The good news for the Astros is the 2000 season is over. The bad news is some of the problems that plagued them, the lack of quality pitching in particular, might not be behind them. On that note, the following are some numbers that give a glimpse into what the 2001 season possibly holds.
Astros fans worried about their team’s lackluster spring-training performance probably shouldn’t be. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about this team: the starting pitching is shaky, half the bullpen is recovering from injury, the defense isn’t exactly solid. But, as the axiom goes, spring wins and losses don’t matter.
Astros fans spent all winter hoping for a spring turnaround from Jose Lima. Adopting Hideo Nomo’s tornado wind-up isn’t likely what they had in mind. Lima fell from 21-10 in 1999 to 7-16 with a league-worst 6.65 ERA and 48 home runs allowed in 2000. Even his teammates think Lima is a yo-yo. Does that mean he can bounce back from his hideous performance?
With more than 1,200 games in a Major League season, no one sees the performance of every player every inning or even most players most innings. Nor is the average fan trained to evaluate players by eyewitness observation like a professional scout. Statistics are therefore a helpful tool to compare performances among players. A quickly calculated, easily understood statistic that attempts to combine several elements of a player’s performance is particularly welcome in this pursuit.
Houston’s new ballpark had barely opened last spring when sportscasters began calling it 10-Run Field. Enron Field indeed saw an average of 12.41 runs per game, 6.23 scored plus 6.17 allowed by the Astros.
After Jeff Bagwell signed a five-year, $85-million contract extension last month, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian used Bagwell’s performance in MVP voting to emphasize his value to the Astros. From 1994 to 1999, Kurkjian noted, Bagwell received more National League MVP votes than any other player.
