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Time to be home: Springer retires after long MLB career |
Pitcher Russ Springer has thought about retiring numerous times in recent years, and he even announced before the 2004 season that he was retiring, only to return when the Houston Astros beckoned later that season. But this time he says he means it when he declares he is retiring. “For the first time in my career, it feels right,” says the 42-year-old resident of Pollock, whose professional baseball career spanned parts of 21 years, including 18 major league seasons playing for 10 different teams. “Last year, I thought I had retired, but I wanted to go back to make sure,” he said about a chance to play after the All-Star break for his favorite boyhood team, the Cincinnati Reds. “It felt good ’til I blew out my back. Just as much as baseball-wise, though, it feels like it’s time for me to be home. “Even last year,” he went on, “when I thought I was going to retire, I had a desire to go to the gym. This year, I’ve had no pull towards going to the gym. I’m totally content to be with the family. There comes a time when you can ask only so much of your body physically, and you’ve got to stop beating it up.” Springer was drafted out of LSU in the seventh round of the 1989 amateur draft by the New York Yankees and by 1992 he was wearing the pinstripes as a major leaguer with the Yankees. As a rookie reliever, he struck out 12 batters in 16 innings, with 14 game appearances, and was traded to the California Angels after the season. That began his nearly two-decade sojourn in the big leagues, mostly as a reliever. Over that time, including 2002, when he spent all season in rehab from an injury, he pitched in 740 games (including one complete game with the Angels in ’93), fashioned a 4.52 earned run average and compiled 775 strikeouts in a shade more than 856 innings while posting a career record of 36-45. His best two seasons were late in his career, 2007 and ’08 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he went 10-2 with an average ERA of 2.25 and registered 111 strikeouts. In 2007, he was given the The Darryl Kile Good Guy Award, which is presented annually to the Cardinals (and Astros) player who best exemplifies Kile’s traits of “a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man.” It is awarded at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America dinner and is voted on by Astros and Cardinals players. (2 of 4)
He still has the Rawlings glove he started wearing in ’93, his second year in the big leagues, and wore through his final games last season with Cincinnati. “I’ve had players ask me how much pine tar I had in this glove,” he says, showing the heavy shade of black in the palm of the glove. “I’d tell them, ‘That’s not pine tar; that’s a lot of years of blood, sweat and tears.’ “I even pitched with it broken one day in St. Louis, my last year there,” he went on. “I had told the guys, ‘If this glove breaks, I’ll retire,’ just joking around. Well, it broke in the web when I was warming up in a hurry to go in from the bullpen, and I thought, am I going to change gloves or pitch with this one and hope nobody hits it back to me. I went in and fanned the next batter and got out of the inning with a broken glove, and I got it re-laced after the game.” It was the same glove he wore on May 14, 2006, when he drilled Barry Bonds in the upper back with his fifth pitch of the at-bat during the fifth inning of a game in Houston. This was when Bonds was looking for his 714th career home run to tie Babe Ruth’s total. “I hate that I play 21 years developing a reputation and something like that happens, and it’s what a lot of people connect with your name,” he says of an incident that resulted in his being ejected, suspended for four games and fined an undisclosed amount. “It wasn’t what everybody says it was,” he says. “It wasn’t a vendetta. I went back and looked at the tape afterwards, and I agree, it looks bad, but it wasn’t what it looked like. The reasoning behind it stays in the locker room among teammates. “Earlier in my career, if you couldn’t throw inside to brush back a batter,” he went on, “your manager didn’t want you in there. Now, if there’s intent (to hit a batter), and umpires take it upon themselves to decide there’s intent, you’re in trouble. That’s why I think the offensive numbers have escalated in recent years. You’ve got to be able to move the hitter away from the plate. (3 of 4)
“I’ve controlled the plate my whole career,” he says. “I protected my teammates. Any teammate I’ve ever had will say I protected my teammates. That’s the way I was taught. I never injured anybody, but I protected my teammates.” Pitcher Dan Wheeler, now with the Boston Red Sox and a former teammate of Springer’s at both Houston and Tampa Bay, can testify to that. “That’s the thing about Russ — he was and still is the ultimate professional,” says Wheeler, 33. “I used to kid him that he was like a fine wine — he got better with age. He made sure he’d help anybody else, and he had a way to make pitching seem so easy that you felt confident you could get the job done. “I feel very fortunate to have been on a couple of teams with him,” continued Wheeler, who has 514 strikeouts and a career 3.84 ERA in 11 major league major league seasons. “He’s a huge reason I am where I am. I don’t think I’d be here without him.” To play as long as Springer did in the majors wasn’t easy, especially considering he had a few surgeries that appeared to be career ending. One surgery was to completely rebuild his shoulder, which forced him to miss the entire ’02 season. “I was motivated and driven to prove them wrong,” Springer says of doctors who predicted his baseball career was finished. “I played eight years after they told me I wouldn’t play no more. I didn’t miss a day of rehab through the hot months. It was just a matter of knowing what I had to do.” Another standout memory from his career, he says, was the first time he played in the World Series with the Atlanta Braves against the Yankees (1999). He gave up one hit in just 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a Series the Yankees won, but he said the experience was “unbelievable” and being on the mound, getting ready to throw a pitch while “every baseball fan in the world was watching, is “crazy to think about.” He also said his second trip to the World Series, in 2005 with the Astros in a losing cause to the Chicago White Sox (he gave up one run on two hits in two innings), was gratifying because the Astros defied the doomsayers who earlier that season were already writing the team’s obituary. (4 of 4)
Throughout his career, too, Springer said he relished the support from fans. “I’ve got a filing cabinet full of letters and cards from people that mean a lot,” he says. “When you’re rehabbing, you get energy from things like that. I’d go out of my way to stay (after games) and talk and chat with kids because I remember what that would’ve meant to me. I never lost sight of this as a player. “I enjoyed that part of it,” he says. “If I saw a dad with his son, I’d go out of my way to talk to ‘em or throw ‘em a ball. “I had some good seasons,” he says. “I was never an All-Star, but I grinded out a career. This is a working man’s area, and I think the people around here recognize that. That’s why this has always been home for me. A week after the season’s over, I’m back here eating a corn dog at the Grant One Stop.” As for the future, Springer is building a new home in Pollock for himself, his wife and two children, and he is contemplating the idea of starting a baseball academy, but he’s not sure about that or anything much else just yet. “For now,” he says, “I’m content being home and being with my family.” Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Time to be home: Pitcher Springer retires after 18-season MLB career |
Pitcher Russ Springer has thought about retiring numerous times in recent years, and he even announced before the 2004 season that he was retiring, only to return when the Houston Astros beckoned later that season. But this time he says he means it when he declares he is retiring. “For the first time in my career, it feels right,” says the 42-year-old resident of Pollock, whose professional baseball career spanned parts of 21 years, including 18 major league seasons playing for 10 different teams. “Last year, I thought I had retired, but I wanted to go back to make sure,” he said about a chance to play after the All-Star break for his favorite boyhood team, the Cincinnati Reds. “It felt good ’til I blew out my back. Just as much as baseball-wise, though, it feels like it’s time for me to be home. “Even last year,” he went on, “when I thought I was going to retire, I had a desire to go to the gym. This year, I’ve had no pull towards going to the gym. I’m totally content to be with the family. There comes a time when you can ask only so much of your body physically, and you’ve got to stop beating it up.” Springer was drafted out of LSU in the seventh round of the 1989 amateur draft by the New York Yankees and by 1992 he was wearing Yankees pinstripes. As a rookie reliever, he struck out 12 batters in 16 innings, with 14 game appearances, and was traded to the California Angels after the season. That began his nearly two-decade sojourn in the big leagues, mostly as a reliever. Over that time, including 2002, when he spent all season in rehab from an injury, he pitched in 740 games (including one complete game with the Angels in ’93), fashioned a 4.52 earned run average and compiled 775 strikeouts in a shade more than 856 innings while posting a career record of 36-45. His best two seasons were late in his career, 2007 and ’08 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he went 10-2 with an average ERA of 2.25 and registered 111 strikeouts. In 2007, he was given the The Darryl Kile Good Guy Award, which is presented annually to the Cardinals (and Astros) player who best exemplifies Kile’s traits of “a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man.” It is awarded at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America dinner and is voted on by Astros and Cardinals players. (2 of 4)
He still has the Rawlings glove he started wearing in ’93, his second year in the big leagues, and wore through his final games last season with Cincinnati. “I’ve had players ask me how much pine tar I had in this glove,” he says, showing the heavy shade of black in the palm of the glove. “I’d tell them, ‘That’s not pine tar; that’s a lot of years of blood, sweat and tears.’ “I even pitched with it broken one day in St. Louis, my last year there,” he went on. “I had told the guys, ‘If this glove breaks, I’ll retire,’ just joking around. Well, it broke in the web when I was warming up in a hurry to go in from the bullpen, and I thought, am I going to change gloves or pitch with this one and hope nobody hits it back to me. I went in and fanned the next batter and got out of the inning with a broken glove, and I got it re-laced after the game.” It was the same glove he wore on May 14, 2006, when he drilled Barry Bonds in the upper back with his fifth pitch of the at-bat during the fifth inning of a game in Houston. This was when Bonds was looking for his 714th career home run to tie Babe Ruth’s total. “I hate that I play 21 years developing a reputation and something like that happens, and it’s what a lot of people connect with your name,” he says of an incident that resulted in his being ejected, suspended for four games and fined an undisclosed amount. “It wasn’t what everybody says it was,” he says. “It wasn’t a vendetta. I went back and looked at the tape afterwards, and I agree, it looks bad, but it wasn’t what it looked like. The reasoning behind it stays in the locker room among teammates. “Earlier in my career, if you couldn’t throw inside to brush back a batter,” he went on, “your manager didn’t want you in there. Now, if there’s intent (to hit a batter), and umpires take it upon themselves to decide there’s intent, you’re in trouble. That’s why I think the offensive numbers have escalated in recent years. You’ve got to be able to move the hitter away from the plate. (3 of 4)
“I’ve controlled the plate my whole career,” he says. “I protected my teammates. Any teammate I’ve ever had will say I protected my teammates. That’s the way I was taught. I never injured anybody, but I protected my teammates.” Pitcher Dan Wheeler, now with the Boston Red Sox and a former teammate of Springer’s at both Houston and Tampa Bay, can testify to that. “That’s the thing about Russ — he was and still is the ultimate professional,” says Wheeler, 33. “I used to kid him that he was like a fine wine — he got better with age. He made sure he’d help anybody else, and he had a way to make pitching seem so easy that you felt confident you could get the job done. “I feel very fortunate to have been on a couple of teams with him,” continued Wheeler, who has 514 strikeouts and a career 3.84 ERA in 11 major league major league seasons. “He’s a huge reason I am where I am. I don’t think I’d be here without him.” To play as long as Springer did in the majors wasn’t easy, especially considering he had a few surgeries that appeared to be career ending. One surgery was to completely rebuild his shoulder, which forced him to miss the entire ’02 season. “I was motivated and driven to prove them wrong,” Springer says of doctors who predicted his baseball career was finished. “I played eight years after they told me I wouldn’t play no more. I didn’t miss a day of rehab through the hot months. It was just a matter of knowing what I had to do.” Another standout memory from his career, he says, was the first time he played in the World Series with the Atlanta Braves against the Yankees (1999). He gave up one hit in just 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a Series the Yankees won, but he said the experience was “unbelievable” and being on the mound, getting ready to throw a pitch while “every baseball fan in the world was watching, is “crazy to think about.” He also said his second trip to the World Series, in 2005 with the Astros in a losing cause to the Chicago White Sox (he gave up one run on two hits in two innings), was gratifying because the Astros defied the doomsayers who earlier that season were already writing the team’s obituary. (4 of 4)
Throughout his career, too, Springer said he relished the support from fans. “I’ve got a filing cabinet full of letters and cards from people that mean a lot,” he says. “When you’re rehabbing, you get energy from things like that. I’d go out of my way to stay (after games) and talk and chat with kids because I remember what that would’ve meant to me. I never lost sight of this as a player. “I enjoyed that part of it,” he says. “If I saw a dad with his son, I’d go out of my way to talk to ‘em or throw ‘em a ball. “I had some good seasons,” he says. “I was never an All-Star, but I grinded out a career. This is a working man’s area, and I think the people around here recognize that. That’s why this has always been home for me. A week after the season’s over, I’m back here eating a corn dog at the Grant One Stop.” As for the future, Springer is building a new home in Pollock for himself, his wife and two children, and he is contemplating the idea of starting a baseball academy, but he’s not sure about that or anything much else just yet. “For now,” he says, “I’m content being home and being with my family.” Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros’ autographs for a young fan |
News
Hayden Zurba, 8, of Belton gets autographs Tuesday during the Houston Astros Caravan stop at Academy Sports and Outdoors in Temple. Giving Zurba autographs are catcher Humberto Quintero, right, pitcher Nelson Figueroa, manager Brad Mills and Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton, the voice of the Houston Astros. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros’ Johnson may play Red Sox at home in Fort Myers |
Bishop Verot High School graduate and Houston Astros third baseman Chris Johnson, new contract in hand, may have a chance to play a spring training game in his hometown. Due to a conflict with the start of baseball’s regular season on March 31, the exhibition game between the Red Sox and the Astros scheduled for that date at Minute Maid Park will no longer be played. To replace that game, the Red Sox have added two spring games against the Astros. The teams will meet for a split-squad game on March 8 at 1:05 p.m. at City of Palms Park and on March 11 at 1:05 p.m. in Kissimmee. Tickets for the March 8 matchup will go on sale Feb. 11 at noon and can be bought by logging on to redsox.com or by calling the automated ticket line at 888-REDSOX6. The Astros agreed to a $424,000, one-year contract with Johnson on Thursday. Since the Astros don’t play the Minnesota Twins in spring training, this will be Johnson’s only scheduled game in his hometown. Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Caravan swing through Temple area helps Astros launch 2011 season |
Sports
Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero (left) laughs while speaking with Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton during their annual caravan stop at Wednesday’s Temple Lions Club luncheon at Gober Party House. The Astros capped a three-day swing in the Temple area by signing autographs at Temple Mall. (Rusty Schramm/Telegram) Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Former Bishop Verot standout Johnson signs with Houston Astros |
2:43 P.M. — Former Bishop Verot High star Chris Johnson has agreed to a $424,000, one-year contract with the Houston Astros. Johnson, 26, hit .308 in 94 games last season, the best average among rookies with at least 300 at-bats. Johnson finished with 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI and three four-hit games. He spent part of the season at Triple-A Round Rock, where he hit .329 with eight homers and 33 RBI in 38 games. Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros sign Johnson, Towles to one-year deals |
The Houston Astros signed infielder Chris Johnson and catcher J.R. Towles to one-year contracts on Thursday. Houston, TX (Sports Network) – The Houston Astros signed infielder Chris Johnson and catcher J.R. Towles to one-year contracts on Thursday. Both players will receive $424,000 for the upcoming season. The 26-year-old Johnson appeared in 94 games as a rookie last year and batted .308 with 11 home runs, 22 doubles and 52 runs batted in. Towles, 26, hit .191 with one home and eight RBI in only 17 contests in 2010 before suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb while playing for Double-A Corpus Christie in early May, which ended his season. In 101 career big league games, Towles has batted .189 with eight homers and 39 RBI. © 2011 The Sports Network That’s all the news for today. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros agree to deals with Johnson, Towles |
HOUSTON – The Houston Astros have agreed to $424,000, one-year contracts with third baseman Chris Johnson and catcher J.R. Towles. The 26-year-old Johnson hit .308 in 94 games last season, the best average among rookies with at least 300 at-bats. Johnson finished with 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBIs and three four-hit games. He spent part of the season at Triple-A Round Rock, where he hit .329 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 38 games. Towles, also 26, was Houston’s starting catcher at the start of last season, but hit only .191 with a home run and eight RBIs in 17 games before being optioned to Double-A Corpus Christi on May 4. He played five games for Corpus Christi and missed the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his right thumb. He had surgery in July. Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Caravan swing through Temple area helps Astros launching 2011 season |
Sports
Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero (left) laughs while speaking with Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton during their annual caravan stop at Wednesday’s Temple Lions Club luncheon at Gober Party House. The Astros capped a three-day swing in the Temple area by signing autographs at Temple Mall. (Rusty Schramm/Telegram) Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Caravan swing through Temple area helps Astros launching 2011 season |
Sports
Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero (left) laughs while speaking with Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton during their annual caravan stop at Wednesday’s Temple Lions Club luncheon at Gober Party House. The Astros capped a three-day swing in the Temple area by signing autographs at Temple Mall. (Rusty Schramm/Telegram) There is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Caravan swing through Temple area helps Astros launching 2011 season |
Sports
Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero (left) laughs while speaking with Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton during their annual caravan stop at Wednesday’s Temple Lions Club luncheon at Gober Party House. The Astros capped a three-day swing in the Temple area by signing autographs at Temple Mall. (Rusty Schramm/Telegram) Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Diving into the depths: Houston Astros |
This is part of a 30-article series looking at each team’s depth chart headed into spring training. Rotation The scary thing is that this probably qualifies as the strength of the team. Myers will be hard-pressed to match his 2010 season, but a full season from Happ should help the group and Norris could take a bit of a step forward, though I still believe his future lies in the pen and the closer’s role. … I expect that the team will add a veteran to battle Rowland-Smith and Figueroa for the fifth spot in the rotation. Jeremy Bonderman, Rodrigo Lopez and Dave Bush are a few of the pitchers likely to be forced to accept minor league deals. Bullpen Beyond Lyon, it’s a pen full of relative unknowns. However, Melancon and Lopez impressed after getting opportunities last season, and Arias could function as another solid setup man if he returns from shoulder surgery as hoped. Giving away Matt Lindstrom was a mistake, but the Astros should be OK here. Catcher First base Second base Third base Shortstop The infield is going to make a whole lot of outs, especially if Barmes bats second as anticipated. I don’t see Johnson as a long-term regular, and Wallace has an awful lot to prove as well. The Astros do have the option of playing Carlos Lee at first, but given that they haven’t upgraded their outfield at all, Wallace figures to get every opportunity to win the job. … I’m listing Keppinger as the primary backup at two spots, but he’s expected to miss at least the first few weeks of the season after toe surgery last month. The Astros could again seek to trade him once he’s healthy. Left field Center field Right field I could have copied this depth chart from a year ago. Unfortunately, Bogusevic was a disappointment again last season and it no longer seems likely that he’ll turn into even a legitimate fourth outfielder. Martinez could be one candidate to step in if Wallace struggles and the Astros decide to move Lee to first base during the season. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Diving into the depths: Houston Astros |
This is part of a 30-article series looking at each team’s depth chart headed into spring training. Rotation The scary thing is that this probably qualifies as the strength of the team. Myers will be hard-pressed to match his 2010 season, but a full season from Happ should help the group and Norris could take a bit of a step forward, though I still believe his future lies in the pen and the closer’s role. … I expect that the team will add a veteran to battle Rowland-Smith and Figueroa for the fifth spot in the rotation. Jeremy Bonderman, Rodrigo Lopez and Dave Bush are a few of the pitchers likely to be forced to accept minor league deals. Bullpen Beyond Lyon, it’s a pen full of relative unknowns. However, Melancon and Lopez impressed after getting opportunities last season, and Arias could function as another solid setup man if he returns from shoulder surgery as hoped. Giving away Matt Lindstrom was a mistake, but the Astros should be OK here. Catcher First base Second base Third base Shortstop The infield is going to make a whole lot of outs, especially if Barmes bats second as anticipated. I don’t see Johnson as a long-term regular, and Wallace has an awful lot to prove as well. The Astros do have the option of playing Carlos Lee at first, but given that they haven’t upgraded their outfield at all, Wallace figures to get every opportunity to win the job. … I’m listing Keppinger as the primary backup at two spots, but he’s expected to miss at least the first few weeks of the season after toe surgery last month. The Astros could again seek to trade him once he’s healthy. Left field Center field Right field I could have copied this depth chart from a year ago. Unfortunately, Bogusevic was a disappointment again last season and it no longer seems likely that he’ll turn into even a legitimate fourth outfielder. Martinez could be one candidate to step in if Wallace struggles and the Astros decide to move Lee to first base during the season. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros, Wandy reach $34M, 3-year deal |
HOUSTON – Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez and the Houston Astros have reached agreement on a three-year contract worth $34 million. The Astros announced the deal Tuesday. They said it will be finalized after Rodriguez takes a physical on Thursday. Rodriguez was 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA last season. The 32-year-old lefty is 62-64 in six seasons. Rodriguez made $5 million last year and was eligible for salary arbitration. He had asked for $10.25 million and the Astros offered $8 million. (Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Sports » Tags: sports Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros’ Rodriguez signs 3-year contract |
Published: Jan. 25, 2011 at 7:24 PM HOUSTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) — The Houston Astros agreed to terms with pitcher Wandy Rodriguez on a three-year, $34 million contract Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, the team said. Rodriguez, 32, posted an 11-12 record with a 3.60 ERA over 32 starts last season for the Astros, striking out 178 while walking just 68 and holding opposing hitters to a .250 average. The only remaining member of Houston’s 2005 World Series team, the Dominican Republic native sports a career record of 62-64 with a 4.18 ERA over 176 appearances. The deal is pending a physical set for Thursday. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros, Rodriguez agree to three-year deal |
The Houston Astros and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez agreed to a three-year, $34 million contract on Tuesday. Houston, TX (Sports Network) – The Houston Astros and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez agreed to a three-year, $34 million contract on Tuesday. Last season, his sixth in the majors, the 32-year-old went 11-12 with a 3.60 earned run average over 32 starts. He struck out 178 while walking just 68 batters and limiting batters to a .250 average. The Dominican Republic native has a career record of 62-64 with a 4.18 ERA over 176 games, 167 of which have been starts. He is the only member of the Astros remaining from the 2005 squad that went to the World Series. The deal will be finalized after Rodriguez passes a physical scheduled for Thursday. © 2011 The Sports Network Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Houston Astros, starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez agree to 3-year, $34 million deal |
Updated: January 25, 2011, 6:48 PM ET
By Enrique Rojas
ESPNdeportes.com Archive 
Rodriguez ORLANDO — Starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez agreed to a three-year contract for $34 million with the Houston Astros to avoid salary arbitration, the team announced Tuesday. In his salary arbitration process, Rodriguez had filed for $10.25 million while Houston had offered $8 million. The left-hander earned $5.10 million in 2010 after losing his arbitration case. Rodriguez, 32, went 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 32 starts last season. He is 62-64 with a 4.18 ERA in six years in the majors. Enrique Rojas is a reporter and columnist for ESPNdeportes.com.
Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Astros, LHP Rodriguez reach $34M, 3-year deal |
HOUSTON (AP)—Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez(notes) and the Houston Astros avoided arbitration and reached agreement Tuesday on a $34 million, three-year deal. The Astros said the contract will be finalized after Rodriguez takes a physical on Thursday. The deal includes a vesting option for 2014 that would increase the overall value to $44.5 million. Rodriguez was 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA last season. The 32-year-old lefty won eight of his last 10 decisions and had a 2.03 ERA over his final 18 starts, the best in the NL after June 24 He is 62-64 in six seasons, all with the Astros. Rodriguez made $5 million last year. He had asked for $10.25 million this year and the Astros offered $8 million. Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Cuban infielder Thompson agrees to Astros’ offer |
HOUSTON — Cuban infielder Jose Carlos Thompson has agreed to a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. The 23-year-old hit .440 in 59 games for Western Oklahoma Junior College in 2009 with 10 home runs, 62 RBI and 10 stolen bases. While he did not play for a team in 2010, the Astros said he has been evaluated on several occasions since September by Felix Francisco, a special assistant to general manager Ed Wade. Thompson’s contract includes an invitation to major league spring training. Wade said Thompson can play shortstop or second base. “We like his ability,” Wade said. “Felix Francisco describes him as having `plus’ bat speed. We’ll have the chance to get an extended look at him in spring training and see where he is a fit for us.” There is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Cuban infielder Jose Thompson agrees with Astros |
HOUSTON (AP)—Cuban infielder Jose Carlos Thompson has agreed to a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. The 23-year-old hit .440 in 59 games for Western Oklahoma Junior College in 2009 with 10 home runs, 62 RBI and 10 stolen bases. While he did not play for a team in 2010, the Astros said he has been evaluated on several occasions since September by Felix Francisco, a special assistant to general manager Ed Wade. Thompson’s contract includes an invitation to major league spring training. Wade said Thompson can play shortstop or second base. “We like his ability,†Wade said. “Felix Francisco describes him as having `plus’ bat speed. We’ll have the chance to get an extended look at him in spring training and see where he is a fit for us.†Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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