Got to see a team dressed as the Astros play for the first time today. It was obviously the JV, because they couldn't catch or hit. When does the varsity play?
That squad is Lake Wobegon in a contra-universe where protons have a negative charge and strikeouts benefit the team at bat. If Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt were alive today, they'd be turning over in their lockers.
After Berkman, I'm not sure this roster has a single above-average offensive player. Maybe Hunter Pence, who looks, runs and bats like a stork. I wouldn't be surprised if a nut came loose and he fell apart. And Carlos Lee can smack the ball, but he couldn't catch a cold at a pre-school. He looked like a windshield wiper trying to run after a ball hit over his head.
This hasn't happened by accident. Since the waning days of the Killer-B's, Houston management has made 82 wins its goal. Trading the future for respectability while your stars age leaves you with a roster of has-beens, and then aren't-anymores.
It will become apparent by mid-season that the Astros should auction off Berkman and Oswalt for young talent and build a new structure from scratch. Because there isn't even anything here to rehab.
b
2 comments:
How about Michael Bourne? I'd hang on to him, too.
Paz, always defending the ex-Phil. Bourn's not a guy you "build around," but I agree that he's young, talented and inexpensive enough to save before they reboot.
He's an average hitter with plus defense and plus-plus legs.
Post a Comment