Astros 2014 Review

Sep 16, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros second baseman

(27) gets a single during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Minute Maid Park. Altuve sets a club record with his 211th hit of the season. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 season for the Astros was one that was deemed a success, even though they only won 70 games, and lost 92. This was the year that the Astros crawled out of the bottom of the barrel, breaking their streak of three consecutive 100+ loss seasons. Now it’s time to look back at what made 2014 a season that got Astros fans excited for years to come.

January

The start of 2014 was quiet for the Astros as they had a very busy month of December to end 2013 by signing Chad Qualls, Scott Feldman, Matt Albers, and Jesse Crain while trading away Jordan Lyles and Brandon Barnes to the Rockies for Dexter Fowler, and also trading a prospect to San Diego for Jesus Guzman. The departure of Jordan Lyles was an unexpected move for the Astros as he was a top prospect the moment he was drafted, and somebody that people expected to see in an Astro uniform for years to come. Non-Roster Invitees for Spring Training were announced, leaving Astros fans wondering if any top prospects could crack the Opening Day roster. 

Mar 16, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros hats and gloves sit on the top step of the dugout during the game against the Washington Nationals at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

February

“Pitchers and Catchers Report” is the day all baseball fans wait patiently for. It happened in the middle of the month, along with the rest of the roster showing up a couple of days later. A surprising move took place though, and that was the signing of Jerome Williams to be a potential starter in the rotation, or the long-reliever/spot-starter on the team. Houston also removed Brett Wallace from the 40 Man Roster, making him fight for his spot on the team.

March

Spring Training was in full swing, and with every Spring Training, a lot of roster moves were made. Not many of them were too surprising as it was mostly NRI’s being cut, or members of the 40 Man Roster who needed more time in the minors. Brett Wallace ended up being released from the team, as was J.D. Martinez, a move Astros fans debated about the moment it happened, and regretted as the season went along. At the end of the month, the Astros claimed Alex Presley off waivers from the Twins, claiming the backup outfield spot on the team. Even with all the roster moves that were made, the biggest thing here was that baseball was back

Apr 5, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; former Houston Astro

is honored prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

April

Opening Day arrived, and it was a good one as the Astros beat the Yankees 6-2 in the home opener, and even won the next day to start the season off 2-0. That weekend, on April 5th, the Astros had a retirement ceremony for Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, two Astro legends who will one day have their numbers hanging from the rafters at Minute Maid Park.

They started to struggle as the month went along, and it caused the Astros to make a big move on April 16th: Calling up George Springer. We all know who he is, and that rookies go through an adjustment curve when joining the big leagues. Regardless, the fans were excited to see him finally on the team and knew he would turn it around sooner than later. On the same day Springer was called up, the Astros finally moved on from Lucas Harrell by designating him for assignment and eventually trading him to the Diamondbacks at the end of the month.

Scott Feldman suffered bicep tendinitis and was placed on the 15-day DL on April 21st, and on the 22nd, the Astros called up Collin McHugh. This move was questioned when it happened as a lot of people wanted Mike Foltynewicz to get called up and given the chance to show his arm off, but it was quickly forgotten when Collin McHugh threw 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 12 batters, and only allowing three hits, all singles. This start made it impossible for the Astros to send down McHugh without giving him a longer chance to prove himself, something that McHugh did not let down. His start ended a 7 game losing streak, and was one of the only bright spots of the month. The Astros started off 9-19, which did not leave high hopes for the rest of the season. 

May 25, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) hits a two-run homer against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

May

On May 2nd, the Astros brought in a reliever who absolutely blossomed in an Astro uniform in 2014, and that reliever is Tony Sipp. He was on a minor league deal with the Padres, and requested his release to pitch in the majors. He signed with Houston on the same day, and never looked back. He was one of the only consistent parts of the pitching staff that saw many changes in the month of May, and for the remainder of the season. This month though, was all about George Springer. He hit his first “Springer Dinger” on May 8th in Detroit, and he took off from there. He hit 7 HR’s in a span of 7 games from May 21-May 29 and was a big reason the Astros went on a 7 game winning streak from May 24-May 30. The 7 game winning streak was the longest winning streak since July 27-August 3, 2010. Springer hit 10 HR’s and drove in 25 RBI’s while posting a .294 BA to earn himself the AL Rookie of the Month. Springer’s success was a big part in the Astros posting their first winning record in a month (15-14) during any season since September 2010. Simply put, things were looking a lot better than they were in April.

May 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) is congratulated by second baseman Jose Altuve (27) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

June

Just like George Springer Day in April, the Astros had another top prospect join the roster at the beginning of the month. Jon Singleton was the top ranked first base prospect in all of baseball, and he showed a good reason why in his first game. Singleton hit a bomb in his final at-bat to right-center field, and topped it off with a bat flip. Singleton would struggle though the rest of the month, and the rest of the season as he continued to adjust to the Major League competition.

Springer, who seemingly adjusted to the competition pretty well, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated on June 25th, with the lead article being about the Astros winning the 2017 World Series. The issue took the fan base by storm, and it made the fan base even more in love with what Springer can do on the field, and who is all waiting to join him. Earlier in the month, on June 5th, with the first pick in the Draft for the third consecutive year, the Astros drafted High School Left-Hander Brady Aiken in what was highly celebrated by the Astros office. They went on to draft his friend Jason Nix,  along with the 2014 College Player of the Year, A.J. Reed. Houston looked to have made their farm system even more loaded, and even though the team went 12-15 in the Month of May, all seemed to be well. Jose Altuve had become a hitting machine, batting .411 over the month, along with stealing 17 bases. He could not be stopped in the month of June.

As the month ended though, light was shed that the Astros front office had their system hacked, and numerous emails were released on their trade talks for two full years. This was just the beginning of a bigger headache that would present itself a few weeks later.

Jul 15, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; American League infielder Jose Altuve (27) of the Houston Astros drives in a run with a sacrifice fly in the 5th inning during the 2014 MLB All Star Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

July

July kicked off with a bang when the Astros called up another top prospect, Domingo Santana. He started in LF for a few games, and didn’t record a single hit in 13 AB’s while striking out 11 times. He was sent back down to AAA on July 6th. Enrique Hernandez though, did very with the team as he was also called up on the same day as Santana, and became an instant fan-favorite. Jonathan Villar, who had been the starting SS, struggled all season long and was demoted on July 1st to help make room for these two players. Jerome Williams, who also struggled all season long, was finally released on July 8th, much to fans approval.

A week later, Jose Altuve was the only Astro representative in the MLB All-Star game on July 15th, and he had a sacrifice fly that helped the AL win the game over the NL. Dallas Keuchel was available for the final vote, but did not win. Keuchel’s season had been overlooked by many up to this point, but just by being on the final ballot, it made some people pay attention.

After the All-Star break, the focus had turned to Brady Aiken and Jason Nix. The Astros needed to sign them by the deadline on July 18th, but there was some inflammation in Aiken’s elbow, which made the Astros pull back their offer and provide a new one for less money. The Astros had also come to a verbal agreement to a certain amount of money for Nix, but it was all dependent on the signing of Aiken. On July 18th, the Astros failed to sign both players, making the Astros lose their first overall pick in the draft. To make matters worse, George Springer played his last game of the season on July 19th against the White Sox, as he had a left quad strain that sidelined him through the end of the season. The loss of Springer hurt the Astros lineup quite a bit as they finished the month 8-17.

On the final day of the trade deadline, the Astros traded Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernandez, and Austin Wates to the Marlins for Jake Marisnick, Colin Moran, and 2 more players TBD. Astros fans were sad to see Cosart and Hernandez go, but it landed top prospects Marisnick and Moran who are expected to be a bigger part of the Astros future.

Sep 3, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Collin McHugh (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

September

The Astros started off with the month with the firing of Manger Bo Porter, who was 59-79 on the year. It was known the Luhnow and Porter didn’t really see eye-to-eye, and with the Astros on the brink of moving to the next phase, it was time to move on. Tom Lawless took over as the interim manager, winning his first three games at the helm. As good as Collin McHugh was in August, he was even better in September going 4-0 in 4 starts, with a 1.59 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. This performance ensured he would get the AL Rookie of the Month, joining George Springer from earlier in the season.

On September 7th, the Astros beat the A’s 4-3 for their 63rd win of the season and ensured they would not have a fourth straight season of 100 losses. Then, on September 16th, Jose Altuve broke Craig Biggio’s season single hits franchise-record by recording his 211th hit of the season. He continued to log more hits as the season progressed, making the new franchise-record 225 hits in a single season. Altuve went on to win the AL Batting Title on the final day by finishing with a .341 BA.

The Astros finished the month 11-13, and had an overall record of 70-92. They had improved on the previous season by 19 games, something not seen very often in Major League Baseball. By moving onto their next phase, they were ready to hire a manager. A.J. Hinch was hired on September 29th to manage the Astros as they look to make a playoff push in the upcoming years and become legitimate contenders.

Oct. 14, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Houston Astros pitcher

plays for the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game against the Surprise Saguaros at Salt River Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

October

To the rest of the baseball world, the Postseason was the only thing that matter. We saw former Astro Hunter Pence win his 2^nd World Series ring with the San Francisco Giants in three years. And we also witnessed the Kansas City Royals make a magical World Series run that gave Astros fans hope that we’ll see Houston in a similar position sooner than later.

But if you’re an Astros fan, then you were probably paying attention to the Arizona Fall League to see how Top Prospects Mark Appel, Vincent Velasquez, and Rio Ruiz did against some other top prospects in the game. With most eyes on Appel, he did not disappoint as he continued to pick up where he left off in Corpus Christi and show that he is the real deal.

November

With the playoffs wrapped up, that means it’s award season, along with roster moves. Jose Altuve won the AL Second Base Silver Slugger Award to cap off his remarkable season, while Collin McHugh and George Springer each earned Top 10 Rookie of the Year votes.

The Astros first move was claiming Relief Pitcher Will Harris from Arizona, who will be fighting for a spot in the new bullpen in 2015. They proceeded to add Catcher Carlos Perez to the 40 Man Roster, only to trade him and Starting Pitcher Nick Tropeano to the Angels for Catcher Hank Conger. Relief Pitcher Josh Zeid was then claimed off waivers by the Tigers so the Astros could make some room on their roster. Houston added Vincent Velasquez, Michael Feliz, and Ronald Torreyes at the deadline to prevent other teams from claiming them in the Rule 5 Draft. Highly regarded prospect Delino DeShields was left off the roster, making him eligible to be drafted…

Oct 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher

(37) pitches during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

December

And that’s exactly what happened in the Rule 5 Draft. Delino DeShields was drafted by the Texas Rangers, while David Rollins was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and Jandel Gustave was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. These three players must stay on the 25 Man Roster all season long, or they are sent back to Houston. The Astros also lost Marc Krauss to the Angels via waivers, but they made some additions to the team shortly afterwards. On December 12^th, they signed relief pitchers Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek to help out an Astros bullpen that has blown over 60 saves the last two seasons. Then on December 22^nd, they signed Jed Lowrie to take over at Short Stop to help bridge the gap until Carlos Correa arrives.

And now, we wait to see what other roster moves will be made between now and when Pitcher and Catchers report in February. While wait impatiently for that to arrive, looking back through all the good and the bad in 2014 should leave you excited for the Astros future. The team has taken a huge step from where they were at this time last year, and you can expect them to make an even bigger step within the next 365 days. Buckle up Astros fans, you won’t want to miss this ride in 2015.