The Astros' Owner and G.M. Have Long-Term Plans

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INVESTMENT CLUB

The Houston Astros aren't winning, but owner Jim Crane and G.M. Jeff Luhnow say that it's just a matter of time.

(By Molly Knight)

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9357636/houston-astros-hope-strong-farm-system-improve-club-espn-magazine

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Be interesting to see where they are in 5 years. They're definitely employing a very strong sabermetric philosophy.

They have nowhere to go from here but up.

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The Astros are 14-10 over their last 24 games.

They are 19-17 over their last 36 games.

For many teams, that's not a big deal ........ but for the Astros, going 19-17 over a 36-game span means that they have held their own for almost 1/4 of the season.

THAT is a big deal.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-astros

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When the Astros started the season at 10-30 for a .250 winning percentage (the same as the 1962 Mets had for the entire year), I don't know many people that could have foreseen them going 19-17 over ANY stretch of this 2013 season.

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The Astros are 14-10 over their last 24 games.

They are 19-17 over their last 36 games.

For many teams, that's not a big deal, but for the Astros, going 19-17 over a 36-game span means that they have held their own for almost 1/4 of the season.

THAT is a big deal.

The 2004 Rays won 12 games in a row, but still finished 21 games below .500. I doubt if the 2013 Astros will better that record. They're 18 games below .500 right now.

I enjoy seeing the Astros beat up on teams like the Angels who thought they'd be pushovers, but it happens.

The 2004 Rays won 12 games in a row, but still finished 21 games below .500. I doubt if the 2013 Astros will better that record. They're 18 games below .500 right now.

I enjoy seeing the Astros beat up on teams like the Angels who thought they'd be pushovers, but it happens.

There was this guy who posted here who was going to lose $250k if they won like 59 games. I think. Maybe it was 49.

Migrant Redbird said:

 

The 2004 Rays won 12 games in a row, but still finished 21 games below .500. I doubt if the 2013 Astros will better that record. They're 18 games below .500 right now.

I enjoy seeing the Astros beat up on teams like the Angels who thought they'd be pushovers, but it happens.

 

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12 games is not even 1/10 of the season.

36 games is almost 1/4 of the season.

The OP of the thread is about how the Astros' front office sees a bright future for the team, in spite of their horrible overall record this year.

The point of the thread (and my last post) is not that the Astros will climb back into the 2013 playoff race, it's that they have been a competent team for a significant stretch of this season, which could be a sign of things to come in 2015, 2016, and beyond (as their owner and their GM believe that it is.)

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[video=youtube;FPQlXNH36mI]

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Before their recent skid, the Astros had a string in which they went 22-14 over 36 games:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-astros

Could be knocking on the door of respectability ........ probably still a year or 2 away from it, but they could be showing signs of what will be.

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Before their recent skid, the Astros had a string in which they went 22-14 over 36 games:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-astros

Could be knocking on the door of respectability ........ probably still a year or 2 away from it, but they could be showing signs of what will be.

Tough division for them. Tougher than the East.

There was this guy who posted here who was going to lose $250k if they won like 59 games. I think. Maybe it was 49.

It matters. They won 51.

http://www.si.com/longform/astros/index.html/

That is a really good read.

“You look at how other organizations have done it, they’ve tried to maintain a .500 level as they prepare to be good in the future,” says Luhnow. “That path is probably necessary in some markets. But it takes 10 years. Our fans have already been on this decline, from 2006 to 2011. It’s not like we’re starting fresh.

That is a really good read.

I concur - thanks for sharing!

Tough division for them. Tougher than the East.

True. I think the AL West is going to dominate for several years. The future looks interesting because the team with the worst farm system in the division (Angels) is the biggest spender, although Seattle can throw some coin around too. Oakland is... Oakland, and Texas is suffering from a lull but has very good prospects in their own right.

The two frontrunners for the MVP award (Trout, Donaldson) are both young and in the West. The top three players in salary (Cano, Fielder, Pujols) are in the West. It's a harsh landscape facing the Astros.