He played solid centerfield and hit consistently until the rib injury. You might think he wasn't good because he wasn't blasting homers but he was getting on base and batting runs in. Plus he brought a certain flair and attitude that this clubhouse needs
I hated the trade the day it was made, and I still struggle with it. Willing to admit wrongness--so somebody help me. Why should I be happy that Brett Phillips *and* Domingo Santana are now producing in Milwaukee while hoping Gomez comes back to form here? We gave up like five guys for Gomez and Fiers. The no-no was fun and all, but I'm struggling to appreciate this trade. Especially having given Phillips away.
I am concerned. He's had a crazy high strikeout rate ever since he came over from Milwaukee, and that includes Spring Training and yesterday. He can work out all he wants for his contract year; it just feels like he's lost his hand eye coordination with aging. And he's not doing anything to shorten his swing to maximize contact.
Domingo showed he could be a big leaguer, but hasn't shown that he is more than a replaceable player (for some crazy reason, he hit leadoff yesterday). Phillips' power has disappeared in AA. That is a real concern, especially if he is a better fit in RF than CF. Josh Hader has looked sensational, so I'm definitely missing him. Adrian Houser was good enough to make their opening day roster.
Forgot about Hader and Houser! Thanks for the update on Phillips. I wish him well, though. I'm still undecided on this trade, especially if Phillips rediscovers his power stroke. Here's hoping Gomez crushes it in August and September and bolts, so we can get a first-rounder for compensation.
Any time you trade prospects for established players people are always going to play arm chair qb. You aren't trading talent for talent in deals like this, you are more trading to help your team improve in the short run.
Carlos Gomez effectively had a bad month last year with us, that's it. He was a very productive player for 3 years, and the half year before we acquired him. It's very easy for me to chalk that bad month up to him pressing with a new team. At this point I see no reason to fear that Gomez , who just turned 30, has suddenly lost it entirely simply because he came to Houston. The sample size is still very small, and he was hitting a ton in late August and September, but then he got hurt. 2.6 WAR last year in only 115 games, even in a bad year he was a very valuable player. And Fiers has been a solid MLB starter whenever he's had a the chance. He's not flashy, but he's much more than a simple throw in, and he's team controlled, that also has quite a bit of value.
Gomez strikes me as the kind of player that would not respond well to really cold weather. I kind of partly chalk up his bad game yesterday to that.
The trade was exactly the type of move a contending team should make (regardless of whether or not they ultimately "win" the trade). The fact they were able to get Fiers as well shouldn't merely be some footnote. There's a glut of quality (but not necessarily superstar) prospects in this system. They will eventually lose value the older they get (or when they start showing regression at the highest level). Sure, when you have that many prospects... you may miss a hidden gem here or there... but if this front office is not exploring all possibilities to shore up holes at the MLB level *now*, they would be wasting this window (and yes, CF offense was a hole last year). Windows are fickle... I know we all expect this team to be a contender for the next 10 or so years... but they have as good a chance as anybody now to make a real run. You can't take that for granted, ever.
He posted a .505 OPS between August 14-August 31. He was very good in September (.991). I figured, after that at bat in the 8th, that someone would bump this thread. I'm not sure I've ever seen a MLB player look so completely and utterly overmatched. Having said that, if he's healthy - which was my only concern - he'll be fine. Other than a (granted, really bad) stretch with us last year, he's posted a ~.815 OPS since the All Star break in 2012. Anything over .800 would be tremendous. If he settles into the .750-.800 range with plus defense, he'll be a valuable player.
I still like Phillips, as does much of the scouting community, he's just less likely to develop into a potential star than many of us might have thought. For me, Gomez is mostly a bonus. The real prize was the years of Fiers at below market value. And assuming Gomez remains productive, he'll probably warrant a QO, and we'll hopefully walk away with a compensation pick.
The Astros have made a commitment to stocking/restocking their system; they value draft picks, they've revamped and heavily invested in international scouting... They are a team capable of easily - within the context of something that isn't necessarily easy - replacing guys like Brett Phillips. Heck, didn't they essentially already do it with Dax Cameron? I wouldn't so casually toss Fiers aside; he was actually better than Kazmir was for us last year, and is a cheap, club-controlled asset who will likely, at worst, be a league-average, back of the rotation pitcher, which has a lot of value. If he approaches his performance with us last year, he'll be an incredibly valuable asset.
Since the Astros traded for Gomez...Chris Carter has an OPS of 0.895 and an RC+ of 143. Either it is too soon to judge Gomez, or Chris Carter needs to be hailed as a great baseball player instead of a below average player. Too small a sample size to judge a player too harshly or too positively. It needs to be watched, but shouldn't cause too much concern unless there is something physical that is pointed out.
Think the weather bothered him a bit yesterday. He'll be fine. We need an emotional enforcer type on our team and he fits the bill. Almost like a Draymond kind of character.
weather or not - he made my final little league season plate approach of let it get called a strike and then swing look good - that's how bad he looked in a couple ab's yesterday.
I think he will have a solid season. He is surrounded by a good team and not too much pressure on him to be the main guy. .275 to .285 15-20 Hr 75 to 85 rbi and good D.
