The Astros have claimed 25-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez off waivers from the Padres. Lopez pitched in 58 games (0 starts) in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 2-3 with 12 saves, a 3.99 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Lopez has some talent so this was a nice little pick up for the Astros.

25-year old righty swinging Hunter Pence is one of the better all around outfielders in major league baseball. He played in 157 games for the Astros last season and he was 160 for 595 (.269 avg, .784 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 25 homers, 83 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Pence is also a outstanding defensive outfielder appearing in 156 games in RF last season for the Astros making only 1 error while showing good range. Pence also has a howitzer attached to his right shoulder as he had 16 assists in 2008.

33-year old righty swinging Jason Michaels will be Pence’s primary back up in 2009. He played in 123 games for the Pirates and Indians last season in which he was 64 for 286 (.224 avg, .652 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 8 homers and 53 RBIs. He has played in 734 games in his major league career and he has a .271 batting average with a .754 OPS so he will likely rebound in 2009 with the bat in his hands. Michaels made 4 errors in 43 games in RF last season while showing outstanding range.

25-year old lefty swinging Brian Bogusevic is the #4 rated prospect in the Astros’ minor league system according to Baseball America. He played in 50 games in A+AA ball last season and he was 51 for 147 (.347 avg, .969 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 4 homers, 26 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Bogusevic is a converted pitcher who started 17 games in AA-ball last season in which he was 2-6 with a 5.50 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP which means he has a strong throwing arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A-

26-year old lefty swinging Michael Bourn was handed the starting CF job in 2008 and he gave it away due to his awful hitting. Bourn played in 138 games for the Astros last year and he was 107 for 467 (.229 avg, .588 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 5 homers, 29 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. Bourn made 5 errors in 130 games in CF last season for the Astros while showing good range. Bourn does have a surprisingly strong arm as he had 9 assists last season.

34-year old lefty swinging Darin Erstad will battle Bourn for playing time if he doesn’t hit well in 2009. Erstad played in 140 games for the Astros last year and he was 89 for 322 (.276 avg, .672 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 4 homers, 31 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Erstad played 40 games in CF last season not making any errors while showing outstanding range.

27-year old righty swinging Reggie Abercrombie will try to make the Astros this season. He played in 34 games for the Astros last season and he was 17 for 55 (.309 avg, .848 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Abercrombie has played in 180 games in his major league career and he has a batting average of .223 with a .629 OPS so it could be that last season with the Astros was a mirage. Abercrombie didn’t make any errors last season in 11 games in CF while showing outstanding range.

Jason Michaels could also get some P.T. in center field this season for the Astros. He played in 8 games in CF last season making 0 errors and showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D-

The Astros need a healthy Carlos Lee to compete in 2009 because they are going to have to outscore the competition due to pitching problems. Lee played in 115 games for the Astros last season and he was 137 for 436 (.314 avg, .937 OPS) with 61 runs runs scored, 28 homers and 100 RBIs. Lee only made 1 error in 100 games in LF last season while showing below average range.

Darin Erstad and Jason Michaels will back up Lee in 2009. Erstad played in 57 games in LF last season making 1 error and showing poor range there. Michaels played pretty well in LF last season for the Pirates and Indians as he didn’t make any errors there while showing good range.

31-year old righty swinging John Gall will likely start the year in the minors and wait for a call from Houston. Gall played in 98 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 112 for 359 (.312 avg, .862 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 12 homers, 76 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A-

The Astros have returned 24-year old lefty relief pitcher Gilbert De La Vara to the Royals. They had selected him in the Rule 5 Draft over the winter. De La Vara pitched in 8 games this spring for the Astros and he was 0-2 with a 8.38 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. The Astros won’t miss De La Vara much as he looked overmatched this spring.