SB Nation User Blog: HighLeveragePerformer

Astros' OF Michael Bourn wins National League Glove Glove

HighLeveragePerformer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:31:13 -0000

NL Gold Glove winner Michael Bourn snags a fly ball. MB ranked 4th in UZR for all NL OFs, and 5th in UZR/150...A legitimate winner of the Gold Glove. Refreshing.

Browse more photos »

From potential bench player, to actual ballplayer.

Out of of TCB dog house, and onto our list of bright spots.

Call it what you will, reason it however you wish, Michael Bourn proved just about every prognosticator, projection system, baseball insider, and cynic wrong with his 2009 season. At this time last year, nobody, this blog included, expected much of anything out of Mike. If he could avoid getting benched it would be a great success.

Think about that. When the Astros made their ill fated run towards the post season in 2008, Darin Erstad was getting significant time in CF because Bourn couldn't hold his own with the big leaguers. Meanwhile, Brad Lidge was mowin' 'em down in Philadelphia. Ed Wade looked the buffoon that most make him out to be.

Fast forward a season, and Wade looks quite...dare I say it...savvy. Our 26 year old centerfielder was a four win player, en route to having a bounce back season that would make Lidge himself smile. A 74 win club with the oldest roster in the game normally can't have that many positives going into an off season, and the Astros are no exception. Throughout the 162 game season however, a speedster whose roots are in Houston made us smile no matter how far away the Cardinals got in the standings.

Now there's this, confirmation of Michael Bourn's ascendancy into the class of a respectable ball player. With his first Gold Glove in just his second full season as a major leaguer, Michael doesn't need to look over his shoulder anymore, worrying that his job may be usurped at the next strike out our meek fly ball.

His game has the potential to expand even more, which is the incredible part of this story. I fully expect him to work just as hard this winter to hone his craft and return to Florida with more defined skills and an even better appreciation for what it takes to succeed in the bigs.

Congratulations to Michael Bourn. Humility seems to be his calling card, but deep down, it must be a great feeling to prove people wrong and to do so in convincing fashion. Question marks abound with the Astros, but out in center we're golden.

With Miguel Tejada most likely on his way out, Tommy Manzella is in as Astros Shortstop in 2010

HighLeveragePerformer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:17:57 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Tommy Manzella and Michael Bourn would give the Astros one of the best defensive SS-CF combos in the NL Central

Browse more photos »

Straight from Eddy Wade's mouth:

At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop.

The possibility remains that Tejada could return as a third baseman.

Tommy Manzella grades anywhere from good to very good at shortstop. AstroAndy did a fine comparison between Manzella and former Astro Adam Everett a few months ago. Replacing this kind of defense with Manzella's defensive abilities at short would definitely be a boon.

As far as being able to retain Miguel Tejada as a third baseman, I don't know if that would be in the cards. His Bill James projection for 2010 is actually better in terms of runs created per game as compared to 2009. The million dollar-plus question will be if that production is worth spending X amount of dollars more on the veteran Tejada vs. some sort of platoon with Blum/Kepp/C. Johnson.

With Lance Berkman, Geoff Blum, Kaz Matsui and Jeff Keppinger already assured of spots on the club in 2010, Ed Wade will have decisions to make on which other infielders to bring in. It seems as if Tommy Manzella will play shorstop, as a trade or free agent signing isn't likely. While Chris Johnson has shown promise, don't look past Jeff Keppinger as a good option to be a starter on this team. He's not going to get David Wright AB's, but he is right at the peak of his career and is looked at as being a solid contributor in 2010. A fairly cheap contract makes him nearly as attractive as Johnson for the cost conscious Astros.

Bottom line, this was the first real indication of what changes we can expect in our 2010 Astros. For those who missed having a superb defensive shortstop, your wish looks like it may be coming true. Tommy Manzella will need time to adjust to major league hitting, but he has shown the ability to approach Everett's level offensively. That may not wow you, but remember that the cost is right with Manzella. Get used to hearing that sort of rationalization from the Astros camp. Keep in mind as well that Gio Mier is drawing rave reviews as the best defensive shortstop from the 2009 draft and his bat has been better than advertised so far as a professional. View Manzella however you want- a defensive savant, a stopgap, Adam Everett, 2.0. He makes the league minimum, and when your team is dominated by three player's salaries, those are the sort of trade offs a team must make.

As for Miguel Tejada, it doesn't appear that he will be back as an Astro, despite the door being left open for his return. He turned in a nice offensive season and as stated earlier is supposed to be even better in 2010. It's probable that another club gives him a shot at third, and does so with a contract whose value is close to eight figures per season. The Astros have three serviceable to slightly above serviceable options at third base, which leaves Tejada as the odd man out in my mind.

Friday AFL Update; Tim Lincecum is your best friend; Giveaways at MMP Oprah-style

HighLeveragePerformer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:06:11 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Don't be frustrated, Hunter...it takes time to learn how to fold towels the "right" way. Long ways once, then fold the right side over towards the middle, and the left side over the right side.

Browse more photos »

The Arizona Fall League hasn't exactly treated our farm hands all that well, but yesterday was a rare all around success for our boys, despite coming out on the losing end of things.

Jon Gaston, who is becoming the minor league Jack Cust, hit his second longball of the fall season and upped his SLG to a tidy .568. Speaking of Cust, if Gaston became like the A's DH: a low BA/high SLG/high K guy, I would probably be ok with that. Especially considering that Gaston appears willing and able to both play defense and steal the occasional base.

Jose Vallejo collected four hits in five ABs....I won't mention that he has only nine hits total in 39 ABs. Wait. What's that? I just mentioned it? Shit. But hey- what did Pudge Rodriguez do on Thursday? Count his millions? Play with his kids? Shine his Gold Glove Plaques? Maybe. Go 4/5 in a Fall League game? Nope. Advantage: Astros.

For what it's worth Dan Meszaros pitched well in an inning of work. Rejoice, for a run was not allowed.

Chalk this up in the..."now that I think about it, this makes complete sense" column: Tim Lincecum was pulled over on October 30th in his home state of Washington for speeding. Young guy, fast car, happens all the time. There's more: Tiny Timmy had 3.3 grams of marijuana in the center console of his Mercedes. I mean, can you blame him? Dude looks like your best buddy from high school. Difference being that he makes grown men look foolish every fifth day for the SF Giants. On second thought, maybe the Washington State Trooper pulled over this guy instead:

The question isn't what we're going to do, the question is, what aren't we going to do?

Folks, sit down in your chairs for this one. Of all the disheartening news we've posted on here, this may top the list: Oprah is taking her talk show from regular TV to her cable network in 2011. I know there are some of y'all who watch the show, so don't get all huffy because I posted this. It's a sad day when millions of people a day won't be able to comment on the best in girl-power literature, or Oprah's latest falling off the diet-wagon.

Brainstorm: what is Oprah most famous for? No, not The Color Purple. Not her friendship with Gail. Her giving away of free stuff! Cars, money, food, books, orphaned Asian children..scratch that last one. But she has proven ready and willing to give things away indiscriminately. It works for her. Hey- her shows are free to attend and she still gives things away.

Drayton McLane, I hope you're paying attention. Why don't the Astros take a page form the O-Dog's playbook and offer giveaways not just every once in a while, but every single home game. Make it creative:

-Take an Astro home and have him help with household chores. Every month, 25 lucky fans get to take home one of their favorite big leaguers to sweep the walk, scrub toilets and rake leaves. Can't you see Hunter Pence and Mike Bourn becoming even more of the fan's favorites based on their youthful exuberance with the mop or broom? If Lance and Roy were getting tired of playing baseball, imagine how upset they'd be having to fill Grandma's bath with epsom salts. Guarantee it: Roy would be like Sean Casey on the field, smiling and yucking it up with everyone, happy to be done with his indentured servitude.

-For the first 500 fans 25 and under: play for an Astros' minor league affiliate. The first 500 relatively young people will get a chance to play professional baseball for one of the Astros' farm teams. It's perfect, there's no pressure since we haven't fielded a winning minor league club since 2007, and what better way to clue the casual fan into just how poorly the lower realms of this franchise are run. On second thought: push the age limit up to 28. 30 if you're a lefty who's "slow developing, with good, raw stuff". Another can't miss.

What other give aways should Drayton put on the schedule? There are 81 home games. I suggested two. Let's see how many creative ideas we can get.

Improvements to SBN are afoot

HighLeveragePerformer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:36:13 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Wilton Lopez would love the SBN page layouts if he knew about them. Maybe he does! (Probably not).

Browse more photos »

The bigwigs at SBN want us to let you, the reader, know that changes to the page layouts for each individual blog are going to happen soon. So be on the lookout for it, and don't be frightened. Everything will be ok. DQ, David, clack, FarmStros and myself's statuses as all around badass writers are safe.

What will change? Well, the blog will look, for lack of a better term, cleaner. From what I can decipher that's about all. Just another example of how SBN makes all of our lives just a liiiittlllee bit better.

So bask in the new platform (I think that's what you can call it) along with us.

Yankees owe Astros for 12.5% of their runs in Game Three of the World Series

HighLeveragePerformer — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:39:16 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Andy Pettitte wasn't spectacular on the mound by any stretch, but give the man a bat...

Browse more photos »

Andy Pettitte notched career post season win #17 last night in helping the Yankees beat Philadelphia in Game 3 of the World Series. Sure, seventeen victories is a record or something like that- but more importantly he drove in a run with a fifth inning single.

Now, the way I see it, Andy has 186 career regular season at bats. Of those 186, 147 were with the Astros. His sole career homer came as an Astro.

Basically Pettitte learned how to hit while he was an Astro. So you're welcome, New York. Don't underestimate his time spent as an Astro and how it helped the Yanks get halfway to a World Championship.

Members of Coaching Staff named; Brocail's option declined for 2010

HighLeveragePerformer — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:08:39 -0000

Members of Coaching Staff named; Brocail's option declined for 2010

Bobby Meacham (1st base) and Al Pedrique (bench coach) will be coaches next season.

The Astros will pay $250,000 to buy out Doug Brocail's option for 2010. The probable Type B Free Agent will most likely not be offered arbitration either.

Tell us your opinions of Minute Maid Park and get your responses published

HighLeveragePerformer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:52:03 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Houston's finest outside Houston's balllpark.

Browse more photos »

As I was about to turn off my laptop yesterday, I received an interesting email from a gentleman by the name of Paul Swaney. Mr. Swaney and a partner of his have created a cool website called Stadium Journey where they give the reader a tour of the various stadiums which house professional (NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL) teams. Each stadium is given a rating based on things like atmosphere, access, neighborhood surrounding the stadium, etc. Basically it's a place where a person unfamiliar with a particular locale can do some legwork before attending a ballgame.

That's where we come in. Paul initially asked me if I wanted to contribute my .02 cents to the project. I counter-proposed that I could make a post on our blog and let everyone put down their opinions on MMP. They have a good start, but our input could definitely put their Astros page over the top. Basically he's asked us to add tidbits that will optimize the total game viewing experience of anyone who goes to Minute Maid Park.

So, please, take a look at what they have already, and if there's anything that you would like to add, comment on it (add your name and I'm sure Paul will cite you), and be a part of this up and coming website. Anything from underrated seats to watch a game, lesser known restaurants/bars within walking distance of the park, best places to park (cheap garages), access to restrooms, tasty ballpark treats, etc. Whatever it is that you like (or hell, don't like) about the park, let Paul know. I'll send him a link from this post at the end of the day so that he can use the info that we give him. Have at it, folks.

Managing the Houston Astros: Brad Mills' and his ability to define himself

HighLeveragePerformer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:56:45 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Browse more photos »

Approach the signing of our new manager from that perspective and you can't help but be optimistic about the winter and the regular season ahead. So Manny Acta turned us down, because our owner wouldn't throw an extra year on a contract. Can anyone honestly say that they didn't think Drayton McLane would mess up the negotiations process? How that man is a success in the business world is a mystery to me. Bottom line, TCB's main man got away and there's a new man to denigrate/laud depending upon the outcome of a particular game. It's the nature of the beast, and Brad Mills is going to learn that from the get go.

After thinking more and more about what to write I sort of encountered a mental brick wall. DQ and David have ably analyzed Mr. Mills' career to this point, and I don't think I could have done a better job. At this point let's just be thankful that the process is over, Mr. Mills is in tow, and the Astros coaching staff is about to come together.

The bench coach is to baseball as the asst. head coach/coordinator is to football. When an NFL team hires an offensive/defensive coordinator to be a head coach, at least a fan knows what his track record is. How does he handle a particular defense? What are his tendencies? Game management, interaction with his players and preparedness would all be fairly evident from his previous job held. In baseball, we don't have that luxury. Terry Francona, as much as we maybe don't want to hear this, is not Brad Mills. The man Drayton hired as our manager is going to develop his identity as an Astro. Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Sammy Gervacio and Bud Norris are going to help define Mills' status as a major league manager. Cecil Cooper wasn't able to do enough with what he was given. Hopefully Brad Mills can.

The Astros' roster is not the Red Sox' roster (in case you hadn't noticed). Kevin Youkilis is not walking through that door, but neither are the higher than high expectations that accompany the Sox year in and year out. Nope, the buzz surrounding Mills' maiden club is low and probably will stay that way until Opening Day. Unless Drayton's stock portfolio improves and a free pitcher lands on his door step, Mr. Mills is going to have a roster that lacks talent and is in need of a major dose of motivation. Some players are going to improve upon their 2009 seasons. Others will go the opposite direction. How Mills deals with all of them will determine whether or not he will be viewed as an improvement upon his predecessors.

Houston Astros manager, Brad Mills. Looks good to me. Now it's time for our new head man to define himself and his team, so that it's the Astros that look good.

Astros claim OF Jason Bourgeois off waivers from Milwaukee

HighLeveragePerformer — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:06:15 -0000

Astros claim OF Jason Bourgeois off waivers from Milwaukee

The 28 year old will most likely compete for a fourth or fifth outfielder's job and as a pinch hitter.

His last name has three vowels in a row. That's something!

Career Stats.

Astros' Managerial Endorsement: Manny Acta tops my list

HighLeveragePerformer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:56:56 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - ASSOCIATED PRESS

The photo is from spring training when the Nats were playing...the Astros.

Browse more photos »

The search for a new manager for the Astros has stretched on, and on, and on. It probably should- this team needs to take it slow and make a smart decision. The ghosts of Jimy Williams, Phil Garner and Cecil Cooper still hang above MMP. Stability is important in any line of work, and the Astros haven't had it in recent seasons. Better to go slow and make a prudent choice.

All that being said, the manager of a baseball team is more a figurehead in my mind than anything else. In game strategies can be (and are) over analyzed by beat writers, which riles up the fan base, and leads to grumblings that often times emanates all the way up the Drayton McLane's office on Crawford Street.

Now the search has been narrowed down to the final four. One of the finalists' specter still hangs over the ballpark- Phil Garner was well liked, led the team to the World Series, and looks like a manager. Good 'ol Scrap Iron. Lives in the Woodlands. Has a history with the team. Doesn't really wow you with any one characteristic though.

Dave Clark is Gerald Ford. He is a holdover from the Cooper administration, and I can't help but think of the past when I see his name. Perhaps his superior communication skills, along with his time spent managing in the lower levels of baseball will be enough to land him the job. My Magic 8 Ball says all signs point to no, however.

Brad Mills has seen championship baseball firsthand with the Red Sox, and has a past with GM Ed Wade. Mills was a bench coach for the Phillies in the 1990s. This fact alone is enough to give his candidacy a ton of legitimacy. The one advantage to Mills is that he is different. He is not a Houston guy, has been educated in a different baseball system, and doesn't stand to be brought down by his past (Garner) or his past ties (Clark).

Finally, we have Manny Acta. He is the front runner, and I hope the job becomes his. We can laud him for his sabermetric slant on managing or his ability to get people to work together. However this Acta quote, perhaps more than anything caught my attention. In response to his history up and down the Astros' organization, Acta quipped:

...that he had a star for a heart.

At certain times, passion is often times as important as in game tactics, communication, or knowledge. While all must be used in tandem, passion keeps men interested in playing a child's game during long road trips through Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and July. I don't know if Cecil Cooper conveyed the passion necessary to get his club to play inspired ball during the dog days of a major league season. Manny Acta does. He would be an excellent manager, as he embodies all the qualities I have mentioned that a manager needs to be successful. Hopefully he's given an opportunity here in Houston.