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With the Astros struggling like a hooked fish, the first thing I think about is Round Rock. Is there anyone else at AAA who can help the team as much as Hunter Pence? If there is, I didn’t see him on Memorial Day when I did my first of seven gigs for Fox Sports at Dell Diamond. Sometimes a player has overarching tools and it is obvious, like it was with Pence – footspeed, quick bat, power. Most of the time, players don’t “have it all,” and it takes more than one game to appreciate their value.
The Astros have developed numerous major leaguers in the last decade, but the only ones who have All Star type talent are Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt. Brad Lidge and possibly Pence. There is no question that Morgan Ensberg, Adam Everett, Jason Lane, Luke Scott, Chris Burke, Eric Bruntlett, Chad Qualls and Chris Sampson can play in the major leagues without embarrassing themselves. But none of them appear to be significantly better than the average guy at their position on the other major league teams. So, in a way, the farm system appears to have been productive. But “has been” doesn’t guarantee “will continue to be.”
Looking over the stats from the Round Rock team, I only saw three guys (all pitchers) who are dominating the league. Better pitching could be just what the doctor ordered. I still think Lance Berkman will have a good year and that the Astros offense will end up being better than it has been so far. If two lefties, Mark McLemore and Stephen Randolph keep it up at Round Rock, they will be in Houston for more than a cameo appearance this year. The young righthanded starter, Juan Guttierez, probably needs a full year at AAA, but he could strengthen the Astros pitching rotation sometime soon.
Part of the problem lies in the system and the Astros can’t do anything about it. If you have a good year, (the Astros have posted winning records in 12 of the last 13 seasons) you don’t get a good position in the June free agent draft. Most of the time the players with “have it all” tools are gone by the time the Astros get to make their first choice. If that happens for a decade, the well can run dry. Occasionally, you get lucky and find a diamond in the rough after the first round. But it is hard to do that year after year. |
