If we got Soriano, I'd s*** myself, it wouldn't really matter who we gave up. Robertson and Hernandez for Soriano is insane. Going to the World Series this year with Andy, Roger, and Alfonso against the obvious team from the AL, the Yanks, would be TOO SWEET.
Name a couple of things that Robertson does well that would allow one to conclude that he can consistently win without great run support. He's a finesse pitcher that needs to hit the outside corners to survive. Yet he consistently leaves the ball out over the plate. He's not fooling anyone.
Name a couple of things that Robertson does well that would allow one to conclude that he can consistently win without great run support. Say what you want about his run support, but in his 15 wins, he never gave up more than 3 runs, and he gave up 2 or fewer in 12 of those. He earned those wins with good performances.
major you brought up a good point because i never noticed how well robertson pitched in wins. i am bored right now so i figured it out he had a 2.06 ERA in 15 wins over 96 IP he had a 12.89 ERA in 9 losses over 29 1/3 IP he had a 6.88 ERA in 8 no decisions over 35 1/3 IP so the bulk of his innings were outstanding but he was so horrible in the losses and no decisions that it completely cancelled everything out. further his troubles are seen by his problems with getting thru the early innings. his ERA for his first 30 pitches is 8.94 with a 10.72 ERA over his first 15 pitches. hitters are batting around .342 in the first 30 pitches and batting .371 in the first 15 pitches. maybe he will become a guy like moyer and learn how to get thru games when he doesn't have his stuff, but right now it does seem too great that he will. there are simply too many guys like robertson who didn't make it at the big league level. robertson's control simply is not good enough for the type of game he tries to play.
Were allowed to have dominicans on the team. Soriano is domincan like Hidalgo and Hernandez. We have a major scouting program over there, just not Africa.
Thanks for the research. It always seemed he would have a bad inning, a blow up of an inning. I expect experience and mound maturity will be a positive factor for him. Should he be starting over Redding? Yes, I say -- but only because I was hoping TR would have taken Lidge's role.
What we need is a CF with a high OBP who can be a lead off hitter. Soriano is neither. Those kind of guys are rare, so a high price would have to be paid. As far as I can tell, the Astros do not have any such player on their AAA or AA minor league teams.
It is very important to remember that last year was Robertson's first complete year in the bigs, so one would hope that he could develop more consistency. With more consistency, Robertson becomes a #2-3 type of starting pitcher. Another question to answer is where Robertson and Hernandez fit into the Rangers starting rotation. The Rangers may be willing to give up more (or take Hildago's contract).
We have an abundance of pitching. Pull the trigger. Oswalt, Miller, Redding, Rosario, Hernandez, Pluta, etc. And then Taylor Buchholz who could be the next Zito. If you can trade some surplus pitching for a young athletic player with plus power and plus wheels, you do it. PERIOD.
There's been a TON written on Buchholz since the trade. This is from today's Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2430315 Buchholz projected to give Astros shot in arm By BRIAN McTAGGART Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Taylor Buchholz stared quietly into his locker at Osceola County Stadium before Tuesday morning's workout like the shy kid in class who didn't want to get noticed by his teachers. The fresh-faced righthander, acquired by the Astros from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Billy Wagner trade, is allowed to feel out of his element while getting dressed alongside proven veterans such as Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. But if the star pupil lives up to the high expectations placed on him, Buchholz could make a name for himself in the near future. "He goes to the head of the class as far as our pitchers go, and he's by far the most talented (of the prospects)," Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker said. "He's got two above-average major-league pitches right now -- an above-average fastball and an above-average breaking ball. He's got a great, athletic pitcher's body and appears to have the intangibles to be a successful pitcher." That's why the Astros were so thrilled to acquire him, along with pitchers Brandon Duckworth and Ezequiel Astacio, in November for Wagner, the most successful closer in franchise history. "He was definitely one of the centerpieces of the trade," Hunsicker said. "He's what we call a high-ceiling kid. He could be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. I hate to label any young prospect as a future No. 1 but certainly he could be a very solid top-of-the-rotation pitcher." Buchholz, 22, was initially surprised at the trade, which took him from the team he grew up cheering as a kid in Springfield, Pa. "The day I got called I was shocked," he said. "I'm from Philadelphia and playing for the Phillies I was happy there. It took me about half a day to realize this was going to be a good thing." Buchholz throws a fastball clocked consistently in the low 90s, has a hard-breaking curveball and a changeup. The curveball, which turned heads during live batting practice Tuesday, is his strikeout pitch. "I haven't seen him pitch in a game yet, but certainly from our reports this is the real deal," Hunsicker said. "This is the total package." With the wealth of starting pitchers the Astros have, Buchholz will start the season at Class AAA New Orleans where he will be waiting in the wings if the Astros are in need of a starter. "In a perfect world, I'd like to see pitchers challenged at each level and show that they can handle that level before we give them an opportunity in the big leagues," Hunsicker said. "I'd rather feel confident that a player is both physically and mentally ready to be challenged at the major-league level before you put them out there. You never know for sure, but I'd always like to put a player in the position to be successful if possible." Buchholz, selected by the Phillies in the sixth round of the June 2000 draft, went 9-11 at Class AA Reading last season with a 3.55 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. He was named the top prospect in the Astros' organization by one national publication, but Buchholz warns he has much to prove. "There's a lot of new people to meet, and I'm not trying to put too much pressure on myself," he said. "I just want to have fun and learn as much as I can right now." Allowing Buchholz the time to prove himself in the minor leagues is a luxury the Astros didn't have with lefthander Carlos Hernandez, who was called up from Class AA Round Rock in 2001 and pitched well before being injured. "We were in a pennant race, and we really didn't have anybody in Triple A we felt could make a difference," Hunsicker said. "He was pitching well, and he did come up for a period of time and pitched well for us. But it's not only the physical readiness of a player but the mental readiness associated with it. Is he socially ready to be prepared for what they're going to face at the major-league level on and off the field?" Buchholz says that's a test for which he's preparing. "The learning part of the game is the biggest part," he said. "You're playing against people that are paid to play baseball and are the greatest players in the world. There's a lot of top knowledge around me now, so I can sit back and take it all in."
