Houston Astros 2008 Preview

The moment the Astros hired Ed Wade as their new general manager, he picked up a telephone and started making deals. Trader Wade dealt closer Brad Lidge to Philadelphia, brought in shortstop Miguel Tejada and closer Jose Valverde and signed several available arms. The improved offense should be able to score plenty of runs. But can the pitching staff, with no standout starter after Roy Oswalt, get outs soon enough and often enough to make those runs stand up?

Rotation 
There are few more dependable pitchers in baseball than Oswalt with his career 112–54 record and 3.07 ERA. He keeps the Astros in virtually every game he starts. If he could pitch three times per week, Houston would probably be in the World Series. The biggest question mark for the club is who comes after Oswalt. The key is Brandon Backe, who underwent elbow surgery in September 2006 and returned to pitch the final month of the ’07 season. If he is 100 percent healthy and can be consistently good, he could help solve the Astros’ problems. Lefthander Wandy Rodriguez is a logical choice at one spot with Chris Sampson, who started 19 times last year, earning a place in the rotation as well. Woody Williams was the No. 3 starter last year and pitched adequately in the second half of the season. But at 41 he is unlikely to improve. He will be challenged by Shawn Chacon.

Statistician
10	Length in games of the Astros’ losing streak in May 2007 that turned a 21–21 team into a 21–31 club that never reached .500 again.
32	Stolen bases by Kaz Matsui last year with Colorado, more than double any Astro in 2007. He adds much-needed speed to the Houston lineup.
73	Wins for the Astros last season, their fewest since winning 72 in 2000.
2	Number of returning starters, among position players, from last year’s Opening Day lineup — first baseman Lance Berkman and left fielder Carlos Lee.
5	The total number of players the Astros traded to Baltimore for Miguel Tejada.

Bullpen 
Wade made a big splash in the bullpen. He acquired Valverde, who saved 47 games for the Diamondbacks last year. Setup man Chad Qualls went to Arizona in the deal, and Dan Wheeler was traded for Ty Wigginton during the season, meaning that the end of the bullpen will be completely new. Dave Borkowski went from a mop-up guy in 2006 to an important member of the pen in ’07 and could be a key setup guy this year. Veterans Geoff Geary and Doug Brocail should help out somewhere in the mix. There are no lefthanders in the mix, which will present matchup problems.

Middle Infield  
Kaz Matsui signed as a free agent from the NL champion Colorado Rockies. He should be an improvement defensively, and he hit a solid .288 last year. But Tejada is the big prize. Adam Everett was one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, but a .240 hitter doesn’t cut it when there are other weak spots in the lineup. Tejada will never be the fielder that Everett was, but his bat should more than make up for that. He hit .296 with 18 homers last season in a down year. Mark Loretta can play either position and started half the season at shortstop last year after Everett was injured. He hits wherever he is and is more than adequate defensively. Newly acquired Geoff Blum can also play second.

Corners 
Lance Berkman’s numbers, particularly his batting average (.278), weren’t up to his usual high standards. Based on his career .300 average, last season must be viewed more as an anomaly than a trend. He can hit for average, hit for power, and he proved to be a better first baseman than expected after taking over full-time from Jeff Bagwell. The Astros finally gave up on Morgan Ensberg last year after acquiring Wigginton to play third. He’s not Ensberg defensively, but he hits better. With Loretta and Blum both capable third basemen, there’s plenty of depth at the position.

Outfield 
Carlos Lee returns in left field, but there will be a shift in center and right. Lee proved he was worth his huge contract of $100 million for six years. He turned in an outstanding offensive year, hit in the clutch and played decent defense in Minute Maid’s compact left field. Hunter Pence, last year’s phenom, will move from center to right to make room for Michael Bourn, who arrived from Philadelphia in the Lidge trade. Pence has starred at every level, so there’s no reason to believe that last year’s numbers were a mirage. He didn’t get a real good jump on balls sometimes and relied on his speed to run them down. He should be better in right field. Bourn has limited experience in the majors, but Wade, the former GM of the Phillies, should know what he’s getting. Veteran Darin Erstad, who signed a one-year contract in December, could be the fourth outfielder. Jose Cruz Jr., signed to a minor league deal, is also in the mix.

Catching 
J.R. Towles so impressed the Astros in his September call-up that the team is ready to hand him the starting job. He played in only 14 games, but he hit .375 and showed plenty of defensive skills. Veteran Brad Ausmus will stick around as a catcher/coach. It will be a long time before Towles learns to handle pitchers as well as Ausmus, but even a mediocre year at bat would be an improvement. Ausmus drove in only 25 runs all season. Humberto Quintero returns for spot duty.

Bench 
Loretta could probably start at second or third base for several teams. He’s a career .298 hitter with a dependable glove who can play all four infield positions. Blum is similar to Loretta, with a little more power and less of an average. He’d be a stretch at shortstop but can play second or third with no problem. The catching situation is better with Ausmus as a backup. Erstad will be a valuable fourth outfielder/pinch hitter.

Statline Most Consecutive Seasons, 115 or More Games, 115 or Fewer Hits
1.	Brad Ausmus, 2001-07	7
2.	Rance Mulliniks, 1983-88	6
2t.	Bobby Howry	6
4.	13 tied with	5

Management 
The Astros open the season under new management. Wade was hired to replace the fired Tim Purpura at the end of last season. Wade certainly didn’t go the status quo route, making several major trades. Cecil Cooper was promoted from bench coach on Aug. 27 and named interim manager, succeeding Phil Garner. He went 15–16 the rest of the season, trying to look at the September call-ups and win games at the same time. He was awarded with a two-year contract before the season ended.

Final Analysis
Wade insists that when he put this team together, he wasn’t trying to build a club that could only win by outscoring the opposition. “It’s a dangerous proposition,” he admits. “You need to pitch, you need to play defense.” But there was a dearth of pitching among free agents in the offseason, forcing the Astros go with what they’ve got for starters. Will that be enough to compete in the NL Central? It should be. It’s tough to tell how good Milwaukee and St. Louis will be. But Houston should put up enough runs to be in most games.

---

Difference Maker

Righthander Brandon Backe showed his talent in the playoffs and World Series in 2004 and ’05, including pitching seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox in Game 4 of the Series. An elbow injury and ensuing surgery ended his 2006 season early. He returned last September and went 3–1 with a 3.77 ERA in five starts. With the rest of the rotation after Roy Oswalt unsettled, the former position player in the minors could save the Houston staff if he could take over the No. 2 spot in the rotation.

---

Beyond the Box Score

Welcome back Blum  Geoff Blum was a popular Astro when he played for Houston in 2002 and ’03, sharing third base with Morgan Ensberg. The Astros brought him back as a free agent after he spent the last two seasons with San Diego. The most important at-bat of Blum’s career occurred against the Astros. Playing for the Chicago White Sox in 2005, Blum hit a home run in the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park, helping the White Sox sweep Houston.

Wandy’s home  Left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez had one of the biggest disparities between home and road games of any pitcher. Rodriguez finished the season with a 9–13 record and 4.58 ERA. He pitched superbly at home, going 6–3 with a 2.94 ERA, allowing only eight home runs. On the road he was 3–10 with a 6.37 ERA and gave up 14 homers. No one, including Rodriguez, could explain why.  

Back in the saddle  Michael Bourn, the new center fielder, returns to his hometown. Bourn was born in Houston and played at Nimitz High School and the University of Houston. He hit .330 in his last year with the Cougars with 23 steals. Houston reached the NCAA Super Regionals with Bourn in 2003.

First class  Woody Williams made an inauspicious debut in his return to his hometown when he gave up eight hits and five runs in 4.2 innings in his first start as an Astro in 2007. Reporters found him showered and dressed when they entered the clubhouse after the game, waiting only to face the media and make no excuses.   

Clemens still playing  Roger Clemens may no longer be pitching for the Astros, but his son is still a part of the Houston organization. Koby Clemens, a third baseman and the oldest of Roger’s four sons, hit .252 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs in 115 games for the Class A Lexington (Ky.) Legends last year.

Father/son  The Astros signed free agent outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to a minor league contract. Cruz was the third player selected in the 1995 draft after an outstanding career at Rice. He played for San Diego in 2007, his eighth major league team. His father is the Astros first base coach.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds