caulfield12 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?g...p_copy_98726483 This video/interview with Jeff Luhnow is very interesting for a number of reasons. One, the parallels you can draw with the 2005 White Sox when we added a bunch of question marks (as opposed to this offseason where we spent on big names). Neshek, Colby Rasmus, Jake Marisnick, Luis Valbuena, Jed Lowrie, E.Gattis, Luke Gregorson and Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez. Second, the fact that SOMEHOW Gary Pettis has become a very good coach for the Astros, when he didn't have much of an impact in Chicago and wasn't retained...and of course he coaches in two areas (outfield defense and baserunning) we're struggling mightily in right now. It's also noteworthy how Hinch (despite his many failures in his first go-around) learned from his mistakes and has tightened up every single aspect of the team compared to the players who didn't believe in themselves 2-3 seasons ago, and perhaps looked for things to go wrong instead of expecting to win and playing with confidence. Basically, they're getting solid pitching from their top four (Kuechel, McHugh, who was picked up on waivers, Feldman and Carmona), strong bullpen (many came over from SD organization with AJ Hinch, who was already familiar with them)....getting very little or nothing from Springer/Carter/Gattis until recently (only Altuve was hitting) but still able to put together a 9-10 game winning streak. They've got essentially three centerfielders in Springer, Marisnick and Rasmus, so solid defense. The Appel pick doesn't look nearly as bad as it did a year ago, although of course they'd probably prefer Bryant. They were quite fortunate when Grossman and Dominguez declined extended guaranteed deals....with only Singleton (maybe a miss) and George Springer biting. The whole Brady Aiken situation has turned in their favor...and they have Two Top 10 draft picks in a month (although it's a weaker draft). Tyler Kolek isn't setting the world on fire, either. Carlos Correa right now is the best position prospect in MILB, at a premium position in SS. They've also got Appel, Preston Tucker, Colin Moran and Domingo Santana (OF) to name a few within a year or less of the big leagues and knocking on the door. So congratulations to HOUSTON for conceiving a plan and sticking to it and doing it all while not breaking the bank in free agency...but spending money wisely and allocating it across 7-8 different positions of weakness like the White Sox did entering 2005. Edited May 3, 2015 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Luhnow also replenished the farm system, and when last season ended, Luhnow believed the time had come to contend. He furiously upgraded his roster, adding Gattis, outfielder Cory Rasmus, shortstop Jed Lowrie and relievers Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson. Just as important, he hired someone to make it all work. Hinch has won his players over with his consistency and communication and especially with his handling of the lineup and bullpen. Those years of losses were part of a larger blueprint. As painful as they were, Astros owner Jim Crane believed the time had come for a complete franchise reconstruction. His hope was that once the Astros were competitive again, they'd be positioned to contend for years to come. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/122181832/ri...ey-are-for-real Astros Starting to Believe They are for Real Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenSox Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 They also lead the majors in homers, and by a mile. (on a side note -- a certain other team is tied for 28th). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 QUOTE (GreenSox @ May 23, 2015 -> 07:43 AM) They also lead the majors in homers, and by a mile. (on a side note -- a certain other team is tied for 28th). Springer, Gattis and Carter have all been struggling for most of the season, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Hopefully with the six games the Sox have against them in the next few weeks, they'll be cooling off just in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 The Astros will not make the playoffs in 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Well, they were supposed to face the Cubs in the 2017 World Series according to SI.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 23, 2015 -> 09:33 AM) Well, they were supposed to face the Cubs in the 2017 World Series according to SI.com. Seems plausible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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