Interesting Roster decisions. Gimenez and Quintero are both out of options and the Astros may not want to lose either since Ausmus is getting old. Do the Astros keep 3 catchers when the rotation is so unproven? The Astros need a backup CF. Not a fan of either Lane or Palmeiro in CF. Jimerson is a good defensive player and he swings the bat hard enough to cause a whiff sound. Asencio, Wandy, Sampson, and Albers are competing for 2 spots in either 2 Sp or 1SP, 1 long relief depending on where Nieve pitches. Nieve is on the team. Will Holdzkom make team? Had arm problems like Lidge, but supposedly has good movement on low/mid 90's fastball after injury. I heard one of Pupura's underlings raving about him in an interview. RF has the 1/2 year wonder versus guys who have had trouble hitting the ball. Man, I love baseball season! Are we there, yet.
Josh Anderson is a big possibility for backup OF. better defense in center than pence. also bigger bat than jimerson
No, he's a loooooooooongshot to make the team at this point. Unless he improves his pitch selection & on-base skills, he's a longshot to ever stick in the bigs. Mike Rodriguez is a good bit ahead of him developmentally. Anderson, Rodriguez & Pence should be the main OFers in AAA. Jimerson is likely gone off the 40-man, and possibly from the organization, this Spring. And Qualls, who you mentioned earlier, has no possibility of being tried out as a starting pitcher this year. It was Wheeler who brough up a switch this offseason, and he was told "No thanks".
Another thing to keep in mind with the 5th starter debate is that Gar has said a couple of times that the best pitcher may not win the 5th spot. He may be put in the pen because Gar thinks that role - swingman, pitching in 70+ games, 100+ innings - is more valuable to the team than the 5th starter (25 or so games, 150ish innings). There's some sense in that, and as much as I'd like to see Sampson in the rotation, that role is tailor-made for him.
IMO, Sampson should be the 4th starter. I think he's our 4th best starting pitcher. Don't see any reason to put anybody ahead of him. From the 4th slot, he gives us 150+ innings and 13-15 wins. Yeah, I know, that's pretty optimistic. But this guys is smart and efficient. I think he is the surprise of the year.
Luke Scott, Richard Hidalgo, and Jason Lane all could play CF to give Burke a day off every 2 weeks. They can't play it good but they would be better than Biggio was 3 years ago. If Burke goes down for a long period of time. I think Hunter Pence will be called up not Josh Anderson. Josh Anderson is a slower version of Willy Taveras. He also has less power if thats possible.
Just saw this on Astros.com. Great to hear that Scott is so motivated. Great article. You can tell it wasn't written by Alyson Footer because it's actually well written. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou&partnered=rss_hou Scott exudes strength, confidence Disciplined offseason has right field candidate set to compete By Jim Molony / MLB.com KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- At first glance, you might not recognize him, what with the bigger shoulders, the chiseled torso and the Dan Haren mane, but the strapping young man in the corner of the Houston clubhouse putting on the Astros jersey is indeed Luke Scott. A question that isn't so easy to answer is: will Scott be manning right field when the Astros open the regular season at Minute Maid Park on April 2? "I did everything a man could possibly do to prepare for this season," Scott said Tuesday at the team's Osceola County Stadium training complex. "I can't predict what's going to happen, but I know I've put myself in a position to be successful." He also looks like he's put himself in position to compete in the next Ironman triathlon. An offseason away from baseball was spent entirely working with physical therapist John Carey, the professional athletic trainer who worked wonders with Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies. Scott power lifted, he did reps and extensive stretching. Then he lifted some more. He worked on every muscle, including some he didn't know he had. "I wanted to get as strong as I could," Scott explained. "Every day was like [the movie] 'Groundhog Day.' The only thing that changed was one day we'd work on leg strength, the next day arm strength, the rest was the same." His regimented routine included a strict diet of organic foods, plenty of water, vitamins and produce. No fast foods or processed foods. Most of the meals Scott prepared himself. "It's discipline," Scott said. "It's feeding the mind, body and spirit good things every day." The end result? Scott is ripped and ready for what could be the biggest season of his career. Sometimes the weight room can be harmful to a player's skills. A baseball player needs flexibility. Bulky biceps can negatively affect a swing. Muscle-bound legs can sometimes lead to muscle pulls. That's where Carey comes in. The therapist knows just how far to push Scott and when to back off. "I'm stronger than I've ever been, but my flexibility is better than ever," said Scott, lifting his left leg to his chest to demonstrate the extent of his flexibility. "I couldn't do this if I didn't have that flexibility." Scott batted .336 in 63 games last year, the 11th-best average in the National League for the second half of the season. The 28-year-old also contributed 10 homers and 37 RBIs in a performance that left him the frontrunner to start in the Houston outfield alongside left fielder Carlos Lee and center fielder Chris Burke. "When he came back up [last season], he was phenomenal," Astros manager Phil Garner said. "He'd be an MVP if he played that way for the whole season." In addition to added strength, Scott also believes the ample rest away from the game will help him this season. In 2006, he didn't finish playing winter ball until Jan. 17, and then after a couple of weeks off, he went to Spring Training. This time he shut down the game after the regular season ended and only picked up a bat recently for some cage work. That bat, a 34-inch, 34-ounce bat, is two ounces heavier than he used during the regular season. He'll probably go back to a lighter bat once Grapefruit League games begin, but for now, the heavier bat fits the stronger Scott's needs. "My swing is still the same," he said. "I haven't faced live pitching in a while, but from what I can tell working in the cage, it's fine." Even Scott doesn't know how the new strength will translate in terms of his slugging numbers. Then again, he had plenty of power before bulking up. "He can hit the ball as far as anybody," Garner said. "He's right there with Lance [Berkman] and Carlos. But that's not what makes you a good ballplayer. That's a plus for him, he's [a] left-handed [hitter], that's a plus for him. "Consistency is the way guys become good. Consistency is when you're in a game situation where you need to do something, it doesn't necessarily mean get a hit, just put the ball in play. My definition of a good hitter is, the hitter has to know the situation and he can produce something that gets you the result that you need." Scott agrees with that definition and hopes he can provide the textbook example on the field in the coming season. "In my opinion, I don't think that anyone has gone through an entire season without a slump, you're going to have ups and downs," he said. "Consistency, instead of focusing on results, should be based on approach and effort. Basically, it's quality at-bats as a hitter." That's essentially what Garner and the Astros are looking for in a right fielder. Time will tell whether they recognize those traits in Scott. Jim Molony is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
You say this a lot. If you don't mind me asking, as a writer, can you please point to some specific examples of Footer's writing that isn't well written, particularly in contrast to this piece?
He says a lot of negative crap a lot. Some folks can't tell you what they're *for*, only what they're against. The Roger Clemens debate was absolutely hysterical, for example. Take the drivel above, for instance: Great article. You can tell it wasn't written by Alyson Footer because it's actually well written. How about: Great article. Jim Molony is a pretty decent writer; I enjoy his stuff. Nah, b****ing is more fun.
so when purpura was on 610 this morning they were talking about scott competing with hidalgo and lane for the right field spot. now this just may be out of courtesy to the other two and not actual fact but if at all real, that is absolutely ridiculous. i don't care if he gets 5 hits in spring training, the opening day job should be his. he easily earned it.
Given that he's had an inconsistent big league career, is young & unproven, and moped a bit in RR after getting sent down last Spring, telling Scott that he has to earn his job sounds reasonable to me. Competition is a good thing.
I think it is more that the alternatives make me want to barf. Jason Lane played his way out of the bigs last year and Hildalgo,..... well he's no good since they are testing for 'roids now.
Uh...Anderson has never hit more than 4 hr's in a season. Jimerson hit a ball out of the Dell Diamond that was found over 600 ft. from home plate. Better plate discipline than Jimerson would have been the correct thing to say.
yeah i'm probably overreacting to what will ultimately be scott starting anyways, but when i hear jason lane and richard hidalgo as potential opening day starters, after their very recent suckiness, it doesn't build confidence in the lineup to me. i just get the same feeling about hidalgo or lane starting that i do about wandy starting. cringe.
Read them for yourself. I do my best to avoid reading her drivel now. But read a few of her articles, followed by someone that can actually write, such as Jim Moloney. You should notice a dramatic difference. The pure conjecture passed off as fact based reporting is bad enough, but her word usage and form is pretty horrible. It's not hard to see. And I can't see what msn is writing, but i'm sure it's something negative about me. The poor guy seems to have nothing to do other than respond to my posts and make unintelligent attacks. He'll never actually offer up or explain any viewpoints. He'll just say that I'm wrong and he's right. This message board is a much better reading experience when you don't have to read tripe like the crap he posts.
