Fan Favorite Part 3

Tonight we look at Jason Bourgeious and Jimmy Paredes.

Jason Bourgeious

Jason has a Houston native, one of us.  He is a Texans and a Rockets fan, and he is proud of his hometown.  I love the guy.  He has the background of a guy that the city could get behind.  There is only one problem.  He is projected as the fourth outfielder if the season started today.  He has lead off hitter speed and a solid glove, but he doesn't have lead off hitter plate discipline.  He had just ten walks in 248 plate appearances.  That takes a strong .294 batting average and only produces an on base percentage of .323.  That isn't something to scoff at, but we need more than that at the top of the order.  Last year was his best, and he could improve upon it, but it isn't likely.  My point is that I don't know if he will get enough playing time to gain fan notoriety.

Jimmy Paredes

Here is a major dark horse candidate.  Jimmy has speed and gap power.  He once stole 50 bases in the minors and stole 48 over the course of the entire season including Lexington, Corpus Chrisi, and Houston.  He has hit for solid average at every level, but he has problems with plate discipline. He doesn't walk much.  He has the tools to be an exciting player, but he has to get on base more to show off his most valuable and exciting tool.  I am very high on this kid.  I think that we might have stolen a solid player in the Berkman deal.  Fans love speedy toolsy players, and that is exactly what he is.

Who is the guy? Part 2

Tonight we will look at two more candidates for fan favorite.  Let's get right to it.

Jason Castro
At first thought one doesn't think that Castro is a candidate, but writing him off in the discussion is a mistake.  He was the piece that was missing last year.  I know I wonder if things would have been slightly different with Jason Castro behind the dish as opposed to Corporan.  I am not saying that we would have been in the hunt for the division, but perhaps we would have seen his ability to handle catchers continue to improve.  Instead, we got to watch a grab bag of catchers that won't be a part of this franchise in the coming years.  Jason has already shown a good ability to handle the pitching staff, but we haven't seen his best offensive days.  Houston fans have loved catchers with limited bats in the past.  We have loved backstops such as Alan Ashby and Brad Ausmus.  Those guys had something associated with them that Jason will not have in the near future, and that is winning.  Both Ashby and Ausmus had a better than average pitching staffs throwing to them.  That makes a catcher's offense matter much less.  How can Jason move up the fan favorite ladder?  He can get off to an incredibly hot start at the dish and show that he was a major missing piece last season.  Above all, he must remain healthy.

Brian Bogusevic
Brian is a major possibility.  He has been with organization for a few years already and has made the transition from pitching to playing the outfield.  He is not what you would call a toolsy player.  He doesn't have blazing speed, amazing power, the potential to hit .350, or fantastic defense.  He is very adequate in all of the areas, which means he is doing the most with what he has.  In a time when a team doesn't have a star to point to, these are the kind of players that fans can latch on to.  He has a signature moment with the walk off grand slam last season, which I believe that I still have on my DVR.  I want Brian to get the starting job in right this season.
With any of the candidates, the key is going to be a good start and consistent production throughout the year.

Next up, we will discuss Jason Bourgeois and Jimmy Paredes.

A Man Named Jed (Lowrie)

I heard about the deal sending Melancon to the Red Sox for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland around 1:15 today. My first reaction was a bit of shock. I am not shocked because I am so bummed that we sent a promising player away. I am shocked because, for once, our front office did something that makes sense on almost every level.

Relief pitchers are valuable commodities to a rebuilding team. The big competitive clubs are always looking to solidify their bullpen before a playoff run. In this case, the Red Sox are talking about moving their eighth inning guy, Daniel Bard, to the starting rotation, and they still sit without a closer. Luhnow used Boston's need to fill a need of ours. We needed a shortstop and starting pitching depth due to our top two pitchers both being on the trading block.

Lowrie has had his issues with injuries, but he has shown flashes of being a solid Major Leaguer. He will get something in Houston that he wasn't getting in Boston, and that is consistent playing time. Let's pretend that he has a great first half. If that happens, we have another valuable piece to unload for more organizational depth. Good hitting shortstops are not as common as they were in the nineties, so he could be particularly attractive to someone. Now that we seem to have competent leadership, I expect that we could get more back than a couple of relief pitchers with 4.00+ ERAs in the minors.

This is the way rebuilding is done. You have to take risks on guys at the end of their careers and younger players with unrealized potential. They don't cost as much, which means you keep payroll down, and they are easier to trade. I am very excited to see that our leadership has a plan and are wasting little time getting to it. This won't be the last trade of this offseason. I can handle losing when there is a plan to stop at some point.

Who is the guy? Part one

This series of posts comes after some discussions with my Dad. Every team seems to have a player that the fans identify as their guy. Opposing fans associate him with your franchise the way they used to associate Bagwell and Biggio with the Astros. This is usually a guy who has been with the team for some time and has success on the field. The Astros lost their two guys last year via trade. I am going to venture into figuring out the new guy. Who will adorn the Astros billboards? Who will sell the most t-shirt jerseys? In no particular order, here are the candidates.

Carlos Lee
No. The majority of fans have been hoping upon hope that he could get traded. He seems to take the brunt of the fans' wrath. Whether that is fair or not is for another post. I am sure that Crane is aware of this fact and will work tirelessly to market the young players.

Bud Norris
Bud has an interesting set of qualifications. First of all, he seems like a quality guy. My wife took my son to an autograph signing in Waco, and she spoke highly of how kind Bud was toward them. He has a sense of humor, as we saw in his antics with Greg Lucas during broadcasts last year. He has only been with the team for two and a half seasons, but you are going to be hard pressed to find too many guys outside of Lee or Wandy with any more tenure than that. Bud has respectable numbers outside of his win and loss record. He is a little high on the walk numbers, but Houston has always had a love affair with power pitchers, and this is the closest that we have at this time. Another factor in his favor is that he is a home grown product. He could become the face if he getsnoffmto a fast start, and takes the role of our ace, but if this happens, look for the Astros to sell high, which means that he wouldn't be the Dave for very long.

Jose Altuve
This is a dark horse. We don't have a lot of numbers to look at in regards to the gritty second baseman, but he does pass the eye test. He plays way bigger than his stature. He hustles out every grounder and doesn't shy away from the diving attempt on defense. He doesn't have raw power, huge defensive range, or blazing speed, but he plays the game hard, and a city like Houston can get behind a guy like that.

This concludes part one. Part two will come later in the week. When this long process is over, we will have a better idea of which player we should all be buying t-shirt jerseys.

Thank You Texans

I know this isn't Astros related , but I just wanted to take the time to thank the Texans for one of the greatest thirty minutes in my sports life. We had a valiant comeback lead by a rookie QB accompanied by another tight game that we needed, and the Saints delivered in dramatic fashion. The emotions ran the gamut, and the Texans end up in the playoffs. It was a great day for the Houston sports fan.

The Truth About Rebuilding

The players that will be the centerpieces to our future are probably not in the system yet. We can try to project Singleton and Cosart, but chances are that neither one will be around when the team starts winning again. A winning baseball team requires quality from the top of the roster to the bottom. You need 26 players who all serve some purpose well, and to sustain winning, you need their replacements down on the farm. It seems like a daunting task to say the least.

If Singleton, Cosart or any of the other youngsters appear to be blossoming into a star, we must pay attention to the rest of the roster. If Singleton peaks, and the organization still lacks the depth that we need, we must flip him for even more quality pieces. The Mark Teixeira trade stands out as a prime example to me. That trade landed three significant pieces to the Rangers success.

This is where being the GM of a rebuilding franchise gets difficult. You have to decide when the team is ready to compete. What is the arrival date? Fans don't want to feel like they are in a perpetual state of rebuilding like the Pirates or Royals have been. It appears that the Royals are well on their way, but the Pirates are still a ways off and will probably have to move McCutchen for even more pieces.

Patience is more key to the Astros situation that we can understand at this point. We are hearing five to seven years until being competitive. What does competitive mean? Is it .500 or contending for the playoffs? All I know is that we aren't winning anything next year. Mr. Crane might not want to hear this, but rebuilding will require financial investment. We will need to be more active in the international market, and we will need to take risks on free agents that we can flip at the deadline.

It's good that we have direction, but we can't expect instant results at the Major League level. Patience will be the key. There will be more days when we have to say goodbye to a star in the making in order to make the organization deeper and healthier in the long term. Pay attention to what ownership says the team's arrival date is. Hold them to that, but let's be realistic and agree that it won't be 2012 or 2013.

Luhnow Reaction

I have no insider information as to what kind of GM Mr. Luhnow will be, but I do know what kind of organization he came from. It pains me to say, because the Cardinals hate burns deep within my soul, but their organization is first class. They have been producing solid major league talent for years. I am envious of their situation. Luhnow has been a part of that situation. I want to believe that he knows what it takes to build a top flight organization. I walked away from listening to his press conference feeling like he has a firm grasp of reality. He knows what he is walking into. I am anxious to see what he does. Turning around a baseball club is different from any other sport except maybe hockey. Players are drafted and spend time in the minors and sometimes develop into major league talent. The process will be a grind, and patience will be needed. The good news is that the dilussion that this team is "ready to be a champion" is gone. With the right moves, we will be a champion in the future, and when we are truly a piece or two away, I believe that Mr. Crane will spend the money to put us over the top.

Jumping Ship

With the recent announcement of the Astros moving to the American League, I have heard about many fans wanting to abandon the team in favor of another National League team. We all know the villains that were involved in this soap opera. I am not launching into a rant against all things Selig. If you want to get a feel for how I feel about this move, go read my twitter feed. I am writing this post to tell those fans that I understand and don't hold it against them.

There are many reasons to bail out right now. The team is bad and looks to remain so for some time. We begrudgingly are moving to the AL, and we have an owner with a questionable background. Those are all valid reasons to leave, and I have no problem with these fans doing just that. The Astros will survive without these fans. The visions of a near empty Minute Maid Park will come to fruition but only because the product isn't good right now. Winning will bring fans back and even win over new fans in a transplant city like Houston. I might be in the minority, but I hope these fans that are bailing will return as well.

I, for one, will stick around for the ride, because my baseball roots run through Houston and this team. I have been through way too many ups and downs as a baseball fan not to have learned how to be patient. The ride back to glory will not be an easy one, but when we get there, the journey will have been worth it. Think about the last time that there was tremendous buzz around Houston about the next big up and coming prospect. I don't mean Altuve the adequate second baseman buzz. I mean we have a potential super star buzz. Pence had some of that, but it has been a decade since we have had that on a consistent basis. Prospects and the future make talking baseball fun, and we will have plenty of those things to talk about over the next few years. This should be a time where attending the games of Astros minor league affiliates will be purposeful. I live in Dallas, and I am already planning an OKC trip along with seeing the Hooks when they roll through Frisco.

Maybe I have successfully talked some fans off of the ledge, but I understand if I haven't. You have the right to use your "AL sucks, owner is allegedly a crook" card to bail at this time, but I am afraid that you are going to miss out on the ride back to relevance with a team that you have invested so much in already. Keep the faith. It will happen in Houston one day.

No Friedman, No Problem

Andrew Friedman would have been a great addition to the Astros front office, but not getting him does not mean that we have been set back. I wonder if the Friedman fascination was largely linked to his Houston roots and not necessarily to what he brings to,an organization. First, I should mention that I was a big fan of the idea of bringing in Friedman, but now that I have thought about it, I can see the potential for some problems for him. I know that I grew up dreaming of dawning the Astros colors and taking the field at the dome, but as an adult I look at it completely different. The chance for glory is there, but what if he were to fail? He would have have dissappointed an entire fan base that had deemed him the savior. Perhaps it is better for all involved that he remain with a team that he has no roots with.

We are looking for a general manager with an emphasis on scouting and player development. There are a dozen good candidates out there. I am not going to break down all of the candidates here, because that is not the purpose of this post. I am comfortable with bringing in a GM with no attachment to the franchise. We need someone that will make the tough decisions and do so with a stellar business like approach. Perhaps, Friedman turning down the Astros will end up being a blessing in disguise. It takes an entire organization to build a winner from the owner to the GM and all the way down to the scouts. One man can't fix this, but he can be the first piece of the puzzle. Keep the faith. Be patient. It will happen in Houston one day.

What makes a die hard?

I am a native of Houston, and I have been an Astros fan my entire life, but that doesn't make me a die hard. I learned to love the Astros as young boy growing up in the Northshore area of Houston. When I was 6 years old, I moved to Cincinnati, but I brought the Astros with me. I still have have a picture of me learning to ride a bike while wearing my blue Astros jersey with the rainbow colors down the sleeves. I was obsessed with Billy Doran, Mike Scott, and, for some reason, backup catcher Mark Bailey.

Every die hard baseball fan has a team that they cherish the most. The 1986 Astros is that team for me. I can still name the starting lineup and the platoon players from that team. Perhaps it's from watching the Mike Scott no hitter on a VHS tape that I got from my grandmother over and over again. I didn't defect to the Reds despite the opportunities to do so. I did go to games up there and really enjoyed Pete Rose.

In 1988, we moved to Alabama, which is Braves country. I still maintained my allegiance despite pressure from friends to be a Braves fan. I liked the Braves. I especially liked the early 1990s version of the team. One of my favorite baseball memories of all time is when I hid my Walkman under my pillow so that I could listen to game 7 of the 1992 NLCS (the Sid Bream game as it turned out), but there wasn't the element of passion that came with my Astros fandom.

In 1992, I moved back to Cincinnati. I tried to attend as many Astros games against the Reds as I could. At church camp in ninth grade, I skipped an event so that I could take advantage of the rare opportunity to listen to the Astros on the radio. That's right. We had a radio. That is considered contraband at church camp. I moved back to Houston in 1996.

A die hard isn't someone who pays no attention to other teams. A die hard is a fan who maintains his passion for his team through good times and bad. I didn't maintain my allegiance to the Astros all of those years because they were a dominant team that got tons of national coverage. I maintained that loyalty because Houston was home, and it was where most of my family was. I live in the Dallas area now after moving here to attend the University of North Texas. I currently pay attention to the Rangers and even attend games. I generally cheer them on (somethimg that will have to change some in 2013), but it is not the same.

I have a son that is currently becoming baseball aware, and he loves the Rangers. Why wouldn't he? Dallas is his home, and he is building baseball memories here. I don't care that he prefers the Rangers. I hope that he enjoys the same passion for whatever team he cheers for, because the ride is worth it.

What Baseball Means to Me

It is just a game, but the game means a lot more to me.  My love for baseball goes back to my early childhood.  I started playing so early that I don't remember the first time I played catch, swung a bat, or ran the bases.  Playing the game has been a part of my life for a long time, and it continues to be a part of my life in the form of softball.  I learned the game in my Mamaw's front yard on Joliet in the eastern half of Houston, Texas.  I still have vivid memories of taking part in games along with my Father, Uncle, and my Aunts.  I remember my black plastic bat that I learned to swing left handed even though I throw right handed.  My idol was any player for the Houston Astros.

The first five years of my life contained a lot of change, but one of the people that remained a constant for me was my Mamaw.  She would spend countless time outside with me.  She would let me take cuts off of the tee, pitch for me, and even taught me the basics of defense.  My Mamaw was a huge Astros fan and watched as many games as she possibly could.  She recorded games for me throughout the week, and when I would come to her house, we would watch them.  She already knew the outcome, so she would only show me the games that we won.  As far as I knew, the Astros never lost.  As I grew up, I would learn the true pain and agony of what it is to be a Houston sports fan.

I moved to Cincinnati in 1986 when I was six years old, but I never lost track of my Mamaw.  We still talked on the phone, and I visited when I could.  The 1986 season was a magical season for my beloved Astros.  We went to the playoffs and played the Mets in the NLCS.  We lost in heartbreaking fashion.  This was my first huge baseball disappointment.  Of course, I had to call Houston and talk it over with my Mamaw.  She told me that we would get back to the playoffs, and that we would do better next time.  She passed away two years later in 1988.  The Astros continued to be a source of comfort for me as life pressed on.

The Astros wouldn't return to the playoffs again until 1997.  They were quickly eliminated by the Atlanta Braves.  We would get back to the playoffs in 1998 as favorites to get to the World Series, only to lose to the San Diego Padres in the first round.  In 1999, we would get back to the playoffs and lose to the Braves again.  By now, Astros fans had become accustomed to playoff disappointment.  In 2001, we would get back to the playoffs again, and we would of course be knocked out by the Braves, again.  In 2004, it looked like we were going to finally break through to the World Series for the first time.  We were up 3 games to 2 in a best of seven series, but we lost the last 2 games only to fall short again.  Then there was 2005.

In 2005, the Astros finally got to the World Series.  Nineteen years after they first broke my heart, they made it all worth it.  As soon as the final out fell into the glove of Jason Lane, I picked up my phone and called my Father, and we shared in our excitement.  Our conversation turned to Mamaw.  My thoughts raced back to that front yard on Joliet.  I thought about how happy my Mamaw would have been.  Her boys had finally gotten to the World Series.

I have moved around a lot, and endured many changes in my life, but one thing that has always been consistent is baseball.  When I watch a game, it takes me back to that house with the wood paneled walls.  It takes me back to sitting in amazement of the great Nolan Ryan.  When I put on the jersey and lace up my cleats for a softball game, I go back to that front yard where I learned to play.  It lets me be a kid again.

As I sat in seat at Minute Maid Part in Houston this last April with my infant son in my lap, and my Father with me, I couldn't help but tear up.  This game is not just a game to me.  It is about family and heritage.  It runs through my veins.  I am very blessed with a wife who understands that.