this is from Stark's blog...(its about 5 young guys to remember) • HUNTER PENCE, OF, ASTROS -- Here's a prediction for you: Pence will be back in the big leagues by Memorial Day. He hit .571 this spring, with a ridiculous .647 on-base percentage. "You watch this guy take batting practice, and it's like watching a young Frank Thomas," said one scout. "The ball just flies off his bat."
Did any of ya'll catch Ensberg's interview with Rich Lard yesterday? He said the sound that comes off of Pence's bat is a sound that he has only heard come off of Beltran's and Vlad's bat. That is a ringing endorsment and tells me how locked in this young man is and the kind of bat speed he can generate.
Just wonder what it will take for them to call him up. Both Scott and Lane will have to falter OR Biggio will have to get hurt or falter OR Burke will have to get hurt. They're not going to call him up for the sake of calling him up.
i think the main reason he isnt up is because of the Luke Scott experiment 2 yrs ago when they brought him into the starting lineup after a really good spring...sure would be a nice thing to add a guy like him and Rocket around June 1 though.....
I can't believe people are doubting Biggio so much and throwing him under the rug. He is a leader of this team and he is one of the most prideful players in all of sports. If you think he will be content to get his 3K and then sit the rest of the season you are mistaken. He knows people are wanting him benched and he will use that as fuel. I threw Biggio under the rug about 6 years ago or so after he tore his ACL. Boy was I wrong. I realize that Biggio did awful on the road last year but his home numbers are amazing. Biggio is an asset not a liability like some of you think. Loretta will be able to spell Biggio more this year so he won't break down at the end of the year. I think after 20 years Biggio deserves our support.
I dont think its a case of throwing him under the rug....i think its just a case of whether or not he can produce at this stage..and if he cannot, we need to move Burke to 2B and give Pence a shot in CF. I actually think the one guy who could keep Pence in the minors indirectly is Loretta. Loretta is probably going to see a lot more playing time at 2B than Burke will if Bidge falters...at least as initially. However, if Burke cant cut it out there, then the door swings wide open.
I agree, I really hope he has a great year and can go out on top. Go get em Biggio!!! Bi-Gi-O Bi-Gi-O Bi-Gi-O!!!!!!!!!!! To a Bagwell hater it would be so sweet to see Biggio win the world series this year. Well I really don't "hate" Bags so it would of been nice in 2005 with him on the team but not really contributing.
Biggio might be the greatest Astro of all time, but everyone gets old. Look at the greatest 2B in history and I bet you won't find many having good seasons after the age of 40. Carew, Hornsby, Sanberg, etc., they all eventually succumed to age. It's a credit to Craig's longevity that he's made it this far. But you can tell that he wore down in the 2nd half last season, which has become an annual issue for him. His defense has slipped and his bat speed isn't what it was. His wheels aren't what they were. Right now, he's not the best second baseman on the roster, either offensively or defensively, and that's just a bottom-line fact. If this team is serious about winning, they'll sit Biggio after he gets his 70 hits, whether or not he is happy about it. Knowing his career, I think he's a team first guy who will be fine with it. He'll still get ABs off the bench and in spot starts afterwards, and still can help the ballclub in that fashion. But Pence in CF and Burke at 2B is a better combination all the way around, once CB's chase for 3000 is done.
I think you play Biggio 2 out of 3 at home and 1 of 3 on the road. That would give him rest and at -bats so he can get 3K hits but still have juice left for the whole season. Plus Biggio would be a nice PH late in games that he did not start. Having a savvy vet to come in and put pressure on the other team is a huge factor as well.
How could you hate Bagwell? He was a model citizen with the Stros, a leader on and off the field who did things the right way, hustled his ass off, and killed the ball. He was patient at the plate and agressive on the bases and in the field. He and Biggio created an atmosphere that led to the consistant success that the Astros have had from the 90s on. He's also the only MVP the Stros have ever had. If you don't love what Bagwell and Biggio did on the field and for this franchise, then you're not much of a baseball or an Astros fan. Imho.
It's funny how you are saying they need to sit him after 70 hits even though the season hasn't started yet. How about we wait till the season begins to start calling for his head. You say he is the second best second baseman on the team even though his home stats ALONE would be one of Loretta's better whole seasons in the league. I agree Biggio may not be better than Loretta, but I would much rather have Biggio starting at home every game this year and Loretta playing on the road than not playing Biggio at all after his 70 hits. Home .346 .522 .298 15 HRS 40 RBIS I don't think Biggio would be upset after being benched either, but because he is prideful and determined he will not allow that to happen. Worst case scenario, Biggio plays a majority of the first one third of the season even on the road and he is successful as usual at the beginning of the season, then he plays at home and Loretta on the road. How can you look at those numbers and think he is absolutely finished and should be relished to a full-time bench player?
If Biggio only plays in roughly half the games this season, as you suggest, then I think there's a 50/50 chance he wouldn't get to 3000, unless he has a better season than last year. Perhaps the extra rest provides you that, but I figure he would need to hit around .280 in order to reach 3000 hits with just half a season of ABs (maybe a little less than that).
It's not Biggio vs. Loretta, it's Biggio/Burke vs. Burke/Pence. And among 2B qualifiers in both the NL and AL, CB was dead last in batting average, next to last in OBP, and near the bottom in OPS. His isolated power is great, but the rest of his 2006 numbers are all subpar. After the break he hit .201 and got on base 25% of the time. That just doesn't get the job done, even if he hits 20 homers again (which would be awesome, because he's closing in on 300). All of that said, he's going to get the starts at the beginning of the season, and it's his job to lose. If Biggio is hitting .280 with power by the time he gets 70 hits (likely by July 1 if he's going well), then he'll continue to start. If he's limping along, he's going to rest on the bench much more often.
Probably because Bagwell disappeared consistently when it mattered (IE bottom of the 8th/9th when we needed a big hit) That said, I always liked him and thought he was great. But he really wasn't clutch.
Wrongo. Always has been, always will be. Exhibit #3987 why the "conventional wisdom" is usually wrong. Career OPS: .948 Splits: 2nd Half: .969 Sept/Oct: .962 RISP: .998 RISP, 2O: .945 Close & Late: .890 Xtra Inn: 1.031 PH: 1.131 Tie Game: .922 Within 1 R: .943 Within 2 R: .938 Within 3 R: .934
Stats don't matter all the time, watch all the games with your own two eyes and tell me Bagwell came through when they needed him to. Other than 94 I can't remember a season in which he was the Astro I wanted up in a key situation.
