Although the Houston Astros have spent a majority of the 2010 season in the cellar of the National League Central, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the team’s future.
Today, we’re going to look at 15 solid reasons to get pumped up about next year’s Astros squad.
Let’s begin by taking a look at five honorable mention candidates before quickly narrowing down to the top 10 players on Houston’s young and talented depth chart with the highest probability of becoming future MLB stars.
Okay so I’m a little late with Part II of my season-long look into the lost art of the stolen base. You can read part I here as a template for what future articles in this series will look like (if you are a new reader of mine). For those that aren’t, yes it’s the same format.
In a league where I’d like to see a 100-steal man, that is no longer possible as 80 has become the new 100 in terms of unattainable records. No one’s stolen even that many since Vince Coleman’s 81 in 1988 so why not make that the new standard, seeing how it likely won’t be reached anyway.
At the current pace, this season unfortunately will hold true to form.
As of June 1 here were the top five league leaders:
1. Rajai Davis (pictured) Oakland A’s.
Stole 12 bases in 14 attempts (85.7 percent) for the month of May. His season total to date is 22 as he stole 10 bases in April, and he’s currently on pace for 69 for the season. When you lead the league in steals, you get your picture in the article.
Last month in was Juan Pierre on the Sox page, this month maybe Athletics fans will come to know the series I’ve come to write.
April: 10/10
May: 12/14
June: ???
With any player you’d obviously like to see him increase his base steals each month as the season goes on. So far, Davis is not disappointing in that regard. In fact, if history is any indication Davis should heat up (no pun intended), this summer as he stole 15 bases last August and 11 in September! In a league without a Coleman this era, it appears he’s the best we got.
2. Juan Pierre, Chicago White Sox
Stole 10 bases in 11 attempts in May. His season total is 22 and he’s on pace for 67 for the season.
April: 9/12
May: 10/11
June: ????
Like Davis, Pierre’s numbers are increasing. However, they are misleading as the league leader after April only stole one base after May 15-exactly half the month.
This means that he stole nine bases in the team’s first 13 games which would have (in theory) put him on pace to steal a very eerie Carl Crawford-esque 26 steals in May, similar to how Crawford stole 21 last May.
When you look at it in that perspective, the always frustrating Pierre simply faded away which he has a history of being a nice player, but despite the speed and ability simply desires to be “good enough” when “great” could be a real possibility. Thus, the story of his career.
3. Brett Gardener, New York Yankees
My pick for “first to fade away” did not disappoint in May only swiping eight bases in 11 attempts, giving him 19 for the season on pace for 57.
As the Yankees continue to improve in the standings, expect him to fade away as getting on base and scoring runs become more important to the team that simply moving up 90 feet.
April: 10/11
May: 8/11
June: ????
Gardner’s numbers are all ready going down. Expect more of the same as he’s deemed “too valuable” and ” versatile” to risk injury.
4. Michael Bourn, Houston Astros
Stole eight bases in 12 attempts in May, giving him 18 for the season and putting him on pace for 54.
April: 9/11
May: 8/12
June: ????
Bourn’s numbers are startlingly going down for a player that was steadily improving last summer in this fashion. Not surprisingly his league ranking dropped from third to fourth. For a team going nowhere, why isn’t he running more with nothing to lose?
5. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
Finally a wild card to the discussion! The super-youthful (21) Andrus is easily the most promising of the stolen base fraternity (to date) having stole 11 bases in 16 attempts in May.
April: 7/10
May: 11/16
June: ????
Unlike Gardner his numbers are going up, and outside Davis, no one stole more bases in May than Andrus. Only concern is he may have a bit of Nyger Morgan-like carelessness on the base paths already getting caught eight times on the season in only 26 attempts (69 percent).
In a league that prides itself on an 80 percent target rate, 69 percent just won’t cut it. Still, you have to like his aggressiveness and the fact that his team (29-25) is still in first place, (albeit in a very weak division) despite his struggles.
This is a classic case of having to take the bad with the good and Andrus is only going to get better. In fact, last season I predicted he would soon be a league leader in my final article in the 2009 season-long look and had him pegged for 50.
Well, there you have it. Check back around July 1 for the latest installment into the lost art of the stolen base with updates and projections and what it all means.
Statistics and information from ESPN.com and Wikipedia directly contributed to the content in this article.
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The Houston Astros are just five years removed from their lone World Series berth.
From their inception in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45’s, the Astros have achieved little in terms of establishing an identity as a storied franchise. Whether to due with lack of superstar power or rare postseason success, the Astros have at times been a team on the cusp of success only to falter the following year.
After clinching the National League Wild Card with an 89-73 record in the 2005 season, they defeated two of Major League Baseball’s winningest franchises in recent memory, the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, to complete their improbable trip to their first-ever World Series.
Although they were swept by the World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, many expected the Astros to possibly become a contender in the National League.
However, after four years of alternating winning and losing seasons, the Astros proved to be inconsistent and missing one or two key players that could change the complexion of the franchise.
Flash forward to this season, the Astros boast a National League worst 15-27 record and already 9 ½ games behind the division-leading Cardinals.
So what is wrong with the Houston Astros?
With the retirement of Jeff Bagwell in 2005 and of Craig Biggio in 2007, the Astros definitely lost two of the best pure players in team history.
But that is where the problems only begin.
During the first 40 games of this season, the Astros have been unable to produce on the offensive end, averaging less than three runs per game. The Astros are also ranked either last or second-to-last in every major offensive category. Due to lack of run support, the pitching is also of tremendous importance.
Houston’s rotation of Roy Oswalt, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Felipe Paulino, and Bud Norris are having to limit opposing teams’ offensive output as much as possible, to help keep them in games.
SP Roy Oswalt, despite having a 2.66 ERA, only has a 2-6 record to show for it, in large part to lack of offense. This may be the biggest reason as to why Houston’s starting ace wants a trade.
If the Astros could perhaps get some young talent, they may begin building for the future. However, if an Oswalt trade is in the works, this essentially eliminates any chance of Houston contending for the playoffs.
Their offensive woes could be in large part to the inconsistent play of LF Carlos Lee and 3B Pedro Feliz. Even though they have showed flashes of their offensive prowess, it has been only on occasion.
They were brought to Houston, in 2007 and 2010 respectively, to help boost the hitting and scoring of the Astros, something that has not worked in Houston’s favor.
If Houston does want to build for the future, now is the time, as they have key players that would generate interest, as well as provide value, from other teams. Lee, Roy Oswalt, and perhaps, even, Lance Berkman could all be on the move during this season.
The team could start rebuilding around Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, and start to develop young players. Prospects, as well as trading for young role players, could form a strong nucleus that could bring the Astros back into contention as soon as next season.
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Nothing is better for a struggling Houston Astros team than a trip to St. Louis? That doesn’t make any sense. St. Louis is in first place in the NL Central. Houston? They aren’t in first place, or second, or third or fourth. Nope, they proudly reside in fifth place, one game back of the powerful Pittsburgh Pirates.
And this is after a three game sweep of the Cardinals.
Astros baseball! After two eight game losing streaks, a third place finish isn’t impossible, just improbable! I think that would be a great slogan for the rest of the season.
Now, don’t get too excited Astros fans, I don’t believe we are about to launch ourselves back in the division race.
But maybe, just maybe, we can compete for third or fourth place in the division. And truthfully, if we somehow finish ahead of the Cubs, then I consider this season a resounding success.
To move ahead of some other teams, we’ll need more games like Thursdays. Timely hitting against a good pitcher. Good defensive plays at the right time and starting pitching that dominates.
Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence provided the clutch hitting.
Berkman made a great defensive play in the eighth inning to prevent a run.
Bud Norris did what he always does to the Cards. Dominate them. He is now 4-0 against St. Louis, including 3-0 at Busch Stadium. He needs to pitch like this against everyone.
Heading into yesterdays game, his E.R.A. was closer to 10 than three. Both of his victories this season have come on the road against St. Louis.
It must have something to do with his nickname. Bud. The relationship between the Cardinals and Budweiser must give him some type of special power.
Maybe he can also have some success against the Brewers.
Someone give Felipe Paulino a cool nickname. He could really use some wins. And control.
All kidding aside, it’s a good feeling to see the team starting to hit.
I know Berkman and Pence care and want to win. When they produce like they did this weekend, the Astros will take a game or two, even the odd series from a better team.
If Norris can continue to improve the starting pitching wouldn’t seem that bad. Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriquez and a consistent Norris would be a decent 1-2-3 start to a rotation.
Norris has the stuff of at least a no. two starter. His success like most pitchers depends on his command. Staying away from the one big inning has also been a problem.
Of course, if Bud continues to pitch well, it makes it even easier on the Astros to trade Oswalt near the deadline. If they can get one or two top prospects for Roy, they need to pull the trigger.
The bats this season are never going to be great.
Outside of Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee, the hitters are below average at every position. So more often than not, pitching is going to have to carry the team or at least nudge it towards victory.
Enjoy the sweep over the Cardinals in St. Louis. It doesn’t happen often. And after the start to this season, no one would have predicted it happening this year.
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Believe it or not, the Astros have won four games in a row; and three of those victories have come against the first-place Cardinals as Houston swept St. Louis at Busch Stadium.
How, exactly, have the 13-21 Astros taken all three games from the 20-15 Cardinals (on the road on top of that)?
From Lance Berkman heating up at the plate to Hunter Pence’s re-awaking offensive outburst, Houston is on a tear right now.
And it’s a damn long season, so don’t count them out yet.
Here are five good reasons why Astros fans should be smiling, and five solid pieces to Houston continuing their climb from the MLB grave and back into contention in the National League Central…
You can see great players like J.R. Towles when you come to Minute Maid Park for an Astros game! Wait. He’s now bent sent down to Double AA Corpus Christi. See what you miss when you don’t go. Double AA talent at Major League prices!
Sure the Astros are bad. Really bad. But there are still compelling reasons to head out to the old ball park. Can’t think of any? Luckily, I’m here to help.
Last year, you might recall I had a season-long series on the art of the stolen base and whether or not we’ll ever see a 100-steal man again.
While I have my doubts, I will however be continuing that monthly column update with yearly totals so look for that at the beginning of each month for the rest of the season.
With that here is the first installment of 2010:
The top-five base stealers as of May 1, 2010 were:
1. Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
Stole 10 bases in 11 attempts in April for a team that outside of the brief Rickey Henderson years, historically doesn’t emphasize or promote base stealing.
Based on that fact and 100 years of evidence, expect Gardner, while young and exciting, to taper off to around 40 steals by year’s end as the Yankees philosophy has always been to favor power over speed and what is called “small ball”, which has to be seen as an insult to the mighty Yankees.
10 steals in 11 attempts through 23 games (15-8 team record). On pace for 73.
2. Rajai Davis, Oakland Athletics
Like Bourn before him, Davis came on very strong late last year stealing 15 of 18 in August and 11 of 14 in September, to finish fifth in Major League Baseball.
When you consider that the A’s have a history of letting their players run, and the fact Davis lasted this long in Oakland which I had doubted (see previous link) then you have to like his chances this year. Finally, 26 of his final 32 being successful 81 percent is just about his season average from last year (77%), suggesting he hasn’t lost a step.
10 bases in 10 attempts in April through 25 games (13-12 team record). On pace for 66.
3. Michael Bourn, Houston Astros
On a team with not much to cheer for, Bourn will be a season-long bright spot.
The man not only stole a career best 61 bags last year but got better as the season went on. That’s promising for this year when you consider last year at this time he had six in April.
Stole 9 bases in 11 attempts in April through 23 games (8-15 team record). On pace for 71.
4. Juan Pierre, Chicago White Sox
Pierre hasn’t seen this kind of speed since stealing a career high 64, in 2007 with the L.A. Dodgers, who, like the White Sox are a historically pedestrian team.
Still, if Pierre can stay healthy, productive, and be in the Sox lineup, he should do fine. If the team continues to struggle he could he dealt for help so his future production may have to be readjusted based on his new team’s philosophy.
But for now, sit back and watch him run.
Stole 9 bases in 12 attempts in April through 24 games (10-14 team record). On pace for 87.
5. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
We saw Nyger Morgan accidentally do too well in the Steel City, and thus he forced his way out of town in a never-ending mill of prospect exchange.
While that fate seems inevitable for the young (23), exciting, and affordable McCutchen, right now he’s all the perpetual cellar-dwelling Pirates have.
Enjoy him while you can Pirates fans…both of you. That’s all I have to say.
Stole 10 bases in 12 attempts in April through 24 games (10-14 team record) on pace for 65.
There you have it, the first installment of the 2010 “Stolen Base series”.
Note the new faces. We’ll have to see how long they stick around. Early trends show while it will be a ‘slow’ year on the base paths.
Twenty players currently have 6 steals or more and thus, are on pace for over 50 steals! (52 to be exact).
So while the quantity of exceptional runners has gone down, allowing them to separate from the pack like in most years, the quantity of runners in general hoping to “keep up” has gone up creating even more new faces of intrigue as we try and guess who may take over the torch of this lost art.
Be sure to check back around June 1, and the first of every month, for a continuation on this season-long look into this lost art, one of my favorite in baseball, and all of professional sports.
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Right about now, some may be questioning whether or not Houston’s turnaround is legit; especially after the Astros got swept by the Cincinnati Reds after winning eight of their prior 11 games.
But, let me tell you something: this team has begun the turnaround, and the Houston Astros are well on their way to contending in the National League Central this season.
Although they may not be the hottest thing to hit the diamond in April, May will likely be a different story and it will be a time for the Astros to prove to the doubters that they can and will contend in 2010.
Here are five reasons why, in my opinion, the Houston Astros’ turnaround is indeed authentic…