Moneyball, Dinner And An 11-2 Astros Win

I think Altuve will be fine in the long ter, but “delaying his development for bad reasons” seems a fitting description to me.

I like him a lot, and have since we picked him up, but Altuve is 21 and Downs is 27… Altuve is a better defender and I think may have a higher offensive ceiling as well. I still believe it’s possible Altuve could be an important long-term part of this franchise. The best case scenario for Downs seems like he tops out as a solid regular for 3 or 4 more years before he exits his prime and winds down his career in a utility role. Altuve could have a long career as an everyday player.

I mentioned before I’d like to see Downs get some at bats in an outfield corner… that would be a good way to get him into the game without robbing more important players of ABs.

As for benching players when they slump—I think I would be more okay with it if it applied equally to veterans and rookies. Players like Carlos Lee get run out there while a month deep in a horrible slump, but after a couple weeks of bad hitting, a young inexperienced guy gets thrown onto the bench. I would actually say it’s much more important for the young guys to have consistent playing time than the veterans because they’re still in the development phase, while a guy like Lee is a finished product.

But that’s not happening with Mills and Altuve. He is playing in slightly more than half of the Astros’ September games. I think everyone can agree about that occasional off-day. What we can’t agree about is platooning Altuve.

I agree that the time off for slumps thinking should not be dismissed as wrong. I don’t think Mills is doing much damage to these players. I think both schools of thought have merit. I think some players respond better playing through a slump, and others just keep digging a hole. The players that are going to be successful are going to find a way to rise to the top. I usually think of Art Howe as a good developmental manager because of the job he did with the club in the early 90s. But, looking back, he had his share of JR Towles and Berry Wallaces too. Eric Anthony and Andujar Cedeno never lived up to expectations. And, Luis Gonzalez struggled mightily after his rookie campaign until he moved on to other organizations. My point is, managers probably have little to do with successfully transitioning players from the minors to the majors.