Houston Astros: In Luhnow We Trust?

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