FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I love the Astros, but they have a lot of flaws. From a hitting standpoint, they have a couple guys who siphon the life out of a lineup.

1. Shortstop: Adam Everett is a fine DEFENSIVE Shortstop, but he owns a .247 Batting Average in over 2100 career at bats. He doesn't walk, he doesn't really hit for power. I did mention he is a fine defensive player, right? He only puts up about 1 Error for every 10 games. So we have an every day player who can't hit the ball? By the way, he makes $2.8 million dollars this year...which is actually more than Mark Loretta who should really take over on a permanent basis for at least the next year. If Jack Wilson didn't make so much ($5.4 mil.), I'd make that trade in a heartbeat, but if Loretta walks and we could find some sucker to take Everett...maybe there could be a trade. Speaking of trades, too bad we traded Carlos Guillen...

2. Catcher: Brad Ausmus isn't a bad guy. In fact, I actually like him. he's a veteran player who has been here for a while. He can handle a pitching staff. He used to be able to throw out runners. His $4 million salary is a little high, given his production, but he always bats around .250 and catches 130 games. So he's reliable, doesn't drive in runs, and doesn't knock them out of the park. It's rumored that he wants to come back next year, which I wouldn't completely argue with. There's not really any options out there. The biggest Free-Agent names are Posada and LoDuca, neither of whom is a long-term option. They need to sign Ausmus to a REASONABLE salary, $2.5 million max, and look to develop a player from within the organization. It's also possible to trade for some young help, and develop that. ATTENTION: Eric Munson and J.R. Towles this is your job to lose!

3. Third Base: Ty Wigginton, sorry dude, you're not playing third next year. After we shipped Morgan "Dead Bat" Ensberg to San Diego, we got Ty to play his spot. I think the third base job should go to Mike Lamb. He's never been a full-time player for us, and I think he deserves a shot. I really think he could hit .285 with 25 homeruns over the course of a full season. He also has a reasonable salary. Don't worry, Ty's still a valuable part of them team...

4. Second Base: Chris Burke what is your problem, man? I'm not even going to mention Craig Biggio because he is retiring at the end of the season. By the way, as much as I enjoy seeing Biggio play, he's no longer an everyday player. Sorry man, you're just not the same guy you were 5 years ago, but thanks for switching the center for Kent, and left for Beltran. As for Burke, give it up. The promise he showed was not a glimpse of the future. He's batting .227 this year, lowering his career numbers to .249. he showed some promise last year, but he just doesn't seem to be able to play with the big boys. To fix this problem, we're gonna be creative. I'm saying Loretta stays at Shortstop next year, and Ty Wigginton becomes the new second baseman. He's done it before, and actually wasn't bad when he played there with the Devil Rays. He's got some pop to his bat and hits for decent average. He deserves an everyday spot, but so does Lamb.

5. Right Field: Jason Lane/Luke Scott, Scott hasn't really been that bad, hitting .258 with 18 homers, but only driving in 63 runs. He doesn't strike out a whole lot (compared to his teammates), and he walks some. Jason Lane, on the other hand, has been crappy. I see no reason to keep playing him. He's awful I call him "All or Nothin'" Lane because he has 8 homers out of 29 hits. A .175 batting average is pathetic, especially for a guy who was supposed to be a future contributor to this club. They need a decent fielder, since Carlos Lee is on pace to grow too big to play the field. Baseball is won by hitting, pitching, and defense. They need to have some good defenders in the outfield. Keep Scott, throw Lane in with Everett for a pitcher or a bag of balls. Another option is to pray that Torii Hunter wants to play right field and do it cheap. Ty has played the outfield as well..

If we use my proposed lineup we get

• CF Hunter Pence
• SS Mark Loretta
• LF Carlos Lee
• 1B Lance Berkman
• 2B Ty Wigginton
• 3B Mark Loretta
• RF Luke Scott
• C Brad Ausmus/Eric Munson/J.R. Towles
• Pitcher

Not so bad, we got Eric Bruntlett and Orlando Palmeiro on the bench. Need a couple more good bench guys, especially a corner infielder and someone who can play any outfield spot.

One the pitching side of things, we're a mess. After Roy Oswalt, we got Jason Jennings, who sucks. Woody Williams just hasn't been good. Brandon Backe really isn't a bad pitcher, glad to have him back. Wandy Rodriguez can't win away from home, Chris Sampson and Matt Albers need to grow some, but they'll be decent back-of-the-rotation guys. I'd rather see those guys develop than spend big money on another high-dollar 40-year old free agent. Lazy-**** Clemens and Crybaby Petitte would have made this team worse, by the way.

In the bullpen, we got Brad Lidge, who sometimes saves more than Jesus, other times, he can't save anything. Chad Qualls is a solid setup guy. After Brian Moehler and Trever Miller, most of the guys in the pen have an ERA over 5.00...We need relief pitchers. Lidge and Qualls can't pitch every day, and someone has to get the game to the 7th inning. I like Wigginton, but why in the world did Tim Purpura trade Dan Wheeler for him?

We need good guys in the bullpen, not star pitchers who will make $3 million a season. We need role players who can get the game to Qualls and Lidge to shut it down.

Maybe I didn't completely fix the Astros, but I do have an idea of the direction this team should go in. I figure they'll throw money at a free agent, but their best bet is to resign Loretta and Lamb, get some pitching, and save their money. Seriously. Seeing Torii Hunter or Curt Shilling in Astros stripes might be enticing, but it's going to take more to win the division next year. Throwing money around is not going to buy this division, just ask the Cubs. Heck, ask the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers as well.