We all have subjective interpretations of who a player is. The Astros are the team we follow the closest so our opinion of their players are more spot on than the casual baseball fan. Around the game, certain players have developed reputations that, warranted or not, tend to stick with them for the better part of their careers.
Defensively speaking, the Astros probably aren't thought of as being very good. Our roster is the oldest in baseball, and we have Carlos Lee. That's two big reasons why people may preceive the Astros as being sub par in the field. Let's take a look at the widely held perception of our players are, and how they've actually fared defensively in 2009:
Ivan Rodriguez
Thought of as: Old Man on his last legs.
This season: Good. (RF/G is a statistic that measures put outs and assists per game)
Lance Berkman
Thought of as: Fat Elvis is more nimble than his nickname indicates
This season: Average
Kaz Matsui
Thought of as: Injury prone, doesn't hold his own at second base
This season: Above Average
Geoff Blum
Thought of as: Wait...he still plays? Ed Wade is an idiot.
This season: Excellent
Miguel Tejada
Thought of as: Was written about in Moneyball. Used PED's (probably). Another dumb Wade trade.
This season: Struggles
Carlos Lee
Thought of as: Remember that photo Alyson Footer snapped of Carlos with a Mickey D's bag? That sums it up.
This season: Struggles. But not the worst! Thank you, Dave Duncan's son.
Michael Bourn
Thought of as: Quick as a hiccup!
This season: Very Good
Hunter Pence
Thought of as: Young. Runs sorta funny.