uhm... i suppose this might be a component of how you chose your screen name, but for the rest of us, there was A LOT to worry about: #2, #3, the backend of the bullpen, 3B, 2B, CF and RF were ALL concerns - last year, during the winter and on opening day.
I for one was surprised that Wheeler, Ensberg, Burke, Lane, Scott AND Berkman tanked. Methinks if you were truthful, so would you.
??? Going into the season Ensberg was a mystery. Luke Scott was a question mark. Was he as good as he showed the year prior? The rotation was Oswalt and then nothing but question marks. The debate over whether Jennings was any good was raging. Many of said that Woody Williams was a bad signing pointing to his declining peripherals that were semi-masked by PETCO. The bullpen was a question mark because nobody knew what to make of Brad Lidge. How as Chris Burke going to handle center field? I think most thought he'd hit though.
Wheeler & Berkman, of course. The rest? If you assumed they were all going to be good... well, you were a lot like management. Those spots were all as big questionmarks as Hirsh would have been in filling a spot in the rotation. Ensberg struggled for the last 4 1/2 months last year. His continued suckiness was no surprise. Burke had yet to show anything consistently, and Lane was terrible last year. People were surprised he even made the roster this year. Scott was a huge questionmark - horrid 2005, great 2006, who knows what to expect.
I guess I just have a higher standard on what "good pitching" is.... even if they're cheap and young. I also think you're missing my point when it comes to Hirsh. I'm saying that the Astros felt he was not going to live up to the minor league numbers that indicate he's a pitching "god"... but he still had immense trade value because of those numbers (to teams that strictly look at age, AA-AAA numbers). That trade value has since declined. I also don't consider Hirsh/Wandy/Sampson to be the majority of any rotation for a team looking to contend during Berkman/Oswalt's best years... I think the Astros can and NEED to do better. If that involves spending money, so be it... they either need to acquire better starting pitching, or they better pray to god that Patton is the next Koufax.
as major said, only berkman and to a MUCH lesser degree, wheeler surprised me . i did think burke could be adequate and was hopeful scott landed somewhere between 2005 and 2006. but would i have bet money on any of those guys coming through other than berkman? better question: would i have built a roster around any of those other guys coming through? no.
