Bored at 3AM, so I started messing around with some statistics for the first time all spring.
Did you know Preston Wilson has had 19 at bats and only three times has he made contact resulting in an out? To go with his seven hits (4 for extra bases) and seven strikeouts, Preston has grounded out just once, and flown out twice more. If he didn't have four walks, I might be tempted to say he was all or nothing.
The table below gives you OPS, Secondary Average, Runs Created, and RC27 for the Houston Astros this spring. Given that it's spring it sort of made sense to sort by RC, 'cause of the wide disparity in playing time. I mean it's nice that Alan Zinter led the club in OPS, but he hadn't played all that much, either. The raw RC weights it much nicer as to who's really made a large contribution this spring.
Berkman is down the list a little, but now that Zinter's gone, he does lead the squad in OBP at .481.
Betcha didn't know Eric Munson had been quite that good. I still don't take the possibility that he could make the team very seriously, but the official site is pitching the idea that he could head north as a backup catcher.
Whatever.
Those in the Luke Scott camp might take good news from the table's suggestion that Luke has contributed more this spring than Lance Berkman. He still ain't gonna make the team, but he's had a decent March.
And any supporters of Charlton Jimerson should recognize that while the OPS is higher than Luke's and the SecA suggests some hustle, the 13 K's show that Jimerson has not made any true progress in his game. Speaking of K's, Bruntlett has twelve to go with that fairly brutal OPS you're seeing for him. But those figures for Eric really don't mean all that much, not unless he's carrying numbers like them in May.
If the official site wants to pretend that Eric Munson and Charlton Jimerson (or JR House or Kevin Orie) have a chance to make the team, it does make for inspirational copy, if not anything of great predictive value.
Alright, maybe Quintero had/has a shot to unseat Chavez as backup catcher, and I think we all concur that a healthy Bagwell sends Willy T to Round Rock, but beyond that Spring Training this year is something of a charade. Especially with the position players, the team knew exactly who was going north when it came south.
0 recs | 3 comments
Why not Munson
In my opinion Chavez is no good. Humberto has a cannon, but is fat and has not proved he can hit. Sorry if there are Quintero fans, it is just that fat players really upset me. The past two years, hell, since the RAT left we have not had a decent backup. Munson can swing it a little and that may not be that bad every fifth or sixth day on this team. There are only two or three teams besides the Astros that steal any bags and the pitchers do a good job anyway.Another note. I read you talking about Buster saying Drayton wanted Bagwell to retire. I listened to the game today and Drayton was talking about the outfield, saying how Lane might be as good as any hitter on the team this year, how well Preston is fielding and hitting, and how Willy will be one of the best centerfielders.
To me that means Bagwell has no place on this team. I love Bagwell, he was my idol that I tried to play like. There won't be room for him on this club, and no one has really lied and said he would. Drayton and Phil have really played their cards straight. They said only if he is gonna be healthy, and I don't think they reckon he is.
Shamus - March 19, 2006
Yeah I caught the McLane comments
while I was blogging the game yesterday, and they were pretty damning, actually. I wonder if McLane cares enough to be kicking himself for making them? There's nothing to be said to them, I don't think. I was wrong, Garner's evenhanded comments aside. If McLane expects to see Taveras in center (which means adios Jeff), and clearly he des, he's the owner, he's gonna see Taveras in center and adios Jeff.As far as Munson at catcher, he certainly has shown a bat this spring, but I don't see the Astros or any other major league club going into the season with someone who's played one inning at catcher professionally. If you think the bat is intriguing (and maybe it is, though Munson is a career .214 hitter--one point below Raul Chavez), then you could send him to AAA and let him play a half-season there, and revisit the idea in July. Even if the backup plays one game in five, it's too many in my mind for the kind of defensive void you'd open up. Say what you will about Chavez at least, he's plus defensively. Hell, gamecalling aside, he's better than Brad, defensively
rastronomicals - March 20, 2006
more on Munson
you note that he's a career .214 batter, which is true, but looking at his previous seasons in the bigs, the only two years he had real time in the show, he hit 18 and 19 home runs in 313 and 321 AB respectively (in 2003 and 2004). that's a dinger almost every 17 AB. that kind of pace would have been good for 2nd on our club last year, in front of Berkman, Lane, and Lamb (who by the way had similar logic used to bring him praise by the official site and also by the way has more innings at catcher in big league ball than Munson... why not also consider him for backup catcher duties?)just some additional thoughts for the conversation.
littlevisigoth - March 20, 2006
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