In the last few seasons, the Houston Astros have been known to be a second half team. However in 2009 they made an earlier surge, but faltered in the end. The struggles led to manager Cecil Cooper’s firing with just 13 games left. The Astros payroll was close to $103 million in 2009 (one of the highest in baseball) and management felt that the team assembled should have been playing better. The Astros were a relatively old team, especially after adding oft-injured pitcher Mike Hampton and pitcher Russ Ortiz. Veterans Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt had sub par seasons. Berkman hit .272 (he’s a career .300 hitter) with 25 homeruns and 80 RBIs. Berkman had three straight 100 RBI seasons prior to 2009. Outfielder Carlos Lee helps Berkman fill the middle of the order and was his consistent self. Lee hit .300 in 160 games with 26 homeruns and 102 RBIs. Outfielder Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence provide sparks with their all-out attitude and defense. The speedy leadoff hitter Bourn won his first Gold Glove as he accumulated 11 outfield assists. He hit .285 in 157 games with 12 triples and 61 stolen bases. Pence had 16 outfield assists to go with hitting .282 in 159 games with 25 homeruns and 72 RBIs. Unfortunately these two rack up the strikeouts: Bourn struck out 140 times and Pence struck out 109 times. The Astros will need these two to cut down on the strikeouts, especially with Bourn in the leadoff spot. Shortstop Miguel Tejada’s exit to free agency after a great season opens the door for prospect Tommy Manzella. The Astros had the 2^nd best fielding percentage (.987 with 78 errors) in the NL and Tejada made 21 of them so it could get better. New manager Brad Mills will need to mesh the youth movement with the veterans to compete in the National League Central. Here’s the Astros wish list:

1. 

   Wandy Rodriguez

   A rotation: The 2009 rotation consisted of Wandy Rodriguez and everybody else. Ten pitchers made starts for the Astros and only Rodriguez had an ERA under 4.00 and he was the only starter to make more than 30 starts. The overall pitching staff had a 4.54 ERA, which was 13^th in the National League (out of 16 teams). Ace Roy Oswalt was hampered by back and hip pain and his ERA (4.12) was a career high (he never had an ERA over 4.00) and his win total (8) was a career low. In 2009 the Astros added veteran pitchers Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton. Ortiz was released on July 30^th after he went 3-6 with a 5.57 ERA. Hampton was marred by more injuries as he made 21 starts and was 7-10 with a 5.30 ERA. Both Ortiz and Hampton walked a little too many. The younger starters were inconsistent all season, like Felipe Paulino giving up just one run in a start to 8 runs in the next. The month of September was a good stepping stone for rookie Bud Norris, as he gave up just 4 runs in 4 starts (23 innings). The Astros will need to add a starter to go with Oswalt and Rodriguez and to complement the young starters behind them.

2. 

   Tommy Manzella

   Filling the hole that was created when Miguel Tejada left for free agency: Tejada’s 2 years in Houston were solid. In 2009, he hit .313 with 46 doubles and 86 RBIs in 158 games. His experience and joy of the game will be missed. Prospect Tommy Manzella is the leading candidate for the shortstop job. Manzella received a cup of coffee in September going 1-for-5. For Triple-A Round Rock, he hit .289 with 31 doubles and 56 RBIs. The team loves his defense and they compare him to former Astro Adam Everett. There are a few shortstops on the free agent market, like Juan Uribe that the Astros could add but they may feel confident with what they have internally.

3. 

   Jason Castro at the Future's Game

   Catcher: In 2009, the Astros had Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, but then traded him to the Texas Rangers. Late in the season they platooned JR Towles and Humberto Quintero. Will they continue to go with these two catchers? I think rookie Jason Castro will be given a chance to win the job. The prospect out of Stanford hit .300 in 2009 between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi with 31 doubles and 73 RBIs. His strikeout to walk ratio was pretty good (76 K/ 55 BB). However he struggled in the Arizona Fall League (.143 in 11 games) and they decided to shut him down to get ready for spring training. I believe that Castro could compete with SF Giants catching prospect Buster Posey for NL ROY.

4. Bullpen help: Closer Jose Valverde declined arbitration and is a free agent. Rumors are that there has not been much interest in him, so it is not inconceivable for him to return to Houston. The Astros are interested in free agents JJ Putz and Brett Myers, though both are coming off of injury-filled seasons (Putz more than Myers). They also are trying to resign LaTroy Hawkins who pitched in 65 games with a 2.13 ERA and 45 strikeouts. Lefty reliever Tim Byrdak led the team in appearances (76 games), which was 10^th in the NL, with a 3.23 ERA. Update: The Astros traded for Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom and signed Tigers setup man Brandon Lyon to a 3 yr. deal. These two additions help ease the pain of Hawkins and Putz signing elsewhere. Lyon and Lindstrom are far from sure things though.

Update: The Astros signed free agent third baseman Pedro Felix to a 1 yr. deal. Feliz is hoping to help the Astros get back to the playoffs, as he did the last 2 seasons with the Phillies. Feliz is considered one of the best third baseman in the game.