The big league team has lost to the Space Cowboys in the last 18 months... https://www.milb.com/news/clutch-hitting-give-space-cowboys-3-1-win-over-astros
Because, despite the results since he has been gone, this team is better with him and eventually baseball will happen and some bounces will not go the Astros' way. They can't just assume they will keep winning with half the roster just up from AAA. And I would rather they step on the throats of The rest of the division, and not risk letting them recover and cut into the division lead.
The Stros are doing pretty good considering their team is winning despite using players from one of the worst rated farm systems in MLB. Maybe somebody needs to reevaluate how they're grading teams farm systems.
Farm system is rated by how much money is spent on it, not necessarily by how good the talent is. I guess most will say you spend more money on better talent, but it’s all a guessing game when it comes to drafting and international scouting.
Who on this team that is performing well wasn't acquired via trade, FA, and wasn't an Astro or on the Astros farm prior to 2020? Is Colton Gordon the best current player added to the organization after Luhnow through the draft or IFA? The Astros organization was completely stacked after Luhnow left. The Astros are good to great because they've had great MLB players, only needed to fill in holes from the minors, and didn't trade many of the guys away except when really needed. The Astros Farm system is weak and has been for a while. Every farm produces some talent. Astros haven't been as bad as estimates, but they have not been strong for a while. I'm just thankful other teams complained about the Astros cheating. It could be just a coincidence, but I find it funny that when MLB implemented anti cheating measures, the Astros suddenly had a plethora of Luhnow's pitchers (majors and prospects) regress less than other teams.
PS I don't count developmental staff as the farm. The Astros are obviously the best or near it at developing prospects. The Astros get more out of their prospects than they should, but the Astros just don't start with as good of prospects as other teams because they've been good so long and got caught cheating losing some picks. If the Astros started with better players from the draft, they would develop better players than they do.
2025: Colton Gordon, Ryan Guston 2024: Spencer Arrighetti 2023: Yainer Diaz, Ronel Blanco, JP France 2022: Jeremy Pena, Hunter Brown 2021: Bryan Abreu The Astros system gets picked on a lot, and there are areas deserving of criticism - but they find a way to get major contributions from their farm system every year. The farm system has overall done exactly what it is supposed to do.
How do you judge a prospect other than how well they end up being in the majors? Is it based on some writers that aren't good enough to be scouts in the majors? Our farm is good enough to produce or trade for players for the 3rd best record in the majors
All I ask for this and next year Christmas is for Crane to take care of Brown and Pena. I just feel different with those two. Didn’t care much for Cole, Springer, Tucker, Bregman and somewhat Correa when they left.
Correa was the one that hurt but it was a good decision to let him walk based on his health issues we learned about later. Cole would have been a good resigning even though it was the richest pitching contract at the time. Springer didn't want to be here. Bregman is going to be past his prime in the next 2 seasons and is injury prone. We knew Tucker is going to the highest bidder. He's a mercenary and isn't great in the playoffs. I do hope we keep Pena but we really don't know if this is a career year or the start of his peak. Brown, I agree has ace written all over him from the moment he got called up. He just had to figure it out. I want to keep Brown but we have some time to figure out if he is going to stay healthy to give him a Cole type contract.
You forgot Chas and Jake man, they warrant a mention in 2021 along with Bryan Abrue. Chas for 21-23, jake for 21 and 2025. Those were home grown afterthoughts.
10 for 250 for Brown. That's his arb years plus 7/210 extension. Do it Crane (he won't). Other option that makes sense is 5/125. That's his arb years plus 2/80 if you middle my view of what he will get during Arb and Snake's view of what he will get during arb. Hunter is either an Astro for life- or in the second one he gets taken care of now and then can still be a FA at 31 when pitchers still get paid.
It’s too early to fully evaluate the post-Luhnow drafts. And Luhnow’s drafts from 2017-2019 were propped up by 1 player in each draft (Meyers, Pena, Brown). Arrighetti and Gordon both look like solid pieces from 2021 and that’s a good draft in the context of not having a pick until the 3rd round (with the note that they wagered the bulk of their pool on Whitaker and he busted). 2022 has produced the 2nd Verlander trade plus Melton, Dezenzo, and Blubaugh, but there’s still 15 guys in the system from that draft and so a lot tbd. 2023-2024 drafts look good so far, but way too early. Not that any of that really detracts from your point. But I would say over the last 4 years the farm has been below average in talent (not necessarily weak) and average to above average in production. A 2026 draft with 5 picks in the top 100 (rounds 1-3 plus Framber comp and Brown PPI) would go a LONG way to fixing the talent issue.
