The Houston Sports Counterplot

by Andy

I purchased my truck a few years ago. It was my first big purchase. I remember standing outside of the car lot while reciting my haggling techniques. “Aw, c’mon, bro, is that the best you can do?” (I was saying “bro” before it was cool.) I stood stoically and scanned over the cars and immediately started having serious concerns whether or not I could afford anything new and nice. Then I started having serious concerns whether I’d have to choose between new or nice. This situation became complicated, and I hadn’t even talked to a salesman yet. I had some money in the bank, and I knew that there was something for me somewhere… but here? But now? I started to wonder whether or not my current truck would last another six months or a year. I left and went to another dealership… that night I bought my truck.

This is free agency.

The market is full of great bargains, but it’s also full of lemons. The Astros are either going to get their money’s worth or they’re going to count down the days until the bad contract they gave away expires.

The Astros have to spend their money wisely. Scratch that! The Astros MUST spend their money wisely! They cannot afford to be saddled with bad contracts, and they cannot afford to compromise their bright future for a glimmer of hope in the present.

Talking free agency is fun. Talking trades is fun.

But, if big name free agents and blockbuster deals are your thing… this off-season won’t be fun.

But it’ll be productive.

Of course, many Astros fans are not totally grasping the concept of rebuilding. It wasn’t but a few years ago, the Astros farm system was barren and devoid of any star potential. Astros fans begged and complained, “Woe is me! The farm system is barren and devoid of any star potential!” (I paraphrased.) However, with recent trades and quality drafts, the Astros have built one of the stronger minor league systems in major league baseball. …and, now, after all the time and effort, many Astros fans are interested in trading away prospects or signing multi-year big money contracts because they want to “win right away.” How Drayton McLane-y of them.

The last regime cut corners by taking on irresponsible contracts and trying to add pieces instead of developing ones. Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow have been reasonably straightforward in regards to their plans on building a successful organization in Houston. Signing Mike Napoli or trading for Justin Upton just doesn’t fit into what they said they are trying to do here. And, quite frankly, if their plan is to sign Napoli or trade for Upton, they might as well sell the team back to Drayton McLane while they’re at it. …because that’s how the last regime operated.

You don’t put $1500 rims on a 1992 Ford Taurus.

I’ve also heard that people want the Astros to trade for Jeremy Hellickson or Trevor Bauer. While Hellickson and Bauer would be under club control for awhile, what would the Astros have to give up to get them? The Astros aren’t, or rather shouldn’t, be in the market for one marquee player at the expense of multiple quality prospects. The Astros are building a well-rounded team and giving equal value in multiple prospects for one good player doesn’t seem very productive or consistent with the Astros plans… the organization’s words, not mine.

It’s fun to talk about potential free agent signings or potential trades. However, at the moment, “big splash” transactions don’t seem like an effective strategy for our team’s current situation. I wouldn’t forecast any big name free agents or Luhnow conducting any blockbuster swaps.

As if you need to be reminded, the Astros lost a franchise record 107 games in 2012, which clipped the previous year’s loss total by one. So, it’s probably safe to say that one single player isn’t going to transform the Astros into a playoff contender or even a .500 team – two players won’t change that, either. But, the Astros can use free agency to their advantage by signing players here and there and passing on irresponsible franchise crippling expenditures.

It is important that the Astros put a competitive team on the field. It is important that this team scratch and claw their way out of the triple-digit loss neighborhood and, at least, represent to the fans that, “hey, this team is going somewhere.” Player development has to be the key ingredient to the Astros revival. As of now, the Astros biggest goal is to develop a franchise capable of competing year after year while keeping fans interested, invested and buying tickets.

This is a massive, long-term undertaking. But one that is worthwhile.

So what are we working with?

As of now, the Astros line-up has some potential to it. It has a little pop and a little speed, there are a few guys who can hit for average, get on base and, for the most part, they’re decent defensively. Granted, this line-up doesn’t have any marquee appeal, but it will be able to hold its own and keep the Astros in games. We’re not exactly looking to win the World Series in 2013, but if the goal is to get better and be competitive – the line-up isn’t exactly an urgent crisis.

I suppose if Jose Altuve starts striking out again, Brett Wallace can’t get any lift on the ball or Justin Maxwell hits .190, all of this can change for 2013.

But, when 2014 arrives, things will get a bit crowded and complicated. With the emergence of Jonathan Singleton, George Springer and Robbie Grossman – some of the guys on the 2013 roster will find themselves on the bench or looking at other teams for employment.

Of course, with the DH, Jeff Luhnow will have a lot more flexibility when constructing the team because he’ll now view each position player as being capable of also being a DH. This is how I imagine Brett Wallace or JD Martinez will manage to remain on the roster.

I’m really not seeing any glaring spots on offense where the Astros need to add anyone long term. However, Luhnow should strike up dialogue with players who’d be interested in short-term contracts. Lance Berkman and Melky Cabrera fit this description. Berkman is familiar with Houston and could be plugged into the DH role while spelling Wallace at first base. Cabrera is out to prove that his talent isn’t contingent on how much buffalo urine he injects directly into his butt cheeks. Both could sign one-year deals and stave off the necessity of having to call up Singleton, Grossman or Springer too soon.

Above and beyond the need for a DH or any other bat, the Astros need to address their starting rotation and bullpen. They’re going to need to do this in free agency – I can’t see them getting a quality durable big league pitcher in the rule 5 draft… maybe someone who can compete for a spot, though.

Jarred Cosart aside, there isn’t much immediate help on the way from the farm, and the Astros are going to need a guy that they can plug into the starting rotation for the next couple of years. As of now, Bud Norris, Lucas Harrell and Jordan Lyles seem to be locks. I expect the Astros to sign a free agent pitcher for one of the first four spots and have an open competition for the final spot in the rotation. The final spot could come down to a rule 5 guy, a non-roster invitee or Cosart, Brett Oberholtzer, Dallas Keuchel, Rudy Owens or possibly Paul Clemens.

Or maybe even Roger Clemens. (LOL!) No… seriously. (Oh.)

Having a bona-fide MLB starting pitcher in the first four spots of the rotation would be an outstanding situation for the Astros. The Astros need someone to eat up innings, take pressure off the bullpen and sign just a two or three year deal.

I’m going to bypass talking about Zack Grienke, Dan Haren or any of the other big money contract free agents and talk about some guys who I think the Astros will show real interest in.

I would like to see the Astros make a run at someone like Brandon McCarthy or Shaun Marcum. Either of these guys could be placed after Harrell in the rotation and provide solid productivity for the next few years. However, I think the Astros are more likely to be interested in someone like Carlos Villanueva or Kevin Correia. (Sigh.) Neither Villanueva nor Corriea have a history of eating innings, although Correia has gotten up to 198 before. I would assume that both of these pitchers would be interested in signing short-term, franchise friendly contracts… possibly, in Correia’s case, as a non-roster invitee. Carlos Villanueva has also had success as a reliever. So, if Cosart, Oberholtzer or any of the other minor leaguers go nuts in Oklahoma City, it’d be a smooth transition for Villanueva to move into the pen.

Which brings me to my next issue: the Astros need at least one more decent relief pitcher. With a young team, it is going to be important to preserve leads because, as we’ve been taught over the last two years, leads are hard to come by. Having one of our young pitchers pitch a gem only to have it blown to pieces by Chuckie Fick might do some serious damage to their psyche. If the Astros solidify the bullpen, it’ll go a long way in developing a culture of confidence within the starting rotation. And, winning is important to player development. I look at someone like Jonathan Broxton, Kyuji Fujikawa, Joakim Soria or Ryan Madson. Soria and Madson, both coming off injury, might be good options for short-term deals that could be parlayed into premium choice trade bait if they revert to form. Broxton and Fujikawa seem to be guys who might consider opting for teams that’ll utilize them as closers.

Needless to say, I’m not predicting any big splashes in the off-season. The Astros might find a suitor for Jed Lowrie or Bud Norris and, as the organization continues to turnover, begin to consider alternate options in free agency and render this whole article null and void. I feel like Jim Crane and Luhnow may have learned a lesson from the previous regime regarding irresponsible contracts, and I don’t think Crane and Luhnow would want to get into another Carlos Lee, Kaz Matsui or Brandon Lyon type situation.

So, shop wisely, Jeff. Don’t grab the first shiny car off the lot. Make sure you check under the hood. And, always remember, there are new models coming out for next year. 

by Andy

At 10:36 this morning, Eagle Eye Ernest Moreno tweeted a picture to Sports Logo Net, “I saw this at a local Academy not too long ago.” A minute later, he tweeted me.

I’m generally pretty good about reading everything that is directed at me. So, when I saw this, I knew that I had to get it confirmed.

Immediately, I saved the picture to my phone and sent a text message to a friend who I thought would know.

“Hey, is this the new logo or what?”

And no less than a minute later, I got a response.

“Where was that picture taken?”

That was pretty much all the confirmation I needed.

The picture was taken at an Academy on the Gulf Freeway and Edgebrook. According to Ernest, they only had medium available, and this was the only new look merchandise on the shelf. After a few angry calls from the Houston Astros to Academy’s corporate office, that particular location has since pulled all the new look merchandise off the shelf.

Sports Logo Net ran with it. The Houston Chronicle got involved and now, Ernest is a bit of a celebrity. Good for him! And, I have to admit, had I been strutting around that particular Academy, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the new gear… so, you gotta give it up to Ernest for noticing in the first place.

Academy’s CEO Ronald Faldyn sent out a press release stating that they “apologize to the Houston Astros for the inadvertent leak of small quantities of the new Astros product.” They go on to say that what was put on the floor “represented a small portion of the Astros new identity” and the product has been “removed from the sales floor and is no longer available for sale.”

Other than that, there has been no legitimate confirmation regarding the new logo. There was speculation among bloggers like myself and uniform aficionados like Sports Logo Net. As a matter of fact, there seemed to have been coherent points made in Sports Logo Net’s thread as one commenter stated “this item has been on the floor for a year.” Maybe everyone should have kept their mouths shut and left a little bit of doubt amongst Astros fans? But, nay, Academy acknowledged that the picture is legit and the Astros acknowledge that Academy screwed up – so there you have it: this is the Astros’ new logo. 

Personally, I like it. It is a very timeless look. They took the old logo and modernized it. I kept hearing scuttlebutt about “updated and classic” and this pretty much fits into that mold. I’m thrilled that the Astros selected to go back to orange and navy blue. However, the picture has two shades of orange and it’ll be interesting to see if the new uniforms incorporate both shades or just the lighter or the darker of the two.

Who knows? We’ll find out on November 2^nd when the Astros present their new look to the public… unless Academy puts more new look product out on their floor and starts selling it between now and then. 

by Andy 

(Editor’s note: When it was announced that the Astros were moving to the American League, I was asked whether or not I was reassessing my commitment to the organization. Immediately, I thought about this story and I wanted to share it with you.)

I haven’t always been an Astros fan.

For two years of my life, I was obsessed with the Oakland Athletics.

Yes, our soon-to-be division rivals. Those Oakland Athletics.

Benedict Arnold? Hardly.

It was 1989 and 1990, and I was in elementary school. And, my friend, times were wild. It was an age of irresponsibility and the age of writing sentences on the blackboard. It was the age of Ninja Turtles. It was the age of wisdom, and it was an age of discovery.

And when I discovered the Oakland A’s, I realized that they had it all! An embarrassment of riches! They had power, speed, outstanding pitching and the sweetest uniforms in baseball. Who in the world didn’t love the Bash Brothers? They had Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco launching homeruns by the truckload – bumping forearms after each blast. They had Dave Stewart and Bob Welch to start and Dennis Eckersley to close. Ricky Henderson would find a way to get on base and, before you knew it, he’d steal second… and then third. I also liked Rick Honeycutt, Dave Parker, Mike Gallego and Dave Henderson.

I liked them all! Yeah, the Oakland Athletics.

The 1989 All Star Game in Anaheim was the first All Star Game I remember and likely the first one I watched. The Oakland uniforms drew me in. But how on Earth did I not fall in love with the Kansas City Royals? Because the only thing I can vividly remember from that game was Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs hitting back-to-back homeruns off of Rick Reuschel. C’est la vie, Kansas City!

During that game, my whole life changed forever: I became an Oakland A’s fan and, more importantly, a baseball fan.

To my dismay, as a tee-baller, I was on the crummy Tigers. We had crummy yellow T’s on our crummy little hats… we didn’t even look like the real Tigers – who, in 1989, were reasonably crummy themselves. The tee-ball Athletics, on the other hand, were dressed to the nines – yellow writing on a field of green, true to their professional counterparts. And, just like in the big leagues, the tee-ball A’s were the best team in my league too. The toast of the town! It was as if they were the tee-ball league affiliate of the big league Oakland A’s! They could hit, throw and catch. They were light-years ahead of the other teams in our league.  And, to their credit, almost no one on their team would ever be caught picking grass out in rightfield… unlike the crummy Tigers. Unfortunately, this was before tee-ball’s governing body kept official records, so I cannot confirm it, but I think the tee-ball A’s went undefeated – a perfect 16-0 and a city championship to boot!

“Oh, if only my coach would trade me to the A’s,” I thought. “I’d definitely eat all of my cauliflower.”

Luckily for me, my childhood wasn’t as tortured or hardshipped as other great writers. As a matter of fact, I had a pretty awesome childhood and my parents were very loving and supportive. They facilitated my love for baseball. My Dad jumped through all of the hoops to sign me up for the city league, and my mom would buy me baseball cards each time she went to the grocery store… provided I was well behaved (and ate all of my cauliflower).

I hope that you can find as much joy in something as I found in opening a pack of baseball cards. Topps, Donruss, Upper Deck… I collected them all. As an adult, I wish I could replicate the feeling of opening a pack of baseball cards – but, sadly, it’s impossible. There’s no comparison. I honestly got more excited opening a pack of baseball cards back then as I get now by opening my paycheck – after all, I know what’s in my paycheck …and I got to keep all of my baseball cards. I would sit Indian-style on the brown shag carpet in my bedroom listening to my brother’s Fat Boys tape; meticulously, I’d lay my baseball cards out by position in the form of a baseball diamond. I would stack cards on top of each other, ranking each player on how good I thought they were. As a diehard A’s fan, I had Mike Gallego over Cal Ripken Jr.

Besides, the back of Cal’s baseball card said he only hit .264 in 1988.

Oakland had swept the Giants in the 1989 World Series – I remember watching the pre-game broadcast when the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck before game three. I had never been a part of a natural disaster, and here I was watching Al Michaels’ narrate one before a national audience. I wonder if that event played a role in how I remember certain facts from that period of my life. I remember I didn’t sleep well because I was scared that an earthquake would level Houston to a pile of rubble as soon as I shut my tired eyes.

I watched the next two games. I paid a lot of attention, too… after all, there could be a few homeruns off of Mark McGwire’s bat or there could be another devastating earthquake. Who knows? Not knowing much, I felt both would surely happen before the series concluded – so I kept my eyes glued to our television set.

In the end, Mark McGwire went 1-9 with an RBI and the earthquake finished out the series without an official at-bat. I was happy that my team, the A’s, won the World Series.

Obviously, coming into the 1990 season, the Oakland A’s were regarded as the best team in baseball. And, I couldn’t have been more ready for that season. I was a child. Life was good. They were winners and, because they were winners, I was a winner, too.

There’s no indifference in the life of a child sports fan. There is no middle ground. You’re either a winner or a loser. Kids won’t stand behind a loser, and they certainly have no reservations about jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon until they find a winner. I was no different. That’s why I liked the A’s.

I’m sure my parents just thought it was a phase… like when I slept with a Cabbage Patch Kid when I was 5. 

Did I mention that my family didn’t have cable back then?

…because that’s important.

It’s important because the only time I got to watch Oakland was during an occasional national broadcast or over at my grandmother’s house. My grandmother was top notch! She had cable.

In addition to them being a good baseball team, I liked the Oakland A’s because they were mysterious. I never really saw them play much. I analyzed the sports page every morning… but I couldn’t pick Mike Gallego or Carney Lansford out of a line-up had it not been for my vast collection of baseball cards. …okay, maybe Carney Lansford but only because he was a creepy looking dude.

In 1990, in my elementary school’s library, they had an Oakland A’s book. It was about 25 or 30 pages – three or four sentences per page. It had pictures of Oakland players, clean white uniforms with yellow socks and white shoes. All and all, it was just a short summary over the previous year’s team. I checked that book out over and over again. I’m not sure whether they had every team, but I know they had the Astros… I glanced at it, but I never took it home. 

Okay, I’m rambling.

I’m going to take a quick little tangent and start on a different story and we’ll come back to the A’s at the end.

So, let me explain my “the world is flat” baseball understanding that I had as a child: As a rule, pitchers batted ninth in the National League and not at all in the American League – it was that simple. No ifs, no buts, no coconuts. I wasn’t sure why, but rules were rules and that’s all I needed to know at the time. I didn’t need an explanation and I didn’t really care to be bothered for one. Every Astros game that my parents watched, the line-up would be announced and there was the pitcher buried at the bottom… ninth. Always. No exceptions.

(This was another reason I liked the Oakland A’s. They were not subjected to the embarrassment of having their pitcher try to hit.)

In May of 1990, my father took my brother and me to an Astros game – and, this is the second moment in this piece that my life changed forever. This was a traumatic event on several fronts! The Astros were playing the Phillies. I can’t recall what my father fed us, but I do remember that I got incredibly sick in the middle of the game and threw up - which, to my knowledge, was the first and only time I’ve ever exited a game early.

It was May 9^th to be exact. I had to check with baseball-reference to see the exact date because though the memory is vivid, the details get a bit fuzzy. Mike Scott made the start but was pulled in the fifth after giving up four runs on nine hits. Art Howe, upon pulling Scott, made a quick detour towards the home plate umpire. The umpire took out a notepad and jotted something down, Howe slyly walked to the mound, motioned for a lefty and Mike Scott, along with Ken Caminiti, walked into the Astros dugout. Eric Yelding jogged in from center to play third. The public address announcer chimed in, “Now pitching, Dan Schatzeder eder eder. And playing centerfield ield ield, Gerald Young Young Young”

Harmless, right?

I held my aching stomach and looked up at the scoreboard. As Ken Caminiti left the game, he took with him his name that graced the fifth spot of the Houston batting order. We were left to deal with the large cavernous nothing between the fourth and sixth spots.

Silence.

Waiting.

Waiting.

And, then all hell broke loose.

In large bright letters on a field of black, the cavernous nothing in the fifth spot in the batting order was replaced with “20 SCHATZEDER P.”

Are you kidding me, Art Howe? I couldn’t believe that a pitcher was batting in the fifth spot of the batting order! This was baseball blasphemy! Art Howe was spitting in the face of millions of years worth of conventional baseball strategy. That spot is reserved for the Dave Parkers and Jose Cansecos of the world! Not the Dan Schatzeders of the world! How in the world can a team expect to win when they’re batting their pitcher in the heart of the line-up?

Art Howe was a buffoon. I was beside myself. I was speechless. My stomach churned.

…and shortly thereafter, before Dan Schatzeder, a career .240 hitter with a measly 5 homeruns to his name, ever picked up a bat to publicly humiliate himself in front 11,000 laughing Astros fans… I threw up on the family sitting in front of us.

I can still hear them scream.

The umpires didn’t even acknowledge the commotion going on in our section – I’m not even sure that stopping the game ever crossed their minds. Alas, we left the Astrodome and the game played on without us. Before long, I was asleep in the backseat of my mother’s 1982 Monte Carlo as my dad and brother listened to the game in the front seat…

I never got to see the circus that was Dan Schatzeder attempting to swing a bat.

I was so sick. I had food poisoning. My old man carried my small body into the house and tucked me into a small sleeping bag next to my parent’s bed. I woke up several times during the night to throw up. Each time I got up, I thought, “why would the Astros bat Dan Schatzeder fifth?” It was a long night of vomiting and thinking about Dan Schatzeder.

Each time I got up, my Dad, in his “tighty-whiteys,” wiped sleep from his eyes and staggered out of the bed to make sure I was okay. (Thanks, Dad!)

When I woke up in the morning, I found that the Astros had lost 10-1.

“That’s what happens when you bat Dan Schatzeder fifth,” I thought.

Later that year, the Oakland A’s got swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990 World Series and I really didn’t care. I was growing disinterested in the A’s. Our fling had run its course. Not because they were slowing down or because they were no good but because they weren’t on TV.

And the Astros were.

The Oakland A’s weren’t in Houston.

And the Astros were.

1991 - that was the year that I started to fall for the Astros. And I owe it to my mom. She was the one who had the remote control. My dad, who worked late, was more interested in the news or Murphy Brown or Unsolved Mysteries… I wanna say he also liked Rescue 911, but I’m not certain when that aired.

My mom knew that I was an A’s fan… but she knew I was a baseball fan, too. So she made sure the Astros were on every once in awhile, and she made sure I was watching.

“Look, Andy, they’re about to score!”

(Mom, you have impacted my life in so many positive ways - I love you for that.)

In 1991, I found myself checking the Astros boxscores and cuddling up with my mom to watch the games on channel 20.

I started replacing Oakland A’s baseball cards with Astros baseball cards. Mike Gallego lost his starting position on my brown shag carpet to Rafael Ramirez. I replaced my Fat Boys tape with an MC Hammer tape. Glenn Davis replaced Mark McGwire and Ken Caminiti, who didn’t creep me out like Carney Lansford did, was my new favorite player.

It wasn’t until I was older that I learned the concept of “the double switch” and I learned that Dan Schatzeder more than likely didn’t bat in that game. After checking baseball-reference.com, my suspicions were confirmed.

A double switch. Pfft! 

So, as it turned out, Art Howe was, in fact, not a buffoon. He knew what he was doing. He was a very capable manager. And I was angry with Art for no good reason.

But, the Astros fired Art Howe anyway in 1993 and hired Terry Collins to replace him. Howe landed on his feet, though. And after a brief stint as a bench coach for the Colorado Rockies, Howe got another opportunity to manage in 1996 – this time, with the Oakland A’s.

I’ve been an Astros fan since. And, regardless of their league or uniforms, I’ll remain an Astros fan until I die.

The Astros are my team.

The Oakland Athletics are just an old flame from my younger days.

After all, it was an age of irresponsibility and the age of writing sentences on the blackboard. It was the age of Ninja Turtles. It was the age of wisdom, and it was an age of discovery.

It was wild times, and I have no regrets.

Although I probably owe an apology to Art Howe and Dan Schatzeder… and the family I vomited on in 1990.

by Andy

Have I spent this entire baseball season watching the Astros or has this been one long episode of TBS’s new hit comedy Sullivan & Son? I’m not quite sure. I know the laughs at Minute Maid Park are few and far between. There’s not a lot of clapping or cheering, either. There’s not a lot of intrigue or “what’ll happen next?” talk amongst the fans. And, yes, apathy is quietly overcoming the fan base as our hopeless hometown Houston Astros again dig themselves deeper into the cold dark depths of the National League cellar. Again. September has brought us football, though and now we can tuck the Astros in and put them to bed.

…And, then the clever fellow, who I assume is the “Son” in Sullivan & Son said, “I’m half white and half Asian. That makes me Caucasian.” LOL! Brilliant!

Has Jim Crane thought of hiring a guy to hold an “applause” sign?

Enter our unlikely hero: Roger Clemens. Our once prodigal son, now prodigal grandfather, has coasted into Astros discussions on the wings of sports pages everywhere and has huffed and puffed a new refreshing life into our beloved hometown team. He suspiciously made a start for the local independent team? Cue speculation! Headlines read: Roger Takes a Shower, Uses Dandruff Shampoo! Stop the presses! This is edge-of-your-seat excitement! Anticipation is running high! “We’ll see where it goes,” has been Google translated from English to Rocketese as “Hell yeah! Dust off my old Astros uniform, Jimmy! Let’s do this!” And now the whole town is abuzz at the notion of a 50-year-old prospect toeing the rubber before season’s end.

Not everyone is happy about it.

But, then again, I’m not too happy about accidently watching Sullivan & Son.

People suggest that signing Roger Clemens is counterproductive to the “youth movement.” The Astros spent plenty of time, energy and took plenty of beatings by jettisoning pricey veterans in lieu of wet-behind-the-ears baseball greenhorns. Signing Roger Clemens will turn our team into a sideshow! A farce! A joke! It’ll negate all the hard work that has been done! Blood! Sweat! Tears! This would be a more embarrassing sign than the big fat community partners’ billboards that are ocular-blocking our once beautiful view of our bustling city!

Before I go on, let me just fess up: I agree.

But is Roger worth the trouble? Can crusty old Clemens be good for the aimless Astros?

You bet your sweet behind!

As interest in our Astros wanes, Roger Clemens could bring people out to an otherwise empty and abandoned ballpark. And that would be huge! In fact, it would be huger than the laughs I got from watching Sullivan & Son. It would be huge because when fans lose interest, they do two things: they begin rooting for other teams or they become apathetic and disinterested in baseball. People aren’t as fickle as you’d like to believe. They’re difficult people to get back, too!

“An Asian girl holding a gun. Is anyone else turned on by this?” said the creepy old common character actor from Sullivan & Son. LMAO! Hilarious!

Do you want to know what Jim Crane should be afraid of? Look no further than the 2012 Orioles and Pirates – both teams are having very good seasons standings-wise but are still struggling severely attendance-wise. They’re both in the bottom third in ‘home attendance’ and are practically begging folks to support their product.

Why is this? Simple: these cities’ are hopelessly apathetic towards their baseball teams and/or the fans there have moved onto other, more successful teams, in the same region. The teams in Baltimore and Pittsburgh have great stadiums, rich traditions and, yet, people refuse to go to baseball games because these teams have developed a culture of losing and have expedited fans disinterest by…well… not doing anything remotely interesting. Unless, of course, you consider the Orioles and Pirates’ two decade quest to find new and inventive ways to lose baseball games “remotely interesting.”

In the last 15 years, who ever really cared about the Orioles or Pirates? Nobody, baby.

The Orioles and Pirates have had too many losing seasons and have burned way too many bridges! Their fans have been disinterested for far too long. These teams looked the other way while their fans jumped off the bandwagon in droves and did nothing about it. Nothing! They didn’t put up a fight. They didn’t bat an eye! So now the Orioles and Pirates are experiencing success and experts are surprised because no one really cares. “The Orioles are in second place and are likely headed for the playoffs! The Pirates are in line for their first winning season in 20 years! My goodness! Where are all the people?” Well, Sportscenter, you can find them at home watching Sullivan & Son or they’re watching Phillies or Nationals’ games on ESPN.

…and, if the Astros are, indeed, “years away” from competing, these examples should keep Jim Crane awake at night. The businessman in Nolan Ryan (who shall remain nameless) wants to dominate the market, collect all the fans, all of the bacon, all of the eggs and all of the money! He wants every baseball fan in Texas wearing a Rangers hat. And Astros fans are in denial if they believe that he doesn’t have his sites set on crushing the Houston Astros. Nolan Ryan wants the Astros to be his Orioles and Pirates. …and, if Crane isn’t smart and doesn’t act fast, Nolan’s dream could become a reality.

Jim Crane has no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep fans interested. His only mission during this “lull in success” is keeping fans coming to the game and keeping fans talking about the Houston Astros while preparing his organization for future success. Crane has to find the perfect balance between keeping fans interested and rebuilding a poorly run baseball franchise from the ground up. This is a delicate situation! This is brain surgery!As much as I hate it, he has to turn the Astros into more of a show and draw focus away from the Bad News Houston Astros. This means he has to continue to implement popular promotions like bobbleheads, retro nights and, yes, The Roger Clemens Show.

Come to think of it, this isn’t brain surgery – this is Rocket science.  

Yes, boys and girls, Roger Clemens is nothing more than glorified come-to-life bobblehead.

Roger Clemens will not be signed because he’ll keep the Astros from losing 100 games. He’ll be signed because he’ll bring 40,000 people into the stadium on nights that he pitches. Furthermore, I would be shocked if, in the event Clemens becomes an Astro, he makes a single start away from Minute Maid Park. He’s a promotion in the flesh.

Roger Clemens is desperate for the Astros to massage his bruised ego, and the Astros are desperate for Roger Clemens to protect their floundering investment. The Astros must hang on to any shred of relevancy they can – and the same goes for Roger. Dignity be damned! This is a mutually beneficial and unapologetically dysfunctional case of legend/organization codependency.

If you’re reading this blog, this should probably upset you. However, this is the cold harsh reality of the current Houston baseball climate. My suggestion: not just accept it, but embrace it and learn to love it. Because until our beleaguered ball club can pick themselves up off the mat, they’re going to need to keep themselves somewhat relevant.

Think back to January when Jim Crane said, “Everything is on the table” and hinted at a possible name change. That wasn’t a joke or some wacky marketing ploy as some people thought or would have you believe. Crane wasn’t kidding or kicking tires or trying to deceive anyone. Crane is a smart businessman and knew exactly what he was up against when he purchased the Houston Astros. Everything is on the table because, as it stands now, everything has to be on the table.

Drayton McLane and Pam Gardener knew what they were up against, too. That’s why they had absolutely no problem coddling Red Sox fans when they invaded Minute Maid Park in 2011. Of course, with the sale of the team imminent, McLane was likely squeezing as much blood from the Astros as he could without taking into account the long-term ramifications of devolving his fan-base into a bunch of wicked awesome Good Will Hunting watching, fist-bumping Chowderheads with southern drawls. But it’s the same principle.

If Crane ever goes as low as McLane, then the Astros will have way bigger issues than an elderly Roger Clemens slowly scooting his way towards the bump mumbling incoherently about “Teddy Ballgame” while his home healthcare nurse follows behind lugging a giant oxygen tank. “No, Mr. Clemens, those aren’t special commemorative baseballs, they’re tennis balls that’ll make your walker glide easier. Now finish your creamed-carrots so I can give you your medicine.”

Astronerds, we need to face some facts, and we need to accept some truth. The organization isn’t marketing to you and me. The Astros are marketing specifically to people who are jacked up about Roger Clemens possibly joining the Astros. They’re marketing to people who are downright giddy about realignment because of “all of the awesome Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers games.” They’re marketing to people who are thrilled the hitting coach and first base coach were canned despite not having the foggiest as to their names. They’re marketing to people who comment on every Astros story posted to The Houston Chronicle’s website!

The Astros are fully aware that you and I will go to Astros games regardless of how crummy they’re playing because they know we have a different understanding of how the Astros actually are and the direction they’re going. They know we’ll go anyway. They are taking us for granted - and rightfully so, they should take us for granted because we’re too invested in our Astros fandom. We might get angry or whiney, but we’re not going anywhere.

Instead of marketing to us, the Astros are marketing to people who see a bunch of nameless guys on a team careening down the path towards 100 losses that say to themselves, “I’m not going to the Astros game tonight, I’ll stay home and watch Sullivan & Son… unless, of course, the Rangers are on.” 

“You’re half Korean and half white! Half of you SHOULD be angry! Wait, why am I explaining this to you? Half of you should understand!” said Kevin Arnold’s father who now inexplicably stars in Sullivan & Son. ROTFLMAO! Comedy gold!

In a way, Roger possibly suiting up for the Astros is a good thing for the long-term success of the Houston Astros. If fans are coming to the ballpark and Jim Crane is cashing some checks, he’ll be in better position to spend some more money on the team down the line. It is super important that the Astros remain relevant and continue to find creative ways to convince Houstonians to spend their money on this substandard baseball product.

This isn’t about Roger Clemens or the 2012 Houston Astros. This is about building a baseball culture. This is about reintroducing fans to the Houston Astros – even if that means bringing Roger Clemens along to move it forward. This is about making money and setting our team up for long-term success. Roger Clemens, although a small part, could play a vital role in the Houston Astros’ future. Clemens can be a crucial piece of the puzzle in reigniting some of the passion that has been sucked out of the organization over the last few years.

…and don’t be shocked if there is some heavy over-the-top flirting between the Astros and Lance Berkman. Rumor has it, there is a DH position available and having Berkman back would certainly put some butts in some empty seats.

So, yes, I hope the Astros commence with the dog and pony show. I hope they never run out of creative ideas and wacky promotions to get people to see their historically bad product. I hope they sign Roger Clemens, and I hope the Astros sell out every start he makes. And I hope like hell that some kid walks out of the stadium that night and says, “Dad, I had a lot of fun! Let’s go again tomorrow!”

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You can follow me on Twitter! …but only if you want to.

by Andy 

For those of you who have followed my blog for over a year, you guys know that I’m a huge college football fan. I mean, if I were to rank the important things in my life (and why shouldn’t I?), I’d go:

1.) Astros
2.) College Football
3.) Family
4.) Peanut Butter Cookies
5.) More Peanut Butter Cookies

…in that order.

Seeing that the Astros are on pace to lose 375 games this year, I thought I would take an Astros breather and focus on a little college football – just for today. …maybe. 

Like last year, I’ve made a top 25 list and I am also throwing in some Heisman predictions. I’ll likely piss some of you off – but I don’t care. You don’t like it? Do what I did and become an expert by getting a free blog on tumblr.

For those of you wondering how I did this, I picked the 25 teams, in order, that I thought would finish in the AP Top 25 BEFORE the bowl season. Next to their name, I predict what their record would be at that point… I’m not going to predict the bowl games (maybe sometimes in the future.) Lastly, I posted what I think will be their most intriguing (or just an intriguing) game complete with a final.

…and, yes, I have Houston ranked in the top 25 – just like I did last year.

So, without further ado

THE HOUSTON SPORTS COUNTERPLOT TOP 10 + 15! 

1.) USC (13-0)
The University of Spoiled Children is back! While still having 10 scholarships withheld, USC has, top to bottom, the most talented team in the country. Highlighted by their soon-to-be first overall section quarterback, Matt Barkley and their Penn State refugee Silas Redd, the Trojans look like the team to beat for the 2012 football season. I’m expecting a few close calls, but I expect the Trojans will waltz on in to the National Title Game.

Game to watch: 11/9 Oregon at USC – I’m predicting that both of these teams will be in the top 5. I think USC’s defense is going to be too quick and too physical to be exposed by Oregon’s track-star offense. USC will be prepared for Oregon and Oregon has shown time and time again that they underperform when their opponent’s defense has adequate time to prepare. Wait, USC won’t be coming off of a bye week but instead games against Colorado at home and Arizona in Tucson? Oh, well, still. USC wins 35-24

2.) Oklahoma (12-0)
Landry Jones leads a high-powered well-oiled-machine offense that, I predict, will buzzsaw through young Big XII defenses at will. While I don’t think the Big XII will be as strong as it was in 2011, I expect teams to be a little more competitive top to bottom. Texas will be better – admittedly they have serious problems in the passing game, but will be okay provided they run the ball. I expect Baylor will rebound from the loss of RG3 – have you ever known Art Briles to be without a good quarterback? Charlie Weis will improve the game in Lawrence. K-State will flirt with the top 25. The Pokes might be there and so will TCU …the only teams that I think will be bad are Texas Tech and Iowa State. Breaking down the Big 12: 1 great team, 1 really good team, a bunch of good teams, 1 okay team (Kansas) and 2 bad teams.

But we’re talking about OU, right? History tells us that they’ll run through their conference undefeated, look like complete studs and then lay down in their bowl game. Not so fast, my friend!

Game to watch: 11/17 Oklahoma at West Virginia – here’s another match-up that I believe will pit two top 5 teams in a late-season do-or-die with National Championship aspirations on the line. Overall, I think West Virginia’s offense will be able to go dollar for dollar with the Sooners, but ultimately, I think defense is going to win this one. Oklahoma wins 38-35

3.) Michigan (12-1)
Denard Robinson is going to put up some video game type numbers in 2012 and come in a VERY CLOSE 2^nd in Heisman voting. Brady Hoke’s defense is strong enough to run the table. I bet they’re going to start off quickly, too, as I’m picking them to win against Alabama in The Big House. Yes, you heard that, “a win against Alabama.” Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they’ll trip up in a game that they’re supposed to win… maybe Notre Dame on 9/22. Even though I’m pegging them for one loss, there’ll be a lot of talk that they should get a crack at USC because they played in a conference championship game, but ultimately the computers get it right and select the Sooners.

Game to watch: 9/1 Alabama at Michigan – Nick Saban has had all off-season to prepare for Denard Robinson, but as Mike Tyson would say “everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the mouth.” Although I think Bama’s LBs and DEs will have enough speed to contain Robinson for MOST of the game, I believe Robinson will break one (or two) and Bama’s offense will look sluggish and incompetent and be unable to retaliate. Michigan wins 13-10

4.) Alabama (11-2)
It seems like every year Alabama graduates (err… sends guys to the pros) and we all sit around and wonder how on Earth they’ll replace the people they lost. After losing Trent Richardson, Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and Dont’a Hightower to the FIRST ROUND of the NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide has simply reloaded with a fresh set of NFL first rounders. I’m not a huge fan of AJ McCarron, but I think the run game with Eddie Lacy and the best offensive line in the country will take a lot of pressure off of him. As always, the SEC schedule is a killer – with games in Fayetteville, Knoxville and Baton Rouge, not to mention opening with a top 10 Michigan team, I’m expecting the Tide to lose two games but still jump plenty of 1 loss teams as the repeat SEC champion.

Game to watch: I’m not going to pick the Michigan game because I already did, so I’m picking the 11/9 game at LSU. This could be a replay of the National Title game and I’m not 100% convinced anyone will score. These teams are loaded up on defense, both teams are going to try (and fail) to establish run games and we could realistically see another game where both teams fail to score double digits. EPSN won’t be happy, but it’ll be a great game! Alabama wins 9-3.

5.) Florida State (12-1)
Jimbo Fisher has this defense jacked up and I’m pumped to see how they perform. I see FSU cruising through their schedule. They have a few tough games, namely Clemson and Florida at home and VaTech in Blacksburg. EJ Manuel is going to put up big numbers and Devonta Freeman will be a very nice back for the Seminoles, but, as is with most of my top ten, Florida State’s defense will be their strength.

Game to watch: 11/8 Florida State at Virginia Tech – This might be the best Thursday night game of the season. Two top 10 teams battling it out in one of the toughest stadiums to play in, it doesn’t get much better than this… except it’s the ACC. This has the potential to be another low scoring game, but I’m picking a blowout. I think Florida State is going to man-handle the Hokies at every aspect of the game. I could be wrong! Florida State wins 34-13

6.) Arkansas (11-2)
I love Arkansas. And, this year, I’m picking them to be the second best team in the SEC – which is a huge honor! Again, I think the SEC is going to be the toughest conference in football and, unfortunately for them, I think the best teams in the conference will have two or three losses. I think Alabama loses twice and I think Arkansas loses twice. If Bama or Arkansas played in any other conference, they’d be playing in the National Title game. Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis will lead the best offense in the SEC and the Razorback defense will be adequate enough to keep teams from outscoring them.

Game to watch:  9/15 Alabama at Arkansas – Alabama will come into Fayetteville, still seething from a week one loss to Michigan and looking to take some stress out on the Razorbacks. However, Arkansas, coming off of two cupcakes, has been preparing for this game all off-season and will be ready for whatever the Crimson Tide throws at them. Folks are going to wonder how I have a two loss Alabama team in the top 5… it’s because I have them starting out 1-2, running the table, climbing back up the rankings and then winning the conference title game. Arkansas wins 17-13  

7.) Louisiana State (10-2)
When I started with my top 25, I had LSU at 14. Crazy, huh? Then I looked at their schedule and moved them to 16. Then I moved them to 11. Then 9. Then I couldn’t stomach having them ranked lower than Wisconsin or West Virginia, so I moved them up to 7. This is such a loaded football team. I hope no one thinks I have an SEC bias – because I don’t. Teams in the SEC are just so much better than teams in other conferences. Zach Mettenberger should be a huge upgrade over Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. And, I don’t think their defense will miss Tyrann Mathieu as much as others would lead you to believe. They’re defense is just so physical and so quick - this is going to be fun to watch. I’m certain that they’re going to battle Alabama and Florida State for having the best defense in the country. However, I have serious concerns, even with the QB upgrade, that they’ll put enough points on the board to stave off any less than 2 losses.

Game to watch: 11/23 LSU at Arkansas – this is going to be a great game! In my opinion, both teams are going to come into the final game of the regular season with one loss and a chance to represent the SEC-West in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. I would assume that both teams are close to, if not already in, the top 5. LSU is going to contain the Arkansas offense, but not enough to win. Arkansas wins 17-10.

8.) West Virginia (10-2)
West Virginia fits in perfectly in the Big XII. Geographically? - not so much. But, their football team does. With stints in Lubbock and Stillwater, Dana Holgorsen has been around the block in the Big XII, so he’s not walking into the Big XII unprepared. He’s going to throw the ball – a lot. Geno Smith has a big arm and enough mobility to take some pressure off of his offensive line and provide his receivers enough time to get open. I have a feeling Smith is going to put up monster numbers but probably won’t get the same hype as Barkley or Jones because Geno Smith is now a “system quarterback.”

Game to watch: 10/6 West Virginia at Texas – This is the day West Virginia is welcomed into the Big XII. Sure, the Mountaineers have a game the previous week against Baylor, but that’s at home – this game is in Austin and there will be close to 100,000 people wearing burnt orange. Remember what I said about Holgorsen being prepared for the Big XII? Okay, maybe not so much because Texas is going to spell trouble for the Mountaineers. The Longhorns are going to have a very strong defense and a very good running game. Texas is going to control the ball and if they don’t turn the ball over, they’re going to win this football game. As a matter of fact, I’m calling it right now. Texas wins 24-23

9.) Wisconsin (11-2)
Is there a more boring team than Wisconsin? They win 10 games every year by doing the same thing over and over again. They control the line of scrimmage, they run the ball and they play good defense. …and nothing has changed. Montee Ball is going to get a lot of publicity, but the offensive and defensive lines will be what puts Wisconsin in the top 10.

Game to watch: 12/1 Wisconsin at Michigan – wait, this match-up is not on the schedule. True – for now! I threw a curveball because I think these two teams will reprensent (sigh) the Legends and Leaders divisions (I really hate those names) in the Big 10 Championship Game in Indianapolis. It’s going to be billed as Robinson vs Ball, but this games going to come down to whether or not Wisconsin will be able to handle the world-class speed of Robinson. I don’t think they’re up for it. Michigan wins 24-13.

10.) Tennessee (9-3)
For the second straight season, Tennessee is my pick to break through in 2012. Tyler Bray, though immature, has serious talent and can lead this team to surprising victories against Florida and Georgia. Plus, it helps that they’ll miss LSU.

Look, I get it. It’s unpopular to predict Tennessee to finish the year in the top 10, much less, the top 25. But, I like Derek Dooley and I like Tyler Bray. I think Bray can be a first round pick in the NFL draft - I think he chooses to stay in school, but he’s a legitimate NFL caliber QB. 

Game to watch: 9/29 Tennessee at Georgia – Tennessee looks to avenge the 20-12 loss at Neyland Stadium in 2011. Tyler Bray carves up the Bulldogs and the Volunteers keep themselves from making the same mistakes that made them losers the year before. Tennessee wins, 23-20

Bonus: Rounding out the TOP 25

11.) Oregon (9-3)

12.) Michigan State (10-2)

13.) BYU (10-2)

14.) Boise State (11-1)

15.) Ohio State (9-3)

16.) Louisville (10-2)

17.) Virginia Tech (9-3)

18.) Florida (8-4)

19.) Houston (11-2)

20.) Iowa (9-3)

21.) Baylor (8-4)

22.) Southern Methodist (10-2)

23.) Stanford (8-4)

24.) Cincinnati (9-3)

25.) Texas (7-5)
 

Heisman Candidates (Invited to the show)
Matt Barkley * winner
Knile Davis
Landry Jones
Denard Robinson
De’Anthony Thomas

(Not invited)
Montee Ball
Tyler Bray
Charles Sims
Geno Smith
Tyler Smith
Robert Woods

So, did I make any mistakes? Leave a comment and tell me how ridiculous I am!

by Andy

Brad Mills got fired on Saturday.

But you already knew that.

I always feel bad when someone gets fired – it’s not fun, and it’s pretty humiliating. Put yourself in their shoes – all parties involved: it’s not fun to get fired, and it’s definitely not fun to fire someone. It’s difficult for both sides. But, in the business world, absolutely, it is a necessary evil. Business is a series of trials and errors… and when there’s an error, you have to acknowledge it and fix it.

When you fire someone for non-disciplinary reasons, it’s almost like breaking up with a girl (or guy) that you don’t want to hurt. “Brad, it’s not you, it’s me.” You look the person in the eye, let the person know that they took on a very difficult undertaking and tell them you’re aware that there wasn’t any issue with effort or motivation – and, then you drop the bomb: you say, “I think a change of scenery is best… for the both of us. We need to shake things up so we can succeed, and we know that you’ll ultimately benefit in a different situation.”

…then you discreetly call security and have him escorted out of the building.

…and then you change the locks.

I’m not sure how the Brad Mills firing went down – I’ve been fired before, but each firing has its own individual nuances. Perhaps Jeff Luhnow called Brad Mills, Mike Barnett and Bobby Meacham into his office, threw a chair in their direction and screamed, “YOU! YOU! AND YOU! YOU’RE ALL FIRED! PACK YOUR (expletive)! GET THE (expletive) OUT OF MY OFFICE!”

Maybe Luhnow called all three firees into his office where they found Luhnow wearing a purple genie hat and holding a plain white envelope to his forehead a la The Great Carsoni. “Brad Mills,” Luhnow began in his best Johnny Carson voice, “Mike Barnett, Bobby Meacham and Lindsay Lohan after the bartender announces last call,” Luhnow’s Ed McMahon, George Postolos, may have boisterously repeated Carsoni word for word, obviously to Carsoni’s annoyance. Maybe the three coaches looked at one another and shrugged as Luhnow slowly opened the envelope. And then the punchline, “Who are four people that need to turn in their keys?”

Or maybe Jeff Luhnow went the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air route and employed the “Will Doesn’t Meet Oprah” firing method. Maybe Luhnow had all of the coaches lined up and said, “Okay, everyone who is coaching tomorrow, step forward.” As each coach took a step in unison, Jeff may have said, “Not so fast, Brad, Mike and Bobby.”

Either way, firing people isn’t fun. While there might be fun ways of doing it, we all (including Mills) know that Jeff Luhnow handled it in a professional and respectful manner. Even though some might have issue with the timing, there’s never really an appropriate time to tell someone that you’re better off without them. Bad news is bad news regardless of the time of day. Luhnow could have waited until the end of the season, but, ultimately, it doesn’t really matter either way.

Mills isn’t embarrassed.

Firing Mills is like firing your mechanic because your 1983 Honda Accord won’t start.

Mills isn’t embarrassed because everyone knew what he was up against. Mills knew that this situation was going to be a constant uphill battle. The Astros had severe organizational deficiencies and had a meddling owner who espoused the “slash-and-burn” method of farm system building and development. The 2011 Astros, which was the worst team the franchise had ever fielded, wasn’t a year or two in the making – the 2011 Houston Astros’ collapse, death, burial and decomposition was a direct result of intentional neglect and an irresponsible series of critical errors over a significant period of time. Brad Mills knew this and Ed Wade likely explained it during the interview process. “You know what you’re getting yourself into, right?” The Astros were severely flawed way before Brad Mills was hired. (…as the bench coach for the Red Sox in 2004.)  

Basically, the Astros ownership and baseball operations pooped in a mixing bowl, presented it to Brad Mills and kindly asked him to bake a cake.

It wasn’t going to happen.

“This cake tastes like crap, Brad. You’re fired!”

He was hired in 2010 and, truth be told, the organization had some major league talent, but, truth be told, they definitely weren’t good enough to compete for a playoff spot. In July of that year, Roy Oswalt was unceremoniously traded to Philadelphia and that move started a series of big league defections that would eventually deteriorate the roster and transform the Astros into a collection of underperforming journeymen and uprooted, unproven minor leaguers.

Simply put, Brad Mills never had a chance because he was never given the tools to succeed.

The Wallace Fallacy

I haven’t completely bought into the notion that Mills was fired for how he handled the line-up – namely, Brett Wallace’s constant absence from the line-up. The reason why I don’t think this theory holds water is because I am quite certain that Brad Mills understood and was well aware of Jeff Luhnow’s expectations. Furthermore, I’m also fairly certain that Luhnow and Mills had a reasonably healthy line of communication and Luhnow had no reservation, and likely felt obligated, to communicate any concerns that he had over the line-up or pitching match-ups, defensive alignments or any other strategic aspect of the game.

When Jeff Luhnow was hired, he brought in many of his own guys. These are guys who espouse a specific statistical analysis method and Brad Mills knew this – because he reads The Chronicle and various Astros blogs. Whether Brad Mills was already a sabermetrics guy is peripheral, he likely hit the books and picked the brains of those who Luhnow hired to surround him. Perhaps Mills wasn’t the statistical savant that Luhnow will eventually hire – but Mills was likely no slouch and worked at this philosophy as if his job depended on it.

The only way this theory could make sense is if Brad Mills intentionally defied Luhnow’s wishes. If Luhnow said, “hey, you need to play Brett Wallace” and Mills responded with a “Go (bleep) yourself, I do what I want,” then that would have been an issue. But had that have happened, Mills would have been fired long ago.

After all, Luhnow was the one who kept Brett Wallace in Oklahoma City when every Astros blogger and fan was begging for his promotion. Jeff Luhnow is also guilty of not playing Brett Wallace.

Had Luhnow wanted Wallace to play, he would have been playing.

The reason behind the firing

In the business world, whether you’re a big league manager or a fry-cook at a Popeyes, when the person who hired you is no longer with the company – you need to update your resumé because there is a realistic possibility that the your job isn’t secure. There’s a reason behind this, too – it’s because when a manager (or in this case, a general manager) starts a new job, he understands that his job is being critiqued from the word “go”, and he’s under pressure to yield the results that were set forth by his boss. Although he hasn’t been on the job for a full year, Jeff Luhnow’s job is on the line. It is imperative that Jeff Luhnow surrounds himself with his guys because if he succeeds or fails, he must do it on his terms and not compromise or customize his strategy for a staff he hasn’t hired.

If you’re going to go down in flames, it’s best to do it on your own terms.

If Luhnow’s plan is going to be success and if he’s going to meet Jim Crane’s expectations, he needs to implement his own resources, his own philosophy and his own people – otherwise, it’s not his plan. Jeff Luhnow needed to take ownership of this organization. And removing the remnants of the last regime was essential for Luhnow’s plan.  

When Luhnow interviewed for the general manager position, he presented Jim Crane and George Postolos with a 37 page outline centered on his plan for the Houston Astros – you gotta imagine that “Fire Brad Mills and hire my own guy” was mixed in somewhere in the first few pages. Luhnow needs the organization and fans to buy into his plan – it’s hard to buy into a plan that has all of the old parts from the old plan.

Brad Mills wasn’t Luhnow’s guy.     

At the beginning of the season, Mills and Luhnow likely had a discussion where Luhnow asked Mills what he thought he could do with the club. “A winning season?” Luhnow likely asked. “Possibly.” Knowing that he wasn’t Luhnow’s guy, Mills knew that he’d be held to a higher standard, and he’d likely need a miracle to retain his job. A winning season would have been that miracle. Maybe Mills’ ego convinced him that he could do it.

Without a doubt, had the Astros been able to finish the season at or above .500, Brad Mills would have kept his job. In the end, he wasn’t even close. He was fired after the 82^nd loss of the season, a loss that clinched another losing season for the Houston Astros.     

Relieved: Literally

Early Saturday night, I imagine Brad Mills sat in his lonely office, longing to go home to drown himself in a bottle of Rebel Yell and capping the night off by unloading his medicine cabinet down his throat and give way to cold black relief… then, something magical happened – a reason to live! Brad Mills was saved by the ringing phone and the subsequent, “Brad, can I see you in my office?” from the angelic voice of St. Jeffrey Luhnow. A coup de grâce! …and, for Mills, everything changed. The clouds parted, the sun came out, trumpets belted out a beautiful song, butterflies fluttered and unicorns… do whatever unicorns do. Maybe violated each other with that wacky horn?

Brad Mills probably loved his job but hated what it was doing to him. He probably had jumbo ulcers the size of Carlos Lee eating away at his stomach. He probably had night sweats and probably watched Brian’s Song to cheer himself up. Luhnow said that Mills expressed a sense of relief once he was dismissed – and, it’s not at all surprising. Mills had waited years, paid his dues and finally became a big league manager… and then, as quickly as things started, things went down the toilet. This was quite a letdown but probably not at all what he thought it’d be. 

When Luhnow was hired, Mills had to have known his goose was cooked.  He was given unrealistic expectations and was waiting impatiently for the inevitable – his dismissal and excommunication from the Houston Astros.

The Astros going Ol’ Yeller on Mills was talked about all year and it was expected. Whether the timing was right or not, Mills knew that something extraordinary would need to occur to keep his job. When Luhnow started selling pieces of the roster for prospects, Mills’ hopes, and his Astros career, circled the drain. Dashed!

The pressure. The stress. The waiting. More stress. More pressure. Trade. Trade. Trade. The losing. The losing. The losing. The losing. More losing. And even more losing. …it was all too much for Brad Mills.

And, to be fair, it would have been too much for anyone.

On Saturday, he was fired. Correction: he was relieved.

Starting anew… again.

Brad Mills is going to be fine. He’ll land on his feet. He’ll get another opportunity. A friend, a fan of the Red Sox, sent me a text message the morning after the firing and expressed his desire for Mills to replace Bobby Valentine… which really doesn’t mean a whole lot other than people understand that he’s a good baseball man.

His reputation isn’t ruined.

My guess is that Mills finds a spot as a bench coach somewhere and ends up getting another shot to manage a big league team sometime soon. I think the rest of the league is well aware of the dysfunction that is the Houston Astros and that they’re willing to look past the three years he spent in Houston. …a “Mill”agan, if you will.

As far as the vacant management position – it could be anyone. I’ve heard Tony LaRussa, Jose Oquendo, Joey Cora, Dave Martinez, Tony Pena and Brad Ausmus. I’d love to see Brad Ausmus hired, but I doubt that happens. History suggests that Luhnow will hire someone with ties to the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Ultimately, I think Luhnow hires someone young and maybe someone most folks haven’t heard too much about.

Jeff Luhnow is running out of excuses and the pressure is on. He has quickly surrounded himself with his guys and now has fully engrossed the organization within his plan. He’ll eventually hire his guy and now questions and criticisms will start to trickle his way unless the Astros are able to turn it around. While the honeymoon isn’t already over, Astros fans are now starting to wonder whether Luhnow can still fit into last year’s wedding dress. While fans realize that Luhnow is starting over, there will need to be some concrete examples of progress sometime in the near future, wins – we’re not going to be able to use the last regime as an excuse too much longer.

My guess is that Luhnow is up for the challenge. I like the direction of the organization, and I believe Luhnow’s plan will work. Truth be told, I’m not totally sure what his plan is – but I’ve met him, I’ve met some of the people he’s hired and I’m convinced that he’s going to do huge things for the Astros.

In order to cook a delicious Astros omelet, Luhnow is going to need to break a few eggs. And, from the moment he was hired, Luhnow had his eyes on Brad Mills’ eggs.  

Firing people isn’t fun – but, as has been the theme for the last year, this is a chance to start anew.

Starting anew.

Again. 

(Editor’s note: Tyson and I have been friends for a long time. Really long! When he came up to me and asked me if he could post on my blog - I didn’t even hesitate to say yes. You see, Tyson auditioned for the “You Make The Call” contest the Astros held and is currently waiting out the process to see if he goes on to the next level of voting. …and, you bet your britches, he should advance! I think Tyson is talented dude. He’s smart. He’s funny. He has a lot of real-world experience and stories that would make him an excellent radio personality. He even has a silky voice that commands authority like DMX but is also soft and soothing like my elementary school gym teacher. Point is - he’ll be great! I’ll make sure to keep everyone up to date on his progress and when it comes time to vote - we’re going to rig this mofo like a Columbian election. - Andy)

THE ASTROS “YOU MAKE THE CALL” AUDITIONS or How I Almost Suffocated In Front of Larry Dierker

by Tyson

To paraphrase Ray Liotta at the beginning of Goodfellas,” Ever since I can remember I always wanted to be on the radio.” I’d sit in my room for hours recording myself doing Stephens and Pruett style jokes, and talking about whatever stream of consciousness came out of my mouth. I’d do “Uncle Waldo” scripts and intro songs by MC Hammer and The Beach Boys while my sister sat by and did fake traffic reports during “commercial” breaks. When the NFL Experience came to Houston with the Super Bowl my best friend and I called play by play on the “Music City Miracle,” and when the chance to do a podcast that would give me access to a real radio station and their equipment came up, I leapt at the chance. All the while hoping against hope that someone would hear me and say “That guy needs to be on the radio!” So what do my dreams of a career in radio have to do with The Houston Sports Counterplot? Well, our very own Houston Astros are holding a contest where one lucky fan will be given a job, with a salary and everything, as a roving reporter on Astros broadcasts next season, and I jumped at the chance to compete for an on-air role with the team I’ve loved since birth.

The YOU MAKE THE CALL radio apprenticeship contest was announced in an email blast to Astros fans on July 27^th. A short questionnaire, printed confirmation, and a headshot later and I was ready for the auditions that took place this morning, August 13. I arrived at the park a few minutes early and found I was number 27 out of 150 people scheduled for the morning auditions with another 150 scheduled for afternoon. I took my seat and waited while the room filled with other hopefuls. Some chatted about baseball, others practiced the 20-second promo spot we’d been given to read as part of the audition, all waited patiently for instructions on what we would be doing. The contestants represented a cross section of Houston and of Astros fandom with a varied mixture of races, ages, and sexes.

Each contestant would have sixty seconds to make an impression on the panel of judges. Twenty seconds each to introduce themselves, read a promo spot, and improve about one of three topics given to them just before walking into the room. The group deciding the winners includes Astros Legend Larry Dierker, Chronicle Columnist Ken Hoffman, and Fox Sports Houston’s Patti Smith who will be tasked with narrowing a field of 200 that showed up at Minute Maid Park today down to 10 who will conduct interviews with players during the August 17-19 home stand. Videos will be posted online and judges and fans will decide on four semi-finalists to advance. Those contestants will appear on-air sometime between August 30 and September 2^nd. Further voting will choose 2 finalists to battle it out on the September 13-14 broadcasts where they will serve in a variety of roles on-air. Final voting will take place from September 16-24 and a winner will be announced at the final home game of the season on September 26^th.

YOU MAKE THE CALL is, according to The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron, the brainchild of new Astros owner Jim Crane and will be a season long experiment to try and integrate the concept of what amounts to a “sideline” reporter into a baseball radio broadcast. Barron is critical of the idea in his FOUR DVR’s blog on Chron.com* saying, “I think it flies in the face of everything that makes baseball on the radio valuable to listeners and adds practically nothing of value.” At first blush it might seem that way, but I believe that there are enough breaks in play for a person doing short features to be accommodated on a broadcast. There will be a lot of firsts for this club next year with the switch to the American League (cue obligatory gnashing of teeth and fist shaking in the general direction of Allen H Selig) so it comes as no surprise that Crane and Co. are willing to take a shot with a program like this to add some color to radio broadcasts that sometimes fall a little flat. Barron goes on to muse that Vin Scully never would’ve been asked to throw it to Joe Schmoe on the concourse while calling a game, but unless my ears have been deceiving me for the last few years (and I’m pretty sure they haven’t), Milo and friends in our broadcast booth have not been quite up to Vin Scully’s standards. Barron does admit that he could be wrong, but you get the feeling he is already writing a draft of his “I told you so” piece if the position is terminated after next year.

The top 10 will be announced on Astros.com on Wednesday the 15^th. I have my fingers crossed that my name will be among them, but I have to admit that the improvisational piece at the end tripped me up a bit. Walking in front of the panel and seeing Larry Freaking Dierker sitting there made me lose my breath. I was pretty sure that I was going to suffocate half-way through my audition, but my voice didn’t waver. With any luck I’ll be on the payroll next year and I’ll get to hang out with Andy when the Astros visit Anaheim. 

by Andy

If the Red Sox fired Bobby Valentine, would they consider bringing Brad Mills back?

Yes. Yes, they would.

…the city of Boston loves Brad Mills and Chowderheads love Brad Mills, too. However, the higher ups in the Red Sox organization might not be too keen on bringing him back. But, then again, they’re the ones who hired Bobby Valentine and they’re the ones who signed underperforming free agents to ridiculous contracts… so, maybe they’d be wise to ignore their irresponsible gut feelings.

Why on Earth would they want to hire Brad Mills?

Simple. He’s a good manager.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with someone who has followed the Red Sox his whole life and he had absolutely nothing bad to say about Brad Mills. “But, what about his managerial record?” I asked.

He laughed.

He has a point. Mills hadn’t had much to work with. We could dig up Casey Stengel and pull Tony LaRussa out of the backseat of a YellowCab and the 2012 Astros would be just as bad. The manager isn’t the reason why the Astros suck – the Astros are the reason the Astros suck. You can’t expect to poop in a bucket and ask Brad Mills to bake you a cake.

Managers tend to become a lot smarter when they have talent to work with.

Mills is a teacher. Mills is perfect for a young club because he’s patient. He’s not going to publicly stomp his feet all over Jordan Schafer’s ass because Schafer missed the cutoff man. He’s not going to scream at JD Martinez for swinging at a pitch over his head. Brad Mills is a coach and he’s teaching these kids how to play baseball.

There are a few guys on this club who belong in AAA – and you could make the argument that there are a couple that might belong in AA. You can’t have Scott Moore as your cleanup hitter and expect Brad Mills to “make it work.”

I’m not sure how he’s supposed to “make it work.” I had a brief discussion with Jeff Luhnow about how much heat Brad Mills takes. I brought up that Mills always seems vindicated after taking heat from bloggers about the lineup. “It’s like clock work,” I said.

“I know. But, taking heat comes with the territory,” Luhnow said. And, he’s right – Brad Mills isn’t stupid and he knew what he was getting himself into. He knew there’d be pressure and he knew that building a competitive MLB team was going to be years in the making. He knew taking the job was an uphill battle. He was well aware that he was the second choice and he knew that Manny Acta took the job in Cleveland because – and, this hurts to say – Cleveland was a better job.

Yes, Cleveland.

So, if this is a no-win situation for Mills and he was doomed from the start, why would he even take the job? Wait, who said this is a no-win situation? Brad Mills is getting something out of this – managerial experience. Brad Mills can collect managerial experience that he can parlay into a better job – like Boston.

Yes, Boston.

I believe Mills is a goner.

Jeff Luhnow has already laid the foundation by setting unrealistic expectations for Mills. This is a team that went 3-23 in July, easily their worst month in franchise history and Luhnow told the media that he thinks the club can go .500 to finish out the year. Since then, they haven’t won a game and failing to live up these standards might not bode well for Mills’ future in Clutch City.

…hell, or they will go .500 and surprise a lot of people! Who knows?

One of two things will happen – Mills will be fired by the Astros or Valentine will be fired by the Red Sox and Mills will interview for the job.

…and I’ll bet you that he’ll get it.

Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants? Brad Mills leaving Houston for a better job.  

BABE OF THE BLOG

This entry’s Babe of the Blog is no other than Brad Mills. Yes, we might be seeing the last of him, but let’s soak in the beauty that was caught on camera during his most recent photo shoot in the South American jungle.

Breathtaking.  

by Andy

I spoke with my mom yesterday and she said, “Andy, I just don’t recognize any of these guys.”

“Good,” I thought.

It was in 2010 when the Astros, whether it was their intention or not, embarked on a journey into the darkest, deepest depths of the National League – the league that would eventually roll over towards our Astros, wipe the sleep from their eyes and say “cab fare is on the counter, hoe.” On July 29^th, 2010, Roy Oswalt strong-armed the Astros into trading him to Philadelphia and forced Houston to accept the possibility that this whole thing might need to be blown up. Two days later, they traded Lance Berkman to the Yankees.

(By the way, how many rings did Oswalt win in Philadelphia anyway? How’s he doing in Dallas? Oh, okay, then.)

Either McLane couldn’t accept defeat or he felt that he had just enough bullets to keep fans interested – instead of trading Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, Ed Wade signed them to extensions. They, along with Bud Norris, would anchor the pitching staff in 2011. The Astros had Michael Bourn setting the table with Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee providing the power – the Astros felt they could compete despite losing Oswalt and Berkman.

106 losses later, this proved to be a fatal mistake. When the writing was on the wall, Wade traded Hunter Pence to Philadelphia for a small fortune and Michael Bourn to Atlanta for… well… the jury is still out. He was left holding onto Myers and Wandy. He was holding onto Myers because no one wanted him, and he was holding onto Wandy because he likely felt he couldn’t receive adequate value. What’s a fair value for Wandy? I don’t even know.

The rebuilding process was two years in, although the Astros had a noticeable direction, their commitment to it left something to be desired. Drayton McLane sold the Astros to Jim Crane. Jim Crane fired Ed Wade and hired Jeff Luhnow. The Astros started out respectable in 2012 but took a nosedive, and Jeff Luhnow went into full fire sale mode and started trading dudes left and right.

Luhnow dealt Carlos Lee to Los Angeles – excuse me, Miami. He dealt Brandon Lyon and JA Happ to the Blue Jays. He sent Brett Myers to the White Sox. He sent Wandy Rodriguez to the Pittsburgh Pirates. And, finally, he sent Chris Johnson packing his bags to Arizona.

Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow finished a job that Drayton McLane and Ed Wade couldn’t commit to finishing. McLane bought the ring but Crane went to the alter. McLane thought he could catch lightning in a bottle but instead caught, as Lance Zierlein would say, fart in a bottle.

As Chris Johnson shut the door behind him, he shut the door on a process that was three years in the making – the official death of the old Houston Astros and the rebirth of the new.

The team they’re fielding in August is the worst team in Major League Baseball. But, it isn’t much worse than the team they fielded in July of 2010. That team wasn’t all that good, either.

This is about winning a World Series. This is about getting back to the Houston brand of baseball. This is about raising our standards. This is about walking through hell to get to heaven.

Since the Oswalt deal, baseball in Houston has sucked. We’ve experienced the worst era in franchise history. …and, as a fan, it has not been a whole lot of fun.

…but it’s over and now we’re starting something new.

So, maybe it isn’t a bad thing that we don’t recognize these guys. Maybe it’ll be fun to look at our programs and say “who is Rudy Owens?” or “Ben Francisco looks a lot older than he actually is.”

So, get to know your new Houston Astros. These aren’t the same guy we’re used to. They might be unrecognizable, but, then again, we haven’t recognized the teams the Astros have fielded in the last few years either. 

7/4/12 Carlos Lee traded to the Miami Marlins for Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen
I wrote about this trade last month when it happened – but I’ll do a short little update. Carlos hasn’t performed. The Marlins traded Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. They’re now in semi-rebuild mode. They wanted to trade Carlos to the Yankees. Carlos played his no trade clause card and will be spending the rest of the season sunbathing in South Beach – unless he’s released.

Ha!

So, who did the Astros get in return?

Matt Dominguez is a former first round (12^th overall) selection of the Marlins in 2007. He’s a sure-handed third basemen who became expendable when the Marlins signed Jose Reyes and moved Hanley Ramirez to the hot corner (how’d that work out for them?). Dominguez, 23, had a cup of coffee with the Marlins in 2011 and got 8 at-bats with the Astros after the trade.

As of now, Dominguez will find himself in the middle of the Astros prospect list – but, I’ll have to do a little more research to determine exactly where he belongs. Somewhere around Santana, I would think.

Rob Rasmussen was the Marlins’ 2010, second round selection from UCLA. He’s a left-hander who will need to rely on location. He has a four pitch repertoire featuring a sinking fastball, curve, slider and change. He doesn’t look to light up the radar gun – he’ll probably sit around 90 or 91mph. Rasmussen is able to dial it up, if need be, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself in the bullpen eventually.

7/20/12 Brandon Lyon, JA Happ and David Carpenter traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Asher Wojciechowski, Carlos Perez, David Rollins, Joseph Musgrove, CoCo Cordero, Ben Francisco and a player to be named later
At the beginning of the season, if I told you that Brandon Lyon and JA Happ would headline a deal that would yield up three top prospects for the Astros system – would you believe me?

…and before we give all the credit to Jeff Luhnow for pulling the trigger on such an outstanding deal, we’d be remiss not to give most of the credit to Lyon and Happ. Both of these guys were slightly above zeroes coming into this season, but pitched their asses off and, as Astros fans, we gotta give them a little bit of credit for that. Lyon and Happ took turns playing team whipping boy, but when all was said and done, they played well enough that someone wanted them bad enough to trade away some pretty decent prospects.

Asher Wojciechowski (and I’m sure I’m not spelling that right) is a former 2010 first rounder (41^st overall) out of The Citadel. Before being traded, Wojo (as we’ll call him henceforth) had a 7-3 record, 3.57 ERA and 76 punchouts for Toronto’s high A affiliate. After the trade, Wojo was assigned to Corpus Christi, where he’ll remain a starter. He has a very good fastball and slider and has developed a decent change. Wojo will flirt with the Astros top 10 – if he’s there, he’ll be closer to 10 than 1.

Carlos Perez could be the best player to come out of this deal. He’s a reasonably balanced catcher who can provide a little bit of offensive pop, hit for average and play better-than adequate defense. Perez has a strong arm and has decent speed. Perez, 21, was signed out of Venezuela in 2008 and has progressed through the Blue Jays system and has found himself in Lancaster after the trade. Before the deal, he was hitting .275 with 5 bombs for Toronto’s A ball affiliate. I’m not sure if rushing him to the majors is going to be Luhnow’s plan – but I could see him making short work of AA and AAA and finding himself in Houston in 2014. Perez can and will certainly find himself in the Astros top 10 prospect list.

David Rollins is a Texan – so he has that going for him. He is a left handed pitcher who has had a rough go with his right shoulder – he’s had two surgeries. After being drafted for the fourth time, Rollins signed with the Blue Jays after being selected in the 24^th round out of San Jacinto College. He’s put together a very solid season for the Blue Jays A affiliate in Lansing, starting 18 games and registering a 6-1 record, a 2.78 ERA and 75 strikeouts. Despite his injury history, he has a year of professional baseball under his belt and seems to be making strides – I wouldn’t write this guy off.  

Like Rollins, Joseph Musgrove, 19, was one of the Blue Jays 2011 draft picks – he was taken in the 46^th round. The first thing that will draw your attention to Musgrove is his size, he’s a very healthy 6’5”, 230lbs – in another words, he’s a grown ass man. While only logging 33 professional innings, Musgrove utilizes a plus fastball, a hard curve and mixes in a splitter in between. In my opinion, he’s probably the most intriguing of the four prospects Luhnow received in this deal. With his build and tools, Musgrove projects as a front-to-middle of the rotation workhorse. This is definitely a guy to get excited about.

Ben Francisco and CoCo Cordero were also dealt to the Astros. I imagine Cordero will be released in the near future and Francisco will spell some of the outfielders, as he doesn’t play a huge role in the Astros long term plans. However, if Francisco can show Mills he can hit, perhaps Mills will favor him over a Bogusevic or a sluggish JD Martinez.

As of now, we’re not sure when the PTBNL will be announced and it makes absolutely zero since to speculate because we have absolutely no idea on who it could be. 

7/21/12 Brett Myers and cash traded to the Chicago White Sox for Blair Walters, Matthew Heidenreich and a player to be named later
This was where the Jeff Luhnow love affair inexplicably ended.

Earlier in the season, I made a suggestion that Brett Myers could be kept around for 2013. I wrote that having Mentor Myers around some of the younger guys might be mutually beneficially for Myers and the team – I was wrong.

As noted by a few folks, Brett Myers was a cancer – and he wasn’t really hiding it, either. I’ve always known that Myers had an attitude and, truth be told, I like those kinds of players, however, Myers crossed lines professionally and personally and needed to go. Rumor has it that Myers had anger issues that boiled over into physical altercations with Jamie Quirk and Bud Norris. Ridding themselves of Brett Myers was addition by subtraction.

The fact that news spreads from clubhouse to clubhouse could be the reason why some perceive the Astros got less than adequate value for the closer.

But, then again, what was to be expected for Brett Myers anyway? Without the off-the-field issues, Myers was still coming off a very weak 2011 campaign. While he proved to be a very good closer for the Astros, he is nothing more than a back of the bullpen arm on a competitive team – I’m a bit confused as to why everyone is surprised that Luhnow wasn’t able to steal away Chicago’s top prospects – this is Brett Myers and not Babe Ruth.

He’s a GM – not a magician, people!

So, who did the Astros get? Well…

Blair Walters, out of Hawaii, was Chicago’s 11^th round selection in last year’s draft. The 22 year old was assigned to Lancaster after the trade to the Astros. He’s compiled decent numbers throughout his professional career but has stumbled in high A. I would think that Walters best possible outcome would be a back-of-the-rotation starter, but he’s more likely a middle relief guy or, worst case scenario, organizational depth.

Matthew Heidenreich is a significantly better prospect than Walters. I’m not saying Walters is bad – there’s a place for Walters in Houston, but Heidenreich is a very projectable pitcher who could find himself doing big things in the future. Heidenreich was the White Sox’ fourth round selection in 2009. The 21 year old had worked his way up to AA Birmingham before the trade and has most recently been assigned to Corpus Christi in the Texas League. At 6’5” and 185lbs, Heidenreich has a very lanky build and his frame doesn’t appear that it’ll let him fill out much more than that – hey, some dudes are skinny. He has an advanced three pitch array featuring a plus sinking fastball and a plus change-up. Heidenreich is a guy who could find himself pitching in AAA before the season is over. 

7/24/12 Wandy Rodriguez and cash traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Colton Cain, Robbie Grossman and Rudy Owens
Losing Wandy sucks. As you know, Wandy has been with the Astros since 2005 and we’ve had the opportunity to watch him develop into one of the premier lefties in the league. It also goes without saying that it is a credit to the Astros organization for sticking with Wandy because he had a few very rocky seasons… it seemed like his first few years, he’d make a start, pitch brilliantly, get frazzled and then implode. I hope Jordan Lyles paid attention and took notes.

Congratulations, Pittsburgh, you just got an outstanding pitcher – one of my favorites.

In return, the Astros got a reasonably impressive cache of prospects that should develop into major leaguers.

A native Texan, Colton Cain is a former Pirates’ 2009 8^th round selection. Cain had a scholarship to Texas, but opted against it after getting $1.25 million from the Pirates to begin his professional career. Not that it matters to the Astros anymore, but Cain was considered a power-hitting first baseman at the high school level and was likely to get time as one in Austin. Cain, 21, is a strong lefty who hits the low 90s. He’s big – he’s 6’3” and a beefy 255lbs. Although you’d expect him to be more a power pitcher, he instead relies on being deceptive and keeping hitters off balance by utilizing a selection of above average breaking pitches. Injuries are a concern for Cain as he’s missed significant time in his brief professional career. As far as the top 10 prospects go, Cain would likely be on the outside looking in, but, if he finishes strong, he might develop into one of the more intriguing pitchers in the Astros farm system.

Robbie Grossman comes to the Astros after spending four years in the Pittsburgh organization. Drafted locally out of Cy-Fair, the outfielder was taken in the 6^th round of the 2008 draft. Grossman’s stock skyrocketed after a monster 2011 campaign at high A Bradenton where he hit .294 with 13 bombs, 56 RBI and over 100 walks and 100 hits. He also had 34 doubles and had a .869 OPS. Grossman has been assigned to Corpus Christi where he has hit .300 in his limited time as an Astros prospect. He’ll be considered one of Houston’s top prospects – not quite in the Springer, Singleton, Correa echelon, but likely a tick lower around Santana, Dominguez and Lino. However, Grossman has had some problems – namely a mysterious week-long suspension “due to an issue internally.” Now, I’m not sure what constitutes a week long suspension, but in football, you miss a quarter for showing up late to a meeting. I’m not exactly sure what Grossman pulled, but let’s hope our boy learned his lesson and is ready to play by the rules.

Rudy Owens has been a highly regarded Pirates prospect since 2009. Owens, 24, was the Pirates’ 28^th round selection in 2006. Owens, a lefty, was assigned to Oklahoma City where he is likely to make a trip to Houston sometimes before the end of the season. In 19 starts for Pittsburgh’s AAA affiliate in Indianapolis, Owens went 8-5 with a 3.14 ERA. His stuff isn’t amazing, but it is just enough to be a productive major leaguer. Rudy doesn’t not have a strong fastball, but will instead, rely on locating his pitch and throwing strikes. Although he’s likely the weakest of the haul for Rodriguez, he’s the closest to being major league ready and will certainly provide some support at the back end of the rotation or as a spot starter.

7/29/12 Chris Johnson is traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss
Chris Johnson being dealt was somewhat of a shock. I knew that just about everyone was available, but after Wandy was dealt, I felt Luhnow was probably finished trading. 

I was wrong.

Oh, a big congrats to CJ for hitting a grand slam in his first game with the Diamondbacks. It’s not easy turning the page when you watch these guys grow up through the farm system and spend a couple of years with your hometown team – all of these guys (even Carlos), I wish them all luck and success… except, of course, when they’re playing the Astros.

Bobby Borchering was one of Arizona’s top prospects before losing favor after struggling offensively and being exposed as having a weak glove. However, Borchering is only two years removed from being Arizona’s first round (16^th overall) selection, and there’s plenty of time for the 21 year old to find his groove at the plate. At the beginning of the season, Borchering was regarded as the Diamondbacks’ top power hitting prospect. He started out well in the Cal League and was promoted after hitting .277 and 18 homeruns in 81 games but has struggled mightily since then, hitting .138 in 22 games in AA. Borchering is feast or famine at the plate and will need to cut down on strikeouts if he ever wants to make it to Houston (or OKC for that matter). …and he’ll need to find a position, too, because his glove is pretty bad – he’ll likely project as a DH when all is said and done. I am excited about Borchering because I believe he can turn it around and become a productive player at the big league level. He’s likely on the outside of the top 10, but not by much, in my opinion, not by much.

Marc Krauss knows how to make an entrance! In his first plate appearance as an Astros farmhand, he took Josh Geer deep. Krauss is a 24 year old, former 2^nd round pick of the Diamondbacks from 2009. Although he isn’t a highly regarded prospect, he’s put up decent numbers at each stop and has made quick work of Arizona’s farm system. He’s somewhat advanced for his league and should be in line for a promotion to Oklahoma City in the near future. The outfielder hit .283 with 15 homeruns before the trade and with 91 strikeouts so far – he’ll likely hit triple digits by the end of the week. Krauss does not project as a superstar but could hold down a spot at the major league level as a fourth or fifth outfielder. 

7/31/12 Astros trade… no one.
After a lot of bootychatter about Bud Norris, Wilton Lopez and Jose Altuve, the Astros remained silent at the deadline. While there are several players that could clear waivers, I’m assuming the Astros will not partake in much more player movement other than a release here or there and a few promotions.

This isn’t a good team. But they’re getting better. Ed Wade laid the foundation and Jeff Luhnow was able to tie up all of the loose ends. There’s quite a ways to go – but the Astros are going somewhere. From the ground up, this organization is head and shoulders better than they were five years ago.

This isn’t a team you’re going to recognize – but you get the opportunity to learn some new names and root for a younger, fresher crop of Astros. This might not be 1991 all over again – but this organization has the potential to be great again.

I think tomorrow I’ll start quizzing my mom on some of these players!

by Stephen

These Guys Suck, Trade Them All, What is THAT in LF? Look Astros fans I’m not going to sugar coat things……it’s been a very rough patch for the die-hard fans. Let’s take a giant step back and assess some things though shall we?

First off, “These guys suck!” Look, I get as depressed as most of you before Astros games when Fox puts that “Tonight’s lineup screen” up and nobody out of the 9 has an average that could even measure up to Jason Kidd’s blood alcohol percentage, but we haven’t even hit the trade deadline yet. I have discussed with a few fans who are understandably perplexed why guys like Wallace and Paredes continue to tear up AAA pitching while guys like Schafer and Downs continue to help tear up Astros fans’ toilets, but I truly think you are going to see a lot of changes by August 1. At least I’m reserving my judgment until then. Most of us didn’t want to see Lyon, Happ, or Myers coming out of the bullpen this season, but it was the chance they were given to show improved play that allowed Luhnow to trade them for more than peanuts and crackerjacks. Perhaps Luhnow and co. are waiting to see if they can flip a few more lost causes for some hope and change? I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Now MOST knowledgeable Astros fans have been relatively pleased with the recent house cleaning, but I am increasingly seeing “Trade ‘em all! Altuve and Harrell will never be more valuable!” Let’s slow down a bit shall we? I have already stated that I think Luhnow is much smarter than me, but even I know the general idea is to get young talent back for guys who won’t be here when we are competitive again, right? So why trade guys who are young, talented, AND already getting big league experience? Plus, how can you not respect the way Altuve and Harrell go out there and compete every night despite the fact that most of us can’t even WATCH these games past the 4th inning? Believe me…..Luhnow isn’t just going to run 40 20yr olds out there in 2013. The Astros will get some veterans, and hopefully have a few 2012 success stories to mix in with their continued youth movement, and I for one hope the young guys who have made this season tolerable will get to be here when the upswing occurs. I don’t pretend to know much about ML prospects. Something about 2 kids, a job, and actual interests keeps me from updating my 100 best MLB prospects big board hanging above my couch, but it seems like “smart” baseball guys all seem to be on board with Luhnow’s plan. Some “fans” wonder aloud after every trade why we didn’t get Jonny “(insert team name)’s greatest prospect of all-time” Baseball for the likes of Happ, Wandy, and Lyon, but I’m guessing that most, like me, only know those Jonny Baseball’s names from reading gossip they read earlier THAT DAY. Sometimes I think a few of you would like to trade Carlos Correa (He’ll NEVER be the #1 pick again!) for the first sexy name that Buster Olney tweets out. Let’s all slow down, enjoy that the Astros FINALLY have a plan, and begin appreciating the prospects we have that are tearing it up from A all the way to the big league club.

This short treatise isn’t all fruit baskets for the Astros though. I do have one ENORMOUS bone to pick with ownership. What. The. Hell. Is that thing in LF? Astro optimists, pessimists, and realists alike can all agree that THAT is the most offensive thing the ball club has done this season. I know I am writing for a blog that is run by Mr. Luhnow’s bff, and I myself have praised Crane, Luhnow, and co. for a job well done so far……but that craptastic money grab is offensive. You bought the club and reserve the right to make some extra money, but why put a gigantic yearbook sponsor page in front of the most beautiful part of our stadium? I’d rather see that plump, poor man’s Captain Kangaroo driving Thomas the train across left field than be accosted by that monument to commercialism. The best view at MMP is without question the view of Houston’s downtown skyline behind the train station. Even as quirky as Friday night fireworks are, they’re worth staying for to soak in that view of the city we all love (especially after an Astros win).

So I’m ending this rant by saying that I love the direction this team is headed in and can’t wait for all the praise the club will receive in the next few years when we start making the other AL west teams wish the Astros had stayed in the NL…….and Mr. Crane……..”Tear down that (advertising) wall”

by Andy

Tale of The Tape

When the Astros move to the American League in 2013, their de facto divisional rivals will be the much-hated Dallas Rangers. Woo hoo! However, as the All Star Game is only a few hours away, let’s get this rivalry started and compare Houston’s best player to Dallas’ and see how they stack up.

Jose Altuve vs Josh Hamilton: TALE OF THE TAPE! 

Experience
Josh Hamilton was drafted in 1999 but missed 3 years of pro ball due to “personal issues.” He is 31 years old and has accumulated 5 years of MLB service time. Jose Altuve was signed as an amateur free agent in 2007. Altuve is 22 and has a little under a year towards his MLB service time. 

Hamilton is the greasy old veteran who is on the wrong side of 30 and Altuve is the up-and-comer still wet behind the ears. Once Altuve is 30, he’ll have 8 ½ years of uninterrupted service time – unlike Hamilton. …so right now, it’s too close to call. I’d give the edge to Altuve, but, Hamilton does have him in raw numbers.

Advantage: push

Body
Josh Hamilton is 6’4” and 240lbs. Jose Altuve is 5’5” and 155lbs. This is a no-brainer, right? Josh Hamilton is built like a linebacker.

But! But! But! But, I’ve seen Altuve with his shirt off (don’t ask) and the dude is freak of nature. He has more cuts than Paul Pierce at a Benihanas. Proportionally smaller, Altuve has a chest like Arnold, arms like Andre Johnson and legs that would be best described as a juiced-up version of pitbull haunches.

Advantage: Jose Altuve

Statistics
Currently Josh Hamilton is leading the world in everything. He’s leading the AL with 27 homeruns and 75 RBI. He’s also got a .308 batting average.

Meanwhile, Jose Altuve has 5 homers and 27 RBI. Altuve is batting .303.

However, if Jose Altuve was as tall as Josh Hamilton, we can postulate that his statistics would be much better than those of Hamilton’s. For example, I did a little bit of math and came up with a formula called “Fixed Adjusted Ratio Tallness Statistics” or FARTS. FARTS is an easy way to determine how good a player would be at a certain height. So examining Altuve’s FARTS and comparing them to Hamilton’s FARTS, we can get a good idea of how good each player would be at the same height. So, I did the math (don’t worry about the formula because it is too hard for you to understand) and, at 6’4”, Jose Altuve’s FARTS would suggest that he would have hit 28 homeruns and have over 80 RBI. Also, his FARTS tell us that he’d boost his batting average by more than 20 points. Jose’s line would look like .324/30/80 if he were 6’4”. That’s considerably better than Hamilton’s numbers and he is 6’4”.

Also, if you equate Altuve’s Wins Equivalence Translated Tallness or WETT, which is a player’s WAR that accounts for their height, Altuve’s WETT FARTS surpasses the WETT FARTS of Josh Hamilton.

So, clearly, at the same height, Altuve would have better statistics at this point in the season.

Advantage: Jose Altuve (clearly)

Spirituality
Josh Hamilton tweets Bible verses and Jose Altuve’s nickname is Pocket Jesus.

Advantage: Jose Altuve

Hardships
When Josh Hamilton’s name is brought up, the term “overcame so many obstacles just to get here” is somewhere close by. Josh Hamilton was the first player drafted in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Of course, we all know what happened. Hamilton was plagued by injuries and got addicted to drugs. He didn’t even play baseball for 3 years! But, he found his way onto a major league roster when the Cubs selected him from the Rays in the rule 5 draft and then sold his rights to the Reds. After a great season in Cincy, he was dealt to the Dallas Rangers and now he is a perennial All Star and regarded as one of the best players in major league baseball. Awesome story and the guy deserves credit.

I’ve had folks in my life overcome various addictions – so I understand how tough it is.

It was a sad story, and to this point, has a happy ending. Great.

But, is his story any more miraculous than Jose Altuve’s?

In short? No.

My God! Jose Altuve is 5’5”! The guy isn’t even allowed on The Rattler at Fiesta Texas and people are talking about how awesome it is that Josh Hamilton put the bottle down. Excuse me, folks, but Josh Hamilton isn’t 5’4”, he’s 6’4” – he’s fully grown and has all the athletic ability in the world.

And, Jose Altuve makes Eddie Gaedel look like Patrick Ewing.

God gave Jose Altuve 5’3” and said, “Work with what you got, son,” and Altuve grinded his ass off until he found himself on a Major League roster. Jose Altuve hit at every single level in the minor leagues and people STILL doubted him because he was only 5’2” and didn’t fit into the “cookie cutter” image of Josh Hamilton! Even before the season started there were bloggers and pundits predicted the diminutive Altuve’s demise because of his small stature and their small brains. …and people are STILL doubting him!

I get it, the Rangers are hot right now. They’re on the upswing and the Astros are down in the Johnny flusher – I get it. The Rangers are the Emma Stone of the baseball world and the Astros are the wacky chick that played Alex Keaton’s sister – not Justine Bateman, she’s hot, but the other one – yeah, her. I get it. But, that doesn’t mean that Jose Altuve’s story isn’t twice as awesome as Josh Hamilton’s tale of redemption. Look, love him or hate him, Josh Hamilton really screwed the Tampa Bay Rays. The lowly Rays used the FIRST OVERALL pick on Josh Hamilton and all he did was do a bunch of drugs, get hurt and leave town in a cloud of dust.

Who did Jose ever screw?

Jose Altuve is 4’11” and has never screwed anyone! You know what he does when he gets home? He spends all night hemming his pants and choosing not to do drugs. Then he reads a story and goes to sleep. In the morning, he wakes up refreshed, has a glass of milk, goes out to the ballpark and kicks so much ass it’s ridiculous. Josh Hamilton doesn’t have to hem is own pants. Josh Hamilton doesn’t drink milk!

There are a lot of major leaguers who have overcome drug or alcohol addictions. Ron Washington is a year removed from snorting lines longer than Jose Altuve is tall – and he’s in the same dugout with Hamilton. And, don’t get me started on Alexi Ogando and the likelihood of him taking some sort of hallucinogenics – I’m not even going there, sister. 

Don’t get me wrong, it is awesome that Josh Hamilton has found sobriety and I’m glad he’s going to parlay his clean living and God-given talent into a hefty Yankees contract, but you’re insane if you think his story of hardship can hold a candle (or lit crackpipe) to Jose Altuve’s.  

Advantage: Altuve

Conclusion
With a convincing 4-0 victory, Jose Altuve wins the Tale of the Tape over Josh Hamilton.

by Andy 

This is the way the Carlos Lee era ends
Not with a bang but with a burp.
…and a fart.

-T.S. Eliot

I understand the irony of plopping T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” into a “Farewell Fatty” blog posting – fact of the matter is, Carlos was anything but hollow. As cliché as it is to incorporate dictionary definitions into… well… anything, I thought it was a tad bit apropos to incorporate the definition of “hollow” to see if it fits.

Hollow: (hol-oh) adjective: having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty

I’ve used a lot of words to describe Carlos Lee – but never hollow. Carlos doesn’t seem too hollow to me. As a matter of fact, he seems pretty full. Carlos seemed like he was full of hamburgers, full of fried chicken, full of Snickers and, sadly, full of unfulfilled hope.

We’ll get back to that.

I think Drayton McLane felt obligated to sign Carlos Lee. McLane and Lee were bad for one another and should have left each other alone in the first place. As you might remember, the Giants offered Carlos Lee more money, but Lee opted to join the Astros because he had a ranch close by.

In 2006, a year removed from the organization’s first appearance in a World Series, the Astros went 82-80. They struggled mightily with the bats. In the off-season, Roger Clemens retired and Andy Pettitte, who also flirted with retirement, instead defected to the Yankees. Jeff Bagwell was long gone and Craig Biggio, who lost a few steps, was winding down his career. Perhaps McLane felt like he needed to make a splash to keep fans interested in coming to the ballpark. Perhaps, and this is my assumption, McLane felt like he needed to make up for losing Carlos Beltran two years prior. Whatever it was, no one was able to talk McLane out of making a huge mistake… and in November of 2006, the Astros signed Carlos Lee to a 6 year contract that would be worth $100 million.

At the time of the signing, I wasn’t concerned with Carlos Lee’s ability to hit. I was concerned that he’d get slow, fat and be a defensive liability. Make no mistake about it, Carlos is a professional hitter in every sense of the word but is as one dimensional as they come – do you want a player like that as the cornerstone of your franchise? The Astros did. To be fair, I found that Carlos’ inability to do anything well other than hit to be the least offensive aspect of his game.

…plus, in his last season with the Astros, his defense at first base was actually better than decent.

Things weren’t so bad in the beginning. As a matter of fact, we all liked Carlos. At least, I did. He was what he was. Was he overpaid? Sure – but that had nothing to do with me. He was fun. He was always smiling. He was the loosest player the Astros have had since Lima Time. Awesome.

Carlos was a lovable character. He was fat, but he was our fat guy. He was the guy in the fraternity that was assigned to carrying the keg. We thought it was funny that he left wing-sauced fingerprints on baseballs. We thought it was adventurous that he’d “try everything fried at least once” at the county fair. And we didn’t mind seeing his butt-crack because we all know that it is difficult finding pants that fit.

He even had his own fan club: The Los Caballitos. They wore sombreros and rode around on broomstick horses. (I have a story about them and I’ll post it within the next few days.)

In reality, Carlos Lee wasn’t as bad of a baseball player or as out of shape as we made him out to be. As a matter of fact, he was a damn good player at the beginning of his contract. In his first season in Houston, he went .303/32/119 – that’s pretty good! His best season was cut short due to a broken finger. After 115 games, Carlos had 28 homeruns and 100 RBI – he was on pace for around 40 homeruns and 140 RBI. That would have been a monster season and those projected numbers could have been juicier considering he was having a particularly hot August before the injury.

All things being equal, he had only one bad season. It was 2010, he hit .246 and looked sluggish – that’s really when things went downhill.

But despite the fact that Carlos was putting up decent numbers, the Astros stunk – in his first season, the Astros finished 72-89. And, as we’re all well aware, the Astros stunk a lot in the last 5 years. As a matter of fact, in Carlos Lee’s 5 ½ year tenure in Houston, the Astros had only one season of winning record baseball – 2008. That year, the Astros finished 86-75 and were 3^rd in their division – that was the best they’d do with Carlos Lee in the middle of the batting order.

Carlos Lee made $12.5 million that year. But, really, who cares?

…I’m not sure the money bothered me that much.

There wasn’t any fire. There wasn’t any desire to win.

It wasn’t Carlos’ fault, it was all McLane’s. There was a serious lack of passion coming from Carlos Lee and it appeared to be obvious before he ever signed with the Astros. McLane was at fault. He shouldn’t have signed Carlos to “the man” money when Carlos wasn’t capable of being “the man” and had never shown any interest in being “the man.” Simply put, I never got the impression that Carlos hated to lose. Like McLane, I think Carlos “wanted to be a champion” but didn’t have the passion or the desire to put in the work to become a champion.

Biggio, Berkman and Pence showed a desire to be “the man.” Lee – not so much.  

Carlos was the highest paid second fiddle in baseball. He was a complimentary piece on several years worth of bad teams.

I got the impression that Carlos enjoyed playing baseball – but I never saw much passion from Carlos Lee. It was Carlos’ picture all over the city, it was his fan club out in leftfield, it was his jerseys on sale in the team shop – it was Carlos Lee who was supposed to take the Astros to the next level and he didn’t. And I have serious concerns on whether or not he ever gave a damn.

Houston could have been Carlos’ – but he just didn’t give a damn.

The stats were there. But where was the fire? Did he make the players around him better? What did he do for the winning culture Houston had developed prior to his signing? Did he live up his contract? Did he carry himself like a team leader?

As ridiculous as it sounds, I wanted to see fire and anger but all I saw were smiles. I wanted to see him break a bat or beat the sh** out of a water cooler. I wanted to see someone who showed up early to spring training and someone who showed up on time from the All Star break. I wanted to see a guy who hated losing but, in reality, I’m not positive whether Carlos ever loved winning or even hated losing. I saw a guy who was having blast while his team was in the process of embarrassing themselves. I saw a guy who had a lot of fun while his team lost 106 games in 2011.

So, hell yes, I’m resentful towards Carlos Lee.

And, hell yes, I’m glad he’s gone.

In his 14 years in the majors, Carlos Lee has 12 postseason plate appearances. They came with the White Sox in 2000 when Carlos Lee was just 24. The Seattle Mariners swept the Chicago White Sox, who won the AL Central crown with a 95-67 record, in the divisional series. That’s it – that was Carlos’ only playoff experience. Now, at 36, he had to opportunity to play with the first place Dodgers and, instead of chasing the ring, he decided to stay loyal to the team that hamstrung themselves with his bonehead contract.  

When Carlos signed with the Astros in November of 2006, Houston was his fourth team in 3 years. Until that point, no one wanted to build around Carlos. No one else thought he could be “the man.”

On Independence Day, he was traded anyway. He was dealt to the Marlins for two prospects. The Marlins were one of ten teams that Carlos didn’t have in the “unapproved” column of his no-trade clause. Astros are still footing the bill, though.

Hollow works. Despite all of the fanfare and the hope – Carlos left us all feeling hollow. He left us feeling empty. Maybe I can use “hollow” to describe Carlos Lee after all. 

This is the way the Carlos Lee era ends
Not with a World Series Championship or even a winning record 
but with a burp.
…and a fart.
…and a lot of hollow feelings

-T.S. Eliot

But, not to worry, as Carlos settles down in Miami, I’m sure he’ll find that they’ll love him. They’ll think it’s funny that he leaves wing-sauced fingerprints on the baseballs. They’ll think it is adventurous that he “tries everything fried at least once” at the county fair. And they don’t mind seeing his butt-crack because they all know that  it is difficult finding pants that fit. 

He’s their fat guy.

Maybe this go around, he’ll act like he cares. 

A Short Lil Ode To Alyson
by Andy 

When I was a boy, my pappy told me that he never cried,
Not when our Astros lost in ‘86, not when his hunting dog died.
So, I called him and told him about our girl Footer leaving town,
He said, “Son, thats a good reason to cry, I understand why this crap’s got you down.”
He said, “She’s always quick with a comeback, even quicker with a funny retweet.”
“I know on Social Media Night, she gave vegetarian Buca a plate without the meat.”
I said, “Dad, she is more than just a blogger, she’s an awesome baseball cat!”
My dad patted me on the shoulder, laughed and said, “Andy, true dat!”
I said “A player to be named later? Footer has got those bloggers full of intrigue,
She kept us all jumping off bridges, when the Astros changed to the ‘merican league!
She’s a friend to Luhnow, Bourn, Studly Budly, Scrap Iron and me.
She told Jim Deshaies about my awesome freaking jersey and got me starring on TV.
She’s a writer, she’s a blogger, an old-school Cincinnaiti queen
I’ll beat someone up, GOD, I SWEAR IT! if they ever treat her mean.”
“So, son, pour out some of your dank ol’ forty, and bid that gal adieu.”
“And quit send her emails three times a day or she’ll put a restraining order on you.”
“If you love something let it go, if it comes back it was meant to be,
I keep saying the same thing about Oswalt, Berkman, Bourn and Hunter P.”
I said, “Thanks, dad, all these years, your advice is still the bomb,
but losing Footer is tougher than the time you got kicked out on your butt by Mom.” 
I said, “I hope Footer is happy now, maybe New York City is going to be her spot,
But, if it doesn’t work out, she’ll always have a job at the Houston Sports Counterplot.” 

by Andy

The trade deadline represents a lot of different things to a lot of different teams. Is it time to add? Is it time to subtract? Is it time to finally talk to that girl from accounting? I don’t know, broham. What I do know is that the Astros are currently 31-43 and appear to be trending towards pinching this bad boy off. That being said, a lot can change but 10 games back of the division lead is a long row to hoe towards competiveness. But, keep in mind, there are two wild card spots this year – so it’s possible that they can get back into this son of a bitch. So who knows?

No, really, who knows?

Is it time to break up the band? …again?

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating – Jeff Luhnow is not going to trade off valuable pieces of the 2012 Houston Astros unless he feels they have absolutely zero shot at the playoffs. How many games back out of the division and/or wild card, I don’t know the exact number – but he has something in his head or jotted down so there’s not going to be a point where he says “ah, f it, let’s blow the whole thing up!”

The way things look… I think they’re about there. Heavens to Betsy, I think they’re going to sell. I think we’re going to say “Bye Bye Bye” to a few of the good guys!

But off on a tangent for a minute…

Reading Twitter can sometimes be a bit of a headache as “folks-in-the-know” discuss trade possibilities. On the Astros side, it’s hard to determine exactly who is and isn’t on the trade block but it is exponentially more difficult to determine who would likely return in a particular deal. For example – earlier in the year, the Astros traded Humberto Quintero and Jason “J Lightning” Bourgeois to Kansas City for minor leaguer Kyle Chapman and a “player to be named later.” Jeff Luhnow said (through Alyson Footer’s tweets) that the PTBNL was a “key part of the deal.” Cue Astros bloggers going irresponsibly ape-shit. Eric Hosmer? Bo Jackson? George Brett? Byron Buxton? The monkey that played opposite of Joey Tribiani in Ed? …as the dust settled, Kansas City’s 2011 3^rd rounder, Bryan Brickhouse, rose to the top. Folks were convinced that Brickhouse was the guy – why? I have no freaking clue. It’s likely because Brickhouse projects to be an outstanding player and some people got the idea that Jeff Luhnow could parlay two guys he would eventually cut loose for a decent minor league arm and a year-removed 3^rd round prospect. Tap the breaks, boys and girls, Luhnow is a slick fella but let’s not get carried away!

We all know that a few guys might get traded – but, in reality, none of us can accurately predict which guys would be coming back.

Needless to say, predicting prospect returns before a particular trade even happens is an extremely difficult science – it’s damn near brain or testicle surgery! It is so difficult! I’ve never collected enough sack to even consider doing so. And I won’t start today! It’s not as if I have a solid reputation to protect! I’m wrong enough as it is without predicting these kinds of things – it just seems like a massive waste of time when we’re all going to be wrong anyway. I’m not saying quit reading Keith Law, Jon Heyman, Ken Rosenthal or the hundreds of bloggers who are hyped up over the trade deadline – just keep in mind that their “inside information,” or “I have it on good authority” is likely… well… not so inside or not really on good authority.

That being said, we can look at how the season plays out, look at players’ contracts and how they’re performing and make educated guesses on who is likely on the trade block. So, without discussing who is likely to come back in a possible trade – we’ll look at who from the Astros could be traded and where they could possibly land. …if you wanna do the prospect predicting, I have a comment section at the bottom of this entry – knock yourself out.

Carlos Lee
Lee’s performance in 2012 has greatly improved his trade value. But, just so we’re all on the same page, his contract is not what’s keeping him from getting moved – it’s his performance. If Carlos Lee had been performing or was worth what he was being paid – the Astros and a trade partner would have figured out a way to have made the money right. The problem is, Carlos just hasn’t been worth prospects.

 …until now.

 …maybe.

 Carlos Lee is the only guy on the Astros that I think Luhnow should move regardless of the return – even if it is just for a Dr Pepper or a soda to be named later. So what that he’s 260lbs and can’t hit the ball out of the park? Lee is hitting well, he can still drive in runs, get on base, he doesn’t strikeout and might prove to be an asset on a team looking to upgrade at first or DH. …he can even come off the bench, yo!

Being that the Astros are likely to pay Lee regardless of where he ends up, it would be awfully nice to get something in return since he’s being paid like P Diddy. But, what? I wouldn’t expect too much, but Luhnow might be able to pry away a diamond in the rough.

So, what are the chances Lee is traded?
At this point, it is hard to tell. Other clubs are well aware how Wallace is playing and they’re well aware of Luhnow’s desire to deal El Caballo. Lee has recently returned from rehabbing a bum hammy and might not be at full speed as these sorts of injuries tend to linger – but, to be fair, Carlos Lee has never been a “full speed” type of guy.

But, I do think Lee is the most likely candidate to be dealt and I would be willing to bet he is dealt after the non-waiver trade deadline.

75%

So, where might he go?
A Taco Bell? A Golden Corral? Ease up on the fat jokes, homie. At the beginning of the year, I picked the Blue Jays as a possible destination for El Caballo. But Edwin Encarncion is hitting, and in limited time, David Cooper has proved to be a decent replacement for an ineffective Adam Lind - so maybe somewhere else. Dodgers? I also think the Orioles and Yankees could be interested.

Brett Myers
Brett Myers shouldn’t be dealt – or should he? 

Conventional wisdom tells us that Brett Myers should be shopped around and sold to the highest bidder. To hell with how good he’s been or how much he has improved the Astros bullpen – deal him, right? But wait a minute - in 2011, the Astros had the worst bullpen ERA in the National League and this year, the bullpen is a strength.

Thanks, Brett Myers.

Myers has brought a je nais se quoi of badassery and a confident swagger to the Astros bullpen – and I believe it has caught on with the rest of the team. As odd as it sounds, as the closer, he’s been the catalyst for this team. In my opinion, what he has brought to the table cannot be quantified in numbers and, at this point, he should at least get a mention as the team MVP.

Yes, really.

I would hope Jeff Luhnow thinks long and hard before dealing Brett Myers. If a team comes forward and hands Luhnow an offer he can’t refuse – so be it, deal him. But, if Luhnow isn’t getting adequate value, wouldn’t it be nice if he could offer Myers an extension and give the Astros a legitimate closer to lock down games for a young pitching staff over the next few years?

Some Astros fans have said that the Astros can’t compete in the next few years – so why have the luxury of a good closer? The fact that they MIGHT not compete is EXACTLY the reason why they need a good closer. Jim Crane, George Postolos, Jeff Luhnow, Brad Mills and the whole Houston Astros organization are balls deep in developing a winning culture. They want the attitude resident red-ass Brett Myers brings – the killer instinct. Next year, we might be looking at a rotation with guys like Bud Norris, Lucas Harrell, Jordan Lyles, Kyle Weiland, Dallas Keuchel, Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer – if these guys pitch well enough to get a win, reward them, build their confidence! Don’t condition these guys to be gun-shy when handing the ball off to the bullpen. I love the idea of putting together a young pitching staff and having hard-asses like Doug Brocail in one ear and Brett Myers in the other.

In my opinion, Brett Myers’ value is well beyond what he is likely to yield. Perhaps I’m wrong and maybe a team comes forward willing to sell the farm for Myers – but I doubt it.

I’m not saying Luhnow shouldn’t trade Myers nor am I saying he should keep him. I’m saying Luhnow holds the cards and has options to weigh in regards to Myers – as a general manager, he should acknowledge that. He has to do what’s best for the Astros and I don’t think it is as cut and dry as “deal Myers regardless of the return.”

Ultimately, I think Luhnow will make the right decision.

So, what are the chances he’s traded?
Realistically, I would say he’s likely to be dealt. I disagree that Myers’ move to the bullpen was strictly to showcase him as a closer – I believe Luhnow and Co thought he was a better fit there and not in the rotation. There will definitely be a market for closers and set-up guys – I think Myers could (and will) bring back a few prospects.

66%

So, where might he go?
I think the Cardinals, Dodgers or Giants would be a good place to start. At the beginning of the year, I guessed the Cardinals and I still think that is the most likely scenario. Perhaps Luhnow is excited to deal with his old squad – but, on the other hand, maybe John Mozeliak feels Luhnow knows too much and would likely burn him on a deal.

I probably would. 

Wandy Rodriguez
Two years ago, Wandy was supposed to be dealt – instead, Ed Wade signed him to an extension. Last year, Wandy was supposed to be dealt – instead, Ed Wade and the Rockies couldn’t agree on adequate compensation. This year, Wandy is supposed to be dealt – but, then again, no one is really quite sure.

Other than Ed Wade, I’ve probably blogged more about Wandy Rodriguez more than I have anyone else. That’s because Wandy is an interesting cat. He’s an outstanding pitcher and he’s highly underrated. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and it doesn’t seem to affect the way he pitches. The guy is an outstanding pitcher. And, it seems again in 2012, just as it did in 2010 and 2011, fans are ready to get rid of him.

As I’ve said in an earlier post, Ed Wade was right to extend Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy’s value has improved significantly since 2010. The knock on Wandy has been that he wasn’t consistent or teams were unsure how his game would translate to the American League – it just seemed like folks were making lazy and unsubstantiated arguments to devalue one of the best left-handed pitchers in the league. …probably because he pitched for a crappy team and doing a little responsible research before talking out of your ass isn’t in vogue. Whatevs.  

Wandy Rodriguez is in a boat similar to that of Brett Myers. Luhnow doesn’t necessarily have to deal Wandy unless he wants to. Wandy isn’t going anywhere in the offseason. Wandy is locked up for 2013 and the Astros hold an option for the 2014 season. Jeff Luhnow has a bit more leverage when discussing a potential Wandy deal because he doesn’t have the other possible trade chips locked up past this season.

Luhnow could keep Wandy. And, if he doesn’t get what he thinks is fair value – he should! As of now, Jeff Luhnow’s job is to field a competitive team while stocking the farm system with young, projectable talent. Now that the Astros have signed Lance McCullers and are on the brink with Rio Ruiz and/or Hunter Virant, it is quite possible that the Astros would have one of the stronger farm systems in Major League Baseball. Also, Mike Foltynewicz, Nick Tropeano and Adrian Houser are quickly emerging on the scene as legitimate pitching prospects. The Astros aren’t exactly hard-up for talent and they definitely shouldn’t (ever) entertain the practice of trading productive big league talent for pennies on the dollar to suffice the urge to “make something happen.”

Ultimately, Luhnow needs to keep fans interested in the Houston Astros. And I expect the Astros to make a series of minor splashes in the offseason to support that statement. As the farm system improves, the big league club will need to win some ball games - especially, if Crane expects fans to show up and spend money. …this is a business after all.

However, I’m suspecting the market for Wandy to heat up as he has shown consistency and big game capability. Also, if he’s traded, he’ll be due $26M over 2 years and that’s good value for one of the premier left-handers in the league.

So, what are the chances he’s traded?
I would say 50% - maybe a smidgeon higher. But something like this could happen in the blink of an eye. I would imagine Jeff Luhnow would require a certain level of prospects that other teams might not be willing to pony up. I would expect Luhnow would need to get at least one prospect that could be plugged into the top ten and at least two that could be plugged into the top twenty – I’m not sure it happens. 

So, where might he end up?
At the beginning of the season, I predicted Wandy would be dealt to the Dodgers. I figured the Dodgers would be competitive, but could probably use a little help in the rotation – I may have been wrong. The Dodgers look pretty strong rotation-wise. 

Yesterday, we were told that the Blue Jays were scoping out his start and they were likely the frontrunners for his services. Then last night, we were told that “well, maybe the Blue Jays will hold off until they’re certain that they’ll be in buyer-mode.” This morning, we’re hearing that he’s going to the Blue Jays by the end of the week. Whatevs.

I’m thinking, if Wandy is traded, he’ll end up with the Mets. I think the Mets might overpay for Wandy if they continue to flirt with the NL East lead or a potential wild card berth.

Brandon Lyon
At the beginning of the season, I thought Brandon Lyon would finish out the year as the closer for the Long Island Ducks, Sugar Land Skeeters or Hackensack Bulls – I was wrong. 

Lyon has shown that he’s back from the injuries that soiled his 2011 campaign and has regained enough form that Luhnow can seriously call up other teams and say “hey, what about Brandon Lyon?” without employing fake coughs to cover up his laughs.

Of the five guys on the list, I could take him or leave him. The Astros may be able to get something of value for Lyon – I don’t know.

If Luhnow trades Myers, he might decide to hold onto Lyon in order to add a little stability in the bullpen – especially if he doesn’t feel like he’s going to get much of anything for Lyon. He’ll have to weigh the benefits of holding onto a guy who can close out games (or be a capable set-up man) against a few “prospects” who probably won’t ever pan out.

So, what are the chances he’s traded?
He’s been playing well and I imagine someone might call and make an offer. Its up to Luhnow to decide whether it is worth his while. 70%

So, where might he end up?
Look at the teams with winning records – there. 

Jed Lowrie
It has been so much fun to watch Lowrie in 2012. 

As we all know, Lowrie came to Houston in an under-the-radar move that saw the Astros exchange last year’s closer, Mark Melancon, to the Red Sox for Lowrie and Kyle Weiland. This has turned out to be a huge coup for Luhnow. While Melancon has flopped in Beantown, Jed Lowrie has become the toast of Space City. The lanky shortstop is leading the club in homeruns (13), almost doubling his closest competitor.

Lowrie has played flawless defense and has served as the middle-of-the-order threat on a team that is severely lacking pop.

By all accounts, Jed Lowrie’s Houston experience has been an all-around success. And, when you’re a successful player on a largely unsuccessful team, there’s going to be a considerable amount of trade scuttlebutt. (see Rodriguez, Wandy)

However, I think Lowrie remains an Astro. Due to Lowrie playing out of his mind and his substantial injury history, Luhnow may feel the need to sell high – but, I think he’ll choose to keep Lowrie until Jonathan Villar or Carlos Correa show their faces.

So, what are the chances he’s traded?
I would say 15%. I don’t think Jeff Luhnow is actively shopping Lowrie. There’s a possibility that someone comes forward with a ragin’ renob over Lowrie and presents their finest prospects for Luhnow’s enjoyment. And maybe Jeff Luhnow feels Marwin Gonzalez can man the position for the foreseeable future. And maybe there is something to the whole “injury concern” and “selling high.” 

I highly doubt it.

So, where might he end up?
Again, I can’t see him getting shipped out. I would probably put the Giants and Angels on the list. 

Wouldn’t it be funny if the Astros traded Jed Lowrie to the Pirates and he replaced Clint Barmes?

Jose Altuve
I am not going to say much about this – but Jose Altuve will not be traded. 

Again. Jose Altuve will not be traded.

A third time? No – I think you already get my point.

Altuve is 22 years old – I don’t understand why someone would think the Astros would trade away a 22 year old who is hitting damn near .320 for another couple of 22 year olds who are probably a few years away from the major leagues and unlikely to ever hit .320? It doesn’t make sense.

When baseball teams are rebuilding, they look for guys like Jose Altuve to build around. Altuve is not likely to hit his prime for a several more years – HE IS 22 YEARS OLD!

It’s just asinine. It’s irrational. It’s stupid.

So, what are the chances he’s traded?
0%

So, where might he end up?
Kiss my ass.

Other guys who might be dealt
I wonder if Luhnow would consider attaching Jimmy Paredes or Jonathan Villar to any of these potential deals in order to increase the return. With Altuve and Lowrie playing well (and unlikely to be dealt), both Paredes and Villar are blocked. And, while they are blocked at the major league level, two of the last three first round draft picks play their positions. …so, dealing these guys might clear up the upcoming logjam in the middle infield. 

That being said, neither of the two are ready for the big leagues – so there’s no immediate hurry to deal these guys… but, it’s a possibility.

Chris Johnson might be a good DH somewhere. I’m not sure the level of prospect he could yield, but he’s hitting well, can play both corner infield spots and might add some pop off the bench for a team vying for a playoff spot.

Wilton Lopez is another possible trade piece. I doubt he’s moved, but he’s an established bullpen arm that could bring back a decent haul.

Matt Downs is probably a poor man’s Chris Johnson. Downs can play multiple positions and has shown that he is a valuable asset off the bench.

Brian Bogusevic would be worth a look for a team that is lacking lefthanded hitters off the bench. Bogusevic would be an excellent late inning replacement for a national league team with a poor defensive outfield. I hear he can pitch, too.

JA Happ has value. He’s definitely a long man or spot starter on a good team – but I still see a lot of potential in Happ. It might be worth it just to keep him around instead of shipping him off. We’ll talk a little more about JA Happ next time!

by Andy

After last week’s draft, we’ve all had a little bit of time to soak in what just happened – of course, now everyone is speculating on who will or won’t sign and which affiliates will these draftees start their professional careers. This is fun!

While I am a little uncomfortable prematurely declaring this draft an across the board success, I have to tip my hat to Jeff Luhnow for developing a “wait, I didn’t even think about that” strategy that forced all the baseball know-it-all pundits to collectively STFU.

Did he draft the single best player in the draft? That’s debatable. Did he make the best picks in the draft? My God, I believe he did.

Luhnow picked 41 players in 40 rounds. Realistically, only a few of these guys will make it to the big leagues, a handful won’t sign and most will linger in the minor leagues without ever playing a major league game. Luhnow doesn’t need to hit homerun after homerun after homerun in this draft – but it is imperative that, in a few years, we’re able to look at this draft and declare it, I’m going to say it again, “an across the board success” for Jeff Luhnow and our Houston Astros.

By now, you’ve heard everything you need to know about Carlos Correa. Most of the esteemed professionals in the baseball industry had the Astros selecting Mark Appel or Byron Buxton. However, Jeff Luhnow and his team proved to be too smart for the rest of us, zigged when we thought they’d zag and took Correa. It was a very smart move and only surprising because… well… no one really considered the new draft rules the way Luhnow used them.

So, why Correa?

The pundits may have been correct in rating Mark Appel, Byron Buxton and Mike Zunino as better players – however, what Jeff Luhnow would (likely not) tell you, is that Correa was the better pick. Correa was a top ten talent that was expected to go anywhere from 3 to 10. When discussing contract demands with Correa’s team, Luhnow likely brought up a scenario where the Astros would select Correa first overall and offer top ten money - mind you, not necessarily first overall money. Correa’s team had to decide whether or not Luhnow’s offer would exceed the possible offers Correa would get by being taken at any point later. Correa’s team ultimately decided that the best option was to accept Luhnow’s offer… and the Astros ultimately decided to select the best shortstop in the draft.

Why else would he have signed so quickly at such a discount?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Carlos Correa wasn’t all that surprised that the Astros took him and I have reason to believe that Correa had already agreed to the $4.8M well before the Astros drafted him.

So, again, why Correa?

By selecting Correa and not having to pay him first overall money, the Astros saved money to select better players in the later rounds. In a way, this was Luhnow’s way of robbing Peter to pay Lance McCullers, Rio Ruiz and possibly Hunter Virant and CJ Hinojosa. Instead of drafting the best (costliest) player in the draft, the Astros selected two of the better players in the draft and took two really good players in later rounds. In NFL Draft terms, they traded the rights to Ricky Williams for multiple draft picks. 

Over the next couple of weeks, when the national pundits are discussing the Correa’s contract, you’ll notice that they’ll comment or imply that the Astros somehow jobbed Correa out of millions of dollars – that’s simply not the truth. If indeed Correa’s people were worried about dropping out of the top 5, they actually made Correa extra money by agreeing to Luhnow’s terms – Kyle Zimmer, who was drafted 5^th overall, just signed with Kansas City for $3M. The Astros had absolutely no intentions on paying a draft pick the first overall value and hammered out a deal with Correa for $4.8M instead.

Months ago, Carlos Correa wasn’t even in the “first overall discussion.” We brought up Mark Appel, Lucas Giolito, Mike Zunino and, probably to a lesser extent, Lance McCullers. McCullers was in the conversation and since then, due to several factors, dropped into the supplemental part of the first round where the Astros snatched him up.

You’d have to imagine that Lance McCullers wasn’t too happy about not being taken higher… but, thanks to Jeff Luhnow, McCullers has found himself in a very good position that might yield him the money he was looking for.

The 18 year old from Tampa was 13-0 this year and posted a 0.18 ERA for his high school team – you can’t even put up those kinds of numbers on MLB The Show on the “Rookie” level. He’s as decorated as a birthday cake, garnering the Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award and the Jackie Robinson Award. Louisville Slugger named him an All-American and Baseball America rated him as the 13^th best prospect in the draft. …and as Stephen from Whiskers On A Stache pointed out, he looks like one of the Monkees.

It has been said that he has a very strong commitment to the University of Florida.

…and he’s going to be represented by Scott Boras.

So, why McCullers?

Luhnow may have had reason to believe that McCullers would drop to 41 due to the Florida commitment and represented by Satan Himself - but ultimately, and he’ll probably eventually admit this, McCullers fell into Luhnow’s lap. There was no way of knowing that he would be there and Luhnow likely had a few other options at that selection. By drafting Correa and already having a concrete number in mind, Luhnow knew that he could take someone that dropped due to high financial demands – whether that guy was McCullers or someone else, Luhnow knew that someone with high value would be there. McCullers was there – Luhnow, not one to pass up on a young fireballer, pulled the trigger.

Luhnow, as expected, stated that he was confident that he could sign McCullers and, after briefly doubting him, I said, “ah screw it, I believe him!” #InLuhnowWeTrust

…and, if he’s unable to sign McCullers, I imagine he’ll throw everything, including the kitchen sink at Rio Ruiz (4^th round, 129^th overall) and Hunter Virant (11^th round, 339^th overall).

Rio Ruiz is going to be a hard sign. However, I doubt Jeff Luhnow would have drafted Ruiz in the 4^th had he not have thought of a creative way to sign him. Ruiz has a very strong commitment to USC and is definitely using that as leverage in contract negotiations.

Will the money Luhnow saved selecting Correa leave enough money for McCullers and Ruiz? That’s the million dollar question – hahahahahahahahaha! (pun intended.)

While Rudy Ruiz, Rio’s father, is adamant about his son’s Trojan commitment, he somewhat leaves the door open for Luhnow to make “a pretty good offer to lure him away from USC.” I’m not completely sure what Rudy considers “pretty good,” but if Luhnow can get him late 1^st round/ early 2^nd round money, I would consider that “pretty good.”

Being that Luhnow has signed Correa and is likely focused on McCullers, team Ruiz will likely negotiate with the Astros but not have anything ironed out until the Astros have a concrete decision from McCuller’s camp. 

Hunter Virant is a UCLA commit that will likely have to wait until the last possible moment to sign – if he signs. Of all the draft picks that are still yet to decide, Virant is the least likely in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I believe CJ Hinojosa (26^th round, 789^th overall) is more of a likely sign. But, if McCullers and Ruiz fail to sign – I’d say the chances Virant signs improves exponentially.

As of now, I have to say Jeff Luhnow’s first draft looks mighty beefy – but, I’m still waiting to see if he can get any of these dudes to sign. Contrary to popular belief, the Astros already have a reasonably strong farm system that is heavily loaded in A and AA. If the Astros can sign McCullers, Ruiz or Virant, the baseball pundits might consider the Astros as having a top ten farm system – ah, hell, who am I kidding? 

Wanna see the rest of the draft class? Look at all the Texas kids!             

(I’m not going to keep posting this list over and over again when guys sign, FYI)                                                                                                                                              

1 (1) Carlos Correa SS R-R 6-4/190 9/22/94 17 P.R. Baseball Academy/Gurabo, P.R.

1(41)* Lance McCullers RHP L-R 6-2/205 10/10/93 18 Jesuit High School/Tampa, FL

2 (61) Nolan Fontana SS L-R 5-11/192 6/6/91 20 University of Florida/Winter Garden, FL

3 (96) Brady Rodgers RHP R-R 6-1/195 9/17/90 21 Arizona State/Richmond, TX

4 (129) Rio Ruiz 3B L-R 6-1/180 5/22/94 18 Bishop Amat HS/La Puente, CA

5 (159) Andrew Aplin CF L-L 6-0/194 3/21/91 21 Arizona State/Suisun, CA

6 (189) Brett Phillips CF L-R 6-0/175 5/30/94 18 Seminole HS/Seminole, FL

7 (219) Preston Tucker LF L-L 6-0/220 7/6/90 21 University of Florida/Tampa, FL

8 (249) Tyler Heineman C S-R 5-11/205 6/19/91 20 UCLA/Pacific Palisades, CA

9 (279) Daniel Minor RHP R-R 5-11/188 2/9/91 21 Texas A&M Corpus Christi/Dripping Springs, TX

10 (309) Joseph Bircher LHP L-L 6-4/220 3/27/90 22 Bradley University (IL)/Omaha, NE

11 (339) Hunter Virant LHP R-L 6-3/175 1/22/94 18 Adolfo Camarillo HS (CA)/Camarillo, CA

12 (369) Terrell Joyce LF R-R 6-3/230 5/29/92 20 Florida State College/Newport News, VA

13 (399) Brian Holmes LHP L-L 6-4/205 1/30/91 21 Wake Forest/Lawrenceville, GA

14 (429) Joseph Sclafani SS S-R 5-9/185 4/22/90 22 Dartmouth/Palm City, FL

15 (459) Erick Gonzalez RHP R-R 6-1/175 1/10/92 20 Gateway CC/Gilbert, AZ

16 (489) Daniel Gulbransen LF L-L 5-11/200 1/5/91 21 Jacksonville University/Appleton, WI

17 (519) Aaron West RHP R-R 6-1/205 6/1/90 22 Univ. of Washington/Snohomish, WA

18 (549) Richard Gingras C L-R 6-2/205 10/18/90 21 Point Loma Nazarene Univ./Palm Desert, CA

19 (579) Austin Elkins 2B S-R 5-11/185 12/21/90 21 Dallas Baptist Univ./Coppell, TX

20 (609) Michael Clark LHP L-L 6-3/175 6/11/91 20 Kent State University/Akron, OH

21 (639) Marc Wik CF L-R 5-11/195 7/18/92 19 Chabot College (CA)/Fremont, CA

22 (669) Kenneth Long LHP L-L 6-0/165 1/28/89 23 Illinois State University/Andalusia, IL

23 (699) Travis Ballew RHP R-R 6-0/160 5/1/91 21 Texas State University/Rockwall, TX

24 (729) Patrick Blair SS R-R 5-10/180 10/1/91 20 Wake Forest/Baltimore, MD

25 (759) Ryan Dineen SS L-R 6-2/205 3/2/91 21 Eastern Illinois Univ./Valparaiso, IN

26 (789) C.J. Hinojosa SS R-R 5-11/185 7/15/94 17 Klein Collins HS/Spring, TX

27 (819) Tanner Mathis CF L-L 5-11/180 6/27/91 20 University of Mississippi/Lake Charles, LA

28 (849) Angel Ibanez 3B L-R 6-2/220 9/10/90 21 Univ. of Texas Pan American/Mission, TX

29 (879) Christian Garcia RHP R-R 6-2/175 9/24/91 20 Florence-Darlington Tech (SC)/Saratoga Springs, NY

30 (909) John Neely RHP R-R 6-2/195 7/9/90 21 Texas Tech University/Sugar Land, TX

31 (939) M.P. Cokinos C R-R 6-2/215 6/18/90 21 St. Mary’s University (TX)/Houston, TX

32 (969) Tyler Manez LHP L-L 6-3/180 1/1/94 18 Plainedge HS (NY)/N. Massapecqua, NY

33 (999) Michael Hauschild RHP R-R 6-3/210 1/22/90 22 University of Dayton/Beavercreek, OH

34 (1029) Jordan Jankowski RHP R-R 6-0/195 5/17/89 23 Catawba College (NC)/McMurray, PA

35 (1059) James Sinatro C R-R 5-10/185 9/3/93 18 Skyline HS (WA)/Sammamish, WA

36 (1089) Michael Martinez 1B R-R 6-0/215 12/5/89 22 Florida International/Miami, FL

37 (1119) Michael Dimock RHP R-R 6-2/194 10/26/89 22 Wake Forest/Greensboro, NC

38 (1149) Zachary Remillard 3B R-R 6-1/200 2/21/94 18 LaSalle Institute (NY)/Cohoes, NY

39 (1179) Mitchell Traver RHP R-R 6-7/240 5/3/94 18 Houston Christian HS/Navasota, TX

40 (1209) Joseph Shaw RHP R-R 6-5/215 12/20/93 18 Ennis HS (TX)/Ennis, TX