What they said, what they meant: ASG Edition

It has been a while since we played WTSWTM. The goal of this exercise is to take an Astros related quote and interpret it by stating what the player, coach, etc. really meant. One change is that quotes will no longer be taken from chron.com (spit!!), since chron.com (spit!!) wants to be paid for what it professes to be content. These quotes are taken from the Astros news section of mlb.com which is as free as the air we breathe.

All Star Will Harris on his long trip from reject and injury to All Star.

  • What he said. “My rehab took a couple of years.  I stayed with it. You just want to give it your best shot, so when I’m done playing, you can look back and say, ‘Well, all right, you did everything you could possibly do, and it just didn’t work out.’ In my case, it happened to work out, and I feel blessed that it did. My journey led me to here, so I’m pretty happy about it.”
  • What he meant. “Out of school I pitched really well for 3 seasons in the minors. I then pitch in one game the next two years, which I lose to TJ surgery and then micro-fracture surgery. I make the majors and get waived 3 times, before being picked up by the worst team in either leabue. Now I am in pennant races and I’m a frigging All-Star. Yes, I am blessed and the happiest guy around!”

Stephen Vogt, A’s catcher on his All-Star teammate, Jose Altuve.

  • What he said. “You’re talking about one of the best players in the world.  I feel like every at-bat is meaningful to him. He doesn’t take any at-bats off. It’s personal. He wants to hit the ball as hard as he can every at-bat. It’s every at-bat, 600 of them in a year. He gets 200 hits a year because he never takes an at-bat off. It’s a hard thing to do.”
  • What he meant. “Rob Dibble is crazy, ignorant and a total has-been and should be shining Jose Altuve’s shoes with his tongue. “

Manager A.J. Hinch on his team.

  • What he said. “We haven’t played our best, but I’ll take my team against any team in the league. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what declaration that is, but I like my team the best.”
  • What he meant. “What other choice do I have? Am I supposed to say I like the Rangers or Giants better?”

Hinch on Dallas Keuchel starting to turn his season around.

  • What he said. “You can tell he had a little bit of swagger. He had a little moxie. He had a little bit of competitiveness in the dugout. He was into it, and he competed as Dallas Keuchel competes.”
  • What he meant. “I don’t know what happened to that other Dallas Keuchel, who kept crashing and burning the first couple months of the season, but I hope he has gone back to the Mother ship, never to return.”

Alex Bregman on where he wants to play.

  • What he said. “I’ll play wherever they want me to play. Anywhere on the field. Do anything to help the team win. Whether that’s playing left field or third base or wherever, I don’t care. That would be a dream come true to be able to play postseason baseball with the Astros this year.”
  • What he meant. “I would hand wash everyone’s jock straps as long as they were major league jock straps and they were worn in a game that I got to play in….”

Bob Melvin, A’s Manager after the A’s scored 5 runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead and gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to lose the game last Friday.

  • What he said. “Any time you lose on a walk-off like that, it’s brutal, but based on the fact we had come back with a guy with a less-than-1 ERA (Will Harris),  we put together good at-bats the whole inning and give ourselves a two-run lead, it’s tough. Ryan Madson‘s been really good for us this year … I feel good whenever he takes the mound when we have the lead. I fully believed we were going to win the game.”
  • What he meant. “How often does a team come from 3 runs behind in the 9th for a two run lead? How many times does that same team then blow that 2 run lead? Are we talking once a season? Once every other season? We are snake bit against these Astros. It doesn’t matter if it is Madson or Huston Street, they love hitting against this bullpen?”

Luis Valbuena after his three run walk off bomb wins the same game.

  • What he said. “It’s so fun. Everybody goes to the field to enjoy the big win.”
  • What he meant. “It’s Lima Time!!”

Crazy stat. Normally we end WTSWTM with a sample quote for the readers to interpret, but the following stat is just so insane that it will wrap up today’s efforts. Friday night Carlos Correa in his 182nd game hit the 35th HR of his Astros career, which ties him with Adam Everett for most HRs by an Astros’ SS in his career!! This demonstrates what an offensive black hole that position has been over the seasons. Nobody hit more HRs at SS for the Astros in their careers. Not Denis Menke, Roger Metzger, Ricky Gutierrez or even Dickie Thon. Nuts!

 

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165 responses to “What they said, what they meant: ASG Edition”

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  2. I agree with Dave and OP regarding Marwin. We all like Marwin for what he is, which is a super utility player. He’s not a player you want manning 1B on a daily basis. He’s a valuable player to have and he’s helping this team, but this team will be improved by having Marwin serve the role he’s best suited.

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  3. So what ye all think . who is the 1st baseman that can help us win it in 2016″” I’m having a hard time making that choice right now. I agree not Marwin, I’m not feeling it from young AJ/??

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    • Actually Kevin, I’m more concerned about CF. Gomez is killing us. Opposing pitchers drool when he comes to bat. The poor guy is definitely a rally killer. Yet he’s in there every day???

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    • Me too rj!! As far as Gomez, his knees are shot, he evidently has vision problems, and he just can’t hit anymore. But you know Luhnow…..he absolutely will NOT admit he was wrong about trading for Gomez. Why do you think the Mets backed out of the trade with the Brewers????
      And yes, Marwin is a bench player, and he does quite well with that role. BUT……he has been a real asset filling in at 1st base. We need Reed to take hold of 1st base by the horns and make it his own. Man, do I miss Berkman…. (( sigh )).

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      • Oh boy, do I miss Berkman…..!! Reed needs to be on first base every day so he can get some rhythm going. If we can deal with Gomez every day ditto with Reed.

        I believe they can catch the Rangers if they put the best players on the field every game.

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  6. With both Gurriel and Bregman on the scene within a month or so, the everyday lineup will likely put Valbuena at first and potentially one of the new guys in left, thereby getting Gomez out of the outfield. I’m sure our GM would like to think Gomez has something left in the tank for the stretch run, or has some value to another club, but it’s looking less and less like it. And his decline in ability seems to be carrying over to his decision making on the field.

    As for next year,, Valbuena is likely gone. Gurriel might be a first base candidate should Reed not end up the guy we have been hoping he’d be. With Bregman at third, that might be a heck of an infield, assuming Gurriel is all he’s cracked up to be.

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  7. As a rabid fan of the Astros minor leagues and a lukewarm fan of the Astros front office, I look at the DFA of Duffy through the glasses of a realist.
    For whatever reason Duffy’s stats in AAA have cratered this year in Fresno. His K rate has jumped up over 31% and his walk rate has dropped. He has a BABIP of .323 supporting a BA of .226. His wRC+ is a miserable 74.
    I think the Astros are helping him out by giving him a shot with another team who might claim him and don’t have Valbuena, Gurriel, Bregman, JD Davis, Reed, White and Marwin to try and compete with for playing time.

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  9. The team in north texas….is calling just about everybody looking for a pitcher.
    Where is Luhnow? Think hes asking the Rays about one of their guys? Do you guys have faith that one of the guys out in Fresno can come up and immediately have a positive impact? If not I guess we can fall back on Feldman, but we are in dire need of another lefty.
    Please pray for the officers who were murdered in Baton Rouge this morning…….I’m just sooo damned sad, this can’t keep happening.

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  10. we’ve got musgrove and hoyt waiting and an already proven devenski and feliz as reinforcements, so we dont have to panic. feldman gives us backup in the rotation and BP. an addition would be nice of course, especially a TOR. but we are in better shape than the rangers in that regard at the moment. and if bergman and yuli help the offense score more soon, i feel pretty good about reaching the playoffs.

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    • Heard Luhnow talking more favorably about Hauschild than Rogers and Musgrove.
      I know we have a plug or two…..but we really do need another lefty.

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  11. That was ugly after CM digs out of jam. Can’t score a run 2nd a 3rd no outs. I wish Springer looked awake in more games, Anyway I figured it out Gomez has pictures of Uncle Jeff and JFSM skinny dipping.

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  13. And I think we’ve seen enough now from 30 year old Danny Worth that he’s simply a AAA hitter. I hope we hear tonight that he’s gone and Bregman is joining the club.

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  14. How can I yell at the Astros for their hitting with RISP, when the other guys have been way worse at it today than we have? Altuve with a revenge swing on a 3-0 fastball! wow!
    Remember that Seager foul ball that just missed the foul pole with the bases juiced? That was a big miss for us.

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  16. That moment . . . wheh you are all excited because your team has the bases loaded – and then you see that the batter striding to the plate is . . . Carlos Gomez. Talk about all the air going out of a balloon!

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  18. Memo to Astro relievers. The goal in facing the lead-off batter is NOT to walk him. Three innings in a row. Three times is not the charm.

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  20. As jack Nicholson said in Mars attacks, 2 out of 3 ain’t that bad. We pick up a game on the guys up north. Keep in up team!

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  23. Pardon me while I finish washing my mouth out with bleach for what I said when Gomez came up to bat with the bases loaded! When he hit that homerun…..I almost fell out of my recliner! Since McHugh was dancing in and out of danger the whole time he pitched, a grandslam was a welcome gift. The guy on the 10th inning show was talking about the new guy from Cuba, and said the real crown jewel of the signing is this guys little brother, Lourdes who is 22yrs old. He won’t be ready for a workout for the Astros and other teams until Sept. This would be a real coup for Luhnow if he could get him too! We will miss a couple of guys with the A’S in this next series and of note Rich Hill left his start today after throwing 5 pitches, due to a blister. Next series is very important, these guys need to win 2 outta 3 or can we get greedy and sweep them! When these guys get home I’m taking bets that Bregman comes up with the big club. NOW….if he gets up here and all of a sudden forgets how to hit….the hitting coach hold be shown the door.

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    • Not only do we miss RIch Hill, but the A’s had to pitch Manaea today and he went 5 IPs. He was supposed to pitch on Tuesday and it looks like we will miss him as well. We also miss Sonny Gray. Rich Hill only threw a few pitches so it is possible he could return to pitch against us if his blister heals in time.

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  24. Bregman and White with a homerun a piece to back Peacock who went 7.2 innings of shutout ball, 2 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. What in the heck is up with THAT?
    Has Peacock all of a sudden learned how to pitch?? Personally, I thought the Astros had just given up on him, and just kept him in Fresno as a fill I pitcher! Quick! Trade him to the team in north texas!

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  25. Hoyt with his 23rd (unbelievable) save today! I’m buying this guy a one way ticket on United from Fresno California to Houston, Texas tomorrow!!

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  26. Today was our 50th win of the season….in 2013 we won 51 games total.
    Just 3 short years ago…..*W O W*.
    Yes Tim, I’ll give Luhnow some pats on the back for this quick turn around, but he has STILL made some real bone head trades. Let’s hope he stops doing that.

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    • Slowly, but surely, this one-man Luhnow Brigade is starting to turn the tide on Chipalatta. I have OP up to Lukewarm and now Becky is giving Luhnow some kudos for a job well done. Dave, Sandy and Kevin, you’re next on my one-man mission. It may take a World Series title, which I think is going to happen w/in the next 3 years, but I think I will have most of you seeing the light. 🙂

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      • Love your perseverance and tenacity, If you a had a thermometer I have moved up a bit on Uncle Jeff, I’m at a sweltering 4 degrees Celsius,

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      • Tim, the best I’ll do today is give credit to Luhnow for lucking out that Bregman is looking more valuable than Aiken.

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      • I’m not sure if he lucked out. Many thought he should have drafted Brendan Rodgers at #2. Also, he made the right move not giving Aiken the money he wanted so I would say it was a stroke of genius, not luck. 🙂

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  27. Wouldn’t take a title. But I’m still lagging behind lukewarm and back patting. A bit above ice cold turning my back. Bringing up Bregman would go a long way. 🙂

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