NY author causes stir with Houston Astros book, but it's not about “that”
BEST OF THE BEST
28 February
While the Astros are in Florida preparing for another deep playoff run in 2024, a new book about the club is set to drop on March 5. The book is written by New York author Robert W. Cohen and is titled, The 50 Greatest Players in Houston Astros History.
With a title like that, we know not everyone is going to be pleased with the list. And the book hasn't even been officially released yet.
However, the list has been leaked and Astros fans have thoughts, as one would expect. So let's start with Jose Altuve's placement on the list. Many believe Altuve is already the best Astro ever, based on all the incredible playoff moments he's provided during the greatest stretch of baseball in franchise history. That, along with two championships, has many believing he's a no-brainer to come in at No.1.
To the dismay of many Houston fans, Altuve is ranked 3rd behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio respectively. The rest of the top five includes No.4 Lance Berkman, and No.5 Roy Oswalt.
Some other points of contention on the list include Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan at No.16 and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander at No.17.
Upon further review of these rankings, the picture is becoming very clear. This list was put together with a focus on total resumes with the Astros.
With that being the measuring stick, Altuve coming in behind Bagwell and Biggio makes sense. They're already in the Hall of Fame and have had more regular-season success than Altuve.
We expect Altuve to finish his career as the best Astro ever, but according to the criteria, he still has work to do. Altuve is 1,013 hits behind Biggio, and his career OPS (.834) is much lower than Bagwell's (.948).
The argument for Altuve has always been about being clutch in the postseason. Altuve already has the second-most postseason home runs (27) in MLB history, behind only Manny Ramirez (29).
Be sure to watch the video above as we address the debate over Altuve's ranking and many other surprising placements on the list.
Teaser: Does Yordan Alvarez crack the Top 20? Mash the video above to find out!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan every Monday on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel.
We'll continue to drop videos throughout the week!
Latest insider reports indicate second wave of Astros changes are imminent
Dec 16, 2024, 1:52 pm
Not long after the Astros pulled the trigger on trading Kyle Tucker, we started seeing reports about the club's interest in trading for Cardinals 3rd baseman Nolan Arenado.
The Athletic's Chandler Rome also reported that Arenado has a no-trade clause, and it's unclear if he would waive it to come to Houston. Earlier last week, a list of teams Arenado would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for circulated on the internet, and Houston was not on it.
The Astros are thought to still be in contention to re-sign Alex Bregman, but a trade for Arenado would kill any hope of a reunion with Breggy.
Also, one of the benefits of trading Tucker was using this as an opportunity to add to a depleted farm system. While Arenado is not expected to bring back a haul of coveted prospects, the Astros would be wise to avoid trading away any young talent for an aging player that's clearly regressing.
As Charlie Pallilo points out in the video below, a deep dive into Arenado's stats shows his numbers are frighteningly close to Jose Abreu's 2023 season. And we all know how that movie ended.
If the 'Stros are going to move on from Tucker and Bregman in the same offseason, it would be nice to give the fan base something exciting to look forward to. Such as signing a switch hitting power hitter like Anthony Santander to play left field.
If Houston goes into the season with an outfield consisting of Mauricio Dubon, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick, the infield better produce at a high level or this offense will struggle to score runs once again.
Which brings us to Framber Valdez. As it looks right now, the Astros are trying to reset while also planning to contend in a weak AL West. Would it be more wise to “rip off the band-aid” and deal Framber to speed up the rebuild?
Don't miss the video above as the guys from Stone Cold 'Stros address the latest trade reports, team building, and much more!
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