Daryle Ward went 2-4 on opening day with a grand slam and 5 RBIs. Yesterday, he went 4-5. If Ward keeps this up until Alou comes off the DL on April 13, what does Dierker do? Does he take his bat out of the order? Peter Gammons was quoted as saying that the Reds and Yankees were after Ward during Spring Training but that Hunsicker wanted a frontline pitcher in return for Ward. Both teams apparently balked at sending the Astros a frontline pitcher, so where does that leave Ward. It sucks to have 4 kick-@ss outfielders and only three spots to play them. ------------------
The real question is....who's better......Ward.......Berkman......or Hidalgo? ------------------ Note: It was my cowhead. I started the cowhead craze, and my cowhead inspired Mooch to step up and bring us a victory. Thank you for your time.
I say rotate Ward with Alou/Berkman/Bagwell. Each of the 4 players 3 out of every 4 days with Ward playing all 3 positions (everyone else only plays their normal spot). The guys need rest -- every year, they wear down in September. By putting them in a rotation, you keep them all fresh and relatively active, and you have an awesome pinch hitter available every night. Besides that, there's bound to be an injury at some point that gives puts the other three back on full-time duty. On another note, I think they should do the same with Spiers rotating in for Truby/Lugo/Biggio as well. Hidalgo and Ausmus can occasionally be rested with Eusebio and Barker just like normal. ------------------ http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.
I like the idea of rotating the outfielders, but I don't think Ward can play all 3 positions. I admit I didn't watch much astros last year b/c they were out of it early, but I remember hearing all about Julio Lugo in minor leagues and how he's the answer at SS. He's pretty unimpressive from what I've seen so far this season. Can someone tell me why there was such a big deal made about Lugo a couple years ago? Am I missing something? I hope we keep Ward. Doesn't Alou's contract expire this year? If so, it looks like the outfielder problem might just resolve itself by next year. How much weight has Ward lost? He looks thinner. ------------------
Lugo had very good offensive numbers(especially for a middle infielder) last year. He hit well over .300 the last 2 months. Give him a chance, it's only been 2 games. He won't hit .125 and Biggio won't hit .700 for the year. You can't sit Bagwell every 4th day. With that plan, one of the best players (not just hitters) in the NL would only get 120 starts. Bagwell must play 150 games for the Astros to be successful. The Astros main problem is that they have 4 great hitting outfielders but only one of them can play CF. If Hidalgo goes down, they are stuck with Barker in CF. ------------------
I like the idea of rotating the outfielders, but I don't think Ward can play all 3 positions. Yeah, that's a question mark, but he's playing the toughest of them (right field) right now. He grew up a 1st baseman all through the minors, and he played left last year. I know Dierker said he put Ward in right for now because he didn't want to move Berkman around -- that's why I suggested Ward be the one shifting. Everyone else could stay put then. I admit I didn't watch much astros last year b/c they were out of it early, but I remember hearing all about Julio Lugo in minor leagues and how he's the answer at SS. He's pretty unimpressive from what I've seen so far this season. I never heard much about him in the minors, but I don't really pay attention to them either. Last year, he hit fairly well -- better than Bogar for sure -- but had some fielding issues. I think he's just a stop-gap solution until Adam Everett is ready. ------------------ http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.
You can't sit Bagwell every 4th day. With that plan, one of the best players (not just hitters) in the NL would only get 120 starts. Bagwell must play 150 games for the Astros to be successful. I disagree. First off, I think various players will be hurt at times, so they'd all actually start more than 75% of the games. (Alou being the most likely injury candidate) Beyond that, this assumes Wards continues to put up great numbers. Ward's easily capable of putting up 40+ HR's in a season -- his pace last year was incredible (50+ for a full season, I think). Plus, having a Bagwell on the bench would be a phenomenal plus at times. ------------------ http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.
Plus, having a Bagwell on the bench would be a phenomenal plus at times. I'd rather have Bagwell up 4 times a game rather than maybe once. Granted all the players need a rest, but 12 games of rest is plenty for Bagwell. Keep in mind that during the road games vs. AL teams the Astros get to use a DH. So there's 9 games that one of their main bats will get to rest and still hit. ------------------
I think that if the Astros get rid of Daryle Ward it will be a monumental error on the order of dumping Rusty Staub and Joe Morgan. You have to keep your young stars. Hell, Bagwell has done nothing to carry Houston through any playoffs. TIme to be prepared to look to the future. ------------------ Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils. PowerbizOnline.com
Could Truby play SS? Move Bagwell to 3B and let Ward play 1B. Just a thought. I know it is not gonna happen. ------------------
Ward being the #1 backup in LF, RF, and 1B, will afford him quality starts throughout the season much like what we're seeing now. I really hope, and doubt, that Hunsicker will let Ward go. I think that he would have already. But what do I know? He could very well be deemed expendable come late in the season if the 'Stros are competing for a playoff spot. Then I could see Hunsicker trading Ward for a seasoned veteran starting pitcher. Speculating of course. ------------------ "...just because a clever person can complicate the discussion about the truth doesn't necessarily mean he or she is making any progress in finding it."
Bagwell at 3B? No. Ward at 1B? Only part time as long as Bags is here. I seriously doubt Truby will ever play SS. If Lugo doesn't work out Everett will probaby be called up from AAA. ------------------ "...just because a clever person can complicate the discussion about the truth doesn't necessarily mean he or she is making any progress in finding it."
RichRocket you think Ward will be a Hall of Famer? I better write that one down! This is the same overweight lackluster player who hit .258 last year and is still a defensive liability anywhere on the field. He's an exciting young player but we shouldn't be comparing him to Hall of Famers or even Jeff Bagwell for that matter. I remember a guy named Eric Anthony who was going to be a superstar too and that didn't end up very well. ------------------ Nobody's entitled to a stupid opinion.
Do you guys think Ward will improve much from the outfield though? He sure is a BIG liability out there... yesterday, when he had a bad jump to a ball hit to him...he just rolled over in front of the ball trying to halfway dive at it kinda scares me a bit...what if its the braves or the mets? they'll capitalize from that mistake for sure and make it into a big inning...He has to lose more weight, he doesn't cover much ground...just looks so ROUND out there... Shanna, resting Bags 40 games a year just doesn't make sense to me...if bags is injury prone like big mac maybe...but 10 games rest is more than enough for him to be fresh towards the end of the season...hes just too too good to be shelved for that many games... Putting bags on 3rd and putting ward to 1st is a good idea I think...why didn't they experiment with that last year? especially when we were totally out of playoff contention...its not like from 1st to 3rd is such a drastic transistion as oppose to C to 2nd...He played 3rd base before in the minors and should be familiar with it... ------------------
Shanna, resting Bags 40 games a year just doesn't make sense to me...if bags is injury prone like big mac maybe... Except that it wouldn't be nearly 40 games once you consider injury, defensive substitutions, AL-games, and pinch hitting. Maybe 15-20 or so total games, and he'd play in most of those as a pinch hitter anyway. Putting bags on 3rd and putting ward to 1st is a good idea I think...why didn't they experiment with that last year? Several reasons: (1) 3rd base requires a totally different skill set (for example, you have to have an excellent & accurate throwing arm) (2) Bagwell hasn't played 3rd base in 8 or 9 years. (3) Bagwell was never a very good 3rd baseman in the minors. That's one reason he was moved to 1st. (4) He has said he has no interest in doing this. (5) He's an incredible 1st baseman defensively. (6) As they get older, players tend to move towards first base, rather than away from it. That's because it has the least wear & tear on the body, and we'd like Bagwell to be good for several more years. I think that sums it up. ------------------ http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.
IMO it's too late in Bags' career to switch him to 3B. He can't afford to be making errors while trying to adjust. I just can't see that switch happening. It'd be nice, though, if it worked out. ------------------ "...just because a clever person can complicate the discussion about the truth doesn't necessarily mean he or she is making any progress in finding it."
ITS ONLY 3 GAMES into the season...and he's hitting against the poor pitching of Milwalkee...plus enron field may have helped a little also...He's a great hitter but in the longterm looking at the whole season, I don't seem him getting too much playing time once alou gets back from his injury because of his horrendous defense... [This message has been edited by ChenZhen (edited April 05, 2001).]
When talking about Wards defense, keep in mind that the guy never played the outfield until two years ago. Since then, he's been almost exclusively a left-fielder -- he hasn't played much right field. In Enron, he's far better suited for left because it's much smaller. Last year, he handled the crazy bounces off our left field extremely well -- better than any of our other guys -- but they want to keep Berkman in left and Alou in right, so Ward is playing out of position right now. ------------------ http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.
I realize that it is early in Ward's career, but the guy has an amazing ability to swing the bat. If he keeps improving on his hitting for average, he will turn into an astounding hitter. I have read where Bagwell said that there is only one person on the team who can hit better than him... and that was Ward. Everyone on the team knows what the guy can do, he just needs to opportunity and and starts to do it. ------------------ "Any event, once it has occurred, can be made to appear inevitable by a competent historian." Lee Simonson
I remember during one of the astros games, the broadcasters were talking about Ward and how talented he was. They said that even the vets like Bagwell and Biggio would actually ask Ward for batting advice. I've never heard of anything like that before. He has alot of talent and he did lose some weight this last offseason, hopefully he'll continue to lose it so he can be a serviceable outfielder. my fingers are crossed ------------------
