When I think of Ward defensively I just think he's about 30 pounds overweight. His instincts are okay but he's just too slow and clumsy. His arm isn't anything to brag about either. I remember Ward in left last year and he was giving me Pete Incaviglia flashbacks for a while. I will give him credit for improving towards the end of the year. He made some nice looking plays at the end but I think it was just luck. ------------------ Nobody's entitled to a stupid opinion.
yeah I agree, he doesn't have the experience yet..come to think of it tony Gwynn is pretty round, slow, and hefty himself...survived out there for 20 years being an average fielder...I really hope he gets much better! Shanna, your # 1 reason for baggy not playing third base sure shut me up in a hurry His arm is erratic from time to time..not sure if I trust him out there throwing it into the stands... ------------------
Yeah, but Gwynn had a rocket of an arm, which I have not seen from Ward. But then, Ward hits for power like Gwynn never dreamed of. And in Enron field, defense isn't as important as offense. ------------------ Founder and President of the Houston Homers Club(HHC) - Are you a homer? Join now! The Rockets will be NBA champions. Believe. [This message has been edited by Puedlfor (edited April 06, 2001).]
Tony Gwynn has a few gold gloves to his credit and 7/8 batting titles.... c'mon! I did hear that Bagwell said he talks hitting with Ward sometimes. I'm just warped by past Astros prospects flaming out majorly. Anyone remember Cameron Drew? That guy was going to a superstar too. ------------------ Nobody's entitled to a stupid opinion.
I'd trade Ward or Berkman for a first class starter. They both deserve to be playing every day. It's not fair to Ward. He deserves to play the game he loves. Here, or elsewhere. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
I'm with Elvis...If anyone goes it will be Alou. Ward is cheaper, healthy, and a better hitter. Look for him to be in the top 20 in OPS, the best measure of hitting excellence IMO, if he gets the AB. Alou's D will suffer due to injuries. Alou has higher trade value as he is a proven RBI man with a name that would bring in some fans. I see the astros keeping both unless a vizquel type SS becomes available or Radke type pitcher. ------------------
I agree with Elvis too. I thought I mentioned not to get rid of Ward b/c Alou will probably be gone next year. I guess my computer froze before I could post that part. I'm hoping Ward continues to lose weight so he could take Alou's spot. This team has such a great future. We got great starters coming up in the minors, an outfield that could dominate the league for years, and a relatively young closer. ------------------ Early man walked away as modern man took control, Their minds weren't all the same to conquer was their goal, So he built his great empire, And he slaughtered his own kind, He died a confused man killed himself with his own mind.
Cameron Drew blew out a knee and was never the same. I remember many years ago the Braves wanted to trade Dale Murphy to the Astros (near the end of his career). All they wanted in return was Drew, Biggio and Caminiti. As an aside, here is the Astros top 10 prospect list from 1998. From 1-8 the players are all STARTERS in the major leagues. Quite impressive. 1998 Richard Hidalgo, of Scott Elarton, rhp Wade Miller, rhp Lance Berkman, of Daryle Ward, 1b Freddy Garcia, rhp Carlos Guillen, ss John Halama, lhp Ramon Castro, c Mark Johnson, rhp ------------------
Ok, folks...do any of you recall that Moises Alou is in the last year of his contract, very injury-prone and the Astros operate under a relatively constricted budget? From a baseball and a business point of view, trading Ward would be stupid. He is young. Another year of spot-starting and 20+ home runs will not hurt him, or the Astros. -Elvis ------------------
Darryl Ward = Sweet Stick We can't afford to get rid of great talent like that. I'm not yet predicting HOF for Ward but I'm really trying to remember who we got for Staub and Morgan. ------------------ Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils. PowerbizOnline.com
