2013 Astros: A Run at History

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
So, they're not really very interesting right now, but as the season moves on, I'm sure we'll be paying attention to the Astros run at 120 losses.
 
They're 10-29 right now, on pace for 41 wins.  Their best player, Jose Altuve, was injured last night and was also placed on the bereavement list due to the death of his grandmother.
 
Grantland has a really good article about how the Astros are rebuilding:  http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9273233/hoarding-prospects-being-horrible-houston-astros
 
Some choice parts:
Luhnow had the perfect background to take advantage of baseball's new rules. As vice-president of scouting and player development for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2006 through 2011, Luhnow presided over one of baseball's most productive farm systems — the Cardinals entered this season with the no. 1 farm system in the game, and most of those prospects were acquired during Luhnow's tenure. (According to Baseball America, more players on Opening Day rosters this year were signed by Luhnow than by any other scouting director.)
 
Luhnow has an unconventional background for a front office executive — he was born and raised in Mexico City, where his father worked as an advertising executive. He speaks fluent Spanish. He graduated from Penn, got his MBA from Northwestern, and worked in corporate America for years before joining the Cardinals in 2003. Not surprisingly, Luhnow is a strong believer in applying analytics to baseball, and last year he hired two writers from Baseball Prospectus: Mike Fast as an analyst in the Astros' baseball operations department, and Kevin Goldstein as their coordinator of pro scouting.
 
 
For instance, last year (the first year the new draft caps were in place), the difference in slot money assigned to the 20th and 21st picks in the draft was just $25,000. The difference between the seventh and eighth picks was just $100,000. But the difference between what the Astros were allotted with the no. 1 overall pick ($7.2 million) and what the Twins were allotted at no. 2 ($6.2 million) was a full million dollars. The no. 5 pick was allotted $3.5 million — meaning the difference in slot money between the first and fifth picks is greater than the difference between the fifth and last picks in the draft.
 

By tearing apart their roster last summer, the Astros guaranteed themselves the no. 1 pick again next month, and once again will have a significant spending advantage on every other team. Only this year, the advantage spreads to signing amateur talent on the international market as well. While there is no draft on foreign amateurs — yet — each team has a firm cap on how much money it can spend to sign kids from Latin America and other markets.4 Those caps are determined by "draft order" even though there is no draft. The upshot is that the Astros have $400,000 more to spend than the Chicago Cubs, who lost 101 games, and the gap only grows from there.
 
Two years ago, the Astros' farm system was nearly as bad as the varsity team; Baseball America ranked their system 26th out of 30 teams before the 2011 season. The system Luhnow inherited after that season was a little better; they ranked 18th last year. This year, they were ninth, and that ranking figures to only get better with time. While minor league win-loss records are mostly meaningless, it's telling that the Astros' affiliates are a combined 88-60 this year. Two years ago, their minor league teams had the worst combined record of any organization in baseball.
 
The pitching numbers are even worse. Humber, who threw a perfect game in the majors barely 12 months ago, is 0-8 (in mid-May!) with a 9.59 ERA, and was designated for assignment on Sunday. Peacock had a 9.41 ERA and threw 21⅓ innings in five starts before he was demoted to Triple-A. Bedard has a 6.67 ERA — and he's the Astros' no. 3 starter. When the Astros have the lead after five innings, they are just 10-6. Perhaps most amazing of all, the Astros have won just one game all year in which they were losing. Not losing after eight innings — losing at any point in the ballgame.
 
Their new manager, Bo Porter, tried to remove reliever Wesley Wright from a game against the Angels last week before Wright had faced a hitter — a move that most 12-year-old baseball fans know is against the rules. Then again, Porter somehow managed to convince four umpires — four guys who get paid lots of money to know the rules of baseball — that what he did was perfectly valid. So while Porter may be in over his head as a baseball manager, he seems quite qualified to join the Jedi Order.
 
 
Stros-town!
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,721
Miami (oh, Miami!)
As of June 3rd, the Astros are 21-37 for a .362 winning percentage.
 
However, the Marlins are at 16-42 for a .276 winning percentage.
 
The Stros will have to step up their game if they want to challenge the Marlins or make a run at the 62 Mets modern 120 loss record (.250 winning percentage).
 

Burgmeier In LF

New Member
Jul 14, 2005
66
Western Mass.
The 40 man squad as we speak...unbelievably pathetic. Have to start somewhere, right?

#

Pitchers

B/T

Ht

Wt

DOB

66

Kevin Chapman

L-L

6'3"

220

Feb 19, 1988

68

Jose Cisnero

R-R

6'3"

230

Apr 11, 1989

56

Paul Clemens

R-R

6'4"

195

Feb 14, 1988

48

Jarred Cosart

R-R

6'3"

180

May 25, 1990

 

Luis Cruz

L-L

5'9"

170

Sep 10, 1990

55

Rhiner Cruz

R-R

6'2"

215

Nov 1, 1986

 

Darin Downs

R-L

6'3"

210

Dec 26, 1984

50

Josh Fields

R-R

6'0"

180

Aug 19, 1985

64

Lucas Harrell

S-R

6'2"

210

Jun 3, 1985

60

Dallas Keuchel

L-L

6'3"

200

Jan 1, 1988

63

Chia-Jen Lo

R-R

5'11"

190

Apr 7, 1986

18

Jordan Lyles

R-R

6'4"

215

Oct 19, 1990

54

David Martinez

R-R

6'2"

180

Aug 4, 1987

65

Brett Oberholtzer

L-L

6'1"

235

Jul 1, 1989

99

Rudy Owens

L-L

6'3"

230

Dec 18, 1987

43

Brad Peacock

R-R

6'1"

175

Feb 2, 1988

 

Raul Valdes

L-L

5'11"

190

Nov 27, 1977

36

Alex White

R-R

6'3"

215

Aug 29, 1988

 

Asher Wojciechowski

R-R

6'4"

235

Dec 21, 1988

61

Josh Zeid

R-R

6'4"

220

Mar 24, 1987

#

Catchers

B/T

Ht

Wt

DOB

15

Jason Castro

L-R

6'3"

215

Jun 18, 1987

22

Carlos Corporan

S-R

6'2"

230

Jan 7, 1984

41

Max Stassi

R-R

5'10"

205

Mar 15, 1991

#

Infielders

B/T

Ht

Wt

DOB

27

Jose Altuve

R-R

5'5"

175

May 6, 1990

23

Chris Carter

R-R

6'4"

245

Dec 18, 1986

30

Matt Dominguez

R-R

6'1"

215

Aug 28, 1989

9

Marwin Gonzalez

S-R

6'1"

210

Mar 14, 1989

 

Ryan Jackson

R-R

6'3"

180

May 10, 1988

 

Jonathan Singleton

L-L

6'2"

235

Sep 18, 1991

6

Jonathan Villar

S-R

6'1"

195

May 2, 1991

29

Brett Wallace

L-R

6'2"

235

Aug 26, 1986

#

Outfielders

B/T

Ht

Wt

DOB

2

Brandon Barnes

R-R

6'2"

205

May 15, 1986

19

Robbie Grossman

S-L

6'0"

205

Sep 16, 1989

28

L.J. Hoes

R-R

6'0"

190

Mar 5, 1990

59

Marc Krauss

L-R

6'2"

235

Oct 5, 1987

 

Domingo Santana

R-R

6'5"

230

Aug 5, 1992

 

Eric Thames

L-R

6'0"

210

Nov 10, 1986
  • * Not on Active Roster
  • ** Not on 40-Man Roster