Jason Smith -Smith is in the running to be our utility middle infielder, but he could slide over to third. He is a left handed hitter like Geoff Blum, so this probably won't happen.
Miguel Tejada recently said he'd be willing to move to the hot corner. Fortuitous timing, perhaps.
Sutton projects very well for a guy who's never had major league experience: his Oliver projection of .263/.337/.421, 16 HR. All projections see a lot of strikeouts from him, however.
Chris Johnson is seen as more of a long shot to be a viable candidate at least this season.
0 recs | 14 comments
Boone replacement
Well, this sure id unfortunate for Boone and my preyers are with him as he has surgery and recovers. He is a gamer and a quality person and could have been a asset to our team.
Personally, my thoughts are to immediately move Tejada to 3B, i have always liked Blum but he was really good off the bench last year and is much better suited as a utility player.
Then you pick up the phone and call the A’s and inquire what it would take to land Bobby Crosby who is very displeased about the a’s landing Cabrera. He would be a great fit as our shortstop and could be a decent addition to the lineup as the number 2 hitter, can;t imagine his numbers would be worse than Tejada’s from last year. Question is: who are we going to send their way: I’d say Backe plus a prospect but i don’t think Backe has any trade value and i’d hate to see us send Norris or James to them.
I suppose the quick solution is to just allow Johnson to step into the platoon role with Blum and see how it goes…..the only way we will know what this guy is worth is if we give him a chance. And the Astros have always waited too long to bring a future player to the big stage….
just my thoughts.
KP in H-town - March 18, 2009
The biggest issues for the Astros with Crosby would be his salary...
He is due something like $5.6 million this year, and the Astros don’t seem to have that kind of money to spend. Also, he is overpaid in today’s market for the kind of performance he has given in the last few years. I suppose it might work if the A’s would eat most of his salary, but then they would want a good prospect in return.
I suspect that Chris Johnson will be given every opportunity to fill Boone’s role. However, I’m hesitant to say that he is ready for the majors.
clack - March 18, 2009
Johnson
Has a weaker RHP pitching split though, so the platoon would need to turn Blum around…It’s weird:
vs. LHP – .226/.257/.323/.580
vs. RHP – .278/.319/.415/.734
Stephen Higdon - March 18, 2009
Not necessarily
he only needs to hit better against LHP than Blum. No guarantee he’ll do that, though.
Only_A_Lad - March 18, 2009
you're right...and that creates a dilemma for a platoon, since Blum...
is worse against LHP. I am usually suspicious of stats which show a player with an advantage opposite the side you expect. I wonder about sample sizes. But Johnson’s splits appear that way throughout his career…it is a pretty significant split. Sutton is a switch hitter and his he hits RHP better than LHP too, but the split isn’t as large as Johnson’s.
clack - March 18, 2009
I hate to be negative, but I could see this happening..
Cooper inserts him in the platoon because he is RH and Johnson fails…mostly because he is put at a disadvantage.
clack - March 18, 2009
Michael Costanzo
Maybe the Astros bring him back. He is a free agent and he has a history with GM Ed Wade. He was part of the Tejada trade and Baltimore let him walk this year.
wadero - March 18, 2009
Saccomono
he was a september call up and had good average and power numbers at RR last season. He hit a home run on the first pitch of his first major league at bat but really only batted .200 for his stint in september. They already sent him back down to minor league camp but i’d say it wouldn’t be that bad of an option of johnson isn’t ready
Subber10 - March 18, 2009
I like Saccomona offensively...
but he is a poor defensive third baseman, and I think that has soured the Astros on his chances at that position. The Astros have played him mostly as a 1st baseman and DH in AAA last year. Having said that, I think he should be allowed to compete for Boone’s position.
clack - March 18, 2009
where art thou wiggy
srsly.
prop - March 18, 2009
+1
Evan Hochschild - March 18, 2009
Possible 3d basemen who might be released near the end of spring training....
Dallas McPherson Marlins
Wilson Betemit ChiWS
Mark Loretta LAD
Keep that in mind.
clack - March 18, 2009
Why would Mark Loretta be released?
entropic soul - March 18, 2009
numbers in the infield for LA.
When the Dodgers originally signed Loretta, they didn’t realize they would later sign Orlando Hudson. I’m not sure about it, but some people think there may not be room for Loretta.
clack - March 18, 2009
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