How did we pass up on Kris Bryant again? Dude looks like a potential hall of fame talent and Appel may never make it past AA. I like the direction we're headed but mistakes like this are very concerning.
I asked this question earlier in the thread and I'll repeat it. Has the Astros ever done well dealing with Boras? Altuve. Left Boras. Fowler. Left Boras. Appel. Stuck with Boras.
I blame Jeff Luhnow and the tandem system. He's ruining pitchers careers. I don't know what happened to Appel, but I do know he can at least hang at the A+ level by the way he pitched in college. Dude needs to take some time off.
Like this Adron Chambers trade. I expect a lot of these type trades over the next few years. Good reserve type talent who works through the farm system but isn't quite good enough to crack the major league system and gets dealt for young prospects with upside. This is how you sustain a highly ranked farm system and maybe even acquire a future star. While not having too spend big money outside of your cornerstone guys.
They just need to keep running him out there. Maybe he can actually work his way into shape.He has had plenty of rest, maybe too much. Let him work some consistent innings. Babying him serves no purpose. Maybe he will end up being a bust long term, but I find it hard to believe he simply isn't good enough to succeed at A ball.
If Luhnow can continue to find trade partners for spare-parts players like Chambers and Justin Maxwell then kudos. I do wonder how many other GM's or FO's are willing to trade even long-shot prospects for waiver fodder though. Microtrades like this fun to see but it's really unlikely either guy is going to do anything. This trade reminds me of the Kvasnicka for Sanudo trade more than the Maxwell for Kyle Smith trade.
Byron Buxton has ... 3 ... hits so far this year in the minor leagues. What a bust! Just be glad that we did not draft that turkey.
Difference is that Buxton hasnt played due to injury while Appel has been back for a while now...you can only excuse the Appel surgery for so long as he's had plenty of time to rehab and strengthen his body. Appel's velocity in his previous outing shows that he's not trying to still get back into throwing shape from the surgery. People need to throw that excuse out the window at this point. There are other issues at play here.
I'm sure you most likely haven't pitched a day in your life. You, like most are jumping to conclusions. It takes time.
??? Wrote a paragraph about why I disagree and erased it for this: he has thrown twice since coming off injury. Give the dude some time and don't look at box scores to diagnose injuries or flaws. Patience.
He's pitched in 6 games... His surgery was back in January. There have been way too many excuses. Team needs to just let him pitch and work through his problems.
The 2 games I reference are since his break in extended spring training, but we can ignore that I guess. I'll go ahead and let the trainers and medical staff handle this one. Clearly, they aren't going to rush him out there if that's not what he needs. And, I for one, am not going to act like I know what a pitcher needs to recover and perform. That being said, I hope we see Mark get back on track, and if that takes some time, so be it.
The break wasn't for injury. The team doesn't know why he has sucked. That is why there have been several excuses. They say he's healthy. He says he's healthy.
Appel has a pitching hand thumb issue (tendinitis), which has affected his two lackluster starts since coming back from EST. I am going out on a limb here and say that the thumb issue should be considered "an injury" that Appel has to work through. Until then he is not 100% healthy and his poor pitching outings need to be taken a grain of salt.
I didn't like the pick when the Astros made it. I felt it wasn't a terrible choice but not one ai would have made. I am not making any excuses for him, but I am also not in panic mode either. Keith Law (who the Astros tried to hire) and others are not overly worried either. I agree, with you though, let him pitch and see what happens.
coming back from injury, it takes more time to gain back your command than it does your velocity. Command and movement on your pitches is equally important as velocity
Keith Law is not a guy I tend to agree with. I don't think he is an expert, and there have been several times where he has clearly been wrong on facts. There has definitely been concerns from BA & Jim Callis. Add to that scouts weren't impressed by him last season either. He's far from done, but at some point you have to start taking results into account for how you view him as a prospect.
That was an injury, though he was supposed to be recovered from that this start, which apparently saw a dip in his velocity again, despite the extra rest.
