Climbing Tal's Hill » Angel Sanchez http://climbingtalshill.com A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Tue, 21 May 2013 18:23:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Lowrie’s injury may open door for an old friend http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/07/15/lowries-injury-may-open-door-for-an-old-friend/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/07/15/lowries-injury-may-open-door-for-an-old-friend/#comments Sun, 15 Jul 2012 19:25:04 +0000 Alex Sandoval http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=4176 So the Astros are lifeless on offense and now they are without their borderline all-star shortstop for quite some time. Reports of a ankle sprain don’t seem to tell the whole story, expect a long DL stint for Jed. The obivous choices to replace Lowrie are Brian Bixler and Marwin Gonzalez. Bixler is a journeyman [...]

Lowrie’s injury may open door for an old friend - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> So the Astros are lifeless on offense and now they are without their borderline all-star shortstop for quite some time. Reports of a ankle sprain don’t seem to tell the whole story, expect a long DL stint for Jed. The obivous choices to replace Lowrie are Brian Bixler and Marwin Gonzalez. Bixler is a journeyman and Gonzalez is a rule 5 kid, neither make me feel good about the situation. So the worst offense in baseball currently has been given another body blow and is down on one knee without a Mickey in their corner to inspire a miraculous rally. There, however, is still one man who might just serve the Astros well and you know him, Angel Sanchez.

Angel Sanchez: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Against my better judgement, I’d probably push for a Jonathan Villar call up. I know, bad move, the kid isn’t ready and still has severe holes in his swing but why not?  Well, thanks to him punching a door, it’s not an option so we are left scrambling and then we scramble right into Angel Sanchez. The guy who was overplayed by Mills into the ground last season and became a punching bag for most Astros’ fans. He was awful last season given regular playing time but that just wasn’t who he was or is. Angel was never meant to be a regular but as a bat off the bench, he was decent. So far this season in OKC he is hitting .300 with an excellent .376 OBP while walking almost twice as much as striking out. We all know his limitations at short but why not stick him there in a platoon with Gonzalez or Bixler? Again, in limited play, he has done well and against lefities over that time, his numbers are respectable with a .275 avg and a .345 obp. Those numbers shouldn’t blow you away but you really don’t want to see what his stats against a RH pitcher look like, trust me.

The Astros’ options are limited because they simply don’t have anyone who could compensate for Lowrie’s potential, if nothing else. He was struggling but teams still needed to fear his ability. No one will fear Brian Bixler, Marwin Gonzalez or Angel Sanchez but at least we know what we have in Angel. Bixler looks okay and has had his moments but is no better than a utility guy who has never been given the job full-time. Gonzalez is a kid, he did well early in the year which creates hope that maybe the Stros found something. Sanchez has done the regular thing and failed but in a shorter time frame has shown something. Really Bixler and Sanchez are very similar but there is just something morbid about seeing Angel back in an Astros uniform playing shortstop for your hometown nine. I get an odd pleasure out of it and maybe sprinkle a little torturous humor to an already torturous season.

]]> http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/07/15/lowries-injury-may-open-door-for-an-old-friend/feed/ 0 Jed Lowrie ready to hit it big in 2012 http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/26/jed-lowrie-ready-to-hit-it-big-in-2012/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/26/jed-lowrie-ready-to-hit-it-big-in-2012/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:33:23 +0000 Alex Sandoval http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=3263 Playing in Boston, New York, Philadelphia or even Chicago is just plain different. There is nothing like the bright lights of the big city, if you produce. That is the root of how you’ll fair with the fans and media of those cities, can you produce and sustain it. Jed Lowrie knows the expectations that [...]

Jed Lowrie ready to hit it big in 2012 - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> Playing in Boston, New York, Philadelphia or even Chicago is just plain different. There is nothing like the bright lights of the big city, if you produce. That is the root of how you’ll fair with the fans and media of those cities, can you produce and sustain it. Jed Lowrie knows the expectations that can be placed on a young player and how quickly it can come crashing down. One day, the starting shortstop for the mighty Boston Red Sox, the next moment on the DL, again. Two things bug big market media and fans more than anything, lack of production and injury prone players- they will just not have any of it. Lowrie felt his share of criticism and after the Sox  finally gave up on the young shortstop, he now finds himself in Houston. The great city of Houston is a completely different creature, pressure will come eventually but not right now. The Astros’ organization is rebuilding and Jed will attempt to do the same with his career. (more…)

]]> http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/26/jed-lowrie-ready-to-hit-it-big-in-2012/feed/ 2 Jed Lowrie contract includes incentives http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/09/jed-lowrie-contract-includes-incentives/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/09/jed-lowrie-contract-includes-incentives/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:06:01 +0000 Greg Thurston http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=3136 Yesterday the Astros signed new shortstop Jed Lowrie to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. The contract also includes “performance and awards bonuses.” Details of the incentives have not been made public. The “awards bonuses” part of the contract sounds like a safe bet for the team, since Lowrie is a longshot to take home [...]

Jed Lowrie contract includes incentives - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> Yesterday the Astros signed new shortstop Jed Lowrie to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. The contract also includes “performance and awards bonuses.” Details of the incentives have not been made public. The “awards bonuses” part of the contract sounds like a safe bet for the team, since Lowrie is a longshot to take home any shiny hardware this season. The Astros are hoping that Lowrie can shake the injury bug that has plagued him in the past and stay healthy in 2012. Perhaps the contract includes incentives for plate appearances or games played.

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