He has been benched for like 5 games in a row, I wonder if he is getting traded or something. I guess we will find out very soon.
He is not getting played because he is in one of the worst slumps of his career. I think they should let him play out of it though. Jimy doesn't have a clue though.
The Astros are reporting that he has a hurt wrist... They will need Doggy at full health if they plan to make a run at the division.
They do need him, but i would not mind if we could get some good in return. Him and Ward are killing us in the outfield, they are slow slow.
He is not getting played because he is in one of the worst slumps of his career. I think they should let him play out of it though. Jimy doesn't have a clue though. This has been a season-long slump outside of about 5 good days after the last time he got benched. Playing through it hasn't worked. Meanwhile, we have a better alternative in Merced in the outfield and we've been winning (this is the goal, right?) with him playing. That said, Hidalgo was shut down for 3 days so he could just work on his swing and mechanics. In the process, he hurt his wrist which kept him out another 2 days - he's likely back starting today, but I'd prefer he stayed on the bench personally.
I agree, I love Merced in the outfield... But, I am willing to give Doggy another shot to put things back together. I also think Wesson needs to play some more, that kid is huge and was killing the ball in triple A.
I think the real answer is someone like Randy Winn. I know this has been brought up in another thread, but I like the possibility of getting Wilson and Winn from Tampa Bay in exchange for Saarloos and Ward. We need some real speed and I'm not an advocate of trading Hidalgo. Ward, although arguably more talented and younger, doesn't have the defensive capabilities that the Astros need in such a spacious outfield. Winn, Hidalgo, and Berkman give us an above average defensive outfield. Winn has great range, Berkman would be adequate in left (he has no arm and there is a short fence out there) and Hidalgo's canon is perfectly suited for right.... think about it.
I would trade Ward for Winn anyday, but I don't want to trade Saarloos, the guy threw 9 scoreless innings! Winn would be a good fit though on the Astros, and he would give us are center fielder.
If the Astros need a CF, it needs to be one with great range and who can be a lead-off hitter - Randy Winn is not that player.
Part of Winn's appeal is that he IS a leadoff guy. As for his range, he has played an admirable CF at Tropicana Field...which isn't the smallest park in baseball. All of that being said, I'm not ready to part with Saarloos. If we can work it out with another prospect I'd make the deal. I have been very impressed with Wesson...maybe we can trade Hidalgo and use Merced. Wesson can spell Merced since Merced can't go everyday at this point of his career.
No, I most certainly did not. Randy Winn is a slap hitting outfielder without tremendous defense. He's a 4th outfielder on a good team.
slap hitting outfielder? Is that a bad thing? The guy is 5th in the AL in batting average at .322 The only player in the AL with a higher on base percentage as a leadoff hitter is Suzuki. He also has 21 stolen bases. His defense isnt the best, but he is way above average. He is an ideal leadoff hitter, just like you said you wanted in a CF.
He is not the ideal leadoff hitter - just because a player is having a decent year, doesn't mean he's going to continue it. Randy Winn had all the potential in the world to be a 4th outfielder when he came up, and he spectacularly lived up to his potential his first three seasons in the league, his performance this year is completely out of line with his talent, and completely out of line with his career numbers. To expect him to continue this production is to ignore history.
Yeah and in 1999 the Astros had this outfielder who struggled at the plate and people wondered if he'd live up to his promise. But Lance Berkman seems just fine. Randy Winn is no Lance Berkman, but players have breakout seasons. It seems as though Randy Winn may be growing into his talent.
Oh, ok. Do you mean he's having a good year and will fall back to his old self? Kinda like Hidalgo? Or Ward? Oh wait, Ward still hasnt had a breakout year. Maybe we should hold on to the two outfielders we have.
