2001 - Round Rock (AA - Texas League) .316 avg., 38 hr, 124 rbi, 1015 OPS, 14 sb in 137 games 2002 - New Orleans (AAA - PCL) .272 avg, 15 hr, 83 rbi, 13 sb in 111 games 2005 - Houston .267 avg, 26 hr, 78 rbi There was no reason to think that Lane was going to fall off the map like he did. All he did was hit until 2006. Then he forgot how to. I wouldn't say the Astros were wrong in drafting him. The only thing they were wrong about was giving him more and more chances after 2006. He should have been moved at that time while there was still value. Of course, hindsight is 20/20,
It is, but we were all screaming to trade him at the time. Kinda like all the Carr "haters" in 2005 and 2006 who turned out to be right.
So far, so good. In 8 plate appearences, Bogusevic is 3-for-5 with 2 walks and a homer (he was also hit by a pitch). Maybe we should let Nieve try this hitting thing out too.
I thought this thread said "Astros Try to Pull an Ankle" and I just assumed the entire franchise was trying to create a season ending injury.
That would have been enough for most organizations to promote him right there. But the organization had Daryle Ward "slotted" ahead of him... that turned out great.
Ward, in his final season in the minors in 1999: .353 BA 1.188 OPS 28 HRs .. in 241 at-bats (a 60+ HR pace) He should have been slotted ahead of Lane, and pretty much anyone else on the planet. He didn't work out, but he had the potential to be Ryan Howard, minus the strikeouts. No one what the hell happened to him, but that really sucked.
Geez, It's called hedging your bets!!! You hope that you can gain more value by holding on to assets. It happens every day in the world. It's with investments or money, love, loyalty, etc. The Astros had young players in Lane and Ward who looked to be getting better. They were putting up the numbers. And then, they "dotcom" bubble popped like it did in the early 2000's. More was to be gained if those guys had developed. But, sometimes you get stuck with a lemon. But hey, nobody can fault them for trying? Either the Astros or the players.
Bogusevic is hitting .346 with 3 homers, 13 RBI and a 1.057 OPS since being promoted to AA (52 AB). It's still early but the move looks good so far.
I heard JD talking about him during the game last night. They were saying that he has his confidence back and a bit of a swagger after moping around for so long cause he couldn't pitch. They also said they are going to try and get him to play CF during winter ball. Possibly Bourne's replacement?
I am glad to hear that he is turning it around. anyone who has ever met him will atest to the fact he is a great guy. very humble and down to earth... gotta root for guys like that to succeed
I'm not giving up on Bourn yet. He's so good defensively and on the bases, and he was starting to swing the bat pretty well until he got the ankle injury. Once he's fully healthy, Coop should start him every game. You have to remember, he had very few ABs above the AA level before the start of the season, and it takes most players some time to adjust to major league pitching. I think he'll be much better next season.
lets hope bourne comes on and then we have options as far as moving a young Pence for pitching next season
I hear ya. I'm not advocating Bourne's release or anything like that, I think he has a good future with the club. Once he figures out that he needs to slap the ball the other way instead of trying to pull every pitch, he'll be much better off. Seasoning and more ABs will help him get there.
How about moving Lee for pitching and having an outfield of Bogusevic/Bourn/Pence? Pence is not going anywhere any time soon.
That's what I thought before this year. But he has really disappointed this year both offensively and defensively. If the Astros offered a young arm, I would likely be willing to move him. For example like last year when the Rays traded Delmon Young for Matt Garza. If an arm like Garza was available, I would do that trade in a heartbeat.
Pence has a higher upside and more tools than Young. It's just his second season and it's not like he's putting up Ausmus like numbers. He's got some pretty solid numbers. Take away the month of June and he's hitting .295. Don't forget that Young had some issues in the minors, too. I don't remember Pence ever throwing a bat at an ump. I'd take Pence over Delmon Young any day...
I think the argument is young arm vs young positional player. if thats the case, then I would tend to agree that the pitching would always take precident...
I'd also take Pence over Young anyday. I'd just rather have a stud young pitcher than a young outfielder. If the Rays got Garza for Young, I'd think the Astros could get a little more for Pence.
