Astros burn out, shining stars no longer

The Houston Astros are the biggest disappointment since "Gigli" was in theaters. The Astros entered the 2004 season with such high hopes, only to see them dwindle in the long summer nights. The Astros were believed to be contenders for not only the NL Central, but the World Series as well. They aren't even in the Wild Card hunt in mid-August.

The hopes of bringing the first World Series to Houston grew as Texas natives Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte signed with the 'Stros. The two Texans combined with Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller to make one of the most formidable rotations in all of baseball. It was all but written in stone that the Astros would make the playoffs.

Nearly five months from Opening Day, the Astros stand 19 games back of the first place Cardinals. The Astros have been playing around the .500 mark all season, and find themselves a whopping six games back of the Wild Card.

Injuries have knocked key starting pitchers Andy Pettitte and Wade Miler out for extended time. The injury bug has also hit middle-infielders Adam Everett and Jeff Kent, sending them on trips to do Disabled List. That being said, every other team has faced similar problems. Injuries are part of baseball, and you can't blame a team's success -- or lack thereof -- on them.

Former Astros Manager Jimy Williams had made some questionable managerial moves this season before being canned. That's not why he was really fired though. He was fired because you can't fire your players. While injuries and poor managing have hurt to a degree, don't place the blame there. The disappointment is the fault of none other than the players. It's that simple. The Houston Astros aren't playing up to their potential in a tough division, and their older players are beginning to fade.

Astros owner Drayton McLane and GM Gerry Hunsicker thought that if nothing else, All-Star OF Carlos Beltran was the missing piece. They were willing to part with their current closer for the second time in less than a year. First they dealt CL Billy Wagner to Philadelphia, then they found themselves trading away CL Octavio Dotel. In retrospect, it seems like the prized Beltran was not the missing piece. In fact, he only added to the disappointment.

If you look at the stats, the Astros have not improved as a team. It's a complete disgrace if you consider that they added Clemens, Pettitte, and Beltran. Managers can only make careless decisions, managers can't play poorly. Blame this on the players.


2003 (Rank)

2004 (Rank)


ERA

3.86 (5th)

4.03 (7th)


WHIP

1.32 (5th)

1.33 (7th)


BAA

.248 (3rd)

.254 (4th)


Runs

805 (4th)

746* (10th)


BA

.263 (8th)

.262 (10th)


OPS

.767 (4th)

.753 (9th)


As you can see from the table, the Astros have clearly done anything but improve. In fact, they are noticeably worse than last year. The Astros didn't make the post season last year, and they shouldn't count on playing in October anytime soon.

The Astros will struggle until they part ways with their elderly trio of 1B Jeff Bagwell (36 years old), 2B Jeff Kent (36), and LF Craig Biggio (38). For cripe's sake, the average age of the current Astros starting infield (Bagwell, Kent, Morgan Ensberg, Jose Vizcaino) is 34 years old. Unless your name is Barry Bonds, you're not getting any better at this age. The youngest starting position player on the Astros, Beltran, is 27. Until this team commits to younger players, they are going to be an old team. A team of former-stars who are still hanging on to their careers by a string no longer makes the cut in competitive Major League Baseball. Hopefully, Hunsicker will get a clue and go after some young players. As great as Bagwell and Biggio have been for the Astros, it's time to move on.

Mark my words: The Astros will make the play-offs ... by 2010. Until then, it should be fun watching over-the-hill players pour sour grapes onto the end of their career.

Notes: * The number of runs the Astros have in the table for 2004 is the current number that they are on pace for over a 162 game season. * ERA: Earned Run Average. * WHIP: Ratio of walks and hits per innings pitched by a pitcher. * BAA: Batting Average Against. * BA: Batting Average. * OPS: On-base percentage Plus Slugging percentage.