Drew Stubbs is 25, about to turn 26. He is just now showing the skills to be a damn good pro. Mier is 18. According to my calculator, the Astros have roughly 6 years to wait before Mier “might” turn into something useful assuming he has the same potential as Drew which is a HUGE assumption. The Astros need PITCHING… and lots of it. Spending your 1st round pick on “below average speed”, “average arm”, and “infielder” is a waste of the 1st round for a team with an emergency need for pitching. All the rhetoric about Miers “upside”, “intangibles”, “approach at the plate” is nothing more than 8 inches of whipped cream topping on a rutabaga pie to make it look more attractive. There were at least 2, maybe 4 pitchers, that should have been seriously considered by the Astros before Mier. Kyle Gibson, Missouri, was “slightly” below Strasburg in rating before his forearm stress fracture. I know all about stress fractures in the forearm as an indicator of “maybe” elbow ligament problems. The fact is that most pitching forearm stress fractures are simply a sign of over work and DO NOT lead to surgery. And even if it did, Gibson is just 22 and has plenty of time to recover from Tommy John surgery. His 4 year potential is outstanding and would have been a much better pick. And even if McLamebrain didn’t want to take a chance on Gibson, Eric Arnett, Indiana, throws 96mph, is completely healthy and in 3, maybe 4, years projects to be one of Milwaukee’s starters. And there are other pitchers taken after Mier that would have been smarter picks.
Houston’s scouting purge a few years ago doesn’t seem to have done much good. With McLamebrain and Wade calling the shots they are still drafting like their pitching staff is solid and set.

There is nothing misleading about a .276 batting avg. in a rookie league where the pitching is less than stellar. Anything below .900 ops in a rookie league does not, personally, draw my interest. I really have no opinion about Mier except that there exists another view than the way overly optimistic view you and those of your disposition relate.

Badler said he was faster than Beckham. Being “faster” than “slow” doesn’t tell me much. Badler said he didn’t have Beckham’s bat speed but had a “better approach at the plate”. The bat speed comment should be a concern and the “better approach” is about as clear as mud.

The rest of your quoted Mier critics were early in the rookie season. As I said he eventually finished .276. But I agree. Rookie stats are meaningless. But that does not deny the truth that Houston should have drafted Gibson or Arnett before Mier. Houston badly needs to start building a pitching staff. Otherwise we’re going to see Hampton and Ortiz (or their equivalent) again on the mound in 2010, 2011, 2012 and maybe 2013. Mier doesn’t fill the need. The other 18 year old college drop outs they signed are at least 6 years away. Houston has missed the playoffs 4 straight years. I, for one, have no intention of buying yet another box seat until management shows a committment to winning on the field instead of winning on the income statement.

The amount of money Stubbs agreed to with Houston’s scouts was “below” the slot money at that time. Houston’s scouts were estatic about the possibility of signing him for so little. Why would Selig step in if Houston’s scouts were more than happy with the money involved. I think Justice source of information about Selig being the culprit is a bit suspect at best. According to my sources Houston offered approximately $900,000. Stubbs accepted that amount. When in came time to sign the contract, the amount was all of a sudden $500,000. Stubbs declined, played another year for UT and was signed by Cincy the following year. If you know another story please let me know. Justice relies on the Astro organization for all of his Astros data. He has a vested interest in not relating too much controversial information.