Rodriguez will make the team way before Jimerson. He's better defensively and a much better contact hitter, plus he's left handed.
Neither have proven anything in the majors, so it'll be an open competition between the two. I haven't seen Rodriguez play at all, how is his arm and range in the OF?
Not sure about his arm, but his range is great. Living in Austin, I saw about a "Web Gem" a week from him on the news. Here are his stas the last two seasons: 2005 at Corpus Christi .281 5 HR 50 RBI .359 OBP .764 OPS 25 SB 2006 at Round Rock .276 6 HR 38 RBI .352 OBP .737 OPS 28 SB I think his ability to get on base and put the ball in play (only 50 Ks each of the last 2 seasons), combine with his glove and being a lefty, will win him the 5th OF job.
I hope Lane shines in spring training. I had a nice conversation with him today on his caravan stop and he was extremely friendly and seems like a great person. Also, I like his defense in the OF and he can definitely produce the home run numbers if given consistent playing time. He slumped last season, but I felt he got a very short rope when slumping (Ensberg was left in the starting lineup far longer) and was yanked out of the everyday lineup before he could work his way out of it. I'd actually prefer they start Lane in CF (I hate Burke as a CF) and Scott in RF, but if they aren't gonna do that, i'd be happy to see a Lane/Scott platoon in RF.
I agree that he will produce HR numbers with consistent PT. And I hope he has a great spring. But Ensberg was left in the lineup longer because he was coming off an incredible season, plus he had a great 1/2 season the year before that. He had a track record in the majors...Lane had none of that. Starting Lane in CF is certainly an option if he gets hot with the bat.. but who's your leadoff man then? Bidge I guess. I think Scott deserves a chance to hold down the job full-time after what he did last year.. see how he does in the Spring and early on.. platoon can happen if he can't bring what he showed us.
Well I'll definitely keep an eye out for him in Spring Training. Between Jimerson and Rodriguez, they may be the only pure CF on the roster, so I'd give them the best shot at winning the 5th OF spot simply for defensive purpose. Based on his stats, he looks like a slap hitter with decent speed and walk rate. He's not really a starting prospect due to his age, but if he has some intangibles (e.g. ability to bunt and execute hit and run plays), he could make a decent reserve. From what I've seen, people with a sub-400 SLG in AAA have trouble hitting above the mendoza line in the majors, but I'll guess we'll get a better look in Spring Training. As long as he can play some solid defense late in the game, pinch run and pinch hit a little, he could be a valuable reserve.
The problem is, Lane's strengths are redundant with what the team already has. Even if he rebounds and post something close to 2005 numbers, you're still looking at an OBP of barely over .310. Biggio, Everett and Ausmus are around that same mark, and Berkman/Lee/Ensberg(or Lamb)/Scott are ideally your middle of the lineup hitters. One of the biggest offensive flaws with the Astros in recent years is the lack of a true OBP threat at the top of the lineup to reliably reach base for the middle of the order. Burke clearly has the skills to work counts and get on-base at a very good percentage, and that's going to be an asset to the hitters. Don't forget about the inefficient Cub teams from earlier this decade. They (offensively) were a lesson in what happens when you continually stack power bats without regard for OBP.
I must have missed this... but Justice reports in his blog that Jeff Weaver accepted an offer to play with the Mariners next season. another starter gone in St. Louis.
yeah espn reported it was imminent a couple of days ago. it's pretty sweet.. going to Vegas in March--I wonder what the over/under for STL wins will be after their staff has been pillaged. I'd take under 93 wins i think, at this point. Last year the Astros were at 81 flat...we might be at the same spot again this year? I'd surely go over that too right now.
I'd be stunned if the Cards' over/under was that high. This is an 83-win team that on paper has less talent returning. Granted, I think they underachieved a bit last year, but I'd be very surprised if they approached 90 wins. Also, offensively, given his minor league history, it's likely Chris Duncan was a fluke and will fall back to earth.
Interesting article about Jason Jennings and his ipod: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotst...jayson&id=2744070&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2 Greatest hits, in the palm of your handBy Jayson Stark ESPN.com Archive It's hard to say exactly which moment it was that we realized the iPod had taken over our entire civilization. But it might have been this one: The day we first heard, last summer, that baseball players were using their iPods to do their pregame video studies -- as opposed to, say, their pregame Shakira video studies. What we have here, friends, is one of history's most amazing gizmos ever. Name any other invention of all time that you can use to: • Listen to every song ever recorded by Green Day. • Watch the last 77 episodes of "24." • Show off pictures of your kids. • Hear actual ESPN.com employees yelling at each other through the miracle of one of our inimitable (thankfully) ESPN podcasts. • Play Sudoku. • And sort through every at-bat Todd Helton has ever had against Armando Benitez. Sheesh, you sure can't do all that with a microwave -- while riding on an airplane. So is this a tremendous world, or what? Even in baseball, technology keeps rampaging along -- pushing all of us in directions that would have caused Abner Doubleday to seek immediate psychiatric care. But when it comes to our Amazing Hot Stove Heaters Innovation of the Year, we've reached a whole new technological plateau. The iPod as indispensable baseball tool. Who knew? "I'll tell you one thing," Astros pitcher Jason Jennings told ESPN.com. "It sure beats looking at videotape." "A couple of years ago, when Preston Wilson was with us, he used to have us put all his at-bats on 8 mm tape. … Now, instead of having four shelves of tape just for Preston, we've got one iPod we can plug in." -- Brian Jones, Rockies video coaching coordinatorUntil a few weeks ago, Jennings played for the team that pioneered the iPod's invasion of baseball -- the Rockies. He was one of 17 Rockies players who got swept up last season in a trend that began with an event that didn't exactly have the look of a major sporting revolution at the time: Brian Jones, then the Rockies' assistant coordinator of video coaching, got an iPod for Christmas. Pretty earth-shattering, huh? It wasn't even a video iPod, either. Just your basic Nano. But all it took was some initial fooling around with it to get Jones thinking there might be more to this fascinating gadget than the ability to download the Red Hot Chili Peppers on it. So Jones and his video cohort, Mike Hamilton, did some iExperimenting to see if it might be possible to load their baseball videos on this cool little contraption. And the next thing they knew … A future Hot Stove Heater was born. That was just about one year ago exactly. What has gone on since might not quite rival the last 12 months of YouTube. Nevertheless, Jones says now, "it's been kind of crazy." Crazy as in one Rockies player after another asking to join the iPod Video Club. Crazy as in adding minor leaguers, and even amateurs, to the iPod video hit collection for the development people and front office. Crazy as in other teams reading, hearing and inquiring about this, then spreading the magic to their players. Crazy as in Pat Riley instructing his video guy to call and check this out. Crazy as in Hamilton and Jones being honored by their fellow video coordinators with the 2006 Award of Excellence -- and giving a tutorial workshop -- at the winter meetings. "If you'd told me three or four years ago we'd be doing this, I'd have never believed it," said Jones, who recently succeeded Hamilton as the Rockies' chief video coordinator. "A couple of years ago, when Preston Wilson was with us, he used to have us put all his at-bats on 8 mm tape. … Now, instead of having four shelves of tape just for Preston, we've got one iPod we can plug in." Alas, all this innovating came too late for Preston. But last spring training, when Jones told Helton and Jamey Carroll about his iPod aspirations, they couldn't have jumped at his offer faster if it had come with a guarantee that they'd also hit .380. "I showed it to Helton," Jones said. "And the next day, he brought his iPod in, and we put all his hits on there, dating back to 1998." There were 1,509 of those hits, by the way. And when Helton's iPod didn't instantly explode or anything, the Rockies knew they were on to something. Eventually, more than two-thirds of the roster had piled on and turned this team into baseball's official iSquad. Every player gets his own custom set of videos loaded onto his personal iPod, sorted by date, hitter, pitcher and opponent -- and updated every week or so. "The great thing is, it's so easy to use," said Jennings, who became a happy iPod convert in a hurry. "It's such an easy thing to have access to. You can go to Best Buy and, by that night, you can have all your starts for the last four years on there." Cool. But you're no doubt thinking: Does any of this really matter? Well, yeah. In fact, Jennings actually thinks his iPod turned his whole season around. He had a 6.60 ERA going into a May 1 start against the Braves when he and catcher Danny Ardoin sat down at his locker to look at his previous starts against the same group of hitters. And something clicked -- not just through his earbuds, either. "We looked at the pitches they were hitting against me before, and that night we sort of went a different way, and it worked," Jennings said. "We lost the game [2-0], because Tim Hudson threw a one-hitter. But I threw the ball well. And after that start, I really took off from there." For the record, Jennings' ERA from that day on was 3.31. Which, by Rockies standards, is the equivalent of about 1.31. So we'll just amble out of the way now and watch about 700 pitchers stampede over to Best Buy. There are, of course, disadvantages to watching this stuff on your iPod. For one thing, you might not get quite the same visualization effect from studying video on a 2½-inch screen as you would on a 52-inch flat screen. (Hey, talk about your small strike zones.) And, for another thing, those iPods always present nonstop opportunities for, um, distractions. "I admit I've got a bunch of country music videos on there," Jennings confessed. "And I think 'Prison Break' was a big hit on our team last year. I know a lot of guys were watching that. … I mean, sometimes you need a break, you know? It's not just for baseball." Hmmm. Sounds like a catchy slogan for the folks at Apple once this really catches on: "The iPod -- It's Not Just for Baseball." But when those iPods are used for baseball, it's hard to beat the doodads for sheer portability. It wasn't unusual to see Rockies players studying their video last season on planes and buses, in hotel rooms and sitting at their very own lockers on the road, miles from the team video room. Heck, there were even iPod sightings, Jones swears, in restaurants. "I went to lunch one day with a player," Jones reported. "And before the lunch came, he pulled up video of his at-bats against Dave Williams, [the pitcher] who we were facing that night. And that's the advantage of this thing. You can't really go out to lunch and bring your DVD recorder with you while you're waiting for your food." Well, you can, we suppose -- if you bring a really long extension cord. But we get the idea. Except this, of course, is only the beginning. Then again, in technology, everything turns out to be just the beginning. But you have to wonder where this latest revolution is heading. We know it's heading, first off, to quite a few other teams. We did a quick survey and found players on the Phillies, Marlins, Mariners, Indians and Red Sox who were either already doing iPrep or had asked people in their organizations to look into it. So undoubtedly, hundreds of players will be on board faster than you can say, "Download." And, given the limitations of the current iPod, you know there will be more advanced versions -- and competitors -- busting out all over technospace any minute. In fact, Jones says he has spent the winter demo-ing a portable media player by Archos, with a 4½-inch screen and greater file compatibility. But it's not as if iPods and media players are the only toys in baseball players' toy chests. So undoubtedly, other devices are going to barge their way into this mix, too. "I've had some guys asking if I can load video on their Palm Treo phones," Jones said. "But I haven't quite mastered that yet." And one of these days, we predict, you'll see a pitcher take a walk behind the mound during a key at-bat, pull out his iPod and take a quick video-refresher course before launching the big pitch of the night. Heck, if NFL quarterbacks can get plays radioed right into their helmets, why not? "So then you know what'll happen," Jennings laughed. "Instead of getting kicked out of games for using pine tar, we'll get kicked out for using our iPods." Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/4513257.html Keen to catch on behind the plate Sapp, Henriquez among impressive young catchers By BRIAN MCTAGGART Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Not since they selected a baby-faced catcher out of Seton Hall 20 years ago have the Astros been able to draft, develop and produce a major league catcher of any significance. Craig Biggio was moved to second base in 1992, undoubtedly prolonging a career that will likely get him into the Hall of Fame. The Astros, meanwhile, have relied largely on free agency and trades to fill their void at catcher. With that in mind, the Astros have made catching a priority in recent drafts. They picked Max Sapp in the first round (23rd overall) last year and fellow high school catcher Ralph Henriquez in the second round (72nd overall) in 2005. Sapp and Henriquez, along with 2004 draft picks Lou Santangelo and J.R. Towles, lead an impressive group of young catchers who have the Astros excited about the future behind the plate. And all four are making strong impressions this week at the Nolan Ryan Elite Pitching and Jeff Bagwell Elite Hitting Camps at Minute Maid Park. "It's something we've identified over the last several years as a need," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said. "To me, it's one of the hardest positions to fill nowadays. I don't think a lot of kids are catching like they used to. It's not a real favored position, but it's obviously critical to your success." A bat worth watching Sapp, 18, has an explosive lefthanded bat but remains a work in progress on defense. He didn't catch until his senior year in high school in Orlando, and last year he hit .229 with one homer and 20 RBIs in 50 games for Class A Tri-City. "Things went well," Sapp said. "I started off right after high school jumping into pro ball, and it took a little while to get used to it. But I started finding it easier to catch the guys once I got used to it." Purpura said the Astros are pleased with Sapp's progress behind the plate. "We knew he was a guy who would take some time to develop, but we really like his bat," Purpura said. "Watching him the last couple of days, he swings the bat good and has some upside offensively. Now we have to continue to work with him defensively." Astros manager Phil Garner has definitely noticed Sapp. "I liked his swing right from the get-go, and I still like his swing," Garner said. "As you would expect, he was a kid who had some baby fat and was a little pudgy, but I patted him on the shoulder the other day, and clearly this kid is starting to firm up. It will be nice to watch him evolve." Next stop: spring training Santangelo, a fourth-round pick from Clemson, has a strong arm and came on offensively last year. He hit .241 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs for Class A Salem and has earned an invitation to major league spring training camp. "I'm going to hit here and there like any other catcher would, and I throw well, but I definitely have to hone my blocking (pitches)," Santangelo said. Towles, a product of Crosby High School, has put together two solid seasons at Class A Lexington, hitting .317 last year with 12 homers and 55 RBIs. Henriquez hit .231 with five homers and 37 RBIs for rookie-league Greeneville. "The real balancing act of that position is producing offensively," Purpura said. "It seems there's a lot of good defensive catchers but very little offense. You see that around the game, and it's a tough position." brian.mctaggart@chron.com
It's been hitting me earlier and earlier every year. Of course, it's been that way for all my teams lately. I start getting excited about the Texans/Longhorns about NFL Draft time. I get excited about the Rockets around NBA Draft time and now it's the Astros in mid-January.
A couple of articles talking about astros pursuit of pitchers..... http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6432888 Astros would be wise to sign Trachsel The Astros are short two starting pitchers, one if Roger Clemens returns, which is hardly a sure thing. What, pray tell, are they doing about it? Very little. Signing Trachsel could help the Astros in two ways. (Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images) That's right, the same team that awarded future DH Carlos Lee $100 million for six years is now hemming and hawing about adding a relatively inexpensive free-agent right-hander, Steve Trachsel. Hello? If owner Drayton McLane continues to hold the line on his budget, the Astros not only might lose their competitive footing in the N.L. Central, but also push Clemens toward signing with the Yankees or Red Sox. Perhaps McLane is trying to appease his friend, commissioner Bud Selig, who likely was none too pleased with the size of Lee's contract. But imagine the reaction of Astros fans if McLane lost Clemens on top of free-agent left-hander Andy Pettitte, even though Pettitte's elbow was a legitimate concern. "When you don't have the opportunity to go to the playoffs and have a chance to win, it's a waste of time for me," Clemens told reporters in New York on Wednesday. "At this stage and point in my life and career, that's all you're looking for." Well, at this point in Clemens' life and career, the Astros' rotation includes right-hander Roy Oswalt, a legitimate No. 1 starter, righty Jason Jennings, ideally a No. 3, and righty Woody Williams, ideally a No. 5. The Astros signed Williams as veteran protection, then compensated for the loss of Pettitte by paying a steep price to acquire Jennings from the Rockies. Rather than spend on another pitcher, they invested $2.5 million in infielder Mark Loretta. Where does that leave them? With two rotation spots currently devoted to pitchers who either have flopped (lefty Wandy Rodriguez) or are unproven (righties Fernando Nieve, Matt Albers and Chris Sampson). Clemens, 44, eventually could be the No. 2 starter, provided that the Astros sign him. Trachsel, 36, is hardly the same type of "must-have," but he could fit at the back of the rotation with Williams, 40, eating innings and buying time for the youngsters. Frankly, it's surprising that Trachsel is still available. Since 1996, he has averaged 194 innings and a 4.29 ERA — excluding 2005, when he made only six starts due to back surgery. Yet, while the Astros are talking to Trachsel — and while he surely is priced to sell — no deal seems imminent, or even likely. "It's not hot and heavy; we're still kind of flirting with it," Astros general manager Tim Purpura told FOXSports.com on Thursday. "We're up against our payroll number. We're sitting right in the mid-90s. "Right now, all I'm looking at are non-roster guys who may be able to fill out the fourth or fifth spot. I'm also not dissatisfied with some of the young guys taking some of those roles. And I'm talking with other GMs about trade possibilities." OK, but any pitcher the Astros acquired likely would be far more expensive than Trachsel. Phillies right-hander Jon Lieber will earn $7.5 million this season. So will Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny. Given the Astros' payroll concerns, the addition of either of those pitchers might compromise their ability to sign Clemens — unless they traded third baseman Morgan Ensberg, a move that could save $4.35 million but hurt their offense. The signing of a low-budget starter, then, is the obvious solution. If the Astros added Trachsel for say, $2.5 million, it would not impact their pursuit of Clemens. If anything, it might enhance their chances, making the team more competitive in a division with no standout club. For all the talk about the Yankees and Red Sox, Clemens has every reason to stay in Houston. His family is there. His son, Koby, is an Astros minor leaguer. His 10-year personal-services contract with the Astros begins after he retires. Clemens' popularity in his hometown would take a hit if he bolted the Astros for one of the eastern super-powers. Finally — and perhaps most significantly — he would stand a greater chance of success if he remained in the National League. Lest anyone forget, Clemens turns 45 in August. He would risk an unhappy ending if he returned to the A.L. East. Yet, even with all that, it's not difficult to envision Clemens following his friend Pettitte back to New York, particularly since his stated goal is to enter the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. Helping the Yankees win another World Series would strengthen his case. Clemens made his "most distinctive mark" — the Hall's primary criteria when selecting a player's identification — with the Red Sox. But he was a member of the Yankees' 1999 and 2000 championship clubs. A return to the Red Sox, while sentimentally appealing, could end any chance of Clemens' induction as a Yankee. The Sox's rotation also is the deepest of the three interested clubs. Then again, an injury could occur at any time, and the Sox indicated that they still are willing to spend with their ill-fated attempt to acquire first baseman Todd Helton from the Rockies. McLane is not one to concede, as evidenced by his relentless wooing of Clemens the past three off-seasons. Still, it's an odd time for the owner to tighten the budgetary noose. If signing Trachsel at a bargain price can improve the Astros and increase their appeal to Clemens, then for heaven's sake, they should sign Trachsel. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4519335.html Astros take a look at veteran pair of local relievers Righthander Ben Weber and lefthander Kelly Wunsch, a pair of local major league relievers who are trying to rejuvenate their careers, worked out before Astros brass this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Astros general manager Tim Purpura said he could decide by Friday whether to offer a minor league contracts either or both pitchers, neither of whom played in the majors last year. Weber and Wunsch threw off the mound before Purpura, manager Phil Garner, Nolan Ryan and several other scouts from within the organization. The tryout came at the end of the fourth day of the Nolan Ryan Elite Pitching and Jeff Bagwell Elite Hitting Camps. "You've got to be sure they're going to get innings and get a chance to pitch, whether that be in major league camp or minor league camp," Purpura said. "Kelly is coming off a surgery and has a little ways to go. Ben is looking to regain his career. We'll look at all that and try to make a determination soon so they will know where they stand with us." Wunsch, 34, a former first round draft pick from Texas A&M who played at Bellaire High School, missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. He's 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 258 career games, mostly for the Chicago White Sox. "It was real nice to come in here and throw on a decent mound," Wunsch said. "I've been trying to work out in Austin, but with all the ice storms all the local fields are in horrible shape. This was a real nice chance to work out on a good mound and hopefully in front of my future bosses." Weber, 37, who played at the University of Houston, has gone 19-8 with seven saves and a 3.77 ERA in six seasons as a reliever, most with the Anaheim Angels. He went 7-2 with seven saves and helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series. "I want to play for the Astros," said Weber, who was released by the Toronto Blue Jays last year "I've made that known for a long time. This has been my team for 33 years, and I would love to be here, but I understand their situation. They've got a whole bunch of nice, young kids in here, and hopefully I can teach them something, too, just being around." Purpura said Weber could perhaps fill the role as a multiple-inning reliever and Wunsch could be a second lefthander out of the bullpen.
Assuming he can still bring it. And on Trachsel...I'm not so sure he'd be right for MMP. Though I think Houston overall would be the right clubhouse and all.. I guess it couldn't hurt if he was cheap, except it could hold back a young guy. And if all we get out of Trachsel is a marginal performance, then shoot.. Sampson or whoever could probably throw up similar #'s I'd think
