Do you think Biggio should retire after this year?

I agree you can't make the move NOW....

I just want someone that is good defensively, and puts pressure on the defense with speed on the base paths.

DD

 

Regardless of the Biggio debate, this is exactly what the Astros lack on the team (along with decent pinch hitting). They need a player who is a threat to turn a single into a double, consistently go from 1st to 3rd and generate some excitement with every at bat.

 

Good thing we gave up on Kenny Lofton.....



DD

 

Exactly. Putting an unproven Lane in for veteran leadership doesn't make sense at this point in the year.

However, next year is Biggio and Hidalgo's last guaranteed year. So, the org will need to determine if Lane is in the Astros future RF plans or resign the roller coaster. They also need to find a CF that can at least platoon with Bigg next year and take the reigns in two. Beltran would be sweet, but Drayton won't part with his pennies.

 

But you have to remember, Taubensee was the next Johnny Bench and Willie Blair a future star.

 

Its up to him.....

 

well, of course his averages are still below average when you combine all his playoff efforts, but he figured out how to do well when it counts last year, and that is all that matters. He was effective in last year's playoffs and as a result the Giants started winning playoff series.

7 for 54 in the playoffs, enough said. Not much reason for optimism is there?

The bottom line is this, if you believe an Astros team with Biggio will go to the promised land (the World Series), your gonna be let down, and he'll be a huge reason why.

 

Lofton's arm may be worse than Biggio's. And he gets injured a lot. His on base percentage is about the same. He has a higher slugging, probably due to a higher BA, but he has much fewer doubles.

 

not sure if the stigma is completley taken off but, as a fan, the confidence or belief that he will produce when it counts rises a great deal.

Means nothing huh? So basically your saying clutch hitting is not an important aspect of one's ability, that it should be thrown out. Usually, good clutch hitting translates into teams winning pennants and championships. I thought the goal was to win championships. Is winning the ring (or at least having some degree of success in the playoffs) not an important part of an evaluation of a ball player?

 

again...Bonds sucked before...and then he had last year's playoff performance and it all went away...there was nothing before that would have given you any hope that Bonds would have a good playoff series...but he did.

the same can happen for Biggio.

 

who? name the young talent that has the speed and hitting of a young Biggio. name one prospect that looks like he remotely has that kind of potential.

they're not there. there is no one putting pressure on biggio for the centerfield position at all. no one at all.

 

not one of those guys you named are ready to be an everyday starting Fielder.

Jason Lane is the Astros best Triple A player now in the big leagues and he's not ready

Try again

 

No, I am not saying that clutch hitting is unimportant. I'm saying that, considering how small the sample size is when discussing playoff performances, you can't really use those ABs as evidence that X player is a terrible clutch performer. I'm not saying clutch hitting is unimportant, I'm saying that, for the most part, it doesn't exist. Some players might handle pressure better than others, but I think 80% (maybe even more) of the players will have playoff numbers match their regular season numbers when taken out to enough ABs. The problem is, few to no players get enough ABs to see that trend realized, because not many teams make the playoffs each year, and players don't really get that many ABs in any one playoff series. It's just not enough data to be conclusive about anything.

 

Who is waiting in line to replace Biggio? I agree that he is not all we should be able to expect, but I don't see great center fielders spewing out of our farm system. I'll take effort and experience over some young hot shot any day. I guess my question is What do you want to see happen? Is this a next year thing? Playoffs?

Should we move Yao or Steve to CF?

p.s. I'm back in Austin now.

 

Forget trying to compare Biggio to the top leadoff hitters in the MLB. What you should try to do is compare him to all of the CF players in the game to see how much THAT position can be improved.

In the NL -
BA: Biggio ranked 11th out of 12 only beating out Chavez from Montreal.

OBP: Biggio ranked 7th out of 12.

In MLB -
BA: Biggio ranked 17th out of 22.

OBP: Biggio ranked 11th out of 22.

Also, add on the top of these stats the he is not a good defensive player in the outfield and he doesn't have speed to steal bases.

Bottom line is that Biggio is a below average CF player and that position should try to be upgraded this offseason.

 

Hillarious!

 

2006? Is bagwell retiring in 2006 if so why?

 

Jeff Bagwell's contract goes through the year 2006. He has 3 full seasons left under this contract. It is believed it will be his last 3 years due to the arthritic shoulder. Keep in mind, he will be 37 or 38 when his contract is up.