Phillies-Astros trade
Lisa chimes in with her breakdown of the Brad Lidge trade…
He grew up idolizing Mike Schmidt and after enjoying his best season to date as
is no longer a Minor Leaguer, having spent all of 2007 up with the Phillies, he
still qualifies for me in that capacity because he is on the brink of really
having a breakthrough season … and I think this trade is setting him up for
just that.
Bruntlett (a personal favorite of mine anyway), the remaining 60 percent of the
five-player deal between Houston and Philly, they’re already established in the
bigs so I’m going to just blog a little here about Bourn and third baseman
Michael Costanzo, the two new Astros.
heard about the trade and telling me "You lucky, lucky girl" sums up a lot about
what you can look for from him. I’ve had Bourn on my rotisserie league team for
three years, because of my strong belief that once he got his shot he’d tear it
up. And it looks like he’ll get it in 2008.
born and raised in Houston, I don’t have to tell you that he’s certainly going
to have a ready-made cheering section. But I think his style of play and
potential is going to make a lot more fans in a hurry.
were it not for a bad break — or a bad sprain. Kept on the big club out of
spring training as a fourth outfielder, it looked like he’d finally get his
chance when outfielder Shane Victorino injured his calf in the first inning of a
game July 29, giving way to Bourn. However, Bourn himself ended up spraining his
ankle in the same game chasing a foul ball and missed the next two months.
stealing once.
burners who can not only put up the big stolen base numbers but also have such
an outstanding success rate. But that line was not an aberration. Since being
drafted, he’s stolen 163 bases in the Minors and been caught just 28 times, an
85 percent success rate!
seasons into 2007 and in the bigs this year he hit .312 against right-handers.
field, his natural position is center and he’s already been anointed by Astros
manager Cecil Cooper as the club’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter.
In fact, Cooper’s already given him a nickname "The Igniter."
fact, when I first heard about the trade I wondered how he’d react. This is not
just a guy who’s been a Phillie since being drafted by them with their first
pick in 2005. This is a guy who not only is born and raised as a Phillies
Phanatic since childhood, his parents actually swaddled him in a Philadelphia
warmup jacket to bring him home from the hospital when he was born!
a pro, hitting .270 with 27 homers and 86 RBIs at Double-A Reading (45 minutes
from his hometown of Springfield, Pa.), he looked to be one step away from
following in his idol’s footsteps.
same position with Houston, who was instrumental in bringing him over in the
deal certainly softened the blow for him. He knows he’s not just some throw-in
prospect who might develop into a major leaguer. He was wanted, desired,
pursued, and that is a nice feeling for a player.
you can hit for high enough average and project to 20-30 homers a year, the Ks
will come and they know that. He also hit .364 in August so clearly did not hit
the wall. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter is probably at least a year away
but should start at Triple-A Round Rock where fans in the Lone Star State can
get a glance at the future at the hot corner. — Lisa
Jonathan Mayo
Ahh, Lisa, but you forget the most important statistic about Monsignor Bourn: his MLB-leading 34 appearances as a pinch-runner. Since 1980, only a handful of players have pinch-run that often: Otis Nixon in ’85-’86, Gary Thurman in ’93, Ryan Christenson in ’00, Luis Ugueto in ’02, and Damian Jackson in ’03. That’s some exclusive company right there.
It’s great to find your writings/typings again after a long absence.
-Brandon Isleib/earthdyedred