Astros Off Season Thread

[eagle eye]

It's time to gather around the "hot stove" and warm your hands and cast a casual look at the Astros and the goings on as they prepare for 2014.

> Former Astros fan favorite, Brad Ausmus, has been named the manager of the Detroit Tigers following the retirement of Jim Leyland. Good guy, I hope he does well despite the fact he has never managed at any level prior to getting the Detroit job.

> Astros 2012 2nd round pick SS Nolan Fontana is playing in the Arizona Fall League to help him refine his bat. He has always been a tough out and he gets more than his fair share of walks but he knows the path to the bigs depends on how he HITS the ball. Last season in High Class A California league he hit .258 for the season with 102 walks in 104 games giving him a .415 OBP. I have no problem with a player being patient at the plate. In fact he could teach a lot of the guys on last season's roster a thing or two about being selective seeing as how that bunch was the poster roster of crappy plate appearances leading the league in strikeouts. Fontana is sandwiched between current SS Jonathan Villar and 2012 first round pick Carlos Correa. Fontana says he doesn't worry about that so much he just wants to get better and it looks like he'll move up the ladder next season to AA Corpus Christi. It's nice to have a deep well of talent in the organization.

> Mark Appel has moved back to Houston permenantly and has begun workouts along with a handful of Major and Minor league propects with the Astros strength and conditioning coach Jake Beiting beginning last week. Speculation is that Appel will likely begin the 2014 season at AA Corpus Christi and with the talent at the starting pitching spot the Astros may not rush Appel up to the bigs opting instead to let him season in the minors for all of 2013. The success of Michael Wacha gives all prospects hope they are just a small step away from the Major Leagues.

> Pitcher Erik Bedard will not be with the Astros in 2014. Last Thursday he filed for free agency. Bedard did a good job for Houston all things considered so I hope he gets picked up by a good team.

> The Astros signed a pitcher from the Detroit Tigers, Darin Downs, off waivers. The 28-year-old posted a 4.84 ERA in 29 games this year (19 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings) across two Major League stints with Detroit. He struck out 37 hitters, limiting lefties to a .219 average. Between Triple-A Toledo and Class A West Michigan, Downs had a 2.16 ERA over 16 2/3 innings. He owns a career record of 2-3 and has struck out 57 hitters in 56 Major League innings. (previous info from Astros.com)

> Astros fans should be happy to know that owner Jim Crane plans to open his wallet a little bit in 2014. The Astros finished the 2013 season with an embarrassingly low $13 MM payroll but the Astros front office knew it was going to be a rebuilding year and the Astros dealt away the last of the their veteran players for draft picks and prospects which lowered the payroll to the level it was at the end of the season. There was no reason to spend big money on free agents when you knew it was throwing good money away. Now, the Astros have identified a crop of young players to build around for next season and the front office boys plan to supplement holes in their roster with free agents. Apparently, it's time to play to win. Good news for win-starved fans. The Astros need some good bats in the lineup. Guys who can hit for a little power, are patient enough to take their share of walks and most importantly hit for average and don't strike out so damn much. They also need some help in the bullpen including a closer. I really look for Houston to be a lot better next season. Jim Crane told MLB.com that he expects that the payroll should be up in the $50-$60 MM range. That's a little more like it AND they have the No 1 pick in the draft for the 3rd year in a row.

[KABrother88]

MLBTradeRumors.com has a list of the top 50 Free Agents with projections of where they will end up. They have #32 Frenando Rodney and #46 Jesse Crain projected to end up in Houston. Other players they see Houston being in the mix for are #3 Shin-Soo Choo, #5 Masahiro Tanaka, #6 Ervin Santana, #7 Matt Garza, #11 Ubaldo Jimenez, #26 Joaquin Benoit, #27 Scott Feldman, #28 Kendrys Morales, #30 Josh Johnson, #41 Nate McLouth, and #44 Joe Smith. As you can see pitching heavy. If we are going to give an OF a 100 million dollar contract, I'd rather be linked to Ellsbury than Choo though...just personal preference...either way they are both Scott Boras clients so they will get monster deals. Tanaka is intriguing to me...he's only 25 and not said to be at the level of Yu Darvish but scouts think he could step right in to a teams rotation as a #2 (probably a #1 in Houston)...what I don't like is what Houston would have to pay to even get negotiating rights...reportedly in the 75 million dollar range...can't see Luhnow pulling that trigger just yet...especially with the trend of Japanese pitching imports being so-so in the majors (Darvish is the exception to this rule). Josh Johnson is a guy that I would like to see in Houston if he would sign an incentive laiden deal...he was dominate for a 3-4 year span but can't shake off the injury bug since then. Another thing to remember is if the Free Agent's former team gave a qualifying offer that was reflected then Houston would have to forfeit thier 2nd pick (40th overall) if they sign that player. This years draft is supposed to be pretty deep so Luhnow and Co. may shy away from those players as well. Staying with the draft for one comment even though it's not part of the off season, there is a kid from Shepherd High School which is right up 59 outta Houston named Tyler Kolek that is very high on draft boards. He's 6'-5" and 250 lbs throwing in the upper 90s into triple digits with a plus breaking ball...better believe Houston scouts will make the short trip up the highway to watch him and if somethin happens to Rodon then Kolek may the pick...and he could possibly give a hometown discount and allow Houston to be creative a la 2012...but I wouldn't pass on Rodon unless somethin catastrophic happens

[Big T]

I would rather Choo over Ellsbury. We already have speed on this team and not much power. I don't think we will get either one. What's the point in spending large amounts of money on a guy when the team is still three years away from competing on a consistent basis. We will sign some good bullpen help and maybe get Ubaldo Jiminez. They will also be very active in the foreign markets in Japan and Latin America.

[eagle eye]

With the Astros reporting that Jim Crane is willing to boost the payroll to $60 MM I think that maybe, with the core players to build around, I don't think the front office is thinking about another 100 loss team. The veteran free agents coming in shouldn't be considered trade fodder in June and July. I believe they will be looking for solid guys who will protect the young guys in the batting order and provide more consistant offense. They don't need another Carlos Pena and they don't need another Chris Carter. We saw what that got us. I know people liked Carter and he hit in the clutch a lot but he struck out way too much, as did the whole lineup. Why? Because there wasn't anyone opposing pitchers were afraid of to burn them except Jose Altuve. You put some veteran bats in the lineup who hit for average, take their walks, and drive in runs. In 2013 pitchers didn't have to pitch around anybody because there wasn't an Ellsbury or Choo in the lineup. With the emergence of Jason Castro, the continued success of Jose Altuve and the potential Jonathan Villar showed two or three solid hitters would do wonders for the whole batting order. Plus, adding players who understand and perform plate discipline rubs off on the rest of the lineup. That's why a guy like Nolan Fontana would be a great player to have in the lineup. Unfortunately, he's not ready for the bigs just yet.

[KABrother88]

Preferably I don't want to see Ellsbury or Choo in Houston's outfield...was just saying if I had to be picked 1 to be linked to I would go with Ellsbury. Offensively they are turn out somewhat equal...Choo will get on base a little more and has a little more power but Ellsbury will put the ball in play more often, strike out less steal a few more bases. Defensively Ellsbury plays a much better CF...in his 7 seasons he has a "runs saved above agerage" of +27, while Choo is at -13 in 9 seasons. I get what your at Big T about needing power more but Choo's career high in HRs is only 22 and he only hit 21 in that little leage field in Cincinnati this year...of course minus Ellsbury's 2011 season where he hit 32 HR and 46 doubles his next best career highs are 9 and 31 respectivley (this season in 134 games). But 2011 shows the potential for that kind of production is there is just a matter getting back to it. All that being said i'll say again i don't really want either one. A combo of Springer in CF/RF with Barnes playing some CF, L.J. Hoes playing some RF, and Grossman in LF would work for me. There is one guy that might be another guy I wouldn't be surprised to see Houston sign and that is CF Chris Young. Hometown guy who has played 23 games in Houston over his career to the tune of a .392 average (38/107) with 8 HRs and 7 doubles...now hes coming off a bad year but I'm sure Luhnow is working on some mathmatical equation to figure out what he could do for Houston...plus hes only 30 (feels like he should be 40 by now) and could still have a few good seasons left in him

[eagle eye]

I'll take 22 homers. Nobody even scared 20 this past season. Besides, in this post 'roid era 50 HR's are getting pretty scarce.

[Big T]

I think that getting Chris Young is a very definite possibility, but I wouldn't expect to much from him if they did. I think the Astros think that they have the Power and RBI's coming up through the minors right now with Springer and Singleton so they are mostly worried about pitching. I bet 30 million of the available money will be spent on pitching in one form or another.

[eagle eye]

Since we've been riffing on player moves and what-ifs about next season's roster I have a question to pose. What, in your opinion, are the top 3 things Houston needs to address in terms of free agent signings? For example, do they need veteran starter to lead the pitching staff? Do this need a big hitting first baseman or right fielder or both? Is third base a position of need, especially if he has a good stick? Put yourself in either Jim Crane or Jeff Luhnow's shoes and pinpoint the biggest needs you have to address this off season.

[KABrother88]

1. Bullpen
2. Bullpen
3. Bullpen

In all seriousness though back of the bullpen help has got to be priority one. Secondly, I would say a SP to supplement the young arms we have now. Then I would say a verteran RF that won't cost an arm and a leg. To me Matt Dominguez is the guy at 3rd..he just turned 24 at the end of August and showed some pop this year...the average is still a question mark but like I said, he's still a young player and is still developing.

[Big T]

IDK if you go for an average everyday outfielder. With LJ Hoes, Robbie Grossman, and Brandon Barnes I think you give those guys as many shots as possible next season. Maybe a backup outfielder but not a starter.

First priority is Bullpen, then a starter (hopefully Ubaldo Jimeniz), and a short stop as I just don't know if Villar is ready, and another Catcher as Corporan is not what his number said he was last year and once again I don't think Max Stassi is ready.

[eagle eye]

Speaking of Matt Dominguez, he was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the Astros. Dominguez, in his first full season in the Major Leagues, started 149 games at third base in 2013 and ranked fourth in the American League at his position with a .963 fielding percentage. He committed 16 errors in 431 total chances. Good job!

The Rangers and Astros will play exhibition games in the Alamodome on March 28th and 29th next year as part of the second H-E-B Big League Weekend.

Here's an article from Astros.com about pitcher Matt Heidenreich getting a make over of his mechanics in the Arizona Fall League.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-minor-league-righty-matt-heidenreich-undergoing-makeover-in-afl?ymd=20131107&content_id=63762020&vkey=news_hou

Here's an article about Delino DeShields Jr and his evolution in the Arizona Fall League.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-prospect-delino-deshields-jr-becoming-more-versatile-in-arizona?ymd=20131106&content_id=63735792&vkey=news _hou

Last but not least, the referendum to renovate the Astrodome was voted down. Another referendum could be introduced but it is very possible that the 'Dome will be demolished. Once and forever known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" when it was built in 1965 it has outlived it's usefullness and it sitting next to Reliant Stadium dwarfed by the new stadium's size and rusting away. Who knows what will eventually happen to the 'Dome but if it's gone more than one person will definitely shed a tear.

[KABrother88]

Been meaning to post that Jimmy Paredes was out on waivers and claimed by Miami...really wish he would have been able to figure out major league pitching but it just never happened.

[Big T]

Maybe a change of scenery will do him some good.

[eagle eye]

Some Astros notes for this week.

> 3B Jonathan Meyers is working on his offense this fall in the Arizona Fall League. Meyers is superior fielder but his career arc will depend on how he develops as a hitter. He played well in AA Corpus Christi this season and he improved his hitting somewhat but he retooling his approach and working on some things the coaches see as avenues of improvement. They want his BA and walks up which means he will need to learn some plate discipline and improve some mechical issues. Meyers does hit well against left handers but to be an MLB starter he will have to face both righties and lefties. Meyers understands he's got a guy in Matt Dominguez that is forging a place with the Astros ahead of him and a guy in Rio Ruiz in A ball who is rated the Astros best third base prospect behind him. Meyer says that quality throughout the organization is a good thing because the pressure to get better will make everyone better.

> The Astros will be sending reps to meet with top draft prospect Carlos Rodon possibly as early as this week. The Astros have several players scheduled for visits but Rodon is the consensus top prospect. Team says that while Rodon is the cream of this coming year's draft crop he still is going into his junior year at NC State and some injury concerns make it necessary for Houston to do their due diligence in deciding who they select with that No 1 pick. They certainly don't want to waste the pick on a guy they can't sign. In 2013 Houston scouted 6 other players before deciding on Mark Appel. Hopefully Rodon will be that guy everyone expects AND he decides to sign with Houston.

> P Jonah Dufek was moved to the bullpen this past season and the move has turned out to be good one. Between A-Advanced Lancaster and Corpus Christi Dufek ended up 2013 with a 9-2 record and a 3.14 ERA in 67 2/3 innings giving up 64 hits with 74 strike outs. Dufek is 6'5" with a mid ninties fastball, a killer slider and a change up he has been working to refine in the Arizona Fall League. He has a real chance to move up to AAA OKC next season with signs pointing to a move up to the bigs not far away. It sounds like Dufek is in line for a closers role and I hope he makes it.

> The Astros have faith in GM Jeff Luhnow's plan for the building the franchise. It actually started with new owner Jim Crane's overall plan when he took over the team two years ago. Here's an good article praising the patience and discipline exhibited by Astros management while the big club suffered through some dismal seasons allowing their plan to come to fruition.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/richard-justice-astros-confident-in-general-manager-jeff-luhnows-long-term-vision?ymd=20131112&content_id=63882478&vkey=news_ hou

[eagle eye]

Here's a link to an article from Astros.com about some news and notes about the team. First a note about how Hall of Fame 1st baseman Andre Dawson believes Jeff Bagwell belongs in the Hall of Fame. Bo Porter talks about how the team will be looking to add a good outfield bat, relief pitching and a veteran starter to its 2014 roster. Last but not least Chris Young talks about he, a Houston native, would love playing in his home town.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20131115&content_id=63954122&noteb ook_id=63952008&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou

[KABrother88]

A couple of roster moves today. Astros claimed middle infielder Ryan Jackson from the Cardinals. The Chicago White Sox claimed Ulitity man Jake Elmore from Houston. Pitcher John Eli was released and OF J.D. Martinez was outrighted to AAA OKC

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-claim-ryan-jackson-off-waivers-from-cardinals?ymd=20131120&content_id=64073978&vkey=ne ws_hou

[eagle eye]

The Astros have added three players to their 40 man roster this past week to protect them from being claimed in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft next month. P Luis Cruz, OF Domingo Santana and P Asher Wojcieckowski will go to spring training next March as a result of the move. Among the players that will be left exposed in the Rule 5 Draft are outfielders J.D. Martinez and Austin Wates; former first-round pick Jiovanni Mier; pitchers Eric Berger, Jake Buchanan, Matt Heidenreich, Eric Berger, Ross Seaton, Jason Stoffel and Alex Sogard; and slugger Telvin Nash. The addition of Cruz, Santana and Wojcieckowski brings the total on the 40 man squad to 37 so the Astros still have time to make more moves if they wish.

Here is a link from Astros.com detailing a law suit current owner Jim Crane is pursuing against former owner Drayton McClain as well as ComCast Sports and NBCUniversal. Sounds like Crane is playing hardball over a proposed fraud over the over inflated value of the TV deal with ComCast.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/jim-crane-elaborates-on-suit-against-former-astros-owner-drayton-mclane?ymd=20131122&content_id=64144632&vkey=news_ hou

The 14th pick in the 2012 draft was an infielder from Dartmouth named Joe Sclafani has been moving up the ranks of the Astros minor league system. He is currently playing in the Australian Baseball League to hone his fielding skill set. He has already demonstrated a good eye at the plate. In 2013 with the Lancaster (California) Jayhawks Sclafani In 92 games was indeed formidable, hitting .302 with seven home runs and 53 RBIs. He scored 81 runs, belted 28 doubles, and was 16-for-19 in stolen base attempts for a team that finished the regular season, 82-58 -- tops in the California League's South Division. He was drafted in the same draft as No 1 pick Carlos Correa and Nolan Fontana in the second round Sclafani realized he needed to become as versatile as possible. He can play at short, 2B and 3B which makes him a very valuable asset. It is another illustration about just how deep and talented the Astros are becoming in the minor leagues.

Delino DeShields Jr was named No 17 out of the top 20 players in the Arizona Fall League. DeShields is working on making the transition from 2B to center field and his speed and athletic ablilty with some surprising pop in his bat make him potentially a great prospect as a lead off man in the Astros future.

[KABrother88]

Well the Astros have made their first significant move this off season. Houston acquired CF Dexter Fowler from Colorado in exchange for CF Brandon Barnes and SP Jordan Lyles

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-trade-for-dexter-fowler-send-brandon-barnes-jordan-lyles-to-rockies?ymd=20131203&content_id=64362746&vkey=news _hou

Lyles is still young but continued to struggle pitching into the 5th at times...however he would go out every 5 or 6 starts and show potential to be a quality pitcher. With Houston using a 6-man rotation last season and possibly looking for a starter this winter some one was bound to go.

Barnes kinda popped up outta no where and had a decent rookie season...his glove definitely kept his name on the lineup card for most of the season...I was eager to see if his bat would develop enough for him to stick until the wave of young talent came through

I'll have to do my research on Fowler to see how his home/road splits were to get a better gauge on what we got and if I like the trade...assuming this means we may not be after Choo now

Houston will also receive a PTBNL

[Big T]

I love this trade. I have been a Dexter Fowler fan for a while now. He's not a guy that's going to wow you with his offense, but he is a good offensive player. He has speed, a great defensive glove, and he is 27 years old. What more do you want. Great move by the Stros.

[eagle eye]

I'm going to withhold my judgement of this deal. I liked Lyles and I'm surprised Houston couldn't get more for him. I could take or leave Barnes and if Houston had gotten Fowler for Barnes and given Colorado a PTBNL it would have been a better deal. That said, I don't hate the deal and we do have a lot of pitching coming up.
I'm not sure how much upside Fowler gives Houston since they anticipate getting George Springer making a bid for the bigs this coming season. Getting a somewhat below average hitter to play center field and hit leadoff doesn't excite me. The fact that his OBP is just .369 doesn't say he works enough walks. He may have speed but 19 stolen bases in 2013 doesn't speak well for his base running skills. I hate to be a negative Nate here but his '13 numbers don't support the nice numbers he put up in 2012. It makes me worry a bit.

One thing gives me hope here. J D Martinez decided to play winter ball and he's worked hard on his hitting. The following article from Astros.com shows that J D isn't going away quietly. When healthy Martinez has played pretty well and if he is turning a corner here it won't hurt my feelings one bit if he finally has a breakout year in 2014.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/jd-martinez-leading-astros-winter-ball-contingent?ymd=20131202&content_id=64331906&vkey=n ews_hou

[KABrother88]

Well here are the home road splits for Fowler's career

Home - .298/.395/.485 (1129 ABs), 27 HR, 33 3B, 177 BB, 261 Ks
Away - .241/.333/.361 (1119 ABs), 13 HR, 20 3B, 148 BB, 327 Ks

Even his best season (2012) when he hit .300 on the season he only hit .262 on the road vs .332 at Coors Field

Not sure we got more than what Barnes did at the plate aside from a little more speed and patience...but with everything Houston baseball, I'll patiently wait to see what becomes of it. Hoping for the best.

Speaking of the future, here is an article about Carlos Rodon working on his Change-Up to go with the Fastball-Slider combo

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/rodon-has-all-the-makings-of-top-pick-in-2014-draft?ymd=20131204&content_id=64383366

And here is the first edition of 2014 Draft Rankings...alot of interesting names in the 30-50 range for our 2nd and 3rd picks (32 and 40)


http://houston.astros.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2014/#list=draft

[KABrother88]

Reports say the Astros have signed 30 year old Scott Feldman to a 3 year 30 Million dollar contract. probably would have rather seen it in the 20-25 million dollar range but its not a terrible signing at 30. He has a good sinker and should get a fair amount of ground balls, which falls into what the front office has been bulding. Also, he should be a good veteran presence for the younger guys in the rotation and bullpen as he has experience in both (131 starts and 103 relief appearences).

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-scott-feldman-agree-to-three-year-contract?ymd=20131206&content_id=64443168&vkey=new s_hou

[Big T]

Yea, to get a decent veteran pitcher to join this team, you were going to have to over pay them a bit. I think our biggest acquisitions are yet to come. I think the Stros are going to make a big splash in the Japanese market this year.

[eagle eye]

This isn't a sexy pickup but Feldman will be a good anchor for the rotation. He eats up a lot of innings and being a ground ball pitcher you don't worry so much about him being tagged with homers. I believe his ERA is 3.84 which ain't too bad. He wasn't signed to be the ace of the staff but a solid #3. I like this move more than the Fowler deal. In an interview with Feldman he said he checked out Houston and found that the arrow is pointing up for the Astros with a top notch farm system that features players who can make a real impact in the near future and for years to come. He also said he likes the ownership and GM and the coaching staff. 10mm a year is not bad for a veteran pitcher all things considered. It's interesting to note that with the combined salaries of Feldman and Fowler is greater than the team payroll at the end of this past season.

[eagle eye]

I'm surprised that nobody has posted this earlier but the Astros have signed a former player to bolster their bullpen. Chan Qualls, who was with the Astros from 2000 when the Astros drafted him until he was traded to Arizona after the 2007 season. He was part of a pretty strong bullpen that was part of the 2005 World Series team that included Brad Lidge and Dan Wheeler. Qualls was with the Diamondbacks until July of 2010 when he was traded to Tampa Bay. Since 2011 Qualls has spent time in San Diego, Philadelphia, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh and Miami. He signed a 2 year deal for $6mm with a $3.5mm option. Here's more detailed article from Astros.com Detailing Qualls career since leaving Houston. The only troubling thing may be his age, 35 but as you will see from the article he is still an effective pitcher.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article/hou/chad-qualls-returns-to-astros-to-fortify-bullpen?ymd=20131207&content_id=64477208&vkey=news _hou

In other news it seems like the Astros are taking a serious look at former closer Jose Veras. For his part Veras is excited to come back to Houston. The Astros seem to have had conversations with slugging first baseman Michael Morse, who has had a couple of down years, as well as pitchers Jesse Crain and Chad Gaudin. They have also inquired about outfielder Grady Sizemore who hasn't played since 2011 while he recovers from back and knee surgeries.

The MLB Winter Meetings began Monday and GM Jeff Luhnow has not been sitting on his hands. There is a video with an interview with Luhnow detailing the Astros plans during the Winter Meetings. There's also an accompanying article with info about the prospects the Astros are pursuing.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/free-agent-relief-pitcher-jose-veras-wants-to-return-to-astros?ymd=20131210&content_id=64551726&vkey=news_ hou

[KABrother88]

I thought I had posted somethin about Qualls but I guess I took Herm Edwards advice and didn't hit send...I think it is an excellent signing by the front office...has some closing experience and will probably be the guy unless Houston can sign Veras again. I think that Veras saying he was interested in returning is a great signal as what could be happening...if a player is interested in coming to a team that just lost 111 games, imagine what will happen in 4 or 5 years when we are in the thick or playoff races...right now the 40 man roster is at 37 with the Rule 5 draft tomorrow...I have a feeling the Astros will select 2 guys with at least one being a reliever like last year...then they would have one open spot for the names you mentioned EE...if we they can land 2 of them, then the Rule 5 pick can be put on waivers...this is kinda what happened last year but I won't be surprised if it happened again

I have mixed feelings on Morse...on one hand you look at 2011 and you think he'd be a great fit and wear out the Crawford Boxes...then you see he's battled injuries the last couple seasons and strikes out a good bit...and we already have a guy with really good power when he can actually make contact that is limited defensively in Chris Carter

And for what it's worth I hope they can land Jesse Crain if he's healthy

[KABrother88]

We'll so much for my Rule 5 prediction...Houston acquired RHP Anthony Bass from San Diego along with a PTBNL/cash considerations in exchange for a PTBNL/cash considerations. The move brings the 40 man up to 38 and it seems they are very close a deal with Veras so that would only leave 1 spot for a Rule 5 pick

But back to Bass...had a very good break out season in 2011 but fallen off since then a little...some reports have said he has had some shoulder problems that caused his drop in effectiveness...might be a classic buy low case. Has made 18 starts in his 75 MLB appearances and 86 starts in 113 appearances in the minors so he could also be a candidate for a spot start

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20131211&content_id=64599194&noteb ook_id=64598444&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou

[KABrother88]

And wrong again...with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft Houston selected LHP Patrick Schuster from the Diamondbacks organization...then named him as the player to be named later to complete yesterday's trade with San Diego...Houston ended up taking OF Ravel Santana in the minor league portion of the draft

By far the biggest name to go in the Rule 5 draft was Russell Wilson being selected by the Rangers...yea that Russell Wilson...I really don't know what else to say...but maybe the Rangers will start using this strategy in the First Year Player Draft...then all "their" "fans" can pull their Astros jerseys back out of the closet

[eagle eye]

I can't believe the usual suspects who keep everyone up to date on the Astros have been MIA lately. Me too I guess. But, it wasn't because of lack of news because there have been several additions to the Astros roster of late.

1. The Astros have brought back another player they drafted and who played the first two years of his career in Houston and that's RHP Matt Albers. The Astros signed Albers who spent 2013 in Cleveland. This from Astros.com: All three pitchers the Astros have signed this month, including starter Scott Feldman, are strike-throwers who have high ground-ball rates. Albers' ground-ball percentage of 81.3 percent was tops among all AL pitchers in 2013 (min. 50 appearances). This is awesome for a ball park like the Juice Box with short porches. Albers was signed on Tuesday and the deal is a one year deal for $2.45 mm with a $3 mm option for 2015.

2. On Wednesday the Astros claimed starting pitcher Collin McHugh off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. McHugh is 26 and he was drafted in 2008 by the Mets in the 18th round and he has both starting and relieving experience but GM Jeff Luhnow sees him as a starter. With his signing and his projected spot on the team there are now seven pitchers vying for 5 spots in the Astros rotation. Scott Feldman, who signed a three-year deal as a free agent, tops a list that also includes Brett Oberholtzer, Brad Peacock, Dallas Keuchel, Lucas Harrell, Paul Clemens and Jarred Cosart.

3. Also on Wednesday Houston traded Ryan Jackson to San Diego and they got 1st baseman/outfielder Jesus Guzman. According to the Astros front office Guzman could platoon with Brett Wallace at first since he is a right handed hitter and Wallace is a lefty. His ability to play the outfield could come in handy as well. This coming from manager Bo Porter. Guzman has a career BA of .259 with 23 homers and 127 RBIs. Against left handed pitching his BA jumps up to .289. Ryan Jackson is a shortstop from the St Louis Cardinals organization that Houston claimed off waivers on November 20.

Houston is also taking steps to upgrade their organization by signing Tom Koch-Weser who had been with Seattle. Koch-Weser was signed to be the Coordinator of Advance Information. It's all part of the Astros effort to be among the industry leaders in advance scouting. Here's a link to the article on Astros.com article about the signing.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article/hou/tom-koch-weser-to-help-keep-houston-astros-a-step-ahead?ymd=20131218&content_id=66053234&vkey=news_h ou

[KABrother88]

Unfortunately BRI has been blocked along with all other "sports and recreation" websites at work so all of my post lately I've had to make from my phone or at home...it was so much easier to do all my research on my lunch breaks but I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

One thing this offseason I would like to mention is 1st base prospect Jonathan Singleton playing in the Puerto Rico winter league...and playing very well...yes it's inferior competition but through 34 games he leads the league with 9 HR and is 2nd in OPS at .935...he's still striking out a fair amount with 37 Ks in those 34 games but his strikeout percentage is down 5% from the 2013 season (again probably inferior competition) but he's drawing a walks a slightly better rate than the regular season...still keep in mind the guy is only 22 and and won't be 23 until September so he's still developing. With Houston not acquiring a proven guy at 1st base so far this offseason and the 40 man roster now being full I would expect Singleton to get a long look in ST and making his debut somewhere around midseason

[eagle eye]

A couple of news items relating to All Star catcher Jason Castro.

1. This off season Castro got his degree at Stanford. He lacked only 10 hours and as soon as the season ended he went back to northern California and nailed down his degree. Castro said in an interview recently that it wasn't a question of if he was going to finish his degree, it was just a matter of when. This season was the first opportunity since 2010 that he wasn't tied up in rehab for one injury or another. Castro said that his Stanford coaches encouraged the players to nail down as much of their class work as possible in their first three years so that if they are drafted in their senior year they will have little or no hours left to earn their degrees. Castro also said that, "A lot of guys that stay for their senior year actually don't have class spring quarter," Castro said. "They get internships or jobs and come to field for practice." It makes it nice to only have to worry about baseball in your final year. Former Astros Eric Bruntlett was a Stanford grad finishing in 3-1/2 years and he was one of those who cruised his final year of eligibility. Pro baseball player AND a Stanford grad, not bad.

2, During the winter meetings there is proposed rule change for eliminating collisions at home plate. In the same interview mentioned above Castro was asked about the change and he said he was really happy about it because, in his opinion, player safety is the most important thing. He also feels that it won't impact the game as much as opponents of the rule change claim. Castros feels that avoiding injuries will keep players on the field improving the overall quality of the game. Check out the link to the Astros.com article about this which also includes a link to a video of Mets GM Sandy Alderson who explains the new rule change.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-castro-favors-eliminating-plate-collisions?ymd=20131217&content_id=66034008&vkey=n ews_hou

[Big T]

Hi! lol Sorry I haven't been posting on here, but I'm back.

[eagle eye]

Hi! lol Sorry I haven't been posting on here, but I'm back.


Good to see you back, now get busy!!!!!

[KABrother88]

Jesse Crain signed a one year deal today...if he stays healthy this could be the best move the front office has made all off season

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/2013/12/31/66250406/astros-sign-houston-product-jesse-crain-to-bolster-bullpen

[Big T]

Health is the issue there. The bullpen is still looking weak, but it's also looking a bit better. Still expect many blown leads from them though.

[eagle eye]

Health is the issue there. The bullpen is still looking weak, but it's also looking a bit better. Still expect many blown leads from them though.



Health is an issue? I think the addition of Chad Qualls, Jesse Crain and Matt Albers should be a big boost to the bullpen. Qualls could even work as a closer, a role he has filled before. The Astros are putting a lot of eggs in the youth basket and the every day roster is the going to be the real unknown. The bullpen blew a lot of games for Houston last season and the additions should change that a lot. Jeff Luhnow and Bo Porter are hoping the offense can be much improved this year of the results won't be much better.

[eagle eye]

Eduardo Perez who served as the Astros bench coach in 2013 and was slated to be the third base coach this season resigned last week stating he wanted to spend more time with his family. Pat Listach who was hired last season to be the first base coach will move to third base and the Astros have hired Tarrik Brock to coach first. Dave Trembly who coached third base last season will move to the dugout to be the bench coach.
At the end of last season the Astros hired a new pitching coach Brent Strom, Craig Bjornson will be the bullpen coach and Ralph Dickenson will be the assistant hitting coach. John Mallee will remain as the head hitting coach.

Here's an article from Astros.com from MLBPipeline.com by Jim Callis who feels like Carlos Correa has the potential to become a superstar at shortstop. His cohort Jonathan Mayo feels the A's Addison Russell. This article looks a Correa from Callis' perspective.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/pipeline-perspectives-astros-carlos-correa-has-superstar-potential?ymd=20140107&content_id=66360506&vkey=ne ws_hou

[eagle eye]

For those of you who remember watching Astros games on Fox Sports Southwest will remember the play-by-play man on those broadcasts was Bill Brown. I just wanted to remind y'all of this since we haven't been able to watch the Astros for a while new because the broadcast rights to the Stros games were bought out by ComCastSports who pissed every local carrier off to where none of them, like Time Warner, Dish and DirecTV, will not air either the Astros or the Rockets games. But, for those who remember listening to the telecasts of the games the one guy you know is Bill Brown. Well, yesterday Brown was named Texas Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. I always liked Brown as a broadcaster. IMO he does a really good job, he's knowledgeable and he makes his point with a minimum of words. When a game gets exciting he allows himself to get caught up in the excitement without losing his cool and he is always clear and concise with his calls. Way to go Bill!

[eagle eye]

Here's an article from Astros.com about MLBProspects.com's ranking of the top 10 shortstop prospects going into the 2014 season and Houston's own Carlos Correa is ranked #3.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/xander-bogaerts-heads-list-of-mlbcoms-top-10-shortstop-prospects?ymd=20140113&content_id=66482416&vkey=ne ws_hou

The Astros have agreed with veteran infielder Cesar Izturis and they have invited Izturis to attend spring training. Besides giving the Astros a much needed veteran presence in the infield the fact that he is from Venezuela as are Jose Altuve, Jonathan Villar and Marwin Gonzalez, he can help them develop their games. Here's the aritcle from Astros.com with a few more details.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-invite-veteran-infielder-cesar-izturis-to-spring-training?ymd=20140113&content_id=66533594&vkey=new s_hou

[Big T]

Ehhhh.... I could do without inviting Izturis to camp. And Carlos Correa being ranked third at SS is a joke. The guy has the potential to be one of the best to ever play the position. Yes, he has to live up to that potential, but it is there. Great range, rocket arm, good bat, and durable all adds up to one of the best prospects in MILB.

[KABrother88]

Mark Appel come in as the number 6 RHP prospect...finished last season as the number 9 RHP

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2014/#list=rhp

I feel like Correa could and probably should be #2 right now just barely behind Bogarts...only because Bogarts has done alot of damage in the higher levels and he will soon lose his prospect status since he will be in the big leagues to start the season. Baez being #2 right now is a joke to me...yes he hit 37 HRs last year but he is awful defensively and will end up changing positions because of it, while the only present reason Correa might move from SS is cause he may out grow it. According to the grades given for each tool Correa is #1 even ahead of Bogarts.

On a side note I send O.J. Mayo a tweet a while back asking where he would slot Rodon in the Astros system if he was placed there now...his response was top 3...man I can't wait until 2015-2016 to see if all this patience truly turns out to be a virtue

[eagle eye]

Rankings aside, isn't it nice to have players on any top ten list of prospects? We've got thru some lean years as Astros fans and it really is nice to see help on the way!

[KABrother88]

The Astros have invited 24 non-roster players to Spring Training

The minor league players invited to Major League camp include IF Japhet Amador, RHP Mark Appel, RHP Jake Buchanan, IF Carlos Correa, RHP Rhiner Cruz, RHP Jorge De Leon, OF Delino DeShields, RHP Bobby Doran, RHP Mike Foltynewicz, C Rene Garcia, C Tyler Heineman, OF Leo Heras, OF J.D. Martinez, IF Jonathan Meyer, C Carlos Perez, OF George Springer, RHP Jason Stoffel, IF Ronald Torreyes, RHP Nick Tropeano and OF Preston Tucker.

The four minor league free agents are OF Adron Chambers, IF Cesar Izturis, RHP Peter Moylan and IF Gregorio Petit.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140114&content_id=66638080&vkey= pr_hou&c_id=hou

[Big T]

No Singleton?? Hmmm....

[KABrother88]

No Singleton?? Hmmm....


He's on the 40 man roster so he automatically gets an invite...along with Domingo Santana, Stassi and Wojo to name a few pospects

[Big T]

Ahhh gottcha. My bad.

[eagle eye]

Speaking of spring training, pitchers and catchers report to Kissimmee on Februrary 15 and their first workout is the 16th. The rest of the team is reporting the 19th and their first workout is the next day. So, I just took the long winded way to say we are less than 30 days before pro baseball cranks up for 2014!

[KABrother88]

Ahhh gottcha. My bad.


When I read the names I thought the same thing at first...meant to say what prospects who were on the 40 man would be there but it slipped my mind

[Big T]

Speaking of spring training, pitchers and catchers report to Kissimmee on Februrary 15 and their first workout is the 16th. The rest of the team is reporting the 19th and their first workout is the next day. So, I just took the long winded way to say we are less than 30 days before pro baseball cranks up for 2014!


It can't get here quick enough!

[eagle eye]

Ehhhh.... I could do without inviting Izturis to camp. And Carlos Correa being ranked third at SS is a joke. The guy has the potential to be one of the best to ever play the position. Yes, he has to live up to that potential, but it is there. Great range, rocket arm, good bat, and durable all adds up to one of the best prospects in MILB.


I don't have a problem with Izturis. The guy is a solid fielder and will make a good backup. I still want to see Villar and Altuve up the middle but Izturis can play third or even first. Never underestimate the value of a good utility man! Also, as I mentioned before his presence will be of value to the other Venezuelan players. The youth of the this roster needs some vets around who can teach them how to be every day players in the bigs. You can get Izturis for cheap and if he doesn't work out cut him. No harm, no foul.

[KABrother88]

MLB.com ranked Jonathan Singleton as the top 1st base prospect again...hopefully that 50 game suspension to start last year and the realization of how that effected his whole season was enough to securely screw his head on and focus on tapping into the potential he has

[eagle eye]

More good news from Astroland. The Astros avoided arbitration with C Jason Castro and IF/OF Jesus Guzman. The terms of the deals have not been made public but it's believed that Castro's deal is a one year contract in the 2-3 million dollar range. Guzman, 29, was acquired from San Diego in the off season and he's a good utility man who has played infield and outfield giving the Astros some position flexibility as well a guy who has been a good pinch hitter in his career. If Castro's deal is only for one year but if he progresses like he did last season a long term lucrative deal could be in the offing.

Here's a link to Astros.com's article about the progress of new pitcher Jason White who underwent Tommy John surgery about 9 months ago. White was acquired via an off season trade with Colorado. The article talks about his rehab at the Astros facility in Kissimmee and his excitement at being able to attend spring training with little or no restriction.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-right-hander-alex-white-aims-to-be-ready-to-compete-in-spring-training?ymd=20140116&content_id=66755002&vkey=new s_hou

[eagle eye]

Okay, there is some exciting news from Astros camp and that is the signing of Mexican League first baseman Japhel Amador. It's important to note that the Mexican League is equivalent to Triple A in the USA but they are not affiliated with MLB. Amador is a big man at 6'4" and 315 lbs. He's a 26 year old that has been in the ML for seven years and sports a career .320 batting average and he's hit 112 home runs. Here's an article about Amador from Astros.com.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-first-base-prospect-japhet-amador-packs-power-punch?ymd=20140120&content_id=66878692&vkey=news_h ou

[Big T]

Wait a sec.... Amador was inked last year by the Astros. He is already in the Astros system and played for OKC last year. Hit .302 in ten games played.

[eagle eye]

Wait a sec.... Amador was inked last year by the Astros. He is already in the Astros system and played for OKC last year. Hit .302 in ten games played.


True dat, Big T. But as in the article in the page link in my last post the writer obviously didn't see him play in AAA because his frame of reference in the article was the fact that he saw Amador in the Arizona Fall league and maybe some on film. The article did mention that he was signed late last summer and played his first game on August 24th so I am supposing 10 games isn't really a very representative sample size to see how he will fare in good ole USA baseball. The point is, Amador is a huge guy with a lot of upside IF he can hit AAA and big league pitching.

[Big T]

Wait a sec.... Amador was inked last year by the Astros. He is already in the Astros system and played for OKC last year. Hit .302 in ten games played.


True dat, Big T. But as in the article in the page link in my last post the writer obviously didn't see him play in AAA because his frame of reference in the article was the fact that he saw Amador in the Arizona Fall league and maybe some on film. The article did mention that he was signed late last summer and played his first game on August 24th so I am supposing 10 games isn't really a very representative sample size to see how he will fare in good ole USA baseball. The point is, Amador is a huge guy with a lot of upside IF he can hit AAA and big league pitching.


Should have read the whole article. lol

[eagle eye]

LOL

[eagle eye]

The Astros farm system got more props as MLB.com's 2014 ranking of the top 100 minor league prospects of all the teams has seven players from the Astros system making the list. Carlos Correa (8), Mark Appel (17), George Springer (21), Jonathan Singleton (50), Lance McCullers (52), Mike Foltynewicz (54) and DeLino DeShields Jr. (66) were the players in that top 100. The seven players by the Astros is tied for second with a team the ariticle didn't mention behind the Boston Red Sox who have 9 players in the top 100.

Here's the aritcle from Astros.com about the players selected.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/no-1-draft-picks-lead-seven-astros-on-mlbcom-top-100-prospect-list?ymd=20140123&content_id=67044294&vkey=news_ho u

As the web site MLBPipeline.com continues it's top 10 rankings by position of the best prospects the Astros George Springer pops up at number 5 on the list. Not too shabby there. If you read the whole article linked below, you find that Delino DeShields Jr gets an honorable mention as an 11th choice. If our prospect pan out the Astros outlook for the future are really bright!

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/prospect-watch-mlbcoms-top-10-outfielders?ymd=20140122&content_id=66895860&vkey= news_hou

[eagle eye]

Here's a link to Astros.com's article from MLBProspects.com about Carlos Correa and Mark Appel ranking them the best one-two punch of position player and pitching prospects in any MLB franchise.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/pipeline-perspectives-carlos-correa-mark-appel-give-houston-astros-baseballs-best-hitter-pitcher-prospect-duo?ymd=20140128&content_id=67199846&vkey=news_hou

Here's another artcle from Astros.com that reports that ESPN.com has ranked Houston's minor league system the best in baseball.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-farm-system-ranked-no-1-by-espn?ymd=20140128&content_id=67201986&vkey=news_ho u

One last link to an article about an impending meeting with Astros owner Jim Crane and Nolan Ryan that could result in the elder Ryan's return to the Astros organization. Ryan's son, Reid, was hired this off season to be President of Business Operations is all in on his father's prospective deal with the Astros. Many Astros fans were very upset when Nolan was allowed to leave back in the early 1990's. He eventually signed with the Rangers with whom he recorded his seventh no-hitter and set the record for most strikeouts in a career. Many, including me, believe Ryan should never have been allowed to leave and those records should have been set in an Astros uniform. The good will and PR Nolan Ryan would bring to Houston would be like the commercial saying----"Priceless".

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-owner-jim-crane-set-to-meet-with-nolan-ryan-about-position-with-team?ymd=20140124&content_id=67098596&vkey=news_ho u

[Big T]

Here's a link to Astros.com's article from MLBProspects.com about Carlos Correa and Mark Appel ranking them the best one-two punch of position player and pitching prospects in any MLB franchise.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/pipeline-perspectives-carlos-correa-mark-appel-give-houston-astros-baseballs-best-hitter-pitcher-prospect-duo?ymd=20140128&content_id=67199846&vkey=news_hou

Here's another artcle from Astros.com that reports that ESPN.com has ranked Houston's minor league system the best in baseball.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-farm-system-ranked-no-1-by-espn?ymd=20140128&content_id=67201986&vkey=news_ho u

One last link to an article about an impending meeting with Astros owner Jim Crane and Nolan Ryan that could result in the elder Ryan's return to the Astros organization. Ryan's son, Reid, was hired this off season to be President of Business Operations is all in on his father's prospective deal with the Astros. Many Astros fans were very upset when Nolan was allowed to leave back in the early 1990's. He eventually signed with the Rangers with whom he recorded his seventh no-hitter and set the record for most strikeouts in a career. Many, including me, believe Ryan should never have been allowed to leave and those records should have been set in an Astros uniform. The good will and PR Nolan Ryan would bring to Houston would be like the commercial saying----"Priceless".

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-owner-jim-crane-set-to-meet-with-nolan-ryan-about-position-with-team?ymd=20140124&content_id=67098596&vkey=news_ho u


The Astros have the best system in MLB and it is only going to get better after this draft. Just imagin Carlos Rodon, as this is the most probable candidate for the Astros number one overall pick, Mark Appel, Lance McCullers, Folty, and Velasquez who is the most under rated player in the Astros system. All five of them have the potential to be number one starters in the MLB. Now if I had to say what I think they will become I would say Rodon and Velasquez will be number ones, Appel a number two, and McCullers a number three. I see Folty as being a Closer with that amazing fastball but not much of a breaking ball to back it up.

On top of the pitching the Astros have Correa, Singleton, Springer, DDJ, Nolan Fontana who y'all know I love, and Rio Ruiz. I am not that high on Domingo Santana as he has never been able to put it together and he has a hole in his swing bigger than Adam Dunn's. They have all of that plus what they are going to pick up in this years draft and they will have all of their draft picks as they did not sign any type A free agents. Then there is the international signing period!

Now if we could only get these players to develop like we all know they can and this team will be unstoppable in four years. We will start to see the advancement this season and I believe this team could win 65-70 games. You might think that's much, but it will signify the fact that they did not lose a hundred games and they improved enough to be +14-19 games from last season. Both would be significant steps for this organization.

[eagle eye]

Since Houston lost a franchise record 111 games last season a +14-19 turnaround would be huge. The fact that Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow have upgraded the bullpen, significantly upgraded, the 10-12 games (and that's conservative) that was blown by the bullpen we can expect we can win at least 75% of those types of games in '14. What you hope is the offense is improved from last year. There were quite a few starts that Houston probably could have or should have won if they got some run support then Big T's estimate of a big turnaround is really realistic. We have to be cautiously optimistic if spring training games have the Astros looking like world beaters because when real games start and the pitching is a lot better you shouldn't be surprised if they aren't as good as we thought.

BTW - spring training is only 17 days away.

[eagle eye]

Here's a couple of items from Astros.com.

> Mark Appel had to undergo an emergency appendectomy on Thursday. It is being reported that the surgery went well with no complications and it's expected he'll be ready to report to spring training on the 15th. At the time they report his health will be evaluated by the team and how much he will work when camp begins.

> Left hand pitcher Raul Valdez, who was claimed off waivers this past off season, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday. He will report with the pitchers and catchers but he will not begin workouts right away. The surgery he had has a 4-6 week recovery period. Valdez was claimed from the Phillies who had him pitching in AAA Lehigh Valley last year. He did make 17 appearances for Philadelphia including one start. In AAA he made 14 starts posting a 4-5 record with a 2.86 ERA.

Here's a nice article about prospect Mike Foltynewicz who, by the way, looks like a young Curt Schilling who began his career in Houston.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-pitching-prospect-mike-foltynewicz-bringing-heat-to-camp?ymd=20140131&content_id=67319844&vkey=news_ho u

Last but not least for those who remember and those who just know the legend that is Nolan Ryan will enjoy this article from Astros.com titled, "Five Moments When Nolan Ryan Was The Baddest Man In Baseball".

http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/01/25/67126650/video-nolan-ryan-birthday-best-performance

[eagle eye]

Craig Biggio missed getting into the baseball Hall of Fame by two measly votes but he is getting a big honor tonight as he will be inducted into the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame along with Johnny Damon and Frank Howard at Tropicana Field in Tampa Florida. Who knows, maybe this is just the ticket to get him into the BBHOF next season.

Here's a link to the Astros.com article about his induction. Take a look at the reply post after the article that compares Biggio's career numbers to Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's career numbers. Add this to the numbers detailed in the article you wonder how in the world Biggio wasn't a first ballot inductee. For those of you who don't know who Joe Morgan was I suggest a trip to Wikipedia. Morgan actually began his career in Houston but he was traded to Cincinnati and he became a fixture of the 1970's Big Red Machine joining Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Sr, Pete Rose and a host of others who made up one of the best all-time baseball teams ever. Morgan now does broadcast work for ESPN's baseball coverage.

[eagle eye]

The Astros have added yet another pitcher to their roster. Pending a physical scheduled for Wednesday, right handed veteran pitcher Jerome Williams whose most recent stop was with the Angels last season will join the club on a one year deal. Williams claims he's excited about joining the Astros and he's willing to either start or come in out of the bullpen as a reliever. With spring training beginning next Friday Houston seems to want to send a lot of arms to Kissimmee. Here's a link to the article about William's signing.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-add-versatile-veteran-pitcher-jerome-williams?ymd=20140203&content_id=67402930&vkey=new s_hou

I mentioned that Astros owner Jim Crane was going to meet with legendary pitcher Nolan Ryan and rumor was Crane was going to offer him a job. Here's a link to an article that talks about Crane's hope that Ryan will accept the job he was offered. The job Ryan was offered was not immediately clear from the article but Crane made it clear they want him in any capacity he will accept. Even if it's making up a position for him!

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/jim-crane-hopeful-nolan-ryan-accepts-offer-to-join-houston-astros?ymd=20140201&content_id=67364294&vkey=news_ hou

[eagle eye]

Now I'm talking season. The Astros begin the 2014 season on April 1st (no jokes please!) and they start the season at home against the Yankees. I had a friend tell me the tix for this series are pretty steep. I wondered how steep so I went to the Astros web site to check how bad the damage was going to be. Lo and behold, the only tickets available right now are road games vs Toronto and in California. There wasn't a single home game where tickets were available--yet. So, I'm guessing he was looking into season tickets or a mini package. I'll have to check with my friend on this. I is cool that we won't have to wait until the end of September for the Yankees to come to town. CC Sabathia vs ?????? on opening night. Not bad.

[eagle eye]

One of the Astros off season moves this past winter was to sign pitcher Jesse Crane. That's been posted earlier in this thread. He missed the last 3 months of the season last year due to tendonitis in his throwing arm with required surgery last October. Monday Crane made the next step in his rehab by throwing for the first time since his surgery.
Here's a link to an article about Crane from Astros.com.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/astros-pitcher-jesse-crain-throws-for-first-time-since-october?ymd=20140204&content_id=67443942&vkey=news _hou

[eagle eye]

I posted a few days ago that Houston was planning to sign RHP Jerome Williams pending the results of a physical this past week. Well, yesterday they made it official by announcing they have come to terms on a contract with Williams on a one year deal reportedly for $2.1 mm with $1 mm in incentives. Now comes a bit of a surprise. To make room for Williams on the 40 man roster the Astros have designated 1B/3B Brett Wallace for assignment. What that means is Wallace is still part of the Astros organization but only as a minor leaguer. Wallace was, and is, expected to compete for a spot at first base. Wallace has largely been a disappointment especially since he has performed well in the minor leagues. I think fans have lost some patience with Wallace and are looking for Jonathan Singleton to step in and take over 1st base. If not Singleton there are other prospects who could get their shot.

[eagle eye]

I sure hope this is an omen for the upcoming season because it would mean Astros fans will have a big smile on their faces. Yesterday the final round of the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, California it was won by a guy who's been on a bit of a hot streak, Jimmy Walker. What has this got to do with the Astros? The AT&T is what it says it is -- a pro-am which means that Amateur partners are paired with pros who compete together against the other pro-am groups. This tournament is different in that the amateurs play through the final round to determine the pro winner as well as the pro-am team. It's a celebrity driven affair originally begun by Bing Crosby. (Look him up if you don't know who he is.) Eventually, after Crosby's death the tournament sold out to corporate money and the old Crosby Pro-Am became the AT&T and the Crosby family refused to lend ole Bing's name to the event any more. But I digress. The amateur partner of Jimmy Walker was none other than Astros owner Jim Crane. Crane is an avid golfer and he actually owns the Floridian Golf Club in southeast Florida. He was front and center for Walker's win, one which Walker nearly blew. Beginning the final round Walker owned a 6 shot lead and a testy par putt on 18 preserved a one stroke victory. As for the team of Walker/Crane? They finished in a tie for 14th at -21 while the pro-am winners were Jim Renner and businessman John Harkey Jr. Crane is side by side with a PGA pro winner in the most famous pro-am on the planet. Maybe a little of that Karma will rub off on Crane's Astros!

[eagle eye]

You can almost smell the pine tar and the smell of fresh cut grass----well maybe not the grass thing since the cold spell in what has become the frozen tundra of the golden triangle hasn't allowed much grass to grow but you know what I mean. Baseball is right at our doorstep! The Cardinals are gearing up for their season and Saturday the Astros start workout with the pitchers and catchers! The coaches and trainers are already in Kissimmee and many of the players are on had already despite the fact that only the pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report tomorrow. There is already some big news to report.

Legendary pitcher and southeast Texas native son Nolan Ryan has been hired by the Astros to be an executive consultant to Jim Crane, Jeff Luhnow and his son Reid who was hired this past fall. More than anything this is a PR bonanza for Houston. Astros fans were PISSED when the Astros management at the time did not renew Ryan's contract back in '88 and even more frustrated when he signed with the Rangers. Ryan is legend and he's beloved by fans in this part of the country. Ryan helped to build the Rangers into a winning franchise and with the strides the current management has made this is just icing on the cake. I can hardly wait until Houston is again at the top of the mountain and in the conversation as one of the elite franchises in baseball. I'm still pissed we're in the American League but going forward the future is looking really bright.

In other news, last night Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced this will be his last season to play ball. His first stop on his farewell tour will be right in Houston Texas at the Juice Box as both teams begin their 2014 seasons together. Opening day should be a tough ticket so stub hub or seatjunkie.com will be the place find tix for the opening game and series. Jeter is truly one of the class acts in sports so it would be worth a little extra to see him in person.

[eagle eye]

The addition of Nolan Ryan could mean more than just a nice PR move. Ryan, who owns the Rangers AAA affiliate, the Round Rock Express, may change affiliation and return to the Astros organization where it began in 2004 when Ryan and his group SRS purchased the Edmonton Trappers who were affiliated with the Montreal Expos in the Pacific Coast League. The RR Express began as a AA franchise and later became a AAA club replacing the New Orleans Zephyrs. The other move for the Astros was to move their AA club to Corpus Christi. Here's a link to Astros.com explaining how Round Rock could be the new home of the AAA franchise replacing Oklahoma City. The easiest thing would be for Houston and Texas to swap locations Logistically, it wouldn't make much difference for the Rangers but it would move the Astros AAA club considerably closer to home. We'll see what happens but it would allow Astros fans a chance to see the AAA club with Round Rock a stones throw from Austin.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/nolan-ryans-return-to-houston-astros-may-impact-triple-a-round-rock?ymd=20140213&content_id=67747586&vkey=news_ho u

[eagle eye]

The Astros fell to St Louis yesterday largely due to a very shaky outing by starting pitcher Jared Cosart. He pitched 3.1 innings and he gave up 5 earned runs on 6 hits. The bad thing was his inconsistency. In the first and third innings he retired the Cardinals in order. Easy Peesy. It was in the second and third innings that things fell apart. Cosart allowed 3 runs in the 2nd when the Cardinals batted around and he gave a run and left the game with runners on base. Cosart's relief, Raul Valdez, allowed the runners to score on a Matt Carpenter double giving Cosart a final line of 3.1 innings pitched, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 K's. The Astros were down 6-0 in the bottom of the seventh when they made a furious comeback. The Cards aided the Astros with a wild pitch and 2 errors on the same play by their left fielder. The comeback came up short as Houston only managed 4 runs but they left the bases loaded to end the threat. The last two innings were played out and the game ended on a Delino Deshields Jr ground out.

Next up was Houston playing today against the Tigers but things didn't go well beginning in the 1st inning. Lucas Harrell got his fourth start of the preseason and contrary to the excellent outings he's had so far today was much different. He went 1.2 innings giving up 12 hits, 10 runs, 9 earned and a home run with no walks or K's. Right now after 7-1/2 innings Houston is trailing 14-3.

[eagle eye]

Here's some notes from spring training including an item about GM Jeff Luhnow going to watch potential first pick in this summer's MLB draft, Carlos Rodon.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140315&content_id=69375752&noteb ook_id=69378370&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou

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The Astros have named RHP Scott Feldman as their opening day starter when Houston faces the Yankees on April Fools Day. Hopefully, this isn't a harbinger of the season we can expect from the Feldman. He has been a steadying influence in the clubhouse so far this spring. The 6'7" hurler acquired this off season has made two starts so far in the spring going 6 total innings giving up 9 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 homers, a walk and five K's with a 4.50 ERA. Last season for the Cubs and Orioles he went 12-12 with a 3.86 ERA. Feldman has had one other opening day start in his career in 2010 for the Texas Rangers against the Blue Jays going seven innings with a no-decision. Feldman does eat up innings and that will be a benefit for the team as the season progresses. Feldman's last outing was yesterday against the Nationals in which he went 4+ innings giving up 8 hits and 3 runs striking out 5. Feldman admitted he is still working on harnessing command of his pitches which is okay because that is what ST is for.

The Astros have trimmed seven players from their spring training roster. They are: left-handed pitcher Rudy Owens and right-handers Jose Cisnero, Collin McHugh and Chia-Jen Lo and reassigning catcher Tyler Heineman and right-handers Jorge De Leon and Rhiner Cruz to Minor League camp.
None of the cuts, most of which were announced in the morning, came as a surprise. De Leon and Cruz, neither of whom was on the 40-man roster, were told the news following the Astros' 4-3 loss to the Nats on Sunday in which De Leon threw one inning and allowed two hits.
The moves leave the Astros with 44 players in camp -- 21 pitchers, four catchers, 11 infielders and eight outfielders.
--the info comes from Astros.com

Quad Cities, the Astros class A affiliate, won their league championship in 2013 and on Sunday they received their championship rings in a dinner and ceremony at the Astros minor league clubhouse at Osceola County Stadium. The team included 1st round picks Carlos Correa and Mark Appel along with Lance McCullars, Teoscar Hernandez, Vincent Velasquez, Rio Ruiz and Josh Hader.

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The Astros lost to Miami today 8-1 mainly because of the horrendous outing by starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel pitched 4 innings and he looked decent in innings 3 and 4. It was the first and second innings that killed Keuchel and the Astros. In the first inning Houston was down 3-0 before Keuchel record the first out. Lead off singles by the Marlins 1 and 2 hitters, the 2nd a legged out bunt that was probably supposed to be a sacrifice but it was such a good bunt it turned into a single. That was followed by a three run bomb by Giovanni Stanton to stake the Marlins to the early lead. The Astros actually began the game batting first and pushing across a run to give the Astros their first and only lead. However, after surrendering 3 runs in the first and 4 in the second it was pretty much a done deal from then on. Houston hitters had no answer for the Marlins pitchers who stymied them all game. The Astros could only manage 3 hits all game to go along with five walks scattered across 9 innings. After scoring an oh-by-the-way run in the first Houston never threatened again. The Marlins pitchers were led by Jacob Turner who got the win after going 5 complete allowing 2 hits and one run and Houston may not have scored if a pickoff throw to first that ended up in the Marlins bullpen allowing baserunner Jonathan Villar to go to second. Villar reached on the first of Turner's three walks on the day. Turner advanced Villar to second on that errant throw and a single by Mark Krauss advanced Villar to third where a sac fly by Chris Carter scored Villar. It was kind of an usual way to score a run to be sure. That was it. The high point of the game for Houston on offense. There were some nice plays in the field though. To name a few there was a nice leaping catch of a shot to right made by George Springer in the first and a really nice play in the 8th by Carlos Correa to hold a runner at third and get an out at first on a sharply hit ground ball. Springer was actually robbed of a couple of hits on a couple of smoking ground balls that were well played by the Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee. The loss today drops Houston's ST record to 7-11. Next up is a game on the road against the Nationals tomorrow. it is scheduled to be televised on MLB Network but you can bet your bottom dollar it will be blacked out locally. (which I think is total BS)

[KABrother88]

Couple points of interest regarding the future

Reports surfaced last night that in September OF George Springer turned down a 7 year deal worth $23 million...probably a smart move on his part cause he has the potential to have that doubles in a couple years...as a fan it would have been nice to know a portion of the foundation of the future was locked in for so cheap though

Today it's been reported that the Astros and 3B Matt Dominguiz are nearing a 5 year extension worth $17 million with 2 club options worth $8 million and $10 million

Last night SP Jared Cosart pitched 5 perfect innings with 9Ks. Good sign after the young right handler had struggled this spring. Top prospect SS Carlos Correa left after being hit by a pitch on the hand. X-Rays can out negative and Correa said he feels fine just sore

The biggest question all spring was answered this morning. Would Springer break camp with the big club...the answer...no. Springer along with Correa, Mark Appel, Jon Singleton, Delino DeShields JR, and Mike Foltynewicz were all sent to the minor league camp

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The starting pitching rotation is coming together as two more pieces were added to the Houston starters club. Earlier in the week RHP Scott Feldman was named the opening day starter and today Bo Porter named RHP Jared Cosart the #2 man in the rotation. The #3 man will be LHP Brett Olberholtzer. The naming of Cosart to the starting rotation was evidently not affected by his poor outing earlier this week in which he gave up 6 hits and 5 earned runs. Porter was quoted, "For me, you look at what Jarred Cosart was able to do last year, I was pretty comfortable with him being one of the guys who was going to be in our rotation," Porter said. "Last night, you got a chance to see a guy who has an opportunity to be a front-of-the-rotation guy. When he's locked and if we get that type of consistency, he's going to pitch to his potential."
Porter said right-handers Lucas Harrell, Jerome Williams and Brad Peacock and left-hander Dallas Keuchel are the remaining candidates for the final two spots in the rotation. Harrell got the chance to get back on the mound today after being bombed in his last start. He came back last night facing the Phillies. He went 4-1/3 giving up six hits and only one run. Kevin Chapman gave up 2 runs in relief of Harrell in his 1.2 innings of work but it was reliever prospect Darin Downs who gave up the runs that allowed the Phillies to open up a bit of a lead that became the final margin of victory.

One item of note. It is being reported that the smokin hot spring that Marwin Gonzalez is having could actually allow the Astros to keep an extra pitcher on the roster. Gonzalez has played almost every position in the field short of Pitcher and catcher. The one thing that could make the biggest difference is the fact that Gonzalez has worked hard on his hitting and it's paid off so far through 17 games with a Grapefruit League second best BA of .441.