http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/...t_id=2848061&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou I was wondering when this would finally be done. It's apparent that Towles wasn't ready and Quintero deserves his chance to shine. I couldn't imagine Quintero hitting any worse than Towles has at this point so this seems like the best move for the organization. Moehler is pitching tonight, anybody know who's scheduled to pitch tomorrow?
If the team was still winning, I don't think he would have been sent down. They have to do something now, even if it's a minor shake up. Towels needs to get his confidence back. Knocking the crap out of some AAA pitchers can help. And there's worse places to get sent down to than Round Rock. I'm looking forward to seeing him next weekend...
A temporary move at best , but I'm very very very glad it was done. Quintero is like the poor mans Tony Eusebio, only worse. However, Quintero at his worse is better than Towles at his best right now. Don't suck balls Towles and you'll be back.
I wouldn't count on Quintero getting too many starts though...looks like Ausmus will take on more of a load.
Quintero is nothing like Eusebio. Eusebio was a good offensive catcher with shot knees. His defense was mediocre. He also had one of the longest hitting streaks in Astro history. Quintero is a solid defensive catcher with brad ausmitis of the bat. He's also considered a club house cancer and other players can't stand him. So if you mean that he's alot alike him in that they both have first and last names, then yes. They are twin brothers.
It used to always kill me how much of a singles hitter Eusebio was considering his physique. I mean, he wasn't ridiculously strong, but he was a big guy, the kind of look you associate with someone that will turn on quite a few pitches and hit a long way. Instead, he pokes lines drives the opposite way. I always liked Tony.
where did you get that info on Quintero (the clubhouse cancer stuff)? Could you elaborate? (Not defending the dude, just geniuinely curious) I agree...the only similarity is their physique
they've discussed it a bit on the radio. Mainly that nobody on the club likes him, and that he has a poor attitude. He doesn't endear himself to other players. It appears to be the only legit reason he's not been the primary backup to Towles. At this point in time, there is no baseball excuse for Ausmus being your catcher over Quintero. Quintero is better in all aspects of the game. You might argue that Ausmus calls a better game, but that is fairly negligible and in my opinion, highly overrated. Ausmus game calling sure ain't helping Oswalt.
Carl Everett Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb Tony Eusebio Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb. riiiiiiight. instead of altering his his age he musta lied about his weight instead Hopefully Towles can regain his confidence and come back up soon. An Ausmus and Quintero combo doesnt make me feel too good.
Haven't been able to watch much this year. Ausmus getting older, I don't have a problem believing his skills are eroding. But, can you elaborate as to how (and please, for the love of leather, do *not* post CS/SB numbers). Also, wasn't Quintero, despite his hot spring, hitting below the Mendoza line at Round Rock? I just looked it up--.237 with a .274 OBP. Not a vast improvment offensively.
Based on the last three seasons, Ausmus is a .230's hitter with declining defense. Quintero has a stronger arm, and with limited at bat's is a .230's hitter. Tit for tat, that should get him a few more starts to see if he can give you any more on the offensive side. Age is also a factor. Overall, it's a moot point as Cooper stated what that Brad is only going to be catching 2 times a week with the bulk going to Quintero. It's not that Quintero is projected to be a quality catcher, head and shoulders above Brad. It's that Brad has proven he is no longer a quality catcher who is a black hole at the plate. If it weren't for a recent 3 hit game, Brad would still be batting below .200. And for all the accollades as someone who calls a great game, it's interesting that our pitchers were faring better under Towles than Ausmus.
I don't have any qualms with anything you just posted--but you didn't answer my question. I asked not to argue, but because I haven't had the opportunity to watch for myself. (I did hear a passed ball on the radio the other day.) What specifically has gone south for Brad, defensively (the offensive woes are not news in the least)? Is he not receiving the ball as well? Is he putting up a bad target? Has his footwork gone south? Does he no longer block pitches the way he used to? Again, I'm just curious. The man was a consistent defensive clinic for 10 years, but he's like 90 now so I'm not surprised if he's regressing.
I guess I didn't understand your question. It's not that his game has gone south drastically. He was always a mediocre batter with plus skills behind the plate. Early in his career, he could hold base runners. While that skill is overrated in today's game, he can no longer do that. The past ball the other day was not his fault. He hasn't hit a point of no return defensively, but to me he has hit that point offensively. Quintero may not be an upgrade, but IMO it's been worth a shot. I see a better arm, a younger player with much the same skill set as Brad. He has never gotten extended at bats, and with Towles demotion, I really believe that you run him out more frequently to verify what asset you have. Is he a .250 hitter? .260? or, just .230 like Brad? I just look at it as low risk, low reward.
Makes sense; no argument. I was just curious as to which parts of his defensive game have gone south. I agree that holding runners is overrated in today's game. There's a lot more to catching than the "game calling" and SB/CS numbers people like to run out there, and Ausmus was more than "plus skills behind the plate"--he was a defensive master. It's arguable how much impact that has on the bottom line of how many opponent runs cross the plate in a game, but he and Matheny were the cream of the crop in the NL for several years.
