Colt 45s Blog

This is a great story on Craig Biggio and how he’s coming up on the 3,000 hit mark.  The gist of the story is that Biggio is a grinder.  Good stuff.

There’s no doubt that Roy Oswalt is the team’s ace.  With Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens gone (at least for now in Clemens case), the number two spot in the rotation will fall on Jason Jennings shoulder.  Jennings was brought over from the Rockies in a trade for Willie Taveras and pitching prospects Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsch so the price we paid was pretty high.  Now Astros fans just have to hope that Jason Jenning is up for the challenge and the reward we get was worth the price.

Do the Astros have what it takes to compete in 2007?  NBCsports.com recently takes a look at this question in their Astros preseason preview.  I’m a little pessimistic because I think teams like the Cubs and Brewers are close to breaking out and the Cardinals will be right there as well.  Adding Carlos Lee is nice and should bolster the lineup even more, but the rotation is very questionable once you get past Roy Oswalt.

One thing the Astros could do is add a starter.  While I’m sure they’ve been working the trade market, it’ll probably be something they address at the trade deadline.  The question will just be whether the Astros will be buyers or sellers come July.

Hunter Pence tops Baseball America’s list of top ten Astros prospects.  Pence had a great season at Double A and he was on his way to a great season in the Arizona Fall League before his legal difficulties hit.  There’s room for Pence on the big league club so if he doesn’t start 2007 with the Astros, you’ll be seeing most likely by the All Star break.

Number two is left hander pitcher Troy Patton.  The starter was very good at High A but struggled at Double A.  This is another guy you could be hearing about by the end of the year. 

Matt Albers, who got a cup of coffee for the Astros last year, comes in at number three.  He was very good at Double A but he split time at three different levels.  He could compete for a spot in the rotation at spring training so keep an eye on him in March.

Jimmy Barthmaier and Juan Gutierrez round out the top five.  Both are solid arms but Gutierrez is closer to the big leagues then Barthmaier, who was solid at High A in 2006.

So we’ve got some good arms and a major league ready outfielder down on the farm.  Good stuff here, and the Astros need it.

This is the kind of thing you like to see.  Brad Lidge had a rough year last season and by year end he had been given a break from his closer duties.  It seems Nolan Ryan specifically asked to work with Lidge at his Elite Pitchers Camp, which is normally for minor league pitchers in the Astros organization.  This is good stuff and if Ryan can work with Lidge and fix the control problems he had last year, there’s not doubt it’d be worth at least couple of wins in the standings.