[Official] Astros @ Pirates

[tellitlikeitis]

Stoffel time.

[REEKO_HTOWN]

Kill shot!

[LonghornFan]

So...who are we picking #1 next year? Christ.

[REEKO_HTOWN]

Hopefully in a few years our ballpark will be as full at the Pirates'

[conquistador#11]

have I ever mentioned that I dislike Fernando and lyon?
ugh.

Nice ball club the pirates have built. I hope they win the central and don't fall off like they usually do. they deserve it.

As for us, I don't want to sound like bob mcnair but we're on the right track.

[tellitlikeitis]

CASTRO CASTRO CASTRO CASTRO CASTRO

[desihooper]

Nice AB by Castro. It's funny/sad watching this team. If it's not the hitting, it's the pitching. If it's not the pitching, it's the fielding.

Hope the young guys can kinda grow up together through this tough time.

[bigtexxx]

CLUTCH double from Castro. nice work

[conquistador#11]

alright make your bets...
a walk off home run by the pirates?
or the dreaded extra innings?

Desihooper, I think they will grow up out of it. It's so easy for media people to pile on this team.

[tellitlikeitis]

[LonghornFan]

Originally Posted by conquistador#11 a walk off home run by the pirates?

I will now drink Pepto.

[bigtexxx]

yeah I think we all saw that one coming. barf

[LonghornFan]

The only thing I enjoy about this series is looking at the Pirates ballpark. Just friggin' awesome. Love it.

[cardpire]

snakebit/bad.

making a good run at the #1 pick though.

[BrooksBall]

Originally Posted by desihooper Hope the young guys can kinda grow up together through this tough time.

I wouldn't worry about that. Reasonable chance only a couple at most will be part of the club (or any club in some cases) by the time we are contending for a playoff spot... which I wouldn't expect to happen for at least the next 5 years... probably longer.

Altuve, Martinez, Lyles, Keuchel, Castro... even out of that group, no telling, particularly with the latter 4. I'd say Altuve has the best bet given his age, position and ability. The others could more easily be replaced over time. Yep, even Martinez. Still too early to tell with him despite the positives he's displayed at every level, including this one. We already have some nice OF prospects in the system and more are sure to come over the next several years. I like some things about Castro but I don't see him ever being anything more than average behind the plate, if that. Offensively, I wouldn't expect anything plus outside of walk rate. He may stick but could easily be replaced with all the drafts and trades yet to take place under new management before we are legit again. Just can't tell with young pitchers. So many things could play out over time.

I'd expect the rest to be gone for sure for one reason or another... trade, upgrade from within, out of baseball, etc...

[thegreekdbag]

Originally Posted by BrooksBall I wouldn't worry about that. Reasonable chance only a couple at most will be part of the club (or any club in some cases) by the time we are contending for a playoff spot... which I wouldn't expect to happen for at least the next 5 years... probably longer. Altuve, Martinez, Lyles, Keuchel, Castro... even out of that group, no telling, particularly with the latter 4. I'd say Altuve has the best bet given his age, position and ability. The others could more easily be replaced over time. Yep, even Martinez. Still too early to tell with him despite the positives he's displayed at every level, including this one. We already have some nice OF prospects in the system and more are sure to come over the next several years. I like some things about Castro but I don't see him ever being anything more than average behind the plate, if that. Offensively, I wouldn't expect anything plus outside of walk rate. He may stick but could easily be replaced with all the drafts and trades yet to take place under new management before we are legit again. Just can't tell with young pitchers. So many things could play out over time. I'd expect the rest to be gone for sure for one reason or another... trade, upgrade from within, out of baseball, etc...

I wouldn't judge Castro's defense and arm based off of this year. He's coming off the injury. Klima, who i respect, said he thinks Castro has a chance to be a very good defensive catcher and all the reports up the ladder were very positive on his defense. He also has a very good plate approach. I think he's going to be pretty good if he can keep away from the injury bug.

[REEKO_HTOWN]

There is no point in rooting for wins unless they have are 3 games under the Cubs. Have the grab the last place and hold it.

[TheChosenOne]

Can we start up the fire Mills campaign?

[jim1961]

Originally Posted by TheChosenOne Can we start up the fire Mills campaign?

Depends on how high a pick we want next year

[xcrunner51]

Originally Posted by BrooksBall I like some things about Castro but I don't see him ever being anything more than average behind the plate, if that. Offensively, I wouldn't expect anything plus outside of walk rate. He may stick but could easily be replaced with all the drafts and trades yet to take place under new management before we are legit again.

C'mon give him some credit. He'll never be the 15-20 HR hitter that many of us hoped for but I've been extremely impressed with him this year. He started slow but that was no surprise after coming back from injury.

A catcher's offensive ability is his third most important attribute behind defense and game-calling. It's the reason we've kept Chris Snyder and his .188 average. He calls a great game. It's the reason we kept Ausmus so long. If getting a good catcher were as easy as you make it out to be, the Astros would have gotten one a long time ago. They churned through a ton of high draft picks and top prospects; remember Max Sapp and Mitch Melusky?

Castro's June slash line was .302/.367/.453. That's actually awfully close to Buster Posey's season averages. Castro isn’t Posey, but that’s an extremely promising stat line. That might be the best month by an Astros catcher in the last decade.

You gotta remember 2 things:
1) catchers’ average stats are much lower than other positions.
2) the Astros haven't had even an average offensive catcher in a LONG time. The last All-star at the position was Biggio for christ's sake.

In 4 years since Ausmus, we’ve gone through:
I-Rod, Quintero, Towles, Kevin Cash, Brian Esposito, Chris Coste, Robinson Cancel, and Carlos Corporan.

I can see Castro averaging .280 with a 770-800ish OPS next season. Throw in solid defense, game-calling AND an ability to start 120+ games, and I'd be down right be ecstatic. He has lived up to every bit of his 10th pick in the draft status; something I never envisioned. He totally solidifies that position for us. He's the Altuve of the catcher's spot.