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News out of Astros camp should have fantasy GM’s radar up a bit this week. It seems that with the addition of Michael Bourn, Kaz Matsui and Miguel Tejada, the Houston batting order is going to shuffle around quite a lot. Here’s the way their lineup is projecting right now.
- Michael Bourn, CF
- Kaz Matsui, 2B
- Miguel Tejada, SS
- Lance Berkman, 1B
- Carlos Lee, LF
- Hunter Pence, RF
- Ty Wigginton, 3B
- J.R. Towles, C
Now that’s a potent lineup. What strikes me as a problem to owners of Hunter Pence, or those of you thinking of drafting him, is that fact that he’ll be batting 6th instead of near the top of the lineup where he hit in 2007. Without Berkman and Lee to protect him, Pence should see a significant drop in hittable pitches.
Does this really devalue Hunter Pence? Yes and no. Sure, his average may drop. But, his RBI’s may rise with all those heavy hitters in front of him. It’ll be an interesting trade off for fantasy owners.
Currently at Mock Draft Central, Pence is being drafted anywhere from #43 up to #80, with an Average Draft Position of #65. That’s right in line, maybe a little higher than where he should be as a #2 outfield option. And he’s by far more valuable in keeper leagues. So, knock him down a few pegs on your draft charts and still be happy with a great secondary outfielder. If he Astros move him back into the top of the lineup before Opening Day, raise him up and expect a similar batting average to 2007, plus a few more RBI’s as this team should hit more than last year.
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January 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Why on earth would you assume tejada will be hitting 3rd? Pence WILL hit 2nd or 3rd this upcoming season. Why do you assume a light-hitting matsui is the automatic number 2 hitter?
Here is the real projected Houston Astros linup for 08:
1. Michael Bourn/Hunter Pence (Cooper has said that Bourn will start in the leadoff spot but he is not adverse to Pence hitting there if Bourn struggles)
2. Kaz Matsui/Hunter Pence (Matsui will be on a short leash in such an important run scoring position)
3.Hunter Pence (Pence will not hit lower than 5th Guarenteed!)
4.Lance Berkman
5.Carlos Lee
6.Miguel Tejada
7.Ty Wigginton/J.R. Towles/Kaz Matsui
8.Ty Wigginton/J.R. Towles/Kaz Matsui
9.pitcher
Your site has just lost all credability and I (and I am sure loads of other fans) will not be visiting it anymire. Peace!
January 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Hey Astrosfan45, thanks for the comment. I really do appreciate feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, as yours is here.
I think you’re being a bit too harsh. I’m projecting a lineup in January for a team that probably won’t set their actual lineup in stone until early April. So yeah, I’m guessing a bit. But, I’m not the only one who’s playing the guessing game this early. I actually got the Astros lineup info from the Houston Chronicle.
So, while I value your opinion, let’s hold off on sinking the credibility of this blog (or the Houston Chronicle, for that matter) until Opening Day approaches and these guesses about lineups and rotations become more educated. And while were holding off, why don’t you figure out where the spell check button is? You can use it the next time you leave a comment. That is, if you ever change your mind about visiting this blog “anymire”.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
astrosfan sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. i think tejda has a good chance to bat 3rd, and i think pence has an equal chance of hitting 6th. pence is a relatively unprooven comodity at the big league level. miggy has dropped off a bit over the last couple seasons but he still owns the skill set that won him an mvp. wrist injuries can be hard to bounce back from and it can take a while for the power to return, so we’ll see about pence. i’d rather take my chances with a former mvp. in the words of bill murry (in stripes) “lighten up, frances!” this is a great web-site and i’m sure traffic will continue to view. peace.