In 80 plate appearances, Berkman has drawn 13 unintentional walks. In 457 PAs, Lee, Pence, Feliz and Manzella have drawn a combined 13 unintentional walks.
OK, I'm nervous. Manzella might have been able to tag Pujols if he could glove the ball. Pujols is a terrible baserunner. He's made a number of bad decisions in this series.
Wooooh, that was to close for comfort. Nice win and good to be able to win a series from a dam good team.
That is the rest of the Astros that I know and hate. :grin: Berkman is elite in that capacity but the Astros, as a whole, don't have good plate discipline. Not like that's news to anyone.
Although I like Holiday as a player RIGHT NOW, I get a Carlos Lee feel from him as he gets older. Not saying he will get lazy or will fall out of shape but that contract will only look bigger and bigger as his production goes down along with their system not being much better then ours.
MLB TV question for anybody else with DirecTV: I've had Extra Innings over the past few seasons but cancelled it this year. I am still getting MLB TV though. I'm wondering if that's because they forgot to shut it off or if it's a standard DTV station?
Dallas Keuchel pitched 9 innings of shutout ball (4 H, 4 K, 2 BB) but Lancaster lost in extras, 1-0. It was the first time a JetHawk pitcher pitched 9 scoreless innings since 2006. Jio Mier continues to struggle mightily at Lexington. He was 0-for-4 tonight bringing his average down to .184 and his OPS to .538 in 32 games. He also committed 2 fielding errors, giving him 11 on the season.
I think you are making way too big a deal about an 18-year-old high school kid's on field performance. If you were following Jay Austin that closely up to this point, you would have written him off and cut him some time in the middle of last year.
I know exactly where you're coming from and I do agree with your general point. Having said that, the fact is that he's struggling at Lexington. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'm not drawing too many conclusions. Just looking at the facts. And I know it doesn't change your main point but Mier will be 20 in 3 months. I actually have been following Austin since his draft. There are scores of players that mash in the hitter-friendly Cal League only to come crashing down to earth later. The Cal League is the most hitter-friendly league in minor league baseball and Lancaster is the most hitter-friendly park in all of minor league baseball. Look at what Gaston is doing this year after getting away from the Cal League. It's remarkable and it happens to tons of players coming out of that league. Given Austin's numbers at other levels, I'd take this season's early numbers with more than a grain of salt. I'm not trying to write prospects off or prop them up. I just follow their progression, try to read scouting reports and look at the facts. Maybe it sounds like I'm being cynical at times but that's usually when I see people expecting too much of a prospect too early. Not even the best scouts know how Mier, Austin or any other prospect will turn out in a few years. I hope they all turn into impact players but the Astros have had 2 good drafts in the last so many years and it's way too early to know what we have with any of these kids, no matter what people are saying about them (good or bad).
Oh I definitely agree with that. I thought it was a huge contract to give to him and can they keep Pujols now? If he is worth $120 mil, how much will Pujols command?
Wow...they actually won not only two in a row, but a series...maybe...just maybe...eh, it's too early...
