The team/offense did just fine without Willy T when he was injured in September. I often feel like they end up winning despite his offense, not because of it... game 3 against Atlanta (where he couldn't get the bunt down twice), and last night's game (one bunt, but no rbi's with RISP) are good examples of that.
Chris Burke is the only person with an RBI with RISP... taking Willy out of centerfield in a park such as Minute Made with a gap hitting team is ridiculous.
Burke needs to play, and Lamb needs to play, I like Willy's game but Burke can't play right. Would Garner bench Willy?
I'm with you, I think it's a liability in the playoffs to have a guy in a key position that can't hit the ball out of the infield (and doesn't draw walks). Too many instances where he's a minus more than a plus.
No no, but hell no. Willy is hitting over .300 for the playoffs and lane is hitting around .240, they aren't going to take Willy out, his defense is worth keeping him in with Minute Maid's massive centerfield.
No he isn't, he is at least as capable as Eckstein....however it is FAR too late to try to do this now.... And Lane KILLS Morris too.... Burke to the bench. DD
Ugh....where does this come from? He was moved in the minors because we needed a replacement for Biggio, and he was getting older. Burke could be a SS in the majors, he is good enough, but it is TOO late to make that attempt now......maybe in winter ball and in the spring. The Stros have to do something and Chris Everett is not the answer. DD
Please cease the Burke to SS talk. If the Astros believed he was at least as capable as Eckstein, they would have him out there. The Astros have never played him at SS since drafting him. They did not move him because of Biggio. They moved him because they didn't believe he could be a big league SS. Repeat after me three times. He will not play SS for us. He will not play SS for us. He will not play SS for us.
it comes from the organization. my understanding is they tried him at SS in the minors and it didn't work out. they said his arm wasn't strong enough to make it happen. he was not moved in the minors to be a replacement to biggio. that's the first time i ever heard that.
i'm not sure..here's what I found: http://www.athomeplate.com/spotlightburke.shtml Defensively, Burke was an average shortstop until the Astros converted him to second because of his weak arm. In the course of a season, Burke has learned his way around the keystone position and he definitely won’t embarrass himself there. He has become able to make the double play and has the range of a shortstop, both very important things to have. http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2005/06/good_teams_need.html Richard Justice: Chris Burke doesn't have the arm to play shortstop. Former general manager Gerry Hunsicker was told on draft day that Burke could play either short or second. Turns out, he can't. And Hunsicker wasn't amused. Chris Burke was one of several reasons the Astros made change in their scouting department last summer.
"Chris came to Spring Training and we worked him out in left field, and I think he became the best left fielder in the league," Garner said. "He's done a marvelous job of making adjustments. He can play center field as well, and I think he plays it quite well. His versatility has been able to help us a bit." Hopefully, its a foreshadowing of things to come in game 3 (ie - starting Burke over Willy T). http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051013&content_id=1249068&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou btw... this isn't official or anything... its just an article talking about how good Chris Burke has been for the team in the post-season.
Max, He doesn't have a hose for an arm, no doubt, but he does have a better arm than Eckstein.... Sometimes GMs look too much at arm strength and not enough at whether or not he can just get it done. I hope they give him a look there in Spring training, because he can play SS, just not as well as Chris Everett defensively. DD
As said by others, Burke canNOT be a short stop in the majors... Hunsicker, Purpura, Garner and even Jimy Williams have commented on this in the past.
fine by me. i have no problem with them trying it out in spring training. if it works out, that would be excellent.
They said he was an AVERAGE SS....give me an average SS with a good bat, and you have improved the position. How many runs does Everett save with his glove versus having another stick in the lineup. My bet is that we improve dramatically with Burke at SS..... BUT...I agree, not this year. DD
Burke reminds me of Mark Lemke (sp?) for the Braves in the early 90s. Not too much in the regular season but he came up big for them in the playoffs.
Too early to give him that label...he is just now finding his way.....He could make an Ensberg like leap next year with regular playing time. Remember Ensberg platooned last year..... DD
