2014 Astros: On The Rise

LogansDad

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Nov 15, 2006
29,152
Alamogordo
Thanks, jon, that was actually a really interesting article.  I can definitely see both sides of the Astros coin.... they have a lot of potential and I think if they are run properly they can actually compete in a future that is closer than a lot of people would agree with.
 
At points, I agree with the players that being treated as "a number" or "a statistic" can be infuriating, but at the same time is is hard to sympathize with people who are making six figures to play a game that I loved to play as a child.  Maybe this has something to do with being in the military and always being treated as a number by anyone above the squadron level, but if Astros management can turn the team into both a moneymaker and a competitor while using this outlook, then more power to them. 
 
I've never been a fan of the "I'm on the inside and don't like the way things are run" quotes under anonymous quotes.... if you really cared about what you believed in, then you wouldn't be anonymous, but I get that it can probably be very frustrating for people who feel like they are commodities rather than human beings.  I also think that this is something that one must deal with if they go into any part of the entertainment industry, of which baseball is a part. 
 
Will this line of thinking work out for the Astros???  I think it could, in the long run.  It likely won't have the quick turnaround of a team like the Colts in the NFL...baseball just doesn't change that quickly.  But if they do it correctly, I think the Astros could set themselves up for a long run of success in a region that is longing for a wining team.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

oppresses WARmongers
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Mar 11, 2008
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The additions of Springer and Singleton has made this team interesting enough to keep an eye on.  The offense looks dynamic all of the sudden.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

oppresses WARmongers
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2008
27,644
Roanoke, VA
7-4 since calling up Singleton.  I'm not arguing they are a .636 team or anything, but I don't think they are the worst team in the majors anymore.  This could be a playoff team again very soon.  Like 2015 soon.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
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Jul 15, 2005
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15-8 since I started the thread, time to change the title. 
 

inJacobyWeTrust

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Nov 12, 2007
1,245
Watertown
Outfield prospect Domingo Santana, acquired in the lucrative 2011 Hunter Pence trade, hit a walk-off 3 run HR on Friday night.  He's now at 13 HR on the season through 82 games (311 AB), batting .305 and slugging .508 as a 21 yo in AAA.  The knock on Santana is his propensity to K (94 so far this season) which is still an issue, but the power is very real.
 
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=santan002dom
 
Might be time to start talking about a potential call-up.  I'm sure they could find ABs for him between LF, RF and DH.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
Astros promote Appel to AA, Astros players pissed: http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/astros-mark-appel-promotion-double-a/237024
 


Appel, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft, was promoted from High-A Lancaster where he was struggling, to Double-A Corpus Christi. He was in Houston Sunday throwing a bullpen session at Minute Maid Park in front of Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. His presence at the park and seemingly undeserved promotion rankled some Astros.
 
“Unbelievable,” an anonymous Astros player told the Houston Chronicle. “I’m not in a good mood.”