Still no cable, no TV and no computer in the house. But no games today, so hopefully by tomorrow….
OK, now down to business. Let’s talk trades.
Time for a quick looksee at Jennings – let’s say – so far, so bad. Before I declare this a HORRIBLE trade, I want to see if we get anything for Jennings, or if we sign him, offer him arb†and he declines, see what kind of draft pick we get for him. It just might could take 4 years before we can weigh the plusses/minuses. For example, take the Billy Wags trade – we got 3 pitchers who are already gone, but if you factor in the fact that we got Andy and Roger with Billy’s money, it wasn’t a total loss.
If you looked at the roster, there are some guys that contending teams (which, despite anything McLane says, is NOT the Astros) might could want – Oswalt (forget it), Lamb, Loretta, Lidge, Qualls, Wheeler and even Burke. Obviously Oswalt would bring the best package, but you can’t just replace an ace like him at his price so forget that. Lidge is next – yes, even after yesterday, but McLane is adamant about not trading him, and next year, he’ll bring less because of his impending free agency. Qualls has a bit more upside than Wheeler because he won’t be a FA for 3 years instead of one.
So who got traded?
Ty Wigginton was traded for Dan Wheeler. Yes, the D-Rays – Gerry Hunsicker again. This is making me wonder if any other GM is willing to do business with McLane, and I am wondering if Gerry is ripping us off again as he did in the Aubrey Huff trade. At least Wigginton will be under team control for a few years, unlike Huff. (Wheeler is a 5th year guy this year, in case anyone was wondering)
So let’s take a look at Wigginton, our “prize.”
He’s a “3B” drafted by the Mets in the 17th round 1998 from U North Carolina -Asheville. In case yall wondering why 3B is in quotation marks, it’s because he one of the Mark Loretta type utility guys that Phil luuuuvvvvs – he plays RF, LF, 1st, second and third. He was called up in 2002 and hit .302 with a .526 SLG in 112 AB. Somehow, don’t ask me how, he came in 8th in the 2003 ROY voting – not sure what the voters rated the highest – his .225 BA, .396 SLG – which is an 85 OPS+, perhaps his 46 BB to 124 K in 573 AB, or perhaps his 16 errors with a league average range factor. Or perhaps it was simply the usual East Coast Bias???
The Mets traded him to the Pirates at the 2004 trading deadline for Kris Benson. I understand that – they had David Wright to play third. Wigginton didn’t exactly play well with the Pirates – in 15 games over 1 1/2 years, he batted .241 with an 86 OPS+ and by the way, his fielding was most definitely substandard and he made 15 errors in 115 games – for those of yall who are more impressed by numbers of errors made than by range, or lack thereof. Anyway, the Pirates released him after the 2005 season. You understand. They could play minimum wage guys Bautista and Sanchez instead and they would have had to pay Wigginton maybe 100K more. You don’t make 30 mill a year off a perpetually terrible team if you don’t pay special attention to those 100K deals.
But I digress.
Anyway, The Devil Rays signed him at the beginning of the 2006 season and they were so impressed with him that after the 2006 season – 444 AB, 25 2B, 24 HR, 32 BB, 97 K, .275 BA, .498 SLG, .828 OPS – 5 E in 34 games at 3B – and a revised zone rating (hardballtimes.com) of .590 (translation – makes Mike Lamb look like Scott Rolen) they went and signed Japanese baseball player Iwamura to a 3 year contract to play third.
So, checking bbref.com – his 162 game average shows .267 BA, .448 SLG – 34 doubles and 21 homers which is a perfectly average 100 OPS+ and his fielding, uh, is not good. But on the bright side, he seldom walks – only an average of 47 a year, and he strikes out over 100 times a year – mostly swinging!!!! The fans should LUUUUVVVV him, seeing as how they think defense doesn’t count unless it’s Chris Burke in center we’re talking about. And he’ll be only 30 at the end of the year, and we’ll have him under club control for 2 more years!!! A good young player, by Astros standards.
Mo, by the way, adjusted his stance (well, it looks like it to me) during the Mets series and since then has been hitting over .300. I wouldn’t be surprised if he IS picked up by some other team now that he has been DFA, and if he plays every day, I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks it up. (Note that Luke Scott says that he’s playing better and seeing the ball better since he’s been playing every day and not been platooned and his average has gone up over 20 points in 6 games. There’s a time and place to platoon and platooning a lefty who kills leftys is like, um, stoopiddd.)
So, seeing that Phil LUUUVVVVSSS to platoon, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamb is going to face the rightys, so let’s see if Wigginton has Biggio type splits against leftys: well, not so much. Career, it’s 12 points of BA, 34 points of OBP and 55 points of SLG. This year, the average is the same, but the SLG is 139 points higher against leftys.
And, by the way, looking at various non-Astros fan sites, seems a whole LOT of fans think Mo got screwed and that he is a VERY good bet to get better. Unless his shoulder really IS shredded, and it is time for the guy to be honest with himself about it, he could definitely prosper with a new start. I hope he does, I really do.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB
Hmmm. my post vanished. odd. Well, in summary, I said that we have “control” over Ty for the next 2+ years; he will be arb eligible so he’ll get millions, sorta like Ensberg.
And I still say that he should be given third base and told to earn his way to 2008. He’s never had a chance to settle down since rookie season — he’s actually had more ABs at 2B this year than 3B, along with a bunch at 1B and DH.
My favorite stat for Ty so far:
His OPS with no one on base is .900; with runners on, it’s .664. It’s Mr. Anti-clutch.
“His OPS with no one on base is .900; with runners on, it
I heard part of the interview on the radio with Ensberg, I think it was 790 at around 5:30-6pm.
Its been said many times, the guy is a stand up guy. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he just got signed instead of fired.
Anyways.
I kinda tuned in late but he was talking about how he doesn’t swing. I think he said something like, I only swing when its right over the middle of the plate. Then followed that with something like: I’m a reaction hitter, thats why sometimes you’d see me swing at balls in the dirt.
Did anyone here it? Can you make any sense out of it?
I think there is a chance the Astros go after Zambrano and/or A. Jones/Hunter.
They should have plenty of money. That would make the wiggs deal a little logical.
I think they almost have to. The pitching and defense has to be improved. The only snag is they need a catcher, although I think Ausmus will be back at least as a back up.
Thanks, Lisa, for correcting me about Wigginton’s contract and free agency. For some stupid reason I didn’t see that he only had 3 years of service – for the life of me I thought he had been playing for 7 or 8 years. He’s 30, isn’t he? Anyway, so the Stros have him for this year and 2 more years…
Actually, that makes the trade a lot more logical. I guess if you take into consideration that they were definitely going to dump/deal Ensberg, then I suppose Wiggy is about as good as you’re going to get right now. I think he’s better than Huff. His defense is average – but he’s like Bruntlett in that he can pretty much play anywhere (except ss). I drafted him in my fantasy 20 league, so I watched him play quite a bit – he’s not bad. We could have done a lot worse. He might actually be one of those guys who tears up Minute Maid Park. I’m willing to give him a chance.
munson’s defense HAS improved since last year – of course, it didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
part of the problem is that we are used to watching ausmus. it’s like comparing everett to anyone else. not that i am saying that munson has turned into mr. gold glove. i won’t blame him for SB on jennings, and as i said before, i think the problem with sampson is much more related to the fact that a GB pitcher HAS to have good defense. and he doesn’t.
you notice that when roy pitches, loretta is NOT at short.
and he hasn’t had but 24 games, so we are talking small sample size with ABs.
steve,
i got your post back from the garbage can, not sure why it went there
joel,
i missed the interview – was it on ktrh? i’m not listening to them at that hour.
everyone has always said that ensberg is a standup guy. he has definitely got to work on swing and timing. before he hurt his hand in sept 05, he hit balls all over the place, STILL had good strike zone judgement. and he recovered in spring 2006, then something happened BEFORE the shoulder injury.
not sure what. maybe he should go talk to barry bonds – barry has helped a LOT of guys out. yeah, THAT barry. yeah, helped guys with their hitting.
i SERIOUSLY doubt we will pay zambrano zito money because that is what he’s gonna get. we are NOT going after a boras client – get real. and torii hunter looks an awful lot like a (shudder) Negro, and how could one of Those People POSSIBLY be a “good guy” – but hey, he was raised in askansas and it just might could be that he knows how to ride a horse (there were a LOT of black vacqueros, you know) and that would make it OK
yes there SHOULD be a lot of money to spend. but that doesn’t mean mclane will spend or even spend wisely
and i am seeing a peter angelos type team coming up
which does NOT make me real too happy.
jdollas
wiggy’s defense is BELOW average. and this is coming from mets and pirates and drays fans, not just the stats.
one trade i think that we need to make – we have a GREAT young pure groundball pitcher in sampson. with the worst defense in the NL (now that everett is out) he is going to look bad – we MIGHT could get something good for him at this point, before the gloves make him look a LOT worse than he really is
so what do all yall think?
Austin – SIGH – Patiently. We know you don’t like Munson and will never admit you MIGHT be wrong about him. But, here’s a few things to chew on. First of all, he did show something before 29. In two consecutive years he had 18 and 19 HRS in 300 abs. Do you realize how great that is for a rookie season? Now his average stunk, but he was young. He’s been mismanaged his entire career, out of position, and is finally where he belongs. And at 29 here’s his numbers after the All-Star break.
In NL (all catchers)
Tied for 1st in HRs with 2
2nd in OPS with 1.190
2nd in SLG with 708
3rd in OBP 481
4th in AVG with 417
In ALL of the Majors
3rd in OPS with 1.190
5th in AVG with 417
5th in SLG with 708
6th in OBP with 481
Any way you slice it, he’s performing. He’s producing. He’s showing us SOMETHING. I don’t expect him to keep up those numbers, but it sure is nice not to have an automatic out in the bottom of the order.
As for his defense, I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of scouts at Jennings last outing. Let’s just say Jennings probably isn’t going anywhere. They did mention how “improved” Munson was this season compared to last. Said it was possible for him to become an above average catcher with the kind of playing time he is getting now. It’s ridiculous to compare him to Brad, but if you do Munson is certainly not killing us when he plays. In fact, he’s providing most of the offensive highlights when he is in there. Nothing blatantly wrong with his play behind the plate either. An occasional miscue by ANYONE does not mean they suck.
I agree with most, I want to see alot of guys like Munson get playing time for the next couple of months so the organization can finally make a decision to keep them or move on.
For the record, I would have still liked Salty here. He looks to be pretty good. Only time will tell. I think it was a good trade for both teams.
Robert, I have admitted I might be wrong about him. In fact, I admitted as much to Lisa in a private e-mail just this morning. I have no problem admitting that I MIGHT be wrong about him. But I’m not going to be an unrealistic optimist. When you’re talking about his 18 and 19 HR seasons, you’re talking about seasons in which he batted .240 and .212, respectively. You’re talking about seasons which he had an OBP of .312 and .289, respectively. I suppose I was wrong to say he hadn’t shown anything at all, but you’re stretching if you’re saying that those are numbers that should make you optimistic about the future. There’s a reason why he was in Tampa Bay the season after he hit 19 HR. There’s a reason why he only played in 11 games for them. It’s not that he didn’t show SOMETHING, but he showed very little.
And I continue to contend that it is you who is looking at Munson unrealistically when you’re on here touting some pretty unimpressive stats from four years ago.
I’ve already said that I’m willing to give him credit for his recent offensive outburst, but I need to see more than one incredible month. And I’m willing and interested to see more, because I don’t WANT Munson to be bad. But up to this point, he hasn’t shown me much. And as Lisa pointed out, his defensive improvement was kind of inevitable. He was HORRIFIC last year. And I’m not comparing him to Ausmus, I’m looking at him from the standpoint of pure major league talent behind the plate. He’s improved, but he’s still really, really bad.
Geez, Lisa, 57 responses to one posting — that’s got to be a record.
As for Wigs and Munson, I hear everyone about the stats. But I’m an optimist, and I want the ‘stros to win, so I HOPE that Wigs can settle in and tear up MMP, and I HOPE that Munson can continue both his offensive burst and his improvement at defense, and I HOPE that Garner will stop doing so much freakin platooning. I know these may be unrealistic hopes, but I still have them.
As for the final two months of our season, could we please see Albers replace WW or JJ and get some Big League time?
“Can you say, ‘anti-clutch’?”
That stat should officially be called the “Jason Lane”.
Lisa, Zambrano is no longer a Bora$ guy, according to MLB4U.com.
And I think trading Sampson is a bad idea, considering who’s making the trades.
andrew,
i wasn’t talking about zambrano – i was talking about andruw jones who IS still a boras guy.
and yeh, you right about mclane is terrible making trades.
sigh
and for all yall reading about the gagne trade for gabbard, murphy and some guy, the red sox fans think they by FAR got the best of that trade.
interesting. seeing as how gagne is a 2 month rent a player
The Red Sox fans are right, to a point.
Gabbard showed real well in his couple of starts, but either he or Lester was going to be expendable with the return of Schilling. David Murphy isn’t an impact player, from what I’ve heard, and I have no idea about the prospect they sent.
With Gagne in the bullpen along with Okajima, Papelbon, and old man Timlin, they’re nigh-unstoppable.
Given Gagne’s balky elbow, that advantage will probably hold up for about five minutes. But if he remains healthy, the trade favors the Red Sox. And they had to move either Gabbard or Lester; given the buzz around Lester, moving him would probably be considered in bad taste.
Meanwhile, the Astros are losers at the deadline. Yippee. Wasn’t expecting much better, of course, but it’s still disappointing that all they could get was nothing.
O boy. Deadline passed and all the Astros did was trade Ensberg to the Padres for a PTBNL and cash considerations. What a horrendous trading season for the Stros.
I figured Lamb would be going somewhere since he is not going to get much PT (or not as much at least). Purpura’s incompetent. Start pulling out the brown bags to cover your heads…
I’ve got a question about McLemore.
What’s the basis for suggesting that he enter the rotation?
well, mclemore was a starter in the minors – not the best starter, mind, but hey, a lefty starter is a lefty starter and why not deveolp one? best, we got our #5 guy next year and at the worst, we could use him as trade bait and seeing as how well we’ve done in trades
uh
nevermind
I dunno, do we really need another Wandy? With that wind-up and his tendency to leave stuff either too high or too low, it doesn’t look good for McLemore so far.
I guess since he’s “only” 26, he’s got a chance to get better.
“If I had a preference, he [Munson] would have started in AAA last season for a half and then been brought up. Giving him a job where he played once a week wasn