Despite the prospect of a clearly-defined ‘rebuilding season’ on the horizon, there are several reasons for immediate collective excitement. Among the bright spots is a hard-working young outfield trio that includes an emerging middle-of-the-order talent in J.D. Martinez (who I simply cannot help but emit praise over), an illuminatingly fresh upper-management / ownership regime, a healthy Jason Castro behind the dish, and the formation of a slick double-play duo of Jose Altuve and Jed Lowrie – neither of whom were on last year’s initial roster.

Unfortunately, while there is significant intrigue surrounding many components, there appears to be a red-headed step-child associated with this Astros ball-club: its bullpen. Readers be forewarned, things are about to get ugly and they are going to get ugly in a hurry.

Here’s a condensed summary of what has taken place since the season ended in September: Houston dealt its closer, Mark Melancon, to the Boston Red Sox, and then decided to replace him by having Brett Myers attempt to make the transition from starting pitcher to 9^th-inning shutdown guy – because any time you can have a short-tempered veteran with rapidly diminishing skills try and lock down wins for you, you have to do it.

Those moves were followed up by “welcoming back” Brandon Lyon from his slew of shoulder injuries (if you have followed this team even remotely over recent years, you know that this is not a positive), and then finding out that arguably its most effective pitcher from 2011, Sergio Escalona (undoubtedly the best left-handed reliever on the roster), would be lost for the entire season after it was determined that he would require Tommy John surgery.

For the record, I am pretty sure Myers’s contract will be moved to a contender at the trade deadline, in which case it does kind of make sense to shove him into the bullpen – for a couple of reasons, actually:

• It should make trying to trade him less of a headache, as it is quite a bit easier to find suitors for a reliever come July than it is a back-end of the rotation guy. Bubble teams are always looking to bolster their bullpens, and they are more willing to pay a premium to do so. That is not always the case when it comes to starting pitching, especially for an arm of 31-year old Brett Myers’ caliber.

• If Myers is not going to fit into the long-term plans of this team anyways, then why have him waste a rotation spot that could be more appropriately filled by offering some much-needed experience to an up-and-comer determined to show that he is capable of performing at the major-league level?

Preparing for what will be its final season competing as a member of the National League, the Astros successfully executed an intriguing under-the-radar claim on January 11th, acquiring the services of New York Mets farmhand Fernando Martinez, an outfielder. The roster move serves as the second significant one of the Winter for new General Manager Jeff Luhnow, who recently traded the team’s closer, Mark Melancon, to the Boston Red Sox.

After leaving his native Dominican Republic to sign with the Mets at the ripe age of 16, ‘F-Mart’ was named New York’s best prospect in both ’07 and ’08 by Baseball America. He again received such accolades in ’09 and ’10, this time from Scout.com. He has struggled to find success at the major-league level, admittedly. That being said, he saw action in only 11 MLB games last year. At just 23 years old, the potential to harness the superb raw talent that baseball execs have long drooled over makes it easy to understand why Houston was so quick to act when they saw Martinez’ name flash across the waiver wire.

Now here is the question that will ought to make manager Brad Mills’ head spin:

On any given night, who mans the outfield for the Astros?

Allow me to lay things out as I see them:

I really like Brian Bogusevic. I really, really like J.D. Martinez. In that pair you have arguably the two best hitters on this team (I am arguing for this). Feels like every ball that comes off either of their bats is a laser. They need to be in the line-up. They need to be. They NEED to be. Moving on.

How are you going to tell Jason Bourgeois he can’t play everyday? He barely played in half of the team’s games last season yet still managed to steal 31 (!!!) bags, while getting on base at a .321 clip. Those numbers scream top-of-the-order regular. Oh, and his defense isn’t too shabby either. He possesses blazing speed and the willingness to lay out for any ball. If you’re into that sorta thing.

The center-piece of the Michael Bourn trade deadline departure was the gritty Jordan Schafer, who has struggled to overcome a number of injuries and off-the-field issues but fully expects to play a significant role in Houston’s resurgence. If he’s as good as advertised, and considering who he was traded for, should he not be?

Then comes the $19 million (I’ll pause while each of you collectively throw up in your mouth a little bit) liability known as Carlos Lee. The ignorant baseball mind may suggest that the easy solution to the ‘El Caballo’ problem is to just stick him at first-base and forget about him. Yeah, that’d work, except for the fact that this franchise is not about to give up on Brett Wallace’s bat quite yet, nor are they going to disregard the sneaky good season that Matt Downs just turned in by keeping him glued to the bench. Unless a miraculous trade is made to remove Lee from the equation, he is going to play some outfield. Yuck.

And now there is Fernando Martinez. A real wild card in all of this.

This all spells very bad news for fringe minor-leaguers like J.B. Shuck, Travis Buck, and Brett Snyder, whose hopes of seeing substantial big-league outfield action in 2012 look slim to none right now.

Let me remind everyone again that Mills has just three outfield spots to be utilized.

Maybe this whole switching leagues thing will have its perks after all.

—

*note: upon writing this, Brian McTaggart has since reported that the Astros have come to terms on a one-year agreement with outfielder Jack Cust, formerly of the Oakland A’s… I couldn’t make this stuff up, folks

Consider this: how many times has Buffalo let all-too-winnable games slip through their grasp this season? It is easily double-digits. From the home opener vs. the Hurricanes, to the Boston brawl game, to the Columbus embarrassment, to weak home losses to Phoenix and the Islanders, to the blown 3-goal lead vs. Philly, to each of the Ottawa defeats, to last night in Carolina, it has been truly mortifying.

The way this team has performed thus far it does not DESERVE to be in the playoffs, yet here they sit in early January having lost nearly 200 man-games to injury already with over half the schedule remaining, and they are a short little win streak away from getting in? Imagine if they had shown up for even half of those atrocities, they would be golden. Of course, you can not dwell on the past too much either so let’s just take it for what it is and move forward. Here are half-a-dozen item to chew on:

Ryan Miller is not the problem, Jhonas Enroth is not the solution

Ok, I’ll admit it. I was wrong about #30 in September. He has not played up to the Vezina Trophy-winning standard that I suggested he would play to and that fans in Western New York have come to expect from him. Not even close, actually. He has been quite average, but he is not the cause of this team’s struggles. Benching Miller in favor of Jhonas Enroth is not going to make this team suddenly wake up.

Take a look at the offensive output from the Sabres in their thirteen most recent losses in order from most recent to least recent in front of both goaltenders:

• 2 goals (vs. CAR)
• 2 goals (vs. OTT)
• 1 goals (vs. WSH)
• 1 goals (vs. NJD)
• 2 goals (vs. TOR)
• 1 goals (vs. OTT)
• 3 goals (vs. PIT)
• 2 goals (vs. OTT)
• 1 goals (vs. NYR)
• 4 goals (vs. PHI)
• 1 goals (vs. DET)
• 1 goals (vs. NYI)
• 1 goals (vs. CBJ)

Those stats essentially sum up everything to a tee. With the exception of the 3 goals in Pittsburgh (two of which came in garbage time during an 8-3 trouncing) and the aforementioned collapse vs. the Flyers, this team has not scored more than 2 goals in any of those losses. So what then, is the team expecting a shutout on a regular basis from the netminder in order to win all of those ones? Sure, once in awhile it is a pleasant surprise to steal a game and post a goose egg, but let’s focus on the realistic “should-wins” that they are losing instead of worrying about the “would have been sweet” upsets that are not coming through.

Now, do not mistake this as me claiming Miller to be a Saint. He needs to be better. I am expressing that regardless of who is in net for this team lately, it is not the cause for the lack of production. Let Miller be. That being said, I think I’m reaching the point where I am actually alright with potentially trading the East Lansing, Michigan man if the take-back is significant firepower up front. I am not pushing for it, but I am not against it either.

Appreciate Those Acquired With Pegula’s $$$

It is unknown at this point whether Melancon will inherit the vacant Red Sox closing role left by Jonathan Papelbon’s departure, or if he will settle into something of a set-up role. Because young flame-thrower Daniel Bard is expected to make transition into a starter this Spring, one would conclude that an additional transaction would be required (perhaps through signing Ryan Madson or trading for Andrew Bailey – both distinct possibilities) for Melancon to not find himself as the new 9th-inning man at Fenway Park.

Melancon’s 20 saves in 2011 show he is capable of closing games if that is indeed the case. My support of Melancon’s efforts throughout last season is most evident here, here, and here.

As an admitted lifelong Red Sox fan, I am rather familiar with Lowrie. He has shown flashes of brilliance over the course of the past few seasons, but regularly struggled to shake off the injury bug. Assuming he manages to find good health and be given consistent at-bats, I see plenty of opportunity for the 2004 Pac-10 Player of the Year to achieve a tremendous amount of success with the Astros.

Weiland becomes yet another candidate to compete to earn a spot in Houston’s rotation joining the likes of Henry Sosa, Lucas Harrell, and whoever else. You have to anticipate that a trade to dispose of either Wandy Rodriguez or Brett Myers, if not both, is on the way to clear the starting pitching logjam a little bit. Any takers?

I think this move between Boston and Houston is a very logical swap given both teams’ needs and believe it is one that each franchise will ultimately benefit from.

Follow me on Twitter! – @ConnorNielen

Crane declared in his initial press conference that he would be acting swiftly “right after Thanksgiving” in clarifying the future roles for those currently within the organization.

Stay tuned tomorrow for speculation as to who may be succeeding Wade as the team moves forward in its final year competing in the National League. Fortunately, it is unlikely that the Astros will be overly involved in the off-season transaction market, so at least the new G.M. will have sufficient time to acclimate himself with the role.

Quiz yourself with this collection of Mystery NFL Player Profiles based on 2011 performances!

(read to the bottom of the profile box, then scroll below to reveal said player’s identity)

— Instalment #2 —

Player ‘A’:

Never having averaged less than 3.8 yards per carry in a season while playing in at least 13 games every year since I’ve come into the league, my Fantasy relevancy was devalued and for the most part mistakenly disregarded at the beginning of this season. Not only am I nearly eclipsing last year’s rushing totals already thanks to 100+ yard performances in two of the past three weeks (I scored a touchdown in the other one), it has now been blatantly stated that I am ‘the guy’ for my team until further notice. In a weak division defensively, there’s no reason to not believe that I could piece together a very nice little season including 1000+ all-purpose yards and perhaps double-digit touchdowns.

Who am I?

I am running back Willis McGahee of the Denver Broncos.

Player ‘B’:

As a member of an NFL juggernaut that carries a loaded roster of scoring options, many Fantasy players were hesitant to select me presumably due to concerns over ‘sharing the wealth’. Balderdash! Need not worry about what is shared when my team averages 37 points per game (through the first quarter of the season) and only once in those games have I not caught a pass for six. There may be another half-dozen tremendous receiving targets on my side but don’t let it affect my value – I’m a definite ‘start’ for each and every week from here on out.

Who am I?

I am wide receiver Jordy Nelson of the Green Bay Packers.

Player ‘C’:

I am an unlikely catalyst having played in just 13 games the past four seasons (split between three different organization) but I fully intend on reaching the post-season with this one. Dating back to the end of last year, I have thrown for just under 2000 yards in my past 7 games. While tossing 13 touchdowns over that stretch, my team earned a surprising 4 victories and none of the losses came by more than a field goal. Whether or not my prior big game experiences will allow me to bring this franchise any playoff redemption is not relevant to my Fantasy value. I have emerged as a viable starting option in many league formats (though it is unlikely that your competition will even notice).

Who am I?

I am quarterback Rex Grossman of the Washington Redskins.

Player ‘D’:

Uhhh…

Umm…

…

The initial portion of this bio accurately resembles my Fantasy contributions so far this season. Totally non-existent. Utterly abysmal. Lacking entirely. Which is pretty lame considering the bundle of suitors I had pursuing me this off-season and the mega contract that I ultimately agreed to (that includes $21 million of guaranteed money). How many touchdowns have I scored so far to start earning some of that deal? None. A whopping zero. That surely leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the hundreds of thousands of Fantasy players who coughed up an early-round pick on my services for the year. Perhaps I am actually carrying the ball well and just have not been lucky enough to find the end zone yet? Nope, not that either. I have rushed for a meagre total of 143 yards (more than half of that came from one game)- my opponent last week ran for over 200 in that game alone! The worst part is that I’ll probably play poorly for another few weeks (leading many of my owners to cut ties with me altogether) and then tease everyone by putting together a string of commanding performances as the schedule winds down and those who selected me are long-eliminated from playoff qualification. I am Fantasy scum.

Who am I?

I am running back DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers.

Player ‘E’:

At a volatile Fantasy position, and one that often comes with a short leash and plenty of roster turnover, I am becoming a favourable waiver wire pick-up option. But it looks like there may be something more to my value than that of a bye-week or injury replacement. I have caught a pair of touchdowns and posted three 50+ yard games already. What makes me stand out is the already strong connection that is growing between me and my young quarterback. I am frequently being targeted and looked for to make plays in our offence. The combination of my robust stature, quick feet, and good hands is what should make me so appealing to those seeking a reliable tight end for their line-up. Of course, the risk for a comparable showing to my Week 2 dud performance exists but does it not with all players at this spot? I seem like a relatively safe bet and have a high level of upside to go with it.

Who am I?

I am tight end Jermaine Gresham of the Cincinnati Bengals.

—

Past Instalments:

#1 – Mystery MLB Player Profiles (August 2011)

In the vast majority of these competitions, entrants will be choosing at least two or three goalies to represent their respective teams over the course of the year. Accordingly, someone involved will likely find himself wasting time researching and analyzing countless piles of data in preparation- tearing through it relentlessly in an effort to attempt to discover which netminders are most likely to bring statistical success to his team(s) for the season.

Save yourself the hassle instead with this compilation of the best bets to post the strongest campaigns between the pipes in 2011-12. If you’ve already made your selections, compare and contrast these picks with your own!

First and foremost, who is my pick to have led the way when all is said and done?

2010 Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.

Happ’s performance by the numbers:

7 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs allowed, and 6 strikeouts

Positively brilliant!

To add icing to the cake, the Astros treated their fans to a 3-game sweep of the rival Pirates, returning the favor for the previous season success that has been enjoyed by Pittsburgh.

Look at it this way – for as poor of a season as this has been for Houston’s fanbase, at least its team didn’t raise its hopes by charging up the ladder and taking a division lead (with the playoffs legitimately in reach) only to set the stage for a dramatic mid-Summer collapse, ripping the heart out of every supporter. We knew we were bad.

Acquired from the Phillies in the trade deadline swap of a season ago that saw the team part with its ace starter, Roy Oswalt, Happ figured to be a central member of the Houston rotation immediately and for many years to come.

Astros fans were understandably excited of the addition of the left-hander, a former 3rd-round pick, for he had just completed a 12-win season with an ERA below 3.00, including a trip to the World Series, in 2009.

He might not have possessed the necessary talent to be the one to replace Oswalt as a bona fide ’ace’, but there was no reason for the organization to not expect Happ to be a #2 / #3-type of dependable arm who could be relied upon to give the team a chance to win each and every time he towed the rubber.

What Houston got instead was beyond ‘disappointing’. Happ started the season slowly and was unable to recover, rarely reaching the proverbial surface of mediocrity. On August 5th, in a home start against Milwaukee, Happ was shelled for 6 earned runs over 4 innings, which saw his record fall to an abysmal 4-14 for the year.

He had hit rock bottom.

Happ and his 6.26 ERA were consequently shipped to Triple-A Oklahoma City. At this point, I suggested that what might be best for the Northwestern University Wildcat alum would be to prematurely pull the plug on the season to temporarily escape pitching entirely. The man did not look well.

Perhaps I was wrong. Happ proceeded to make 3 starts for the Triple-A Red Hawks and posted very strong numbers, including a 1.11 WHIP through his 18 innings. In his third and final start he threw 7 shut-out innings, picked up the win and earned himself a shot at major-league redemption.

With his replacement Henry Sosa pitching well enough to remain in the big-league rotation, it was the demotion (though the team refuses to refer to it as one) of Jordan Lyles, that cleared a spot for Happ to rejoin the Astros.

Despite being tagged with his league-leading 15th loss in his return start at San Francisco, Happ was surprisingly sharp, allowing just one earned run (an error resulted in another) in 6 strong innings of work.

Was a short-lived minor league stint truly the cure for Happ’s ineffectiveness?

Has the hurler at long last stumbled upon a forgotten secret to success?

Will these ‘tweaks’ indeed enable the south-paw to rediscover the dominant form from his Philly tenure?

Or, was he merely matched up against a Giants team mired in an offensive drought?

A positive performance on Wednesday would go a long way in providing the ballclub and its fans a much better idea of what exactly they have to look forward to from their pitcher going forward.

Here’s hoping.

Matched up against one another for back-to-back weekends, the game ended with Houston coming out on top for the third time in four chances, leaving the Giants trailing a full 3 games behind division-leading Arizona.

Has Houston really been that significant of a thorn in the side of the reigning World Champions, or are they merely leaving wins on the table as a result of their own offensive ineptitude?

Consider this: the San Francisco Giants have lost 11 consecutive series-opening games.

Eleven.

In a row.

Combined offensive production in those games? 15 runs (look it up!).

An average of barely over 1 run per game – that is incomprehensible!

I can’t think of a single reason to explain this statistical phenomenon. But I do know that if it fails to soon come to a halt, there will be no baseball in the Bay Area when October rolls around.

What is my point?

Simply that while I do like seeing the Astros succeed and am glad that they are performing strongly in these Giants’ games, fans should refrain from making any hype-driven conclusions toward the team and its players based solely on the account that it is taking place against “mighty San Francisco”. This is quite clearly an opponent mired in a treacherous funk right now.

At the same time, there are still 3 more games this weekend in which to play spoiler. Do enjoy them if you can!