Oh, one more thing: Justin Smoak? They really still want to argue the value of the next DH in the making in the American League over a good defensive catcher who has the potential to hit well in the majors? See, this is what perplexes me: The Houston Astros are a National League team and cannot and should not build a team like the Texas Rangers would: all bats, no defense, no pitching (although much of that changed with Nolan Ryan coming aboard and some good drafts of pitchers ahead of him).
If the author wanted to make a solid point, he need not focus on a DH like Smoak, he needed to point to the years Gerry Hunsicker had the farm system rated numero uno in the MLB. How? By getting the best arms available through good scouting (the David Lakey kind, until he and Gerry had a fall out). Houston needs to return to the days that drafting *AND* development centered around good young arms, and that included the kids out of the Venezuelan Academy. There was a day when Houston could tout arms like Roy Oswalt, Tim Redding, Wilfredo Rodriquez, Carlos Hernandez, and many others all bunched up ready to move up to the majors.
When Jim Crane says that he wants to build back the club the right way, that doesn't necessarily mean drafting a Justin Smoak. I think it means drafting a Roy Oswalt instead.
