EVERY-THING SPORTS
Here's why the fanbase is split over latest Texans developments
Mar 15, 2023, 6:51 pm
Nick Caserio bought himself more time by hiring DeMeco Ryans. Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images.
DeMeco Ryans has big plans for the Houston Texans
I've heard the rumblings. I've seen the discussions. I've paid attention to what people are saying. People are either pleased with the way the Texans offseason is going, or they can't stand it. General manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans have seemingly worked well together so far in putting together the roster for the upcoming season. As of this writing, they've signed: DT Sheldon Rankins, WR Robert Woods, WR Noah Brown, S Jimmie Ward, QB Case Keenum, DT Hassan Ridgeway, DE Chase Winovich, RB Mike Boone, and FB Andrew Beck. They've re-signed guys like S Eric Murray and DE Derek Rivers.
One thing that sticks out to me is none of these guys are splash signings. ESPN Houston's John Granato said it seems like the same old thing every year with no splash. His radio partner Lance Zierlein said he thinks the conservative approach is smart. Along these same two lines are where the fans are split. There are fans who are taking it in stride with the wait-and-see method, and there are also fans that want to see a winner built yesterday. While two things can be true, are they both true in this case?
In my opinion, yes. They're both true. While I'm not a fan of many of these moves, I do see the reasoning behind them. Caserio has worked at cleaning up the mess left behind by the previous regime. Cap space is looking great, and the team has tremendous draft capital moving forward. Caserio is in the hot seat with the impatient fan contingency. He's being given slack from the patient side. Both sets are head over heels in love with DeMeco. He covers up a LOT of the stench of the moves the team is making with the hot seat side. So does the draft capital.
I see the reasoning behind not making splash signings this offseason. The team wants to see what they have in this year's and last year's rookie classes. They also want to see what the free agents they brought in will be able to contribute. In the first year of a REAL long-term answer at head coach, there's no need to try to build a contender. He and his staff need to figure out what they have and what they truly need to build for the future. A franchise quarterback is the most obvious and glaring need. You have to get one in the draft because it's harder to find one in free agency or via a trade. I have a better chance of being bitten by a shark or struck by lightning.
Outside of that, just about every other position can be found using other means. They can also be found by using lower draft picks than your number two overall selection in this draft. Number twelve overall is a turning point when it comes to the draft. Typically, you want a playmaker at that spot. Whether offensive or defensive, that guy needs to be a difference maker and starter. Ideally, you want anyone drafted in the top 100 or so to be a potential starter and/or key contributor. Letting the full draft classes Caserio has chosen to play it out and see what they have allows DeMeco and his staff to evaluate them. When this team didn't have a full complement of draft picks in Caserio's first full offseason, ALL fans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After his first full draft class, fans expected a lot more. Now, I see the divide.
I'd like to see Caserio given grace. The man turned around a desolate franchise and is in the process of building a contender. With DeMeco in the driver's seat on the sidelines, let them work together for a couple of years before hitting eject on the GM. Sit down. Take a break. Relax. Caserio appears to know what he's doing. DeMeco is in his first year as a head coach. Ownership obviously lit a fire under Caserio if you watched his presser a couple of months ago. EVERYONE is all in on DeMeco! Why would you want to shift the dynamic now? People who think like that are the ones that want their fancy $300 dollar dinner to come out in five minutes or less after they order but will wait in line for fast food for 15 minutes! As the kids say today: LET THEM COOK!
Astros close series with a performance worth the wait
Jun 5, 2025, 11:59 pm
All-Star balloting opened up this week for what used to be known as the Midsummer Classic in Major League Baseball. I guess some still refer to it as such but the All-Star Game has been largely a bore for many years, though the honor of being selected on merit remains a big one. As always, fans can vote at all positions except pitcher. The fan balloting has resulted in mostly good selections for years now, though pretty much all teams still do silly marketing stuff trying to drum up support for their players. The Astros’ part in that silliness is their campaign to make it the “All-’Stros” game on the American League squad in Atlanta next month. It’s one thing to be supportive of your team, it’s another to be flat out ridiculous if voting right now for Yainer Diaz, Christian Walker, Yordan Alvarez, Mauricio Dubon, or Cam Smith. The Astros tried to game the system in submitting Jose Altuve as a second baseman where the competition is weaker than it is in the outfield, but given Altuve has played only about 25 percent of the games at second base this season he should not be an All-Star second baseman selectee for what would be the tenth time in his career.
Isaac Paredes’s recent freefall notwithstanding, he has a legitimate case as a backup third baseman, especially with Alex Bregman likely missing more than a month of games due to his quad injury. Jake Meyers is having a fine season but is obviously not an All-Star-worthy outfielder unless he is sensational for the rest of June. That leaves Jeremy Peña, who is simply the best shortstop in the big leagues so far this season. To be clear, no team in baseball (including the Astros) would rather have Peña going forward than the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., but we’re talking about the here and now. There are another 100 games to be played, but Peña not only is about a lock to deserve his first All-Star nod, but he is in contention to put in the books the greatest season ever by an Astro shortstop.
Over his first three seasons, Peña was a consistently mediocre offensive player. His highest batting average was .266, best on-base percentage .324, top slugging percentage .426. He is blowing away all those numbers thus far in 2025. While unlikely to come close to reaching his preseason goal of 50 stolen bases, Peña is swiping bags at the best success rate of his career. Add in Peña’s stellar defense and that he has played in every Astros’ game so far this season, and Peña has been irrefutably one of the 10 best and most valuable players in the American League. You could certainly argue as high as top three.
If Peña's productivity holds up for the rest of the season there are only three other seasons posted by Astro shortstops that are in the same league as what would be Peña’s 2025. Carlos Correa has two of them. Lack of durability may be the biggest reason Correa is not tracking to be a Hall of Famer. In only two seasons as an Astro did Correa play in more than 136 games. He was fabulous in each of them. 2021 was his peak campaign, playing in 148 games while compiling an .850 OPS, winning a Gold Glove, and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting. Correa’s Baseball-Reference wins above replacement number for 2021 was 7.3. Peña is at 3.6 with nearly 20 games still left before the midway point of the schedule.
For the other great Astro shortstop season you have to go back to 1983. Dickie Thon turned 25 years old in June of ‘83. He put up a .798 OPS, which gains in stature given Thon played his home games in the Astrodome when the Dome was at its most pitching-friendly. Thon won the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive shortstop in the National League, and played superior defense. His Baseball-Reference WAR number was 7.4. He finished seventh for NL MVP playing for an 85-77 Astros’ squad that finished third in the NL West. Dickie Thon looked like an emerging superstar. Then, in the fifth game of the 1984 season, a fastball from Mets’ pitcher Mike Torrez hit Thon in the left eye, fracturing his orbital bone. Thon missed the rest of the ‘84 season. While Thon played in nine more big league seasons, his vision never fully recovered and he was never the same player. It’s one of the biggest “What if...” questions in Astros’ history.
Arms race
Players and the Commissioner’s Office pick the All-Star pitching staffs. Unless he suddenly starts getting lit up regularly, Hunter Brown can pack a bag for Georgia. Framber Valdez wouldn’t make it now but has surged into contention. Josh Hader’s first half is going vastly better than last year’s, so he is in line for a reliever spot.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!