Category: Astros
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Astros’ success: It’s all about the little things
On June 19, 2014, the Astros lost game No. 74, 5-0 to the Rays. With the loss, the team’s record dropped to 32-42. Houston wasn’t yet the train wreck of a team it would be by the end of the year, though there were certainly signs that the Astros were about to fly off the…
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Awards and honors may pile up this year for Astros
Carlos Correa is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, Houston has multiple players pushing for All Star status and, if the season ended today, A.J. Hinch would be a cinch for AL Manager of the Year. Even if the Astros don’t continue on their current pace to win … games, Houston and its players…
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Way back in March, what did the “experts” think of Astros?
In the field of consulting engineering there is an old joke that goes something like this. An expert is anyone who lives more than 200 miles away, makes twice as much as your own employees do, but knows half as much. And then there are the “experts” who populate the baseball prediction world. The nice…
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Top of the Week: Of bottlenecks, lineups and young players
Good morning, happy Monday! The Astros are 10 games away from the midpoint of 2015 and in a place no one dreamed just three short months ago. Again, No. You. Didn’t. Okay, maybe you did dream it, but you woke up in a cold sweat when you got to the part where Jim Crane was…
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The Luhnow drafts: How to build a legacy
A recent New York Times article was entitled “Of All Teams to Hack, Why the Astros?” Most of the speculation wound around Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow, and the Times article highlighted a rather amazing statistic. Luhnow had oversight over the Cardinals’ draft starting in 2005 and in the three drafts between 2005 and 2007,…
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Free Blog Weekend: Failed prospects, July lineup and other notes
Jesus said the “poor will always be with us”. So, too, will the baseball prospect always be with us. The organization that can discern the difference between a prospect and a future major league baseball player is destined to be among the best teams. It’s that simple, at least for the teams not in the…
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Re-ranking the Astros’ prospects after promotions
The other day one of the many excellent commenters on this blog asked for a re-ranking of the prospects after the recent call-ups. This request from “Tony Eusabio” seemed reasonable, and who could deny the former Astro his request even though he seems to have forgotten how to spell his own name. The self-imposed rules…
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Random Astros’ thoughts: Roster, Luhnow and the up-and-down season
I’m traveling this week, but the Astros continue to baffle with — as some have noted — a “new hero” everyday. Just when you think a huge losing streak has doomed the season and calls into questions early moves, the Astros now appear to be in somewhat of a portion of the season that will…
ALL THINGS ASTROS 