Baseball (Spring Training) starts on Wednesday!

[Necks_Fan]

Is anyone excited besides me?


I know the steroids thing is getting really old but I can't wait to watch the Stros.

[K-MAC Chuck]

Hey Necks..
I'm PUMPED about Spring Training (and, oh yah, the return of fantasy baseball! :clap: )

we do a thursday night baseball show on k-mac sports with kc royals scout gene watson, check out the show or replays if you get a chance...

I think Seattle paid WAY TOO MUCH for Bedard..Adam Jones is a 5-tool playuh, he's gonna be worth Bedard alone...White Sox really amped up their bullpen this offseason, they could be overlooked early on...

I'm proud to say I'm a lifelong Royals fan..while that has earned me snickers and insults, I'm pumped about our new manager - Trey Hillman, a resident of (where else?) Liberty Hill... :cool:

[Necks_Fan]

Originally posted by K-MAC Chuck
Hey Necks..
I'm PUMPED about Spring Training (and, oh yah, the return of fantasy baseball! :clap: )

we do a thursday night baseball show on k-mac sports with kc royals scout gene watson, check out the show or replays if you get a chance...

I think Seattle paid WAY TOO MUCH for Bedard..Adam Jones is a 5-tool playuh, he's gonna be worth Bedard alone...White Sox really amped up their bullpen this offseason, they could be overlooked early on...

I'm proud to say I'm a lifelong Royals fan..while that has earned me snickers and insults, I'm pumped about our new manager - Trey Hillman, a resident of (where else?) Liberty Hill... :cool: Seattle DID pay too much and you are right about Jones.

Yea, KC always trades away soon to be great players.

I would kill me to be a Royals fan, but Gordon is going to be great. Mark my words on that.


Anyway, I think Houston is legit and if their pitching holds up they can be great.


Watch out for Milwaukee, more experience= better play.

The Braves with Teixeira, The Mets with Johan.

They will both be good.

Anyway, me and my family are way to excited for Spring Training.

[eagles_victory]

are pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday or everyone.

[K-MAC Chuck]

Originally posted by Necks_Fan
Anyway, I think Houston is legit and if their pitching holds up they can be great.


Not to be negative, but outside of Oswalt, the Stros are struggling for good starting pitching...and, they traded away a lot of their minor-league pitching...I'd be VERY concerned...still, they might finish with a better record than KC! LOL

BTW, speaking of Astros' minor-league system...say goodbye to the Round Rock and Corpus teams once their affiliation contract expires....

[trojan37]

I will be keeping up with the Rockies and Scott Podsednik. After an injury plagued year and being cut by the White Sox, Colorado signed him to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training to have a shot as a possible backup to Willy Tavares. If he can stay healthy, he is one of the top base stealers in the league.

[Bull19]

Originally posted by eagles_victory
are pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday or everyone.

pitchers and catchers

[Bull19]

im really looking foward to the start of astros baseball......the only worries i have is the starting pitching and the middle infield.

[trojan37]

Is Lidge still with the Astros? I still love watching the video of Podsednik hitting that homer off of him in game 2 of the 2005 World series. Good stuff right there!:D

[Daddy D 11]

Red Sox Repeat!

get ready boys:D its coming again:cheerl:

[Sweetwater Red]

Just give the Detroit Tigers their rings now.:thinking: :D

[c-town_balla]

Astros better be looking for a SS who can get in the country

[crzyjournalist03]

The Astros offense is getting older, and the pitching staff is just plain getting worse...it's going to be a rough year to be a baseball fan in Texas.

[Old Tiger]

Originally posted by Necks_Fan
I can't wait to watch the Stros. Keep waitin cause they aint going to show up this year.



Baseball sux. Go Yankees

[44INAROW]

My middle son lives in central Florida - there are spring camps all over the place in his neck of the woods - he loves this time of year :)

[K-MAC Chuck]

Originally posted by trojan37
Is Lidge still with the Astros?

NO...Lidge was signed by the Phillies a couple of weeks ago.

[Buccaneer]

Originally posted by K-MAC Chuck


BTW, speaking of Astros' minor-league system...say goodbye to the Round Rock and Corpus teams once their affiliation contract expires....

Why is that? Nolan Ryan?

[cshscougar08]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
Just give the Detroit Tigers their rings now.:thinking: :D

Dream on. Red Sox all the way!!!!!

[Panther One]

The Astros offense is getting old? That makes absolutely no sense. Do you know anything about the Astros? Below is the projected lineup with ages.

CF Michael Bourn 25
2B Kaz Matsui 32
SS Miguel Tejada 31
1B Lance Berkman 31
LF Carlos Lee 31
RF Hunter Pence 24
3B Ty Wigginton 30
C J.R. Towles 24

While the Astros traded away a lot of young pitching, the only real loss was Patton, and at this stage, even he is still just a projection. The Astros had a lot of young pitching that was all about the same. They probably had about 10 guys that were going to be battling for spots in the rotation, so they thinned that out and improved the offense. Patton was the only one I hated to see go.

The rotation will not be as bad as people think. It's always good to anchor things with one of the best, most consistent pitchers over the last five years in Oswalt. Backe returned from Tommy John's last year and at about 90%, looked very good in his starts. Being at 100% this year, he'll be a nice addition. Wandy Rodriguez had amazing stats at Minute Maid last year, which is impressive considering it's still somewhat of a hitter's park. His road numbers were beyond awful. If he can just put up average numbers on the road next year, he'll win 15+ games. Chris Sampson is a competitor, similar to Backe, who will give you some quality starts. Felipe Paulino is a young arm that gets it up there 95+ and looked good at times last year. Fernando Nieve is also coming off Tommy Johns and will be ready to go in May. He'll help out considerably in the second half of the season. Williams is the biggest unknown. Was last year just a bad year or has his age finally got him?

All in all, the starting rotation will be better than last season. Combine that with a MUCH improved offense and a stronger bullpen, and the Astros could make some noise. Expect them to be somewhat like the Phillies last year, winning games with offense. They might suffer the same fate should they make the playoffs, but the Astros should provide some excitement during the regular season.

Also, there are no issues with Tejada getting into the country. He's being investigated by the FBI for purgery and could face possible charges...not deportation. Should something happen during the season, the Astros have Lorretta and Lamb to fill in at Short. It'll be a drop in offense, but the defense shouldn't take a hit.

In regards to Kansas City, I think you'll see that organization begin to rise. Hillman is a hell of a manager and it's about time he received an opportunity at the big league level in the US. The Royals have some good young talent for him to work with. The renovations they're doing to Kauffman Stadium should also help increase revenue, which will in turn increase spending. Don't be shocked to see them pushing for a playoff spot within 2-3 years.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Panther One
The Astros offense is getting old?

2B Kaz Matsui 32
SS Miguel Tejada 31
1B Lance Berkman 31
LF Carlos Lee 31


Look at that middle of the lineup...all have slowed down considerably over the last 3 or so years. Lee has a bat, but is becoming more and more of a liability in left. Tejada's performance has been on the downswing for a couple of years now, and he's never been as good as he was back in the steroids era. Berkman is a stud, but he's proven fragile.

I can tell by the way you talk about the staff that you're a big Astros fan, and I'm all for you rooting for your team. But the facts remain that they weren't good last year, and their staff as a whole has taken a step back this year. Two, three years from now, they could be in very nice shape, but they're going to suffer some growing pains this year.

Brandon Backe is a good #4 starter, but he's being asked to be a two now. Wandy Rodriguez was very inconsistent, and you can't just assume that he's going to become more consistent just because he's more experienced.

The Astros will have to consider it an excellent season if they get within a game or two of .500.

[Necks_Fan]

ok, let me hop back in this discussion.

First off, was Lidge not traded to the Phillies?


What is this signing you speak of? A new contract? Lidge was traded not FA, so...

Anyway, noone has talked about the bullpen which I expect to be very good.

Valverde and Geary should be good.

Starters=?
Lineup=A
Bullpen=A
Defense=B-


Trojan37-Do you have a man-crush on Podsednik? Way too much love for that guy.

Anyway, the Astros are better than alot of ya'll give them credit for.

[Panther One]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Look at that middle of the lineup...all have slowed down considerably over the last 3 or so years. Lee has a bat, but is becoming more and more of a liability in left. Tejada's performance has been on the downswing for a couple of years now, and he's never been as good as he was back in the steroids era. Berkman is a stud, but he's proven fragile.

I can tell by the way you talk about the staff that you're a big Astros fan, and I'm all for you rooting for your team. But the facts remain that they weren't good last year, and their staff as a whole has taken a step back this year. Two, three years from now, they could be in very nice shape, but they're going to suffer some growing pains this year.

Brandon Backe is a good #4 starter, but he's being asked to be a two now. Wandy Rodriguez was very inconsistent, and you can't just assume that he's going to become more consistent just because he's more experienced.

The Astros will have to consider it an excellent season if they get within a game or two of .500.
You couldn't be further from the truth. I think you need to revisit the stats of Tejada, Lee, and Berkman. Perhaps by "slowed" you are referring to foot speed, because their offensive stats have been pretty consistent. Lee's last five years have been nearly identical. If you take away Tejada's injury shortened 2007 season, he's been pretty dang consistent, too. His power numbers have dipped slightly, but his average and OBP have improved and hitting in front of Berkman and Lee, that's what you like to see. Plus, with the Crawford boxes in left and protection behind him in the lineup, expect his power numbers to go back up. Berkman started slow last year, but aside from that, he put up Berkman-like numbers. Their stats show nothing to indicate a sizable decrease in production next year. Don't be shocked to see all three around the .300-30HR marks.

The Astros were not very good last year. You are right about that. With what we opened the season with, I don't think many people expected too much. I do think that most fans, including myself, expected more out of Jennings. That was a waste and cost the GM his job. Last year, the offense struggled to score runs and the pitching staff was atrocious. The offense this season, however, is MUCH, MUCH improved and while the pitching staff isn't great, it is also improved. I'm puzzled on why you think it took a step back.

I am an Astros fan, but I'm also realistic. I'm not predicting a World Series. I'm just saying that the Astros will compete for a playoff spot. I think the offense will be good enough to overcome the pitching shortcomings during the regular season. The Phillies had worse pitching than the Astros last year and still won the East. If the Astros do make the playoffs, they'll probably fair about like the Phillies did. If we end up around .500, it will be a major disappointment.

[trojan37]

Originally posted by Necks_Fan
ok, let me hop back in this discussion.

First off, was Lidge not traded to the Phillies?


What is this signing you speak of? A new contract? Lidge was traded not FA, so...

Anyway, noone has talked about the bullpen which I expect to be very good.

Valverde and Geary should be good.

Starters=?
Lineup=A
Bullpen=A
Defense=B-


Trojan37-Do you have a man-crush on Podsednik? Way too much love for that guy.

Anyway, the Astros are better than alot of ya'll give them credit for.

Podsednik is from West, my brother-in-law and his dad are 1st cousins, and I just like to see someone from a small town, particularly my hometown, do good in professional sports. Not to mention he has one hot woman for a wife. If you can't understand that, it's alright, I forgive your stupidity!

[trojan37]

p.s. necksfan, your disAstros suck!

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Panther One
You couldn't be further from the truth. I think you need to revisit the stats of Tejada, Lee, and Berkman. Perhaps by "slowed" you are referring to foot speed, because their offensive stats have been pretty consistent. Lee's last five years have been nearly identical. If you take away Tejada's injury shortened 2007 season, he's been pretty dang consistent, too. His power numbers have dipped slightly, but his average and OBP have improved and hitting in front of Berkman and Lee, that's what you like to see. Plus, with the Crawford boxes in left and protection behind him in the lineup, expect his power numbers to go back up. Berkman started slow last year, but aside from that, he put up Berkman-like numbers. Their stats show nothing to indicate a sizable decrease in production next year. Don't be shocked to see all three around the .300-30HR marks.

The Astros were not very good last year. You are right about that. With what we opened the season with, I don't think many people expected too much. I do think that most fans, including myself, expected more out of Jennings. That was a waste and cost the GM his job. Last year, the offense struggled to score runs and the pitching staff was atrocious. The offense this season, however, is MUCH, MUCH improved and while the pitching staff isn't great, it is also improved. I'm puzzled on why you think it took a step back.

I am an Astros fan, but I'm also realistic. I'm not predicting a World Series. I'm just saying that the Astros will compete for a playoff spot. I think the offense will be good enough to overcome the pitching shortcomings during the regular season. The Phillies had worse pitching than the Astros last year and still won the East. If the Astros do make the playoffs, they'll probably fair about like the Phillies did. If we end up around .500, it will be a major disappointment.

Foot speed has definitely declined on Tejada and Lee, although I don't think that about Berkman. Tejada has never been a defensive whiz, and he's not the guy who can hit 35 and drive in 150 anymore...if you're expecting 20 HR and 85 RBI out of Tejada, that's realistic, but to assume that just because he went from Baltimore to Houston that he's going to refind his power stroke seems a bit optimistic. Camden Yards is a pretty nice hitters' park in itself. I'm honestly most concerned about his focus at least for the early parts of the season with the steroids talk. I'm not trying to hate on the Astros here, but if you look back, I believe I even said on this very board the day before he got traded that Baltimore knew he had issues and was going to trade him to someone the day before the Mitchell Report was released.

Lee will be great offensively again, but he's just going to become more and more of a liability in left. With a questionable pitching staff, you really can't afford questionable defense.

IMO, Matsui is a downgrade from any 2B that the Astros have run out there over the last few years, dating back to Biggio in CF. He had a nice run in Colorado, but he's played a lot of baseball in his lifetime, and I can't help but wonder how much his numbers were inflated by Coors considering that he was basically given away by the Mets because they thought he was washed up.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong and the Astros will contend...as a caveat though, I'll just say that it's highly possible they'll contend AND not finish .500 thanks to the wild-card and the generally bad division that they're in right now.

You may say that you didn't expect much going into last year, but I know that most of the Astros fans on this very board as well as the ones that I know personally were talking about winning 90 games and contending for the World Series again. I'm putting the over/under on Astros wins right now at 75

[Panther One]

We'll see how the season plays out, but by drastically improving the offense and getting some guys back that will help the pitching, I see more than a two game increase in the win column.

Regarding last season, the Astros could have won 90 games, but it would have required a lot of different things coming together. Ensberg would have had to duplicate the one good year he had, Scott would have had to stretch the success he had at the end of the previous year to an entire season, Burke would have had to live up to the expectations people had of him once he got a full-time role, Jennings needed to come in, stay healthy, and match one of his successful years with the Rockies, and Woody Williams would have needed to produce just one of his average years. Not only did none of that happen, but Berkman started the year off in a slump, and even Pence, the one bright spot of the season, missed a month with an injury. I can understand people's optimism, but realistically, I thought last year's club was a .500 team that might could challenge for the postseason if some of the offensive question marks panned out. Instead, they didn't pan out and the pitching cratered.

There are definitely scenarios that could put next season in the tank, as well, but looking at the team on paper, I'd say it's an 85-90 win ball club. We'll have to revisit this topic around the All-Star break.

[Maroon87]

Originally posted by K-MAC Chuck
BTW, speaking of Astros' minor-league system...say goodbye to the Round Rock and Corpus teams once their affiliation contract expires....

Why is that?:thinking:

[Panther One]

Originally posted by Maroon87
Why is that?:thinking:
He was probably thinking that since Nolan Ryan took a position with the Rangers, that Round Rock and Corpus wouldn't stay with the Astros. He was wrong, however. They upped the contract today to extend through the 2010 season. It's been a good partnership for the Astros, Ryan-Sanders Baseball, and the two communities. I expect it will probably continue further into the future. There might have been some concern about the farm system being depleted and RR and Corpus not being able to field competitive teams, but Wade has already made rebuilding through the draft a priority.

The Rangers, by the way, have Frisco as their AA affiliate and Oklahoma City as their AAA, in case anyone was wondering.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080213&content_id=2372508&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

[Necks_Fan]

Originally posted by trojan37
Podsednik is from West, my brother-in-law and his dad are 1st cousins, and I just like to see someone from a small town, particularly my hometown, do good in professional sports. Not to mention he has one hot woman for a wife. If you can't understand that, it's alright, I forgive your stupidity!
How is that I'm stupid just because i acknowledge that you showed way too much love for a man and you give no logical reason until after the fact?

Originally posted by trojan37
p.s. necksfan, your disAstros suck! We'll see.

Who's so great in the division that will keep us from competing?

There's no logic behind that; you're just mad because I notified you of your unneccessary friendliness to a male.

[trojan37]

Division doesn't matter. You're supposed to be competing for a World Series title, which we all know the Astros can't accomplish. And call it whatever you want, I think you're the one that's mad that Lidge got jacked by a leadoff man in Game 2 back in 2005!:D

[Panther One]

Originally posted by trojan37
Division doesn't matter. You're supposed to be competing for a World Series title, which we all know the Astros can't accomplish. And call it whatever you want, I think you're the one that's mad that Lidge got jacked by a leadoff man in Game 2 back in 2005!:D
Do you have a team that you root for or do you just cheer for whichever team Podsednik plays on?

[trojan37]

To be honest with you, I could give a rat's @#$ about baseball. Whenever he plays and whoever he plays for at the time, that's who I watch.

[Panther One]

Originally posted by trojan37
To be honest with you, I could give a rat's @#$ about baseball. Whenever he plays and whoever he plays for at the time, that's who I watch.
Figures...:rolleyes:

[trojan37]

Sorry, just not much of a baseball fan. Too slow for me. Arena football is about to crank back up anyway, that will take the place of baseball.

[Panther One]

No need to apologize. I've always found it interesting that people who claim not to be a fan of the game still talk trash to people who actually are and who support a particular team. What kind of comeback are you supposed to have for those people? Perhaps, "Well, if you liked baseball and rooted for a team, your team would suck!"

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Panther One
He was probably thinking that since Nolan Ryan took a position with the Rangers, that Round Rock and Corpus wouldn't stay with the Astros. He was wrong, however. They upped the contract today to extend through the 2010 season. It's been a good partnership for the Astros, Ryan-Sanders Baseball, and the two communities. I expect it will probably continue further into the future. There might have been some concern about the farm system being depleted and RR and Corpus not being able to field competitive teams, but Wade has already made rebuilding through the draft a priority.

The Rangers, by the way, have Frisco as their AA affiliate and Oklahoma City as their AAA, in case anyone was wondering.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080213&content_id=2372508&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

not to play devil's advocate there, but 2010 just happens to be the year that the Oklahoma City and Frisco contracts expire...:devil: :devil:

ok, so maybe I am playing devil's advocate.

Either way, the Rangers will hang on to Frisco because it's so close to home. I could see them swapping out OKC for Round Rock though.