Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
When a team is down in the dumps the way the Houston Astros have been the last few seasons, it becomes very easy to just assume that they will always be as bad as they are right now or as they have been. Doubters would have a hard time believing that the Astros have a plan in place to compete on the biggest stage in due time. They know what they are doing and are led by someone who knows a lot more than some of those doubters know on how to build a successful franchise. I am talking about GM Jeff Luhnow.
Luhnow has been extremely impressive to me so far because he makes moves without apologies. After the first month of the season, there were a few players that that cost money but were just not carrying their weight and the Astros dumped them. I like that approach to the game as well as the one where the focus is building a strong farm system. When it comes do doing that, Luhnow has more to his credit that some know.
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Before he became the GM of the Astros, Luhnow was scouting director for the St. Louis Cardinals. Anyone take a glance at that organization lately? They know how to build players from the draft through becoming winners. Some of them are on a fast track and some a bit slower but they are playing in the World Series today because of some moves scouting by Luhnow.
Whether or not Luhnow appears to be succeeding in his task, there will always be doubters. Some of them even follow a team through a playoff run where they fall just short of the ultimate prize. That hasn’t been a problem for the Astros just yet but with Luhnow trying to accomplish in Houston what he helped to build in St. Louis, it could only be a matter of time.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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