Houston Astros: In Luhnow We Trust?

A run of bad luck?

Jun 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros right fielder

(4) catches a fly ball hit by Kansas City Royals third baseman

(8) (Not Pictured) in the third inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

After years of waiting for a new “star” to root for, George Springer finally gave the Houston fans someone to get excited about even though most of us couldn’t watch him on TV. He crushed ten home runs and had 29 RBI and helped lead the team to its first winning month in years. Finally, there were signs of hope. Not only that but we had Carlos Correa coming and the number one pick in the upcoming draft. The Astros were finally on their way to the top.

Then, to my personal disappointment, the Astros passed over Carlos Rodon for a young high school pitcher, Brady Aiken. This was a year after they had passed over another personal favorite, Kris Bryant, for Mark Appel. But these were the baseball geniuses I wanted to run my organization, so I deferred to them; in Luhnow we trust, right? – Then everything went south.

6/22/14 – Carlos Correa suffers a broken right fibula while still playing his baseball for class A. Why was he still in class A? Would this have happened to him if he were playing in Corpus Christi already?

6/29/14 – It is reported that the Houston Astros database was hacked into, and inter-office discussions were leaked to the public? Was this some incompetency by the leadership I believed in?

7/19/14 – It is reported that Brady Aiken does not sign with the Astros and that Jacob Nix and Mac Marshall were also unable to sign because of MLB’s rules regarding the salary allotment to draft picks. Not only were we losing a crop of talented pitchers in a time of rebuild, but the Astros and Jeff Luhnow were blasted in the media by their reported handling of the negotiations. The Major League Baseball Players Association later filed a grievance against the team over the negotiations. It was a bad look. I was mad, embarrassed and frustrated.

Then, days later…

7/22/14 – George Springer injures his left quad and his season would be over… and most Astros fans stopped caring that they still couldn’t watch them on television.

7/31/14 – The Astros trade one of their top young arms, Jared Cosart, to the Marlins.

A month later…

9/1/14 – The Astros fired Bo Porter.

Next: Part of the Process.

Part of the “Process.”

Jul 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman

against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I began questioning Luhnow as a talent evaluator and stewing over missing on projected Rookie of the Year candidates like Kris Bryant and Carlos Rodon. Also, when I learned Delino Deshields had been left off the 40-man roster and unprotected for the Rule 5 draft. Was he left off the roster because we had to protect other blue chip prospects or major league-ready talent? No, he was left off for Ronald Torreyes, who was designated for assignment on May 7, 2015, and subsequently traded to the Blue Jays (later traded to the Dodgers and assigned to AA).

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I didn’t realize it then, but this was still part of the process. Sometimes, living through the rough times makes the good times that much sweeter. Nonetheless, Astros fans were left with an offseason of little hope and tons of questions about how their organization was being run. An offseason that included rumblings from Ryan Vogelsong about “comfort” levels with the Houston Astros. Was my franchise so bad that Ryan Vogelsong couldn’t be swayed to sign in Houston? Just when I was about to give up on Luhnow and his leadership, 2015 arrived and everything changed.

Next: 2015 Arrives

2015 arrives and breathes new life into the Astros organization.

Jul 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Astros right fielder

(20) celebrates his solo home run with shortstop Carlos Correa (1) in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

As the calendar turned, spring brought a new hope. The injuries that the franchise seemed to suffer in 2014 began to mend, some literally. George Springer and Carlos Correa were healthy, the Astros had made some offseason moves to improve the major league talent and the fans could now at least watch the team grow on television. Even those watching closely could tell that the 2014 draft had not been a complete disaster. A.J. Reed, J.D. Davis, Daniel Mengden and Derek Fisher, all college players, showed promise in their limited debuts and the prospects of moving quickly through the system.

Call to the Pen

Jeff Luhnow addressed the bullpen by signing Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek and claiming Will Harris off waivers. He traded for Luis Valbuena, Evan Gattis, Dan Straily and Hank Conger. Then he added more veterans by signing Jed Lowrie and Colby Rasmus.  However, the biggest move he made was arguably the hiring of manager AJ Hinch. Hinch has proven that he is a perfect fit in the Houston clubhouse. He has the experience of his days playing the game, the knowledge from his abbreviated stay as Arizona general manager to understand Luhnow’s philosophy, the ability to combine those two and he is young enough to relate to the Astros players and foster a winning attitude without restricting the exuberance and swagger of the players.

Next: Jeff Luhnow validated?

Jeff Luhnow validated?

The 2014 draft was not the disaster it seemed at the time. It was simply bad timing for an organization and fan base that felt like it was being kicked when it had already been down for so long. But looking back, it proved to show a fundamental problem with the rules of the draft system itself. How can a team be expected to commit millions of dollars without first seeing that players’ medical records. I doubt Mr. Luhnow or the Astros would ever admit to a sense of validation when Brady Aiken had to undergo Tommy John surgery this spring.

It was recently discovered that there was an ongoing federal investigation into the hacking of the Astros database and that members of the St. Louis Cardinals may be responsible. Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa was fired as a result of the investigation.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

The Jarred Cosart trade is looking rather good for the Astros at the moment. Cosart was recently sent to the minors, while Jake Marisnick, Colin Morin and Francis Martes have all experienced success this year. Also, the draft pick received in the Cosart trade was used to select Daz Cameron who has signed with the Astros and recently began his career with a 2-4 night, including a RBI and 2 stolen bases.

That brings us full circle to this year’s draft. Jeff Luhnow and Mike Elias had a draft to remember. Notable selections include: Alex Bregman (2 overall), Kyle Tucker (5), Daz Cameron(37), Thomas Eshleman(46), Riley Ferrell(79) and recently signed Patrick Sandoval (319). Sandoval was an 11^th round selection only because it was believed he was going to honor his commitment to Southern California. The 6-3 lefthander was ranked  #139 overall by MLB.

What’s Important Now?: It’s still the Process

Jeff Luhnow and the Astros have had quite a year. They now sit in first place in the American League West with a young exciting team and a farm system that is the envy of all in baseball. Most of the questions about Luhnow have been answered positively and the future seems bright. No one is going to be right all the time, so there is no need to dwell on the Kris Bryant and Delino Deshields decisions. Every new day and every new game is still part of the “Process”. I urge every Astros fan to relax and enjoy it.

Baseball is experiencing a renaissance in Houston and hopefully a new golden (and red, orange rainbow) era. The Houston Astros are in good hands. In Luhnow we trust? Absolutely! Go ‘Stros!

Next: An Inside Look at Astros Offseason Through Luhnow’s Eyes

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer