2021 Houston Astros Thread

[Storm the Field 5270]

Welp, that sucked, but it doesn't sting as bad as last time. That 2019 team was easily the best we've ever fielded and it still gnaws at me that we lost to a flash-in-the-pan Nats squad that disbanded in less than 2 seasons. At least it wasn't the Dodgers, Yanks or Sawks this time around.  

I felt going into this season that we were a 92-70 team that would win the division by 4 or 5 and would have to hope to get super hot to make a playoff run. Feel like we significantly overperformed to make it to Game 6 of the WS. Knew we'd have a legit offense, but always worried about the starting pitching. Pleasantly surprised by what we got out of Framber and Luis, but they both simply ran out of gas. Greinke hit a career wall, Odorizzi never really got off the ground, and Urquidy barely got to pitch between injuries. LMJ was great, but damn son, coulda used ya in the playoffs.

Kyle Tucker emerged as a bona fide stud, Yordan came back on the scene with a vengeance (until the WS). Altuve showed flashes of his former MVP form (while occasionally slumping hard), and Bregman's season was a giant disappointment. Carlos had a career year (while still infuriating me staring at pitches down the gut). Brantley still a professional goddamn hitter (but getting real slow and his power is all but gone) and Old Man Yuli was a beast (but I don't expect him to repeat as batting champ at 38).

Offseason priorities, some of which I'm sure we all agree on, some of which I don't really give a shit if you disagree:

1. Sign 2 legitimate workhorse starters that throw gas. JV and Greinke are coming off the books, and Carlos is probably gone. That's ~$80M to play with. I want 2 big boys that sit at 95+ and can go 150+ innings. 

2. Get Bregman 100% physically and mentally healthy and ready to rock. We need something approaching 2019 Bregman, especially if we're losing Carlos. 

3:  Either upgrade CF or settle on a starter. Rotating out 4 rookies, seemingly at random every night,  isn't a viable option.

4. Re-sign Pressly unless his ask is totally unreasonable.

5. Hire a manager that was born after the Korean War. Love ya' Dusty, but I don't want to spend the next 2-3 seasons hoping you finally get a ring in spite of your flaws. You were hired to weather the cheating scandal and bring some veteran gravitas to the dugout and you excelled at both. Happy trails. 

6. Somehow replace Strom. 

7. This one I'm torn on. I love Machete as a catcher, but I dunno, for me it's hard to justify starting a guy 150+ games if he hits .170 all year long. Not even sure what I'm suggesting as a solution here. Still curious why they signed Castro if they had no intention of ever using him.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Storm the Field

[UTexasFight 9369]

Pressly is getting $10M from us next year. 

[tx 3 putt 76158]

I was going to save this for the off-season thread, dusty is 100% coming back. 
 

2000 wins + another World Series shot

let’s do it !!!

[Victor Lazlo 1742]

17 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

I was going to save this for the off-season thread, dusty is 100% coming back. 
 

2000 wins + another World Series shot

[cabowabo 4449]

Welp, that sucked, but it doesn't sting as bad as last time. That 2019 team was easily the best we've ever fielded and it still gnaws at me that we lost to a flash-in-the-pan Nats squad that disbanded in less than 2 seasons. At least it wasn't the Dodgers, Yanks or Sawks this time around.  
I felt going into this season that we were a 92-70 team that would win the division by 4 or 5 and would have to hope to get super hot to make a playoff run. Feel like we significantly overperformed to make it to Game 6 of the WS. Knew we'd have a legit offense, but always worried about the starting pitching. Pleasantly surprised by what we got out of Framber and Luis, but they both simply ran out of gas. Greinke hit a career wall, Odorizzi never really got off the ground, and Urquidy barely got to pitch between injuries. LMJ was great, but damn son, coulda used ya in the playoffs.
Kyle Tucker emerged as a bona fide stud, Yordan came back on the scene with a vengeance (until the WS). Altuve showed flashes of his former MVP form (while occasionally slumping hard), and Bregman's season was a giant disappointment. Carlos had a career year (while still infuriating me staring at pitches down the gut). Brantley still a professional goddamn hitter (but getting real slow and his power is all but gone) and Old Man Yuli was a beast (but I don't expect him to repeat as batting champ at 38).
Offseason priorities, some of which I'm sure we all agree on, some of which I don't really give a shit if you disagree:
1. Sign 2 legitimate workhorse starters that throw gas. JV and Greinke are coming off the books, and Carlos is probably gone. That's ~$80M to play with. I want 2 big boys that sit at 95+ and can go 150+ innings. 
2. Get Bregman 100% physically and mentally healthy and ready to rock. We need something approaching 2019 Bregman, especially if we're losing Carlos. 
3:  Either upgrade CF or settle on a starter. Rotating out 4 rookies, seemingly at random every night,  isn't a viable option.
4. Re-sign Pressly unless his ask is totally unreasonable.
5. Hire a manager that was born after the Korean War. Love ya' Dusty, but I don't want to spend the next 2-3 seasons hoping you finally get a ring in spite of your flaws. You were hired to weather the cheating scandal and bring some veteran gravitas to the dugout and you excelled at both. Happy trails. 
6. Somehow replace Strom. 
7. This one I'm torn on. I love Machete as a catcher, but I dunno, for me it's hard to justify starting a guy 150+ games if he hits .170 all year long. Not even sure what I'm suggesting as a solution here. Still curious why they signed Castro if they had no intention of ever using him.

I'll cosign this.

[Guest]

Yep +1 on Storm the Field's post.

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

Yea so who would we go after that’s available for SP? That’s my biggest want. You can’t win a WS when you’re starters are barely going 3ip. So who are two legit SP work horses? 
 

RP can always be added too.

Definitely want a everyday CF but not sure who’s available to go after.

Curious what the front office plan is, I know we see holes and think they will aggressively fill them but they seem to be more bargain hunters than just aggressively filling needs.

[Lat22 3990]

7 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

Bregman needs to go see a specialist to unfuck his mind.

Cordell & Cordell

[LCHorn 2582]

8 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

Need to go get more pitching.

QO to Correa and Verlander. Go get a TOR and 2+ bullpen arms.

I was told tonight that Correa has a degenerative disc issue in his back, and the Astros brass think he has 3-5 more good years left before his back gives out. The Astros don't expect Correa is going to get the 10 year deal he wants, once other teams get medicals done.

I would take 5 good years and then a decline on a 10 year deal.  Most of these guys aren’t peaking at 35 anymore post Bonds.  

[Fudge Nuggets 19118]

6 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

sucks, Braves pitching shut us down 

Thankfully the Red Sox knocked out the Rays so we got another pennant. 

[WBT 20397]

Strommy will be missed.  He deserves a huge amount of credit for the rebuild and the greatest era of Astros baseball.

[Mo Horn 8795]

16 minutes ago, WBT said:

Strommy will be missed.  He deserves a huge amount of credit for the rebuild and the greatest era of Astros baseball.

Absolutely this. He said he still wants to be associated with the organisation so maybe he works a few weeks out of the year scouting talent in Latin America. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19118]

Strom better be inducted into the Astros HoF next year.

[htown85 159]

I would sign Soler to a 4-5 year deal. Despite his ups and downs his talent has always been real, and he looked unstoppable this series. That right handed bat would complement Yordan/Tucker well. He’s also Cuban so could mesh well with Yuli and Yordan.

 

Get a couple of SPs obviously, too.

 

 

[Fudge Nuggets 19118]

6 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

1. Sign 2 legitimate workhorse starters that throw gas. JV and Greinke are coming off the books, and Carlos is probably gone. That's ~$80M to play with. I want 2 big boys that sit at 95+ and can go 150+ innings. 

Good thing those guys grow on trees and no one else is interested in them.  Might as well get five of them while we're at it.

Cross-reference between avg 4-seamer > 95 mph and 150 IP leads to the following candidates:

Sandy Alcantara
Walker Buehler
Corbin Burnes
Luis Castillo
Dylan Cease
Gerrit Cole
Nathan Eovaldi
Yusei Kikuchi
Frankie Montas
Charlie Morton
Zack Wheeler
Brandon Woodruff
 

So who we getting?

[Scraps 13531]

I am almost ready for the unpopular opinions post cause I have a few of them after watching that world series disaster.....but I am trying to wait it out to see if they go away lol 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Scraps

[kevwun 15595]

They need a legit #1 starter.  LMJ is a 2 or 3 in a good rotation.  They made it farther than I expected with the shape the pitching was going in to the playoffs.  You can't win a world series when you don't have a starting pitcher that can give you more than 3 or 4 innings. 

Edited November 3, 2021 by kevwun

[Js1 85056]

9 minutes ago, Scraps said:

I am almost ready for the unpopular opinions post cause I have a few of them after watching that world series disaster.....but I am trying to wait it out to see if they go away lol 

[Ojo Rojo 1882]

9 hours ago, Hermanator said:

I dont like baseball. But i am a fan of interesting scandal, and what your team did was far more egregious than anything Belichick and Brady did. Then the stories coming out about the boorish and despicable behavior of the organization and fanbase was reprehensible.  I was surprised the organization didn't lose an entire draft or get a 1 to 2 year postseason ban. 

 Since I hate cheaters at any level I do hope no glory ever bestows that rotten organization.  Just know that the pain and frustration you feel again and will wallow in is more well deserved than any fan base in any sport. 

You are one ignorant miserable son of a bitch.

[TexArcher 37455]

10 hours ago, Hermanator said:

I dont like baseball. But i am a fan of interesting scandal, and what your team did was far more egregious than anything Belichick and Brady did. Then the stories coming out about the boorish and despicable behavior of the organization and fanbase was reprehensible.  I was surprised the organization didn't lose an entire draft or get a 1 to 2 year postseason ban. 

 Since I hate cheaters at any level I do hope no glory ever bestows that rotten organization.  Just know that the pain and frustration you feel again and will wallow in is more well deserved than any fan base in any sport. 

There's a time and place for this debate.  You admitted that you don't like baseball, so you don't follow it closely enough to know anything other than what ESPN and MLB have sold to the masses.  You can be forgiven for that.

What you can't be forgiven for is pulling this shit in our season thread minutes after our team lost a World Series.  A lot of us grew up in the Astrodome watching guys like Glenn Davis, Bill Doran, Billy Hatcher, Terry Puhl, and a bunch of others that you've never heard of.  This is our team, even when they're wrong.

Pretty ironic for you to be on your moral high horse while being such a completely classless prick at the same time.  Go the fuck away.

Edited November 3, 2021 by TexArcher

[Stella Link 534]

To the Atlanta Braves players and fans:

Congratulations for winning the 2021 World series.

We hope you enjoyed your stay in Houston.

We hope you had a chance to sample the wide variety of fine cuisine our city has to offer.

We hope your accommodations were restful, clean and comfortable.

Now, GET THE FUCK OUT of our city.

 

[Mez2 4020]

 

7 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Welp, that sucked, but it doesn't sting as bad as last time. That 2019 team was easily the best we've ever fielded and it still gnaws at me that we lost to a flash-in-the-pan Nats squad that disbanded in less than 2 seasons. At least it wasn't the Dodgers, Yanks or Sawks this time around.  

I felt going into this season that we were a 92-70 team that would win the division by 4 or 5 and would have to hope to get super hot to make a playoff run. Feel like we significantly overperformed to make it to Game 6 of the WS. Knew we'd have a legit offense, but always worried about the starting pitching. Pleasantly surprised by what we got out of Framber and Luis, but they both simply ran out of gas. Greinke hit a career wall, Odorizzi never really got off the ground, and Urquidy barely got to pitch between injuries. LMJ was great, but damn son, coulda used ya in the playoffs.

Kyle Tucker emerged as a bona fide stud, Yordan came back on the scene with a vengeance (until the WS). Altuve showed flashes of his former MVP form (while occasionally slumping hard), and Bregman's season was a giant disappointment. Carlos had a career year (while still infuriating me staring at pitches down the gut). Brantley still a professional goddamn hitter (but getting real slow and his power is all but gone) and Old Man Yuli was a beast (but I don't expect him to repeat as batting champ at 38).

Offseason priorities, some of which I'm sure we all agree on, some of which I don't really give a shit if you disagree:

1. Sign 2 legitimate workhorse starters that throw gas. JV and Greinke are coming off the books, and Carlos is probably gone. That's ~$80M to play with. I want 2 big boys that sit at 95+ and can go 150+ innings. 

2. Get Bregman 100% physically and mentally healthy and ready to rock. We need something approaching 2019 Bregman, especially if we're losing Carlos. 

3:  Either upgrade CF or settle on a starter. Rotating out 4 rookies, seemingly at random every night,  isn't a viable option.

4. Re-sign Pressly unless his ask is totally unreasonable.

5. Hire a manager that was born after the Korean War. Love ya' Dusty, but I don't want to spend the next 2-3 seasons hoping you finally get a ring in spite of your flaws. You were hired to weather the cheating scandal and bring some veteran gravitas to the dugout and you excelled at both. Happy trails. 

6. Somehow replace Strom. 

7. This one I'm torn on. I love Machete as a catcher, but I dunno, for me it's hard to justify starting a guy 150+ games if he hits .170 all year long. Not even sure what I'm suggesting as a solution here. Still curious why they signed Castro if they had no intention of ever using him.

i want joe espada as our manager. i think he'll be picked up soon by someone else if not and that would really suck

Edited November 3, 2021 by Mez2

[Ojo Rojo 1882]

When you make it to the World Series it means you have a winning team and you don't need to change that much.  I thought Dusty was great, both as the right personality and X's and O's.  I'd pay Correa whatever it takes.  He's the heart and soul of this team.  Super talented and a super competitor.  I'd give him 8/292 without batting an eye.  If there was a higher bidder, I'd top it.  Then I'd insure the fuck out of the contract.  I'd go get a legit starting pitcher.  That's the one major ingredient this team lacked.  Robbie Ray would probably be my guy.  I think the loss of Strom may be as big as losing Correa.  Pitchers were better because of him.  

Fun year.  The team did better than expected and overcame a shitload of adversity with losing Verlander and all.

[utxmike05 1825]

Woke up this morning thinking "Damn...did we really get shut out TWICE in the world series?"

Sorry still not giving credit to their pitching.

[Js1 85056]

22 minutes ago, Mez2 said:

 

i want joe espada as our manager. i think he'll be picked up soon by someone else if not and that would really suck

Yep.  Thanks for righting the ship Dusty, but I don't think he'll ever win one.  Promote Espada. 

[tx 3 putt 76158]

2 hours ago, WBT said:

Strommy will be missed.  He deserves a huge amount of credit for the rebuild and the greatest era of Astros baseball.

100% this. He also helped build a minor league system of coaches that has done some tremendous work for this team. 

[dhornf 52]

Better season than most anticipated.  Next year we'll be back.

[Fudge Nuggets 19118]

3 hours ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

Definitely want a everyday CF but not sure who’s available to go after.

Starling Marte?  

[The Dog 43771]

We have a lot of "dead money" (to steal an NFL term) coming off the books with Verlander and Greinke becoming free agents - I say so with Zach because he wasn't really worth his salary this season. That's $68 million right there. 

Other free agents: Correa, Marwin, Yimi, and Graveman. Correa was making nearly $12 million this year, so adding that to the above gives us $80 million to play with for next year but that doesn't include increases to LMJ's contract next year as well as Bregman's in 2023 (Bregs goes from $13 mil to like $30 million then). 

Yuli and Pressly have team options that I'd expect we exercise (not sure if they can opt out). 

I'd think we at least make a decent offer to Graveman - he was only making $1.25 million and should be there for the taking unless he REALLY loved Seattle (keep in mind he only was there for 2020 and 2021). 

Obviously the elephant in the room is Correa, but I'm assuming he walks just because someone is going to offer him waaaay more than he's really worth (Angels, Mets, Yankees, etc.) and he'd be a fool not to take it. 

[tx 3 putt 76158]

I’m pretty good with the rotation in CF, it had a solid season. Why spend money there when we have Meyer / chas / siri. Let’s see what they can do 

plus our prospect pipeline 

Edited November 3, 2021 by tx 3 putt

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

After 5 straight ALCS and 3 WS I think losing a guy like Correa after losing Springer and the likely decline of guys like Altuve and Gurriel because of age we probably aren't going to keep just trucking along. CC is probably gone but I hope we retain him and I Hope the front office gets aggressive this Winter. we should have 3 WS rings right now given our lineup and I know a lot of people get mad when you bring up the FO and what do we expect them to do attitude but the braves went all in on their outfield and it paid off which is what I think they should have done with the SP. Hopefully the fix that this winter. 

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

4 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Starling Marte?  

What will he cost and will we pony up for him and the need for at least 2 SP?

[Fudge Nuggets 19118]

2 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

What will he cost and will we pony up for him and the need for at least 2 SP?

His last deal was 8 years $53MM

[n64ra 1075]

Ugh, I am tired of losing to lower seeded NL East teams! What's next - Marlins over Astros in 2023???

Edited November 3, 2021 by n64ra

[Gourmand 7774]

I'm devastated thinking about losing Correa even though I understand it's probably the smart move in terms of dollar value overall for the organization. His team leadership and swagger is unreplaceable and he's a big reason this team had that tight clubhouse bond. It's gonna suck watching him sign elsewhere but I think his departure could be a blessing in disguise for him personally and Astros fans weary of hearing about 2017.

[kevwun 15595]

I vote for Our Winter of Discontent for the off-season thread title.

[Mez2 4020]

Houston Astros offseason thread: Winter is Here, fuck this shit...again.

[Murfdogg21 4412]

If Correa has a degenerative lumbar disc, no way would I give him an 7+ year contract. He needs to go get some bone marrow stem cells injected in his disc asap. 
 

Fans are too emotional, especially coming off this run. We might already seen Correa’s best, or his peak may only be another 2-3 years. If the Astros give him 8/30+, there’s a high likelihood of bad times ahead in the 2025-2029 years. Remember when we had so much money tied up in our big signing of Taco Caballo Carlos Lee that led straight into the 100 loss seasons?

[Guadaloopy 10903]

At least this off-season can’t be any worse than 2019.

<insert Anakin/Padme meme>

[Gourmand 7774]

 

I'm still a little unclear about the circumstances of his departure. He said he decided last month he wouldn't be returning to the Astros and sat down with Click to discuss it (his contract is up this year along with Dusty's). I know his retirement was expected and he's looking forward to a break from the game, but he also spoke about possibly returning with another organization and seeing what happens next. Those statements seem a bit contradictory and I wonder if the Astros were using the expiring contract opportunity to nudge the old guy out the door in an effort to replace him with his younger proteges.....

[theaveragejon 974]

I think he said he’s stepping away from MLB. But not away from baseball - the sport. At least that’s how I understood it. 

[texashorne 1177]

All we can do is hope he is offered and accepts what he's worth. Its a 2 way street. And when there's a leadership void, that void is filled. Altuve and Bregman can slide right in.. 

[LCHorn 2582]

7 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

If Correa has a degenerative lumbar disc, no way would I give him an 7+ year contract. He needs to go get some bone marrow stem cells injected in his disc asap. 
 

Fans are too emotional, especially coming off this run. We might already seen Correa’s best, or his peak may only be another 2-3 years. If the Astros give him 8/30+, there’s a high likelihood of bad times ahead in the 2025-2029 years. Remember when we had so much money tied up in our big signing of Taco Caballo Carlos Lee that led straight into the 100 loss seasons?

Hate to tell you but the 2025-2029 years are likely to be bad regardless of whether Correa is re-signed.  It’s almost impossible to be great for a decade, and the current system rewards you for either winning big or losing big.  
 

In 2025 we’re likely looking at a roster of Tucker, Yordan and 8 other guys who currently aren’t playing for teams.    If you have to overpay in 2022-2023 to keep this iterations of the Astros’ window open it would be foolish to do otherwise.  

[Gourmand 7774]

Chandler Rome did a story this past spring training about one of the guys under Strom rumored to be replacing him.....

Spoiler

Astros' Bill Murphy is a pitcher's best friend

Chandler Rome, Staff writer

Feb. 27, 2021Updated: Feb. 27, 2021 3:01 p.m.

 

Since being hired by the Astros from Brown University, 31-year-old Bill Murphy has risen from rookie ball coach to assistant pitching coach with the major league club.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Bill Murphy’s voice is monotone but carries persistent positivity. He speaks in almost hushed tones and without any arrogance.

Murphy paced in the bullpen before Hunter Brown’s first live batting practice session of major league camp Friday. Groundskeepers readied the field, and hitters took practice swings. Murphy noticed the field was ready.

“How many more you need, buddy?” Murphy asked Brown, a 22-year-old kid preparing to throw the most pressure-filled pitches of his professional life. Manager Dusty Baker wandered over to watch. Pitching coach Brent Strom, too.

Brown threw two more warmup pitches and exited the bullpen. Murphy followed. The Astros’ 31-year-old coaching savant stood behind the mound. Brown sailed a few pitches to the backstop but buckled hitters with others. Murphy remained invested in each one. He devotes all of himself to each pitcher. Service time does not matter, nor does organizational preference.

“With Murph, there’s a genuine belief that every single player in the organization has a chance,” Astros assistant general manager Pete Putila said. “I think players can see that — and it’s hard to fake that. I think it goes a long way with the players in terms of trusting him.”

 

Murphy’s rapid ascension up the Astros’ coaching hierarchy, from rookie ball pitching coach to major league assistant, took five seasons. Eight years ago, the man was a volunteer assistant at Georgetown. Houston hired him from Brown University. This winter, the club added Murphy to its major league staff.

“It was a very surreal moment,” Murphy said this week. “A moment I didn’t necessarily know would ever come.”

Murphy’s title is assistant pitching coach. Strom, Murphy and Josh Miller — also given a pitching coach title — now comprise the Astros’ major league pitching brain trust. Duties haven’t specifically been divided, but all three men personify the continuity Houston craves in its player development. All have been in the organization since 2015.

Murphy has no professional playing experience. He pitched for Rutgers and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While working toward his MBA at Wagner College, Murphy posted a .735 OPS in 49 starts as a first baseman. During that same 2012 season, Murphy threw a third of an inning and yielded seven runs. He never took the mound again.

“I don’t think players care what the back of your baseball card looks like,” Strom said. “They really care about whether you care.”

Miller preceded Murphy as the team’s minor league pitching coordinator. He spent nine seasons playing either professional or independent baseball. Strom had a five-year major league career. Murphy’s style complements both. People in and around the organization laud his unending work ethic, which endears him to players. Strom said he’s major league pitching coach material.

“I think in coaching, players can really tell quick whether or not you care about them,” Putila said. “It might sound cliché or mushy or whatever, but that’s one area where he excels. He’s so positive with the players and his coaching. He has great attention to detail.”

Master communicator

Murphy is the model pitching guru for this era of baseball. He devours analytical data and is able to communicate the findings with ease. Strom, by his own admission, does not always comprehend the finer points of the Astros’ many pitching technologies. Murphy, a man Strom called a “combination analyst-pitching coach down on the field,” is there to help. His ability to explain the processes in an understandable method is unrivaled.

“A lot of the hirings now, everybody’s coming in and just trying to bombard front offices with their use of Edgertronic and TrackMan and all this stuff,” Strom said. “You see a lot of résumés and interviews that revolve around that. I really think the good front offices like we have will also look for the human aspect of how that person communicates.”

Murphy applied to the Astros on a whim after stumbling upon an online job posting for an organizational pitching coach. Inside Brown’s baseball offices, he read the description aloud to his fellow assistant coach.

“The way that I heard him describing the job, I basically said, ‘Murph, if you don’t apply for that thing, you’re an idiot,’” Mike McCormack said. “I could hear the excitement in his voice. There are very few things, to that point in our relationship, that I had heard him speak so passionately about.”

Murphy submitted his application. He had no hope it would amount to anything meaningful. He’d never applied to a major league team, fearful that his lack of professional playing experience would scare teams away.

Murphy established a goal of reaching Power Five coaching and competing for a College World Series. Brown afforded him the first step toward it. Incoming head coach Grant Achilles received Murphy’s name on recommendation from a former boss. One phone call sold Achilles, who named Murphy the pitching coach on his inaugural staff.

“There was an acknowledgement early on from Bill that he didn’t have it figured out,” Achilles said. “I think in coaching that’s continued to be one of the trademarks of a good teacher that I’ve found. They are consistently trying to learn, adapt and grow, and that’s not as common as you would think anymore.”

The staff inherited some talent that had, in Achilles’ words, “gone through some different phases.” Murphy sold Achilles on a “unique perspective” to pitching, one that didn’t require exorbitant resources. Both Achilles and McCormack are offensive-minded coaches. They let Murphy work his magic.

“If it wasn’t something that we could purchase, it was something that he would try to craft on his own or find a similar way to get the point across with our players,” Achilles said. “A lot of times, that just ended up being how he was able to explain things to a player without having the technology to show them.”

Murphy scoured the internet. He read journal articles. He pored over YouTube videos and implemented video study into his coaching methods. Sometimes, Murphy would catch bullpen sessions for his pitchers to gain a better understanding. Fellow coaches sometimes struggled to grasp the method to his madness.

“It kind of drove you nuts at times,” said McCormack, who still serves as Brown’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. “Because you’re like, ‘Man, what is he doing? I’ve never seen that before, never even heard of that before. Why is he doing that?’

“There were things that came out about three or four years ago that were popular then. Well, Murph was doing them when he was with us. Nobody could have really understood what he was doing, probably, besides him.”

Advice well-taken

McCormack still calls Murphy a “best friend for life.” Calls between the two pals are often one-sided. McCormack must pry information out of Murphy, a man with no ego and little interest in boasting about his burgeoning career. Without McCormack’s nudging, perhaps Murphy doesn’t apply to the Astros in the first place.

“I was just sitting in the office with him and brought it up,” Murphy said. “He suggested, ‘Hey, if you want that, if you think that was something you’d really enjoy, you have to do it.’ I ended up doing it. First time, only time.”

A few hours after Murphy entered his application online, he received a phone call from Doug White, then the Astros’ minor league pitching coordinator. White interviewed Murphy and passed his name up the organizational chain. Putila, then the farm director, received it. The two scheduled a phone interview for mid-December during the Winter Meetings.

Reclining in a chair outside a Nashville Chuy’s, Putila phoned Murphy. Murphy divulged his do-it-yourself technological and analytical creations from his time at Brown.

“To be honest, sometimes coaches who are at smaller schools or at least schools that don’t have as many resources — whether it’s facilities, technologies or money to spend on those things — sometimes that’s where the best coaches come from, because they have to really get creative in finding solutions,” Putila said.

The Astros had built a player development system armed with all of the latest cutting-edge technologies — machines Murphy dreamed of owning but Brown could never afford.

Wealthier power conference schools are beefing up their analytics teams by installing TrackMan, Rapsodo or Edgertronic cameras at their stadiums. Brown now has Rapsodo. Before the pandemic, the team was planning to invest in Edgertronic cameras. Murphy’s tenure had no such luxuries.

In Murphy’s two seasons on staff, Brown won 12 of its 40 Ivy League games. His final pitching staff finished 2015 with a 7.17 ERA and 1.94 WHIP. It walked almost six hitters per nine innings. Statistics might suggest a firing. Putila looked beyond it. He listened to how Murphy implemented video in his coaching — now a given but, back then, just in its infancy.

“That was impressive that he formulated those solutions on his own,” Putila said. “It told me that this was a person that, when you get him in an environment with even more resources in terms of technology, information, analysts, he could build something even better. That’s what he’s done.”

‘Like a father to me’

After each year in the Astros organization, Murphy ascended a level as a pitching coach: rookie ball Greenville in 2016 to short-season Tri-City in 2017 to Class AA Corpus Christi in 2018.

In his two seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator, Murphy’s task doubled to include coaching staff development at all minor league affiliates — while keeping his constant communication with pitchers intact.

“Murph is like a father for me,” Astros reliever Enoli Paredes said. “I spent a lot of time with Murph last year and in the offseason. We would talk, and he would send me what the team wanted, and he was always in communication with me. He helped me a lot when I was back at home.”

Paredes was among 10 Astros pitchers to make their major league debuts in 2020. Murphy watched all with immense pride. Luis Garcia’s start during the American League Championship Series elated him. Corbin Martin’s Mother’s Day debut in 2019 is another instance Murphy can’t get out of his mind.

Murphy’s reach extends far beyond the field. He communicates constantly with all pitchers. Strom never needs to go far for a scouting report — one with far more detail than even he can anticipate. For instance, on Friday, Strom met two minor league pitchers for the first time: Peter Solomon and Blair Henley. Murphy was nearby to list their daily workload preferences and pitch arsenals

“He knows spin axis, the amount of sweep, the amount of depth on a breaking ball. He knows the hop on a heater,” Strom said.

The information allowed for an easier day in the drudgery of spring training. Murphy’s one goal in his new position is simple: Make Strom’s job as easy as possible.

“I just want to try to help our players reach their dreams to help them keep developing and keep getting better and help impact our major league team and help this organization,” Murphy said. “I haven’t looked in the future. I just try to take it a day at a time.”

Added Strom: “We really have a gem here with this guy. We really do.”

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/Astros-Bill-Murphy-is-a-pitcher-s-best-friend-15984198.php

[tx 3 putt 76158]

He’s 73 man, I hope he stays in Houston and hangs out around the ballpark some. Wouldn’t be shocked if crane throws Him a special consultating contract 

[texashorne 1177]

8 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Hate to tell you but the 2025-2029 years are likely to be bad regardless of whether Correa is re-signed.  It’s almost impossible to be great for a decade, and the current system rewards you for either winning big or losing big.  
 

In 2025 we’re likely looking at a roster of Tucker, Yordan and 8 other guys who currently aren’t playing for teams.    If you have to overpay in 2022-2023 to keep this iterations of the Astros’ window open it would be foolish to do otherwise.  

Take solice in the fact that we have Jim Crane, who has proven he will do whatever it takes to win. 2025 is a long way off and its hard to predict anything other than the fact the roster will be almost completely different.  

[Gourmand 7774]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

He’s 73 man, I hope he stays in Houston and hangs out around the ballpark some. Wouldn’t be shocked if crane throws Him a special consultating contract 

Agreed, I hope this is 100% his own decision and not because of the Astros choosing to not offer him a new contract before the offseason..

"It's difficult, we'll see how I feel in a couple days. There may be another opportunity for me somewhere else, we may look at that, or I may just go lie on a beach in Mexico..., We'll see, I haven't made a final decision yet, but I know I won't be back as the major league pitching coach here. I know that for a fact."  

[tx 3 putt 76158]

Despite what baseball america claims, the minor league system is producing. I’m loving the strategy of signing young Cuban players 

Edited November 3, 2021 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76158]

1 minute ago, Gourmand said:

Agreed, I hope this is 100% his own decision and not because of the Astros choosing to not offer him a new contract before the offseason..

"It's difficult, we'll see how I feel in a couple days. There may be another opportunity for me somewhere else, we may look at that, or I may just go lie on a beach in Mexico..., We'll see, I haven't made a final decision yet, but I know I won't be back as the major league pitching coach here. I know that for a fact."  

he’s referenced retiring a couple of times this season 

[The Dog 43771]

25 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Hate to tell you but the 2025-2029 years are likely to be bad regardless of whether Correa is re-signed.  It’s almost impossible to be great for a decade, and the current system rewards you for either winning big or losing big.  
 

In 2025 we’re likely looking at a roster of Tucker, Yordan and 8 other guys who currently aren’t playing for teams.    If you have to overpay in 2022-2023 to keep this iterations of the Astros’ window open it would be foolish to do otherwise.  

Obviously 2029 is a long way off but as for 2025 all of the starting pitchers from the ALCS and WS not named Greinke are under team control until 2025. Javier is also under team control through then and he's usually a starter and LMJ (who didn't play in either) is also under contract through then.