On this date last year, Adam Wainwright underwent Tommy John surgery, but it didn't stop the Cardinals from winning the 2011 World Series. Earlier today Tyler Kepner of the New York Times looked back at the moment Wainwright struck Carlos Beltran out to end the 2006 NLCS and the present-day relationship between the new teammates. Here are more of today's links…
- Third base prospect Anthony Rendon is impressing Nationals scouts and front office personnel this spring, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Rendon, a first round pick in 2011, doesn't appear to be far removed from the Major Leagues. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman just signed a long-term deal, but Rendon says he is comfortable at second base.
- In a chat with fans at MLB.com, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said the club still needs to "add to [their] depth" and land an impact prospect with the first overall pick in June's draft.
- The Royals' Opening Day payroll figures to be in the $57MM range, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets. Dutton has the full breakdown here.
The Astros think they actually have depth they can add to? That’s funny.
Moving Brett Myers to closer does not mean you have bullpen depth. Having the luxury of picking between Zach Duke and Livan Hernandez for a 5th starter does not mean you have SP depth, either.
What did you want him to say? He was asked about the Astros winning the division in 2012! He has to pretend to be almost as dumb as the people asking the questions.
The one place the Astros aren’t terrible though is in the pen – Lopez, Carpenter, Abreu.
Have no fear Astros fans. Jeff Luhnow did wonders to the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. He shouldn’t have any problem doing the same to the Astros….especially with the 1st pick
Jeff Luhnow is the perfect GM for a rebuilding club, especially one as bad as the Astros. He knows a ton about scouting and has a great eye for talent. He’s very smart, and was responsible for the rejuvenation of the Cards farm. He turned our bleak farm a couple of years ago, into what is now considered a top 10, and one that continually pumps out MLB players.
Since the Astros are switching leagues I don’t have to worry about them being good in 5-6 years. So I hope Luhnow can turn that franchise around. In 6-7 years it may be the Astros, A’s, and Mariners considered the powerhouses of the AL West.
Rendon was the top non-pitcher in the draft. Maybe I will eat these words in a few years, but I think KC is seriously going to regret taking Starling over Rendon.
KC is stacked with infielders though are they not?
I know you take the best available player, but Starling is no slouch
I’m not TOO familiar with their system, but just looking up a couple top 20 lists, it seems fairly balanced
OF’s: Wil Myers, Brett Eibner, David Lough, Jorge Bonifacio
INF’s: Cheslor Cuthbert, Christian Colon, Orlando Caxlitle (however you spell the last name)
You’re also forgetting they promoted Hosmer, Moustakas, Giavotella and Perez last year… which makes them infield heavy for the future….
I was just talking about their farm system this year, but yeah you have a good point
I agree about Rendon but Starling is gonna be a beast.
Rendon is a solid bet to be an above-average major leaguer.
Starling is closer to 50/50 (still above that, I’d say closer to 70/30), but has the potential to be a Josh Hamilton-type.
Rendon is a solid bet to be an above-average major leaguer.
Starling is closer to 50/50 (still above that, I’d say closer to 70/30), but has the potential to be a Josh Hamilton-type.
Still can’t believe Rendon fell to the Nationals, ugh.
Coming from an M’s fan… I hope Astros come to the AL West and gain some respect. I mean i want my team to win, but hey i know what it’s like to be down and out.
Nats are gonna have a great core of position players for the future, Ramos, Morse, Espinosa, Rendon, Zimmerman, Harper, Werth, just need a centerfielder because I dont think Brian Goodwin or Michael Taylor will be ready for the majors until a few years.
noticed how you threw Werth in there.
through?
not sure what you are talking about 😛
Nice edit =/
not sure what you are talking about 😛
Yea, two 100MM million players who I doubt will play like 100MM players.
Man, it feels good to be Jays fan and have Jose Bautista locked up for only 65MM.
Bautista is clearly going to be one of baseball’s best deals for a player with his service time.
But it’s hard to deny the potential future of the Nats especially when you consider he left out Zimmermann (the pitcher) and Strasburg. I think they have a brighter future than the Jays.
With Rendon Harper and Strasburg, can anyone argue their teams future is brighter?
I just meant position players, but with pitchers like Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gio, Clippard, and Storen the future looks bright.
I just meant position players, but with pitchers like Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gio, Clippard, and Storen the future looks bright.
I’m surprised the Astros don’t have more talent to bring up. They dealt Mark Melacon and Hunter Pence so hopefully the Astros gain some respectability some time soon. To be honest, the Astros decided that Brett Myers is a closer and an expensive one at that. I think his value lies in the starting rotation. Teams are not going to bite on an expensive reliever unless the Astros pick up most of the tab.
They actually have a really bad system from years of bad drafts and losing picks on guys like Lee and acquiring too many Chris Johnson/Brett Wallace. Guys that are useful but too limited to be “the man”.
Bourjos for Rendon?
let him have that surgery first. then we can talk about it.
With Bourn, Upton, and Victorino hitting FA this year?
Rendon can’t be traded for several months, and the Nationals wouldn’t do it anyway.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman just signed a long-term deal, but Rendon says he is comfortable at second base.
That’s what I like to hear
That a player with injury troubles wants to play the infield position where it’s easiest to get hurt? Good attitude, but he shouldn’t play second.
Not sure what happened?
The Astros farm system was ranked 29th last year by Baseball America, and this year the system is ranked 17th so there has been improvement. Keith Law doesn’t see it the same way (has them ranked around 25th), but there may be some sour grapes involved there since he didn’t get the Astros job he applied for. But, Luhnow is correct that the Astros need a very solid draft this year (and probably for next 2-3 years). He’s also busy improving their Latin American presence. As an Astros fan, having enjoyed the Bagwell/Biggio/Berkman/Oswalt era, and now going thru the pain of rebuilding, I’m realistic but at the same time optimistic. I’ve seen the posts comparing us to the Rays and Royals, but the big difference is that this team drew 3 million plus fans when it was winning (for 15 years in a row drew 2.5 million plus fans), is in the 4th largest city in America, and starting next year is going to get a significant chunk of TV revenue (guaranteed stream). Houston can easily support a $100M+ payroll, which they did when they were winning, and so even though Luhnow has a significant rebuilding job, the payoff will be satisfying.