Ryan Rowland-Smith (12-17, 4.57 ERA) (2007-2010)
The trade and free agent signings are not big these days in our little part of the baseball world, but then we did not expect them to be. With the club recovering from other salary misadventures and the franchise now up for sale, Astro fans can pretty much expect things to proceed along this line for the foreseeable future.
The good news is that the club now seems totally dedicated to shoring up its developmental program at the minor league level and it is aggressively working to draft young players who are both good prospects and sign-able free agents. It doesn’t do any good to draft players if they aren’t good prospects or you just can’t sign them, anyway. I don’t have this year’s record handy, but if memory serves, the Astros did well in 2010 by signing most of their young free agent draftees.
Now the Astros come home from the Florida winter meetings by signing lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith as another competitor for the fifth spot in the rotation for 2011. The club also took two pitchers, Aneury Rodriguez and Lance Pendleton, from the winter meeting Rule V draft of minor league players not protected by the 40-man roster, Those latter two guys will also be likely competitors for the number five-spot in the rotation.Veteran Nelson Figueroa is the holdover favorite to win the job, but we will have to wait through spring training to learn about these other guys.
Besides all that speculation, it’s early. A lot can happen between now and then. Who knows what Ed Wade may be forced to do to make room for that better hitting middle infielder he says he’s looking for.
As for Rowland-Smith, all I know about him is what I’ve very recently read, I’ve never seen him work. Even in this big package, get-all-the-teams-on-tv high-tech era, Seattle remains about as far off my big league radar screen as teams can get, All I know is that the guy has some command issues and that last year he really plummeted, going 1-10 with a stratospheric ERA of 6.75.
Let’s hope the Aussie-born portsider who turns 28 in january is “recoverable” under Astro manager Brad Mills and that “recoverable” is measured at a level that is greater than his 5-3, 3.42 ERA best year of 2008. The Astros need more help than that best season marker suggests is forthcoming. Rowlnd-Smith will need to bring his best game to the final results side of far more than eight decisions in 2011 to be of real help.
Our club motto for 2011 should be a realistic match for the times: Don’t expect the moon by June – or anytime soon! This club is going to be better than 2009 because of the personnel changes that have freed the team to rebuild with lighter expectations on the club’s chances for a quick route back to the World Series moment of 2005.
A World Series isn’t going to happen with Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman leading the way. Those guys are gone. Forever. They aren’t even coming back for a twilight lap season. If they ever do, take it as a definite sign that the Astros of that moment have converted to a burlesque version of baseball success and that they are then and there no longer serious about winning.
Patience and a passion for baseball, even in leaner times, are going to be key qualities that Astro fans need to have for the foreseeable future. We’ve lived with these traits forever, so, hopefully, we can spring them activation again. If we start seeing our best young players disappearing via trade on a regular basis, as they regularly do in Pittsburgh, then we shall need to pull the cord and get off the baseball bus, but I really don’t see that happening here. And whoever buys the club needs to understand that facet of Astros fandom: We will not settle for a losing ball club indefinitely. We are not Pirate-like fans.
As for the current club, I like Jason Castro at catcher, Brett Wallace at first, Jeff Keppinger at second, Chris Johnson at third, Carlos Lee in left (as the only place left he fits), Gold-Glove winner Michael Bourn in center, and Hunter Pence in right. I also prefer Clint Barnes or Angel Sanchez at shortstop over Tommy Manzella gets my vote. I’ll take the better bats over the better glove, but no hit route, for now, As for the pitching, I’m content, for now, to let time and spring training sort that out for us. I do wish that something could happen to cure that “Bad Wandy” character that still shows up too often when Senor Rodriguez takes the mound. “Bad Wandy” is the only guy standing in the way of “Good Wandy” earning a contract with more numbers on the salary line.
The winters are long for some of us baseball fans. Unlike Rogers Hornsby, some of us have a little trouble just staring out the window, waiting for spring, We have to talk and write out our hot stove league thoughts and speculations.
Care to join me? Please leave your own questions or thoughts here as a comment on how the 2011 Astros season looks to you, so far. The rest of us would like to hear it.
Tags: Baseball, Houston Astros
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