There is a difference between team OBP and individual players OBP. In the NL, the #9 spot will always bring the team OBP down significantly. If you're OK with having speedy guys at the top of the lineup with .340 OBP, that's fine with me. I think you're wasting the talents of Berkman/Lee/Pence/Tejada by doing so.
I've never listened to RJ's show. RJ is just an irresponsible and often times uninformed sports writer imo. Lopez is far beyond that as a radio personality.
I agree it would be nice to have guys at the top of the lineup with OBP > .340, but we can't have everything. At least the top of the lineup will be better than last year and faster. Remember we had Biggio and at times Loretta, Everette, Lamb, Ensberg at the top last year. We had Pence there as well, but it was a waste of his power.
If the Rocks would go for that, I do that in a sec. Out of all the young pitchers we've traded recently (Patton included), I think Hirsh has the stuff and the mentality to be a real solid #3-#4 pitcher for years to come.
Astros acquire Tejada from Orioles Baltimore gets five players in return for star shortstop By Alyson Footer / MLB.com HOUSTON -- The Astros have acquired shortstop Miguel Tejada from the Orioles for five players. The Astros traded outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate and third baseman Mike Costanzo to Baltimore for Tejada, who has two years remaining on his six-year deal, which he signed with Baltimore in December 2003. Tejada, 31, hit .296 with 18 homers and 81 RBIs over 133 games for the Orioles in 2007. Over an 11-year career, Tejada has a .287 average 258 homers and 1,033 RBIs. Scott, 29, batted .255 and set career-highs in games (132), runs (49), hits (94), doubles (28), home runs (18) and RBIs (64) in his third season with the Astros in 2007. He ranks sixth among National League outfielders in slugging percentage (.547). Patton, 22, went 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA in three games with Houston in 2007. He was a combined 10-8 with a 3.51 ERA (151.1IP, 59ER) with 94 strikeouts in 24 starts between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock last season. Albers, 24, appeared in 31 games for Houston in 2007, going 4-11 with a 5.86 ERA In 2006, he earned Texas League Pitcher of the Year honors with Corpus Christi after leading the Texas League in wins (10) and ERA (2.17). Sarfate, 26, went 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 14 strikeouts in seven appearances for the Astros in 2007 after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers organization on Sept. 11. He went 2-7 with a 4.52 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched in 45 games for Triple-A Nashville prior to being traded. Costanzo, 24, was acquired by the Astros as part of the trade that sent reliever Brad Lidge to the Philadelphia Phillies on Nov. 11. Last month, he was rated the sixth-best prospect in the Houston organization by Baseball America. Costanzo hit .270 with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs for Double-A Reading in 2007, finishing second in the Eastern League in home runs. Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Astros acquire shortstop Tejada from Orioles By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle After several years with one of the worst offensive clubs in baseball, the Astros fortified the lineup by acquiring former American League MVP Miguel Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles today for outfielder Luke Scott, righthander Matt Albers, lefthander Troy Patton, third base prospect Mike Costanzo and reliever Dennis Sarfate. By acquiring the four-time All-Star shortstop, the Astros gave up some unproven young arms, a backup outfielder and a Class AAA third baseman with power potential. “We want to win in ’08,” said Astros general manager Ed Wade, who has dramatically altered the club he inherited from the fired Tim Purpura. “We think that this lineup can go out there and stack up against just about any lineup out there. We’ve got speed at the top of the order. We’ve got power and run production in the middle of the order. “If we go with (Cecil Cooper’s) lineup as it stands right now, your sixth and seventh place hitters have the ability to consistently produce runs. Not to mention what (J.R) Towles can do in the eighth spot. If everybody is doing what he’s capable of doing there are no holes in the lineup.” As it stands right now, the first three players in the Astros’ lineup are new to the club. Center fielder Michael Bourn, who was acquired in the Brad Lidge trade last month, will lead off. Second baseman Kaz Matsui, who was signed as a free agent, will bat second. Tejada will hit in the No. 3 hole, where the two-time Silver Slugger winner will give the Astros the first of three consecutive sluggers who have established track records with abilities to drive in at least 100 runs per year. The switch-hitting Lance Berkman will move from the No. 3 hole to the cleanup spot, and 2007 Astros MVP and two-time Silver Slugger winner Carlos Lee will move from cleanup to the No. 5 spot. Hunter Pence will hit sixth, followed by third baseman Ty Wigginton and rookie catcher J.R. Towles. Former starting shortstop Adam Everett has been informed by Wade that, barring some unforeseen move, he will not be tendered a contract. Therefore, Everett will become a free agent. The Astros have tried to upgrade the starting rotation behind ace All-Star Roy Oswalt, but the pitching market is tremendously expensive. Unlucky on that front, the club has fixed the offense. Patton and Albers were expected to compete for a starting spot this spring, but neither was assured a starting spot on the club they grew up cheering in the Houston area. “I figure for me and Albers it’s real disappointing,” Patton said. “Now, it’s going to be different. We were about to have a chance to work with (pitching coach) Dewey Robinson.” At this point, Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe and Woody Williams are the only players seemingly assured spots in the rotation. Righthanders Chris Sampson, Juan Gutierrez, Felipe Paulino and Fernando Nieve are some of the remaining candidates to fill out the rotation. Tejada is scheduled to earn $13 million in 2008 and $13 more in 2009, although he can opt out of his deal after 2008. “The price we paid did not disturb the nucleus of the 2008 club,” said Astros president of baseball operations Tal Smith. “It certainly enhanced it.”
Only one of these guys were going to be on the farm. We need to build the farm from the bottom up. We will get draft picks for Lamb and Miller and we need to sign them. You can argue the merits of this trade, but not because it decimates the farm. Only the high K guy would have been there. Hopefully we can get a couple of so-so prospects for Burke. I do hope that flame-throwing reliever is not in the trade.
First off, chill out. This is a BBS, not a general managers meeting. 2nd, I never said a .340 OBP was amazing and be all, end all. That being said a .340 OBP is still respectable for a lead off hitter. Even it were average, that's all I ask from Bourn who will be a first time opening day starter. I don't expect Bourn to be in the top of leadoff hitters in OBP, considering the NL has to contend with Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, J-Roll, Rickie Weeks and some other very good leadoff hitters. But even Reyes only sported a .354OBP and Rollins a .344OBP. (and before you say "well they have power and other stuff" bear in mind those points are moot because we're talking about OBP) My point is that while Bourn and Kaz may only be average in OBP they're certainly not bad and it's overly dramatic to say that its a disservice to Berkman/Lee/Pence/Tejada when those guys had Biggio (.285OBP) last season. There's no question a prototypical all-star level table setter would be better for our prototypical all-star middle of the order guys, but we don't have them. It's as simple as that. In fact, most teams don't have that type of player.
.340 is the average production teams in the NL get from the 1st and 2nd spot which is what the Astros should get +/-0.005 from Bourn/Matsui/Loretta. 3-7, the Astros look to get above average performance. Don't know what to expect from Towles except for better hitting, worse playcalling than Ausmus.
So he is an average defensive player with above average offensive skills. That doesn't mean he can't play the position anymore. He's better than Derek Jeter defensively and nobody wants to move Jeter.
Lamb isn't a Type A or B free agent so we wouldn't be eligible for draft pick compensation (but we didn't offer him arbitration anyway). Only Loretta and Miller were compensation players and they were both Type B (sup. 1st rounder). Loretta of course accepted arb. but I really hope Miller leaves so we can get an extra pick. I like Miller but I'll take one season of some random lefty reliever rather than a lefty specialist like Miller if it means we can draft someone who could truly make an impact later. If Miller signed somewhere else, our extra picks would be a supplemental 1st and a supplemental 3rd (for failing to sign Dietrich).
