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Just another day in the Bronx.So much fun watching the fans-beating on the walls, dismayed looks. I've been listening to WFAN (NYC) all day-they have given up hope and just hope to not lose tonight. I have to say that both the fans and hosts all say that the Astros are the better team-no excuses about bad luck on their part.
Frees up a 40-man spot. Could Cristian Javier take that spot? He'll need to be on the 40-man before the Rule 5 draft regardless.
Any chance we could get it named properly? It is Tri-City (with a hyphen) - not Tri Cities.
2)Kessinger and 4)Barber are signed.
Marwin to Minnesota. 2 years, $21 million.
I'm sure you're aware but he's been mentioned quite a bit in the Bus Ride particularly in the Top Prospects thread.
Great day and great addition to the line up of nine....Congrats Justice Kavanaugh !!!!
And congrats Mr. Happy on your courage here at OWA, in this intolerable bastion of liberal thought.
Usually come here for only good Astro insight...
Let's Go Astros !
I hope there’s enough talent left in the system that Luhnow is willing to give up that can land a big league hitter.
Hate this.
You know the old saw about good teams being strong up the middle? Well, our C, SS, and 2B are all on the DL. Springer should be afraid. Very afraid.
These are the times that try fans’ souls. Do not bail on this team.
This juxtaposition May be a linguistic first.
From a recent prospect chat:
Whirled Series: Which team’s prospect system has made the biggest jump from preseason strength to now? Which has made the biggest slide?
Eric A Longenhagen: Reds have added a ton of interesting depth among the guys I have 37-40 FVs on (basically low-level sleepers types), Kansas City has added, too. Also Houston’s ability to coax the most out of pitchers by improving spin efficiency and pitching approach is noticeable (Bielak, Solomon, James, like 5 other guys)
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/eric-longenhagen-chat-7-12-18/
You scare me with your awesomeness.
[/quote
Right. What she said.
AJ explains it all.
You assume SD wants him. Big assumption.
With the callup of Reed to the big club, Taylor Jones gets moved up from CC to man 1B.
The lack of injury news on minor leaguers can be maddening. I haven’t seen anything in the past month with an update on Martes, Paulino, Bukauskas, or Yordan Alvarez.
Seth Beer. A collegiate first baseman/outfielder out of Clemson. I’m a bit surprised at a corner college player at this point. Definitely a departure from the Luhnow norm. If he doesn’t hit for both high average and high power this is a miss because he has little defensive value. If he does hit he’s your #4 hitter for a decade.
do yourself a favor and spend two minutes reading this. You will pull extra for Musgrove from now on. http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/250497062/astros-joe-musgrove-to-honor-dad-with-patch/
Having Verlander won't make a difference if Keuchel and McCullers don't get right.
Lunhow needs to do what it takes to get Verlander. Right now Keuchel and McCullers are major question marks heading into October.
Let's see ...
1) there were no true game-changers on the block; Gray is nice, but he's not the difference between also-rans and world champions; there was no 1998 Randy Johnson (or, on the offensive side, 2004 Carlos Beltran) out there; the Yankees needed Gray more than the Astros, because, despite the recent run of mediocrity, the Astros are still the better team;
2) the Astros were reportedly highly focused and very near obtaining one of the very best relievers available, but the other team's owner pulled back; but for a dyspeptic octogenarian in Baltimore, people would be praising Luhnow as the second coming of Branch Rickey; that seems like pretty flimsy grounds for people to base an opinion;
3) contrary to some complaints, the Astros didn't put all their eggs in one basket with Britton; they reportedly had a couple of other deals in the works concurrent with the Orioles trade; they didn't come through; that's life; you can't force other people to give you everything you want; the only thing you can control is how you react, i.e., not panicking;
4) they obtained a pitcher whose overall body of work is unimpressive, but whose skill set upon closer inspection is very suitable to fill a specific hole in the bullpen, i.e., a lefty who can retire lefties; Liriano is yet another example of looking beyond superficiality to find someone who contributes to the roster in ways that may not seem obvious;
5) there is still no team in baseball that has more organizational talent, major-plus-minors-combined, than the Astros; better to have a general manager who focuses on the big picture, having a dominating team that can win for years to come, than one who panics and overpays due to fan and media (and apparently clubhouse) complaining;
6) no matter what moves the Astros could've made at the trade deadline, as someone else already pointed out, if enough key players can't get healthy and play effectively by the time the playoffs roll around, they're unlikely to get very far anyway; you can't remake your whole roster in July;
7) maybe the top prospects Luhnow refused to give up won't work out, but based on his track record, one or more of them probably will; by keeping them all, he increases the chance that the ones who do succeed won't do so elsewhere; this team is still early in its window;Brian T. Smith sounds like the second coming of Pinwheel, stirring up shit just to have something to write about; Keuchel should've kept his comments behind closed doors, but Smith is fanning the flames by patting Keuchel on the head about it.
So luckily I had a very long drive to do today that I put off until right after the trade deadline. Initially, I thought it'd be a great time to make the drive seem short by listening to the trade analaysis on all the crazy deals JL pulled off. It didn't work out that way.
However, I'm glad I planned it that way as I likely would have posted something "emotional"... which I think is understandable. Most everyone here would agree this is a special season, it's hard not to get emotionable about it. So instead I put on some great music, thought about it some, then didn't, then thought about it some more. At first it was the Aoki trade that was really bugging me, I really liked what he brought to the team, but there's this one JL quote that kept coming back to me throughout the drive, "trust the math".
Then it was coming to terms with the fact Liriano is the only incoming help this pitching staff has. Again though... "trust the math". Ok...
Another issue I kept running through my thick 'noggin was my initial reaction to some of the prospects it seemingly took to get players I thought would be useful on the Astros. Surely we could have offered better... right? The more I thought about it the more I kept coming back to the same conclusion. Luhnow is doing exactly what he did to get this team to where it is now. Trusting the math.
JL has had a big part in creating a team that is unarguably very good this year and will be very good for at least a couple more years. He's done it in large part by sticking to this philosophy. He sees something in Fisher that made him comfortable trading Aoki. As fun as he was to watch I'll trust the math here.
JL obviously went waaay beyond Liriano's stats against lefties as a starter. He likely has data freely available that we could only dream of. Like how Liriano's two best pitches play against the 6-7-8 hitters in a lineup the first time through. He sees something here. I'll trust the math.
As far as deals that got done or didn't... It seems that he had at least one deal in place that got nixed by an imbecile who is running his team straight in to the shitter. Not his fault. But the other deals...? Luhnow either didn't trust the math or they simply weren't on the table. The two best starting pitchers available were from within the division. The price may have been higher for the Astros.
We now have to rely on getting people healthy. Also, who knows what might pop up on the waiver wire?
For me, I'm gunna "trust the math" this season. It's gotten us this far and it's gotten us a damn good team.
Yep: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2139311-george-springer-injury-updates-on-astros-stars-quad-and-return
July 2014: "Astros manager Bo Porter told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com Tuesday he didn't think a DL stint was in the works..."
Aug 6: Had a setback during a rehab assignment
Sept 16: Astros confirm Springer is done for the year.
I assume that Gurriel hits right-handed?
A lefty version of Wags??? Do the same folks talk in the same breath about southpaw versions of Koufax?
I think a team would be happy to "maybe" get an elite closer towards the end of the first round. To me, you want to aim higher with the 2nd or 5th overall pick - either an All-Star everyday player, or a #1/2 starter.
Springer is the one who worries me the most, much more than Singleton. It's been basically a year now, and it appears that like Baez, he is entirely unwilling or unable to change his approach. Specifically, swing for the fences on just about every pitch.
He took a nasty foul tip off of the left collarbone that just wedged itself between his mask and the collarbone. I can't imagine willingly signing up for that kind of abuse. That's why I give HH a wide berth: he must be one crazy motherfucker.
Apparently this was a hack. Cosart back on Twitter with his response.
https://twitter.com/CosartJL
Intentional or not, you just PR'ed one fan back from the brink.
Carry on. Thanks for posting.
This is nothing like Jerry Jones. Luhnow has a "plan". Jerry flies by the seat of his pants. Drayton was more like Jones.
Actually, the Marlins did make the 40% qualifying offer to Krook (or roughly $650,000) which he turned down. That allowed Miami to receive the 36th pick in this year's draft as compensation.
Krook then honored his original commitment to U of Oregon and was pitching well this past season (leading the Pac 12 in strikeouts at the time) until...he tore his UCL and had to undergo TJS.
Folty stinking the joint up tonight. 3IP 6H 7ER 6BB 2k
OKC trails N.O. 8-1 in 7th at home.
Grossman continues to look like a prospect with 2 more hits getting his average up to .339.
Is this the end of the line for Guzman and Presley?
2-6, with a .476 ERA?
It doesn't seem like its motivation. I really hope it's just physical (short term).
I hear you. If nothing else this demonstrates that the Astros rely on scouts and projection too, not just stats.
Hasn't shown power a lot in games, true. BA's scouting report says 70 raw power.
Keith Law ranked Fisher #15 on his list.
Law had Fisher as a mid-1st round talent. Had surgery to repair a hamate bone injury prior to the season.
IMO corner outfield, corner infield.
That was funny. I wish that we could have heard some of the actual taunts because Phightins fans are colorful to say the very least toward opposing players.
Are y'all sitting in the OF? If so, I assume you're going to hold up a big sign or banner that says "We (heart) Gross/Fowl/Hoes"?
I doubt his opinion will change the Astros' approach, but I do suspect the next decade will see a swing towards his and TJ's philosophy.
You need to put a warning on that. It doesn't seem to have much to do with Larry Dierker, and is not suitable for my workplace.
Although I suppose we should be hoping that Singleton is NOT lighting it up during any of those times.
Thanks for posting. Great stuff.
Handi-wipes and a twelve pack of Charmin might be a good start.
I think Luhnow said he would sign a position player. Or that was me fantasizing or something. Anyway, I think they should think about adding a player who is good at hitting.
'Dingus' sounds like something you call your little brother.
While we're talking about total futility there's a piece that I suspect many of you read that deserves mention:
Ouch.
I know that a lot of Astros fans are excited about the future and surely that's a comfortable place to be until the team's leadership begins trading away any and all arb-eligible players. But was it really necessary to be so historically bad in so many areas to rebuild in an effective manner? Was it really necessary to tarnish the team's history and shame the team's fans, or at least those that remain?
It's a thoroughly disgraceful episode if the word episode can be used to describe a three year trajectory.
Via the Hooks Twitter account:
“@cchooks: #CCHooks catcher Mighty @MaxStassi10 just homered for the 5th straight game!”
I not trying to trash Luhnow, as he does many things real well. However, his job is greater than just "building up the MiLB system." His job is to build a MLB club. I feel too many people excuse EVERYTHING based on the fact that they see his sole job as building the minors. He needs some heat about the beyond miserable shitshow this team displays almost every day. There are other clubs with similar "woe is me" excuses as the Astros, yet they look like progress is being made.
Sorry, just venting, and didn't intend to hijack the thread, but even knowing they lack much talent, this team is hard to watch. Someone has to be acountable.
We've opened up a 3 1/2 game lead on the Fish for the 1:1 pick.
Must háve missed a transaction someplace. Who is this Torreyes guy playing 2B tonight and where did he come from?
In the right hand area. No word on severity. Hopefully, just precautionary.
Awesomeness!
Huh. That's too bad. 2010 Tri-City team MVP. And a career .363 OBP while playing (by all acounts) superb defense. Maybe he got the college coaching job he talked about wanting in his WTHB interview last week?
Another notable quote from the interview:
Yeah, some crazy stuff was said about Ackley and Brett Wallace before they were drafted such as 'even if he doesn't develop into a power hitter he will be a threat to win multiple batting titles'. I think it's a little rich to say any amateur player is a sure thing to challenge for batting titles or even hit .300 regularly. It just goes to show you even the most polished college hitters that are guaranteed to hit in the show may very well not.
The speculation on Rodon (coming from his coach) is that taking the fall off messed Rodon up. They decided to be cautious with him after pitching in the summer and it took him a while to get going this season. He hasn't been as dominant as last season, but he has been better recently. It will be interesting to see how he does next season. Tyler Beede is another name to watch for 1/1. He turned down a 1st-round offer to go to Vanderbilt and has been great this season. Command can still be an issue, but he has plenty of time to work on that.
Here are 33 pictures from the game...I got Correa hitting that double, and also turning a double play.
http://public.fotki.com/MinorsFan/baseball/20130412-river-band/
Unless I am missing something (highly likely), Jio Mier is still in GCL, and Johnathon Meyer is playing 3B for Lancaster
I really like the name. I still answer to that name (often "Rag" for short) from some of my family and oldest friends and former teammates.
I might have missed this earlier in the thread, but OutSTANDing piece on Correa: LINK
Pure posturing and sour grapes from a naive high school kid. I put no stock in it. If the Astros can offer him $3 mil, he'd be a damn fool not to take it.
That can't even be in the ballpark. That is almost 4 million over the allotment.
"Hey Scott, have a seat. Can't wait to talk to you about McCullers. How're your other draftees?"
Luhnow....we aren't worthy
Hensley off the board. Mccullers still out there, 10 picks in the way
And so it begins... Fro (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review sports columnist Dejan Kovacevik (via Twitter):
Uh-oh, here we go. Mark Appel is "not available" for conference call with Pittsburgh media, according to #Pirates.
Dude's twenty years old and had people telling him he could get $7mm+. I'd cut him some slack.
I'm starting to feel bad for Appel, but not for Satan. This is getting ugly.
Frankie Piliere with a chat all day today. Not really conducive to getting any work done, but, hey, I'm just showing you where to find it, I'm not making you use it.
http://sbb.scout.com/2/1191795.html#.T8yydHdkqxE.twitter
Here are the 2012 draft slotting values: BA LINK
A $3M savings at 1.1 (i.e. difference in signing someone at 1.4 money vs. 1.1 money) is the MONETARY equivalent of the Astros having an extra 3.5 second round picks. Depending on what they are hearing about some players falling in the draft because of 'signability' issues, a 'savings' at 1.1 could be big. REALLY big.
Again, don't have a clue as to the correct way to pick 1.1 based on the new restrictions, but I am certainly intrigued...
Jio was off to a great start in Lancaster this year but the hamstring injury is going to cause him to miss significant time. I think he will be in CC next year if healthy.
Meyer is quietly showing improvement as well. He could be in CC after the all start break.
Didn't have an argument, just running my mouth like an ass. Hadn't realized how much progress he's made this year.
Depends. Lyles vaulted his status with it. Most teams were looking at him in the 3rd-round range, but Atlanta was in on him, also. Had he skipped it/not performed well, he'd probably be in their organization now. It shouldn't be used as a substitute for months or years of scouting, but it can be helpful to get one last look at a guy; see how they fare against the competition, etc.
Bushue was another 'they fell in love with' at the MMPUS private workout...
Wates starting tonight.
As stated in the Hooks thread, pinch run for after HBP. No word of extent
I've heard Jason Varitek comps for Zunino, which is definitely a type of player you'd be glad to have... I'm just not sure if that's the best you can do with a 1-1 pick.
I would love to see the Astros get a potential top-of-the-rotation starter with this pick. I'm not sure that there is an concensus one out there. If there is a positional player that is a potential multi-time All-Star type I'd rather see that guy picked than a middle-of-the-order type that the organzation has plenty of. I keep coming back to the SS.
Nope, he switched when he was with the Astros.
Not the same I know, but was Bourn with Boras when they traded for him?
I don't recall hearing his name associated with anyone this year yet (like it was with, e.g., Josh Bell last year). [And not giving you crap, just a misc. note that they aren't "agents" until the player is signed (general rule), they are "advisers" (stupid arcane and unrealistic NCAA BS...).
Moreover, Crane doesn't have baggage with Boras like McLane did. I'm not saying that it won't still be an issue, but Crane certainly won't hold Beltran against some draft pick.
As I recall, wasn't there an issue with his arm leading into the draft?
Crazy two-man wall-tumbling catch last night: http://www.twitvid.com/LDZGX
Greg Rajan tweeted that it looked like a precautionary move rather than an immediate injury.
Aw crap
Anybody know anything about this?
Blister issue or something like that. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was minor.
Telvin Smash goes 3-5 with a double tonight, and his slugging percentage drops. I never get tired of early-season stats.
Santana, Springer, and Nash will be quite a punch in the middle of the lineup, especially at Lancaster. Throw in Meyer's potential and this could be a fun team to watch.
The sign referenced an oxidized sousaphone.
No, but the pendulum has gone too far....nor do I think $20mm is worth just 4 wins, but I get your point. While I may think of others, the issues I have with the current mak-up are:
1. Lack of player leadership. Who is there to teach the kids how to be an MLB player? It isn't Carlos.
2. Houston fans deserve more entertainment value for what they pay to go see the Astros. MMP will set record lows in attendance this year as a result. Its disappointing.
So says The Man anyway...
This had gotta mean HOU goes out and signs Pujols, don't it?!?!?
Warning moat. "Gator got 'im!"
Agree wholeheartedly. That's what makes this so completely sickening, not just that Selig & co. are screwing over my team, but that they're screwing up my GAME. If (as looks likely) they soon institute the DH in both leagues, I will be really, really angry and sad. Even if the ALstros are still my favorite team.
I would follow the Astros to the J-League if I had to.
Seriously?
Ew, gross. Do those people really exist?
No one looks like Astacio.
By the way, a government experiment is underway. Just forget everything you ever knew about Ezequiel Astacio.
Let's remember that as of today, only two picks ahead of Springer have signed, and just 10 total 1st rounders are signed.
Still 10 days to the signing deadline, right?
I assume Wade was told to make whatever moves he could which would decrease salary and bring in prospects?
Everyone assumes:
1. Wade got shit in return; and/or
2. Wade could have got a lot more in December.
Everyone might eventually be proved right on the first one, but I doubt many have enough first hand knowledge to honestly reach these conclusions.
Couple of tweets in the last few minutes say it'll be Bourn to the Nats for Storen. No other word about that one though, kinda out of the blue.
Posted in other thread - singleton, cosart and 2 ptbnl per rosenthal
Found dead in her north London flat.
Joining Jim Morrison, Hendrix and Joplin who all died at 27.
I don't understand why you guys want to trade Bourn so bad.
Rest in peace.
Esposito and Hernandez seem overwhelmed at Corpus, so they probably don't present much of an obstacle. But, has he moved past Heath & Garcia on the depth chart? How is his defense compared to theirs?
I don't think there's much sense in promoting any advanced hitting prospect from Lexington to Lancaster.
After being a PC since my dad brought home a 286 that allowed me to play Hardball with a stunning 8 colors, I'm expecting arrival of my MacBook Air next week.
I feel so dirty. But I also feel like I won't have to worry about any of the bullshit that's affected my last three PC's.
Anybody got experience with the Air?
No Astros team has ever lost more than 97 games - 7 down, 91 to go.
Anyone else watching?
if he asks to come back, will the club let him? discuss.
Am guessing Wade will include a +1 in the deal (can't resist), and it will be Keppenger.
Sounds like that could be it...
Total fools if they turn down 1.5 milhouse. He'll need 1st round to beat that in 3 years. Not to mention staying healthy. And if Carlos Lee Jr. runs into him on the field, he'll never see a dime.
Only thing I could see him holding back for is if he truely wants to play football. (Which will also risk a big injury)
Football or Scott Boras--the latter more likely than the former IMO.
Leyland: Umpire admitted missing game-ending third strike call
It's still early, but when you're a half game out of first it's a shitty time to be on the business end of another bad call, one that potentially costs you a game. The ump admits he knew he blew it right away, but why didn't he correct himself? How long until this shit comes to a boil?
pre-vindic8ed?
i stand by and believe in what i say. we each have our own opinions and ways of expressing them
the astros seem to be in a vortext of some kind. they are being sucked down into the vacuum of mondaneness. maybe it is a space time thing. i know the team is not made up of superstars , but can the defence and the offence both impolde at the same time. it has to be some kind of practical joke of the fates because surely the muses and gods of baseball could not be so cruel. something good has to come out of this season. you know how when you are at walmart and see something uber cheap.. i found astros peanuts for 1.50, or like you find out you can bring food into the ball park. (not at mmpus tho). its like wow that was a good thing. i mean it may just be the improvement of q or that the astros are a second half team..right now being an astros fan is slighlty painful. but to me the pain would be greater not to be one
He got the Astros to the World Series? That's almost like saying he is the reason the Astros stink this year because he is 2-6.
Or shouting when he walked off the field.
RIP Lima Time.