Sure he stepped up big time in the playoffs, but is he really worth NOT trading for Soriano??? Its kind of like Hidalgo. Under no circumstances were we going to trade him early in his career, but he turned out to be a one hit wonder. Backe could easily be another Tim Redding. Im not sold. Why should we keep this kid when he hasnt proven he can go an entire season??
Damn right, DD. That's one of the reasons I'm pumped about Clemens coming back. His and Andy's influence on the rest of our pitching staff could be phenomenal. Whether or not Backe's the real deal or not is hard to answer at this point, but it is a good sign that he stepped it up in the fight for the playoffs and the playoffs. I know we've made the mistake in the past of not selling high with our pitchers (Elarton), however, I think there are three reasons why we're not doing it here. 1) The aforementioned playoff success, 2) we're gonna need a #3 after 2005, and 3) the fact that he's a hometown guy. I personally wouldn't mind a trade involving Backe for Soriano, but I understand why they're holding on to him.
Redding is a mental nut job, hence he would never step up in a pressure situation. For that reason alone, Backe's not another Tim Redding. I do agree, though, I don't think anyone is quite sure how good Backe is or willl be. I feel the same way regarding Soriano- but given the price of pitching, even if Backe is no more than a solid 3/4/5 type, he comes at a cheap price for the next 3 or so years. Soriano is already making 7.5 mill, and despite his power/speed combo, he has pretty big flaws (Ks, errors). With Burke being one of our top prospects, it's hard to justify the increase in cost at that position, plus having to fill Backe's slot with another high price option or a higher risk option. The rotation is shaping up, with Oswalt-Clemens-Pettitte-Backe, and an open competition for the #5 between Redding, Hernandez, Duckworth, Munro, and probably Buchholz and Astacio as well.
Agree with everything NIKE just said. It's going to take more than a postseason for Backe to prove himself though - Dave Mlicki came up huge for the Stros one season in the playoffs, and he was always a scrub. Backe's young though, and cheap, and just might become a good pitcher.
How is Soriano a higher risk? I mean, with Soriano, you pretty much guarantee yourself a 30 homers, 100 RBIs, and 110 runs. Pitchers are pretty eratic and have up and down years. I know Soriano's defense seems to be a problem, but what's to stop us from being able to keep Burke and put Soriano in CF? Actually, there is a risk with Soriano and that is the fact that he's a FA. It wouldn't be a problem if we still had the market established the previous off season. Thanks to Boras and Beltran, Soriano might be looking for Vlad type money and that could be a problem.
Only time will tell, but me likes what he's done so far... Again, Soriano is not the answer, and only would agree if he would play CF and trade someone else besides Backe...Both are not going to happen...
Sorry, but I've never heard that, so I need to hear about at least one occasion. Can you tell me one?
Backe was real enough for the Astros at crunch time last year to deserve and get a long hard look as a starter this season.
Re-read it. I said we would have to replace Backe with an option who is a higher risk (ie, counting on Hernandez/Redding/Duckworth).
Good pitching is more important than explosive hitting. You can't lose if the other team can't score. DD
Backe has earned the right to prove himself. I am pulling for this guy to be a solid pitcher for many years to come.
Since the Astros will never spend the money that a lot of big market teams spend, they HAVE to retain and use young talent. The Astros have cultivated a lot of young talent in the last decade or so, and you can't trade it all away everytime there is an offer. Sure, there are some misses (Elarton, Redding) but there are hits as well (Oswalt, Berkman).
You ever hear of a kid that the Astros gave up on named Curt Schilling? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
You ever hear of a kid that the Astros traded away named Curt Schilling? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I think he is someone that is special. The guy has not been pitching that long and is already having success.
I've been searching for an article, but can't find any. The fact is, and many on this board have heard it as well, he doesn't want to play OF and has said it repeatedly. You also have to wonder about a player of his age whose production seems to be slipping. It would be one thing if he was 35 but he is still in his 20's. Backe is all about potential right now. He proved in the playoffs that he is not the mental midget that Tim Redding is. He can handle the tough situation. I believe it was Backe who pitched the last game against Colorado that was a must win. He has the ability to throw 8 shutout innings against the Cardinals vaunted lineup IN THE NLCS. Plus, he is a local boy. I do think that he is worth not trading, at least for this season, to see what he might become.
