Well, this year sucked. Post your reviews here. Try to avoid gratuitous whining and moaning and cute sarcastic nicknames ("distastros", "biggi-blow", "Crapholes", etc.). Let's shoot for some actual content instead.
Positives - Berkman, Scott, Roy O., Clemens, Wheeler, Lamb, Taveras hit streak, 19 - 9 start, 9 game win streak, Everett's defense. Negatives - Going 54-68 over 122 games of the season, Lidge, Lane, Ensberg, Biggio hitting .247, Russ Springer vs. Bonds, Everett's offense. It was a fun season but there definitely needs to be some tweaking done here.
This year might have sucked according to our STANDARDS. I would rather have a competitive team every year than a team like the devil rays or blue jays that continue to be at the bottom of the standings year in and year out. positives heading into next year: wheeler, qualls, i liked the way lidge finished the season, lamb, bring palmeiro back!, resign huff for a full season, carlos lee will be in an astros uniform ex astros: wandy, ensberg, lane once again, the astros will be competitive in 2007, and as a fan thats all you can ask for!
I'm really dissapointed that the Stros couldn't pull it out in the end but I don't think this was a disastrous season. The phenomenal Stros run at the end showed that this team still has what it takes to win. They just have to learn to turn it on a little bit sooner. The team definately needs some tweaking, but not a wholesale revamping. One problem with this team is that Phil Garner being a manager who manages more by feel and emotion that works well when the pressure is on for a penant race but isn't good for consistent performance. I don't think we should get rid of Phil Garner but the fire he gets in the Stros late in the season he needs to figure out how to get that lit and going a lot sooner.
I'm just happy the stros showed some life late in the season. Too bad they waited till 2 weeks left to really play. blah. POSITIVES Willy T: Has a canon for an arm Mike Lamb: his bat wasn't too shabby this year Orlando: He was clutch as a PH Lance: He was putting up MVP numbers. Luke: This dude was insane for a while, started to come back toward earth...but was still damn good. Roy: Awesome...just flat out Awesome Wheeler: He had one of the best, if not the best era in the 2nd half IIRC. NEGATIVES Morgan Endsberg: What happened to the guy this year? (besides the injury) Was '05 the fluke? I hope not. Lane: Seriously, enough with this guy already Lidge: He was an automatic walking machine. Hopefully he'll be better in the bullpen...if I even want him there...i'm not sure. Rookie Pitching....
To say this season was anything more than disappointing would be misleading. The team made it to the World Series last year, had the talent to win the division going away, had few injury concerns, and didn't put it together until the second half of September. There were several true disappointments: Morgan Ensberg followed up his MVP chase with a season that should have got him benched. Brad Lidge was mostly horrible, although he did show signs of turning it around. Chad Qualls seemed to give up big innings far more often than he has typically. Andy Pettitte's beginning to the season was not to the level that we expect for him. His second half was much better, but he should have been much better for the entire year. Jason Lane continues to show that he just isn't good enough to consistently hit at the big league level. Brad Ausmus's arm showed diminished strength, and after teasing Astro fans for a couple of months, his bat went right back to where we're used to seeing it. Taken as a whole, Chris Burke met expectations, but he slumped when he was needed most. While Mike Lamb's bat was a wonderful boost, his inability to make any improvements in the field continue to prevent him from helping the team as an everyday player. Aubrey Huff was decent and clutch, but still didn't live up to expectations. Maybe the expectations were a little too high. Brandon Backe can't be blamed for his shoulder issues, but they are disappointing nevertheless. Wandy Rodriguez went from a reliable workhorse to reliably awful in 1/2 a season. He has shown that he knows how to pitch, I just hope it's fatigue and he bounces back next year. (I'm sure the Astro organization was disappointed with Preston Wilson's performance, but he performed really close to what he's been recently. I think that had Lane been cut instead, the Astros might not have been much better, but the Cardinals might have been just enough worse for the Astros to catch them.) And some real positives: Roy Oswalt again showed why he is the best pitcher in baseball. Roger Clemens went out and put up the best half season for a pitcher his age since Satchel Paige. Lance Berkman continues to become considered the best hitter the Astros have ever had. Craig Biggio's glovework rebounded some from last year, and he didn't punish the Astros for having him in the starting lineup. His hitting at home was solid. Willy Taveras had a decent year with the bat and showed that he has the tools to be a gold-glove center fielder. Adam Everett had another year as the best defensive player in the league. Luke Scott was the best rookie in the world for half the year. Plus, he hit for the cycle and hit the homerun part just a few feet from me. Can you say exciting? He brought a looseness to the club that didn't seem to exist before. Dan Wheeler proved again that he can be a reliable major league closer. Borkowski, Miller, Nieve, and Springer show the kind of reliability in the bullpen that few teams have. The young starters all show promise, and the Astros should have one or two of them break out and be solid middle rotation starters behind a couple of great aces. When your team isn't eliminated until the last game, you are in much better shape than fans of 3/4 of the teams. Even so, I had hoped for more.
I wouldn't say this is a bad season, but more disappointing after coming off a World Series appearance. It got exciting at the end of the season. I just wish we could have pulled it off. It looks good for next year, but now we need to know we have to fend off the Reds, and the Brewers look promising. For 2007 and beyond. We need a better minor league system. It's crazy how the Marlins just pump out prospects left and right, win the world series, trade them all, get more prospects back in return, suck for a bit, make a playoff run, win the world series, trade all those guys, and do it again, and again. I'd like to see Burke get time at second base. Maybe we can sign Carlos Lee, and a good pitcher.
You do realize that the Marlins pluck the BEST prospects from each and every team they decide to trad their "studs" to. There are some hidden gems, but for the most part every single one of their trades of big-money players results in a minor league prospect that's as "sure-thing" as can be. Also, I don't think we should be arguing with the following: Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chad Qualls, Adam Everett, Luke Scott, Wily Taveras, Chris Burke... and don't give up on Jason Hirsh, Troy Patton, Hunter Pence, JR House, and Matt Albers. (Say what you want about Ensberg and Lane this year... but both have contributed significantly at the MLB level.) Out of all "contending" teams, the Astros' nucleus/upcoming young players is BY FAR the highest percentage of home-grown players/minor-league trades. A lot of mid-market to big money teams would give anything for the sort of home-grown success we've had.
This sums up my feelings on the Astros' year. They are a better team than their records show and if they started their run two weeks earlier, there is no doubt the Cardinals were toast. I love Clemens to come back and get win 350 and look forward to Biggio getting his 3000th hit. Pitching has been solid but the batting is in the bottom quarter of the table. The team need at least 2 x 100+ RBI guys to help Berkman. Ernsberg had a down year. Huff has only been with the team for half a season. Scott showed promise.
it's just funny how the Marlins get a prospect that turns into a gem. They seem not to get any that flame out.
just a hunch, but they probably get plenty of prospies that flame out . . . we just don't hear about them . . . cause they flamed out.
I thought the year was pretty interesting. Once the bullpen sorted itself out the team became competitive and you have to like how Berkman, Clemens and Oswalt stepped up. The offense was horrible, though, and I think it comes down to Ensberg and Lane sucking. The case against keeping Ensberg is that he's not that young anymore and will no longer be a salary bargain with arbitration coming up. Even his career year last year had some frightful slumps (yes, the hand injury played a role). I just hate his approach at the plate. He changes his stance once a week and has the mentality of lead-off hitter instead of a run producer. There is a possibility that you can get something of value for him one year off of his huge year. It's clear that pitchers figured out the huge holes in Lane's swing and he was a non-factor. Moving forward, I think we need a full upgrade at third and the corner outfielders. If 2005 taught us anything it is that can't keep hoping the not-so-young kids like Lane and Ensberg will produce anymore. Obviously, they will also have to go after another dependable starter and hope one of the kids emerge. The Brewers and Reds should keep improving and the Cardinals have as many pieces as we do moving forward, so I hope Tim Purpura is proactive this off-season. Anyway, that run at the end made it an exciting season for me. Can't wait until Spring Training!
A little dissapointing to end on a sour note, and weird that the magical ride dating back to '04 is over. But such is life. Good: 19-9 start, 9-2 finish, Berkman, Wheeler, Springer, Miller, Nieve, Luke Scott, Everett's defense, Clemens, Roy O, Sampson, Pettite in the second half, Burke's continued progress, Lamb, Palmeiro's clutch contact, Garner (I think he's a fine manager that doesn't always get the credit he deserves but rather the blame) Up and Down: Lidge (nice start, bad middle, solid finish), Qualls (giving up the dagger-to-the-heart long balls), Borkowski (started good, came back to earth), Hirsch (some quality starts mixed with some horrid), Biggio (started well, ended bad but still provided production), Willy T, Huff (contributed but not as consistently as I'd hoped) Bad: Wandy (started off well enough but then went nowehere fast), Buchholz (see Wandy), Gallo, Lane (what happened), Ensberg (see Lane), Ausmus (bad at the plate even for him, lost a lot of baserunners), situational hitting, May, June, July, August Prognosis: I hope this team learns that you can't play great for a month and a half and expect to make the postseason. I'd love to see a team that can play more consistently throughout the season and turns it on not just when their backs are to the wall; I think they're capable of that if they make some needed upgrades. We got a good young core mixed with some solid to great veterans. A few key additions I think could lanuch this team to the front of the pack next year. If they take care of in-house signings first (Pettite, Biggio, Huff, others), get rid of some dead weight (Wandy, Lane), go after some guys in the market (Lee, maybe a solid-hitting catcher), then hope Clemens gives it one more go after seeing the upgrades this team makes (and not just band aids like Preston Wilson was), we're right back in the race next season. It's kind of a lot to take care of but it's doable. - Oh and the offseason SUCKS.
The only thing that really gets me sick, is knowing that Smoltz is drinking champagne for his demolition of the Stros playoff hopes....and chances.
It was a nice last couple of weeks to be in contention, but in the end, the Lidge experience and lack of consistent, clutch hitting caught up with us... I'm dissappointed, but can't wait for next year...I truly believe Carlos Lee will be here and Andy will be back...
Those prospects they got from the Astros for Moises Alou really seemed to work out well for them. They played a collective 0 major league games.
the season was a failure overall. we got off to a quick start then stumbled our way through the season until our late run. the only reason we even had a chance is because the cardinals are the worst team in the playoffs. our division was weak, otherwise we'd have been done long ago. that being said, had we been able to sneak in, i think we could have done some damage. had lidge been lidge, we probably would have gotten it done. if our offense was half as good as the mets, we would have gotten it done. we have got to be able to hit better next year or else we're in for another long season where come up short.
