Archive for Houston Astros

The list of pitchers Alan Ashby caught in 17 big-league seasons from 1973 to 1989 is an impressive one. The former Astros, Blue Jays and Indians backstop called games for some of the most dominant pitchers of his era. He also put fingers down for some pretty colorful characters. Now 61 years old, he works as a radio broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ashby talked about catching some of baseball’s finest during a visit to Fenway Park earlier this summer. A primary focus was “the best of the best,” which included Nolan Ryan’s fastball — not the most explosive he caught — and Mike Scott’s mystery pitch.

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David Laurila: Who were the smartest pitchers you caught?

Alan Ashby: “Let me start backwards on that one. Guys like Nolan Ryan — who I caught for nine years — there just aren’t many guys like Nolan Ryan. Nolan is a street-smart guy, a bright guy, but it didn’t take a lot of smarts with his stuff. He could pitch — and did for much of career — away, away, away. Let’s just say he was smart enough to know he could do that, because nobody could hit the stuff.

“Guys who had to move it around, like a Vern Ruhle or a Ken Forsch, had to utilize guile on the mound. If that translates into intelligence and smarts, so be it. A lot of guys who don’t have good stuff are applying everything they’ve got, intelligence-wise and otherwise. I could come up with a list of names of guys to put on that list.

“The guys that generally aren’t on the list are people like Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard and Joe Niekro. They had very unique stuff. Mike Scott, in his heyday, was another.”

DL: How did Ryan’s fastball differ from Richard’s fastball? Read the rest of this entry »

Delino DeShields, Jr. was clearly overshadowed this season. The 20-year-old Houston Astros prospect stole 101 bases, but thanks to Billy Hamilton‘s record-setting 155, his own thievery went largely unnoticed. Despite the relative lack of attention, DeShields may ultimately prove to be the better player.

Taken eighth overall in the 2010 draft, the right-handed-hitting second baseman had a breakout campaign between low-A Lexington and high-A Lancaster. Along with his pilferage, he hit .287/.389/.428, with 12 home runs.

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David Laurila: Outside of the stolen bases, what was your biggest accomplishment this season?

Delino DeShields: I don’t even know, man. Last year, I knew that I had the ability and everything; it was just a rough year for me. I had the position change and I know that a lot of people doubted me. This year, I knew that I had it in me and just went out there and played. I played like I always used to play.

DL: Have the biggest adjustments been physical or mental?

DD: They’ve been more mental. Last year, the plan was to get me comfortable at second base. I had never played there in my entire life. I got pretty comfortable at that and this year I just put everything together. The defensive part is there, and I guess that the offensive side is probably what I’m most proud of, besides my stolen bases. I’ve walked a lot more, been patient at the plate, and got on base a lot more.

I’ve had a more consistent approach. I haven’t been going up to the plate without a plan. I having a plan now, and know the situation a lot better. I’ve worked really hard to polish everything up. I’ve still got a lot more polishing to do — I know that — but I’ve come a long way from last year.

DL: Players who steal a lot of bases often excel at small ball. Do you see that as your game?

DD: I look at myself as more of an all-around hitter. I can bunt when I need to, but I can also hit the ball over the fence. Read the rest of this entry »

Much like the old gray mare, Roy Oswalt isn’t what he used to be. That doesn’t mean the 35-year-old right-hander is ready to be put out to pasture. He can still be an effective pitcher, he simply can’t be ridden as hard as he was from 2001-2010. During that period, Oswalt was a 200-innings-a-year workhorse who twice won 20 games, captured an ERA title, and represented the Astros three times in the All-Star Game.

Now a member of the Texas Rangers, Oswalt finds himself working out of the bullpen as well as the rotation. In 12 games, he has a record of 4-2 and a 5.85 ERA that is well above his career mark of 3.28.

Oswalt talked about his evolution as a pitcher when the Rangers visited Fenway Park in August.

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Roy Oswalt: “When I first started out, I had four pitches, like I do now. My main two pitches were my fastball and my curveball. I probably threw 75 percent fastballs, 20 percent curveballs, and mixed in a slider and changeup. Later, in 2009 and 2010, I started throwing a changeup a lot more. I finally learned how to actually throw it the right way, I guess you might say.

“When I first started throwing it, I never really had the right feeling of the ball coming off my index finger. No one ever explained it, they just said to throw it like a fastball. Well, the way I throw a fastball versus another way a guy throws a fastball can be totally different. A lot of guys think about being on top of the ball; I think about staying behind it. When they explained to throw a changeup like a fastball, I was staying behind it instead of on top of it. I never really got the concept of it until probably 2010.

“The grip is somewhere between a fosh and a circle change. Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff Luhnow is at it again. The Houston Astros general manager has flipped starting third baseman Chris Johnson to the playoff-hungry Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two fringe-B-level prospects.

The approach being utilized by Houston is an excellent one. The organization does not have highly-sought-after commodities to trade (Carlos Lee, Brandon Lyon, Wandy Rodriguez, Johnson) so they’re seeking former highly-regarded prospects that have fallen in value but remain promising.

From Arizona, Houston acquired two outfielders that were taken within the first 64 picks of the 2009 amateur draft: Bobby Borchering (16th overall) and Marc Krauss (64th). Neither player is a sure-fire big league regular but both should see time with the Astros and the 27-year-old Johnson is not a regular third baseman; he didn’t play the hot corner, he played a lukewarm corner.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Houston Astros continue to shed veteran players and General Manager Jeff Luhnow made one of his better trades in terms of prospect value, although none of the three players are A-level young stars. The additions of pitchers Rudy Owens and Colton Cain, as well as outfielder Robbie Grossman adds more depth to the rebuilding Astros and is more than a fair return for left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez.

Owens has a modest ceiling and fits as more of a No. 4 starter; I ranked him as the 13th best prospect in the Pirates system entering 2012. The 24-year-old southpaw has spent the last two seasons at the triple-A level and made big strides this year, lowering his ERA from 5.05 to 3.14. He’s also cut his hits-allowed rate from 10.34 to 8.59 H/9. Owens could easily slide into the Astros’ starting rotation right now and pitch as well of better than Dallas Keuchel and/or Lucas Harrell.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no secret that I’ve been a big fan of the moves that Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has been making. He’s done an outstanding job of turning the organization around despite having almost nothing to work with. Astros fans will not see immediate results at the big league level but the organization – including the front office, scouts, and minor league development staff – have done an amazing job of infusing talent into the system.

Today’s trade with the Toronto Blue Jays will add even more talent to the organization and the 10-player deal (called the most boring 10-player deal ever) is being highly underrated from Houston’s perspective and will no doubt positively impact the club for a long time. Although Luhnow did not acquire an A-level prospect in the deal, he acquired three B-level prospects and a sleeper.

My first impression of this trade is that Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos – referred to as a ninja by many Toronto fans as well as the media for his stealth-like moves – may have made a panic trade and served up too much talent for three so-so pitchers with big league experience.

Let’s breakdown the minor league players involved:

Read the rest of this entry »

In the event that you haven’t heard, the Houston Astros have gone and signed Brett Myers. The deal itself — one-year, $5 million with an option for 2011 — seems entirely reasonable to my semi-trained eye. As our man on the scene David Golebiewski notes, Myers has chronically underperformed his xFIPs, a fact almost wholly attributable to an inflated rate of home runs per fly ball, a fact itself that is likely attributable to Citizens Bank Park. Translation: Provided that he’s healthy — which isn’t a guarantee given his injury problems last year — but given that he’s healthy, Brett Myers figures to post a better ERA than we’ve seen from him in a while.

Here’s the thing, though: the signing of Myers gives the Astros six starters. Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, and Myers himself are likely candidates to fill the first three spots in rotation. Which, that leaves Bud Norris, Felipe Paulino, and Brian Moehler to compete for the last two.

For a number of reasons, those two spots should go to Norris and Paulino. It’s not just that Norris (4.38 xFIP, 4.25 tERA*) and Paulino (4.10 xFIP, 4.07 tERA*) are likely better than Moehler (4.67 xFIP, 4.49 tERA*), but also that, if Houston has any sense of building for the future, it would make a priority of developing the two young pitchers with upside. Brian Moehler is the absolute knownest of the known quantities. It’s not a terrible quantity, but it’s no great shakes, either.

I’m worried, though. I’m worried that the Astros will somehow see fit to go with Moehler. Yes, there’s a chance that they’re creating the illusion of a competition so’s to prevent their young starters from becoming complacent, but I’m worried that’s not the case. I’m worried they like Brian Moehler. I’m worried he’ll be their fifth starter heading into the season.

Here’s how I’ll feel if such a thing were to happen: sad. Not joking-around sad, but legitimately sad. Way sadder than at the end of a Lars von Trier movie, for example. And while I recognize that may sound melodramatic, I should note that I’m not the sort of person who’s otherwise prone to strong emotion. But I care about baseball, and I look to baseball to provide ethical cues for my life. And it frequently does that. Jack Zduriencik? Yes. Andrew Friedman? Yes, awesome. Brian Myrow? Right on. But this particular move — should it occur — will only reinforce for me that people in charge are fallible to a greater degree than I’d care to acknowledge.

Of course, there’ll be ways to deal with it. As Matt Klaassen showed us on Friday, the power of snark is mighty. (I mean, seriously, that post is brilliant.) Fire Joe Morgan raised snark to the level of high art. But snark isn’t an end in itself. It’s merely one way of coping with flagrant injustice or misbehavior. Snark is the mode to which we resort when we are powerless to protest in any other way. It’s fun, sure, but it’s not ideal. Ideally, men in charge — that is, men whose acts are conspicuous and, for better or worse, provide a model for the rest of us — make decisions using the faculty of reason. Ideally, the Astros make Brian Moehler their long reliever. The alternative will be disappointing.

The Graduate: J.R. Towles | Born: February 1984 | Catcher

J.R. Towles came into the 2008 season as the No. 1 prospect in the Astros (weak) minor league system. He promptly fell on his face and was an offensive mess. Towles hit .137/.250/.253 with an ISO of .116 in 146 at-bats. He rebounded in the minors to hit more than .300 at Triple-A, but the damage has been done to his reputation as a potential front line catcher. His BABIP was a lousy .157 and he showed a little bit of patient with a walk rate of 9.9%. Towles is definitely a better hitter than he showed in 2008 but Jason Castro (the Astros’ first round draft pick in 2008) is now breathing down his neck.

The Riser: Drew Sutton | Born: June 1983 | Second Baseman

Keeping in mind that the Astros have one of the worst minor league systems in Major League Baseball, Drew Sutton was no where to be found at the end of 2007 when discussing prospects in the organization. Fast-forward a year and you have a potential long-term replacement for Craig Biggio. Sutton spent the 2008 season in Double-A (admittedly his second straight season at that level) and hit .317/.404/.523 with 20 homers and 102 RBI in 520 at-bats. His ISO jumped from .119 in 2007 to .206 in 2008. He’s also good for 20 stolen bases in a season and balances out his strikeouts (18.8 K%) with a healthy number of walks (12.8%). Sutton is continuing his hot season by hitting .370 (1.175 OPS) in the Arizona Fall League with six homers in 81 at-bats.

The Tumbler: Max Sapp | Born: February 1988 | Catcher

It was a bad year for incumbent catching prospects in the Astros system. Max Sapp, the Astros 2006 first round pick, had a dismal year while repeating A-ball. His line of .200/.284/.294, with rates of 10.5 BB% and 30.2 K%, was a steep drop from an already-disappointing 2007 season. Defensively, Sapp showed some improvements by cutting his passed balls in half to eight and throwing out 26 of 78 base runners (33%). Only 20, the catcher still has time to resurrect his career.

The ’08 Draft Pick: Ross Seaton | Born: September 1989 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Ross Seaton was considered the best prep pitching prospect in Texas, so it is no surprise that he was nabbed by Houston. Seaton, though, was projected to go as high as the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft. He lasted until the supplemental third round and Houston happily grabbed him and gave him an over-slot deal. Seaton had a rough, but brief, introduction to professional baseball by allowing eight hits in four innings of work, along with two walks and four strikeouts. Seaton has above-average control for his age, as well as a low-to-mid-90s fastball. He also features a slider and change-up.

The ’09 Sleeper: Koby Clemens | Born: December 1986 | Catcher

Despite posting lackluster numbers in his career, Koby Clemens has always been in the spotlight because of who his father is… or was. Recognizing that Clemens was not going to make it as a third baseman, the organization converted the hard-working youngster to a catcher and he showed some promise in 2008 – but he remains very raw. Offensively, he maintained his stats reasonably well considering he spent the year focusing on his defence. Clemens managed a line of .268/.367/.423 with an ISO of .155. He also posted rates of 13.6 BB% and 25.5 K%. Defensively, he made eight errors, committed 31 passed balls and threw out 45 of 130 base runners (35%) – while learning to play the position in-game and at the High-A ball level.

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