Houson Astros http://www.astroslocker.com Daily Blog for Houson Astros Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:24:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en The Houston Astros are still waiting for a huge year out of Hunter Pence http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-are-still-waiting-for-a-huge-year-out-of-hunter-pence/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-are-still-waiting-for-a-huge-year-out-of-hunter-pence/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:24:48 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-are-still-waiting-for-a-huge-year-out-of-hunter-pence/ 26-year old righty swinging Hunter Pence is a good baseball player but the Astros think he has the potential for much more. Pence played in 159 games for the Astros last season and he was 165 of 585 (.282 avg, .818 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 25 homers, 72 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. I think that Pence will have better numbers in 2010 for the Astros across the board. Pence made 5 errors in 157 games in RF for the Astros last season but he showed good range and he had an amazing 16 assists there as runners that challenged him often paid for it. Pence is a natural CF so having him in RF allows Michael Bourn to cheat towards left to help out Carlos Lee.

33-year old righty swinging Jason Michaels played in 3 error free games in RF last season but he showed poor range. Michaels will battle Corey Sullivan this spring for the right to backup Pence. 30-year old lefty swinging Corey Sullivan played in 2 games in RF for the Mets last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing slightly above average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-are-still-waiting-for-a-huge-year-out-of-hunter-pence/feed/ The Houston Astros hope that 2009 wasn’t a mirage for Michael Bourn http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-hope-that-2009-wasnt-a-mirage-for-michael-bourn/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-hope-that-2009-wasnt-a-mirage-for-michael-bourn/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:18:48 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-hope-that-2009-wasnt-a-mirage-for-michael-bourn/ 27-year old lefty swinging Michael Bourn had a outstanding 2009 season for the Astros and they hope he will build on that success in 2010. Bourn played in 157 games for the Astros last season and he was 173 of 606 (.285 avg, .738 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 3 homers, 35 RBIs and 61 stolen bases. Bourn made 3 errors in 154 games in CF for the Astros last season while showing slightly above average range. Runners that challenged Bourn last season found that he had a good throwing arm as he had 11 assists in 2009. Bourn was outstanding all around for the Astros in 2009 and they hope that it was a glimpse of things to come and not a mirage.

30-year old lefty swinging Corey Sullivan played in 64 games for the Mets last season and he was 34 of 136 (.250 avg, .720 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 2 homers, 15 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Sullivan has the potential to hit better than he did in 2009 as he has a career batting average of .276 in 419 major league games. Sullivan played in 6 error-free games in CF last season and he showed outstanding range there. He also had 1 assist in CF last season.

33-year old righty swinging Jason Michaels didn’t make any errors in CF for the Astros last season while showing above average range. Look for him to battle Sullivan this spring for the right to backup Michael Bourn in CF this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-hope-that-2009-wasnt-a-mirage-for-michael-bourn/feed/ The Houston Astros expect another big year out of Carlos Lee in 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-expect-another-big-year-out-of-carlos-lee-in-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-expect-another-big-year-out-of-carlos-lee-in-2010/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:10:32 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-expect-another-big-year-out-of-carlos-lee-in-2010/ 33-year old righty swinging Carlos Lee played in 160 games for the Astros last season and he was 183 of 610 (.300 avg, .831 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 26 homers, 102 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Lee is pretty darn dependable for the Astros as he has averaged 145.7 games played, 73 runs scored, 28.7 homers and 107 RBIs per year in his three seasons with the team. Expect similar numbers out of Lee again in 2010. Lee played in 154 games in LF last season and he only made 2 errors but he showed pretty pathetic range. He does have a good arm as he had 9 assists last year but he will still be replaced late in some games in 2010 for defensive reasons.

33-year old righty swinging Jason Michaels will be around in 2010 again for the Stros’. He played in 102 games for the Astros last season and he was 32 of 135 (.237 avg, .752 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers and 16 RBIs. Michaels can probably hit a lot better than he did last season as he has a .269 career batting average in 836 games and the Astros hope that is the case in 2010. Michaels didn’t make any errors in 31 games in LF for the Astros last season but he didn’t show much more range than Lee did. Expect that to change in 2010 as Michaels is a better defender than he showed in LF last season.

30-year old lefty swinging Corey Sullivan could also get some P.T. in LF in 2010 for the Astros. He played in 38 games in LF for the Mets last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing above average range. He also had 2 assists in LF so he has a decent little arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: A-

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-houston-astros-expect-another-big-year-out-of-carlos-lee-in-2010/feed/ The Houston Astros have a new look at 3B for 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-have-a-new-look-at-3b-for-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-have-a-new-look-at-3b-for-2010/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:27:40 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-have-a-new-look-at-3b-for-2010/ The Astros went out this winter and signed 34-year old righty swinging Pedro Feliz to start at 3B in 2010. Feliz played in 158 games for the Phillies last season and he was 154 for 580 (.266 avg, .694 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 12 homers and 82 RBIs. Feliz’ addition should give the Astros a huge boost over the platoon of Geoff Blum and Jeff Keppinger that they used in 2009. Feliz made 15 errors in 155 games while showing good range for the Phillies last season. Feliz is a solid all around player who will help the Astros in 2010.

36-year old switch hitting Geoff Blum will go back to coming off the bench for the Astros in 2010. He played in 120 games for the Astros last season and he was 94 for 381 (.247 avg, .681 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. Blum only made 3 errors in 102 games at 3B last season but he showed pretty poor range there.

29-year old righty swinging Jeff Keppinger could also get some P.T. at 3B in 2010. He played in 67 games at the hot corner for the Astros last season and he made 7 errors while showing average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C+

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-have-a-new-look-at-3b-for-2010/feed/ The Houston Astros are going young at SS in 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-are-going-young-at-ss-in-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-are-going-young-at-ss-in-2010/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:18:42 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-are-going-young-at-ss-in-2010/ 26-year old righty swinging Tommy Manzella heads into spring training as the starting shortstop for the Astros. Manzella played in 7 games for the Astros last season and he was 1 for 5 (.200 avg, .400 OPS). He also played in 133 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 153 for 530 (.289 avg, .756 OPS) with 68 runs scored, 9 homers, 56 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Manzella didn’t make any errors in 2 games at SS for the Astros last season while showing above average range. The Astros just hope that Manzella hits enough for them not to regret signing or trading for a SS over the winter.

28-year old Edwin Maysonet will battle for a job on the bench this spring for the Astros. He played in 39 games for the Astros last season and he was 20 for 69 (.290 avg, .695 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. Maysonet also played in 59 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 44 for 187 (.235 avg, .640 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 1 homer, 14 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Maysonet played in 3 error-free games at SS for the Astros in 2010 but he showed pretty pathetic range.

29-year old righty swinging Jeff Keppinger can handle playing SS in a pinch for the Astros. Keppinger played in 11 error-free games at short for the Astros in 2009 but he showed below average range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: D

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-houston-astros-are-going-young-at-ss-in-2010/feed/ The Houston Astros need improvement from the 2B in 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-houston-astros-need-improvement-from-the-2b-in-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-houston-astros-need-improvement-from-the-2b-in-2010/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:49:14 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-houston-astros-need-improvement-from-the-2b-in-2010/ 34-year old switch-hitting Kaz Matsui is in the Astros’ Dog House but he is still the best 2B on the roster heading into spring training. He played in 132 games for the Astros last season and he was 119 for 476 (.250 avg, .659 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 9 homers, 46 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. The Astros really hope that Matsui hits more like his career norms of .271 with a .712 OPS. He is still a good defensive 2B as he made 6 errors in 130 games at 2B while showing outstanding range.

29-year old righty swinging Jeff Keppinger played in 107 games for the Astros last season and he was 78 for 305 (.256 avg, .707 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 7 homers and 29 RBIs. He will be used as a utilty man instead of a platoon 3B in 2010. He played in 22 games at 2B for the Astros last season and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-houston-astros-need-improvement-from-the-2b-in-2010/feed/ Jose Cruz Sr. was one of the best players in Houston Astros’ history http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/jose-cruz-sr-was-one-of-the-best-players-in-houston-astros-history/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/jose-cruz-sr-was-one-of-the-best-players-in-houston-astros-history/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:44:59 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/jose-cruz-sr-was-one-of-the-best-players-in-houston-astros-history/ Lefty swinging Jose Cruz Sr. was a solid player in his career with the Astros. Cruz played in 1,870 games in his 13 years with the Astros in which he was 1,937 for 6,629 (.292 avg, .789 OPS) with 871 runs scored, 138 homers, 942 RBIs and 288 stolen bases. Cruz hit over .300 six times for the Astros. He also made two All-Star teams and he got votes for the MVP Award 5 times while he was with the Astros. Cruz is #3 all-time in Astros’ history in games played (1,870), #3 in hits (1,937), #7 in batting average (.292), #5 in runs scored (871), #8 in homers (138), #4 in RBIs (942) and #3 in stolen bases (288). Cruz was one of the best players the Astros ever had, period.

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/jose-cruz-sr-was-one-of-the-best-players-in-houston-astros-history/feed/ The Houston Astros need a healthy Lance Berkman in 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-houston-astros-need-a-healthy-lance-berkman-in-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-houston-astros-need-a-healthy-lance-berkman-in-2010/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:40:28 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-houston-astros-need-a-healthy-lance-berkman-in-2010/ 33-year old switch-hitting 1B Lance Berkman is one of the best hitters in all of baseball when he is healthy. He played in 136 games for the Astros last season and he was 126 for 460 (.274 avg, .908 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 25 homers, 83 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. In Berkman’s 10 full seasons for the Astros he has averaged 95.9 runs scored, 30.9 homers and 102.6 RBIs per year. The Astros would be content with his average numbers in 2010. Berkman has also turned into a decent defender at 1B as he made 6 errors last season in 131 games there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2010: A-

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-houston-astros-need-a-healthy-lance-berkman-in-2010/feed/ The Houston Astros sign Kevin Cash http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/22/the-houston-astros-sign-kevin-cash/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/22/the-houston-astros-sign-kevin-cash/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:20:25 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/22/the-houston-astros-sign-kevin-cash/ The Astros have signed 32-year old righty swinging Kevin Cash to a minor league deal. He played in 10 games for the Yankees last season and he was 6 for 26 (.231 avg, .558 OPS) with 1 run scored and 3 RBIs. Cash has now played in 197 games in his major league career and he is 98 for 527 (.186 avg, .535 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 10 homers and 53 RBIs. Cash came to the right place because he just might get a shot for the Astros at some point in 2010 based on his defense which is outstanding.

]]> http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/22/the-houston-astros-sign-kevin-cash/feed/ The Houston Astros are in awful shape at catcher heading into 2010 http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/21/the-houston-astros-are-in-awful-shape-at-catcher-heading-into-2010/ http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/21/the-houston-astros-are-in-awful-shape-at-catcher-heading-into-2010/#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:53:46 +0000 chinmusic http://www.astroslocker.com/2010/01/21/the-houston-astros-are-in-awful-shape-at-catcher-heading-into-2010/ The Astros should really consider signing Rod Barajas or Yorvit Torrealba because they can’t possibly go into a season with J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero at catcher could they? Maybe the Astros are going to bite the bullet and give 25-year old righty swinging J.R. Towles one more chance to prove himself. He played in 16 games for the Astros last season and he was 9 for 48 (.188 avg, .604 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Towles also played in 56 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 40 for 145 (.276 avg, .841 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Towles is starting to look like a AAAA-player as he has a career average of .188 with a .609 OPS in the majors and he has a .299 average with a .864 OPS in his six years in the minors. Towles didn’t make any errors and he had 1 passed ball in 114 innings behind the plate for the Astros last year. His defense wasn’t all good last season though as he only threw out 9% of base stealers while pitchers had a 5.61 ERA with him behind the dish.

30-year old righty swinging Humberto Quintero projects out to nothing more than a so-so back-up in the majors. He played in 60 games for the Astros last season and he was 37 for 157 (.236 avg, .662 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 4 homers and 14 RBIs. I don’t think he can do much better than that as a hitter in the show. He made 5 errors and he had 5 passed balls in only 59 games behind the plate and that’s way too many of each. But, he does have a great throwing arm nailing 39% of the runners trying to steal against him while Astros’ pitchers had a 4.34 ERA with him behind the plate.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2010: D-

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