Kuzul

By George Campbell

Astros skipper Brad Mills faced his former team, the Boston Red Sox, for the first of three scheduled 2011 spring training games on Tuesday. Even though his team lost 3-2, he was pleased with the effort his guys put forth in the game.

“I think we’ve played very well this year. I think you saw that today,” Mills said after the game.

It was a split-squad game, with the remainder of the team back in Kissimmee beating the Mets 5-4. Mills could have stayed with the other team at their home park, but he enjoys the opportunity to play against his former team. He spent 2004-2009 as Terry Francona’s bench coach, helping the team win two World Series during that time.

“It’s always fun seeing those guys. It’s a great group of guys, and of course I have a fondness for Terry and everybody over there as well, including the players and coaching staff. I spent six great years over there.”

He and Francona have ties going back to college, when the two were teammates on the University of Arizona team, and then were with the Montreal Expos together.

He left the Red Sox after the 2009 season to take the manager’s position for the Astros. He has a very positive attitude entering his second year on the job.

“I’m pretty excited because of the players we’ve got,” Mills explained. “We’ve got a great group of guys. They’ve done a great job this spring and they did a good job last year, and we’ll continue to build. I’m pretty excited about it.”

There was a lot to learn as a first-year manager.

“It was the experience of going through it, everything, everything is a process,” he continued. “Gaining familiarity with the coaching staff and the players going into the second year is a plus.”

The Astros finished fourth in the National League Central Division in his first year with the team. He is hoping the second year with the team will produce an even better year in 2011.

“The effort we have been putting out on the field has been extremely good this year. We are continuing with that because we have a great group of guys with a lot of talent, and if they are able to keep that going, we’ll have a good year.”

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How many of you remember how the Houston Astros did in the second half of the 2010 MLB season? I’ll give ya a minute.

Okay, time’s up! They did pretty well, finishing 40-33, and a lot of that had to do with the emergence of third baseman Chris Johnson.

Who, you ask?

Well, don’t feel bad, because you can’t even find this guy on most fantasy baseball owners’ maps right now, and that’s a really good thing.

But let’s evaluate him first, and don’t forget to cross-reference this analysis with our more in-depth analysis from our FREE fantasy baseball draft kit.

Among first-year players with at least 200 plate appearances, Johnson ranked third behind Jason Heyward (131) and Buster Posey (129) in adjusted OPS (123). Johnson did that hitting .316 and slugging at a .510 mark in the second half.

But this is a guy who is as consistent as they come. In five seasons in the minors, Johnson was a .315/.429/.744 hitter with 49 home runs, 259 RBI and 18 pilfered bags to eight denied in 1,681 AB.

Let’s go a bit deeper.

Assets

• Played so well that he has now solidified himself as the everyday man at the hot corner.
• Excellent power bat that should be good for 20 taters in 2011 easily.
• Hit .300 everywhere he played last year, including spring training, the minor leagues and the major leagues.

Flaws

• Is subject to strikeouts (316 in 1,681 AB over five seasons as a minor leaguer) and needs to work on the ratio between them and his walks.
• Not the fastest guy in the world, so not a lot of SB value.
• Some growing pains are sure to come with Johnson.

ADP: 356.54 / 3B Rank: 20 / OV Rank: 294 / Round: 20/21

2010 Stat Line

2011 Projected Stat Line

Fantasy Outlook

I don’t think I need to tell anyone that this guy is currently NOT a fantasy stud, but with so much damn consistency, Chris Johnson has the ability to defy normal fantasy peripherals…a feat not commonly found in ANYONE!

One of the players we have touched on at the somewhat thin position of third base has been Pedro Alvarez, and with good reason.

But Alvarez is going a lot earlier than even we thought, so securing a solid player at third for your bench will be extremely difficult towards the back end of your draft.

That’s precisely where you’ll find this guy.

The next three guys ABOVE Johnson at third are Casey Blake, Neil freaking Walker and Chase Headley…three players who WILL NOT come close to Johnson’s performance in the 2011 fantasy baseball season.

Take the back door in your draft and scoop this guy up if you are in need of a Utility roster guy or an additional player at third, and thank me in October.

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Even though it has been less than a week that the full squad has been at spring training, it is never too early to start looking at what the Houston Astros may look like on Opening Day.

Entering 2011, the Astros are a young team, as they are in the middle of a rebuilding process, but the lineup is pretty much set for this season.

Looking at the roster, there are really only two spots that are still up for grabs, and those are the last spot in the rotation and the backup outfield spot. With that said, here is what I see being the Opening Day roster for the Houston Astros.

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Have you ever wondered what goes through your girlfriend’s mind when she stops dead in her tracks, her eyes glaze over and she goes into a trance while looking at that ring in the window?

That’s what this is for men. Players like this only become freely available once a generation, and we too have paused and slipped into an alternative universe where this shiny jewel could be ours.

Well, at the risk of being the bearer of bad news, the parallels don’t stop there. There are only so many guys who can drop five grand just to make their girl smile, and only so many teams who can throw $300 million at a player.

In case you’re just back from a sabbatical in the Himalayas, Albert Pujols has reportedly cut off negotiations with the St. Louis Cardinals and plans to dip his toe into the murky waters of free agency.

While his legs dangle off the dock and you have visions of the fortunes of your team turning around by way of the hottest free agent signing in baseball history, I’ll have to ask you to snap out of it.

For you, the fans of the forthcoming 10 teams, it’s just not in the cards.

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Now that Lance Berkman is gone and Carlos Lee is coming off a down year, the race is wide open for who will lead the Houston Astros in home runs in 2011. They no longer have that one player who can be expected to hit 30 to 35 home runs in a season.

When looking at the current Astros roster, there are three players who jump out that could lead this team in home runs this season. Right fielder Hunter Pence, left fielder Carlos Lee and third baseman Chris Johnson have the best chance.

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At first glance, identifying the five best catching prospects in the Houston Astros’ system is like deciding which Jersey Shore cast member to invite to your niece’s Christening. It’s a quandary, really*. Your options are pretty bad across the board.

Scouring the Houston system for promising catchers wasn’t easy; in fact, it was darn near impossible. Truth be told, I was tempted to just start and end this list with the words “Craig Biggio” and hope everyone reading was 45 or older. Fortunately, my better judgment won out; the last thing I need is all 12 Astro’s fans mad at me**. I’ve never messed with Texas, and believe me, I don’t plan on starting now.

But seriously, as Astros fans flock to the ‘net in need of baseball info, it’s our job at Bleacher Report to try our best to make the best of a bad situation, so I’ve compiled a list of the five most promising catching prospects in the Houston system.

Proceed with caution: you’re about to miss Brad Ausmus more than you ever thought you could.  

(Author’s note No. 1: Any Jersey Shore aficionado knows the clear answer to this question is Vinny. If a question is ever aimed at determining which of the Seaside gorillas is the most normal, acceptable, or redeemable, the answer is always Vinny.)

(Author’s note No. 2: Kidddingggggg…)

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The Houston Astros about halfway through last season decided to enter rebuilding mode by trading both Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt.

However, there is one more expensive piece currently on the team that could offer some quality pieces in return to help the rebuilding process, and that is Carlos Lee.

El Caballo does have some things working against him that may make a trade tougher for the Astros. He is getting up there in age and would struggle in the field. He also will be making $19 million this season. He is on the downside of his career and probably wouldn’t be able to bring top talent in return.

However, he could still contribute to a team for another two to three years, playing DH for a team that is looking for a power hitter for the middle of its lineup. Here are 10 trades that would make sense for both teams.

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The Philadelphia Phillies and their fans are very familiar with Ed Wade and his work.

When Wade assumed the role of General Manager with the Phillies in 1998, he made trades and signings that never sat well with the fans.

During his tenure with the Phillies, he traded franchise cornerstones Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen for little return and made questionable signings on the free agent market, committing multi-year deals to players like Jose Mesa, David Bell, Jim Thome and Jon Lieber.

The Phillies consistently underperformed under his reigns, posting a record of 643-652 during his tenure.

Needless to say, when he was relieved of his duties after the 2005 season, there weren’t many Phillies fans losing sleep over the team’s decision.

After Wade was long gone, however, the fruits of his labor began to produce for the Phillies. Players drafted under his watch, including Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and JA Happ, all formed part of the core of the Phillies team that won the World Series in 2008.

Other players that Wade drafted, including Happ, Lou Marson, Josh Outman, Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and Michael Costanzo would be part of packages that would land the Phillies integral pieces like Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge.

He also signed a number of amateur free agents, including Carlos Ruiz and Carlos Carrasco, who would eventually become yet another piece to the Lee trade.

So, while his tenure didn’t pay immediate dividends for the Phillies, his stint as General Manager provided crucial pieces to today’s team. Wade would go on to become the General Manager of the Houston Astros on September 20, 2007 and has kept in touch with the Phillies ever since.

One of the first deals he made as the General Manager of the Astros was to send closer Brad Lidge and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for prospects Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo and reliever Geoff Geary.

He has signed many former Phillies, including Brett Myers and Pedro Feliz.

This trend continued right into 2010, as he traded the long-time face of the Astros’ franchise, Roy Oswalt, to the Phillies for JA Happ, Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose.

On January 11, 2011, Ed Wade struck again.

On a much smaller scale than the Lidge and Oswalt deals, the Phillies and Astros swapped minor leaguers Sergio Escalona and Albert Cartwright.

When asked about the deal, Wade said, “Sergio adds depth to the competition for left-handers in our bullpen. Our scouts have liked his stuff and believe he’s got a chance to be very effective in left-on-left situations.”

Escalona, 26, is going to need a chance at the major league level to prove Wade right. His brief stint in the major leagues with the Phillies in 2009 didn’t yield impressive results. He appeared in 14 games and posted a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 4.61. He struggled with command, walking more than three and striking out just over six batters per nine innings in that span of time.

Wade is relying heavily on his numbers in the minor leagues. In 2010, Escalona spent the season with the Phillies AA affiliate, posting a record of 4-8 and an ERA of 3.81. He’s had tremendous success at AA, posting ERAs of 2.22 and 1.77 in 2008 and 2009 respectively, but has struggled at AAA and in the majors.

If he wants to break camp with the Astros, he’s going to have to beat out fellow lefties Wesley Wright, Fernando Abad and Gustavo Chacin.

The Phillies, on the other hand, added much-needed depth to their system’s middle infield.

Cartwright, 23, has played second base in the Astros system over the last four seasons. He’s had a few very streaky seasons, and struggled at AA in 2010. However, he also played in 92 games at A+ ball, hitting .318/.381/.551, with 10 home runs.

Though an extremely high BABIP of .389 suggests those numbers will come down some, the potential for improvement is there.

The Phillies, who designated Escalona for assignment this week, were lucky to get anything in return for him. When the opportunity to swap him for a middle infielder presented itself, they were quite satisified.

Cartwright won’t be the next Chase Utley, but he’ll join other middle infielders Michael Martinez, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis, Brian Bocock and Carlos Rivero as the Phillies attempt to find another diamond in the rough.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

People didn’t expect Edgar Martinez to earn election into the Hall of Fame today. The fact that he didn’t wasn’t a shock to anyone.

Some eyebrows were raised when his support dropped by a few votes, though.

The arguments for or against his election can be made over and over. We’d be blue in the face and likely see no one from either side sway to the other. We know the numbers, and we know the DH argument.

There’s a bigger problem in the room now, though. One that is likely to plague the election process for the next decade or longer.

Writers are forced to play games.

The members of the BBWAA who have a Hall of Fame vote are limited to 10 selections on their ballot. To exasperate the issue, voters are being faced with more questions about steroids, and the Hall of Fame has given them a vague set of rules to consider when casting their vote.

Some writers who would rather be safe than sorry in the case of Jeff Bagwell. With a loaded ballot this year, perhaps they’d rather spend one of their 10 votes elsewhere while also avoiding the steroid controversy.

Another writer voted for Tino Martinez and BJ Surhoff, but not Roberto Alomar or Bert Blyleven. The latter two were elected today. Surely, that writer doesn’t think Martinez and Surhoff are more deserving than Alomar and Blyleven, right?

Would we be wrong to assume that writer felt confident Alomar and Blyleven would get in, thus deciding to spend those votes elsewhere?

I believe the Hall of Fame has put these writers in an unfair position.

What if these games end up costing a guy his enshrinement? Fans would be angry, but remember that these voters are people, too. They are the ones with the burden to make a decision under these rules.

While I disagree with the stance some of them have to err on the side of caution, it is their right under the current format of the ballot rules.

They then face the dilemma of publishing their votes with reasoning or withholding that information. Either decision would come with backlash from the fans.

This is not court of law. Nor is it a body of congress. Therefore, we can’t expect the voters to abide by rules we’ve come to know in our government. They don’t have to see it as innocent until proven guilty and they don’t have to represent our feelings with their vote.

I don’t feel bad for the pressure put on all of the writers, though.

Dan Graziano of AOL Fanhouse chose not to vote for Jeff Bagwell, because he has suspicions. I could get into why I feel voters should not be playing the role of morality police or directly or indirectly influencing people to form a negative opinion of someone who has not been found guilty of anything.

I’m more concerned, though, with how the Hall of Fame may have unintentionally instilled an inflated sense of power into some of these writers.

In his piece a week ago, Graziano had this to say about his right to vote how he sees fit:

“I could withhold a vote because I don’t want people in the Hall of Fame who have blue eyes, or owned cats, or ever played on a Texas team. It’s my vote, and the only standards to which I am beholden are my own.”

The Hall of Fame’s rules are short and vague. Short enough, in fact, that you can see they do not allow a voter to leave a player off because of his eye color or domestic animal of choice. They ask the voters to consider how well the player performed, and how they acted on and off the field while a member of the baseball community.

Would Graziano really vote that way? I’d certainly hope not, but the mere fact that he’d publish a thought like that is concerning. Do either the Hall of Fame or BBWAA care that one of the gatekeepers to this hallowed institution finds that as acceptable, joke or not?

I would think voting for the Hall of Fame is an extreme honor that is taken very seriously. I have no doubt it is to many voters.

Others, though, and the Hall of Fame itself?

Seems like they need to revisit the policies and practices on who is left out in the cold.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Now that the least interesting World Series in years is finally over, all 30 MLB teams can again have hopes and dreams for the upcoming season. Most of the 2010 playoff teams are again favorites heading into the off-season, but there is always yearly change in who makes the playoffs. 

The following list is mostly compiled of teams who were not competitive at all late into the year. The teams are in order of how much change their 2011 season will be from their respective 2010 seasons. A major motif for these teams is how their youth will take it to the next level.

Here are the teams that were considered afterthoughts in 2010, but who are going to surprise everyone in the 2011 season. 

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