The Astros Dugout

MLB Headlines

MVN - A Houston Astros blog

Home
Friends

Astros Spring Training 2008 2 Week Review - Hitters

By Lisa Gray | March 13th, 2008

E-mail | Print | Share

Well, it IS just spring training and we ARE only talking small sample sizes, but let’s take a look…

It’s going to be interesting to see if Cooper is going to stick to his initial plan of batting Matsui second and Pence 6th, and it is going to be even MORE interesting to see where he ends up putting Berkman, Lee and Tejada in the lineup as Tejada isn’t hitting and Lee is saying he doesn’t want to bat 5th. Berkman and Lee are both better hitters than Tejada…

The regular lineup:

Bourn: 13/36 with 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RS, 6 BB, 9 K, 7 RBI, 6 SB, 2 CS: .361/.452/.500
Matsui: 6/18 with 2 2B, 6 RS, 1 BB, 3 K, 4 RBI,2 SB, 0 CS: .333/.350/.444
Tejada: 7/29 with 5 2B, 4 RS, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS: .241/.267/.414
Berkman: 8/24 with 2 @B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RS, 3 BB, 7 K, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .333/.393/.750
Lee: 7/22 with 2 HR and 3 RS, 2 BB, 1 K, 7 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .313/.360/.591
Pence: 14/41 with 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RS, 3 BB, 5 K, 9 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS: .341/.378/.561
Wigginton: 7/34 with 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 RS, 0 BB, 3 K, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .206/.229/.412
Towles: 7/15 with 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RS, 1 BB, 2 K, 5 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS:

Expected bench:

Loretta: 10/29 with 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RS, 1 BB, 2 K, 9 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS: .345/.406/.448
Blum: 8/31 with 2 2B, 5 RS, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 RBI, 0 SB, o CS: .258/.343/.355
Erstad: 9/28 with 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RS, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS: .321/.345/.571
Cruz: 12/41 with 7 doubles, 6 RS, 3 BB, 9 K, 7 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS/ .293/.341/.390 Ausmus: 6/16 with 2 2B, 3 RS, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .375/.375/.500
Diaz: 5/26 with 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RS, 2 BB, 10 K, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 0 CS: .192/.250/.493

The rest of the 40 man/minor leaguers/NRIs:

Newhan: 8/30 with 2 3B, 4 RS, 2 BB, 3 K, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 0 CS: .267/.303/.400
Abercrombie: 5/29 with 2 2B, 4 RS, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 RBI, 5 SB, 2 CS: .172/.273/.242
Perez: 5/29 with 2 2B, 3 RS, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .172/.250/.276
Quintero: 8/21 with 1 2B, 3 RS, 2 BB, 2 K, 6 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS: .381/.435/.429
Gorneault: 7/14 with 1 2B, 6 RS, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS: .500/.563/.571

Johnson, J, Sutton, Castillo, Maysonnet, C. Johnson and Klassen all have a couple ABs and won’t make the ML team, but are still being used as filler. In case you are curious, Tommy Manzella, who was sent down before either Tomas Perez or Maysonnet was hitting .315 and SLG .431

Comments: Brad Ausmus is hitting .375 and I feel he should be the #3 hitter with an average like that.

hahahahahaha

No, really, the point is that 30 - 40 AB over 2 weeks against pitchers trying to find the strike zone and a bunch of minor leaguers really isn’t particularly significant unless they aren’t even making good contact. Quintero is hitting .381 and we ALL know that won’t last, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we open the season with 3 catchers because Quintero is out of options and would more likely pass through waivers in the first week of the season - we can always call up a pitcher.

By the way, not only is Tejada not hitting well or fielding well (4 erors already), he has GIDP 3 times. Peachy. And as for Matsui, well, as I’ve said before, he has never played more than 114 games in a season, so even though he doesn’t have a baseball related injury, it’s still a pain in the butt. So to speak…

At this point, I would guess that Cruz will be the last bench guy, not Diaz and that unfortunately Erstad is hitting over .300, so even though that means about the same as Ausmus hitting .375, it will convince the Organization that the Gritmeister should make it.

Next entry will focus on pitching. What there isn’t of it…

And of COURSE all yall want to know how things are going in dog land. The puppies are growing FAST and like kids, once they figure out there is a world outside of the crib, they want to explore every corner of it. They ARE going to new homes by Opening Day no matter HOW much the kids (including very large husband-type kid) complain/whine/plead. After all, isn’t it always the Big Guy telling me that three dogs are ENUF???!!!

Let’s just say that in around 3 weeks, it’s going to be niiiiiiice and quiet.

Well, OK, quietER.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 10:10 pm and is filed under J.R. Towles, Cecil Cooper, Kaz Matsui, Geoff Blum, Michael Bourn, Astros baseball, Berkman, Mark Loretta, Ty Wigginton, Carlos Lee, Brad Ausmus, Hunter Pence, spring training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Astros Spring Training 2008 2 Week Review - Hitters”

Kevin Bradshaw says:

March 14th, 2008 at 7:44 am

Lisa,
I hope Cruz and Diaz make it over Abercrombie and Erstad. Erstad can’t get on base and has no power. Abercrombie is another Jimerson type; he’s quite the athlete but is nothing close to a major league hitter. I don’t know about his defense, but outfielder’s who are run vacuums aren’t freely available in their prime.
But, for the love of stolen bases, those two are the ones most likely to make the team under Tal Smith’s watch- who is the not-so-secret secret GM.
Lisa Gray says:

March 14th, 2008 at 11:14 am

kevin,

i look at it this way -

it’s not like it’s 98 or 99 or 04 or even 05 where we had great teams and needed just one piece.

i don’t think this team is particularly good and i am not even hoping for a playoff berth.

so if smith/wade want to waste roster spots on speed and grit - well, shrug, whatever. i would think by now that tal would know darn well that you can’t steal first base.

what is interesting to me is the argument - which seems even more pronounced this year - about whether or not you should have a good farm system to grow AND PLAY your own guys or grow younguns for the purpose of trading them for “established” major leaguers (see the dodgers, for example)

gerry was on the grow em and play em side and wade/smith seems to be the opposite
Kevin Bradshaw says:

March 14th, 2008 at 12:10 pm

Yeah, this team’s chances are less than slim. But I’d still rather see better baseball.
And your right Ned Colletti in L.A. seems to prefer the Pierre over better option from the farm, and even brought in Luis Gonzalez last year. The Mets decided they preferred Church over a very promising Milledge- so it’s not unique. But it’s really stupid.
Lisa Gray says:

March 14th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

i’d rather see better baseball, too. but smith/wade need to find out for their own selves that speed only helps IF the guys gets on base in the first place AND is a good and smart baserunner

coletti used to be sabean’s assistant, remember? sabean has used exactly THREE homegrown position players since he came in. and he’s the guy who deliberately forfeited a draft pick because they didn’t want to pay any guy a signing bonus, remember?
Josh says:

March 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

From a Cubs fan that stumbled on your page.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for trumping the Cubs offer to Kaz Matsui.

If you didn’t know, he hit .330 at Coors last year…and .249 everywhere else (including .222 at the juice in 18 abs).

Have fun!
Lisa Gray says:

March 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

hi josh

oh trust me i most certainly DID know, even if smith/wade and most astros fans chose NOT to know.

in fact, his lifetime stats omitting only coors PA is
.256/.305/.367/.672

and astros fans couldn’t WAIT to throw chris burke out the door…