Rasmus was the 1st round pick of StL in 2005, which would be the 1st year that Luhnow was running the draft there. I'm not saying this is an ego signing by any means, but you know there's some kind of connection there. Just an interesting perspective. That said, I'm a Luhnow supporter and Rasmus fan. If he's able to post a normal BAbip this signing will be more than solid.
Well, this year it will be interesting. I like that there is a direction. We have some character this year. It's the furthest thing from Astros baseball historically, pitching and defense, but at least this team has an identity. Whatever the result, there's something to see this year.
Silly. So they're all bad hitters who feast on bad pitchers? Pretty sure that isn't the case. Low walks and high k's doesn't mean bad, or unsuccessful against good. Misconception at its finest
Agreed. Batting averages are down all across baseball... hitters are striking out more than ever before.
I always thought it was because people were walking more with the modern value placed on OBP, but that's not the case. People are striking out a ton, and not walking any more. It's weird.
That doesnt necessarily translate to lots of runs though. Again, it is very rare, in the history of the game, to have a team be in the top 2 in Ks and still be a top 5 offense. I guess it could happen, but it is so incredibly uncommon that I wouldn't hold my breath. I'd love to be wrong though.
Springer and Marisnick should throw out quite a few guys tagging up, and there's always the occasional line drive right at an infielder with men on base. Gotta look on the bright side of life.
That's because high Ks usually means a bunch of bad hitters in the lineup. But there are plenty of exceptions. In 2012, Washington was #3 in the NL in K's and #4 in runs scored. In 2010, Tampa Bay was #1 in the AL in K's and #3 in runs scored. In 2009, Texas and Tampa Bay were #1 and #2 in the AL in K's and #5 and #6 in run scored. Colorado that year was #2 and #2 in the NL. Milwaukee was #3 and #3. On and on.
[rQUOTEr]Luhnow said Tuesday that Springer and Rasmus both are expected to be starting outfielders, which is no surprise. Presumably, one would play center field and the other right field. Marisnick, too, may have a leg up in competition for the third spot, likely left field. Both Robbie Grossman and Marisnick have options remaining, if it came down to it. “I got to say, based on how Jake did at the end of last year, he’s going to be strong consideration for a starting spot,” Luhnow said. “But you know, I think part of the theme of how we’re constructing the roster is there’s options at every position. … Based on what Jake did second half of last year with us, yeah, he deserves every opportunity to be a starting outfielder, and he’ll probably get (that opportunity).” While Evan Gattis, another recently acquired bat, could play some left field occasionally, he’s looked at more as a first baseman and designated hitter, two positions that are themselves getting crowded with Chris Carter and Jon Singleton. “We don’t know what Gattis is going to look like in left field,” Luhnow said. “If he’s good out there or adequate, I’m sure he’ll get some at-bats out there. Is he going to be our everyday left fielder? I can’t imagine that happening with the guys that we have, but we want to have that bat in the lineup.” “Guys that have options are going to have to prove to us that they belong in the big leagues. I don’t think it’s just Singleton. Like I said, we’ve got multiple options at every position on the diamond now. So, you know, players may not be playing their preferred position — that puzzle will come together in spring training. We’re only guessing to try to figure it out right now.” http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2015/01/20/colby-rasmus-on-astros-radar/#29890101=0[/rQUOTEr]
Can't wait to watch this team! $8 mil seems a little steep for Rasmus but I've always liked the guy and hopefully he can turn it around. He's an exciting player and makes us better. That lineup and depth is looking pretty good
You're differentiating between leagues here...that's moving the goal posts. The discussion revolves around the Astros being stacked and having a top 5 offense in baseball...not the AL or not within the division. In your example of Washington, for instance, they were barely a top 10 offense in baseball. Out of all those teams you listed, only Tampa had a top 5 offense while being 3rd in Ks. Keep in mind, they struck out 150 times less than last years Astros too. So, not only are all those teams listed outside of 2010 Tampa not top 5 offenses, but also none of those teams listed were 1st or 2nd in Ks...which the Astros are destined to be this coming year. I'm sure every decade you may run into one team that has a top 5 offense while being top 5 in Ks...but it becomes even more rare when the team is 1st or 2nd in Ks.
If Gattis isn't playing in the outfield, gotta think there's another trade coming. Could see us swapping Carter for an adequate pitcher, or possibly moving Singleton and some prospects for a bigger deal for someone like Cole Hamels. Or maybe even move Castro if Gattis can consostantly play catcher, I don't know enough about him to know if he can though. I just don't see us going forward with three 1b/DH guys.
How many position players does a team normally keep? Seems like we have a lot. Castro Carter Singleton Springer Altuve Lowrie Dominguez Conger Gattis Rasmus Valbuena Marisnik Gonzales Pressley Grossman Am I missing anyone? That seems like a lot to me...
