Astros quick hits
03/07/2006
The Houston Astros haven't let the fact that they were swept in the World Series diminish what they accomplished in 2005. After starting the year 15-30, they spent the final four-plus months recording the best record in baseball, capturing the Wild Card on the last day of the season.
Even without Roger Clemens, expectations are high again this year. Most of the World Series club remained intact, and there's always the hope that Clemens will return sometime in May or June. The Astros have been contenders every year but one for more than a decade, and another run to the postseason is not just a goal. It's an expectation.
Team strength: The bullpen was the strength of the club last year, and the same should apply in '06. The back end is solid, with Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler and Brad Lidge returning for a repeat performance. Russ Springer adds a veteran leadership in the middle innings, and this year, manager Phil Garner will have two left-handers to mix-and-match in Trever Miller and Mike Gallo.
Achilles heel: It's hard to imagine the offense will struggle as it did last year, but until it proves otherwise, it has to be considered a guarded weakness. Can Morgan Ensberg repeat his performance? Will Craig Biggio remain steady at 40? Can Adam Everett give a lift to the bottom of the order? Will Jason Lane shed the "streaky" label? Can Jeff Bagwell contribute? If all goes right, the Astros should be a decent offensive team. But how often does everything go right?
Top newcomer: Preston Wilson signed a unique deal in the offseason: one year with a club option for another three. The Astros are always thinking two or three years ahead of their fans, but they're mainly concerned with what Wilson can bring to the team this season. It's not often that a club that finished in the bottom half in the league in nearly every offensive category makes it to the World Series, and they're not banking on that happening again. That's why they signed Wilson. He knocked 25 homers and drove in 90 for two teams in 2005, and the Astros expect the same from their soon-to-be No. 5 hitter. Wilson's presence should make the hitters ahead of him better, because pitchers won't be able to pitch around Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg as readily as they did last year.
Ready to make The Leap: Sure, Chris Burke doesn't have a starting job. But you can bet he'll play a lot this year. Tim Purpura loves the Phil Garner-Burke combination: a creative, risk-taker type manager and a young, hungry player loaded with talent. Burke will play a little left, a little second, maybe a little short. That'll add up to a lot in one key area: plate appearances.
On the hot seat: Jeff Bagwell isn't trying out for the team, but he is trying out his surgically repaired right shoulder. It's likely Bagwell will make the final call on whether he can play or not. If he starts the season and doesn't hit well, he'll stay in the lineup. If the throwing motion begins to hurt him and it affects his hitting, decisions will have to be made. The Astros are counting on Bagwell to be honest, and he's given every indication he'll do just that.
You can bank on: Is there anyone more reliable than Lance Berkman? Health issues aside, there's no one better in clutch situations than this three-time All-Star. To gauge his value to a club, imagine if he had played a full season last year. Think the Astros would have sunk to 15-30 in their first seven weeks? Fat chance.
Obviously, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte will win. But what about the rest of the rotation? Brandon Backe will be the X-factor, but even more uncertain is the rest of the rotation. The back end will have some combination of two inexperienced returnees in Wandy Rodriguez and Ezequiel Astacio, a former flamethrower attempting to reinvent himself in Carlos Hernandez, and three rookies in Jason Hirsh, Taylor Buchholz and Fernando Nieve. If whoever lands the fourth- and fifth-starter jobs begins the year on a strong note, that could be a good indication about how this year is going to end.
Games you don't want to miss (home games only):
Cardinals, May 3-4: First rematch of last year's NLCS contestants.
Braves, June 8-11: A four-game set with their consummate postseason rival caps a 10-game homestand.
Cubs, July 3-5: The start of an all Cubs and Cards homestand to end the first half.
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
The Houston Astros haven't let the fact that they were swept in the World Series diminish what they accomplished in 2005. After starting the year 15-30, they spent the final four-plus months recording the best record in baseball, capturing the Wild Card on the last day of the season.
Even without Roger Clemens, expectations are high again this year. Most of the World Series club remained intact, and there's always the hope that Clemens will return sometime in May or June. The Astros have been contenders every year but one for more than a decade, and another run to the postseason is not just a goal. It's an expectation.
Team strength: The bullpen was the strength of the club last year, and the same should apply in '06. The back end is solid, with Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler and Brad Lidge returning for a repeat performance. Russ Springer adds a veteran leadership in the middle innings, and this year, manager Phil Garner will have two left-handers to mix-and-match in Trever Miller and Mike Gallo.
Achilles heel: It's hard to imagine the offense will struggle as it did last year, but until it proves otherwise, it has to be considered a guarded weakness. Can Morgan Ensberg repeat his performance? Will Craig Biggio remain steady at 40? Can Adam Everett give a lift to the bottom of the order? Will Jason Lane shed the "streaky" label? Can Jeff Bagwell contribute? If all goes right, the Astros should be a decent offensive team. But how often does everything go right?
Top newcomer: Preston Wilson signed a unique deal in the offseason: one year with a club option for another three. The Astros are always thinking two or three years ahead of their fans, but they're mainly concerned with what Wilson can bring to the team this season. It's not often that a club that finished in the bottom half in the league in nearly every offensive category makes it to the World Series, and they're not banking on that happening again. That's why they signed Wilson. He knocked 25 homers and drove in 90 for two teams in 2005, and the Astros expect the same from their soon-to-be No. 5 hitter. Wilson's presence should make the hitters ahead of him better, because pitchers won't be able to pitch around Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg as readily as they did last year.
Ready to make The Leap: Sure, Chris Burke doesn't have a starting job. But you can bet he'll play a lot this year. Tim Purpura loves the Phil Garner-Burke combination: a creative, risk-taker type manager and a young, hungry player loaded with talent. Burke will play a little left, a little second, maybe a little short. That'll add up to a lot in one key area: plate appearances.
On the hot seat: Jeff Bagwell isn't trying out for the team, but he is trying out his surgically repaired right shoulder. It's likely Bagwell will make the final call on whether he can play or not. If he starts the season and doesn't hit well, he'll stay in the lineup. If the throwing motion begins to hurt him and it affects his hitting, decisions will have to be made. The Astros are counting on Bagwell to be honest, and he's given every indication he'll do just that.
You can bank on: Is there anyone more reliable than Lance Berkman? Health issues aside, there's no one better in clutch situations than this three-time All-Star. To gauge his value to a club, imagine if he had played a full season last year. Think the Astros would have sunk to 15-30 in their first seven weeks? Fat chance.
Obviously, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte will win. But what about the rest of the rotation? Brandon Backe will be the X-factor, but even more uncertain is the rest of the rotation. The back end will have some combination of two inexperienced returnees in Wandy Rodriguez and Ezequiel Astacio, a former flamethrower attempting to reinvent himself in Carlos Hernandez, and three rookies in Jason Hirsh, Taylor Buchholz and Fernando Nieve. If whoever lands the fourth- and fifth-starter jobs begins the year on a strong note, that could be a good indication about how this year is going to end.
Games you don't want to miss (home games only):
Cardinals, May 3-4: First rematch of last year's NLCS contestants.
Braves, June 8-11: A four-game set with their consummate postseason rival caps a 10-game homestand.
Cubs, July 3-5: The start of an all Cubs and Cards homestand to end the first half.
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home