The Astros are downright Offensive
- Exactly 2 regulars in the Astros' current lineup make outs less than 2 out of every 3 plate appearances. Let that sink in just a little bit. 3B Morgan Ensberg's got an OBP of .370, and Lance Berkman, who's had an astounding 7 extra-base hits in 123 at-bats since returning from "McHale surgery", has an OBP of .345.
Speedster Willy Taveras has a .321 OBP, which is especially crappy for a leadoff hitter, and has 11 extra-base hits in 223 at-bats. Sure he's not a slugger, but with his speed, didn't you expect him to stretch an extra double or triple every couple of games?
Jason Lane's bat has come alive lately, but he's still taken only 12 walks in 195 at-bats and is failing to reach base 70% of the time he comes to the plate.
Despite centuries of expansion and evolution, the English language does not currently possess strong enough descriptive terms to properly illustrate Brad Ausmus' offensive performance (how does a .265 slugging percentage strike you?) BA's a nice guy and, according to my wife looks splendid in his sliding pants, but 4 extra-base hits in 132 at-bats is beyond terrible. When Adam Everett is out-slugging you by 0.124, you should be calling Raul Chavez to see if he needs a roommate. Newly promoted Humberto Quintero had a nice 1-4 to start his Astros career, and selflessly, he's tried to keep from perturbing Senor Ausmus, going hitless in his last 12 at-bats.
Adam Everett - nearing Ausmus-like production (.237/.290/.389). Mike Lamb, the clutch bat off the bench last year, has played his way off of every AL GM's "future DH list" with his .213/.263/.376 splits (yes, those are worse than Everett's numbers). I pined to see more of Chris Burke, and he still deserves to be playing every day when considering the alternatives, but I certainly didn't forsee .179/.216/.253.
Ironically, Baggy's numbers, much maligned at the time of his departure, are considerably better than every hitter on the current roster except for Morgan Ensberg. How many Astros fans would still not like to see him return sooner rather than later to the lineup? Sure, $17 million is too much for his current abilities, but the money has already been spent, and that production, no matter how much it has diminished, would still be outstanding for the 2005 Astros.
- The negative magnitude of the K has been debated heavily in recent months (here's a start), and I'm still somewhat undecided personally. I know that as a fan I feel much more helpless watching my team go down swinging than I do when they're putting it in play, but overall, I've been persuaded that a player is not, by definition, an unproductive hitter because he strikes out a lot (see: Adam Dunn). However, I am prepared to say that a team whose lineup is stacked with hitters who are striking out multiple times for each time they draw a walk is likely going to stink.
BB K
Ensberg 32 55
Berkman 18 20
Biggio 13 34
Tavarez 11 39
Lane 12 39
Ausmus 13 20
Everett 13 32
Lamb 10 25
Burke 4 23
That is ugly.
- Some of the fans' usual cries don't hold much water, though, when trying to explain the Astros' offensive futlity. With RISP, they're batting .270 (middle of the pack in MLB), .258 with RISP and 2 outs (12th in MLB). However, the Astros are 3rd to last with the bases loaded (.184 avg) and 3rd to last from the 7th inning on (.229 avg).
The Astros' team SLG is ahead of only Seattle and Oakland (.387), their 53 homers leads only Washington, Seattle and Oakland, and their team OBP is WORST in MLB (.306).
Speedster Willy Taveras has a .321 OBP, which is especially crappy for a leadoff hitter, and has 11 extra-base hits in 223 at-bats. Sure he's not a slugger, but with his speed, didn't you expect him to stretch an extra double or triple every couple of games?
Jason Lane's bat has come alive lately, but he's still taken only 12 walks in 195 at-bats and is failing to reach base 70% of the time he comes to the plate.
Despite centuries of expansion and evolution, the English language does not currently possess strong enough descriptive terms to properly illustrate Brad Ausmus' offensive performance (how does a .265 slugging percentage strike you?) BA's a nice guy and, according to my wife looks splendid in his sliding pants, but 4 extra-base hits in 132 at-bats is beyond terrible. When Adam Everett is out-slugging you by 0.124, you should be calling Raul Chavez to see if he needs a roommate. Newly promoted Humberto Quintero had a nice 1-4 to start his Astros career, and selflessly, he's tried to keep from perturbing Senor Ausmus, going hitless in his last 12 at-bats.
Adam Everett - nearing Ausmus-like production (.237/.290/.389). Mike Lamb, the clutch bat off the bench last year, has played his way off of every AL GM's "future DH list" with his .213/.263/.376 splits (yes, those are worse than Everett's numbers). I pined to see more of Chris Burke, and he still deserves to be playing every day when considering the alternatives, but I certainly didn't forsee .179/.216/.253.
Ironically, Baggy's numbers, much maligned at the time of his departure, are considerably better than every hitter on the current roster except for Morgan Ensberg. How many Astros fans would still not like to see him return sooner rather than later to the lineup? Sure, $17 million is too much for his current abilities, but the money has already been spent, and that production, no matter how much it has diminished, would still be outstanding for the 2005 Astros.
- The negative magnitude of the K has been debated heavily in recent months (here's a start), and I'm still somewhat undecided personally. I know that as a fan I feel much more helpless watching my team go down swinging than I do when they're putting it in play, but overall, I've been persuaded that a player is not, by definition, an unproductive hitter because he strikes out a lot (see: Adam Dunn). However, I am prepared to say that a team whose lineup is stacked with hitters who are striking out multiple times for each time they draw a walk is likely going to stink.
BB K
Ensberg 32 55
Berkman 18 20
Biggio 13 34
Tavarez 11 39
Lane 12 39
Ausmus 13 20
Everett 13 32
Lamb 10 25
Burke 4 23
That is ugly.
- Some of the fans' usual cries don't hold much water, though, when trying to explain the Astros' offensive futlity. With RISP, they're batting .270 (middle of the pack in MLB), .258 with RISP and 2 outs (12th in MLB). However, the Astros are 3rd to last with the bases loaded (.184 avg) and 3rd to last from the 7th inning on (.229 avg).
The Astros' team SLG is ahead of only Seattle and Oakland (.387), their 53 homers leads only Washington, Seattle and Oakland, and their team OBP is WORST in MLB (.306).
posted by Scott | 1:26 PM
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