Baseball Prospectus 1996
The heart of the erratic Astros sits in the owner's box, where Drayton McLane has been an increasingly unpredictable individual since purchasing the club in 1992. Hailed upon his arrival as the team's savior from the evil clutches of John McMullen, his maligned predecessor, McLane made an even more favorable impression on Astros fans by signing Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell to long-term deals that off-season.
The myth of the fairy-tale owner was exposed quickly, however, when Drabek, despite pitching well, was torpedoed by low run support and finished with a watery 9-18 record, and Swindell showed the effect of throwing too many innings as a youngster and posted a 4.16 ERA. We were exposed to McLane's other side that season, when word came out that he wanted Drabek and Swindell summarily released. Someone, apparently, had neglected to tell him that the contracts he awarded the pair were guaranteed.
This began McLane's descent in Houston, a roller-coaster ride no different than all the other Fury of the Owner rides around the country: a ridiculous claim to be losing millions of dollars here, a threat to move the team there. The situation in Houston has become so precarious that GM Bob Watson fled town for the relative sanity of working for George Steinbrenner.
Conspicuous by his presence is manager Terry Collins, who has managed to not only survive, but thrive, in Houston. A surface description of Collins as a manager is simply that he is nondescript; he lacks any defining mannerisms that characterize his style of managing. Nevertheless, that he has been able to hold his job in the face of increasing demands from McLane is a positive sign. Upon closer examination, Collins actually appears to be one of the most aggressive managers in the game he used more pinch-hitters and called for more hit-and-runs than any other manager, and ranked second in stolen base attempts which fits his reputation as a fiery, hard-nosed leader. He deserves credit, too, for not alienating any of his players with his assertive style. Any player discontent in Houston is settled before it gets to the media, which says that Collins is capable of running a tight ship without having a mob of players in his doghouse. Collins, however, also deserves his share of the blame for the Craig McMurtry fiasco. In mid-August the Astros brought up McMurtry, who signed on as a replacement player despite years of playing time in the majors during the 1980s. His presence divided an Astros team that was already reeling from the Jeff Bagwell Annual Hand Injury [tm]. The result was a prolonged losing streak from which the Astros never fully recovered.
The team that Collins leads has its share of on-field leaders, too. Jeff Bagwell, in addition to being one of the flat-out best hitters in baseball (he has a career OPS of .910) and a great defensive player, has a strong presence in the Astros' clubhouse. He could rival Collins' authority if he wanted to. The Astros, after initially hinting that they would not pursue Craig Biggio in the free-agent market, coughed up four-year, $23 million contract to him after Bagwell threatened to demand a trade if Biggio wasn't re-signed.
The Astros should be thankful for Bagwell's ultimatum, because losing Biggio would have all but assured the Astros of finishing out of the money in 1996. Biggio is an amazing player. He isn't the best player in baseball, but no other player in history has shown his knack for adjusting to circumstances. He came up as a scrappy little catcher who could hit the occasional long ball and astounded people by stealing 21 bases as a rookie. He soon traded the power in for an increase in average, hitting .295 in 1991. Then came the idea of moving Biggio out from behind the plate to "save his speed", and giving him the project of learning how to play second base. The move has been, in many ways, a success. Biggio added walks to his game in 1992, and the following year added power, swatting 21 homers and 41 doubles. He suffered a temporary crisis with his running game 15-for-32 in stolen bases so naturally, he went 39-for-43 in 1994. He's now upped his average over .300 and his OBP over .400 the last two years, and his power ranks among the top middle infielders in the game. He isn't a deserving Gold Glover, but he is at least average defensively, and the total offensive package he brings with him is stunning.
The rest of the Astros' lineup is an eclectic mix of all-star caliber players, overachievers, phenoms and guys who have a better chance of getting into scoring position at their hotel than at the ballpark. Their outfield is a soup of spare parts that is surprisingly meaty at the bottom. The group is headlined by Derek Bell, that highly-touted prospect from five years ago who has begun to show his prospect status wasn't solely the creation of the Blue Jays' PR department. He has sacrificed a lot of power over the last two years, but his average has soared and his K-to-BB ratio has improved, and he's now one of the better right fielders in the league. Brian Hunter, in many ways, hit like Derek Bell last year. His calling card is his ability to hit for average, but he has no power to speak of and doesn't walk much. He does steal bases, however, so expect him to be wasted in the leadoff spot.
The man who should leadoff is John Cangelosi, who had an amazing season last year. Cangelosi's inability to get a starting job in the major leagues is bizarre, because he does everything a manager wants out of a leadoff hitter (steal bases), and he does what's important for a leadoff hitter as well (get on base). He is just 5'8", though, and while that may not have stopped Joey Cora or Bip Roberts, an outfielder that short just doesn't get much respect. But last year, getting 200 ABs for the first time since 1986, Cangelosi put up a .457 OBP. Yeah, he doesn't hit for much power, but wow! Eddie Gaedel could help a team with a .457 OBP. Add in speed and defense, and you've got quite a player. The Astros re-signed Cangelosi to a minor-league deal, but there's still no evidence that they really no how useful a ballplayer he is, and they might bury him.
The Astros need a high on-base guy even more now with the defection to the Cubs of the always-underappreciated Dave Magadan. To their credit, the Astros did an admirable job of replacing him, taking advantage of the Expos' continuing charity event by landing Sean Berry. Last year's Astros had a potent offense despite little power they tied for 2nd in runs scored and 12th in home runs and Berry has the ability to hit 15 or 20 homers more than Magadan did, which should help keep the offense among the NL's elite for another year.
And then there is catcher, where Tony Eusebio's amazing run has to end sometime, and shortstop, where Orlando Miller is proving once again that hitting .300 in the Pacific Coast League is a sign that you cannot hit in the major leagues. Eusebio and Miller both have the potential to post decent numbers in 1996, but they also have the potential for disaster and the Astros' margin for error isn't large enough to accomodate .600 OPSs at two positions.
The pitching staff is in far more disarray. Ironically, it is the much-maligned Drabek who appears to hold the tightest grip on a spot in the rotation. Drabek's 4.77 ERA last year was by far the highest of his career, but in fairness, his peripheral numbers were not nearly so bad, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is still high. He's an extremely durable pitcher; he made at least 32 starts every year from 1988-93, and his 54 starts over the last two years rank closely behind the leader during that span, Chuck Finley with 57. Swindell is another story; he has great control, but eventually allowing a .300 average every year has to catch up with you. The Astros also have the underrated Shane Reynolds and the almost unheard of Mike Hampton, who didn't make a sound in the forest despite his 3.35 ERA last year. They need help from Darryl Kile, who mystified onlookers last year with a 4.96 ERA despite an opponent's slugging average of just .328. Kile still has 20-win potential, but he needs to get out of remedial Strike Zone Theory class first.
The Astros' season can be summed up by their enigmatic starting rotation. Hampton and Reynolds each had ERAs under 3.50 for the second-best offense in the NL, each received over five runs a game in support yet they went a combined 19-19. That's a puzzle the Astros need to look hard and long at, because the inability to solve it last year probably cost them a wild-card spot.
The bullpen never recovered from the loss of John Hudek early on; the combination of Jones and Hudek was terrorizing opposing hitters from the 7th inning forward early last year. Hudek's loss meant that behind Jones and Veres, the Astros served a steady diet of slop - which led to a 20-23 record in one-run games, including a pair of key losses to the Cubs in the season's final series, sealing the Astros' fate. All of which makes the loss of Veres in the Berry trade that much more painful.
The forecast for the Astros is much like the team itself: variable. A front office that alternately blows hot and cold, the best right-side of the infield in the game, a starting rotation full of guys who want to go 8-16 with a 2.76 ERA, and a bullpen with one great reliever and nothing else. The pieces are there in Houston to dominate a division in flux. But no one knows if they will fit together, or even if they can.
BOB ABREU 1974 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ASH 492 118 10 1 7 44 7 5 .240 .302 .307 .216 106 41 1993 OSC 477 117 16 8 7 39 8 7 .245 .302 .356 .231 110 47 1994 JAC 403 114 15 4 14 34 11 6 .283 .339 .444 .273 110 57 1995 TUC 395 99 14 8 9 57 17 11 .251 .345 .395 .260 103 53 1996 PRJ 451 123 19 6 14 44 19 12 .273 .337 .435 .269 121 64Abreu has been pushed through the Astros system at a very young age, and as you can see, at age 18 he could out-hit many major league shortstops. Needs to return to Tucson for more seasoning, but he should claim the Astros' left-field position by September. Could turn into Dave Justice in a few years.
JEFF BAGWELL 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HOU 571 184 26 4 17 76 7 3 .322 .402 .471 .306 175 101 1992 HOU 604 186 34 5 25 90 11 6 .308 .398 .505 .310 187 114 1993 HOU 539 177 33 3 19 62 14 4 .328 .398 .506 .314 169 101 1994 HOU 401 153 27 2 37 65 18 4 .382 .468 .736 .390 156 119 1995 HOU 457 144 25 1 21 79 13 6 .315 .416 .512 .319 146 92 1996 PRJ 534 178 39 2 28 71 16 4 .333 .412 .571 .334 179 116Hit .183/.321/.322 through May 31st, .327/.426/.556 afterward. It's unlikely he'll have another year like 1994 again, but frankly, he doesn't have to. Perhaps the most complete right-handed hitter in the game today.
JEFF BALL 1969 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OSC 409 98 9 1 8 38 11 5 .240 .304 .325 .225 92 38 1992 JAC 282 51 8 1 5 19 4 2 .181 .233 .270 .167 47 13 1993 QUD 396 99 13 1 9 40 22 11 .250 .319 .356 .242 96 44 1994 JAC 360 106 18 1 11 28 8 5 .294 .345 .442 .275 99 51 1995 TUC 347 84 16 1 3 21 10 4 .242 .285 .320 .217 75 29Suffered a huge setback last year, which is a shame, because if he had played well he might have been a contender for the third base job. As it is, the Astros went out and got Berry, and Ball may have blown the best chance he'll ever get.
DEREK BELL 1969 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SYR 452 147 17 7 12 44 26 9 .325 .385 .473 .302 137 79 1991 TOR 28 4 0 0 0 6 4 1 .143 .294 .143 .180 5 2 1992 TOR 162 42 5 4 2 15 8 2 .259 .322 .377 .253 41 20 1993 SDP 541 143 16 1 19 25 28 5 .264 .297 .403 .253 137 65 1994 SDP 432 137 14 1 12 30 28 9 .317 .361 .438 .286 124 66 1995 HOU 460 165 18 2 7 33 30 10 .359 .402 .452 .306 141 79 1996 PRJ 588 192 25 2 19 41 46 11 .327 .370 .473 .301 177 102The reason the baseball establishment has been so distrustful of minor league statistics is because of guys like Derek Bell, who take a few years to get their footing in the majors. Bell tried to play like a low on-base slugger for a while, but once he went back to the Mark Grace-type hitter he was in the minors, he found his 1991 form again.
SEAN BERRY 1966 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 371 95 15 4 12 39 9 4 .256 .327 .415 .260 97 48 1991 KCR 60 9 2 0 0 5 0 0 .150 .215 .183 .089 5 1 1992 OMA 440 124 14 1 18 34 7 6 .282 .333 .441 .268 118 60 1992 MON 57 20 1 0 1 2 2 1 .351 .373 .421 .284 16 8 1993 MON 301 81 13 2 13 41 13 2 .269 .357 .455 .287 86 49 1994 MON 317 88 17 2 9 32 15 0 .278 .344 .429 .279 89 47 1995 MON 315 104 19 1 13 24 3 9 .330 .378 .521 .300 94 54 1996 PRJ 382 107 19 2 14 48 14 4 .280 .360 .450 .286 109 61Berry has never been able to play a full season in the majors, but he's hit everywhere he's been given playing time. This should be the year he gets 150 games, and batting behind Biggio and Bagwell, he could drive in 100 runs. Then of course, he'd be offered an inflated long-term contract, and get the most money of his career to play in his decline phase. It's a funny game.
CRAIG BIGGIO 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HOU 561 181 26 4 4 54 18 5 .323 .382 .405 .285 160 83 1992 HOU 633 198 36 3 9 101 41 14 .313 .407 .422 .299 189 110 1993 HOU 614 181 37 4 20 77 17 17 .295 .373 .466 .287 176 99 1994 HOU 438 144 40 4 5 62 45 5 .329 .412 .473 .322 141 88 1995 HOU 563 184 28 2 21 80 36 9 .327 .411 .496 .319 180 111 1996 PRJ 598 184 34 3 15 82 35 11 .308 .391 .450 .300 179 104The Astros need to find him a permanent spot in the lineup, so he can develop whatever skills he needs for the role. If they lead him off, he could walk 110 times; if they bat him third, he could hit .340, and if they get a wild hair and bat him cleanup, he could hit 35 homers. Of course, they can bat him second and he'll do a combination of all three.
KARY BRIDGES 1972 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 QUD 267 60 2 0 3 21 8 5 .225 .281 .266 .193 52 17 1994 QUD 448 109 12 2 1 26 8 5 .243 .285 .286 .202 90 31 1995 JAC 416 111 15 2 3 38 10 7 .267 .328 .334 .237 99 43One of a number of guys in the Astros system who would have trouble stealing bases against Mackey Sasser. He's left-handed, and the Astros need a guy like him on the bench to sub for an entirely right-handed infield. He has a terrific K/BB ratio he struck out only 18 times all last year which suggests he may have a higher upside than the numbers indicate.
MIKE BRUMLEY 1963 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PAW 106 25 3 1 3 20 7 3 .236 .357 .368 .261 28 15 1991 BOS 118 26 5 0 0 10 2 0 .220 .281 .263 .193 23 8 1992 PAW 367 91 11 3 4 32 13 4 .248 .308 .327 .230 85 36 1993 TUC 328 94 13 4 1 35 17 7 .287 .355 .360 .260 85 42 1994 EDM 252 62 11 2 7 24 5 2 .246 .312 .389 .247 62 29 1994 TAC 48 11 1 1 1 6 3 1 .229 .315 .354 .243 12 6 1995 TUC 318 68 12 5 4 35 16 5 .214 .292 .321 .222 71 30Orlando Miller has his problems, but they're not big enough to warrant having Brumley around.
JOHN CANGELOSI 1963 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DEN 298 76 5 1 3 49 23 9 .255 .360 .309 .250 74 36 1991 VAN 101 22 0 0 0 9 7 2 .218 .282 .218 .187 19 6 1992 TOL 75 19 2 0 0 6 10 3 .253 .309 .280 .230 17 8 1992 TEX 86 18 2 0 1 18 7 5 .209 .346 .267 .224 19 9 1993 TOL 442 120 14 2 5 51 37 14 .271 .347 .346 .256 113 56 1994 NYM 110 28 2 0 0 19 6 1 .255 .364 .273 .243 27 12 1995 TUC 99 29 2 1 0 16 9 2 .293 .391 .333 .276 27 14 1995 HOU 206 72 5 2 1 48 23 6 .350 .472 .408 .329 68 43 1996 PRJ 298 73 8 3 1 50 20 7 .245 .353 .302 .245 73 35Hasn't given up a run in three career innings on the mound. The Astros should have used him out of the bullpen the last week of the season. He's been a much better player ever since he turned 30. Improvement at that age isn't uncommon among speed guys see Otis Nixon. He's not likely to start, but the Astros can still get value out of him as a supersub pinch-hitter/pinch-runner/defensive replacement.
DENNIS COLON 1974 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BUR 465 95 13 3 5 18 2 3 .204 .234 .277 .169 79 22 1993 OSC 467 127 16 3 4 11 6 2 .272 .289 .345 .226 106 41 1994 JAC 381 96 11 3 5 14 6 3 .252 .278 .336 .217 83 32 1995 JAC 377 74 6 0 4 19 4 3 .196 .235 .244 .155 58 14Right now, his main value is to show how difficult it is for a player to develop if he has no sense of the strike zone.
TONY EUSEBIO 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 JAC 222 50 5 2 2 17 2 2 .225 .280 .293 .199 44 15 1992 JAC 347 101 8 1 5 23 1 1 .291 .335 .363 .249 87 38 1993 TUC 269 71 10 1 1 17 1 1 .264 .308 .320 .223 60 23 1994 HOU 159 49 9 1 4 8 0 1 .308 .341 .453 .275 44 22 1995 HOU 374 120 17 1 6 31 0 2 .321 .373 .420 .280 105 53 1996 PRJ 425 120 19 1 8 31 0 1 .282 .331 .388 .255 108 50No, I don't have any explanation for his last two seasons either. He's not just feasting off left-handers, either--he hit .307 against RHPs last year. He's certainly played well enough to warrant the starting job in 1996, but I wouldn't bet on him keeping it for another year.
JERRY GOFF 1964 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IND 193 48 8 1 8 17 2 0 .249 .310 .425 .257 50 24 1992 IND 315 74 11 1 12 28 0 0 .235 .297 .390 .239 75 34 1993 BUF 364 92 21 3 11 52 1 1 .253 .346 .418 .266 97 50 1993 PIT 37 11 2 0 2 8 0 0 .297 .422 .514 .322 12 8 1994 BUF 278 70 12 1 4 29 0 0 .252 .322 .345 .237 66 28 1995 TUC 201 37 4 1 5 25 0 0 .184 .274 .289 .193 39 13 1995 HOU 26 4 3 0 1 4 0 0 .154 .267 .385 .220 6 3The definition of an emergency catcher. He gets stashed in AAA every year, and has to hope someone gets injured for a few weeks so he can get a few dozen at-bats in the majors. It's not glamour work, but as long as he's happy with that role, he can keep it indefinitely.
JUAN GUERRERO 1967 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SHV 474 142 19 1 16 30 10 6 .300 .341 .445 .275 130 67 1992 HOU 127 29 3 2 2 11 1 0 .228 .290 .331 .219 28 11 1994 TUC 280 70 10 3 5 21 1 2 .250 .302 .361 .232 65 27 1995 TUC 186 45 5 1 2 12 1 1 .242 .288 .312 .210 39 14The Rule V draft has done a lot of good in the past, but it's left a few ruined careers in its wake too. Remember was it Dave Jennings? No, probably not. Anyway, Guerrero had a very promising 1991, but after the Astros picked him, he had to sit on their bench for most of 1992, and then got injured and was out all of 1993. Hasn't returned to form, and probably never will.
RICKY GUTIERREZ 1970 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HAG 295 60 4 3 1 43 6 0 .203 .305 .247 .199 59 21 1991 ROC 155 44 5 2 0 19 3 0 .284 .362 .342 .259 40 19 1992 ROC 436 103 5 2 1 47 13 10 .236 .311 .264 .205 89 33 1993 SDP 439 111 8 4 5 50 4 3 .253 .329 .323 .233 102 43 1994 SDP 274 67 7 2 1 32 3 6 .245 .324 .296 .217 60 23 1995 TUC 225 55 8 2 1 24 9 5 .244 .317 .311 .227 51 21 1995 HOU 158 47 3 0 0 10 6 0 .297 .339 .316 .247 39 17Any shortstop who can start at the age of 23 must have some talent, but unfortunately, that talent for Gutierrez largely consists of being able to hit .280, and with not even a good defensive reputation to save his job, he's now a 25-year-old backup. Could get another shot if Miller falters.
DAVE HAJEK 1968 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OSC 241 60 9 3 1 18 4 3 .249 .301 .324 .221 53 21 1991 JAC 95 16 4 0 0 4 1 0 .168 .202 .211 .112 11 2 1992 JAC 334 85 9 2 2 28 6 2 .254 .312 .311 .225 75 30 1993 JAC 332 85 12 1 4 15 5 3 .256 .288 .334 .220 73 29 1994 TUC 464 128 16 2 5 24 11 6 .276 .311 .351 .237 110 47 1995 TUC 478 130 25 2 3 33 11 5 .272 .319 .351 .240 115 50Playing in the PCL the last two years has allowed him to rack up some pretty batting averages, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a lousy prospect, and not likely to get better.
CHRIS HATCHER 1969 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BUR 507 100 9 2 11 26 5 3 .197 .236 .288 .177 90 27 1992 OSC 376 102 10 2 16 18 8 1 .271 .305 .436 .261 98 48 1993 JAC 366 85 9 1 10 10 5 4 .232 .253 .344 .207 76 28 1994 TUC 336 87 16 2 8 16 5 1 .259 .293 .390 .241 81 36 1995 JAC 39 11 2 0 0 3 0 1 .282 .333 .333 .231 9 4 1995 TUC 277 67 8 1 11 36 7 3 .242 .329 .397 .256 71 35An extremely toned-down version of Rob Deer. He has some pop, but misses so many pitches there's a Tornado Watch in effect everywhere he goes. He's probably fun to watch, but he's not a prospect.
RICHARD HIDALGO 1976 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 ASH 406 87 9 1 7 18 11 7 .214 .248 .293 .187 76 25 1994 QUD 475 118 25 3 8 15 9 7 .248 .271 .364 .222 106 42 1995 JAC 487 118 16 3 12 24 9 6 .242 .278 .361 .224 109 45The Astros have stocked their minor league system with players signed out of Venezuela, and a number of them can be considered outstanding prospects, Abreu and Hidalgo in particular. Hidalgo is extremely young for where he's played, has hit for both average and power, and he has an incredible defensive reputation in right field. He's averaged over 22 assists the last three years. He does need to work on drawing more walks, though. If the Astros send him to AAA this year, they may ruin him, because he might hit so well in the hitter-friendly PCL that he'll see no reason to improve his plate discipline.
BRIAN L. HUNTER 1971 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OSC 409 96 14 2 3 34 17 5 .235 .293 .301 .216 88 35 1992 OSC 503 135 14 6 3 28 25 11 .268 .307 .338 .234 118 50 1993 JAC 524 134 12 2 8 30 26 10 .256 .296 .332 .228 120 50 1994 TUC 486 154 15 4 7 42 43 12 .317 .371 .407 .285 139 75 1995 TUC 147 39 2 1 1 15 10 2 .265 .333 .313 .244 36 16 1995 HOU 326 106 12 4 2 21 27 8 .325 .366 .405 .282 92 48 1996 PRJ 536 148 20 8 9 46 53 11 .276 .333 .394 .270 145 75A great rotisserie player because he can hit .300 with 40 stolen bases. In real-life, he's just a souped-up version of Luis Polonia offensively. He can play good defense, though, and if he starts hitting a few more doubles and triples, he'll be hard to distinguish from his predecessor, Steve Finley.
RUSS JOHNSON 1973 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1995 JAC 476 106 10 1 7 40 9 3 .223 .283 .292 .204 97 35Not bad for a guy in his first pro season. It usually takes a year for a college hitter to get used to wood bats, and a second season usually brings across-the-board improvement. He has a good defensive reputation, so if he can up those numbers to .260/.330/.370 next year, he might have a future.
FRANK KELLNER 1967 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OSC 212 45 8 1 1 15 4 1 .212 .264 .274 .188 40 13 1991 JAC 310 72 5 2 2 19 4 3 .232 .277 .281 .194 60 20 1992 JAC 484 109 16 3 3 38 7 4 .225 .282 .289 .200 97 34 1993 JAC 358 94 16 1 3 32 9 6 .263 .323 .338 .236 85 37 1994 TUC 284 70 7 2 1 39 5 3 .246 .337 .296 .229 65 27 1995 JAC 267 74 7 1 1 29 2 4 .277 .348 .322 .239 64 27 1995 TUC 87 12 1 1 0 13 1 0 .138 .250 .172 .122 11 2
SCOTT MAKAREWICZ 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 JAC 229 45 5 0 2 11 1 2 .197 .233 .245 .151 35 8 1992 JAC 352 96 7 1 7 21 2 1 .273 .314 .358 .239 84 36 1993 JAC 286 63 6 1 5 15 1 1 .220 .259 .301 .192 55 18 1994 TUC 165 40 5 1 2 11 0 0 .242 .290 .321 .215 35 13 1995 TUC 185 41 4 0 4 9 1 0 .222 .258 .308 .196 36 12Andy Stankiewicz's cousin, I understand.
DERRICK MAY 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IOW 312 88 16 2 3 12 8 6 .282 .309 .375 .242 75 33 1992 IOW 30 11 2 1 2 2 0 0 .367 .406 .700 .359 11 7 1992 CHC 356 106 8 1 10 16 5 3 .298 .328 .410 .261 93 44 1993 CHC 463 136 23 2 8 32 10 3 .294 .339 .404 .265 123 60 1994 CHC 347 104 17 2 7 30 4 2 .300 .355 .421 .274 95 48 1995 MIL 112 28 3 1 0 3 0 1 .250 .270 .295 .194 22 7 1995 HOU 209 68 12 1 8 19 6 0 .325 .382 .507 .311 65 38May is an example of the maddening ways the Cubs do things occasionally. The Cubs had been hyping May as a top outfield prospect since he was a teenager. May made it to the majors for good at the age of 23, and proceeded to hit exactly as he had in the minors, if not a little better. So naturally, he was released prior to 1995. His performance with Houston was a bit fluky, but he's 90% of the player Luis Gonzalez was for the Astros, which isn't bad.
ORLANDO MILLER 1969 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OSC 281 77 8 2 2 8 1 1 .274 .294 .338 .224 63 24 1991 JAC 70 12 3 0 1 3 0 0 .171 .205 .257 .141 10 2 1992 JAC 384 97 18 2 6 16 6 3 .253 .282 .357 .226 87 35 1992 TUC 37 8 0 0 2 0 0 0 .216 .216 .378 .203 8 3 1993 TUC 453 116 17 6 13 15 2 3 .256 .280 .406 .238 108 47 1994 TUC 328 73 9 3 7 13 3 2 .223 .252 .332 .202 66 24 1994 HOU 40 14 2 1 1 2 1 0 .350 .381 .525 .316 13 7 1995 HOU 328 93 17 1 5 22 3 5 .284 .329 .387 .251 82 38 1996 PRJ 488 128 22 5 10 25 4 6 .262 .298 .389 .240 117 51He hit far better than he had any right to expect in 1995, and he still wasn't that good. He plays below-average defense, swings at everything, and the power he showed in 1993 was largely a PCL-illusion. As Frank Thomas likes to write on Post-It notes everywhere to remind himself, Don't Believe The Hype.
TONY MITCHELL 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WEL 215 47 2 0 6 7 3 1 .219 .243 .312 .192 41 14 1992 AUG 226 61 3 1 9 20 3 2 .270 .329 .412 .259 59 29 1992 CGA 206 50 5 1 6 14 1 2 .243 .291 .364 .227 47 19 1993 KIN 324 68 8 1 5 26 4 2 .210 .269 .287 .193 62 21 1994 CAN 502 127 13 1 18 32 5 1 .253 .298 .390 .242 122 54 1995 JAC 330 82 11 1 14 28 1 1 .248 .307 .415 .251 83 39He's had some productive years, but needs to go nuts for a whole season to make people take notice. If he can get his foot in the door, he might be able to stick as a bench player who can switch-hit and play some outfield. It worked for Ruben Amaro.
RAY MONTGOMERY 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BUR 441 89 14 1 3 20 9 7 .202 .236 .259 .165 73 20 1992 JAC 150 30 3 1 1 6 3 1 .200 .231 .253 .162 24 6 1993 JAC 341 85 8 1 8 31 9 3 .249 .312 .349 .237 81 35 1993 TUC 48 13 1 0 2 4 1 1 .271 .327 .417 .258 12 6 1994 TUC 322 70 11 3 5 29 5 2 .217 .282 .317 .211 68 26 1995 JAC 126 35 5 1 7 11 6 2 .278 .336 .500 .288 36 21 1995 TUC 278 71 8 0 9 21 5 3 .255 .308 .381 .242 67 30A lot like Mitchell, except that he's right-handed. He's a better hitter than Mitchell, but there are dozens of right-handed outfielders trying to win a job as a platoon player in the majors, so he has his work cut out for him.
MELVIN MORA 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 ASH 369 80 11 1 2 22 10 6 .217 .261 .268 .184 68 21 1994 OSC 435 118 19 2 10 30 20 11 .271 .318 .393 .252 110 52 1995 JAC 464 122 13 1 5 24 20 7 .263 .299 .328 .228 106 43
JAMES MOUTON 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 AUB 298 63 8 4 2 34 26 11 .211 .292 .285 .214 64 26 1992 OSC 531 142 20 3 12 61 33 8 .267 .343 .384 .265 141 72 1993 TUC 523 136 24 4 12 57 30 12 .260 .333 .390 .259 135 68 1994 HOU 310 78 6 0 2 27 28 6 .252 .312 .290 .231 72 31 1995 HOU 302 85 18 2 3 25 27 9 .281 .336 .384 .263 80 40 1996 PRJ 451 125 25 5 14 55 49 7 .277 .356 .448 .293 132 78Mouton was considered a top prospect just two years ago. Playing in the PCL had a lot to do with that, but Mouton does have some legitimate skills. He's a great basestealer, can play left or right field well, and thumps lefties (.321 career average). All those things make him a good bench player and with Bell, Hunter, Cangelosi, and May hogging playing time, that's probably where he'll end up.
KEN RAMOS 1967 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CAN 261 57 5 2 2 19 5 2 .218 .271 .276 .192 50 17 1992 CAN 453 142 19 3 6 69 11 6 .313 .404 .408 .291 132 72 1993 CHR 482 131 11 6 3 43 12 6 .272 .331 .338 .241 116 51 1994 TUC 377 93 10 3 1 62 20 9 .247 .353 .297 .240 91 41 1995 TUC 311 81 15 4 3 43 13 4 .260 .350 .363 .259 80 40Ignored, but he shouldn't be. Ramos has an appreciation for the finer points of offense he was once quoted as saying his goals each year are to hit .300 and walk more times than he strikes out. Unfortunately, most managers don't have such an appreciation, so Ramos is wasted in AAA. Time is running out on him.
DAVE ROHDE 1964 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUC 241 75 8 2 1 40 11 4 .311 .409 .373 .287 69 38 1991 HOU 42 6 0 0 0 5 0 0 .143 .234 .143 .058 2 0 1992 CSP 436 113 15 8 5 45 10 5 .259 .328 .365 .247 108 50 1993 BUF 466 113 16 2 8 47 6 5 .242 .312 .337 .229 107 45 1994 BUF 274 61 7 1 1 35 7 3 .223 .311 .266 .208 57 21 1995 TUC 163 36 6 1 0 27 2 1 .221 .332 .270 .217 35 14Had an impressive career year in 1991, when he was 27. Too bad it didn't happen in the majors, or he might have earned a million dollars from the fallout.
MIKE SIMMS 1967 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUC 291 62 11 1 11 28 2 1 .213 .282 .371 .227 66 28 1991 HOU 126 29 3 0 4 18 1 0 .230 .326 .349 .241 30 14 1992 TUC 395 101 14 2 12 49 5 1 .256 .338 .392 .259 102 50 1993 LVG 397 86 9 1 16 53 1 1 .217 .309 .365 .235 93 42 1994 BUF 55 13 3 0 4 4 0 0 .236 .288 .509 .268 15 8 1994 TUC 359 90 21 3 13 43 9 4 .251 .331 .435 .266 96 50 1995 TUC 305 76 15 3 11 30 10 2 .249 .316 .426 .262 80 41 1995 HOU 123 34 4 0 9 13 1 2 .276 .346 .528 .291 36 21It's guys like Simms who give all those career minor leaguers reason to keep trying. Got a shot amid all the shuffling in the Astros' outfield last year, and slugged .673 against LHPs. That ought to give him a spot in the lineup against left-handers this year, or at the very least a chance to do some damage as a pinch-hitter.
RICK WILKINS 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IOW 108 29 2 1 4 8 1 1 .269 .319 .417 .256 28 13 1991 CHC 205 48 7 0 7 19 3 3 .234 .299 .371 .233 48 21 1992 IOW 155 42 9 1 4 17 0 0 .271 .343 .419 .267 41 21 1992 CHC 249 74 8 1 10 30 0 2 .297 .373 .458 .287 71 39 1993 CHC 445 136 20 1 27 50 2 1 .306 .376 .537 .310 138 83 1994 CHC 315 76 24 2 6 40 5 3 .241 .327 .387 .251 79 38 1995 CHC 162 32 3 0 5 35 0 0 .198 .340 .309 .231 37 17 1995 HOU 41 11 1 0 1 10 0 0 .268 .412 .366 .282 12 6 1996 PRJ 261 68 9 0 9 35 0 0 .261 .348 .398 .264 69 341993 looks more and more like a Norm Cash-sized fluke. He's a better hitter than he's showed the past two years, though. He probably will level out somewhere between his 1994 and 1992 performances. How close he is to his 1992 level should determine whether he can ever regain a starting job or whether he'll be stuck as a backup to Eusebio.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 35 Rank in MLB: 6th (T) Rank in NL Central: 3rd
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Wagner, Billy 7 1 7 0 5 4 8 4 +1 37 A Mounce, Tony 0 3 8 0 8 5 6 5 0 35 A- Wall, Donnie 8 -2 9 0 1 8 2 3 +3 32 B Lopez, Johann 3 5 2 0 6 5 7 4 -2 30 C+ Creek, Ryan 6 3 7 0 3 3 5 2 0 29 C Blanco, Alberto 0 5 1 0 5 6 8 3 0 28 C Holt, Chris 7 3 7 0 0 5 1 2 +2 27 C- Mlicki, Doug 7 0 6 0 4 5 2 2 +1 27 C- Kester, Tim 0 -1 8 0 2 10 2 4 0 25 D Narcisse, Ty 6 1 8 0 5 2 0 3 0 25 D Best Prospect in 1994: Chris Holt (B) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Donnie Wall (NR)
ERIK BENNETT 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PSP 37.0 52 24 3 27 22 5.84 1 3 12.65 6.57 5.35 1992 QUD 50.3 69 34 1 26 38 6.08 2 4 12.34 4.65 6.79 1992 PSP 40.0 27 15 2 13 25 3.38 2 2 6.07 2.92 5.62 1992 MID 42.3 51 23 6 19 28 4.89 2 3 10.84 4.04 5.95 1993 MID 63.7 90 55 19 21 25 7.77 1 6 12.72 2.97 3.53 1993 VAN 75.0 102 52 14 21 45 6.24 2 6 12.24 2.52 5.40 1994 VAN 85.3 75 33 10 30 80 3.48 5 4 7.91 3.16 8.44 1995 TUC 21.0 24 12 2 14 23 5.14 1 1 10.29 6.00 9.86 1995 VAN 48.0 48 25 7 20 40 4.69 2 3 9.00 3.75 7.50The Astros are desperate for relief pitching, but not this desperate.
DOUG BROCAIL 1967 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WIC 136.3 166 81 25 37 90 5.35 5 10 10.96 2.44 5.94 1992 LVG 161.3 185 72 12 57 102 4.02 9 9 10.32 3.18 5.69 1992 SDP 14.0 17 9 3 5 17 5.79 1 1 10.93 3.21 10.93 1993 LVG 48.3 46 21 6 14 28 3.91 3 2 8.57 2.61 5.21 1993 SDP 126.7 142 65 18 45 74 4.62 6 8 10.09 3.20 5.26 1994 LVG 12.0 18 8 2 2 7 6.00 0 1 13.50 1.50 5.25 1994 SDP 17.0 20 11 1 5 11 5.82 1 1 10.59 2.65 5.82 1995 TUC 16.0 16 6 2 4 16 3.38 1 1 9.00 2.25 9.00 1995 HOU 77.0 81 30 9 22 38 3.51 5 4 9.47 2.57 4.44A member of the Astros' middle relief set, which isn't something he wants to put on his resum‚. He's not a horrible pitcher, and the Astros lack better options. What you see is what you get, however.
RYAN CREEK 1973 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 QUD 66.0 88 57 11 47 44 7.77 1 6 12.00 6.41 6.00 1995 JAC 132.3 156 86 18 71 113 5.85 5 10 10.61 4.83 7.69Good stuff, no control, young enough to get better. You could say that about a lot of guys.
JIM DOUGHERTY 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ASH 72.7 86 28 2 24 46 3.47 5 3 10.65 2.97 5.70 1992 OSC 73.7 79 29 6 29 59 3.54 4 4 9.65 3.54 7.21 1993 JAC 48.7 44 18 5 26 43 3.33 3 2 8.14 4.81 7.95 1994 TUC 55.0 64 29 7 31 45 4.75 2 4 10.47 5.07 7.36 1995 TUC 10.0 10 4 1 6 12 3.60 1 0 9.00 5.40 10.80 1995 HOU 66.7 71 28 7 25 47 3.78 4 3 9.59 3.38 6.35Blew through the low minors on the way to the top, amassing 116 saves along the way. Of course, he was very old for the leagues in which he pitched, and has yet to have an impressive season above AA. He doesn't do anything particularly well, and there's no reason to expect him to get any better.
DOUG DRABEK 1963 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PIT 233.0 260 90 18 65 153 3.48 15 11 10.04 2.51 5.91 1992 PIT 255.7 238 89 24 61 200 3.13 17 11 8.38 2.15 7.04 1993 HOU 234.0 251 102 21 67 167 3.92 13 13 9.65 2.58 6.42 1994 HOU 164.0 131 50 14 46 124 2.74 12 6 7.19 2.52 6.80 1995 HOU 184.3 191 78 18 54 138 3.81 10 10 9.33 2.64 6.74He's had a consistent odd-year/even-year pattern since 1990. In even years, he's 49-23 with a 2.79 ERA. In odd years, he's 34-41 with a 3.81 ERA. Strangely, no one has brought attention to it like they did with Bret Saberhagen a few years ago. It doesn't mean anything, but it makes good press, and the Astros better pray it holds for one more year.
DAVE EVANS 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 JAX 107.3 138 86 30 52 61 7.21 3 9 11.57 4.36 5.11 1993 APP 24.3 26 11 0 17 15 4.07 1 2 9.62 6.29 5.55 1993 RIV 37.7 44 22 6 22 32 5.26 1 3 10.51 5.26 7.65 1994 JAX 76.0 90 59 19 37 53 6.99 2 6 10.66 4.38 6.28 1995 JAC 63.7 56 35 5 31 53 4.95 3 4 7.92 4.38 7.49The Astros are desperate for relief pitching, but not this desperate.
KEVIN GALLAHER 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 AUB 40.7 68 55 7 44 15 12.17 0 5 15.05 9.74 3.32 1992 BUR 101.0 128 83 14 96 55 7.40 2 9 11.41 8.55 4.90 1993 OSC 122.3 136 69 18 63 78 5.08 5 9 10.01 4.63 5.74 1993 JAC 22.7 15 9 5 12 23 3.57 2 1 5.96 4.76 9.13 1994 JAC 98.0 105 68 10 77 91 6.24 3 8 9.64 7.07 8.36 1994 TUC 50.7 50 27 6 26 54 4.80 2 4 8.88 4.62 9.59 1995 JAC 39.3 35 21 2 25 27 4.81 2 2 8.01 5.72 6.18 1995 TUC 12.7 17 8 1 9 11 5.68 0 1 12.08 6.39 7.82
MIKE HAMPTON 1973 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BLN 51.3 46 28 2 29 37 4.91 2 4 8.06 5.08 6.49 1991 SBR 66.3 77 61 11 47 40 8.28 1 6 10.45 6.38 5.43 1992 SBR 154.3 170 70 17 55 99 4.08 8 9 9.91 3.21 5.77 1992 JAX 9.7 15 6 0 1 5 5.59 0 1 13.97 .93 4.66 1993 JAX 82.0 81 50 7 38 69 5.49 3 6 8.89 4.17 7.57 1993 SEA 16.3 28 16 3 17 9 8.82 0 2 15.43 9.37 4.96 1994 HOU 41.0 46 17 3 16 25 3.73 3 2 10.10 3.51 5.49 1995 HOU 149.7 131 55 13 49 111 3.31 10 7 7.88 2.95 6.67His great season went completely unnoticed, probably because it was so unexpected. His arm was highly thought of the Astros traded Eric Anthony to Seattle for him but he had never pitched all that well until he came to Houston. In fairness, he was only 20 when Lou Piniella, who hasn't met a pitching prospect he didn't like, brought him up.
Hampton possesses the rare package of a good strikeout rate and a high groundball-to-flyball ratio. He has good control and held hitters to a .247 average. His stamina should improve as he gets older; batters hit .298 after he threw 75 pitches last year. He's young, left-handed and pitching in a great pitcher's park. If you're looking for a guy who could be the steal of the draft in a fantasy league, he's your man.
DEAN HARTGRAVES 1967 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 JAC 69.0 72 30 6 24 37 3.91 4 4 9.39 3.13 4.83 1991 TUC 40.0 44 16 2 19 17 3.60 2 2 9.90 4.28 3.83 1992 JAC 136.0 149 66 14 51 73 4.37 7 8 9.86 3.38 4.83 1993 TUC 72.3 81 51 10 41 36 6.35 2 6 10.08 5.10 4.48 1994 TUC 92.3 97 49 12 37 50 4.78 4 6 9.45 3.61 4.87 1995 TUC 20.7 17 5 0 5 15 2.18 2 0 7.40 2.18 6.53 1995 HOU 36.0 28 11 3 16 23 2.75 3 1 7.00 4.00 5.75If you're looking for a guy who could fall flat on his face in 1996, he's your man.
CHRIS HOLT 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 AUB 76.0 90 62 25 31 46 7.34 2 6 10.66 3.67 5.45 1993 QUD 169.7 193 82 20 56 112 4.35 9 10 10.24 2.97 5.94 1994 JAC 155.0 206 95 20 22 90 5.52 6 11 11.96 1.28 5.23 1995 JAC 30.0 32 10 3 5 23 3.00 2 1 9.60 1.50 6.90 1995 TUC 112.0 141 48 6 33 67 3.86 6 6 11.33 2.65 5.38Holt is an interesting guy to follow, if only to see how far a guy can make it with just one pitch. Of course, if you're going to throw one pitch, it might as well be a sinking fastball, and Holt has great command of it. He's a threat to break loose if he ever develops another pitch, and he blew people away in winter ball this year, so he may have done it. No job for him in Houston yet, but if Darryl Kile doesn't figure things out there will be.
JOHN HUDEK 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BIR 62.0 73 53 11 30 40 7.69 1 6 10.60 4.35 5.81 1992 BIR 10.7 12 6 0 12 8 5.06 0 1 10.12 10.12 6.75 1992 VAN 80.0 81 43 8 45 63 4.84 4 5 9.11 5.06 7.09 1993 TOL 36.3 46 24 2 24 28 5.94 1 3 11.39 5.94 6.94 1993 TUC 17.7 15 9 1 12 16 4.58 1 1 7.64 6.11 8.15 1994 HOU 39.0 24 12 5 18 40 2.77 3 1 5.54 4.15 9.23 1995 HOU 20.0 18 9 3 5 28 4.05 1 1 8.10 2.25 12.60The surprise of 1994 was, if anything, even more dominant at the start of 1995, although the ERA may fool you. He was a threat to break some of Rob Dibble's strikeout records before a blood clot in his shoulder shut him down for the rest of the year. The Astros need him back, badly. Out until at least midseason.
JOHN JOHNSTONE 1963 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WPT 152.7 166 91 12 76 83 5.36 6 11 9.79 4.48 4.89 1992 BIN 141.0 161 85 18 41 105 5.43 6 10 10.28 2.62 6.70 1993 EDM 133.7 165 85 21 62 111 5.72 5 10 11.11 4.17 7.47 1993 FLA 10.3 17 8 1 7 5 6.97 0 1 14.81 6.10 4.35 1994 EDM 40.3 43 18 3 9 40 4.02 2 2 9.60 2.01 8.93 1994 FLA 21.0 23 17 5 16 23 7.29 0 2 9.86 6.86 9.86
TODD JONES 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 OSC 65.3 87 50 8 40 40 6.89 2 5 11.98 5.51 5.51 1991 JAC 50.7 58 40 5 41 31 7.11 1 5 10.30 7.28 5.51 1992 JAC 60.7 61 33 6 52 47 4.90 3 4 9.05 7.71 6.97 1993 TUC 44.7 45 21 5 33 39 4.23 2 3 9.07 6.65 7.86 1993 HOU 37.0 29 13 5 16 27 3.16 2 2 7.05 3.89 6.57 1994 HOU 72.0 52 20 3 27 65 2.50 6 2 6.50 3.38 8.12 1995 HOU 98.3 83 29 6 51 92 2.65 8 3 7.60 4.67 8.42More than qualified to be a closer, and if Hudek reclaims that job he returns to being one of the 3 best set-up men in the game. Don't let his walks last year fool you 17 of them were intentional. His workload is a cause for concern, though, and his control deteriorated as the season progressed. If he's healthy, he's a threat to post an ERA in the ones.
DOUGLAS KETCHEN 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ASH 132.7 200 113 25 66 57 7.67 3 12 13.57 4.48 3.87 1992 OSC 104.0 143 60 14 38 55 5.19 4 8 12.38 3.29 4.76 1993 JAC 147.3 173 97 20 62 81 5.93 5 11 10.57 3.79 4.95 1994 JAC 113.7 154 82 14 60 59 6.49 4 9 12.19 4.75 4.67 1995 JAC 48.3 64 27 7 16 43 5.03 2 3 11.92 2.98 8.01 1995 TUC 67.3 90 39 9 26 29 5.21 3 4 12.03 3.48 3.88If you can't stand the heat...
DARRYL KILE 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 HOU 152.7 152 75 20 87 108 4.42 8 9 8.96 5.13 6.37 1992 TUC 52.7 46 25 5 31 42 4.27 3 3 7.86 5.30 7.18 1992 HOU 125.3 132 60 11 66 101 4.31 6 8 9.48 4.74 7.25 1993 HOU 169.3 157 69 14 75 150 3.67 10 9 8.34 3.99 7.97 1994 HOU 146.7 152 72 13 84 108 4.42 7 9 9.33 5.15 6.63 1995 TUC 23.0 25 17 2 12 15 6.65 1 2 9.78 4.70 5.87 1995 HOU 126.3 105 61 7 72 109 4.35 6 8 7.48 5.13 7.77Didn't sulk after he was sent down to Tucson, but he didn't pitch very well, either. His 5.82 ERA at home, where his ERA was 3.36 before last year, is an indication that he needs a change of scenery. With Wall and Holt banging on the door, and Wagner already in the room, the Astros can afford to accomodate him.
RICH LOISELLE 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 CSC 86.3 107 60 7 49 41 6.25 3 7 11.15 5.11 4.27 1993 WLO 52.3 67 33 7 33 30 5.68 2 4 11.52 5.68 5.16 1993 RCU 74.7 105 50 8 27 39 6.03 2 6 12.66 3.25 4.70 1994 RCU 141.0 178 83 18 82 86 5.30 6 10 11.36 5.23 5.49 1995 MEM 73.3 89 45 8 37 40 5.52 3 5 10.92 4.54 4.91 1995 LVG 26.0 35 23 8 9 16 7.96 1 2 12.12 3.12 5.54 1995 TUC 10.0 7 3 0 4 4 2.70 1 0 6.30 3.60 3.60The Astros asked for him as partial compensation for Phil Plantier in midseason. Judging from the numbers above, I imagine the Padres were more than happy to oblige.
CRAIG MCMURTRY 1960 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PHX 106.3 112 60 13 43 63 5.08 5 7 9.48 3.64 5.33 1992 PHX 121.0 143 65 9 56 83 4.83 5 8 10.64 4.17 6.17 1993 BUF 91.7 107 40 5 41 63 3.93 5 5 10.51 4.03 6.19 1994 TUC 120.7 110 45 11 36 102 3.36 8 5 8.20 2.69 7.61 1995 TUC 66.7 50 11 2 20 41 1.49 6 1 6.75 2.70 5.54 1995 HOU 10.0 13 8 0 9 4 7.20 0 1 11.70 8.10 3.60He had been making significant progress as a pitcher prior to 1995, but McMurtry took a look at his age, swallowed his pride, and became a scab. He probably swallowed his career too. It's unlikely anyone wants to touch him after the way the Astros played with him last year.
DOUG MLICKI 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 AUB 76.7 56 42 16 40 47 4.93 4 5 6.57 4.70 5.52 1993 OSC 144.0 162 82 29 73 93 5.12 6 10 10.12 4.56 5.81 1994 JAC 130.3 128 77 34 61 106 5.32 5 9 8.84 4.21 7.32 1995 JAC 91.3 82 49 12 36 69 4.83 4 6 8.08 3.55 6.80 1995 TUC 32.3 40 20 4 6 22 5.57 1 3 11.13 1.67 6.12Dave's younger brother is almost ready to earn a starting spot in the majors. He's always had good stuff, and last year his control improved significantly. He's unlikely to get a job in Houston anytime soon, but a trade may give him an opportunity. It worked for Dave in New York.
ALVIN MORMAN 1969 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ASH 67.3 74 29 6 30 45 3.88 4 3 9.89 4.01 6.01 1993 JAC 90.7 85 40 11 36 79 3.97 5 5 8.44 3.57 7.84 1994 TUC 70.0 77 39 8 26 46 5.01 3 5 9.90 3.34 5.91 1995 TUC 45.7 45 20 7 20 35 3.94 3 2 8.87 3.94 6.90Well-built left-hander who had his most success, in 1993, as a starter, but who's been used as a reliever the rest of his career. Could fill the role of left-handed set-up man in Houston as well as Al Osuna did for the Astros a few years ago.
BRONSWELL PATRICK 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MOD 152.3 202 98 20 49 68 5.79 5 12 11.93 2.89 4.02 1992 HUN 166.3 219 97 28 55 82 5.25 7 11 11.85 2.98 4.44 1993 TAC 95.3 155 76 16 44 49 7.17 3 8 14.63 4.15 4.63 1994 HUN 25.3 37 16 2 12 14 5.68 1 2 13.14 4.26 4.97 1994 TAC 44.7 52 30 6 22 37 6.04 2 3 10.48 4.43 7.46 1995 TUC 77.7 83 32 4 22 61 3.71 5 4 9.62 2.55 7.07Loved him in the new Bond film. Made huge strides out of the bullpen the last two years, but unlikely to be cast in "The Man with the Golden Arm".
SHANE REYNOLDS 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 JAC 138.7 192 102 15 59 98 6.62 4 11 12.46 3.83 6.36 1992 TUC 134.7 148 59 8 28 104 3.94 8 7 9.89 1.87 6.95 1992 HOU 25.3 44 22 3 7 11 7.82 1 2 15.63 2.49 3.91 1993 TUC 132.7 140 62 8 20 93 4.21 7 8 9.50 1.36 6.31 1993 HOU 11.0 11 4 0 7 11 3.27 1 0 9.00 5.73 9.00 1994 HOU 123.3 127 39 9 23 113 2.85 9 5 9.27 1.68 8.25 1995 HOU 188.7 183 66 15 37 169 3.15 13 8 8.73 1.77 8.06A terrific pitcher, probably the Astros' best starter right now. He puts up incredible strikeout-to-walk ratios every year, gets groundballs as consistently as anyone this side of Greg Maddux, and has never had a serious injury. The last point is not a fluke; Reynolds, like Maddux, throws very few pitches per batter, and so Reynolds rarely makes the 100-plus pitch outings which wear down his arm. His win-loss record to date isn't very flattering, but Reynolds has as much chance as anyone in the NL Central to win 20 games.
JAMIE SEPEDA 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BAT 29.0 31 12 1 12 18 3.72 2 1 9.62 3.72 5.59 1992 CLR 31.3 45 22 2 16 22 6.32 1 2 12.93 4.60 6.32 1993 CLR 144.0 180 89 21 71 82 5.56 5 11 11.25 4.44 5.12 1994 CLR 30.0 39 17 5 7 17 5.10 1 2 11.70 2.10 5.10 1994 REA 88.7 118 67 15 61 48 6.80 3 7 11.98 6.19 4.87 1995 TUC 38.0 47 16 2 13 19 3.79 2 2 11.13 3.08 4.50
MARK SMALL 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 OSC 40.7 40 17 4 22 34 3.76 3 2 8.85 4.87 7.52 1992 OSC 96.0 109 68 22 50 53 6.38 3 8 10.22 4.69 4.97 1993 JAC 77.3 79 38 11 49 50 4.42 4 5 9.19 5.70 5.82 1994 JAC 19.7 25 18 4 12 11 8.24 0 2 11.44 5.49 5.03 1994 TUC 65.3 80 36 8 35 28 4.96 3 4 11.02 4.82 3.86 1995 TUC 62.7 67 24 6 20 50 3.45 4 3 9.62 2.87 7.18Waiting for expansion.
GREG SWINDELL 1965 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLE 235.7 231 84 22 27 189 3.21 16 10 8.82 1.03 7.22 1992 CIN 213.3 218 70 18 46 154 2.95 16 8 9.20 1.94 6.50 1993 HOU 187.7 222 92 28 46 132 4.41 9 12 10.65 2.21 6.33 1994 HOU 147.7 174 69 20 27 76 4.21 8 8 10.60 1.65 4.63 1995 HOU 152.7 168 65 19 38 92 3.83 9 8 9.90 2.24 5.42He hasn't been a terrible pitcher the last three years, just not particularly good. After a long career at the University of Texas under suspected arm-abuser Cliff Gustafson, the Indians probably didn't do Swindell a favor by forcing him to log 242 innings and 12 complete games in 1988, at the age of 23. His arm probably won't come back, so unless Swindell has been taking lessons from John Tudor in the off-season, this is about as good as it gets.
JEFF TABAKA 1964 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STO 14.3 22 12 2 17 13 7.53 0 2 13.81 10.67 8.16 1991 REA 96.0 138 73 14 82 58 6.84 3 8 12.94 7.69 5.44 1992 ELP 75.3 74 26 2 45 58 3.11 5 3 8.84 5.38 6.93 1993 NWO 55.3 57 27 3 32 65 4.39 3 3 9.27 5.20 10.57 1994 SDP 36.7 27 15 1 19 31 3.68 2 2 6.63 4.66 7.61 1995 LVG 21.3 16 6 0 15 27 2.53 1 1 6.75 6.33 11.39 1995 HOU 23.7 16 5 1 12 18 1.90 2 1 6.08 4.56 6.85Seems to have discovered how to pitch at age 30. Could still have a future, since he's surprise left-handed. It's a time-honored tradition for southpaws to learn the nuances of the strike zone in their late '20s, a tradition dating at least back to Hal Newhouser. The question is: Why?
BILLY WAGNER 1971 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 AUB 24.0 26 21 6 33 17 7.88 1 2 9.75 12.38 6.38 1994 QUD 142.0 99 74 20 106 138 4.69 7 9 6.27 6.72 8.75 1995 JAC 65.3 56 31 11 40 75 4.27 3 4 7.71 5.51 10.33 1995 TUC 72.0 63 22 4 33 79 2.75 5 3 7.88 4.12 9.88The most intriguing pitching prospect to come along since Randy Johnson. Johnson amazes onlookers as much for his 6'10" frame as for his fastball, but how Wagner can throw 96 mph standing all of 5 feet, 10 inches is a greater mystery.
His life has had more than its share of grief, culminating last summer when his wife's father and stepmother were shot to death. He's due for a turnaround. With an arm like his and numbers to match, that shouldn't be a problem. The Astros are talking about making him a closer, which is a stupid idea. It doesn't take an ex-Montreal GM to figure out that 240 innings of a 2.80 ERA is more valuable than 80 innings of a 2.20 ERA.
DONNIE WALL 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BUR 101.0 92 45 14 17 67 4.01 5 6 8.20 1.51 5.97 1991 OSC 73.0 70 33 10 10 48 4.07 4 4 8.63 1.23 5.92 1992 OSC 37.3 44 17 4 11 23 4.10 2 2 10.61 2.65 5.54 1992 JAC 105.7 133 61 12 34 78 5.20 4 8 11.33 2.90 6.64 1993 TUC 123.7 139 60 15 35 78 4.37 6 8 10.12 2.55 5.68 1994 TUC 140.7 159 68 10 36 78 4.35 7 9 10.17 2.30 4.99 1995 TUC 169.0 176 56 7 32 118 2.98 12 7 9.37 1.70 6.28 1995 HOU 24.3 30 14 5 5 15 5.18 1 2 11.10 1.85 5.55Shane Reynolds, two years earlier. Learned how to pitch in Tucson, not the friendliest environment for a pitcher, and is ready to pitch in Houston. Not ranked among the Astros' Top 10 Prospects by Baseball America, which goes to show that if you don't throw hard, you have to pitch twice as well to earn half the respect. The scouts didn't like Reynolds much either.
CHRIS WHITE 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 AUB 41.0 60 32 10 18 23 7.02 1 4 13.17 3.95 5.05 1992 ASH 104.0 149 62 13 30 66 5.37 4 8 12.89 2.60 5.71 1993 OSC 81.0 93 39 15 20 43 4.33 4 5 10.33 2.22 4.78 1993 JAC 54.3 85 54 6 30 34 8.94 1 5 14.08 4.97 5.63 1994 JAC 62.0 73 39 8 25 50 5.66 2 5 10.60 3.63 7.26 1995 JAC 65.7 80 52 16 26 43 7.13 2 5 10.96 3.56 5.89 1995 TUC 10.0 14 7 2 2 6 6.30 0 1 12.60 1.80 5.40
ANTHONY YOUNG 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TID 152.0 195 77 14 62 90 4.56 7 10 11.55 3.67 5.33 1991 NYM 49.0 48 17 5 12 21 3.12 3 2 8.82 2.20 3.86 1992 NYM 121.0 133 59 12 34 71 4.39 6 7 9.89 2.53 5.28 1993 NOR 15.0 16 5 1 5 7 3.00 1 1 9.60 3.00 4.20 1993 NYM 99.0 103 55 9 45 65 5.00 4 7 9.36 4.09 5.91 1994 CHC 114.0 103 49 12 47 67 3.87 7 6 8.13 3.71 5.29 1995 CHC 41.0 49 19 4 14 15 4.17 2 3 10.76 3.07 3.29Looking forward to working on his robust 12-45 career record. In light of how good the rest of his numbers are, his .211 career winning percentage remains one the greatest riddles of the 90s, much like Jose DeLeon a decade ago. A serviceable middle reliever, but the moment he gets placed in the rotation his team goes into an offensive slump, so beware.