Gilbert. And: Astros owner Drayton McLane is not a fan of Crane's.
Can't imagine why. I'd still like to learn the circumstances of the handshake deal that Crane backed out of. Allegedly.
We've been keeping up a little bit with the sale of the Texas Rangers lately, and one thing we noted was the involvement of Houston businessman Jim Crane.
Well. T.R. Sullivan's newest article says that Crane has the highest bid for the Rangers.
And about that handshake agreement. When was that? Crane's candicacy appeared to be in doubt because of a handshake agreement to buy the Astros in the fall of 2008 that fell apart in the final hour, and that seemed to cast doubt among Major League officials if he would ultimately gain approval to buy the Rangers. But that could be a moot point if he is deemed the highest bidder in this situation.
Thank God. Good news. The Astros will be among several teams checking out Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
However, it has more to do with the workout will be around the corner (or at least at an undisclosed location) in Houston than it will be about actually showing interest in Chapman.
Ed Wade: "Obviously, it's a high-profile guy who's got a chance to have a huge upside, so it behooves us to be a partipiant in the opening moments and see where it goes from there."
I think the concluding part of that statement was, "and if it takes us to Quizno's, so be it."
Immediately following Justice's soul-crushing piece on the ineptitude of Run-DMc, Zach Levine has some reasons to be optimistic about 2010. There are only three. I've got the first sentence, click the link for the rest:
With Bud Norris' innings issue out of mind, the sophomore-or-less could be a big upgrade over having a season's worth of starts from Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz.
Brad Mills could squeeze (and please, not squeeze in the baseball sense) a few wins out of a similarly talented team to what Cecil Cooper had.
In my opinion, if you're an optimist about the 2010 Astros, you're looking for big things from your familiar faces.
Here's what I'm optimistic about:
1. Bobby Heck has another draft in 2010
2. Lyles/Seaton/Dydalewicz/Villar move to Corpus, with Clemens and Gaston
3. Drew Locke moves to Round Rock
What? You noticed there wasn't anything about the Big League club? How astute you are...
Justice brings it in his new blog post today, and the jumping off point is Drayton apparently going on SiriusXM talking about the salary cap.
Justice: The Astros have enough revenues to win. In fact, at times they've had too much money. They'll throw $100 million at a two-tool free agent and take a hard line with a five-tool draft pick. The puzzling thing is that Drayton ran this franchise so well for so long. Now it's like he has lost his way...
...If a salary cap would turn dumb into smart, then let's get us a salary cap. What a joke the Astros have become. Take a look around you, Drayton. You're an industry laughingstock. Almost no one in the business thinks you have a chance of competing as long as you're the owner.
Do you ever get the feeling there's a great party going on next door, and you weren't invited? That's how it is to care about the Astros these days. Moves here, moves there. People moving out, people moving in. The Brewers get better. The Mariners get better. The Braves get better. Meanwhile, the Astros aren't even trying.
Their two biggest needs are starting pitching and home runs, and they've acquired neither this winter. They've pretty much made it clear they have no intention of improving the club this winter...
We've been down this road so many times before that it's boring going over it all again. It's just that with Lee, Lackey, etc., moving, it pointed up how far the Astros are from being competitive, or even trying to be competitive.
Alyson Footer is tweeting that the Astros have re-signed Jason Michaels to a one-year deal worth $800,000 with a club option for 2011. Let's do the splits on Michaels:
2009 Splits!
Split
ABs
BA/OBP/SLG
K:BB
XBH-RBI
Season
135
.237/.322/.430
38:16
17-16
vs LHP
56
.268/.317/.446
13:4
8-4
vs RHP
79
.215/.326/.418
25:12
9-12
Home
59
.271/.394/.559
19:11
11-11
Away
76
.211/.259/.329
19:5
6-5
Bases Empty
70
.243/.354/.471
20:11
9-3
Runners On
65
.231/.286/.385
18:5
8-1
w/RISP
37
.216/.293/.378
12:4
4-12
April
19
.263/.391/.474
6:3
4-2
May
20
.100/.182/.150
5:2
1-0
June
28
.179/.207/.286
8:1
3-3
July
19
.263/.300/.526
4:1
2-2
August
31
.355/.375/.742
9:1
6-8
Sept/Oct
18
.222/.462/.278
6:8
1-1
1st Half
74
.176/.256/.324
21:7
9-6
2nd Half
61
.311/.400/.557
17:9
8-10
On 1st Pitch
16
.313/.313/.688
x:x
4-1
After FPS
68
.235/.278/.397
23:4
7-8
After FPB
51
.216/.375/.392
15:12
6-7
Season Total K:BB Ratio: 2.38 K/PA %: 25% XBH/H %: 53.1%
So that's interesting. As Footer tells us: Before everyone blows a gasket on the Michaels signing, consider his second half #s -- .311 (19x61) with 3 HR and 10 RBIs.
We've considered his second-half numbers. And I'm more impressed with his August 5-9. Four games in which Michaels went 6x13 with 4XBH and a slash line of .462/.500/1.077. Michaels raised his average 32 points. Then it was back to a .222 average in September/October (though those walks were nice enough to push him over a .400 OBP.
McTaggart said: I like Michaels return. He's cheap, relatively speaking, can play all 3 OF spots, had a good 2nd half and has good makeup.
Brad Mills had this to say about Michaels: He was in the minor leagues when I was in Philadelphia, and he was highly thought of. His reputation in baseball is very solid as being a very solid clubhouse presence and a solid player.”
And Ed Wade: He is a solid guy. We’ve lost some guys through free agency, and the leadership element is important.”
The leadership element. There it is again.
So I won't blow a gasket, and $800,000 is baseball peanuts (just don't do the math on how long it will take you to make $800,000. It's 100 of something, but it ain't games. You'll just depress yourself.). But I won't be jumping up and down like Mariners fan today.
-
In another note, the Astros signed Gustavo Chacin to a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. As The Crawfish Boxes astutely note: The Astros also get a very interesting project in Chacin with previous experience under Arnsberg.
Chacin posted the best season of his career in 2005, Arnsberg's first year with Toronto, Chacin went: 13-9 (34 starts), 203IP, 3.72 ERA/1.39 WHIP, 121K:70BB, finishing 5th in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
Infielder Kelly Johnson, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, are getting some love from the Astros (as well as the Pirates, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks).
I'll admit, I don't see it. The Astros already have Maysonet, Matsui, and Keppinger. If the Astros were to flip Matsui for a bucket of sunflower seeds, and install Johnson at 2B, however, that's a different story. But to add another second baseman just to do it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Aaron Bray was the 27th round draft pick for the Astros in last June's amateur draft. He was also the winner of the Astros County Adopt-a-Player contest. Each week, Aaron will write a column for Astros County detailing his off-season. Check the sidebar for archives.
Hello Astros Fans, I am taking a break from studying for my exams, which start tomorrow at 11:30. This whole school year has been very different from previous years. I found myself being lost, I did not have baseball or a strict schedule to follow. It has been a different school year, but it is over with after this week. As I always mention, I am so excited and can't wait for Spring Training. I have been working hard and will continue to do so. I hope all of you are having a great week and looking forward to the Holiday Season.
What areas of your game are you focusing on improving this season over last?
As a player, I am working on all aspects of my game. I am not limiting myself to working on one particular aspect. I am working on getting faster and quicker along with trying to get stronger. So I have been in the gym running and in the weight room lifting. I have also been going indoors to hit, throw and take ground balls. Now with school being over, I will be able to go outside to a field if the weather cooperates. It helps out that I have my brother and dad to help me out when I need someone to throw to me. Then my school (UNC-Charlotte) has been nice to allow me to come out there when I want to get some work in. I am just looking forward to getting better and showcasing my hard work at spring training.
Have a good week, Aaron
Got a question for Aaron? Send it to astroscounty@hotmail.com
Alyson Footer's new post on the Astros' contract with Brandon Lyon details how other GMs ain't happy. Why?
Because every contract helps set the market for every other contract.
A couple of thoughts immediately came to mind when I read some of the media reports. "Disbelief" from "rival GMs" can also be interpreted as "disgust" from "GMs desperately looking for relief pitching," because the Lyon signing helped to set the market for late-inning relievers. The hefty price tag will make it that much more difficult for teams to find affordable relief help. That makes GMs grumpy...
...Lyon's contract is without question on the generous side, and I admit I was surprised when I heard the dollar figure. But after reading some of the comments from GMs who were also in heavy pursuit of Lyon, I started to see Ed Wade's logic on this one...
...It comes down to three possible outcomes. Lyon could work himself into a setup role with Lindstrom closing, which would mean the Astros are paying more than a setup man is worth. Or, Lyon becomes the closer, and the Astros get a relative bargain at $5 mill a year. Or, Lyon is ineffective in setup and closing roles, in which case the contract will be lambasted. And understandably so.
But to me, it comes down to this: If the Astros are going to overpay, I'd rather it be for pitching.
So all eight arbitration-eligible players were offered contracts yesterday. Now comes the always-fun step of the negotiation in which the exchanging of numbers takes place until January 19. If no deal is reached by then, it goes to a panel of judges where the Astros make their case for why Player X is not worth getting the money they think they should. Wade:
"Tal, David Gottfried and Ricky Bennett will be gainfully employed the next couple of months trying to wind their way through arbitration or case preparation, and those are going to be real-dollar numbers. We think we've allocated the right numbers from a budget standpoint, but one quirky thing could impact us as well."
In his introductory press conference yesterday, Brandon Lyon said that he wants to be the closer:
I don’t want to go into any situation and be greedy. Those are decisions I can’t really make, those are decisions that have to come from management. I just want to help the team win. Who wouldn’t want to be in the closer’s role? Obviously, you’d like to be in there and get your team off the field with a win. But if it’s best for the team to pitch in another role, I’ll do that.”
And the Astros may not be done with free agency: We still have a little bit of pocket change left. There’s money left and money remaining for the rest of this month and the month of January could put us in a good position not to bottom-feed, but to take advantage of the surplus of talent out there and maybe get a bargain on a quality player.”
Jay Austin
