the 'Stros

The Astros spent most of the decade hovering near the .500 mark, but never really contending.  The team was built around pitching which suited their home the 8th wonder of the world, the Astrodome.  Playing 82 games in the Astrodome meant having to scratch out runs to win 2-1 or 3-2.  Runs came at a premium in sports first indoor venue.  If you could hit 20 homers as an Astro, you could hit 35 or 40 playing elsewhere.  Just ask Joe Morgan.

The ace of this staff would be none other than the enigmatic 6'9" fireballer James Rodney Richard.  "JR" could really bring it.  If he played on a team with just the slightest amount of offense he could have been a 20 game winner every year.  Larry Dierker, who came of age in the late 60's, was known as the "poor man's Tom Seaver".  That might sound a bit insulting at first, but I think any time you are mentioned in the same breath as "The Franchise", you shouldn't be too upset.  Joe Niekro compliments the hard throwers like Richard and Don Wilson, with his tantalizing knuckleball.  The pen is also solid with "Big" Fred Gladding and Lefty Joe Sambito providing a good 1-2 punch to close out games.  The staff is so deep, Joaquin Andujar will be the long man out of the pen.

Turning to the offense the cross hairs target one Cesar Cedeno, who in the early 1970's was labeled "the next Willie Mays", by his manager Leo Durocher.  Now "Leo the Lip" had the unique perspective of managing both Mays and Cedeno in their early years, so when he made that comment the baseball world took notice.  Leo, the consummate showman, was easily taken to hyperbole.  In this case I think Leo was trying to motivate Cedeno to reach his potential.  Unfortunately Cedeno wasn't as talented as Mays (nobody is or was) and more importantly he didn't have Mays' work ethic or baseball smarts.  In any case Cedeno's 3 year slice during the early 70's was quite impressive.  He hit over .300, had over 25 homer and stole over 50 bases on average, all while patrolling the huge expanse of astroturf at the dome and having to deal with a ballpark that robbed hits and homer from batters like Dillinger robbed banks in the 1930's.

The rest of the offense is built around line drives, aggressive base running and base stealing.  Bob Watson is as solid as a rock hitting over .300 and hitting close to 20 homers while splitting time between 1st and left field.  Doug Rader plays a gold glove caliber third base and can always be relied upon for the long ball.  He won't hit for average, but he does have the other tools.  The "Toy Canon" Jimmy Wynn entered the 70's as the true star of Houston baseball, but his power skill began to fade rather fast as his 2nd row homers now became warning track outs.  Houston lacked real skill and depth in the middle infield with the likes of a fading Tommy Helms, who was acquired in exchange for future HOF'er Joe Morgan.  Bottom line is that this team will go only as far as it's pitching and craftiness will take it.