http://www.sportsnipe.com Houston Astros, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048019/gervacio-among-astros-top-prospects-oursports-central-press-release.html Gervacio among Astros top prospectsOurSports Central (press release)DURHAM, NC - Round Rock Express right-handed pitcher Sammy Gervacio ranked fourth on Baseball America's Top Prospects list for the Houston Astros, ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048018/astros-sign-valdez-add-three-others-to-40man-roster-sfcpresspoint-press-release.html ASTROS SIGN VALDEZ; ADD THREE OTHERS TO 40-MAN ROSTERSFCPressPoint (press release)HOUSTON, TX ? The Houston Astros announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Jose Valdez, a minor league free agent, and added him to the ...and more » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047162/baseball-america-ranks-astros-top-10-prospects-progress-rather-than-perfection-im-ok-that.html More photos » by Rob Carr - AP Browse more photos » Honestly, I was excited to read this.  I was excited to see where the experts at Baseball America ranked our fledging group of farmhands that, to us at least, should be propelling the Astros farm system into a respected status.  Instead, I was greeted with another reminder that it's easy to keeping kicking a man when they're down. I'm not trying to say that I think Ben Balder was excessively harsh (really I don't think he was at all...just off on some of his criticism...but that's later), just that it stings sometimes when you have to view your hometown team the un-rose-tinted lens of an outsider.  As used this experience as all of us are, there were some issues I take with Balder's analysis of the farm system, and the Astros handling of it. The main issue that Balder seems to take with the Astros is that they haven't accelerated this process enough. Balder points to the Rangers and the Athletics as models of how to revamp a farm system through dealing away talent to bring in prospects, but is achieving a great farm system ranking over night really the goal? Maybe. Since making those farm system altering deals, have the Atheltics and Rangers taken the AL West by storm? No. Not that I mean to imply that they can't soon be fielding excellent teams with the prospects they received, but it'll take them at least two to three years to do this—no? Looking at the top 10 list of prospects Balder submits, just marvel at how many of those guys have Bobby Heck's finger prints on them: 1. Jason Castro, c 2. Jiovanni Mier, ss 3. Jordan Lyles, rhp 4. Sammy Gervacio, rhp 5. Chia-Jen Lo, rhp 6. Ross Seaton, rhp 7. Tanner Bushue, rhp 8. Jay Austin, of 9. Jon Gaston, of 10. T.J. Steele, of Will it take another two years for us to see the fruit of Heck's labors, for the most part? Yes.  Will Castro and Lo likely make appearances in 2010? Yes. I have no beef with the criticisms that Balder makes towards the way the organization has handled the draft over the last five years (seriously, they've screwed the pooch too many times), but I do think he's overly critical in a few areas. First,  while the Astros have lost several draft picks to free agent signings over the years, it's not like all of those signings are indefensible in the face of losing a first round pick.  Was Carlos Lee a good signing? No, but that's just because of the money they spend on him. Woody Williams? Hell no.  Preston Wilson? Also a no. But aside from those two signings, in the last seven years (the period of time Balder is critiquing) it's not like the Astros have just thrown away draft picks for Type A and B free agents. The place I think Balder misses to critique the Astros organization is that they've lost out on so many opportunities for compensation picks via arbitration.  If we look back at that exact same period of time, we're out equally as many compensation picks, if not more.  That's how they could have hedged the risk they assumed with those signings, but they failed to hedge and are paying the price now. The second thing that sightly rankles me, is that Balder makes it sound like the Astros had an easy fix this year at the trade deadline.  Assuming the Astros do trade Valverde and Hawkins, do they really just steal away so many prospects that produces a night and day difference for the farm system's ranking? Maybe...but I don't think it's as dramatic as Balder tries to portray it. The Astros have themselves in a terrible plight as an organization, and it's of their own making.  Too few of their players take up too much payroll and have no trade clauses.  That's what's hamstringing them.  They really can't even pull of the kind of trades that Oakland and Texas did.  But, I also think one has to laud Heck and his department for continuing to deliver and shock the "consensus."  They're taking a methodical and less leveraged approach to rebuilding the organization from the ground up, which seems like the right—and only—way to do it; it's an approach the Balder even praises when referring the Brewers between 2001-2004.   Could Ed Wade try a fire sale for prospects? Yes.  Is that guaranteed to make things better? Absolutely not.  There's no really proven track record with how to fix a farm system other than draft, sign, and develop quality prospects, which runs contrary to how Balder opens the article—so I guess I do have one beef with him.  Other than that, Bobby Heck still his work cut out for him, but looking at that list and Balder's evaluations of Heck's draftees, I have faith in the man.  Heck knows the game, and it's progress, rather than perfection. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1046058/houston-astros-2009-least-valuable-player-award-mvncom.html Houston Astros 2009 Least Valuable Player AwardMVN.comby lisagray on November 20, 2009 Joe Posnanski, the best baseball writer out there now that John Brattain has passed, has a blog entry awarding the LVP ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1046057/mlb-9s-houston-astrosjeff-bagwell-jimmy-wynn-alan-ashby-in-top-team-bleacher-report.html Bleacher ReportMLB 9s: Houston Astros?Jeff Bagwell, Jimmy Wynn, Alan Ashby In Top TeamBleacher ReportAshby finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and five RBI, and the Astros won 10-1. It was Ashby's third and final grand slam of his career. ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1046056/houston-astros-top-10-prospects-baseball-america.html Houston Astros Top 10 ProspectsBaseball AmericaAt the July 31 trading deadline, the Astros had a .500 record and ranked sixth in the National League wild-card race. Despite having the oldest roster in ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1045274/keith-law-defends-his-cy-young-vote-to-st-louis-espn-radio-affiliate.html Keith Law defends his Cy Young vote to a St. Louis ESPN Radio affiliate I don't know if anyone has heard this yet, but it is brilliant. You can almost feel the desperation in the hosts voices as their arguments get torn to shreds and they have nothing but anger to grasp at. The best part is, the host doesn't seem to understand anything Law is talking about. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1045069/pondering-astros-free-agent-offer-to-latroy-hawkins.html More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP Browse more photos » On the eve of full fledged free agency, the Astros have made an offer to LaTroy Hawkins. I sincerely hope that Hawk is back in the fold next season. While needs exist in the rotation as well as in the infield, LaTroy should demand a contract that's worth between $2 million and $4 million this season. True, investing that kind of money into a man who will pitch fewer than 60 innings may seem like a waste, but Hawkins may be valuable than most late inning relievers for a couple of reasons: 1) Despite being 37 years old, Hawkins' skills should not diminish much if any going into 2010. His K rate isn't what it once was, but as long as his BB numbers stay respectable Hawk will be able to provide valuable innings either as a set up man or closer. A look at his FIP vs. ERA from 2009 shows that luck was definitely in play, and a normalizing trend should occur in the upcoming season. Still- a huge part of being a bullpen contributor is not being yourself. Someone like LaTroy will be asked to maintain a lot of leads, and I would prefer to have a more proven commodity in that role than a younger player who is prone to bouts of combustability. 2) Drayton may be saying all the right things about running a tighter ship, but the reality is that the Astros' payroll is still going to be large and our resources will not be allocated efficiently. Such is life with a franchise whose minor league operations are in shambles and whose major league contract commitments are laughable in some regards. As much as we may want the Astros to be run in a sabermetrically oriented fashion, the simple fact is that it's not going to happen. The club may spend foolishly, but Drayton has never shown that he will skimp on overall payroll. He may not have always made the moves we wanted him to, but money is available to be spent, he will spend it. We may not agree with his decisions all the time, but the track record is there. My point is that the Astros aren't like our government and its continually growing debt. At some point the chickens will come home to roost, and it won't be pretty. You can argue that the Astros' chickens are roosting as we speak, but in general the effects of the Astros' overspending is not like the effects of a government overspending. Prospects can come out of nowhere, veterans can find the fountain of youth en route to surprising seasons. The housing market isn't going to miraculously improve, and China won't embrace a more equitable exchange rate just because. Inefficiency in sports is more often the rule than the exception, but it's not always a death sentence. What was I talking about? Oh, yea- LaTroy Hawkins. He fits in with that whole inefficiency idea I was going on (and on) about. Maybe $4 million is a little bit too much for a 5th place team with no farm system to be spending on a reliever. Ed Wade loves relievers, we know this. I'd rather him spend that $4 million on LaTroy than any other bullpen option. And yes, he is going to spend that money on a reliever. Remember Oscar Villareal? I know you do.. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042526/hawkins-makes-marines-day-myfox-houston.html MyFox HoustonHawkins Makes Marine's DayMyFox HoustonHOUSTON - Free agent reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who played the last year and a half with the Houston Astros, found a very special way to give back to his ...Astros inquire about SmoltzExaminer.comRe-signing their own Astros' priorityMLB.comLaTroy Hawkins: Astros have offer out for HawkinsRotoworld.comThe Crawfish Boxes (blog) -RealGM.comall 19 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1041214/dbacks-acquire-pitcher-heilman-from-cubs.html Reliever Aaron Heilman has been acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040577/tim-lincecum-goes-backtoback-tight-win-mlbcom.html Globe and MailTim Lincecum goes back-to-back with tight winMLB.comThis year's election equals that of 1979 when the Cubs' Bruce Sutter edged the Houston Astros' Joe Niekro, 72-66. Lincecum, one of only two Giants pitchers ...Cards' Wainwright, Carpenter fall short in Cy Young bid | POLLEvansville Courier & Pressall 546 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040576/tim-lincecum-goes-backtoback-tight-win-mlbcom.html Globe and MailTim Lincecum goes back-to-back with tight winMLB.comThis year's election equals that of 1979 when the Cubs' Bruce Sutter edged the Houston Astros' Joe Niekro, 72-66. Lincecum, one of only two Giants pitchers ...Cards' Wainwright, Carpenter fall short in Cy Young bid | POLLEvansville Courier & Pressall 546 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039644/local-baseball-heroes-to-be-honored-at-annual-houston-dinner-examinercom.html Examiner.comLocal baseball heroes to be honored at annual Houston Baseball DinnerExaminer.comHouston Astros Gold Glove Award winning outfielder Michael Bourn, standout lefty Wandy Rodriguez, reliever Jeff Fulchino, veteran right-hander Brian Moehler ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039643/will-brad-mills-bring-some-franconas-thinking-him.html More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP New Astros' manager Brad Mills was Terry Francona's bench coach. Browse more photos » We all know that one of Brad Mills' selling points is his close association with well regarded Red Sox manager Terry Francona.   Of course, Mills' is his own man, and we can't expect that he would say the same thing as Francona. But a radio interview with Francona in Boston impressed me.  Francona gave some thoughtful and articulate responses to baseball questions.  Although the questions are Red Sox-related, many of the baseball issues have generic application.  So, I wondered, will some of these thoughts be brought from Boston to the Astros by Mills?  I hope so. For instance, consider Francona's discussion of RBIs and OBP: How do you value RBIs? I think there are some things that can be skewed. I grew up in an era where, if you hit .300, you were a good player. Well, you know what? That’s not the tell-tale. I was the perfect example. I could hit .300. I never helped our team. I hit all singles, I never walked, I wasn’t fast enough to score any runs. It was kind of cosmetic. Getting on base is a very important stat. It doesn’t mean we have nine guys up there trying to walk. But it means if they’re seeing pitches and working counts, they’re going to become more dangerous hitters. If they’re on base, we talk all the time about keep the line moving, You have to have a good enough team to do that. If you have four or five guys who are taking their walks, and four or five guys that can’t hit, that’s not going to work. If you have a balanced team, which we try to do, and you have that approach, it’s going to work. Francona also commented on the need to put both scouting and statistical analysis together: You seem to bring both both sides — statistical analysis and scouting — together. I think there is both sides. You have to kind of wed those and come up with the best way of putting a team together. I don’t think you can do just one or the other. I think you can make mistakes. Sometimes the game can deceive you if you just look at it with your eyes. That’s why we look at statistics all the time. At the same time, there are people playing this game and you try not to forget that. You try to look at both and make good decisions. Interestingly Francona later says that it is rare when a player can be taught to increase his OBP ability after he reaches the majors.  He says the game is so much faster at the major league level, that "you are kidding yourself" if you think you can change the young player's pitch selection decisions.  He advocates concentrating on on base skills in the minor league player development. I also was surprised that Francona's answer regarding defensive metrics shows some good insight: Some defensive metrics say that Ellsbury is a bad outfielder. How is that possible? First of all, it didn’t say he’s a bad outfielder. It said he didn’t measure up to league average as a centerfielder. That’s two different things. Pretty much every team has their best defensive outfielder in centerfield. As you go through the American League and you look at the centerfielders, to be an average centerfielder defensively you’ve got to be pretty damn good. I actually think he is. The defensive equation is the hardest, in my opinion, to evaluate. They’re trying to make it better every year. They keep making adjustments to it. There’s a lot of things that come into play. You play here and then you go to Texas, that’s like going to a roller rink. The ground they cover is going to be less. There’s a lot of things out there that aren’t perfect. They’re trying to find ways to measure it. I do think Jacoby is getting better. I think he will continue to get better as he understands the strength of guys in the league, positioning, how important it is, I do think he will get better. I think he goes left to right very well. I think he is still learning how to go back on a ball, get back to the wall and show that athleticism. [Defensive metrics are] more of a tool for signing guys and for the front office. It’s not something we look at going into a game because it doesn’t really help us prepare for a team. Knowledge of the importance of OBP definitely is something the Astros need.  The Astros rank 13th in the NL in OBP The Astros rank 14th (or next to last) in the NL in walks.  Francona also points out that the benefit of having patient hitters who take their walks is dependent of having good hitters throughout the lineup (i.e., few "black holes").    This is one of the factors which concerns me if the Astros end up with black holes at both shortstop and 3d base next year. Interestingly, Chris Johnson may be happy that Brad Mills moved to the Astros for an additional reason.  It opened up a coaching position on the Red Sox, and according to this interview, Ron Johnson, the Red Sox AAA manager and Chris Johnson's father, is one of the people Francona is considering as an addition to his coaching staff.  By the way, since I frequently mention my skepticism of Chris Johnson's offense, in all fairness I should point out that he is hitting well in the Arizona Fall League so far (.353, .389, .529, .918).  But before you get too excited, it's only 17 at bats so far. Finally, Francona makes an interesting comment about the importance of a starting pitcher vs. a middle of the order hitter: Is adding a starting pitcher more valuable than a middle-of-the-order hitter? Every time Theo talks to me, I always say get a pitcher. I know we need to score runs. When you don’t pitch, you certainly make life a lot more difficult for the whole team. When you have a well-pitched game, even when you go into the seventh or eighth inning, you have a chance. When you don’t pitch, the game looks sloppy. A lot of balls in the gap, more cutoffs and relays, you have more errors. There’s more plays to be made. I wonder if Brad Mills would tell Ed Wade the same thing? Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039039/free-agent-profile-latroy-hawkins.html by David J. Phillip - AP Will the Hawk be back in Houston? View full size photo » We already covered the basics of the reliever market with Jose Valverde's profile, so I thought the most illuminating thing to do with Hawkins is to see which teams might actually need a closer this winter. That, of course, is going to be the difference in him signing for 5-7 million and 2-3 million. Hawkins has saved almost exactly the same number of games in the American League (44) as in the National League (43). Heading into his Age 37 season, he's probably not looking at more than a two-year deal and probably only a one-year contract. Will it be a big deal if the Astros don't sign Valverde or Hawkins this winter? It will, but only because that's likely the only move they will make this winter. With the news that the Braves are shopping both Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez, why wouldn't the Astros move on one of those guys instead? I'd rather have 200 innings in the starting rotation than 50 in the back of the bullpen. Remember the Cardinals went into last season with no closer at all and found one in Ryan Franklin (after a bumpy start to the season). Why couldn't the Astros do something similar? Throw Fulchino, Gervacio, Chad Paronto and any other cheap, hard thrower you want at the wall and see who sticks. A quick note: I wrote up a quick scouting report of Jason Castro's AFL Rising Stars performance, for those who didn't get to see him on my minor league blog, Minor Musings. I'll avoid reposting by just directing you that way, if you are so inclined. At any rate, here are the teams who could be in the market for a closer... Atlanta Braves 2009 saves: Rafael Soriano (27), Mike Gonzalez (10) Notes: With both Soriano and Gonzalez becoming free agents, the Braves may be in the market for a closer. Of course, they also have a ridiculous amount of pitching depth, so they may end up picking up a closer in a trade for Vasquez or Lowe. Don't rule out converting a guy like Jo-Jo Reyes into the role of closer as well. Baltimore Orioles 2009 saves: George Sherrill (20), Jim Johnson (10) Notes: Johnson took over the closer's role once Sherrill was traded to the Dodgers, but it's anyone's guess whether the Orioles will keep him there. McPhail has not been shy about pursuing the top names on the market and could make a play for Valverde. It's more likely that the Orioles fill this gap from in-house guys, though. Detroit Tigers 2009 saves: Fernando Rodney (37), Brandon Lyon (3) Notes:  Like the Braves, both Rodney and Lyon are free agents. Also like the Braves, the Tigers have a couple of candidates to fill the void. Remember Joel Zumaya? After three straight years of throwing less than 34 innings, he's probably not a great candidate to land the closer role, but he is still just 24 years old and has potential. I could see the Tigers investing in a mid-tier guy with a one-year deal. Maybe someone like Billy Wagner? Tampa Bay Rays 2009 saves: J.P. Howell (17), Randy Choate (5), Grant Balfour (4), Troy Percival (6), Joe Nelson (3) Notes: As you can see, the Rays definitely went with a closer-by-committee approach last season. I'm not sure what payroll flexibility they will have this offseason, but if they do have money to spend, it definitely makes sense for them to find a back-end bullpen guy. Competing in the AL East, they need a solid closer and don't have one right now. Toronto Blue Jays 2009 saves: Jason Frasor (11), Scott Downs (9), B.J. Ryan (2) Notes: With the transition at the top of the organization, I doubt the Blue Jays make a splash in free agency again for a closer. This isn't a bad situation due to free agents leaving as much as guys just not performing. Look for one of the Jays young pitchers to be slotted into this role next year. Either that or a trade for a guy like Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins. Other teams possibly shopping: Arizona (depending how they view Qualls), Cincinnati (Only if they move Cordero), Colorado (Huston Street is arb-eligible), Washington (McDougald had hip surgery). All in all, there are just not that many spots open for closers. It's a bad offseason for guys like Valverde and Hawkins. I'd expect at least one of them to stick with the Astros, but I'm not sure which one the team values more at this point. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039038/nationals-hire-johnson-as-senior-adviser.html The Washington Nationals have hired former major league manager Davey Johnson as a senior adviser. The Nationals made the announcement Wednesday. The 66-year-old Johnson will work with general manager Mike Rizzo. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039037/lincecum-wins-second-straight-nl-cy-young-award.html Giants ace Tim Lincecum becomes the first repeat winner in the major leagues since Randy Johnson won it four straight times from 1999-2002. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039036/some-clubs-lost-money-selig-says.html Some teams lost money in 2009, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday after the final owners meeting of the year. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036051/big-names-bargains-be-had.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036050/valverde-will-be-tiger.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036049/astros-hire-scott-as-minors-field-coordinator.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036048/wrights-winter-impressing-astros.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1035874/milo-millsie-hit-on-astroline-examinercom.html Examiner.comMilo and Millsie a hit on AstrolineExaminer.com... with a live broadcast from Sherlock's Baker Street Pub, located at 1952 West Gray, which aired on the Houston Astros' flagship station KTRH 740 AM. ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031096/plan-schman-what-astros-front-office-thinking.html More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Just give us a sign, Ed. Browse more photos » I just got finished reading this piece by Brian McTaggart.  I read it; I read it again, and then I thought, "Sonofabitch." Why? Because I can't discern a single line of thought from McTaggart's interview that would indicate there's any kind of plan for the Astros.  I don't need a blueprint, but at least some sort of trajectory, and if not a trajectory, and least and indication that our front office is in fact in touch with reality. Why the fuss? Here are the selections: The first task for the Astros is re-signing their own free agents, a list that includes impact players in shortstop Miguel Tejada, closer Jose Valverde and reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Houston likely doesn't have enough payroll flexibility to retain all three, and Tejada's future with the club would be at third base instead of shortstop. Ok.  So Wade is allegedly gunning for two of the three.  My guess would a pairing of Tejada, plus a reliever and that spending would pretty much close off payroll for the 2010 season.  $7.5 million in 2010 for Tejada is what I'm guessing we'll offer and I imagine that Hawkins will look for at least a $5 million deal coming off the season he just had (if you don't prod the raw numbers, he looks stellar). So our main objective for 2010 is to bring back a SS to play 3B at age 35 or 34 (honestly, I'll never get Miggy's age right).  And then sign a closer-esque reliever.  After that, the goal, ostensibly will be to plug the roster with in house pieces for the league minimum and hope that of Bud Norris, Feliepe Paulino, Yorman Bazardo, and Wesley Wright at least two can perform at or around league average for the course of the season. But wait, we apparently also have a void our outfield.  This one was news to me.  Of our current corps of minor leaguers, I think the only "stenghth" we might have is in the outfield.  Am I wrong? Nevertheless, Ed Wade had this to say about our "situation" in the outfield: "From the standpoint of position players with both Jason Michaels and Darin Erstad being free agents, our extra-outfield situation at this point is an issue," Wade said. "I'm not saying we wouldn't bring both guys back, but both are free agents, and we have to recognize we have a void now." Really? A point at issue? The services of two veteran bench warmers who happened to play outfield at some point in their career is really worth a likely $2-3 million in their two contracts?  Yordanny Ramirez, Reggie Abercrombie, Brian Bogusevic (just to name our AAA OFers, but not to slight the Gaston's and Locke's of the world) couldn't slot in their spots for less than $1 million? Interesting. So from that point, I can't tell if Wade is conceding that he can only spend enough to sign one of the Valverde/Hakwins/Tejada trio because if he signs two of the three he can't afford to round out the bench, or not.  But in all honesty, that has me worried.  Next up, something that's be eating at me for awhile, but Wade's quote brings it to the surface: "If we can mix and match with Geoff over there and provide more offense, that's something we have to pay attention to," Wade said. I get that Blum is allegedly an über-utility IF.  But if Wade is really gunning for Tejada, why did he re-sign Geoff Blum so early? A piece like Blum seems best signed in January or February when someone like Blum hears things like "league-minimum" and "major league job" and jumps at the opportunity to sign after sweating it out all offseason. There's also discussion of Wade looking to trade for a SP, but who does he trade? For whom? And why? And it's at the point in the article that I started over, re-read and realized that Wade is literally just slapping duct-tape on this team and hoping it all holds.  But with what purpose? I don't know.  If Drayton's taking a hard line on the payroll because he doesn't want to lose money this year, why not just hold everyone we have in place? Offer arbitration to our FAs, and then whoever rejects it, take the picks and fill the slots with in house players at league minimum? If everyone rejects arbitration, we have a payroll of $80 million on opening day and we get finally see what are farm system actually has in it, and that seems more entertaining than the Ed Wade duct-tape ball that's being rolled right now.  Hell, just throw some money at Hawkins and have someone we trust to close baseball games and still save Drayton a sizable chunk of change to invest in the 2010 draft. Wade doesn't seem to be trying to make the roster better, he seems like he's trying to plug leaks on a sinking ship—but will still end up taking on water.  And I have myself back to, what is the Astros objective for 2010 and beyond? Does anybody see it? None of this is to say that I don't think the Astros can compete as assembled, or attempted to be assembled, in 2010, but my concern is that is there are plans for 2011, 2012, and beyond? Or is it going to just be duct-tape and prayers for the foreseeable future? Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030187/usa-today-closer-valverde-will-be-tiger-detroit-free-press.html USA Today: Closer Valverde will be a TigerDetroit Free PressValverde, 31, spent the past two seasons with the Houston Astros after five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He went 4-2 with a 2.33 earned-run ...and more » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030186/ramirez-darvish-named-japan-mvps.html Venezuelan outfielder Alex Ramirez was named MVP of Japan's Central League for the second straight year on Wednesday while pitcher Yu Darvish took the Pacific League honors. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030185/alomar-jr-hired-by-indians.html Sandy Alomar Jr. is back with the Cleveland Indians. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1028072/powers-barch-runnerup-for-minor-league-award-charleston-gazette.html Power's Barch runner-up for minor league awardCharleston GazetteMike Capps of the Round Rock Express, the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros in the Pacific Coast League, won the award.Barch Named Broadcaster Of The Year Runner-UpOurSports Central (press release)all 5 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1026796/pursuing-smoltz-in-astros-plans.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1025389/bourn-to-win-lose-astros-have-promising-young-star-mvncom.html MVN.com?Bourn? To Win, Not To Lose: Astros' Have Promising Young StarMVN.comA 26-year-old that is looking to be the Houston Astros' future star. Just last season, he had a batting average of .218 at All-Star break. ...New-Bourn: Astros center fielder on the riseESPNSolomon: Bourn epitomizes hometown kid making goodHouston Chronicleall 4 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024376/some-red-sox-tickets-to-rise-by-5-next-season.html The Red Sox will raise some ticket prices as much as $5 next season after freezing all sections for 2009. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024375/astros-hire-scott-as-minor-league-field-coordinator.html Dick Scott has been named minor league field coordinator, the Astros announced Tuesday. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024121/royals-greinke-wins-american-league-cy-young.html Zack Greinke beat out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024120/twins-alter-uniforms-add-throwback-option.html The Minnesota Twins unveiled their biggest uniform change since 1987 on Monday, with a whole new look for the road sans pinstripes, and a new alternate home uniform that's a throwback to 1961. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023273/more-on-minor-league-free-agents.html We previously have mentioned some Quad-A type players who would be worth a a gamble at the 3d base position.  Dave Cameron has an article at Fangraphs which picks out a few minor league free agents of interest.  I particularly like Reuben Gotay, who might be a nice gamble for the 3d base position.  Gotay used to be a 2d base prospect, but defensive range issues held him back, but now he is playing 3d base more. Cameron says of Gotay:   While playing for the Diamondbacks affiliate in the PCL, Gotay racked up a .272/.429/.450 line that shows off a strong ability to control the strike zone. He drew 102 walks and struck out just 69 times, and unlike some minor league walk aficionados, he actually flashed some power – 42 of his 101 hits went for extra bases. As a switch-hitter with plate discipline and power, Gotay has a good enough bat to play in the majors. His defense is the question mark, but teams with an opening at 3B or a willingness to sacrifice some range at 2B should be willing to give him a shot. Heading into his age 27 season, his best days may still be ahead of him. I particularly like looking at these Quad-A players because the team doesn't take much risk signing them.  Cameron also links the full list of minor league free agents, but I haven't had time to look through it yet.  If you want to take perusal and comment on the list, I can give the direct link.  Most of you know the term, "Quad A" or 4A player, but I'll explain it for those who don't.  Some players are prospects who succeed at AAA, but--for whatever reason---do not succeed at the MLB level, and then leave the prospect stage after they age beyond 25 years old or so.  These players often continue to excel at AAA, thus earning the title "Quad A player" as if they are ready for a new league between the majors and AAA.  Some of these players never made it in in the majors because they weren't given a good chance, had bad luck, or just played behind better players. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023272/astros-most-impressive-performances-in-2009-relievers.html More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP Browse more photos » Why are we fretting so much about Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins? I mean aside from the fact that they're talented pitchers with above average ability.  Closers, and the set-up men whose shoulders they stand on, enter games in situations where we as fans have our stomach in knots.  In someone like Valverde's case, he toes the rubber and pumps 97 MPH fastballs while mixing in, most of the time, a devastating split-finger pitch. With starters, each at bat doesn't have the feeling of importance that a closer's does.  A starter always has another inning or two to work with, and there are still plenty outs for the offense to work with, too.  But relievers are leveraged. Why the waxing sentimental? Because that's how I arrived at today's post.  Instead of combining starters and relievers into one mess of who had the best WPA added in a single game, I decided to isolate which relievers had the best WPA added in a single PA.   No. 1 - LaTroy Hawkins on June 13th   This was an awkward day of Hawkins.  Valverde was working himself back into the job that Hawkins had dutifully filled for him in his extended DL stay.  So, I guess it's understandable that Hawkins starts on of his final 9th inning save opportunities a little shaky.   via www.fangraphs.com With the Astros leading 6-4, Hakwins quickly found himself with runners on first and second and none out.  Hawkins rebounded with a GIDP on Justin Upton that netted him an astounding .293 WPA on a single PA due to a leverage index of 5.91 (a run at that point would have been like Jon Garland giving up 5.91 runs to start the top of the first, or half a Jason Jennings here or here). No. 2 - Jelf Fulchino on June 7th Cecil Cooper trots out Tim Brydak to start the bottom of the seventh.  Two batters latter, Cecil Cooper brings in Jeff Fulchino to clean up a bases loaded, no outs jam.  Yes, Fulchino gives up two runs, but the situation had an RE of 2.30, so technically Fulchino saves our butts, because the third run puts the Pirates in the drivers seat. via www.fangraphs.com Finally, though, Fulchino is on the receiving end of an Adam LaRoche double play and the inning is over.  For his trouble, Fulchino is credited with .245 WPA, and has the satisfaction of knowing that he had the second most leveraged out of the year.   No. 3 Jose Valverde on September 29th   Some of us may not remember this one because, well, the Astros were depressing to watch at this point.  However, there was still some excitement to experience. via www.fangraphs.com The story is pretty similar to the above.  Valverde got himself in trouble to start the inning, but rallied to get out.Yet again, another double play ball, netting him .236 WPA on the GIDP of Laynce Nix. This begs the question, do the pitchers get the credit or does the defense? Or does it matter because all we're looking for are spectacular moments in relief pitching? Like yesterday, what are the moments I missed because I did this by the numbers? Only, no poll because having to actually read the article to vote didn't mesh well with getting a lot of responses. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023271/tuesday-astros-links-n-more.html by David Zalubowski - AP That's no whiffle bat Bourn is swinging... View full size photo » Let's open with a rather long note from Buster Olney's column on Michael Bourn. Since it's protected by the ESPN Insider firewall and I don't know how many of you subscribe, I'll reprint the high points: Before joining Aguilas in winter ball, in the Dominican Republic, he started to unravel the puzzle of his swing. Besides pulling ground balls to the right side of the infield, Bourn also was hitting the ball off the end of his bat a lot -- clues, he felt, that told him his swing was too quick, and that his bat wasn't in the hitting zone long enough. He liked to watch Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee take batting practice, and he admired how their level swings seem to be pulled through the plate for so long, giving them a greater chance for better contact. Bourn's swing, on the other hand, was just too quick, which is why he kept hitting harmless grounders to second base. Late in the 2008 season, Astros coach Dave Clark gave Bourn a suggestion -- Bourn should try hitting with his weight shifted forward at the outset of his swing, rather than with his weight back, on his left hip. Ultimately, Clark said, Bourn would need to get back to hitting with his weight back -- but this change would allow Bourn to focus on how he used his hands in his swing path. Imagine swinging a Wiffle ball bat with your hands only, and without shifting your weight from your back hip to your front hip; this is what Clark did in September of 2008. And he could feel, in his swing, a solution evolving. He began to hit the ball to the left side of the infield, or through the middle. The progress continued in winter ball, and in spring training, Berkman suggested to him that he should work off a tee daily, develop a routine in which he practiced his level swing path, using his hands and the shift of his weight in concert. And in spring training, Bourn noticed the foul balls he was hitting were going into the stands along the third-base line. A good thing, he felt. "What this told me was that I was doing better at letting the ball get deeper in the strike zone," Bourn said. "I was a little behind the ball, and all I needed to do was to be a little quicker." No wonder Dave Clark was such a popular figure with the player... Since the Astros' top prospect Jason Castro was sent home from the Arizona Fall League because of fatigue, this interview with Giants catcher Buster Posey is relevant, though not especially enlightening. Posey doesn't really say anything we couldn't have surmised ourselves but it is worth looking at Houston's future catcher to see how many innings he's racking up on those knees. The following are rough estimates on the number of innings played for Castro in the past five seasons. You can see the huge spike in the season he got drafted. It's also worth noting that for the first few years there, those innings were spread out through the entire year, as Castro played in the Alaska Baseball League, the Area Code Games, the Cape Cod League and other events throughout his career that made playing baseball year-round a possibility. 2005 - ~500 (mostly infield) 2006 - 673 (mostly first base) 2007 - 536 (mostly first base) 2008 - 900 (first season full-time at catcher) 2009 - 1,100 (including spring training, minors, World Cup and AFL) Castro is used to playing year-round, but tired out right around the time he hit the 1,000 inning mark. The Astros top two catchers last season combined to catch 1,175 innings. Maybe Castro just needs to get his legs underneath him. He's only caught for two seasons now, much like Posey and should be fresher than someone who caught all through high school and college. Still, if we're thinking of using Castro at some point next season, it's worth asking if he'll have anything in the tank when he is called up. Farmstros is already on top of this one, but Zach Levine posted all the minor league coaching moves that trickled down from a new big league skipper being named. The only real eyebrow-raiser for me was Mark Bailey being named hitting coach after spending all those years in Houston as bullpen coach. He used to be a catcher, but isn't that a bit weird? Fangraphs updates us on how awesome Michael Bourn was on the basepaths last season. Though the best baserunner in the league was only worth eight runs last season, it shows how versatile Bourn was and how his value really transcends his pedestrian OPS. Here are a couple of posts from Chris Jaffe's new book on managers. Since we discussed the relative merits of different managers quite extensively leading up to Brad Mills' hiring, it's interesting to look at the factors that distinguish a good manager from a bad one. If I have some time this winter, I'm definitely reading up on this book to see how we can start better evaluating the skipper. It's also interesting to think about the 'hometown hero' concept in relation to Houston's managers. Of course, the only real example was Dierker, but with all the talk about Bagwell and/or Biggio being candiates for the job, looking at how other guys fared is pretty neat. Here's a twitpic from Alyson Footer of Bud Norris. Footer has been on a tweeting rampage with her camera, taking some candid shots of Berkman and Hunter Pence at a MMP event for 20 homeless families transitioning to non-homelessness. A very good cause and a very neat anecdote that Footer shares on her blog about how Missus Puma wanted her kids involved with this. Don't know what to get that baseball fan you know for Christmas? How about a super-cool DVD pack full of World Series games? Good news for the baseball bloggers of the world...Yahoo has the highest number of media credentials at the Winter Olympics so far. It makes sense, no? Just because newspapers die out doesn't mean people will stop wanting news. They just have to figure out how to log onto the InterWeb now... Finally, a little piece of non-baseball goodness...if anyone here hasn't watched The Wire yet, I highly recommend it.  Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1021655/free-agent-profile-miguel-tejada.html by Alex Brandon - AP The market for Tejada will be tough to ascertain. View full size photo » Lets to talk about since the last time we looked at the free agency market. In this profile of what kind of deal Miguel Tejada may get, I thought it prudent to look at two important facts. First, how much will the Astros have available to spend? If, as Wade said, the Astros will reduce payroll in 2010, that means their number will be lower than the 102 million they spent on Opening Day 2009. How much less is up for debate. After arbitration raises to Hunter Pence, Wandy Rodriguez and others, the Astros will have about 80 million committed already in 2010. Assuming the Astros lop 12 million off last year's number, that leaves them with 10 million to spend. Seems about right, doesn't it? It's still what we've been projecting as their available room since the offseason began, before Wade confirmed it was the case. We'll get to my theory on how much Tejada will cost, but that's not a lot of money to spend to fill a couple of glaring holes. The second thing to look at is the current market for third baseman. It may not be a foregone conclusion that Tejada will have to switch positions, his bat seems to fit more in line with the corner of the infield market. Of that list, Tejada is probably not going to get the richest deal and possibly not the third-richest deal. I still think he commands a good chunk of change, though. The question is, does it make more sense for the Astros to spend on Tejada or a guy like Pedro Feliz? Just some things to think about when looking at last winter... The Shortstops Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers Contract Details: 3 years, 30 million (09-6.5m, 10-8.5m, 11-12m, 12-12m option) Notes: Furcal entered last year's market after totaling just 164 plate appearances. Still, the then-31-year old posted a wOBA of .440 and a UZR/150 of -15.2. The Dodgers still rewarded Furcal with the richest contract any shortstop earned last winter. Furcal's defense has been all over the boards the past couple of years, but I think it's safe to say conventional wisdom shows he's was better defensively heading into last offseason than Tejada is now. Consider this contract the upper boundary of what Tejada can expect.   Nick Punto, Minnesota Twins Contract Details: 2 years, 8.5 million (09-4.25m, 10-4.25m, 11-5m option) Notes: The 30-year old got this contract coming off a season where he played 99 games. Punto hit pretty decently when he did play, posting a wOBA of .324 and had a UZR/150 of 17.9. Punto is a much better fielder than Tejada, but can't hit nearly as well. He's also younger, but couldn't get more than a two-year deal in last year's market.   Orlando Cabrera, Oakland A's Contract Details: 1 year, 4 million Notes: Cabrera couldn't have illustrated the plight of Type A free agents any better. With no team willing to give up draft picks for a 34-year old shortstop coming off a season where he posted a wOBA of .316 with excellent defense (by all accounts). Obviously, Cabrera falls into the same situation as Punto. Both players were good defense, bad bat types, which makes them the exact opposite of Tejada. Still, it may be hard for Tejada to get more than a one-year deal this winter.   Cesar Izturis, Baltimore Orioles Contract Details: 2 years, 5 million (09-2.4m, 10-2.6m) Notes: Another good defensive shortstop that posted a sub-par wOBA heading into his free agency period. Izturis got a multi-year deal and performed admirably for Baltimore. His contract is lower than the deals that Punto and Cabrera ended up with, but not for a lack of offense. In fact, the only difference tangibly between these three players is that the other two had a better defensive reputation and Izturis had a down year offensively with the Cardinals in 2008. Of course, I say 'reputation' about defense since there is not much difference in the three's defensive stats.   Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants Contract Details: 2 years, 18.5 million (09-7m, 10-9.5m, 11-10.5m option) Notes: While Renteria's defense wasn't as bad as Tejada's, at least by UZR, Renteria also didn't post as good a wOBA as Tejada's. It fits that Renteria would be the best shortstop comparable for Tejada, though by all accounts, his defense is good enough to stay at short for a little while longer. This deal, though, feels like something Tejada could end up with this winter.   The Third Basemen Casey Blake, Los Angeles Dodgers Contract Details: 3 years, 17.5 million (09-5m, 10-6m, 11-5.25m, 12-6m option) Notes: Now we move into the third basemen that hit the market last winter. Blake had a great run with the Dodgers after being traded to Los Angeles and was locked up to a reasonable deal. Blake more than outperformed his contract in 2009, but his deal was the richest given to a potential third base free agent last winter. If Tejada moves to the hot corner, look for his deal to be in this range.   Ty Wigginton, Baltimore Orioles Contract Details: 2 years, 6 million (09-2.5m, 10-3.5m) Notes: Ahh, the dearly departed Astro, Wigginton signed with Baltimore for two years at a very reasonable 6 million. Wigginton probably was over-extended as a third baseman and only played 39 games there in 2009. Wigginton was close to as valuable offensively as Tejada but wasn't good defensively at third. Tejada's advantage over this deal is that he's moving from a premium defensive position to third, instead of moving off third like Wigginton.   The Utility Players Ramon Vasquez, Pittsburgh Pirates Contract Details: 2 years, 4 million (09-1.75m, 10-2m) Notes: There is a lot of Wigginton here too, as Vasquez wasn't as good offensively as Tejada nor was he as good defensively (comparatively, that is). Still, Vasquez landed a role with the Pirates and a reasonable contract. This reminds me too much of a Geoff Blum signing instead of what Tejada will fetch.   Mark Loretta, Los Angeles Dodgers Contract Details: 1 year, 1.25 million Notes: At this point in his career, Loretta was going to be nothing more than a valuable addition off the bench. His contract reflects this and though he could still play third base in a pinch (Loretta played 23 games in 2009), but this is more like the contract Tejada may get in two years.   The Outlier Willie Bloomquist, Kansas City Royals Contract Details: 2 years, 3.1 million (09-1.4m, 10-1.7m) Notes: Remember when we were talking about Jose Valverde? And we saw all the crazy stuff that Dayton Moore has done? Fit the Bloomquist signing into that vein. The utility player with the Mariners was given a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract and played mostly in the outfield for the Royals. This was just a weird signing all around.   Non-Free Agents of Note Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays Contract Details: 2 years, 7.6 million (09-2m, 10-4.7m) Notes: This starts a couple of third basemen who recently signed contracts, before they get to free agency. With Encarnacion, the Reds were simply buying out a couple of arbitration years, but the numbers fit into the overall picture of what Tejada could command. Interestingly enough, the Reds traded Encarnacion to the Blue Jays mid-season for Scott Rolen.   Chipper Jones, 3B, Atlanta Braves Contract Details: 3 years, 42 million (10-13m, 11-13m, 12-13m, 13-7m option) Notes: Jones is the outlier of all outliers, since he's a franchise icon in Atlanta and could end up in the Hall of Fame some day. The Braves couldn't have let Chipper walk out the door, but after flirting with .400, his leverage was very high to get a huge deal done. Thus, this three-year deal, averaging 13 million per. Was an aging player worth this? I'm not sure, but it's definitely going to be the contract Tejada's agent bases his sales pitches around.   Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals Contract Details: 5 years, 45 million (09-3.325m, 10-6.25m, 11-8.925m, 12-12m, 13-14m) Notes: Another deal which bought out part of Zimmerman's arbitration years. This also goes for Troy Tulowitski and Ryan Braun's new deals. Zimmerman got a nice bump and quite the salary security for the next five years.   The Breaking News Jack Wilson, SS, Seattle Mariners Contract Details: 2 years 10 million (10-5 million, 11-5 million) Notes: Wilson avoided free agency by agreeing to a deal with the Mariners last Friday. Wilson is nowhere near the hitter Tejada is, posting a wOBA of .286, but is much better with the glove. The Mariners acquired Wilson midway through last season to replace the departed Yuniesky Betancourt. Wilson had an 8.4 million dollar option, which the Mariners didn't have to exercise by coming to terms with him on this deal. If a more one-dimensional player like Wilson can get an average of 5 million per year, it doesn't bode well for Tejada, who may be moved to a less premium defensive position.   Forecast for Tejada Taking into account Buster Olney's latest comments from above and the market from last season, it's safe to assume Tejada will sign for somewhere around 7 million per year for two years. Some team may be willing to up that number to around 9 or 10 million, but only over one season. I could see the White Sox possibly making a move here, but I don't see Tejada getting more than a two year deal from anyone. Not at his age nor when he'd have to most likely move positions. It's also highly unlikely any team would commit serious money to him as a shortstop, but don't rule out the Royals. Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020889/mills-to-be-guest-on-astroline-wednesday-cypress-times.html MILLS TO BE GUEST ON ASTROLINE WEDNESDAYThe Cypress TimesHOUSTON, TX ? Houston Astros Manager Brad Mills will be the first guest on the club's popular Astroline call-in radio show on Wednesday, November 18, ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020261/exastros-minor-leaguer-to-lead-hooks.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020260/astros-express-interest-in-wagner.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020259/astros-fact-or-fiction.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020258/lopez-tosses-four-hitless-innings.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1020257/sampson-opens-academy.html Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018981/exastros-minor-leaguer-to-lead-hooks-corpus-christi-caller-times.html Ex-Astros minor leaguer to lead HooksCorpus Christi Caller TimesCORPUS CHRISTI ? A shuffle in the Houston Astros organization has resulted in a managerial change for the Hooks. Wes Clements, the skipper at ...Clements Takes Charge Of Hooks In 2010KRIS-TVFormer Astros' farmhand named Hooks manager for 2010Corpus Christi Caller Timesall 4 news articles » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018199/bourn-highlights-astros-awards-season-astroscom.html Bourn highlights Astros' awards seasonAstros.comHOUSTON -- Astros center fielder Michael Bourn has followed up a terrific season on the field with a banner season off the ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018198/bourn-highlights-astros-awards-season.html Bourn highlights Astros' awards season Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017366/jethawks-announce-tom-lawless-as-2010-manager-oursports-central-press-release.html JetHawks Announce Tom Lawless As 2010 ManagerOurSports Central (press release)(LANCASTER, CA) - The Houston Astros announced Monday that Tom Lawless will be taking over managerial duties for the Lancaster Jethawks in the 2010 Season. ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017365/legends-field-staff-set-for-2010-linares-named-manager-oursports-central-press-release.html Legends Field Staff Set For 2010; Linares Named ManagerOurSports Central (press release)Minor league staff assignments were announced Monday afternoon by the Legends' parent club, the Houston Astros. Rodney Linares, a veteran of the Astros' ... Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017364/astros-sampson-opens-academy-astroscom.html Astros.comAstros' Sampson opens academyAstros.comGrowing up in the blue-collar suburbs east of the Houston, Astros relief pitcher Chris Sampson dreamed of being able to take batting practice in an indoor ...and more » Houston Astros - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates