Velazquez might turn into an all star, but Giles is already in all star form. As far as I am concerned the Astros have closer 1a and 1B. Quite a formidable duo in Giles and Luke Gregorson. Fields, Harris, Pat Neshack combine for a strong bullpen. Still need another arm or two. But there are internal options.
My remaining wish list: 1) Sign Kazmir (bargain?) or trade for Fernandez (Marlins def. going to r&pe the Astros farm system) 2) Bring back Tony Sipp 3) Big Bat FA (who's out there...just Chris Davis?); I'd be 'open' to a Justin "Holding the Seat Warm" Morneau for AJ Reed or Singleton by mid-season. let's go let's go!
Please, no Neshek. I am really excited about this trade. The Astros have had some great closers through the years, and I think Giles will the next great Astro closer.
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Never heard of him but the national league is a bit out of touch with me now. He looks filthy in that video though and I love the energy. This is exactly what the Astros needed to come away with this offseason and the price was fair.
^^ I was just looking at that, too. Made A-Rod and Bryce Harper look silly. Wears his emotions on his sleeves. I like him already. I'm not used to a pitcher pitching that fast since maybe Lidge.
Adding an arm was never gonna be cheap. As prospects go I'm OK with this. I'm actually a bigger Obie fan than most, but at best I think he's a decent back end arm. VV has potential, but his inability to put hitters away concerned me a great deal. Fisher hurts the most IMO, really liked him. Cameron/Tucker gave us some good depth at the lower levels in the outfield, so it's easier to accept.
Hell yeah, finally got a legit closer. Now just resign Kaz (or Gallardo is the price is reasonable) and Sipp and we're ready to make a run at the title. I don't think a bat is necessary as that would just overcrowd the already crowded 1B competition. With Singleton, Reed, White, and Duffy set to battle it out in spring training we should be fine.
I don't know if it's seeing Giles in the Phillies uniform, or the fact that Giles has a plus fastball and plus slider, but I can't help but compare him to Lidge.
I thought it was only 3 players with the the third being unnamed and we found out it was Derek Fisher. This article is saying 4. They better be wrong because we gave up plenty. I hate giving up VV but I like Giles numbers and his contract. If we had him last in the playoffs against the Royals, we might have actually closed out game 4 or 5. ggihvnuotgbiortvngoptin Astros acquire closer Ken Giles from Phillies for 4 players - SB Nation
I was a big fan of Obie too. VVs inability to put out hitters was the reason why I was okay with him leaving but given time, I think he figures it out and dominates. Obie was just the odd man out and will serve a good role at the back end of any rotation. If we had to get rid of a hitter/of, I guess the city of Houston and its fans was looking at the guy that headbutted Scola anyway. It wouldve been hard to cheer for that name. White, goatee, same windup, phillies jersey, plus fastball and a slider. Its all there.
Some of those sliders were hangers... but were still effective as a pseudo changeup/curveball and buckled the hitters. Want to see more of the late breaking sliders.... the ones that are seemingly in the zone, till they're not. That was the "good" Lidge slider. Like anything else, the league will make adjustments to him with more appearances... and he will need to adjust back... but then again, 99 mph is tough to adjust to no matter where you're throwing it.
Keith Law's take on the Giles trades, per ESPN Insider: Spoiler NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Astros' playoff exit was largely tied to a problem in their bullpen, which they've addressed using some of the bulk in their farm system while keeping all of their top prospects. For the Phillies, it's a no-brainer to deal a 70-inning-a-year closer -- one who has a very short track record of pitching at this level of performance -- for two prospects and a needed rotation option. The Astros' bullpen was a weakness in one specific way: They couldn't miss bats. It wasn't an ineffective bullpen, like the Dodgers' non-Jansen relievers or the Red Sox's relievers for most of the year, but they couldn't miss bats and it cost them badly in October. Whether they view Ken Giles as a closer or as a more fungible high-leverage option when they need a strikeout or two, he's better than any reliever they had in 2015 by a pretty significant margin. Hitters swung and missed at one of every four sliders that Giles threw last year, and struggled to even put his upper-90s fastball in play. He doesn't walk guys, although I think his control is well ahead of his command -- he gets away with some mistakes in location because his two pitches are so good. I don't ordinarily like paying for closers, in money or prospects, but in this case the Astros acquired Giles with five years of control remaining, two of them pre-arbitration years, so they're going to receive substantial value for what they gave up, and while the guys they gave up are good prospects, they were not among Houston's top five. Ken Giles brings swing-and-miss stuff to the Astros bullpen, but he didn't come cheaply in a deal with the Phillies. Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports The Phillies get a lot of value back for their young closer, who was a luxury on a team that's not going to be very good with or without a guy to handle a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The most notable name is right-hander Vincent Velasquez, a promising starting pitching prospect who has thrown 152 1/3 innings in total over the last two years around various injuries, and one who has never thrown more than 124 innings in any calendar year as a professional. He has an above-average fastball and plus changeup, but didn't use the change enough in his big-league tenure and has never found an above-average third pitch. I think he can remain a starter even if the curveball remains a fringe-average weapon because the changeup is good and hitters don't see the fastball well, but some evidence of durability would be nice. Houston took outfielder Derek Fisher in the sandwich round in 2014 out of the University of Virginia; when first overall pick Brady Aiken didn't sign, Fisher became their top signed pick in the draft class, although their next pick, A.J. Reed, has since blown past Fisher and become one of the top 50 prospects in the game. Fisher is a very athletic corner outfielder whose performances have never quite lived up to his tools, especially on defense, as he's a 70 runner who is a below-average fielder in any spot in the outfield. Fisher does work the count well and can turn on a fastball, although left-handers who can spin the ball are his nemesis. The batting-practice power he's shown for years has never really translated to in-game power, and I think he's more likely to hit for average with 30 doubles than to hit 20-odd homers in the majors. Because he's limited to left field, he's probably an average everyday player rather than a star; if that home run power ever shows up after the first pitch, however, he'd be a much better prospect. Brett Oberholtzer fills a critical need for the Phillies right now, as he's a major-league starter with a pulse. He missed time this spring with a finger injury, but came back as the same guy he was in his solid 2014 season -- a command left-hander with a fringy fastball and three off-speed weapons that allow him to change speeds and eye levels. The Phillies were about to use the Phanatic as their No. 4 starter, so Oberholtzer gives them something a little better than that. They may also receive a fourth prospect in the trade, likely to be announced after Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
Would have rather given up Appel. Fisher I'm not sold on. Great tools but strikes out quite a bit, poor defense, and poor throwing arm. Could see him as a .275 hitter with 15-20 home runs. I see him as a poor man's Alex Gordon. Really don't like to see VV go. Still had some things to work on, but he could have stepped into the rotation next year in the 5 spot and really done some damage. Hopefully Appel can step it up next year or Musgrove can stay healthy. 1. Dallas 2. McCullers 3. McHugh 4. Fiers 5. Feldman
