George Springer

I think it is easier to justify that it IS for baseball reasons if the guy is 22 as opposed to 24. When you do what Springer is doing and you are already 24 you should be here, plain and simple. If you are just 22 I still think performance says you should be here, but easier to understand you might need more development.

 

Pretty much this. We know nothing, but we sure like to pretend we do.

 

I agree with this except for putting Wade in with the "what is wrong" crowd. It's probably impossible to separate Ed from the "era" that he was a part of. I agree that Ed "did whatever Drayton told" him to do, but he was/is a very good baseball guy. One of the guys that has his own thread now, was acquired by Wade. It would be interesting to know how many of the "veteran" signings were actually what he wanted to do, or what he "had" to do

 

Wade has a long history of making stupid MLB decisions when it comes to trades and free agent signings. What he did well in Philly was also with the minor leagues and building from within, but not so much with free agents/trades.

 

Won't disagree, but unless we think Drayton let him make the major league decisions around here, which some might but I don't . . .then I won't hold him responsible for the situation we are in.

A large majority of the young guys that are either here now, or we want to be here now, were acquired by Ed . . .not saying I would rather have him back, but those are just facts

 

The anti-Hunsicker, at least in his last 5 years.

 

If he struggles, he'll at least have a bench mark of what he needs to do to improve. Not sure if he's getting much of a test down in AAA. He was likely facing more talented pitchers (stuff wise) night in/night out at AA.

If he struggles, I certainly wouldn't blame it on being "rushed" at this point.

As far as the state of the org, it can't be blamed solely on Drayton. Big baseball minds like Tal Smith and the GM's all played a role. Drayton wasn't acting alone.

In the end, I want what's right for the organization...and I feel that getting Springer some pressure free experience now could only help him going forward. Not saying he'd be a difference maker now...but I don't feel that AAA is much of a challenge for him.

 

Delaying him for free agent reasons certainly makes the most sense. They'll never admit it. Even Tampa doesn't admit it, despite them doing so every year.

It's actually not a bad strategy for guys younger than Springer, but clearly MLB ready (Wil Myers). I don't like it as much for a 24 year old who is making a joke of AAA and has nobody blocking him in the majors.

If its for other reasons I'd think we would have heard the denial by now (that its not for free agency/arb reasons) out of Luhnow as he certainly doesn't pass up interviews.

I don't think the organization expected him to tear up AAA like he has done...thus making it harder to justify sticking to the "plan."

 

I don't really have a problem with him not coming up this year but it'll be ridiculous if he isn't starting on opening day. 24 isn't old of course but when you're doing what he's doing in the minor leagues it doesn't make any sense to leave him there anymore.

 

I don't think Nick's concerns about George Springer are far fetched - they could be correct. But they also could not be. It's the myopic tunnel vision that's hard to take seriously.

You might think the Astros wanted to keep Springer down to see him work on his 2 strike approach and cut down on the K's. He's started to do that, but it's only been for a few months: hardly sustained success. If Springer mashes in Spring Training (Springer Training? heh) and they still keep him down, then Nick's concerns start to seem more probable than plausible. Until then, can we leave this dead horse alone?

 

At this point, I'd support the decision to keep him at AAA to start next season. I'd rather he already had been up here figuring things out at the MLB level vs AAA, but if they're going to take this approach, might as well trade a month for another year of control.

 

But every interpretation I have read of the MLB CBA is that bringing Springer up now will NOT accrue time on his service years.

There is a very small potential it could make it more likely that he would qualify for Super 2 status after 2015. Though if he plays on the 'Stros from the start of 2014 and is not sent down for 2 full seasons, he would likely still meet the 22% of service time to qualify for Super Two status anyway.

--MLB CBA

 

His clock starts the second they bring him up.

He won't finish his first full year till he spends 172 days in the majors, which is why I was referring to them delaying his debut till late April. He most certainly will qualify for super 2 if they use that time frame.

 

Figuring it out on the MLB level sure didn't work with Justin Smoak. It has taken three years for him to put together a season that even gives hope that he will pan out.

Most MLB players that hit at an elite level spend longer in the minors than Springer (IIRC, the average is 1500 at bats). Most player development people will tell you that six weeks at AAA is a very small sample size even with Springer's performance.

 

And most MLB all stars all made their debut at a much younger age than Springer, all spending very little (if any) time at AAA. You don't know if Smoak would have benefitted from more time in the minors... He may just be who he is at the MLB level.

All we know is what Springer has done thus far in the minors. Sure, he could continue to do that in the majors, or he may need to work on many more things to get to that level. He may pick it up right away, or he may need some AB's to find his groove. We won't know much till he gets his chance...and I feel his performance and age dictates that.

Again, he's a 24 year old who not only has power. Has much more speed and plays a far tougher position than Smoak. Has nobody blocking him. If he comes up and flops at the plate, he's still likely to make a contribution. He could be getting bored doing hitting a HR in AAA every other AB off sub par pitching. Maybe this will be the best year he will ever have.

So many hypotheticals. The easiest thing would be to see what he can do. It's the best way to determine what sort of player they have... The good ones find a way to stick/improve.

 

FWIW, I know one of the bloggers who follows the minor league teams. Who goes to see all these guys play in person a ton. And that person still says that Springer's two strike plate discipline is absolutely terrible. That he will corkscrew himself into the ground, refusing to shorten up his swing for contact.

I've read before that Porter and Luhnow have a checklist of things a player needs to be doing before he's called up....apparently they think there's still something Springer needs to work on. My guess is it's related to the above.

 

Seriously this awful logic needs to stop. Springer's OPS is above 1. Of course you can always find things for people to continue working on. The real reason why he is not up lies elsewhere.

 

With 2 strikes the batting average in the MLB is .176. Once you have two strikes you are screwed no matter what.

 

Except there is a difference between striking out and being able to make contact and drive in runners or move them over. Situational hitting is not a made up concept.