Like sealcubber said, that's not what mode they're in, yet. Even if it was, why should it bother you? Other clubs have been very successful while being in the bottom quarter in payroll. If we get above .500 and possibly even play meaningful September baseball in 2015 with a payroll that low, I would be above the freaking moon.
I would be ecstatic if Baggy returned to the team. I hope he gets his personal issues figured out, he's one of Htowns icons. When he was our hitting coach, I believe in 2010, this team saw notable improvement--hitting wise at least.
More importantly, he needs to be in the booth from time to time like he used to be on Fridays or Saturdays. I recall him seeing Carlos Lee run into the wall on a fly ball and stating that "they need to change the 315 to 318 after that one". His humor was dry and awesome. Would prefer him to coach... But I would take either.
Back when Pujols was still Pujols, he had gotten back on track after a slow start. Brownie mentioned it, and Bagwell said " that surprises me". I actually got a laugh out of that. He was like the anti-Drexler.
ABA (Anybody but Ashby). I actually was impressed with Blum last season... he's getting better, and I found the games with him and Brownie far more enjoyable than any other combination. Ashby actually brings Blum down, IMO... as he's not a PBP guy, but is forced into that role on road games that Brownie doesn't want to make anymore due to being old.
Agreed. Blum is a goofy dad that I will always welcome to the broadcast. Brownie and Blum are an above average duo IMO.
Having not been able to watch the games for 2 years now, it's going to really suck not being able to see JD on the screen.
Ashby sucks. Nothing wrong with Brown or Blum. They may not be the greatest, but they aren't terrible.
2015 ZiPS Projections – Houston Astros <img src="http://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Astros-Depth.png" width=800 />
they're so vanilla & offer zero wit and rarely teach me something about the game... their humor seems to be "lets see what julie is up to?!!". it's truly awful. very sad considering who we used to have as the color guy which made brown much more palatable.
Winter Report Card: Houston Astros Coming into the offseason, the Astros' priority was upgrading a bullpen that had ranked last in the majors with a 4.80 ERA in 2014. They've done well there, investing wisely in elite setup men Luke Gregerson (three years, $18.5 million) and Pat Neshek (two years, $12.5 million plus a club option for 2017) rather than breaking the bank for an established closer like David Robertson. The Astros did pursue Robertson, but the White Sox wound up guaranteeing him more in the first three years of his four-year contract than Houston guaranteed Gregerson and Neshek combined. Harris, claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks in November, is a solid addition as well, having posted a 2.91 Fielding Independent Pitching mark over the last two seasons with good peripherals. Meanwhile, the Astros have expunged every reliever with 20 or more innings pitched and an ERA of 5.00 or above in 2014 from their roster, outrighting Darin Downs and Paul Clemens to Triple A and cutting ties with Anthony Bass and Josh Zeid (not to mention Jerome Williams, who was released in July). Those five pitchers combined to post a 6.05 ERA in 154 2/3 innings in 2014. Passing those innings (at least in quantity) to Gregerson, Neshek and Harris should be a major improvement for Houston. Outside of the bullpen, however, this has been a quiet offseason for the Astros. Their only significant trade saw them send 24-year-olds Nick Tropeano, a righthander who made four starts for the major league club in 2014, and Carlos Perez, a catcher on the verge of his major league debut, to the Angels for Hank Conger. That swap is hard to figure. Conger is a former first-round pick and top-100 prospect, but he's also a career .224/.294/.353 hitter in the major leagues who will be 27 later this month and arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason. Conger did put up a solid season at the plate in 2013 (.249/.310/.403 in 255 plate appearances) but he was unable to repeat that production in 2014. In fact, his .221/.293/.325 line was inferior to the ones produced by fellow catchers Jason Castro (.222/.286/.366) and Carlos Corporan (.235/.302/.376). Given that all three current Astros catchers are excellent pitch-framers, it's difficult to see the addition of Conger as much of an upgrade, let alone one worth six team-controlled years each of Perez and Tropeano, however limited their upsides may be. Jed Lowrie, who played 97 games with Houston in 2012, rejoins the team on a three-year, $23 million contract with a $6 million club option for 2018. He adds needed major league depth on the left side of the infield, but early indications are that the team and new manager A.J. Hinch are going to use him incorrectly. Lowrie, who will turn 31 in April, has devolved into a lousy defensive shortstop, while Marwin Gonzalez, who won't be 26 until March, proved competent on both sides of the ball in extended exposure at the position last season. Meanwhile, the Astros' incumbent third baseman, Matt Dominguez, hit a brutal .215/.256/.330 in 2014, making him a win and a half below replacement level. Lowrie said during his free agency that he would play any position in the infield, and he has appeared at third base 83 times in his major league career, but Houston appears more likely to move the defensively superior Gonzalez to the hot corner, undermining the value of both players. There's one more thing worth noting regarding the players listed above: Delino DeShields Jr., the eighth pick in the 2010 draft and a recent top-100 prospect, was left off the Astros' 40-man roster and taken by the Rangers in the Rule 5 draft. DeShields made the long-anticipated move from second base to centerfield in 2014, but also shed 81 points of batting average in his first season in Double A. Still, he's just 22 and an elite base stealer with strong on-base skills and enough power to post double digits in either triples or home runs in each of the last three seasons. Having to stay on Texas' active roster for a full season after a poor one in Double A won't help his development, but it's still troubling that Houston would lose him to a division and intra-state rival for nothing, particularly given that the 'Stros are so dependent on young, team-controlled talent. Unfinished Business: Rotation depth As a rebuilding club not yet ready to make the big push into contention, the Astros can be forgiven for having a relatively quiet offseason. That said, they could have added another starting pitcher to a rotation that is wide open after the top three of Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Scott Feldman, with the first two of those needing to follow up breakout seasons to confirm their places in that order. Preliminary Grade: C Houston did a nice job improving its bullpen, but there's not a lot to like about any of its other moves, which significantly undermines that solid work in the ‘pen. The result is a neutral grade for a fairly neutral offseason. The Astros should be better in 2015 because of the continued maturation of their talented young players and their improved relief corps, but that expected gain in the wins column is not guaranteed, and the team has done nothing this offseason to brighten its long-term outlook.
Carlos Correa, Colin Moran, Mark Appel headline Astros spring training non-roster invites By David Coleman @MDavidColeman on Jan 13 2015, 8:07a Tuesday provided some good news for a select group of Astros prospects. Via a press release, the Astros announced this morning that 17 players have been invited to spring training as non-roster players. The group includes top prospects like right-hander Mark Appel, third baseman Colin Moran and shortstop Carlos Correa along with previous 40-man roster members left-hander Darin Downs and shortstop Gregorio Petit. Minor league signee Dan Johnson is also on the list, along with outfielder Andrew Aplin, third baseman Matt Duffy, catcher Luis Flores, shortstop Nolan Fontana, catcher Tyler Heineman, right-hander Jordan Jankowski, catcher Roberto Pena, right-hander Brady Rodgers, infielder Joe Sclafani, right-hander Jason Stoffel and outfielder Preston Tucker. Seven of the Astros top 10 prospects, per MLB.com, will be in attendance at Major League Spring Training, including Correa (No. 1), Appel (No. 2), OF Domingo Santana (No. 3), RHP Mike Foltynewicz (No. 4), Moran (No. 5), RHP Michael Feliz (No. 7) and RHP Vincent Velasquez (No. 8). Santana, Foltynewicz, Feliz and Velasquez are currently on the Astros 40-man roster. With Houston's 17 non-roster invitees scheduled to attend camp, the overall Spring Training roster total is at 56 players (25 pitchers, 31 position players). The 40-man roster is currently at 39. The report dates for Spring Training are Feb. 20 for pitchers and catchers and Feb. 24 for position players.
I agree with their take. The Conger trade isn't necessarily bad, but doesn't make sense. Playing Lowrie full-time at SS is a huge mistake unless the team expects Dominguez to rebound significantly.
I hope that Dominguez has to earn the starting 3rd base spot in ST. Same with Singleton at first. IIRC both have options left, so they both might start the season in AAA to work on their game.
I think Dominguez has had enough time to show what he is. Hope i'm wrong, but I just can't see him turning into even a middle of the road major league 3B Singleton might be the biggest factor in how the team does this year. He was awful last year, but was also awful in his first taste at AAA and then came back last year in AAA and was dominant. Not saying he is going to be a dominant mlb 1B this year, just saying we haven't seen much of him yet and the hope is still there. His power is so legit, even a .240-.250 average could have him as a well above average 1B. Unfortunately that article seems right on the money. Unless we get significant improvement from Singleton, and a full injury free season from Springer where he also shows at least a bit of improvement, we could actually win fewer games this year than last. Who knows what guys like Keuchel and McHugh will give us this year. Last year was certainly promising, but those guys are such a wild card at this point. Really wish we would have added a mid to top rotation guy, or a legit bat this offseason. It's not over yet, but not really hearing us linked to anyone anymore either. Still a couple of Cuban bats available, Moncada could be a serious difference maker and fit in with the young controlled talent also....
