3 Quick Reads (and 1 listen)

Bigging up my own efforts over the past 24 hours.

Thanks to Timmy De Block for inviting me to join TCB's podcast from last night. George Postolos will now be forever known as Curious George and we've probably been blacklisted by Pam Gardner and Tal Smith.

My quick feature on why trading Pence is the correct major first move (we already moved Keppinger, minor move though).

Then a commentary on J.D. Martinez's callup. What can we expect from this .342 hitting minor league sensation, drafted in the 20th round two years ago.

Also, with Pence gone, Michael Bourn is probably the next piece to fall off the board, possibly late tonight.

Phillies Fans Amuse Themselves By Wreaking Havoc With Hunter Pence Wikipedia Page

Captip to Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley who tweeted this, but apparently Phillies fans, among others decided to ransack Hunter Pence's Wikipedia page with a few selected edits shown here. So be warned, he's not a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles, does not play for the Shittisburgh Pirates, does not stand 8ft tall and weigh 900 pounds or collect manga (to the best of my knowledge).

How do you twirl and spin right handed? "Pence was a huge supporter of are troops," "he loved to watch the moon rise" and my favorite edit "The Phillies ended up losing ing the world series due to allowing the worst pitcher in baseball, Bilbo Baggins, to start for them."

Here is the wikipedia revision history for the extra curious.

Can We Get This Over With Already?

I wouldn't say my nerves are shredded, because they aren't, but I'm having some difficulty in trying to articulate how I'm feeling about the whole trade deadline Hunter Pence shenanigans , and I imagine a lot of the fanbase feel the same. But we have not gone through anything like this before. Last year, our first as sellers for ages, saw Roy Oswalt moved, but he was pencilled in to go to Philly almost since the beginning. Lance Berkman was a late mover.

We've never been in the everything must go state of mind before.

Any way I'll try. Remember that Simpsons episode (back in 1994 believe it or not), when James Woods replaces Apu at the Kwik-E-Mart, to brush up on a new role. At the end when Apu takes back his job:

Woods: As for me I'm off to battle aliens in a far away planet.
Marge: That sounds like a good movie.
Woods: Yes...yes...in a movie...yeah...

Also: "How can it be the same movie if they've changed my role from a tightly wound convenience store clerk to a jittery eskimo firefighter?"

Considering the crap we've been put through the last week, with the rumors/sources saying this and that, If Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman or any other of the so-called experts tweeted that sources were telling them that Pence was off into space to battle aliens I think I would only be mildly surprised.

Anyway, if Brian McTaggart is saying Pence is likely to be moved, it might be his way of saying that a trade is going to happen.

An Apt Representation of the Astros Deadline Maneuvering

They try their best, but it simply isn't good enough, and they try even harder, and look even more foolish. GIF courtesy of Street JL (click on the gif to get it to animate, if it isn't already). The latest nail in the coffin comes on Jayson Stark's rumblings and grumblings, where we get this piece of news:

One longtime friend of Drayton McLane says he thinks McLane's final act as the Astros' owner will be to convince GM Ed Wade not to trade one of his favorite players, Hunter Pence, on McLane's watch.

What goes on inside Brad Mills' brain?

We seem to be running around in circles here. Every night the Astros lineup gets posted, and every damn single night we have to bitch and moan at Brad Mills doing something stupid like playing both Angel Sanchez and Jason Michaels, or batting Jose Altuve seventh, or like tonight, sitting Brett Wallace again, but this time so that Jason Bourgeois can play left field. I enjoy the picture above immensely and will be posting it at every available opportunity, and its nearly as good as this one, hilarious because it makes Mills look very camp. 

Mills is losing the goodwill of fans as well as ruining what self-confidence Brett Wallace has left. As for batting Altuve seventh, whats up with that? I can see maybe he wants to take the pressure off Altuve, but he has no protection hitting in front of Quintero and Happ in the seventh spot. Hmmmm...

Hunter Pence trade talk with Philadelphia hotting up

New reports surfaced last night that the Phillies are going hard after Hunter Pence, not just they would quite like to get him, but they really want him according to CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury (h/t to Astros County):

“He’s the guy they want,” a baseball official familiar with the trade landscape said. “But the price is very high.”

I had a scan through TCB's open minor league/trade rumors thread, and there seems to be some dissension about how valuable Domonic Brown would be back in a trade. Perhaps it was the Brett Wallace trade that has put some fans off trading for major league ready pieces rather than prospects with high ceilings but years away from the majors.Some of this is playing devil's advocate, but I'm just throwing it all out there:

It is worth remembering that Brown was ranked the #4 prospect by Baseball America coming into this season, and the Astros would get 6 1/2 years of team control off him for 2 1/2 years of Pence if they traded him straight up (not that I'm suggesting they would). If Ed Wade could get Ruben Amaro Jr to include one of Cosart/Colvin/May/Biddle, they could be the Astros system's top prospect.

For those that worry we will look like a AAAA team, Brown can slot into right field straight away in place of Pence, and if not 2012, start producing like him in 2013.

The nay-sayers will point out the illogical nature of merely trading for an inferior replacement for Pence (not that I believe this is true). This is why Wade probably needs a big piece to accompany Brown if he is to make any deal with the Phillies. Is Amaro going to trade Brown, Singleton and Biddle for Pence? Probably not.

And there are a couple of things that you could take issue with for Jonathan Singleton. He's 19 and is very high for his age at A+. He hasn't shown the power he did last year, but he's still only 19. To be safe if I had the choice between him and pitching, I'd go with the Phillies pitching.

Meanwhile, some people got a bit jumpy when Brody Colvin and Sebastian Valle were pulled from last night's game. I don't see much in Valle, frankly he looks like a Jason Castro clone.

If I'm Ed Wade I do everything I can on top of working out a deal with Pence to get the Rockies prospect Tim Wheeler, even if it means flipping acquired prospects for something that the Rockies need. Its a real shame the Rockies aren't buyers, because an outfield of Domonic Brown, Tim Wheeler and J.D. Martinez would be quite good for next year (and yes I know I'm dreaming).

Then you need to sort out the rotation considering Wade is supposedly shopping both Myers and Rodriguez, with the aim of shifting payroll and getting something back. Myers would be a salary dump, but at this rate, if you can get a top pitching prospect for Wandy, get it done. If you don't next year's rotation is going to be Norris, Lyles, Happ, Cedeno and Keuchel.

Astros should be wary of Vance Worley

If Ed Wade wants to save this franchise, trading for Vance Worley would probably sound the death knell. I like Vance Worley, I've had him on my fantasy team most of the season and he has gotten great results. I'm also fearful that his ceiling is that of a mid-rotation starter, and that is not someone you want to get back as the center piece of any deal.

If the Astros want pieces that can help them rebuild they have to take flyers, and they need high ceiling guys, even if they carry more risk. Playing it safe will get the franchise nowhere. Bill Baer from Crashburn Alley had this from last week on Worley. Jeff Sullivan meanwhile had this to say after Worley's strong performance against the Cubs last night. There's some humor in there, and a straight Happ/Worley comparison is dumb, as Worley has much better pure stuff than Happ does. Still, the Astros should be cautious around Worley. 

Houston Astros Trade Deadline Live Chat

This will be constantly updated over the next 10 days and will post anything and everything related to the Astros and trade rumors as we approach the deadline day. Bookmark this page, come in and out everyday, ask questions post comments, and hopefully enjoy.

A couple of afternoon links

Firstly, we all know that the Brewers have had a bit of a mini crisis with Yuniesky Betancourt (god I'm glad I don't have to write that everyday), and Bernies Crew have come up with a list of SS that they would prefer over the current Brewers SS. If they were smart they would take a play at Clint Barmes. Relatively cheap (although he's soon to be a FA), solid defense and a sprinkling of offense for his position.

John Royal has this summation of the Roger Clemens errr.'trial'.

And finally, Ken Webster talks about tweeting as John Bateman, the ex-Astros catcher, as he relives the 1966 season 140 characters at a time.

How would you like to trade Pence to the Pirates?

In yesterday's sunday roundup I suggested that the Astros should consider trading Hunter Pence to the Pirates. They have the depth of prospects to tempt Wade, even if they are a bit farther from the majors than I would like, and with Drayton McLane not holding the strings anymore, they may finally make a meaningful trade within their own division, something they have been reticent to do under his tenure.
Here's what I said yesterday:

 Perhaps the Pirates should make a push for Pence, as the Tribune-Review says they will be "actively looking to add in a couple of different areas," according to manager Clint Hurdle. 

Meanwhile in today's Tribune Review, Pence is the main focus and he seems amenable to going to the Pirates, even if he has no choice of where/whether he is traded as he has does not own a no-trade clause:

"I've been an Astro my whole career. They're all I know," Pence said. "It's completely out of my hands, so I embrace the challenge of doing what I've got to do each day. In this business, you never know, but it's not something you should focus on."

Hmmm....Trade rumors eh?

Michael Bourn plays 'solid if not spectacular defense'

This is the sort of crap that makes me angry because it spawns the sort of saber-hating nonsense you see so often around the internet. Joe Pawilkowski has an article over on FanGraphs about the Astros trade pieces, and he has this to say on Michael Bourn:

He’ll also fetch a decent bounty in prospects, since plenty of teams would love a leadoff-hitting, base-stealing center fielder who plays solid, if not spectacular, defense.

This statement may be made on Bourn's UZR, which isn't great for 2011, but was good in 2008, great in 2009 and spectacular in 2010. UZR over small sample sizes like half-seasons should be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't know anybody who has watched Michael Bourn play with any regularity could make the above statement, and it leads me to the conclusion that Mr Pawilkowski either does not know what he's talking about, has not seen Bourn play, or has something else, hitherto unexplained that shapes such opinions.

I'm all ears.

Brad Mills has officially lost the plot

And perhaps the franchise has too. As bad as the Boston invasion was at the weekend, the worst part of the past week was Brad Mills inane lineup batting Carlos Lee fourth (still), and even worse Jason Michaels fifth. Then there was the whole charade where he made Carlos Corporan bunt and then did not pinch hit for Brett Myers.

Firstly John Royal has this on MMP turning into Fenway Park South, with the YOUK chants, putting Boston fans on the giant video screen and playing Sweet Caroline between innings. As Astros County opined, we could have had Tom Brady throwing out the first pitch or the Dropkick Murphys playing a concert afterwards. It all came across quite frankly, as a little bit pathetic.

Trade deadline day is starting to near and with a h/t to AC, Grant Bisbee has a pretty level-headed article on the Wandy Rodriguez situation. David Coleman also has Hunter Pence trade scenarios to the Braves mapped out for you, with likely targets being the Braves cache of young starting pitching prospects. Whether they are willing to part with either Randall Delgado, Mike Minor or Arodys Vizcaino is pretty much speculation.

Curiouser and curiouser. Brian McTaggart just tweeted that the Astros are having a closed meeting before gametime. Right now I'm not sure what this team needs. #astrosteammeeting is worth checking out on twitter if you're on there.

Kyle Hallock Kicking Ass and Taking Names

On a night when 2nd round pick Adrian Houser had a decent start in the gulf coast league (4 IP 7 K, 0 ER, 1H), but it was 10th round Kyle Hallock who turned on the style last night . We will be watching them and 5th rounder Nick Tropeano over the next couple of months. The left hander, out of Kent State University may have taken the loss last night, but he's allowed just four runs in his first 18 IP at Tri-City.

Over seven innings last night Hallock racked up 11 strikeouts, walking none, allowing three hits and two runs in a 2-0 loss. I'm calling it now, he's Dallas Keuchel mark II.

As you can see over at Astros County, the Astros acquired Mickey Storey from the A's yesterday. The pitcher was assigned to AAA Oklahoma City, where he threw 2 1/3 scoreless last night in relief of Andy Van Hekken.

The hooks meanwhile powered to a 9-6 win over the Tulsa Drillers, despite three errors by Jose Altuve and a 3-run shot given up by Ross Seaton, who seems to be doing better recently.  Altuve, who experienced a rare 0-for the other night, got back on track with 3 RBI.

Ok, moving onto last night's Astros game. Oh dear. The most annoying thing is Bud Norris pitched an absolute beaut against the Red Sox before his semi-implosion in the seventh inning. Pulled with the bases loaded, the bullpen continued its' normal routine, and before you could blink a four run lead became a two run  deficit. Still, Norris is flashing stuff that makes me believe he can be a true top of the rotation starter very soon. He's close. For six innings he dominated a very tough Red Sox lineup (they are 2nd in runs scored in the AL). What I liked best was how he spotted his fastball down, and on both corners of the plate. Add that to his slider and he was downright filthy.

Alas, a win was not to be. And against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield as well. Now the Astros have to contend with Andrew Miller, a lefty (so Wallace will be sitting), and Josh Beckett, who faces Jordan Lyles on Sunday. That is a solid Sunday matinee for you. Then the Astros play the Pirates at PNC on 4th July.

Michael Bourn meanwhile continues to rake, and has a sneaky little 10-game hitting streak going. He has played in all but two of the Astros games this season, and since the start of June has posted an .855 OPS which is pretty darn good for a guy with a level swing. He may not be drawing enough walks for Chip Bailey, but his OBP is nudging above .350, good enough for a guy with his speed and defense. Is Bourn one of the most underrated players in baseball?

According to Fangraphs, his fWAR checks in at 11th in the NL among qualified batters (it is 3.2 on both fWAR and bWAR). That is ahead of Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, Carlos Gonzalez and Drew Stubbs (not sure why I picked those four). And you want to trade this guy away? Can you get value for him on this market? And you are only paying him $4.4m. We will see if/when trade offers roll in.

The Enigma That is J.A. Happ

Props to Dan Szymborski, who admires the lengths J.A. Happ had gone to try and break FIP (as you all know Fielding Independent Pitching). Now I don't have a whole lot of time for obsessing over FIP, but I think its worthwhile knowing that it exists.

As you can see from the link Happ's FIP has remained almost totally constant over the past three years, 4.33 in 2009, 4.32 in 2010 and 4.36 in 2011. Yet his ERA has ballooned this season to a very ugly 5.54.

Now this could be for a whole bunch of reasons. It could be the league getting wise to the fact that Happ has very average stuff, not great command. Or it might be the fact that he has not enough sink on his pitches and he is getting clobbered into the outfield too often. Happ's GB% is the lowest at 30.1% among qualifiers in 2011, while his FB% is correspondingly the highest in the NL at 47.4%. More flyballs usually equals more home runs.

Adding to this he's thrown the fifth most balls (steady now) in the NL this season (and the guys in front of him have thrown far more pitches), you can add shaky command to a list of things wrong for this season. Or maybe he has been purposefully shying away from the heart of the plate because he is getting hammered whenever he does venture over the heart of the plate.

Anyhow, he, pitching coach Doug Brocail, and the catching unit have to do something, and maybe devise a new gameplan for him, because his current one is not working.

Those Astros Jerses 'Aint Going Nowhere

What in god's name is going on here?

There has been a lot of talk about what changes Jim Crane should make when he takes over the franchise, and one of the current themes is sorting out the rubbish mascot, characterless uniforms and bland team logo. The first thing I would do is get these three against a wall. Or perhaps not that brutally, but the ridiculous costumes need to go.

According to (and I say according to) Richard Justice in a tweet, Crane and Postolos have no plans to change the Astros' colors/logo. They may have no plans because they have plans not to have any plans at this moment in time, or it might be that they like the color scheme and the logo (highly unlikely).

Another solid start from Wandy Rodriguez last night. The Astros have won seven of his last nine starts and has a solid 1.77 ERA over that time period.