http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/12 Recent articles about the Houston Astros 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 Tony Dejak - AP about 1 month ago: Detroit Tigers shortstop Adam Everett dives for a single hit by Cleveland Indians' Matt LaPorta in the second inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Browse more photos » Let's look at what kind of offense the Astros have gotten from the left side of the infield in this decade.   This... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:41:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Astros_offense_at_3d_base_and_shortstop_in_the_2000s/1520634 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Astros_offense_at_3d_base_and_shortstop_in_the_2000s/1520634 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Astros_offense_at_3d_base_and_shortstop_in_the_2000s/1520634 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/4/a47b5385ca9b09deee7af0de1b1ea0e02333cad8/small/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f72500699.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF193DADD97B58D4678D07C96D347CC174BB7.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 Nick Wass - AP Rich Hill is definitely my pick for sexy-under-the-radar reclamation project. He still has a few prime years in his tank and is a major head case, it seems. From we know of Arnsberg, that's right in his wheelhouse. Browse more photos » The title is somewhat facetious.  The Astros are guaranteed to spend $80million, as is, heading into 2010, but there should be anoth... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:16:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_should_the_Astros_do_with_their_shoe_string_budget/1504798 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_should_the_Astros_do_with_their_shoe_string_budget/1504798 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_should_the_Astros_do_with_their_shoe_string_budget/1504798 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/3/8333ba1c2b39ecada29cbfc91e0987079e98d774/small/MLB_APR_26_016e.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Congrats to the second-best right fielder in the majors. Browse more photos » Don't know if you noticed, but Hunter Pence was a close second to Ichiro in the third annual Fielding Bible Awards, which were announced Monday. It was a nice finish for Pence, who has worked hard to turn himself into a very capable right fielder. Since Michael Bourn also finished in the top... Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:25:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hunter_Pence_and_the_Astros_Outfield_Defense/1498161 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hunter_Pence_and_the_Astros_Outfield_Defense/1498161 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hunter_Pence_and_the_Astros_Outfield_Defense/1498161 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/0/30c3c7e06e045b3ab9340bcddaa243cce90d95a0/small/AstrosRangers_1d1e.jpg by Darren Calabrese - AP Is the criticism of Brad Arnsberg justified? View full size photo uploaded November 2, 2009 In case you missed the FanShot from last Friday, the Astros hired a new pitching coach. Brad Arnsberg comes with a reputation as a young pitcher-killer, but was loved by all his staffs and seemed to be able to work some magic with 'reclamation projects.' The World Wide Web was abuzz with articles ab... Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Breaking_Down_Arnsberg_What_Are_the_Astros_Getting/1490365 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Breaking_Down_Arnsberg_What_Are_the_Astros_Getting/1490365 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Breaking_Down_Arnsberg_What_Are_the_Astros_Getting/1490365 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/0/30afbcaae6a9b2ab5e66fc9cb9b8fe862c77f5ee/small/MLB_JUN_21_6bd2.jpg More photos » by Bob Levey - AP Happy trails, Doug Brocail. Browse more photos » What's that, you say...a discussion question and a links post, all in the same day? How do you find the time? I'll answer that with a question of my own: It's Friday...would you rather be researching and writing an incisive and well-informed piece about something, or plowing through Season Three of LOST while at w... Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:32:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Friday_Roundup_All_the_links_fit_to_print/1466370 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Friday_Roundup_All_the_links_fit_to_print/1466370 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Friday_Roundup_All_the_links_fit_to_print/1466370 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/c/cc037b105397bb0c1fdd33d66dd2a82313e12ffe/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_08_1a78.jpg Members of Coaching Staff named; Brocail's option declined for 2010 Bobby Meacham (1st base) and Al Pedrique (3rd base) will be our on field coaches next season. The Astros will pay $250,000 to buy out Doug Brocail's option for 2010. The probable Type B Free Agent will most likely not be offered arbitration either. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:08:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Members_of_Coaching_Staff_named_Brocails_option_declined_for_2010/1466188 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Members_of_Coaching_Staff_named_Brocails_option_declined_for_2010/1466188 More photos » by Dino Vournas - AP Roy Oswalt, in a rare good mood Browse more photos » To lead off the starters section, I wanted to focus a little on Roy Oswalt. The soon-to-be 32-year old had his worst season as a professional, but was that a sign of aging and decline, or just a bump in the road? His BABiP shows he wasn't unlucky in 2009 and was right in line with his career average. He also didn&#... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:49:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Starters/1460585 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Starters/1460585 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Starters/1460585 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47a756103718df7474b93a5ecf3a2d960d09cdad/small/Astros_v_Royals_936c.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of this look of confusion on Mills' face in 2010. Carlos Lee, will likely inspire of most of it. Browse more photos » In case you've been under a rock for the last 12-14 hours, you might have missed this. There are a pantheon of names that strike fear and respect into the hearts of us mere mortals.  Last night,... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:18:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thursday_Morning_Astros_etc_Round_Up_Now_with_bonus_fiction/1457309 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thursday_Morning_Astros_etc_Round_Up_Now_with_bonus_fiction/1457309 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thursday_Morning_Astros_etc_Round_Up_Now_with_bonus_fiction/1457309 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/a/ca550ae2dc286bb74f3d182924d5d55b8898789e/small/Houston_Astros_vs_6215.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Browse more photos » Approach the signing of our new manager from that perspective and you can't help but be optimistic about the winter and the regular season ahead. So Manny Acta turned us down, because our owner wouldn't throw an extra year on a contract. Can anyone honestly say that they didn't think Drayton McLane would mess up the negotiations process? How that man is... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:15:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Managing_the_Houston_Astros_Brad_Mills_ability_to_define_himself/1449298 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Managing_the_Houston_Astros_Brad_Mills_ability_to_define_himself/1449298 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Managing_the_Houston_Astros_Brad_Mills_ability_to_define_himself/1449298 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/3/03688ce3aeb47afa9b6dd6da114cc800c0b41ca0/small/MLB_JUN_05_0a1b.jpg by Al Behrman - AP Reliever Sammy Gervacio View full size photo uploaded October 23, 2009 Your Tuesday morning special is a look at the 2009 Astros bullpen. First, though, I thought we could consider a question: Can a minor league reliever be considered a prospect? Almost all the Astros homegrown bullpen additions this decade have been starters in the minors before making the major leauge club. Guys like Billy Wagn... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:00:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Relievers/1442652 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Relievers/1442652 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Roster_Breakdown_The_Relievers/1442652 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/b/dbc73553f9aa33de73044c3387967c4a8476afd1/small/MLB_MAY_13_aa85.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Former Houston Astros' pitcher Shawn Chacon isn't expected to be around the Astros for any future seasons. In fact, he has his own problems in Las Vegas right now. This is a 2008 AP photograph from Chacon's short stint with the Astros. Browse more photos » HLP or DQ may be planning a more comprehensive preview of the Bill James Astros' player projections f... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:31:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lets_Hope_Bill_James_Projections_for_Astros_Pitching_is_Wrong/1440299 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lets_Hope_Bill_James_Projections_for_Astros_Pitching_is_Wrong/1440299 More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP Acta, obviously dejected he won't be an Astro Browse more photos » *The part of Devil's Advocate will be played by Davo. Is it really that bad that the Astros lost out on Manny Acta? We've gone over his resume a ton, but let's talk about this one little thing: .385. That's his winning percentage as a major league manager. No Cleveland manager has ... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/PointCounterpoint_Astros_Managerial_Search/1437793 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/PointCounterpoint_Astros_Managerial_Search/1437793 via images.chron.com View full size photo uploaded October 25, 2009 If I would have know how prescient it would be when I wrote it, I probably wouldn't have.  But I wrote it, and now we have to deal with the fact that Drayton McLane still hasn't figured it out. How much money is spent or how good the team has been in years past, is not actually what determines the on field product.  What determines the on... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:15:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/13_days_later_Astros_owner_Drayton_McLane_still_doesnt_get_it/1436054 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/13_days_later_Astros_owner_Drayton_McLane_still_doesnt_get_it/1436054 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/13_days_later_Astros_owner_Drayton_McLane_still_doesnt_get_it/1436054 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/1/318ee1e745babfc9dac428d38633d9819047432a/small/Houston_Astros_vs_e0ea.jpg More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP Continuing with the theme of cool pictures instead of relevant ones. Browse more photos » If you haven't caught on by now, I'm not overly enamoured with how the managerial search is going.  I don't know why that is exactly, but it probably just has something to do with the fact that I won't get to make the decision; or that I don't trust I&#39... Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:20:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Some_fan_perspective_on_the_Astros_managerial_candidates/1402005 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Some_fan_perspective_on_the_Astros_managerial_candidates/1402005 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Some_fan_perspective_on_the_Astros_managerial_candidates/1402005 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/c/bce0ed22fc5c526341939b53a0f0f51edc388eef/small/Houston_Astros_vs_a760.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 Top Prospect Alert has beaten Baseball America to the punch and named the top 10 Astros Prospects and yes, I KNOW they really REALLY had to look long and hard to think of 10 of em. Just because you sign all the guys you draft doesn't mean that the guys you drafted were all that. This year, especially, pretty much all guys signed almost immediately (and there were no guys who had to be paid more because of signability and no Boras prospects, like duh.) And, by the way, the Astros haven&#39... Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:45:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Top_Prospects_For_2010_And_A_Few_Words_About_Jim_Fregosi/1346074 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Top_Prospects_For_2010_And_A_Few_Words_About_Jim_Fregosi/1346074 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Top_Prospects_For_2010_And_A_Few_Words_About_Jim_Fregosi/1346074 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/b/4be8179f4e4a4f0a17fb91e786c046420257064b/small/PicImg_Keeping_it_in_4a66.jpg Cooper Fired. Justice: Astros Waited Too Long. Talk about strange timing. The Astros waited until a season had been lost to make a move they should have made months ago. The maddening thing is, the people in charge knew there was a problem. They could see that Cecil Cooper didn't know how to run a game. They also knew he'd lost 75 percent of the players in his clubhouse. I'm not saying this season could have been saved, but if Dave Clark had been given the job at the All-Star B... Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:12:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Cooper_Fired_Justice_Astros_Waited_Too_Long/1219201 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Cooper_Fired_Justice_Astros_Waited_Too_Long/1219201 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Cooper_Fired_Justice_Astros_Waited_Too_Long/1219201 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/2/421c944657779e3eacdc8b5aafff0e94c47e3d8a/small/80537332.jpg