Minor League Whiff

It's a well documented fact that the Astros farm system stinks. Not much relief for the big league team sits in the pipeline.

I've complained many times about it before but I'm not beating a dead horse.

I'm about a month behind on my subscriptions (longer in some cases). In the June 7, 2010 edition of Sports Illustrated, an article entitled Wave of the Future features the upcoming draft. The article also describes how many clubs now view the draft as an efficient less inexpensive way of building a team than free agency.

It's obvious owner Drayton McLane knows trucking and grocery distribution. He doesn't know squat about baseball. He disdained paying rookie signing bonus put the club in its current crisis. Instead of smartly paying cheaper bonuses, McLane authorized terrible contracts for veterans like Carlos Lee and the Kat. That's all old news.

Until this article though, I didn't realize how badly the Astros missed out on the draft. I just thought a couple of top picks didn't sign. Scouting lower round talent also lead to the current state of disaster. According to the article, in 2007 the Astros didn't sign 4 of the top 11 picks and in 2008 they missed out on 6 of the top 25. Folks that is a 28% failure rate.

To miss out on 28% of top draft picks shows the incompetence fostered by McLane. The number becomes more staggering when you factor in the players signed but not to make the big leagues. Living up the Quest for Futility, the Astros record for moving players to the Majors is just as abysmal at the season record. Actually the season records looks magnificent compared to the number of players promoted to the Majors. Of 243 drafted players in five drafts, the article states only three played at least a day with the big team. That number is up to four or five now with the promotion of Julio Castro. The success rate of drafted players sits at 1.65%. The
article contrasts that with the Red Sox and Rangers. Both teams produced double digit players in the Major Leagues from those same five drafts.

Drayton McLane managed to destroy one of the more competitive baseball teams in short time. The rot of the club starts up top with the owner and permeates down the depths of the minor league system. McLane believed the Astros could remain competitive only by signing free agents and not stocking the farm system. Now the Astros are crippled by overpaid players and the minor leagues are crippled by loss of trying to undersign players.

The Astros are now just a sad state of affairs.

So Many Things Wrong That Satire Doesn't Do Justice

There are just so many things wrong with the Astros that I don't even feel like doing satire or sarcasm. The ineptitude of the organization seems to plummet to new depths.

The latest mistake involves the firing hitting coach Sean Berry and hiring Jeff Bagwell as his replacement. I'm so jaded about any move now that I think it is just a desperate publicity stunt by Chief Astros Clown Drayton McLane. My jaded guess sets off alarms that McLane thinks fans will go to games just to see Bagwell. Former fan favorite, All-Star and MVP Bagwell will bring a few more fans into the stands. Right? When the product on the field stinks, hire a new coach or manager. Everybody goes to see coaches and managers fill out line ups, give instructions and make hand signs to base runners.

For a while I thought only Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence were untradable. I stand by my stance on Bourn but if Pence can bring in a couple of AA prospects they better think long and hard about it.

Roy Oswalt will probably bring in the biggest haul. The question remains how much can Oswalt actually bring in. I'd like a three prospects for one starter trade but I'm not sure he will bring that. It is obvious Oswalt wants out and teams will lowball the Astros. They will probably have to keep a big portion of his salary too.

Lance Berkman might fetch a prospect and a box of cleats. Used cleats.

Anyone else? The Astros are stuck with Carlos Lee. Wandy Rodriguez might get them some discarded hot-dogs and used drink lids.

The bottom line is the Astros are one of the worst teams in baseball and this will probably be the worst team in Astros history. They are stuck with a top heavy payroll concentrated on a few players. Even if they can move Oswalt and Berkman, the return won't really much and they will also be stuck with the majority of each player's salary.

To bad the owner can't be fired.