2005 seems like a long time ago doesn’t it? It finally seems
like the Astros are slowly taking the right steps towards becoming relevant
again. I can’t wait for the day when I go to a September baseball game against
the Rangers and the stadium is sold out because the game will directly hurt and
help each teams’ playoff chances. However, there is no way of telling if that
is going to be in 2015, 2025, or 2125. Here are my 5 steps to helping the
Astros get through these next few years:
1. Six man rotation
I feel like this is the most logical of all my steps. The
Astros are currently running a six man rotation out there right now for the
last month of the season. Why not do it for the next year or two? Their oldest
starting pitcher right now is Edgar Gonzalez and he is 29. There is no
guarantee that he will even be on the team next year. This will help protect
all the young arms that the Astros have. There is such a big deal being made
about the Nationals shutting down Strasburg and the Astros don’t want to be in
that position with one of their pitchers when they are finally able to contend.
I’m pretty positive that the Astros’ fans would not approve of shutting down a
pitcher given that it has been an extremely long time since the Astros have
even sniffed the playoffs.
2. Spend a little
I don’t think it would hurt the Astros to spend a little bit
of money especially if it is on the bullpen. I think the Astros should take a
chance on some veteran relievers. Give them one year deals and if they have a
good first half, trade them for prospects. Every team, regardless if they are
in the playoff hunt or not, could always use more relief pitchers. As of today
(September 10th) the Astros’ team ERA is 4.69 which ranks 27th
out of 30 teams. The Astros have 29 blown saves which ranks 25th in
baseball but their save percentage is only 55% which is the worst in baseball.
A veteran pitcher would add some leadership to the team that really doesn’t
have any. Plus, they can’t be any worse than Fernando Rodriguez who has a 5.65
ERA and a 1-9 record as a relief pitcher. That means at least nine times he has
either lost the lead or let the other team score when the game was tied and
that involves only pitching an inning or two at the time.
3. Move Bud
Speaking of bullpen help, I would be a HUGE fan if the
Astros decided to move Bud Norris into the closers role. I don’t think Wilton
Lopez is the long term answer in the role now. Bud Norris has struggled and everybody
keeps waiting on him to turn the corner. I don’t think he will ever be that
frontline pitcher that everyone has hoped he would be. He has shown flashes of brilliance
but no consistency. Right now, his strikeouts per 9 innings are 8.84 which
ranks 16th out of starting pitchers in baseball. That’s a higher
rate than guys like David Price, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee. That is pretty
impressive. He doesn’t have the true off speed pitch to keep hitters off
balance throughout an entire game. His fastball/slider combination would be
deadly coming in at the end of the game. Moving him to the closer role would
also help keep him healthy. He has battled injuries this year. Moving him to
the bullpen would open a spot in the rotation for one of the young guys and
give them a chance to get their feet wet in the majors.
4. Sign Roger Clemens…
Yes, I think the Astros should sign Roger Clemens. However,
not to be a pitcher for the team. I think that would just be embarrassing. I do
believe that they should make him their pitching coach. Regardless if the man
took performance enhancing drugs or not, he could still pitch. It wasn’t like
those drugs were going to make his location that much better. Maybe it helped with
his velocity and being able to stay in shape but at the end of the day, he
still had to be able to get batters out. I think he would be a great addition
to a team that has so many young players on it. I believe he would be able to
provide a lot of insight for the young pitchers and help them progress with
their careers. I would love for him to be around when Jarred Cosart makes his
first appearance for the Astros. Cosart is going to be a big key for the Astros’
future and from what I’ve read, he is the same sort of overpowering pitcher
that Clemens was.
5. New (Old) Identity
This step kind of ties in with the previous step. The Astros
have been put in an awful situation that just got worse by having to move to
the AL West. I think one way to ease the transition for the players and fans is
to make Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell and even Brad Ausmus more visible with
the organization. The Astros are looking for a manager and it would be awesome
if Ausmus was the guy even though it is probably a long shot. I think it is
important for Biggio and Bagwell to be around the players on this team. I think
it is important for them to tell them that not long ago the Astros organization
was one that was taken seriously and that a lot of people in the baseball world
had respect for. Jim Crane needs to have those two icons involved with the team
any way he can get them to.
The average age of the Rangers and Angels is almost 29. The
average age of the Astros is 26.2. It is not unreasonable to think that the
Astros would not be able to contend in three or four years in the AL West.
Obviously a lot has to go right for them but it happens. Players have to
continue to develop but the foundation has been laid. The Astros have guys on
their current roster that will play a key role for years to come and have some
very promising prospects working their way up through the organization. It might
not hurt to say a few prayers either.
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