Ya Gotta Love...

At Spring Training 2005, I was overcome by a certainty that those Astros were going to the World Series. This year, I did not experience any kind of epiphany or other-worldly visitations (the Spirit of Pennants Past?). I just made a more rational material assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the team's composition. So, is this The Year?

I don't really know. The losing record the first week of Spring Training is no real indication, of course. I repeated that to my husband like a mantra that during the games we attended: It's only the first week, they are taking a look at a lot of kids and non-roster invitees, Berkman is a notoriously slow starter, the pitchers are building up endurance and trying out new stuff, this is not what the team will look like on Opening Day, etc. There are some holes, especially in the pitching rotation, and there are some favorites who are gone. But there are also some things that you just have to love about this team. Here are a few:

J.R. Towles: That mop of blond hair makes him instantly recognizable among the mass of unfamiliar players. It goes with a big smile, and a big bat too. So far Spring Training has been a continuation of Towles' short but impressive plate performance last September - after the first week, he's batting over .450. His youthful energy, conditioned with Ausmus' maturity and encyclopedic mentoring, give him tons of potential. If he has a 20% higher batting average and up to 20% lower IQ than Ausmus, he'll be great.

Jose Valverde: Berkman's entitled to his opinions; I'm sure that the players view the antics of the other guys differently than the fans do. Assuming that Papa Grande continues his mound performance from last year, stats-wise, his emotion and sense of humor will play very well with the fans. At Spring Training he was constantly engaging with the fans, bowing and chatting, making faces at the press photographers who were trying to take his picture. Then he gets on the mound and looks like a monster.

Roy Oswalt: The opposite end of the emotional display scale from Valverde, Oswalt wears a deadpan facade to work. He's all business on the mound -- and with the kind of run support that is anticipated, this could be the biggest year of his career, win-wise. The rest of the rotation may be suspect, but Oswalt's ERA plus some big BAs could add up to CYA this year.

Jose Cruz Jr: The sentimental wild-card among the non-roster invitees, Junior is getting a lot of playing time this Spring. Whether it's out of deference to his father or a serious look, Cruz has gotten more at-bats than any other player so far. So far he's coming through-- in 10 games, he's batting .345 and leads the team in hits. It's hard not to want him to be successful, with his dad looking on from first base.

Hunter Pence: After a year in the Big Leagues, he doesn't clap his hands when he gets on base anymore. But Pence still has great energy and enthusiasm and a big smile and a wave for the fans. While he's not hitting .500 in Spring Training this year, his .357 BA after the first week is more than respectable. He's got "star" written all over him, and if he's not a nice guy, he's a hell of an actor.

More things to love about the 2008 'Stros in my next post. But first I have 2500 Spring Training photos to wade through, looking for the best shots for my website Photo Album.