HOUSTON ASTROS
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The Astros had another great year in 1999, but another early exit in
the playoffs. After almost 40 years of existence, they have still yet to
win their first pennant. This year will be a tough battle; the Astros
lost Mike Hampton during the winter, and the Reds gained Ken Griffey Jr,
and I don't think fans in Houston will care for that kind of arithmetic. The Astros will likely have a different look this year; they are finally leaving the Astrodome, and will play in some more high-scoring games. I think they have a good shot at getting back into the playoffs; true, they need improvements from kids like Dotel and Ward, but they also have Bagwell and Biggio, both of whom can win an MVP Award. The Killer B's might be the best two players in the league, and they can carry a team a long way. Billy Wagner helps, too. |
| MOISES ALOU (OF, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 FLO 150 538 157 29 5 23 88 115 70 85 292 373 493 9 5 1998 HOU 159 584 182 34 5 38 104 124 84 87 312 399 582 11 3 1999 HOU INJURED |
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Had his best season in 1998, but in 1999 had his season wiped out
before it started when he fell off a treadmill and broke his leg.
Actually, there were rumours he might come back in September in
time for the playoffs, but was set back when he fell off his bike
(has he considered just walking?) Alou will be 34 next year. He's a terrific player, but he's also at an age where players start to decline, and he's had the disadvantage of missing an entire season. My guess is that his chance of being an All-Star is about 50-50, assuming he doesn't fall off of a sailboat or something. |
| JEFF BAGWELL (1B, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 162 566 162 40 2 43 109 135 127 122 286 425 592 31 10 1998 HOU 147 540 164 33 1 34 124 111 109 90 304 424 557 19 7 1999 HOU 162 562 171 35 0 42 143 126 149 127 304 454 591 30 11 |
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The worst trade in the history of baseball occurred in 1990, when Boston
traded Bagwell to Houston for Larry Anderson (I'm talking about real trades;
the Amos Rusie-Christy Mathewson deal was worse, but it was crooked). Anderson
did pitch well in the playoffs- for Philadelphia in 1993. Bagwell is an awesome offensive player. He does everything well. He hit 12 home runs at home last year, 30 on the road. The Astros are leaving the Astrodome... Bagwell could be the #1 MVP candidate for 2000. |
| PAUL BAKO (CA, 28, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 104 321 78 14 1 8 34 43 34 81 243 316 368 0 5 |
| Bako has hit as well as he is capable of the past two years, and consequently has a job. He's not a good hitter, and would not be a good regular, but a left-handed catcher with line drive power can usually find a job. I would expect a similar number of at bats in 2000; if he remains with the Astros, his batting average might improve in their new stadium. |
| GLEN BARKER (CF, 29, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 69 257 72 8 4 6 47 29 29 72 280 361 412 17 8 1998 AA 110 453 127 29 6 6 95 54 57 120 280 362 411 31 7 |
| It took Barker a long, long time to start hitting. He finally reached the majors last year, and did a good job as a defensive sub/pinch runner. I wouldn't expect him to ever be anything more; he has to hope that the Astros (or someone else) are willing to spend a roster spot on a pinch runner. |
| LANCE BERKMAN (OF, 24, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 53 184 54 10 0 12 31 35 37 38 293 417 543 2 1 1998 AA 122 425 130 34 0 24 82 89 85 82 306 424 555 6 4 1999 AAA 64 226 73 20 0 8 42 49 39 47 323 419 518 7 1 |
| Berkman is a young player with impressive numbers in the minors, and who also played fairly well in 34 games with Houston. The last I checked, the Astros already had three outfielders (Alou, Cedeno, Hidalgo), but the Astros should be trying hard to get him into their lineup on an everyday basis. Looks good. |
| CRAIG BIGGIO (2B, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 162 619 191 37 8 22 146 81 84 107 309 415 501 47 10 1998 HOU 160 646 210 51 2 20 123 88 64 113 325 403 503 50 8 1999 HOU 160 639 188 56 0 16 123 73 88 107 294 386 457 28 14 |
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Biggio was a rookie in 1988, the same year as Roberto Alomar.
At the time, he was a catcher who could run but couldn't throw.
Five years later, Alomar was winning World Series and was on his
way to the Hall Of Fame, while Biggio was just starting a difficult
transition to second base. How times have changed. Here is an update on their career statistics:
GM AB HT DB TP HR RN RB BB AVG OBA SLU SB CS
RAlomar 1722 6611 2007 372 58 151 1117 829 758 304 375 446 377 96
CBiggio 1699 6389 1868 389 38 152 1120 706 786 292 380 437 346 104
With his big year, Alomar has perhaps reasserted himself as the top second sacker in the game. Alomar is also two years younger, and will probably finish with better totals. But just the fact that Biggio is comparable to Alomar at this stage in their careers makes you start to think about the Hall Of Fame. How many second basemen have performed at the same level that Biggio has over the past five years? A half-dozen, maybe. |
| TIM BOGAR (SS/IF, 33, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 97 241 60 14 4 4 30 30 24 42 249 320 390 4 1 1998 HOU 79 156 24 4 1 1 12 8 9 36 154 208 212 2 1 1999 HOU 106 309 74 16 2 4 44 31 38 52 239 328 343 3 5 |
| Bogar is versatile and experienced, but he can't hit. He is also entering his mid-30's. The Astros seem to like him, but it is about time they started looking for other options. |
| JOSE CABRERA (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AAA 5 2 36 0 0 0 0 61 39 20 59 221 1999 AAA 3 1 31 0 0 0 7 51 34 12 41 282 |
| Cabrera missed almost all of 1998 with an injury. When he has been healthy he has pitched pretty well, and last year was very impressive. He can help someone as a middle reliver. |
| KEN CAMINITI (3B, 37, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 SD 137 486 141 28 0 26 92 90 80 118 290 389 508 11 2 1998 SD 131 452 114 29 0 29 87 82 71 108 252 353 509 6 2 1999 HOU 78 273 78 11 1 13 45 56 46 58 286 386 476 6 2 |
| He is a good hitter, but he is also old and injury prone. During the winter he broke his back, which doesn't help matters. My guess is that Caminiti will only be good for a third of the season this year; if the Astros have any good young third basemen, now is a perfect time to break them in. |
| ROGER CEDENO (OF, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 LA 80 194 53 10 2 3 31 17 25 44 273 362 392 9 1 1998 LA 105 240 58 11 1 2 33 17 27 57 242 317 321 8 2 1999 NYM 155 453 142 23 4 4 90 36 60 100 313 396 408 66 17 |
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It was bad enough that the Dodgers gave away Mike Piazza to the Mets (via Florida),
but they gave up this guy, too... he was a terrific prospect for years in Los
Angeles, but could never have a breakthrough season; if keeps playing like
he did last year, he should have a long career. He was terrific, a key to
the Mets making the playoffs. Cedeno has now been dealt to Houston, and I'm not really sure how he is going to fare in the future. This was by far his best season to date; as well, he had some large splits in his record. Like many Mets, he thrived on the road, hitting .348 away from Shea. He also hit .334 against right-handers, compared to only .194 vs lefties. We will have to wait and see if these numbers start to even out over time. |
| OCTAVIO DOTEL (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 5 2 9 8 1 1 0 50 44 23 39 252 1997 AA 3 4 12 12 0 0 0 56 66 38 40 598 1998 AA-AAA 12 8 27 26 3 1 0 168 123 67 200 284 |
| Dotel is a very young pitcher who looked awesome in 1998, and had a good rookie year with the Mets last year, good enough that the Astros traded Mike Hampton to get him. His control was a little wobbly, but will improve; if Dotel stays healthy, he should be an All-Star in short time. |
| SCOTT ELARTON (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 7 4 20 20 2 0 0 133 103 47 141 324 1998 AAA 9 4 14 14 2 1 0 92 71 41 100 401 |
| It was rumoured a year ago that the Astros were offering Elarton as part of a package for Roger Clemens. I reckon that they are glad they held on to him. Elarton had shoulder surgery during the winter, but will probably come back strong; he is a young power pitcher with outstanding control, and I'm not sure what else you could want. |
| TONY EUSEBIO (CA, 33, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 60 164 45 2 0 1 12 18 19 27 274 364 305 0 1 1998 HOU 66 182 46 6 1 1 13 36 18 31 253 320 313 1 0 1999 HOU 103 323 88 15 0 4 31 33 40 67 272 353 356 0 0 |
| Eusebio is a good backup catcher, though he played way too much last year. Hits for a decent average, and will draw some walks, but he has almost no power; A valuable player if he is kept in a limited role. |
| DOUG HENRY (36, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 SF 4 5 75 0 0 0 3 71 70 41 69 471 1998 HOU 8 2 59 0 0 0 2 71 55 35 59 304 1999 HOU 2 3 35 0 0 0 2 41 45 24 36 465 |
| An aging, servicable reliever, Henry didn't pitch all that well last year, but he wasn't too bad, either. He is the kind of guy you pick up to be the fifth or sixth man in the bullpen, and he fills the role as well as anybody else. |
| CARLOS HERNANDEZ (IF, 24, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 92 363 106 12 1 4 62 33 33 59 292 355 364 17 8 1998 AAA 134 494 147 23 2 1 64 54 21 81 298 341 358 29 11 1999 AAA 94 355 104 14 0 0 56 43 27 65 293 357 332 22 13 |
| Hernandez is a prospect with Houston. He's an infielder who can run and throw, and who might hit for a decent average in the big leagues. There is nothing really exciting about him, but there are plenty of players with similar skills who have regular jobs. |
| RICHARD HIDALGO (OF, 25, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 19 62 19 5 0 2 8 6 4 18 306 358 484 1 0 1998 HOU 74 211 64 15 0 7 31 35 17 37 303 355 474 3 3 1999 HOU 108 383 87 25 2 15 49 56 56 73 227 328 420 8 5 |
| Hidalgo had high expectations placed on him before the season, and responded with a stinky year. He is still young, and I still like his chances to become a quality player. Leaving the Astrodome will probably help him. Not much star potential, but he should be around for a few years. |
| CHRIS HOLT (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 HOU 8 12 33 32 0 0 0 210 211 61 95 352 1998 INJURED 1999 HOU 5 13 32 26 0 0 1 164 193 57 115 466 |
| Holt missed all of 1998 with shoulder surgery, and tried to make a comeback last year. He wasn't as bad as his won-loss record suggests, and he had a good K/BB ratio; if he is healthy he will have a winning record in 2000. |
| RUSS JOHNSON (3B/IF, 27, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 122 445 123 16 6 4 72 49 66 78 276 370 366 7 4 1998 AAA 122 453 140 28 2 7 95 52 90 64 309 424 426 11 11 |
| Johnson is a good utility infielder whom the Astros have been reluctant to use. He played very well for them last season, and should be back in an expanded role. He is much better than Tim Bogar, much younger than Bill Spiers, and much healthier than Ken Caminiti. I expect Johnson to bat at least 400 times, and to play well. |
| JOSE LIMA (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 HOU 1 6 52 1 0 0 2 75 79 16 63 528 1998 HOU 16 8 33 33 3 1 0 233 229 32 169 370 1999 HOU 21 10 35 35 3 0 0 246 256 44 187 358 |
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He came up through the Tigers organization, and was a key member of
one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball history. He then was traded to
Houston in 1997, and didn't win many games there, either. But he always had strikeouts and he always had good control, and that's a combination that is hard to beat. Like all Houston pitchers, he will likely suffer from the move from the Astrodome (he had a 2.31 ERA at home, 4.66 on the road). But his K/W ratio is fantastic, and he is a good bet to continue to pitch well. Three cheers, Jose; you've come a long way. |
| MITCH MELUSKEY (CA, 27, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA-AAA 124 413 125 25 0 17 71 67 56 77 303 388 487 1 3 1998 AAA 121 397 140 41 0 17 76 71 85 59 353 465 584 2 0 |
| Meluskey was an awful hitter when he was young, and spent five years stuck in the lower minors. He then started to hit, and posted some big numbers, but spent most of last season on the DL. I don't know what the chances of Meluskey getting job are next season, but he is definitely capable of having a surprise big season. |
| MATT MIESKE (OF, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MIL 84 253 63 15 3 5 39 21 19 50 249 300 391 1 0 1998 CHC 77 97 29 7 0 1 16 12 11 17 299 373 402 0 0 1999 SEA-HOU 78 150 46 5 0 9 24 29 8 31 307 338 520 0 0 |
| Mieske is a terrific fourth outfielder who could be given much more playing time than he has received the past two seasons. He plays all of the outfield positions, and has always been a solid hitter. He can be a terrific bench player for any team in the league; he is also getting older, and doesn't have many years left. |
| TREVER MILLER (27, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 HOU 2 0 37 1 0 0 1 53 57 20 30 304 1999 HOU 3 2 47 0 0 0 1 50 58 29 37 507 |
| Trevor Miller and Travis Miller are almost the same age, have almost the same height and weight. They are both left-handed, and both want to be specialty lefties in the bullpen. Trever pitched well in 1998, but walked too many batters last season. If he throws more strikes, he should be a quality pitcher. |
| WADE MILLER (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 15 5 24 22 6 1 0 159 124 24 126 238 1998 AA 5 0 10 10 0 0 0 62 49 27 48 232 1999 AAA 11 9 26 26 2 0 0 162 156 64 135 438 |
| A young pitcher with the Astros, Miller pitched well at New Orleans last season, and looks like a terrific prospect. He is probably a year away from being able to move into the starting rotation, but everything about him suggests that he will be outstanding for several years. |
| JAY POWELL (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 FLO 7 2 74 0 0 0 2 80 71 30 65 328 1998 FLO-HOU 7 7 62 0 0 0 7 70 58 37 62 333 1999 HOU 5 4 67 0 0 0 4 75 82 40 77 432 |
| Powell is a good, consistent middle reliever, one of the best in the league. He struggled a bit last year, but he still had more strikeouts than innings pitched. He will be good again in 2000; don't expect a move to the closer's role for at least another five seasons. |
| SHANE REYNOLDS (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 HOU 9 10 30 30 2 0 0 181 189 47 152 423 1998 HOU 19 8 35 35 3 1 0 233 257 53 209 351 1999 HOU 16 14 35 35 4 2 0 232 250 37 197 385 |
| The most successful pitchers are almost always power pitchers with exceptional control. Reynolds fits this description to a 'T', but for some reason can't elevate his game to the next level. He could learn a new pitch, and have a great career... if he was ten years younger. For now, he is a servicable and durable starter, who is also moving out of a pitcher's park. |
| BILL SPIERS (IF/OF, 34, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 HOU 132 291 93 27 4 4 51 48 61 42 320 438 481 10 5 1998 HOU 123 384 105 27 4 4 66 43 45 62 273 356 396 11 2 1999 HOU 127 393 113 18 5 4 56 39 47 45 288 363 389 10 5 |
| An outstanding utility man, Spiers plays every position and contributes at the plate. He is getting older, but he has had four straight good years with the Astros, and will playing in a park that is friendlier for hitters. I would expect more of the same in 2000. |
| BILLY WAGNER (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 HOU 7 8 62 0 0 0 23 66 49 30 106 285 1998 HOU 4 3 58 0 0 0 30 60 46 25 97 270 1999 HOU 4 1 66 0 0 0 39 75 35 23 124 157 |
| Wagner is almost unhittable, he has outstanding control, and he strikes out fifteen men per game. He had 39 saves. He is in his prime. He is an extremely valuable pitcher. |
| DARRYL WARD (1B/LF, 25, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 114 422 139 25 0 19 72 90 46 68 329 398 524 4 2 1998 AAA 116 463 141 31 1 12 78 96 41 78 305 361 525 2 0 1999 AAA 61 241 85 15 1 28 56 65 23 43 353 416 772 1 1 |
| A great hitting prospect, Ward put up awesome numbers at New Orleans, then impressed with the Astros as well. The Astros already have an MVP first baseman, and their outfield is clogged, so I am unsure of how many at bats Ward will get. But he has to play; he's going to be great in the future. |