Bud Norris

[countingcrow]

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_502032.jpg

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Bud%20Norris&pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=502032

I heard good things about this kid during spring training.

It's nice to see that he is backing up the praise with very nice numbers.

I'd like to see how he handles major league hitters some time later this season.

[jopatmc]

Bring him up an plug him in. Especially if we are out of it by late June. What have we got to lose? Kid is 22 years old. Either he's a player or he's not. No sense in d...... around. See if he can get Major league hitters out.

[MadMax]

Bring him up an plug him in. Especially if we are out of it by late June. What have we got to lose? Kid is 22 years old. Either he's a player or he's not. No sense in d...... around. See if he can get Major league hitters out.

they're not gonna lose 100 games.

[Dennis2112]

OK, lets see...

The Astros are on a 5 game winning streak and have swept the last 2 series but they are going to lose 100 games.

This Team is far from the last place losers that some are trying to make them out to be.


It is WAY too early to start writing anybody off.

[Buck Turgidson]

Bring him up an plug him in. Especially if we are out of it by late June. What have we got to lose? Kid is 22 years old. Either he's a player or he's not. No sense in d...... around. See if he can get Major league hitters out.
This is ridiculous.

[Raven Lunatic]

I've not heard of this guy. Is he considered a hot prospect by the team?

[Buck Turgidson]

I've not heard of this guy. Is he considered a hot prospect by the team?
He could be pretty good.

[MadMax]

I've not heard of this guy. Is he considered a hot prospect by the team?

No...remember...there are no good prospects on the Astros. They have NOTHING in the minors. ;)

[Raven Lunatic]

When was he drafted?

[bobrek]

When was he drafted?

He was drafted in 2006

[juicystream]

He went 2-8 last year in A ball.

[juicystream]

No...remember...there are no good prospects on the Astros. They have NOTHING in the minors. ;)

Baseball America ranks him as our 4th highest prospect(Towles, Paulino, and Bourn)

[Roxfan73]

Bring him up an plug him in. Especially if we are out of it by late June. What have we got to lose? Kid is 22 years old. Either he's a player or he's not. No sense in d...... around. See if he can get Major league hitters out.

Hell yea! Oswalt will be a Yankee or Met by then - What have we got to lose?

[DoitDickau]

He went 2-8 last year in A ball.

Who cares? Look at his other ratios. His K/ip and K/bb are pretty sick.

For anyone in the know, what is Norris' projection? From what i've read and gathered before the season, there was some concern about his ability to stick as a starter? Anyone see him in Corpus?

[Buck Turgidson]

When was he drafted?
2006. Just turned 23, power arm w/ a great changeup, working on control, curve and endurance. Gets lots of K's & groundballs, which is nice. Good season last year in Lex, though the W/L & ERA don't show it. Pitched very well in the Hawaiian League & opened some eyes at the Ryan camp.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/N/Bud-Norris.shtml

Also, 2007 pick 2B Matt Cusik is just tearing up the Sally League.

[Raven Lunatic]

Well, looking at his AA stats so far, he's 2-0 with a 1.8 ERA. But looking more closely, he's allowed 18 hits and 4 walks in 20 innings, which is more baserunners than I would typically expect for a guy with a sub-2 ERA. I'm thinking he's been a bit lucky so far to start the season.

[DoitDickau]

Well, looking at his AA stats so far, he's 2-0 with a 1.8 ERA. But looking more closely, he's allowed 18 hits and 4 walks in 20 innings, which is more baserunners than I would typically expect for a guy with a sub-2 ERA. I'm thinking he's been a bit lucky so far to start the season.

4bb/20in is great. There is nothing wrong with that whip. Anyways, look deeper into the stats. If anything, he's been unlucky. He's allowed a .383 babip, which is basically unsustainable.

[bobrek]

Well, looking at his AA stats so far, he's 2-0 with a 1.8 ERA. But looking more closely, he's allowed 18 hits and 4 walks in 20 innings, which is more baserunners than I would typically expect for a guy with a sub-2 ERA. I'm thinking he's been a bit lucky so far to start the season.

That makes his WHIP 1.1. Last year Jake Peavy led the NL in WHIP at 1.06.

[Buck Turgidson]

That's really not a lot of baserunners at all, raven. WHIP's 7th in the Texas League (Brad James is 5th).

[Ottomaton]

He went 2-8 last year in A ball.

I read in the offseason at least one person talking about him being the breakout prospect in all of baseball, so I don't think that this necessarily tells the whole story. I also don't think you can pencil him into the MLB roster just yet like some others are trying to do. There are tons of pitchers who've dominated AA who didn't make any impact in the major leagues.

On the top 10 list of Astros prospects from Baseball America, he is now in the #2 slot (since they've traded Patton, Juan Gutierrez, and Costanzo, & promoted Bourne & Towles). The other guy they have at AA is Brad James, who was beaten up in 1/4 a season of AA last year but seems to have figured it out. Then you have Paulino at AAA, and after that they really honestly have nothing worth mentioning as far as I know. Perhaps you could add Nieve.

[Raven Lunatic]

Hmm...for some reason I was always under the impression that elite pitchers allowed fewer than a baserunner per inning. Oh well, I hope he continues to develop.

[DoitDickau]

I read in the offseason at least one person talking about him being the breakout prospect in all of baseball, so I don't think that this necessarily tells the whole story. I also don't think you can pencil him into the MLB roster just yet like some others are trying to do. There are tons of pitchers who've dominated AA who didn't make any impact in the major leagues.

On the top 10 list of Astros prospects from Baseball America, he is now in the #2 slot (since they've traded Patton, Juan Gutierrez, and Costanzo, & promoted Bourne & Towles). The other guy they have at AA is Brad James, who was beaten up in 1/4 a season of AA last year but seems to have figured it out. Then you have Paulino at AAA, and after that they really honestly have nothing worth mentioning as far as I know. Perhaps you could add Nieve.

Nieve is worth watching. On the hitting side you have Iorg (of), Manzella (ss) and Einertson (of) in AA. Although at this time I don't think any of them project as anything more than mlb backups. As Buck mentioned Cusick in Low A is worth keeping an eye on. Not a lot there and no "can't miss" prospects, but there are a few interesting arms in the upper minors.

There is also the draft in a month. The astros have the #10 pick and 5 total picks in the first ~110 selections

[Buck Turgidson]

Nieve is worth watching. On the hitting side you have Iorg (of), Manzella (ss) and Einertson (of) in AA. Although at this time I don't think any of them project as anything more than mlb backups. As Buck mentioned Cusick in Low A is worth keeping an eye on. Not a lot there and no "can't miss" prospects, but there are a few interesting arms in the upper minors.
Josh Flores would be on that list, but he tore up his knee in a freak offseason accident (slipped/tripped on a curb). Colin Delome has shown a bunch of power, but is struggling with making contact, lot of K's & a low BA. He's another to watch.

[MadMax]

Baseball America ranks him as our 4th highest prospect(Towles, Paulino, and Bourn)

i'm just joking around.

[Raven Lunatic]

It's good that that Cusick guy plays 2B. Because as it stands right now, 2B & 3B are probably the only two positions where a prospect wouldn't potentially have some serious major league talent holding them back from the majors or starting. Outfield (unless Bourn craps out), 1B, SS and catcher are likely going to be set for at least another couple years.