With the first game of the season in less than 48 hours, the Houston Astros made their final cuts and announced the 25-man roster that will be with Houston for opening day. Although the selections are hardly surprising now, there are a few names on the roster that were not under the radar when Spring Training commenced.

Jason Smith, a player who essentially has been a career minor leaguer, has won the backup short stop job. Entering camp prospects Tommy Manzella, Drew Sutton, and Edwin Maysonet were the main targets. For Manzella and Sutton, Cooper was impressed but felt they needed more time in the minor leagues before getting their chance with the major league club, which Cooper claimed could be this season. Maysonet was the final competition for the job for Smith, but Smith outhit Edwin and showed much more versatility; Maysonet is a lot less experienced at second base and third base than Smith is. Smith, who has been productive in most of his games this spring, admitted to being nervous today, going hitless in his three at-bats as well as making an uncharacteristic error. Nonetheless, he is relieved to have officially made the team.

Russ Ortiz was the other player to lock up a spot that he very much earned. Although unlikely to make it out of camp, the fall of Brandon Backe as well as his consistency in each of his outings locked up the final rotation spot for Russ. The former All-Star will look to keep that spot for the rest of the year. While Russ has done nothing but impress thus far he has to prove he can last a full season. Injuries have compromised him in the past, and between Brandon Backe and Chris Sampson trying to get back into the rotation as well as minor leaguers Bud Norris, Jose Capellan, and Clay Hensley trying to force their way back up Ortiz will not be warranted the leeway a Wandy Rodriguez will.

The final cuts today were Jose Capellan, Reggie Abercrombie, and Lou Santangelo. Capellan was the loser of the battle for the final rotation spot but claims he “feels good” about his situation and plans on playing his way back up to the major league club. Reggie Abercrombie’s move to AAA is not shocking either. The resigning of Darin Erstad as well as the acquisition of Jason Michaels left no room for Abercrombie, who hit well this spring. If and when an outfielder goes down Reggie will most likely be the one called up. The cut of Santangelo is not shocking, but the fact he even made it this far has been a pleasant surprise. Of all the names thrown out there for the catching battle, Santangelo’s was ignored for the most part. He was not viewed as a viable option by anyone entering camp, but he lasted until the final day. Santangelo admitted he was “dissapointed” but not shocked by any means. Santangelo has put himself right into the mix. It will be interesting to see if Santangelo has jumped over Towles and Palmisano as the team’s 3rd catcher.

By: Adam Herman on Apr 4th, 2009
Tagged as: Spring Training, Transactions

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Update on March 31st: Edwin Maysonet has been optioned down to AAA. Has Jason Smith won a roster spot, or is Jeff Keppinger simply good enough for manager Cecil Cooper? If The Astros do decide that Keppinger can fill the utility role then they would have a roster spot open for what would likely be used for an extra Bullpen arm.

With Mark Loretta now with the Dodgers the Astros have a significant hole to fill in the 25 man roster. Yesterday, Cecil Cooper and Astros management narrowed down the competition for this spot by sending infielders John Gall and Matt Kata to minor league camp. Gall impressed at the plate, hitting for a .375 average in his 24 at-bats. Kata, though less impressive offensively (a .231 average) was a good veteran presence with very sound defense. Cooper acknowledged that either of these two very well could be on the Astros at some point this season, saying that the “veteran guys” are the players you might need “down the road.”

With that, the utility infield spot is down to two very different players; veteran Jason Smith and rookie Edwin Maysonet. The 30 year old Smith, who is a non-roster invitee, has only 257 MLB games in the last 8 years. He had hovered around the Mendoza Line for much of his career, including his .214 average in 22 games with Kansas City last year. Nonetheless, Smith has been praised for his ability to hit as the situation warrants, and plays solid defense. What is likely also appealing to Astros management is his versatility. Smith has spent quality time at shortstop, 2nd base, and 3rd base; a characteristic that made Mark Loretta so useful the past two seasons. On the other hand, Edwin Maysonet is a late bloomer. At 27 years old it’s hard to call Maysonet a prospect, but the past few years he has truly improved incredibly, and last year put up a solid .341 On Base Percentage. Maysonet is also versatile, with ample time at 2nd base and shortstop, though he’s only had 2 games at 3rd base in his minor league career. One element that Maysonet could potentially bring over Smith is speed. While he’s not an elite runner he does have a good amount of speed that could result in double digit steals. With about 2 weeks left in Spring Training the next few games could very well decide who wins the job. While this decision is unlikely to make or break the season it is still exciting to watch as two unlikely candidates, a non-roster invitee journeyman and a late blooming prospect, compete for a spot on the Astros.

By: Adam Herman on Mar 23rd, 2009
Tagged as: Astros News

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