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!
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.