I see your point max. It just seems like the astros might at least consider looking into it seeing as: 1)how bad ausmus hits 2)how bad biggio throws out in the field 3)they've signed him for another year 4)he's adapted to every new position he's been put in and has experience as a catcher. 5)how demanding is being a catcher on the legs compared to being an outfielder? it is less running but more crouching. he would however get 1/5 day's rest if chavez continues to catch for oswalt when he could pinch hit. I just don't think its such a stupid idea as you guys are making out. It is easier/cheaper to find free agent outfielders who can hit compared to good catchers who can hit IMO.
i understand the logic behind it. but if he can't throw as an OF he can't throw as a C either. he hasn't had experience in calling a game since what, 1989?? it's much worse on your legs to be a catcher than an OF. MUCH worse.
It doesn't matter what we think, what matters is what the Astros think. Biggio is not even the EMERGENCY catcher on the Astros. If Ausmus and Chavez had both been hurt in a game during hte season, Lamb would have come in to catch.
I'm glad for Biggio that he's back, but at the end of the day the offense needs to get a lot better, especially in regards to speed and on base percentage, don't y'all think?
i'm thinking there's a guy named carlos who could help out tremendously in that capacity. i'm not sure this offense could get a LOT better. they scored runs this year. they scored runs in the playoffs.
I didn't realize Biggio was one of the slower guys on the team, especially since he had the most doubles. A misleading stat I guess.
Agreed... although I'm now saddened by reading this, because I remember the last double steal the Astros pulled off was in the 9th inning of game 6, NLCS. Baggy had just singled home Ensberg to tie the game at 4... and him and Beltran did what they had done all year (double steal), to set up 2nd and 3rd for Lance. The funny thing is, just 48 hours earlier, a similiar situation presented itself in game 5 (Lance vs. Izzy with a base open), and TLR decided to walk Berkman to get to Kent, and we all know what happened. Probably because of that event alone (cause with 2 outs, there's no way you normally pitch to Berkman with a base open), TLR decided to let Izzy pitch to Lance.... and when Lance struck out, that ended our best chance ever to go to the World Series. man... its only been 2 weeks... I guess I'm still not ready to reminisce about this yet.
Reading that post turned my smile upside down..... Man....it really hurts. I loved the new energy our team had in the second half under Phil. The double steals were so awesome. [deep breath]
Do you remember May, June, and July? This offense is good, but terribly inconsistent. If he plays regularly, Biggio needs to be in the bottom third of the lineup, with a much higher OBP guy hitting lead-off.
We will miss Kent's bat, but at $9MM, I knew it wouldn't happen...He can get a lot more $$ somewhere else, but don't know if he'll accept less to stay in Houston...
i wonder if Biggio could play everday, against lefties in the OF and vs. righties at 2b, and he will bat 2nd in the lineup b/c i think they are gonna rush up WIlly Taveras b/c even though i have faith in the astros they will try to get beltran back, i think Boras wants him to go to a bigger market....w/ more media exposure...especially after what Beltran did in the playoffs...
Even with Carlos, there was quite a stretch where it wasn't that good. Even with him, we still need to improve. They were tied for 13th in the league in runs scored, but only 17th in batting average and I imagine somewhat similiar in OBP. If you want to improve this team, which clearly needs to happen to finally win before the current window of opportunity closes (if it hasn't already), you have to (i) balance out your offensive attack somewhat (more small ball, speed, less power), (ii) improve the middle relief, and just as importantly imo (iii) improve the infield defense up the middle. Interestingly, Adam Everett could help with two of those areas. He should definitely improve the middle infield range. Hopefully he should be able to hit decently and bring more speed to the lineup.
i hear ya. i just don't think you're going to see a massive improvement next season in OBP...unless some guys really have some different years. everett is not really an OBP guy, as much as i like him. and everett certainly addresses the middle infield defense issue. i really wish he would have stayed healthy. i'm not disagreeing in principle...i think they need to find a way to create runs better, too. i think beltran helps out a ton on that.
