And yet we kept players that were even worse around. Him making through waivers is why we should have kept him. Sure becoming a star was unlikely, but there were scouts that liked his swing change and thought he could be a decent player.
I think this is fair. The Astros were terrible in 2014 and it's not like he was blocking a stud prospect they wanted to rush through the system. Jettisoning 25-year olds who had hit up & down your system probably wasn't a wise move then, or in hindsight. I bet Luhnow would handle if differently now. Having said that........... Every team has scores of players who got away for one reason or another. It happens. There's also no guarantee Martinez would have found his stroke here. Carlos Gomez was a very good baseball player before he came here; he's been a pretty good baseball since leaving here. Sometimes, there are factors beyond balls & strikes...
Whoops...Actually only 0-3 with 3Ks. However, his offensive presence caused the guy who pinch hit for him to strike out as well. Forgot to mention Grossman was 0-4 with 3 Ks
Former Astros great getting into the sexual harassment game https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-zaun-fired-inappropriate-behavior/911861001/ Okay, so the older version of JR Towles.
He was drafted in the 1st round the next season, and promptly blew out his arm exactly like we feared he would. Whether his stuff was good enough if he stayed healthy we'll never know, but he has been terrible so far in the minors.
Astros took a lot of grief for this but appear justified. While it sucks for Aiken, this is a business and the Astros handled the situation correct
He blew out his arm in his first start at IMG Academy, before he was redrafted by the Indians. A big year for him coming up.
Jim Callis was on MLBTV this morning talking about Jake Rogers (part of the Verlander trade) as best potential defensive catcher in the minor leagues. Went on to describe him as a potential star based on his offensive showing last season. Video in link below ranking him #5 catcher in the minors. https://www.mlb.com/news/francisco-mejia-leads-top-catching-prospects/c-264787268
That link didn’t work for me, here’s another: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...biggest-bust-in-mlb-history-is-retiring-at-26 It’s really sad. He is very likely going to be defined by his failure. He’s obviously an intelligent, sensitive guy who lacks the mental toughness to perform under the immense pressure of professional baseball. I guess he was somehow able to mask that at Stanford and during the draft evaluation process. It’s a shame Houston couldn’t have picked up on that sooner and either not drafted him or took better care in developing him, although it’s impossible to protect a 1st overall pick from scrutiny and pressure. He made the comment about Lancaster being the worst intro to pro ball, and there’s a chance he could have had success elsewhere, but in my mind Lancaster just exposed a flaw in his personality that would have eventually done him in anyway. I wouldn’t say he lacks self-awareness, but he doesn’t have the ability to overcome his emotions. Hopefully he is able to have successes outside of playing baseball that will help redefine his life. He’s got a $6M head start on most wandering guys in their late 20s.
I do not read as much as you do into this. Appel probably had less than 50/50 chance of becoming a MLB starter, when drafted. Appel had to take significant steps of improvement as he made his way from one one minor league level to the next, but he did not.
Sucks that he has to put his dream on hold or throw it away entirely. Sucks that he isn't our (worthy) ace heading into next season. Sucks that Ken Giles isn't Billy Wagner 2.0. That being said, dude is rich and has a college degree from a phenomenal school. Seems pretty well adjusted about the whole thing, too. I hope he finds some peace and success in whatever avenue he goes down next.
