Climbing Tal's Hill » Scott Moore

Rebuilding can be fun again

Alex Sandoval — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:06:11 +0000

Okay so I don’t want to be a buzz kill after the last two nights of thrilling victories, after all wins of any kind are appreciated right now. The issue is that, winning a couple of games, no matter how dramatic, shouldn’t wipe away the weeks, even months, of poor baseball. I remember the early 90s and just how exciting it was to see Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti, Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley all grow up together. There were frustrating moments and other times when all you could do was shake your head but it was all pointing toward something. The current group of Astros don’t have that same feel nor should they. Houston is rebuilding, no doubt, but the middle of the Stros order the last couple of nights were comprised of Steve Pearce, Scott Moore and Brian Bogusevic.

Ben Francisco celebrates with third baseman Scott Moore: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

I know that middle of the order will change and probably quickly but it’s still hard for me to accept at times. Fernando Martinez is up and that’s great and soon enough Jason Castro will be back from rehab which should make me a bit more happy. I’m probably over analyzing things and crying over spilled milk a little too hard yet I feel like more change is needed. I understand Jimmy Paredes isn’t up because he needs more time in the outfield and Matt Dominguez probably needs another month to improve his hitting but the fact journeymen are hitting 4-5-6 make me want to see them now. Couldn’t Paredes learn how to play the outfield in Houston, given he probably could bring more pop to the lineup? Couldn’t Matt Dominguez work on his bat at the big league level, considering he could probably win a gold glove now?

Friday night, during the broadcast, the idea was floated that Brett Wallace would play a lot of third because Moore hurt his knee, at least I believe that was the reason given. So why not simply bring up Dominguez now and let Wallace play 1st? Okay, so Wallace is no longer thought of as the 1st baseman of the future so playing him at 3rd makes sense but the reason given last night didn’t make sense. I’m sure Dominguez will be up in a couple of weeks, if not sooner, and my whining will be for naught. I trust Jeff Luhnow has a plan and it’s in full swing but the fan in me is screaming for something more immediate. If the Astros are going to lose then lose with their young guns blazing just like they did over 20 years ago. Again, my complaining sounds more like whining than anything else but I’m pretty frustrated and the last few ingredients to shut me up are playing at AAA when they should be in Houston.

I’ll Tell You Why Call-Ups Haven’t Been Made…

Brian Hamilton — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:44:55 +0000

I’ve seen a ton of tweets, articles, and blogs written asking why several of the Astros top performing prospects, specifically Matt Dominguez, Jimmy Paredes and Brandon Barnes, have not yet been called up. Before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the speculation was that these players would be called up to help a team struggling to win games. The non-waiver trade deadline came and went and only Brett Wallace was called up. Fans have been scratching their heads and throwing their arms up in both confusion and frustration. Our big league team has struggled to score runs yet some players at AAA are scoring and producing runs easily. So, the question remains, why haven’t these (and other) players been called up yet? The answer is simple, because the trade deadline isn’t over yet.

(more…)

Who will be left after today’s deadline?

Alex Sandoval — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 11:30:24 +0000

At this point, watching games has been reduced to expecting the worst and hoping for the best. The good part, August 1st is just around the corner and change is coming. Quite a bit of change to be exact, given the amount of turnover the club has already experienced. Actually that date has been on my radar even before the club started to trot out a AA lineup on a constant basis. I knew that by that day, the club would look completely different and we’d experienced a massive turnover. I didn’t know we’d be seeing this bad a brand of baseball which has made my anticipation even greater.

Wilton Lopez: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

So who will be added to the team? We know Brett Wallace has been called up and rightfully so. I’m still not sure I’ve heard a valid reason for him not to have been up sooner but that is not relevant any longer. Jimmy Paredes is the other AAA player that seems the most logical to get a call up. The issue with Paredes is that he plays 2nd base now and that position is taken. Paredes can play multiple positions but it seems the Astros have decided he is a 2nd baseman which leads to a couple of conclusions. Either they love the depth and trade value or Altuve isn’t as untouchable as people have made him out to be. Either way, expect Jimmy in the big leagues with someone by next week. Brandon Barnes seems like another logical choice too, especially with the Astros’ horrible OF play that is on display nightly. Newly acquired Rudy Owens seems like another logical choice especially with a couple of pitchers being shipped out. After that, not particularly sure who comes up and who stays on the farm.

Now what will be left over come 2:00? Great question, if I don’t say so myself, because I honestly don’t know. I think Luhnow is still planning on a busy few hours before the deadline. I think Jose Altuve is the closest thing to a lock to stay with the Astros but I wouldn’t bet much money on that. Jed Lowrie, Bud Norris and Wilton Lopez have the most remaining value of the remaining group. Had Lowrie not sprained his ankle, he would have been much more popular right now but even as is, teams are calling. Bud Norris’ recent resurgence has helped his value and could make a deal possible but it would still be selling rather low, so I’d wait until the Winter. Wilton Lopez is the most certain to go and I think he will go. Lopez has had a very good career in Astros’ pinstripes and red which will make him a great find for a team. I think a deal will present itself to Jeff that will make it very difficult for him to say no. Besides that, Scott Moore, Matt Downs and Chris Snyder could all go in minor deals but they won’t bring back much.

Reality is that Luhnow has thrown more than one curve ball at Stros’ fans this month and I wouldn’t expect anything less today.