If it were up to me it would be Cruz & Niekro. (Or Cruz and Quintero, considering how good he's looking. May be worth it to keep three catchers.) Abercrombie doesn't impress me at all. Ramirez looks like he'll be good eventually but he needs some more seasoning in the minors. Unfortunately, we'll be saddled with Erstad no matter how badly he performs in spring training because the Astros gave him a guaranteed contract. Erstad has been in steady decline and he isn't likely to give us anything in terms of offensive production. The Astros need Cruz because they have got to have some semblance of power on the bench and Cruz has the most power out of all those vying for jobs. This team's really gonna miss Mike Lamb. But at least Lambo's finally getting the chance to start which is what he should have been given two years ago.
Ramirez will be the starting CF/leadoff guy in AAA. Niekro (?) is strictly a 1B, with maybe a little emergency 3B thrown in, he has no chance. Abercrombie has all the talent in the world but can't harness it. They need someone who can play above average CF outside of Bourn. That pretty much leaves Abercrombie & Erstad, with Cruz a step below those guys. Erstad has a guaranteed deal, and is the planned backup at 1B too, so pretty sure it's going to come down to Cruz & Abercrombie. All 3 of those guys can play any spot in the OF, which gives Coop good flexibility. It'll be hard to let Q go (I guess there's an outside shot he could clear waivers), but I don't know how they can carry 3 catchers unless they only take 11 pitchers (which I don't see happening).
Cruz and Erstad make the team. They have been the most productive out of those listed above so far in ST. Niekro I was really pulling for, but he is batting .000 in ST. Ouch.
Who is the 5th starter out of Sampson, Paulino and Chacon? Looking at the bullpen it appears there might be just a few issues. They might as well give the rookie Gervacio a spot in there somewhere. I mean, he's got to be better than Paronto, Dejean, Geary, Moehler, Borkowski and McLemore. Wow..that staff looks pretty bad. Maybe Wesley Wright or Brad James makes this team.
i think Chacon will be 5th starter yeah i really didn't like seeing Sarfate go in the Tejada trade. no idea if they will even put a lefty in the pen seems no one wants the job. Valverde Brocail Villareal Paulino Borkowski Sampson lefty..... Nieve will be the setup man when he returns.
I'd rather see a bullpen of... Villarreal Valverde Brocail- unless he continues to pitch absolutely terrible Gervacio- with this crappy pen, the young phenom is a must McLemore- Don't you HAVE to have one lefty Paulino/Sampson- spot starter duty as well Dejean/Geary/Paronto- have had success in the majors
I know that Woody is going to start the season in the rotation. I'm predicting now that he won't last through May. He'll either be moved to the pen or released. He was blown up again today. Granted, he was getting squeezed on some borderline pitches, but he's enough of a vet to know how to adjust. Instead, he throws it over the plate and got handed 5 er's in 2 2/3.
it is sickening watching this game. Paulino vs Redding. the two most hyped astros minor league pitchers of the last decade our ****ty past vs our ****ty future
What the f*** are you talking about? Since when is Paulino overhyped? I'd have to think that Elarton, Hirsch, and Patton had way more hype than Paulino ever had. Most of us think he's a good pitcher and may have a shot at the 5th starter spot, but I don't believe anyone is harboring illusions of Paulino becoming Roy Oswalt anytime soon.
First round of roster cuts: Estrada, Niekro, Nieve, James, Gervacio, Yordany Ramirez, Reineke, Manzella, Muecke. All should be in RR this year (James may start in CC).
I was really hoping Gervacio would make the team . He's looked better than anyone else the Astros could hope to put in the bullpen.
Early ST results are largely useless: pitchers are working on a) specific pitches and b) building up arm strength. The biggest trend this spring is Coop's continuous emphasis on throwing strikes. The guys who have really struggled in that regard (McLemore & Randolph) have pretty much pitched themselves off the team, I'd think. Wright was shaky early in the spring, how much of that is nerves at being in his first big league camp, and how much he'll settle down in his next few outings, will go a long way in determining if he sticks. I hope he does.
We do have options for back up at SS & 2nd should this go down. Blum started many games at SS for the Padres during Kahlil Green's many DL trips. It's not the best option, but his range couldn't be much worse than Loretta's. If Tejada is the Tejada of old, there really is little need for one. Loretta is definitely going to play less with the Astros this season. If they can get a prospect out of it, why not?
You have to plan on Matsui missing time due to his back. Loretta's a great backup plan there. It all depends on what they could get. When they looked to deal him at the deadline last year, they couldn't get what they wanted (a prospect on the same level as the draft pick they wanted to get by offering & him rejecting arbitration in the offseason). Quintero may also be dealt soon. Unless they decide to carry 3 catchers (doubtful).
Paulino's come down with a sore "upper arm" and is headed back to Houston to be checked out. Not the first time this has happened with him, and it led in the past to some scuttlebutt out of the development guys that he can't handle the workload of a starter & will end up in the bullpen.
Here's what he needs to work on in RR: "One thing we've worked on with him is trying to get him to use his fastball." -- Dewey Robinson "He needs to establish his fastball early in the count and then go to the off-speed stuff....Those hitters up there are a little bit better, and they hit that breaking stuff if they know it's coming. But he's making progress." -- Ricky Bennett
