Astros’ fans have waited a long time for THE season to occur. In 1980, their team blew late leads to the Phillies in two straight extra inning losses to miss their first shot at the World Series. In 1986, they blew a 3 run ninth inning lead and lost a classic 16 inning heart breaker with Mike Scott waiting in the wings and again fell short of the WS. Between 1997 and 2001 they lost 4 first round series, including the 1998 (102 wins) and 1999 (97 wins) teams – two of their strongest teams ever. In 2004, they won the first playoff series in their 44 year history, but lost 2 games in a row to the Cardinals to miss the World Series again. They finally made the World Series in 2005 and then lost 4 excruciating games in a row.
The 2016 team has overcome an insanely bad start (but not quite as bad as the 2005 tombstone edition of the team) to climb quickly back in contention. They have some tremendous talent and a few holes. One of their most consistent problems has been a lineup that is great on top and crummy at the bottom. They have tried a number of players to help turn that lineup over, Preston Tucker, Tyler White and A.J. Reed.
Now on July 25, 2016 they will be bringing up the most anticipated prospect in the major leagues, Alex Bregman. Will he be the answer? Will he bring the offense that wunderkind Carlos Correa brought in 2015? Or that George Springer contributed, after a slow start to his freshman season?
Will this be the move that finally brings the team and its starving fans to the promised land?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
215 responses to “Will July 25, 2016 be THE Day in Astros history?”
Dan, I was thrilled when the Astros drafted Bregman and I am very happy that his time with the big team has arrived. You never know how a young player responds and adjusts obviously at this level, but I really believe in this kid and I think that in time he will be the B in our ABC’s (Altuve, Bregman and Correa). After watching him in college for three years, I and the fans who kept up with LSU saw not only great skill, but leadership and energy. He was a gym rat whose attitude rubbed off on the whole team. Hinch, teammates and sooner or later every Astro fan is going to really like Bregman.
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Well, you have spoken well of him for over a year now, and you are right. He has been special and I am glad he is here.
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I have been trying to remember who had watched Bregman in college and loved him and had been schooling us the last year. Nice crystal ball Larry!!
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Dan, some of the biggest moves the Astros have made this year are the one’s they haven’t made. They didn’t panic and mess the team up.
How about the way Fiers responded to his adversity and how about the way the team responded to his start today by giving him a big lead to work with?
How about getting Gattis behind the plate, even with his hernia problem? Big move.
How about sending Gomez to AA when he needed to settle down? Big move.
How about Wojo, Perez, the lefty whose name escapes me and Worth being let go when it was obvious they were not part of the future.
How about Gurriel? They are playing well enough to not have to rush him in too soon.
How about putting your home run leader at leadoff and then taking off like a rocket? Biggest move.
If the Astros make it to the promised land it is going to be because of a series of moves. And it did not hurt that Kemp, Devenski, Moran. White, Bregman and Reed have all gotten a taste of the bigs and know what it’s going to take to stick up here the next time around, probably in September.
I love this team.
I think we need another lefty reliever
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If I didn’t know better, OP, I could swear this was an indirect compliment to Jeff Luhnow and the front office. 🙂
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Consider it a direct compiment
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Great post OP and Ditto
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We may have several once-in-a-generation talents all playing at the same time (Altuve, Correa, and maybe Bregman will be that guy), all young and under team control. You all see how good we’re doing with a lineup full of holes, which are getting filled slowly but surely. It’s scary how good this team may end up being for a long time to come…
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Speaking of how good this team may end up……Virginia Rogers’s, husband pitched lights out AGAIN tonight for Fresno! Brady Rogers, Joe Musgrove, and Hauschild are three guys who are standing outside the clubhouse just waiting for an invitation to come in and enjoy the fun! Don’t forget about them……they have put in the work that was expected of them to cross that threshold to the big leagues. You never know one of those three big righty’S just might be the next Chris Sale!!
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It feels so strange to have this front office take such a different tact with Bregman than they did with Springer. But this tells you they think they can do it this year – win the whole enchilada and they are not afraid to make moves they think will make this team an even more formidable force.
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Tri City Valley Cats right fielder Carmen Benedetti [21 y/o, from Michigan, bats left-handed] is now hitting .364/.413/.837 over 99 ABs. It may be time for a promotion.
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Wrenn has cooled off, but Benedetti hasn’t.
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With Matt Duffy’s release, Garrett Stubbs enters the Astros Top 30 Prospect list at #25.
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I saw a really nice article about Stubbs over the weekend, on MLB traders.com!!!
They said he could become the face of the franchise someday soon!! Compared him to Biggio.
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I pretty much wrote them off for this year, so I’m not going to get on the bandwagon now. For the sake of everyone on this blog, the people of Texas, and all Americans in the world, I’ll not step over the line (at least not this minute). lol
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Love it , I love this team, I wrote them off, and this last 6 weeks simply simply amazing. Hinch and the core guys have been stellar.
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I know what you mean Diane. They always do better when I keep my mouth shut.
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I blame ME!
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How many booKs have sold?
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At last count 16
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Awesome I will put on our FB pages, we have a lot of great friends and family.
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Thank you so much, Kevin!
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We kick off the series with Pineda v. Keuchel.
Followed by Sabathia v Fister.
Followed by Tanaka v. McCullers.
This will be interesting. At least I guess we won’t have to face Chapman out of the Yanks’ pen.
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And……THAT’S a good thing!! I’m not gonna do a happy dance till I see his name removed from their website!
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It is summertime. Our beloved Corpus Christi Hooks and the Frisco RoughRiders [the Rangers’ AA affiliate] had it out on the field yesterday in more ways than one. RoughRiders pitcher Yohander Mendez plunked Danry Vazquez; Vazquez charged the mound. The benches cleared. When it was over, Mendez [RoughRiders], Vazquez [Hooks], and Ramon Laureano [Hooks], who was the on-deck hitter for the Hooks when Vazquez got hit, were all ejected. Nobody really won the fight – but the Hooks won what counted, i.e. THE GAME.
These two organizations are really starting not to like each other.
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Correction – the game was won by Frisco – not by Corpus Christi.
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If anyone did not have access to view the game yesterday(I didn’t and won’t tonight either), I saw MLB video this morning and noticed that Tucker’s home run was off a lefty pitcher. I love that.
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I get to at least listen to the game…….I feel for you. Next year I’m getting a different cable provider whether my husband likes it or not!! Damnit!
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Becky, for you not to be able to see your ‘Stros, that’s ridic. You got the recliner, now get the cable! In fact why not switch now?
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If you google reddit mlb games you can stream it live for free on your computer or smart phone.
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Thanks, my son did find a stream and I got to watch it. The Yankee announcers were very informed about the Astros.
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Bregman is batting sixth and playing 3B.
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Too much Yankee pitching.
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We lose…….and cross your fingers “the” lose too. JEEZE…..it hate these 1 run losses.
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“They”….not the.
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Gomez again. Geese, I can’t watch much more of him.
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His goose needs to be cooked.
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Geeeze
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Yep, on both of NY’s runs he had a ball hit over his head. In the ninth inning he swung at two balls at the ankles and then hit into the DP.
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I think Jake would have caught the double that went over his head for the winning run too.
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The A’S let ’em win. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
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My wife thought Gomez should have caught that ball. I don’t think anyone gets to that one….not even Jake.
Mr. Gomez is not helping his cause in a contract year . His bat needs to be just a bit bigger.
Bregman can sling some leather. Wow !
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Bregman looked overanxious at the bat, but he did put a nice charge into the one with the bases loaded. Just a little short.
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Gomez was not the only guy that did not get it done. Pineda came in with a 5 something ERA. We just did not score. But we know the new kid can play defense. And now we know that Altuve actually has a temper. He really got screwed on that last at bat. A checked swing called a strike and two balls well above the zone. All three strikes tainted. Still he had the composure not to get thrown out. Just a night to forget.
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Yeah Dave – The ump was calling a Correa strike zone on Altuve. I was surprised he did not get tossed – usually if you say anything they toss you.
Very unusual for Altuve to complain, but it was warranted.
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It is disappointing to lose another well pitched game by Dallas Keuchel. To score a run with the first batter and then do almost nothing one day after scoring 13…. But they need to be resilient and bounce back today.
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I feel kind of bad for Bregman. He came to bat in a couple of key situations against some tough pitching. I know he can hit. Numbers don’t lie. I just hope he has a short memory. If he does, his talent will take over.
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Springer hit a first pitch fastball. Once Peneda showed that slider to each Astros hitter, they could not hit the fastball. Once Springer saw the slider in his second at-bat, he never got a good swing at anything.
Say what you want about Gomez’s past perfomances, but he has had all year to break out of his funk and he hasn’t. He has been given many more chances than White, Reed, Duffy, Worth, Moran and everyone can say they weren’t ready for the majors. But what is Gomez’s excuse? With 305 plate appearances, his wRC+ is a miserable 59. It’s still higher than Jake’s. but Jake has not had near the opportunities to get better as Gomez has.
Super-bad hitting Jason Castro has a 97wRC+. That’s how bad Gomez is!
Say what you want about Altuve’s last at-bat, but I thought the umpire gave almost all of Keuchel’s borderline pitches a strike call. I think Altuve’s check swing was not a good call, but he was looking for a walk on those last two pitches, and it was he who was out of his comfort zone, by taking, and not swinging.
Goodness Gracious, Valbuena was 3 for three with a walk last night. His team really let him down.
Keuchel went almost 8 innings and gave up six hits and no walks.
I’m pretty sure that a leadoff home run was the only run the Astros scored in one other game this year.
I am confident that the Astros will win tonight’s game.
I love that AJ Reed went back to Fresno and kicked butt last night.
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Had Altuve been swinging at those high pitches, I would have been groaning. On replay, albeit the K -Zone graphic, both pitches were well out of the strike zone. Sure he was trying to coax a walk, which was good baseball in that situation.
I’d be pleased to see Luhnow come up with an outfielder that hits. It’s obvious that we can’t count on Jake or Gomez. Two glaring holes since day 1. Gurriel is certainly a question mark and no help soon regardless. And although I’m optimistic Rasmus will break out of his slump, we can’t count on that either.
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Right on as usual OP.
There’s no excuse for the FO to keep playing Gomez. He’s not going to become tradable in the next few days. It’s time to just give up a spot on the roster and go with the other 24.
I hope they bounce back tonight. We shall see.
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I don’t get it OP…..Reed couldn’t hit himself outta a paper bag while he was here….he goes back to Fresno, and hits EVERYTHING! What’s up with that???
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How many players show up in the majors and hit major league pitching from day 1? Correa? Altuve? Only the special ones. 40 something plate appearances is not a shot at adjustment, its a small trial. It’s always easy to see hindsight when they stuck with a guy too long, like Carter, or Gomez, it’s subjective to say they pulled the plug to early on someone, but I think they have done that twice now this year with White and Reed.
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Every pitcher in AAA is there because they are either not ready for the majors or not good enough for the majors. That is, with the exception of James Hoyt, and Reed doesn’t have to face him.
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Someone has started a go fund me account for Gomez….to buy him out of his contract….. yep its true!
Thanks OP……can’t believe there’s THAT much difference in AAA and the majors, but I guess it is.
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I’ll donate!
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I’m in what do we need $20 of true value
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Becky, just out of curiosity, I looked up the stats of the guy who was the top prospect in all of baseball while Carlos Correa was in the minors. So far, in his career Byron Buxton’s AAA slash line is .357/.415/.585/1.000.
His major league slash line(with 150 more ABs than AAA at-bats, by the way) is .206/.250/.330/.580.
The majors is a huge jump for every batter because every major league pitcher is better than almost every AAA pitcher.
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Got it OP……I just hope it doesn’t take two weeks for the kid to get a hit. Personally I think White was short changed in his short visit with the Astros. If we need to call up a first baseman……make it Tyler White.
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Here is a comparison of A.J. Reed vs. George Springer when he was first called up.
Reed – after 45 ABs – 5 R / 2 HR / 4 RBIs -.156 BA /.250 OBP / .289 SLG / .599 OPS
GS – after 44 ABs – 1 R / 0 HR / 1 RBIs – .179 BA / .289 OBP / .205 SLG / .494 OPS
Baseball is tough and these guys struggle with that step up – but the other thing about baseball is that you can’t judge anybody on a couple weeks worth of work. They can tear it up or look terrible and neither are likely the real them.
If the Astros had sent Springer down after his terrible start they would have missed his triumphant rise from the ashes. Reed’s problem is that they are in the middle of the pennant race and can’t afford patience. (OK – unless your name is Gomez).
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good illustrations op and dan. this isnt an easy game. and the guys in the big leagues are professionals. a new guy usually takes awhile to adjust to the speed of the game and the better competition. most fans dont have much patience in this immediate gratification world we live in today. and dan is correct, during a pennant race the FO/manager cant stay with a new guy as long as they could if they werent in the race. i think we have a good to very good team that is about to get better. we’ll see if the team makes any additional moves before the deadline.
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TNT and anyone else feeling bad Bregman didn’t make it over the wall. I’m kinda glad he didn’t; it would have just set him up more than ever. All I could think of when
he came out was how nervous he must be. Anyway, as everyone is saying, “Show” pitching is in a league of its own, and just hope he can find a home here.
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I wanted Bregman to get a hit so his dad doesn’t have a coronary up in the stands. it did not have to be a grand slam. If he had not hit it so well, it could have been a nice single / double into right center.
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Just trying to be positive, Dan. A grand slam would have been awesome. Or a triple. Or a double. Or a single. Just me dealing with life. 🙂
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Forrest Whitley pitched two perfect innings for the GCL Astros this morning striking out two. Whitley is 2.6 years younger than the average age of his competition in that league
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Is his mother one of the Mississippi Gump family?
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Now I want shrimp….
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You might as well order the shrimp, Billy, because when it comes to comedy, Dan’s a fine engineer. (smiley face emoji)!
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You are talking about Captain Dan here…..
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But you DO got legs…
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First of all it is Lieutenant Dan – duh on my part…
Advice to all fans – “A season is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.”
The fans to AJ Hinch the first 6 weeks of the season, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
Gomez and others with early season baserunning gaffes, “I just felt like runnin’”
God to Jose Altuve – “You have to do the best with what God gave you.”
Never heard Jim Crane say “And cause I was a gazillionaire and I liked doing it so much, I cut that grass for free.”
What AJ Hinch told the players after the first 6 weeks of the season “My Mama always said, you have to put the past behind you before you can move on.”
What all the pitchers said “Brent Strom always has a way of explaining things so I could understand them.”
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Sony Gray starts tonight’s game against……the other team in Texas. I’m hoping the dominate Sony Gray shows up. Texas heat can zap your energy, especially if you’re used to Southern California weather. Good luck kid!!
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For lack of a better way to describe that “other” team, we call them the Texas Yankees around here.
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Hey, I’m a NY Yankees fan…can’t compare that legendary franchise to those buffoons!
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Sorry Billy.
The term refers to what we southerners call folks from up north. Not the team from NY that I despise and my hubby likes. Our house is divided at this time. 😜
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lol texas yankees. classic!
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I think Mr. Feldman needs to get warm.
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I am pretty darn sure Mr. Feldman needs to get warm.
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Looks like a DL stint for Valbuena. We’ve been lucky as a club this year. Someone is going to have to step up. We’ve got options.
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Call for Tyler Whiiiiite…..call for Tyler Whiiiiite!
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Castro playing 1st? Bring up my box Max PLEASE
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*Boy, not box. Although the way the team is playing right now makes me wanna go boxing.
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We have like 5 outfielders…….can’t send Tucker down just yet can you? You know who we would all like to be replaced, but he’s the $9 million man, so Jake might draw the black bean. Right hamstring ingury….Valbuena is day to day.
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Maybe the publicity from the Go Fund Me thing will get Luhnow/Crane’s attention to finally can that guy.
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Feldman needs to be back in the rotation…this is ridiculous.
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Where, in the middle of nine hits, six runs, three walks, a wild pitch and a hit batsman did you figure it was time to pull Fister?
For me, the non-coach, I would have done it after the first batter in the fourth inning.
We would not be trailing 6-1.
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Gattis needs to be our starting catcher…he is so much better of a hitter where he’s there v DH
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Sigh.
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Thank you Sony boy!! If it were up to me, I’d trade for you in a New York minute!!
Mr. Fister had an off night…..it happens. We have options…..you saw one of them tonight Devenski. Brush it off, get up tomorrow wash your mouth out with clorox, and go get ’em! Look……in the big picture of life, it’s STILL baseball. I sat next to a frightened man today in the treatment room who just found out he has stage 4 colon cancer, and it has gone to his liver. This man was enjoying life a few weeks ago, now he’s thinking about not being here for Christmas. Sorry…..I don’t mean to get into this stuff, blame it on the steriods ok? I predict ABREG will get his first hit tomorrow!
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Perspective is hard for fanatics to find Becky. Thanks for sharing with us.
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Valdez 7 inning, 2 hits, 0 walks 7 strike outs
Hoyt- 27th save.
Fresno pitchers are rock stars!!!
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We could use a couple of rock
Stars.
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The Rangers are trying to get VV from Philly.
Their FO is so much smarter than ours.
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It’s gonna cost ’em some BIG TIME prospects. He was the “crown jewel” in the trade for Giles. I would put him through a detailed physical before I traded for him.
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Sandy – if they were so darn smart they would have gotten VV from us directly along with 4 other folks in exchange for a relief pitcher you can’t trust in the late innings.
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‘..in exchange for a relief pitcher you can’t trust in the late innings.’
But we already have Tony Sipp lol
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Update on MLBTV……because of the rangers who have FSN live, MLBTV is blacked out for Astros live streaming. They will show the game, AFTER it is over, but not while the other team is playing. Sucks.
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Get ready to face Lucas Harrell. He is now a Ranger.
P.S. Please, Astros, do to him as a Ranger what most of the league did to him as an Astro in 2013 and 2014.
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Oh my gosh Mr. Bill!!! I got a good laugh out of this!
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His ERA is looking good , but BB/K ratio just as bad as in the past.
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OMG!! The other team up north just traded for……*Lucas Harrell*!!!! They DFA’D Kyle Loesch yesterday…they are getting desperate! Should we dangle Feldman??!!
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No…we may need him. Offer them Sipp and see what happens! Unless they give us a HUGE haul for Feldman and Castro.
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They waived Duffy to make room for Harrell…
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I don’t care who we trade or trade for. Just do it and get it over with. This is the absolute most boring trade deadline ever.
It has been almost as boring as the Astros lineup the last two nights.
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