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added 10/9/2002 by Greg Lucas
Greg,
We all have our opinions as to how we'd try to improve this team. Now it's
your turn. What would YOU like to see done to make this team better and,
at the same time, stay within the $65 million payroll?
You do a wonderful job on the telecasts. Keep up the great work!
Erin
I want to see two main things from the everyday players. I want to have
more speed in the lineup and more power. How can the Astros have both?
The speed might come from a centerfielder. It would be ideal if that
center fielder also could hit at least .270 with a .370+ OBP. Stealing
upwards of 50 bases would be a nice addition as well.
Power improvement
would have to come from whoever is the third outfielder. Richard Hidalgo
or Daryle Ward MUST provide it. Or maybe Jason Lane gets a look.
A proven
everyday type third baseman would be nice. But I can live with a
Blum/Vizcaino/Ensberg spring training rotation. Morgan Ensberg would probably have
to win the job outright to make the club. Unless dealt, Blum and Viz are
locks to be on the team.
Some players won't be here next year because
they would have to be part of any deal to bring in the additions.
On the
pitching staff I would like at least one more lefty in the bullpen. I
don't see a desperate need for an additional starting pitcher, but that
requires a lot of faith in the young arms on the staff to either remain at
the top (Miller, Oswalt) or continue to improve (Hernandez, Saarloos,
Redding, Munro, Lidge). Still, A veteran starter would be nice to add to
the mix if possible. Stone gives the rebuilding of middle relief a nice
anchor.
All in all I am optimistic about 2003. It will take a much better
start to the season and either the return to form of Richard Hidalgo or
significant player moves in the outfield to make it happen, though. The
club knows Jimy Williams. And Jimy knows the club. That is also a major
plus. The Astros will contend again. What other clubs do and the health
of all will be the major factor in whether they can win or make the post-season.
Greg:
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us.
Once you get past the obvious choices (Oswalt, Miller, Dotel), which of our
young pitchers has particularly impressed you and why?
What are your thumbnail opinions of Stone, Puffer, Mann, Saarloos, Munro,
Redding, Lidge and Robertson? Who will help most in 2003 and beyond?
Bob Hulsey
As far as "stuff" is concerned, Tim Redding has the best. But his command and
stamina have been lacking. Hopefully he will not be one of those pitchers
who have great arms and all the pitches, but just never harness their
stuff -- or fails to harness it -- until he has already moved on to another
team.
Brad Lidge is another with a great arm and all the power pitches. His
inconsistent and rather jerky delivery concerns me some, but since he has
missed so much time with injuries I would hope all he needs is work to
smooth things out.
Kirk Saarloos is perhaps the most intriguing because he has
shown that when he has total command of his less-than-overpowering stuff he
can be very good. At other times he can be awful. His style would be a
good fit in a rotation of hard throwers if he can develop the consistency
with major league hitters that he showed in the minors.
Ricky Stone had a
great year until he appeared to tire. He is a ground ball pitcher that is a
perfect follow-up to the hard throwers when he comes into the game in
relief. Brandon Puffer is somewhat the same. Both have shown they can be
used to get one or two hitters out or extend for a couple of innings if
necessary. Every team needs pitchers like Stone and Puffer.
Pete Munro is
in the Saarloos category as far as type of pitcher. The only thing that
makes him somewhat of a question is the fact that he has been around pro
ball for a while and has not pitched as well on the major league level ever
before. Has he "found" it...or was his good work in 2002 a one-time thing?
Spring training work (and any off-season Astro deals) will likely determine
his position. But I would presume he would be pencilled in as of now as one
of the starters.
Jeriome Robertson had a great season in New Orleans as a
starter. If he makes the Astros next spring it would probably be as a lefty
reliever.
Jim Mann likely will have to really show something in the spring
to make the club and perhaps show the club that he can be effective for a
least a couple of innings to make the bullpen. He obviously won't be a one-inning closer or setup man on this roster. But there could be some
openings for all the above-mentioned to make the club.
Personally I would
hope number one that Carlos Hernandez' shoulder is OK and Saarloos and Munro
are the real thing. I sure would like Redding to be fit and improved as
well. Lidge is a wild card that could prove to be very important.
Can you tell how the veteran players like Biggio and Bagwell feel about
Jimy as the manager? Do they have confidence in him and like his style
of managing? He is really hands-on and makes a great deal of moves
whereas Larry just kind of sat back, let things develop and let
his players work themselves out of situations.
Thanks
From all indications both respect Jimy for his knowledge of the game and the
respect he gives veteran players. There were times early in the year when
Biggio was being rested that he wasn't inwardly happy, but he respected the
manager's right to do it and understood WHY he was doing it. As the season
went into its crucial stage Biggio was in the lineup every day.
With the
exception of games in which players are out of the lineup simply for rest,
Jimy is fond of saying, "I don't make out the lineup, the players make it
out." That is his way of saying the players who get the job done will get
to play. Jose Vizcaino and Orlando Merced got a lot of time after being
mostly bench players the past several years. But you will note both either
hit .300 or close to it. That is why they kept finding their names in the
lineup. It wasn't just because Jimy likes to play everyone. Gregg Zaun, for
instance, never got the bat going and as the season progessed played less
and less.
When do you think that Hunsicker will learn that you can't do more with
less, and finally go after some marquee talent?
Jason
Gerry already knows it would be easier to maintain a contending team if he
had more money to work with. But he doesn't, so he has to use the minor
league system, make trades with an eye on the bottom line and try to find
those players who can fit in.
As we have seen in the post-season this year
having the most expensive "marquee" players or roster doesn't automatically
make a winner. It makes it easier to be a contender every year, but that is
all.
The Yankees have not won the World Series for two years.
Yes, Houston
has never won or even been IN the World Series. But the point is the Astros
do not generate enough revenue to be able to raise the budget by 20 or 30
million on the hope that the ensuing club will win the World Series, make
baseball a "must see" sport in Texas and assure 3-million fans every year
just off that one World Series win. That is too big a gamble. So Gerry has
to keep within a budget.
I am glad you asked this question because it is a
point I like to emphasize: if baseball is going to continue to be strong
then maybe stronger teams must work within budgets. We can't have
billionaire owners who start pulling money out of their own bank accounts or
other businesses to buy players for their baseball team. If there is going
to be balance in baseball over the long haul, teams must make it or not on
their own. But because all markets are not the same that is why the owners
wanted some form of revenue sharing.
George Steinbrenner, for instance,
doesn't use his own money or money from his ship building company to buy
free agents. The Yankees make enough on their own.
The Disney-owned Angels
have a budget. The AOL-owned Braves have a budget. The Fox-owned Dodgers
have a budget. All are based on baseball revenue. Some markets simply have
more than others.
Occasionally a team will go over budget if the right
person is available. It could be someone who will sell tickets by his presence
and hopefully win games. The Astros did that once with Randy Johnson, and it
worked as planned. Every start was a sellout, or nearly so, and the Astros
had the best team in baseball heading into the playoffs. We know what
happened, though. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
Greg,
Who do you think will advance to the World Series this year, and who
do you think will win?
Thanks,
Darrell Pittman
I have a warm spot in my heart for the Twins and Angels for many of the
reasons noted in the previous question. They have gotten a long way on a
limited budget without "marquee" players. But, I think the Cardinals will
ultimately win it all. They do have more talent than either the Twins or
Angels... and better pitching even with all their injuries than the Giants in
my opinion. But I thought the Braves would beat the Giants, too, and that
didn't happen. So let's just enjoy the games and find out.
See you next time. In the
meantime, the Fox Sports website -- FoxSports.com with the keyword phrase
"Astros Booth" gets you in touch anytime.
Greg Lucas
You can submit your own questions for this column by email to astrosdaily@yahoo.com.
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