Story on the Astros' Controversial Methods

[EmpireWF]

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/Radical-ways-paint-Astros-as-outcast-5501982.php?cmpid=twitter-premium&t=307e02ca9ccba496f0&cmpid=twitter-premium&t=307e02ca9cd87bd7f9

Bullet points---

-Astros champion defensive shifts and tandem pitching (in their minor league system)
-Players & agents criticize Houston brass for considering their roster nothing but computer stats
-They're criticized for how they handle call-ups (service time) and delaying call-ups based on whether the young player is signed long-term
-Established MLB stars don't look at the Astros with much approval
-Houston brass insists all such attitudes will change when they start winning and they won't have difficulty attracting FA's


Read it when you have a few minutes

[Guest]

Sure, winning might change some of those attitudes. If they have success, how they handle defensive shifts and tandem pitching in the minors could catch on, as all professional sports are copycat leagues. Same goes for how they handle observing their roster as "computer stats." Nothing you can do about that one, it's all a preference, and all teams are in on sabermetrics now to some extent.

However, attracting FA's is going to be an issue when you have some of those philosophies regardless of winning. Delaying service time and call ups means that a veteran knows the team is cheap, so why bother negotiating with the team? If you are viewed only as a stat line on a computer, what is the incentive to play for that organization? Winning helps to an extent, but not when you have all of those things in play.