Look at the 07 Astros lineup. We had huge holes. Our 07 batting
order looked like a Little League team... get though the top four guys
and the bottom of the order will get you out of the inning. And the
next one. I'm sick and tired of a lineup with batters that have OPS+
in the 70 range. I'm tired of getting a rally started just to see the
Dead Zone approaching in the order. Well those days are gone. This
is a lineup with punch from top to bottom.
OK, so we may struggle this year on pitching. Maybe. Maybe not. But
the bottom line is that we are in the NL Central, not the AL East.
And if it comes to it, we can work on pitching next Hot Stove season
when the prospects may be quite a bit more numerous.
Pupura was killing us with unearned loyalty to journeyman players that
he had emotional attachments to. Wade is at least acting like a real
GM. You've got to give something to get something, and this off
season, the thing to give to get good value is young pitching. What
would Astros fans be saying if we were trading a 4 time all star power
hitting SS for Everett and two unproven pitching prospects? Heh. The
last F6 we had even close to Tejada was Dickie Thon.
I know not every deal will work out. And the revisionist historians
will be all over anything that doesn't, and re****ting with 20-20
hiindsight how Wade was stoopid. But evaluated in real time, based on
what we know and what we need, this has been the best off-season I can
recall. This is the most improvement in the team that we've ever had.
Im excited.
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