http://www.astroslocker.com Houston Astros Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:19:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Houston Astros are going to have a lot of pitchers competing for the #4 and #5 spots in the starting rotation for 2012 this spring, and that is a good thing. Here is a look at how the Astros' starting rotation looks right now: #1: Brett Myers: ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/02/02/the-houston-astros-are-going-to-have-a-lot-of-competition-for-rotation-spots-this-spring/ The Astros have signed 33-year old righty swinging 1B/3B Mike Hessman to a minor league deal. Hessman played in 48 games in Japan last year and he was 25 for 130 (.192 avg, .637 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 6 homers and 14 RBIs. He last played in ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/02/02/the-houston-astros-sign-mike-hessman/ The Astros have signed 36-year old righty starting pitcher Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal. He pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 8-13 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Hernandez has now pitched in 476 games (474 ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/02/01/the-houston-astros-sign-livan-hernandez/ The Astros have signed 28-year old lefty starter/reliever Zach Duke to a minor league deal. Duke pitched in 21 games (9 starts) for the Diamondbacks last year and he was 3-4 with 1 save, a 4.93 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 181 games ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/27/the-houston-astros-sign-zach-duke/ The Astros have designated 28-year old righty swinging shortstop Angel Sanchez for assignment. Sanchez played in 110 games for the Astros last year and he was 69 for 288 (.240 avg, .590 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 1 homer, 28 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He played in ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/24/the-houston-astros-dfa-angel-sanchez/ The Astros have signed 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jack Cust to a 1-year deal with a club option for 2013. Cust played in 67 games for the Mariners last year and he was 48 for 225 (.213 avg, .673 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 3 homers and 23 ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/24/the-houston-astros-sign-jack-cust/ The Astros have signed 30-year old righty swinging catcher Chris Snyder to a 1-year deal with a mutual option for the 2013 season. Snyder played in 34 games for the Pirates last year and he was 26 for 96 (.271 avg, .772 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 3 homers ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/24/the-houston-astros-sign-chris-snyder/ The Houston Astros are making really no attempt to get better so far this winter. Here is a look at the new guys they have brought in for 2012 so far: In the field: The Astros have brought in a ton of players on minor league deals, but the ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/14/the-houston-astros-are-going-young-again-in-2012/ The Astros have designated 24-year old righty reliever/starter Henry Villar for assignment. Villar pitched in 42 games (7 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 4-5 with 2 saves, a 5.45 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He did pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Astros ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/11/the-houston-astros-dfa-henry-villar/ The Houston Astros have claimed 23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez off waivers from the Mets. Martinez played in 11 games for the Mets last year and he was 5 for 22 (.227 avg, .715 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. He also ... http://www.astroslocker.com/2012/01/11/the-houston-astros-claim-fernando-martinez-off-waivers-from-the-mets/