Weekend Astros’ stuff

This is one of those scattershot posts that come to mind as we continue to try and fill the seemingly eternal vacuum of time and lack of real baseball news. So without further delay, let’s talk about “stuff”.

  • Here’s an interesting one. I am getting up there in age, but I don’t particularly remember Terry Puhl as having a “sweet” swing that was above every other Astro ever. In general, I always liked Ken Griffey‘s swing, and I always thought Bagwell had the ugliest with that stance of his. What do you think? I sure like Yordan Alvarez‘s swing, but is that just the results of his swing?
  • There is a virtual baseball tournament going on right now on mlb.com using the top players in history (more or less) for every team, plus an old Negro league all-star team and an under 25 team to make it a 32 team bracket. The Astros have won in the first two rounds – against the Orioles and Tigers.

https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/mlb-dream-bracket-round-of-32-orioles-vs-astros

https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/mlb-dream-bracket-round-of-16-astros-vs-tigers

What do you think the chances are they win the next round against the Yankees?

  • Has there been one story where an Astro or Astro related person has been asked about their opinion of the (lack of) punishment for the Red Sox? Would they be allowed to say what they thought by the MLB if they were asked?
  • It is always heartwarming to read what the players do during a crisis. Alex Bregman with his fiancée helping to raise $1 million and counting through the Houston Food Bank and hand-delivering some meals himself. Justin Verlander with his wife helping out here in Houston (donated a paycheck to Bregman’s cause) and to his long term home team city of Detroit (donating facemasks and face shields to first responders). There have been enough bad stories – these are the type of good stories that are getting more light these days.
  • The Astros should be about one month into their season right now. By this time there is usually some feel (sometimes based on a too-small sample) on how the players and their teams are going to do for the season. But the starting flag is packed away right now, and no one knows when or if it will be pulled out. It brings me down a bit, but I trust that things will work out.
  • So does a reduced or cancelled season help or hurt Carlos Correa? This does not allow him to show that he could stay healthy for a full season, so you would think it could hurt him. It also may keep him from getting hurt again (though he sure might get hurt in what part of the season does occur) which might help him.
  • This sounds like it is a political point, but it has a sports point. My wife and I were talking about the current Harris County commissioner who ordered everyone to wear a face-covering starting Monday. We were talking about how one of the reasons we thought she won the last election was because the previous commissioner, who had been quite popular, got totally obsessed with spending money to re-use the Astrodome. I mean I loved going to the Astrodome, but it sure looked like dumping money into a (literal) rat trap.
  • What do you do if you are a career minor leaguer? Unless you were one of the ones that got a bonus, you have never made good money. Now you have no money coming in, and this is not a time when you can easily make something on the side. Maybe your spouse is the only income, and they may not be working. And now there will be fewer teams that might need your services when it does get back rolling. Killing the dreams…

So, anyways that was all over the place. What does your weekend thoughts look like?

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31 responses to “Weekend Astros’ stuff”

  1. Hi Dan,

    I am a long-time reader but first-time poster. Astros fan since @ 1976 or so.

    I think an all-time Astros team vs an all-time Yankees team will have little to no chance of winning a series. But anything can happen in baseball and that’s why we love the game!

    I don’t think the media cares what the Astros think about the Red Sox sign-stealing.

    A reduced or cancelled season won’t help or hurt Carlos Correa. Another injury or less-than-normal statistics will hurt him no matter how long the season is.

    If I were a career minor leaguer I would try to find a job as a health care worker, first responder, grocery store worker, food delivery person, or unemployment office clerk. I would think there would be high demand for those jobs.

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    • In fact, Astros Nut, the Astros rivaled the 1927 Yankees as the all-time greatest in both wRC+/ERA- last season. Wonder why that fact hasn’t been publicized in 2019 (2 yrs after trash cans)? And I have a mind the modern players have higher upsides than players in the past, both physically, with advanced data, significantly more competition, etc. But, I’m guessing this exercise takes the greatest players ever from each org?

      Back injuries are cumulative. Any rest away from wear and tear is most definitely an advantage. I will say again, Correa has given the city of Houston the equivalent of $200,000,000 worth of WAR already. It’s ALL icing on the cake.

      I’m sure most non-bonus babies in the minors have side hustles, and with 40 teams folding, the opportunities continually lessen. The Cape Cod League officially canceled it’s season today. I still think it’s 50/50 we see baseball this year, but much will depend on newer optimism the President seems to be forwarding.

      Dan, most of the counties calling for masks in Texas are being ignored by a lot of citizens in Dallas and Austin, I’ve read. Sheriff Troy E. Nehls in Sugar land issued a statement, he won’t enforce the edict based on infringing rights. The question I keep asking is when the H1N1 pandemic occurred in ’09, where were the calls to arrest ppl not social distancing; or closing businesses and tanking the economy; or hanging Obama on the results of its scourge? Seems just a little unfairly covered by the press.

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  2. I remember the 1980 playoff series when Puhl hit .526. I actually thought it was .536 but I looked it up to be sure. When he got in a groove, he did have a sweet stroke. Never seemed to have an affinity for the long ball though. A base hit was fine for him. But I liked him.

    Beating the Yanks? It would be terribly unpopular right so if it’s not fixed, maybe 5%?

    I’ve pretty much put the “scandal” behind us. It’s much easier now when no real baseball is being played. I’m still looking for one journalist to write that the Sox got off easy and how remarkable it would have been for Cora to become a choir boy so suddenly in 2018. Ask Beltran.

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  3. Now you’re bringing me back into it Dan. We all know most all of our guys are high character souls. That’s what still pisses me off. How could so many of them falter to the degree they did and succumb to such blatant cheating? It will always be a head shaker to me. I want to believe that Cora and Beltran made it all seem so natural and normal (and maybe it was) but still, our club is tainted today and probably will be to some degree even when us older guys are gone.

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  4. Assuming real baseball gets played in 2020, it would be out of character for Carlos to not miss some time.

    Here in my little outpost, we have a mask rule for everyone when in town. I’ve not seen it enforced though, but most people are wearing something. I’m still looking for a coconut husk.

    Career minor leaguer? Maybe get a divorce? Go find some winter ball? Work in a gym? Tend bar in Florida? Have a rich uncle?

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  5. Diane jogged my memory on the last post about Dave Garroway. He once told the story that he was hosting an event honoring Dr. Jonas Salk. His son saw him dressing and his son asked why he was getting dressed. Garroway told him it was an event to honor Dr. Jonas Salk who made the vaccine to get rid of polio. The boy then asked him – what is polio?

    Lots hope we have another Dr. Salk working in the lab for us right now.

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    • I seem to remember Dave Garroway working with a monkey on the Today show. I was little so I don’t remember the particulars. I know monkeys were a big deal back then because of the space program.
      And no the monkey was not Matt Lauer. Much smarter than that.

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  6. AstroNut – for some reason I could not respond to your comment under it – so I’m doing it here.
    So glad you’ve read this for a long time and really glad you have commented – thanks and welcome

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    • I was just jumping right into a chat with Astros Nut,
      definitely Welcome!

      Hey, Dan, speaking of Terry Puhl. Ever read that story about the scout sent to recruit him? Lots of back story, I’m referring to Puhl playing 3B as prep star, but “going along” with playing OF in Houston.

      http://baseballhotcorner.com/scout/

      The new FaBIO is in!! I cannot stress how impressive this guy’s breadth of knowledge of every MLB pitching staff, prospect, and prep star. This is further proof the Astros have a top 1/3 pitching farm, despite the [perception of] declines in Whitley’s outlook, and the graduation/trades of pitching prospects already. We. Are. Loaded. It’s a beautiful thing.

      https://twitter.com/reillocity/status/1254075673615822848

      And lastly, I was asked to do the Mock Draft for HOU by Prospects Live –pretty excited. Anybody, anybody?? have an opinion of organizational needs? We get pick#72, and there are only 5 rounds. Trei Cruz is on the “Board” at 179, but other drafts have him going 80. Do the Astros need another switch-hitting SS prospect with Dauri Lorenzo, Pena and Nova; and will ties to Jose Cruz play a factor? Is there anyone on this board who may impress you?

      One kid I saw last night blew my socks off. Luke Little pitched JUCO, and now committed to S Carolina. Lefty throws 102 mph, currently rated 170. Theoretically, the Astros could pay him less by signing with our first pick. Once video of him goes viral (oops, bad word), he could skyrocket past the Astronauts.

      https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2020-mlb-draft/summary?type=0&sort=-1,1&pg=3

      Enjoy your weekend!

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      • Go Stos congrats on doing the mock draft for Prospects Live…
        Organization needs? Well we always seem to have problems developing catchers and left handed pitchers. Of course we drafted a C first last season – but you never can have enough – kind of like O-linemen and Cornerbacks in football. LHPs are tough because they inherently have more value for being lefties but that means you may have to draft them ahead of where they are worth and then wonder why they don’t live up to their draft status.
        It looks like we have a lot of pitching coming – how about OFs?

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      • We could be needing some outfield help sooner than later. Just poking around that list of guys, I liked Andre Tarver at 166. Have never seen a stat on the kid, but looks like a pretty good all around athlete.

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      • If I were to guess, I’d say the Astros will be focusing on HS players. I have two reasons for saying that. First, the entire spring NCAA season was lost. The HS kids played showcase games all summer and fall and had a brief season in many states. Second, if you look at the Tampa organization they seemed to put a little more weight behind picking high school kids and developing them. Obviously it’s an assumption Click was on board for this strategy and will continue it.

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  7. Astros Nut….we are pleased that you came by for a hello to the BEST Astros blog EVER! We hope you will hang with us! Most of us have been here for almost 15yrs.! My name is Becky and I’m a feisty old lady who LOVES these Astros!!
    Sandy, Diane and I are the only girls on this blog, but we can hang with these guys everyday! Right guys?!!!
    This:
    I have two compression fractures at T8 & T9. And the pain is EXCRUCIATING😭
    I see an orthopedic surgeon on Wed, only problem he’s only in Kingwood on Wednesdays so that means I won’t get the operation until the NEXT Wed😭
    Getting up and down off that MRI table gave me severe spasms the entire night.
    As for baseball…it looks bleak folks.

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  8. 1. Astros on Bosox: I don’t think any Astro wants to bring up anyone or any scandal right now. Best advice I ever got and ignored: “Never pass up a chance to keep your mouth shut.”
    2. Most of the Astros come from a Non-Rich background. So they are more willing to help out their fellow man. It is good to see.
    3. If Carlos knows how to schedule his injuries, it could help. But so far, it does not appear that he can control when they happen.
    4. Politics: More to follow.
    5. I think if they decrease the number of teams, they will eliminate a lot of marginal players and shorten those careers. They have to keep the 18-20 year olds playing.

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    • First I must share that I am going into the second half of my 70’s. And I know “the good ole days” are not coming back – which is good. But when you drove a car without a seat belt, road a bicycle without a helmet, drank water from a garden hose, etc. You have to wonder how far will the government go “to help you.” So I was raised in rural settings with NO desire to be a farmer/rancher. I spent my adult life in the Metroplex and Houstonplex. But when I retired, it was Rural Life, here I come. Almost all of my college friends have retired and left the cities. All for different reasons, but at the end of the day, the city magnet for the youth has a reverse polarity as you age. Current News Events explain clearly why that magnet starts to push people away.

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      • Yeah 45, I took leaving the city to an extreme, well before retirement. And I’m still not retired. But ironically if this whole business continues to decimate tourism, I could find myself back in the city. I’m sure hoping it does not come to that.

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  9. I feel pretty successful when I manage to post here on Chipalatta. But I have learned how to use my Nespresso machine, so maybe I should look at coding after all 45.

    As I’m here in lock down, I just spent more than an hour clicking my way through game 6 of the 86 NLCS. Why pain myself? I did notice for the first time though that our outfield defense was not very good. God Bless Billy (was it corked) Hatcher for his homer in the 14th, but he had a tough time out there in center.

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      • Astrocolt45, thank you for your concern. We are managing well! Yesterday we learned that 4 of our 15 active cases on both islands have been cleared. I’m still a bit dubious that only 11 souls out of 50,000 inhabitants have this Covid business, but the big wheels in change have been very aggressive with this lock down business. Indeed, the beach is out of bounds. I could get locked out by our authorities if discovered. But as long as you guys don’t report me, I’ll come clean. I do sneak down each evening at dusk for my daily swim. I usually am the only violator. So if you guys don’t hear from me at some point, maybe a shark got me.

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      • We would prefer that all our readers not become fish food! Or get locked up for swimming alone.
        This is just the strangest time in our lives

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  12. Dan, the “monkey” with Dave Garroway was J. Fred Muggs. I’ll tell one on Mr. Garroway that I still remember watching. Behind the camera desk setup was his chair on rollers. One morning he had been standing up and sat down without looking only to miss the chair and end up on the floor LIVE from coast to coast. He looked just a little embarrassed, smiled and you could hear chuckles off.

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