http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/...&vkey=news_hou
This team would be located just outside of The Woodlands, which is just north of the city. I am not 100% certain that the Houston area can support two AAA teams. :lol:
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http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou/...&vkey=news_hou
This team would be located just outside of The Woodlands, which is just north of the city. I am not 100% certain that the Houston area can support two AAA teams. :lol:
And.... I didn't know that the Astros and Jays were going to share a Spring Training facility in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Actually they wouldn't have to. The team directly in Houston is really a AA team.Quote:
Originally Posted by texasdave
As the two obvious jokes have already been used, I must resort to option 3:
Shouldn't the Astros be concerned about hurting their tv ratings if their viewer goes to watch the AAA team instead?
In all seriousness, the article says the stadium site is 41 miles from the Astro's stadium. This is not that different from Boston and Pawtucket which has worked out pretty well. The trend for siting the AAA team near the MLB home is definitely growing.
In an attempt to save money, Houston wants to reduce costs anytime they PROMOTE a player from their Houston affiliation to their Woodlands affiliation.
Jonathan Singleton
Carlos Correa
Mark Appel
George Springer
Delino DeShields Jr
Jarrad Cosart
Rio Ruiz
Lance McCullers
Jonathan Villar
Nolan Fontana
Domingo Santana
Nick Tropeano
Mike Foltynewicz
Jason Castro
Vincent Velasquez
Josh Hader
Asher Wojciechowski
Kyle Smith
Preston Tucker
Max Stassi
Teoscar Hernandez
That's just a taste of the Houston farm system. The worst on the list would make a lot of team's top 5. That doesn't include Jose Cisnero, Jordan Lyles, Brad Peacock, Matt Dominguez, Marwin Gonzalez, Rbbie Grossman, LJ Hoes, all under 25 and all on the ML roster already.
Go ahead and laugh. The jokes are going to end real soon. 2015 is going to be a lot better and 2016 they are going to be kicking at the door in the AL West - plus they'll have all the cash necessary to get whatever free agents they need to fill holes and provide leadership.
For those who have never been, the Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter area is beautiful. I absolutely love it down there.
Plus they've got the top overall pick (likely Carlos Rodon) and the accompanying draft budget... not all prospects pan out but you've got to like Houston's chances given the sheer number of high end prospects that they have in their system.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedlegJake
They better hope it takes less time than it did Pittsburgh for their list to actually produce major league fruit. They had 3 or 4 of these lists.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedlegJake
Pittsburgh's isn't done producing yet...but I don't think it was ever this deep. Houston has amassed theirs from draft and from a ton of trades for prospects. KC is another franchise with a deep system that has failed to live up to its ranking. I can see the skepticism, but I really like this system Houston has and the results have been pretty good so far. Jason Castro, Cosart, Grossman, Gonzalez, Peacock, all have shown flashes of real talent in the majors already. And unlike KC and Pittsburgh Houston will have the pocketbook to back it up when they're ready.Quote:
Originally Posted by traderumor
This is not yet a done deal. Would be cool to have four spring training teams in North Palm Beach county. Houston does seem like an oddball to have spring training in Florida vs. Arizona. Toronto, of course, makes perfect sense since half of Ontario lives in Palm Beach/Broward in the winter months.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaxRed
The Cards/Marlins/Mets are really on a spring training island these days in SE Florida with the Orioles and Dodgers having recently packed their bags.
I Googled Mapped it and it's almost identical mileage from Houston to either Phoenix or Palm Gardens, so not too weird.
Toronto's stadium in Dunedin is just terrible. What I'd like to see is to get Nationals (who are not happy in Viera together with Milwaukee, with a bad complex in Phoenix (Maryvale) to find a way to share a complex in Florida.
That would make both locations have an even number of teams again.
Houston is run by more shrewd individuals than those who have run the Royals ever since John Schuerholz left. You never know with prospects, but short of an earthquake or something, a bunch of those guys are as close to sure things as you can get. If I were forced to bet my house on who is going to win the AL West in 2018, I'd pick the Astros.
The other big difference between Houston and KC/Pittsburgh is that Houston is a huge city (4th largest Metro area right?) and they've proven an ability to draw fans to winning baseball.
Pittsburgh truly has a tight window of opportunity because they're not going to get a new TV deal until 2020, and they're somewhat capacity limited in their attendance. Their highest regular season attendance was 39,514 which wouldn't count as a sellout at GABP.
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib...#axzz2iMGLpMVC