http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/4065 Recent articles about Michael Bourn en-us by Gene J. Puskar - AP 5 months ago: Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper walks in the dugout during a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh Saturday, May 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) View full size photo » A one-hour plane ride and two torn out pages of the Bill James Handbook, that’s all I have.  Perhaps it’s because I’m a grizzled veteran now, but probably ... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:00:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Cecil_Cooper_from_take_off_to_landing/1523051 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Cecil_Cooper_from_take_off_to_landing/1523051 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Cecil_Cooper_from_take_off_to_landing/1523051 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/a/ca550ae2dc286bb74f3d182924d5d55b8898789e/small/Houston_Astros_vs_6215.jpg More photos » by Al Behrman - AP Tommy Manzella and Michael Bourn would give the Astros one of the best defensive SS-CF combos in the NL Central Browse more photos » Straight from Eddy Wade's mouth: At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop.   The possibility remains that Tejada could return as a third baseman. Tommy Manzella grades anywhere from good to... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:47:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/With_Miguel_Tejada_most_likely_on_his_way_out_Tommy_Manzella_is_in_as_Astros_Shortstop_in_2010/1519167 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/With_Miguel_Tejada_most_likely_on_his_way_out_Tommy_Manzella_is_in_as_Astros_Shortstop_in_2010/1519167 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/With_Miguel_Tejada_most_likely_on_his_way_out_Tommy_Manzella_is_in_as_Astros_Shortstop_in_2010/1519167 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/e/de9d2d59f65d0410e76f6c802b2cfb47e7678d5e/small/f0.jpg More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP Hunter Pence (center) and Carlos Lee (right) are equivalent players? Browse more photos » Previously, I wrote about the Bill James Projections for selected Astros' pitchers.  Today, I will look at the Bill James projections for selected Astros' hitters.  Below, we compare the 2010 projection for OBP, OPS, RC/G with the player's actual stats ... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:18:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Bill_James_Projections_for_Selected_Astros_Hitters/1513128 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Bill_James_Projections_for_Selected_Astros_Hitters/1513128 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Bill_James_Projections_for_Selected_Astros_Hitters/1513128 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/0/c014ea86d5855b2900465a725b4dcd550e6ea39c/small/MLB_MAY_13_8b32.jpg More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP The Astros most important outfielder? Browse more photos » We take a break from the managerial search to look at the Astros' 2009 outfield. The three starters in Lee, Bourn and Pence combined to be the most productive portion of the offense in a number of ways. Each totaled over 600 plate appearances and two of the three hit 25 home runs. While the Astros offense has it... Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:15:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Outfield/1385843 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Outfield/1385843 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Outfield/1385843 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/1/318ee1e745babfc9dac428d38633d9819047432a/small/Houston_Astros_vs_e0ea.jpg Other than Michael Bourn and Wandy Rodriguez, one of the best under-the-radar stories of the Astros 2009 season was the major league debut of Bud Norris.  It wasn't quite sparkling, marred by a four game slump, but his other six starts showed a lot of promise, especially his 13 shutout innings against the Cardinals.  And even when he was struggling, he showed great composure on the mound, except perhaps in the August 23rd game against Arizona when he only lasted a single inn... Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:38:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Reflection_Bud_Norris_and_his_rookie_season/1352140 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Reflection_Bud_Norris_and_his_rookie_season/1352140 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Reflection_Bud_Norris_and_his_rookie_season/1352140 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/c/8cc30543c0a605f7c7ec0c22a4a7661004c70722/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_19_745d.jpg Well, why not start off with what little good news there was from this embarassing game: 1 - Michael Bourn hit 2 changeups and, in fact, hit the second off the RF wall. 5' higher and it would have been out. He almost managed to catch another ball on the Hill, but it fell for a triple and I was disappointed that Oquendo didn't allow Ankiel to keep running to earn himself an inside-the parker. That, at least, would have been something worth watching. 2 - Miggy Tejada went 3/4 and hit 2 ... Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:59:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Pitchers_Continue_Triumphant_Slide_Into_Supreme_Suckage/1227673 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Pitchers_Continue_Triumphant_Slide_Into_Supreme_Suckage/1227673 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Pitchers_Continue_Triumphant_Slide_Into_Supreme_Suckage/1227673 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/4/14d9b522664c9b3167b2e3fe57b7235cbe167785/small/MLB_JUN_11_e05e.jpg by David J. Phillip - AP View full size photo uploaded September 9, 2009 My opening statement in this debate can be found here, and DQ's response and opening statement can be found here. Value. Isn't that what we all want in a baseball player? Someone who can be productive in any given capacity, but at the same time be relatively cost effective. There are a lot of players in MLB who contribute a great deal to their respective ... Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:01:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/HLP_states_his_case_Michael_Bourn_as_the_Astros_team_MVP/1143956 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/HLP_states_his_case_Michael_Bourn_as_the_Astros_team_MVP/1143956 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/HLP_states_his_case_Michael_Bourn_as_the_Astros_team_MVP/1143956 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/e/5ecca837391d5460034fa8d70f0c5ad9d7a05929/small/MLB_MAY_13_2b1c.jpg Twas a Dog Day afternoon - literally. It was hot and moistly still outside the ballpark and hot and mostly empty INside the ballpark on the first - bring your Dog to the ballpark - game. No Dogs in the seats, at least not yet, and no guys Dogging it on the basepaths or anywheres else. It was Da Bull's 6th birthday Thursday (GAWD kids grow up so fast - seems like it was just yesterday he was a baby who couldn't stop saying blllllllll, and now he just talktalktalks) so Saturday, it was... Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:14:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hot_Dawg_Astros_Sweep_Phillies_As_Pence_Drives_in_the_Tying_Run_And_Bourn_Drives_In_The_Game_Winner/1130095 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hot_Dawg_Astros_Sweep_Phillies_As_Pence_Drives_in_the_Tying_Run_And_Bourn_Drives_In_The_Game_Winner/1130095 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hot_Dawg_Astros_Sweep_Phillies_As_Pence_Drives_in_the_Tying_Run_And_Bourn_Drives_In_The_Game_Winner/1130095 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/1/515421b243337d071450ad93800071b01aab2ebf/small/MLB_JUN_01_e54a.jpg by David J. Phillip - AP View full size photo uploaded September 6, 2009 Consider this my opening salvo in an upcoming debate between myself and DQ, which asks this question: who has been the Astros MVP in 2009: Michael Bourn or Wandy Rodriguez. You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him: Michael Bourn has been a terror on the basepaths in 2009. More important than his 52 stolen bases is how he's stealing them. His ... Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:01:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_is_the_Astros_2009_team_MVP_HLPs_Opening_Statement/1126780 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_is_the_Astros_2009_team_MVP_HLPs_Opening_Statement/1126780 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_is_the_Astros_2009_team_MVP_HLPs_Opening_Statement/1126780 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/0/e02170da4a3b57eb407be63c1d36953f335fbae4/small/MLB_JUN_02_d207.jpg Bud Norris, The PCL Pitcher Of The Year, started his 7th ML game, this time with JR Towles catching him. I know he had skipped a start, but there was one significant difference today - he walked NOBODY and had all but one of his borderline pitches called strikes, ESPECIALLY the high strikes. It wasn't that Wally Bell had a giant strike zone neither - check out pitches 4 and 6 which Valverde threw to Stairs with Quintero catching. And Ruiz didn't get almost any low borderline pitches o... Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:01:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Steals_2_Bases_On_Pickoff_Throws_To_Support_Bud_Norris_apos_4th_Win/1125882 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Steals_2_Bases_On_Pickoff_Throws_To_Support_Bud_Norris_apos_4th_Win/1125882 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Steals_2_Bases_On_Pickoff_Throws_To_Support_Bud_Norris_apos_4th_Win/1125882 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/b/3b3d17177aad8f6bc2807e67352334632a08a95c/small/MLB_JUN_01_725c.jpg More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP Browse more photos » We had a nice discussion going yesterday about Michael Bourn, vis a vis Fangraphs re-examining the Brad Lidge/Bourn trade of 2007. I specifically liked the point made about Michael's slugging percentage improving in the future. His .367 BABIP portends of a 2010 where his batting average is most likely going to decline, but that doesn't mean he will... Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:00:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Discussion_Day_Two/1053155 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Discussion_Day_Two/1053155 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Discussion_Day_Two/1053155 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/4/14d9b522664c9b3167b2e3fe57b7235cbe167785/small/MLB_JUN_11_e05e.jpg Man I hate moveable type - this must be the 7th or 8th time I have lost an entire entry. I can't WAIT until we move back to Wordpress. So to sum it up - Bazardo wasn't bad. The umpire called 40 pitches balls and 14 of them were in the strike zone. Also Matsui and Coop screwed him out of a win. Matsui botched a dead easy 6-4-3, then Bazardo gave up a single, so naturally Coop pulls him because you can't leave him in there to see if he can work out of trouble. No, you waste Byrdak t... Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:14:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/In_Which_Michael_Bourn_Beats_The_Marlins_And_Carlos_Lee_Makes_3_GOOD_Catches/1015185 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/In_Which_Michael_Bourn_Beats_The_Marlins_And_Carlos_Lee_Makes_3_GOOD_Catches/1015185 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/In_Which_Michael_Bourn_Beats_The_Marlins_And_Carlos_Lee_Makes_3_GOOD_Catches/1015185 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/187636889c08f59df5d64737e275690d8a517ed5/small/MLB_JUN_02_7711.jpg More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP . (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Browse more photos » I think most Astros' fans who watch Michael Bourn play center field think he is a superlative defensive player.  Based on watching most of his games, I agree.  But a funny thing happened on the way to Bourn's defensive rating.  His Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) for 2009 is -1.6.  This is worse... Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:48:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Bourn_better_than_his_UZR_rank_indicates/912731 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Bourn_better_than_his_UZR_rank_indicates/912731 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Bourn_better_than_his_UZR_rank_indicates/912731 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/4/14d9b522664c9b3167b2e3fe57b7235cbe167785/small/MLB_JUN_11_e05e.jpg Yeah, I know. I'm having a Good Ol Time with the headlines here. But how often do leadoff guys with no power get walked? Answer - when Darin "groundout" Erstad is batting second. Yes, you read that right. Erstad and his .125 BA in the 2-hole. No Pence, no Blum (hurt leg last night) and Kata at second. I guess that is why SOME crappy hitter had to go in the 2-hole, or you would have 3 straight outs at 7,8,9 hole. Poor Coop was forced to play Maysonet, something he's been avo... Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:31:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Receives_His_First_Intentional_Walk_Of_His_Astros_Career/747368 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Receives_His_First_Intentional_Walk_Of_His_Astros_Career/747368 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Michael_Bourn_Receives_His_First_Intentional_Walk_Of_His_Astros_Career/747368 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/6/c6a3480df9d24051c09d49c2abfb054b98f600ae/small/MLB_JUN_01_60dc.jpg