Mar 6, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow (right) laughs with television analyst Peter Gammons (center) and Astros manager
(left) prior to a spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It has been over three years since Jeff Luhnow arrived in Houston to become the Astros’ 12th general manager. I remember being very excited that the Astros were going to be moving forward with a new analytical, statistics-driven approach. There was finally going to be a structure put in place that I could believe in; one that had lacked since the days of Gerry Hunsicker. Sure, it would take some time to rebuild the organization, but I believed the foundation would be a solid one and that the Astros, my Astros, were now in good hands. Since that December day in 2011, however, the front office of the Astros has taken my beloved franchise on a roller-coaster ride. So, now I ask, do we still trust in Jeff Luhnow? Should the Astros?
In Luhnow we trust? Absolutely! The Astros have gone from being a laughing-stock and completely irrelevant in the national baseball landscape to a model franchise and an example of a new era of baseball; hopefully one that has created consistency and excellence for years to come.
Every new day and every new game is still part of the “Process”.
However, a year ago at this time things did not seem so “astronomical”, and the offseason seemed to continue the downward spiral. I began questioning the leadership and the direction of the franchise. My patience began to wear thin. I had grown tired of the “Process”, but after three years I was ready to start seeing some “progress”. But instead of the progress I craved, I began to hear rumblings that my organization, the one I believed in, not only wasn’t winning but wasn’t handling their business properly either.
Next: A run of bad luck?
A run of bad luck?
Jun 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros right fielder
(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.
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).
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.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-5MLB: 5 late-season call-ups who have already impressed /
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.
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 11th 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!
%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201055.1%20200%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%201055.1%20200%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cstyle%20type%3D%22text%2Fcss%22%3E%0A%09.st0%7Bfill%3A%23231F20%3B%7D%0A%09.st1%7Bfill%3A%230E203C%3B%7D%0A%09.st2%7Bfill%3A%23EC4324%3B%7D%0A%09.st3%7Bfill%3A%23FFFFFF%3B%7D%0A%3C%2Fstyle%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Template%22%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Layer_2%22%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st3%22%20d%3D%22M58.3%2C200.3h82.4c12.4%2C0%2C21.7-1.5%2C28-4.5c20.2-9.6%2C30.2-26.1%2C30.2-49.3c0-3.2-0.2-9.3-0.6-18.3h-65.1v14.9%0A%09%09c-0.9%2C3.9-3.4%2C5.8-7.5%2C5.8H73.2c-5%2C0-7.5-2.5-7.5-7.5V59.2c0-5%2C2.5-7.5%2C7.5-7.5h52.5c5%2C0%2C7.5%2C2.1%2C7.5%2C6.4v10.8h65.7V55.7%0A%09%09c0-16.3-3.8-28.3-11.4-36.1c-8.8-12.9-24.7-19.3-47.4-19.3H58.9C47%2C0.3%2C38%2C1.7%2C32%2C4.3c-21.3%2C9-32%2C26.1-32%2C51.4v88%0A%09%09c0%2C16.5%2C3.6%2C28.7%2C10.9%2C36.6C20.1%2C193.7%2C35.9%2C200.3%2C58.3%2C200.3z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22596.6%2C64%20596.6%2C0.8%20400.1%2C0.8%20400.1%2C64%20442.7%2C64%20442.7%2C51.3%20466.1%2C51.3%20466.1%2C148.1%20442.1%2C148.1%20%0A%09%09442.1%2C199.9%20554.8%2C199.9%20554.8%2C148.1%20531.5%2C148.1%20531.5%2C51.4%20554.8%2C51.4%20554.8%2C64%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22942.4%2C148.5%20942.4%2C200.2%201055.1%2C200.2%201055.1%2C148.5%201031.8%2C148.5%201031.8%2C51.2%201055.1%2C51.2%201055.1%2C0.8%20%0A%09%09943.1%2C0.8%20943.1%2C51.3%20966.3%2C51.3%20966.3%2C80%20888.9%2C80%20888.9%2C51.3%20912.6%2C51.3%20912.6%2C0.5%20800.1%2C0.8%20800.1%2C51.4%20823.5%2C51.4%20823.5%2C148.6%20%0A%09%09800.1%2C148.6%20800.1%2C200.1%20912.6%2C200.1%20912.6%2C148.6%20888.9%2C148.6%20888.9%2C116.4%20966.3%2C116.4%20966.3%2C148.5%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22315.5%2C83.9%20299.6%2C34.9%20283.7%2C83.9%20232.2%2C83.9%20273.9%2C114.1%20258%2C163.1%20299.6%2C132.8%20341.3%2C163.1%20%0A%09%09325.4%2C114.1%20367%2C83.9%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22715.6%2C83.9%20699.7%2C34.9%20683.8%2C83.9%20632.3%2C83.9%20674%2C114.1%20658%2C163.1%20699.7%2C132.8%20741.3%2C163.1%20%0A%09%09725.4%2C114.1%20767.1%2C83.9%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
