Super Sunday Astros Links September 16, 2012

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 16 September 2012 09:01:53 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

Sept. 14, 2012; Concord, NC, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Shawn Langdon during qualifying for the O?Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at zMax Dragway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

While Conrostro was reviewing Jarred Cosarts season I was putting together these links for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Birthday Tim Raines!!!

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 16 September 2012 09:00:21 AM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Happy Birthday Tim Raines!!! Tm Raines turns 53 years old today!! One of the scrappiest and most entertaining players to debut during the 1980′s, Tim Raines was magical on a baseball field. I don’t know if it was because he … Continue reading →

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It’s pure junkyard dogism!

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers on 16 September 2012 08:01:54 AM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

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Weekly Ichthyomancy Update: September 9-15

post from Fish Stripes on 16 September 2012 08:01:43 AM. © Fish Stripes

Fish Stripes finally returns to doling out the weekly Ichthyomancy updates after a two-week absence. This time around, we won't announce weekly point totals, but we will announce our updated leaderboards for both second half and overall games! Let's get right to it with our latest Ichthyomancy overall leaderboard!

Top Ten Leadeboard

FishStriperPointsJigokusabre135Jeremy Hulme134SuperRadz100dgriot63whambam52oladipo_for_mayor50d.o.g.o.b.g.y.n.44Marlon D41mblally30Andrew Townes24

At this stage, season fatigue has hit a lot of our Ichthyomancy players, and only a few are left posting regularly. It is not ironic that the three most consistent posters of the season are in the top three, and the two that have been working at all year long are fighting for pole position. Jigokusabre and Jeremy Hulme are in a dogfight for the number one spot, and it is going to come down to the wire, both for this race and the second half crown.

Speaking of which, since I thought it unfair to hand out a second half crown this year without offering one to the dominant first half winner, I decided that we are going to also award a prize for our winner in the first half, SuperRadz! SuperRadz, congrats, you will definitely be getting the same prize as the second half winner gets.

What is that prize, you might ask? I'll be getting each winner a copy of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball! I talk up The Book so much that it might as well be in your library, and I can assure that if you can pick up an Ichthyomancy win in any category! Second half and overall winners get a copy, but only the overall winner gets an Ichthyomancy T-shirts as well, along with potentially something else that I have yet to decide. It could be a T-shirt of our new logo as well.

Second Half Top Ten Leaderboard

FishStriperPointsJeremy Hulme76Jigokusabre72whambam32SuperRadz27Ncchief3124Marlon D21d.o.g.o.b.g.y.n.20Andrew Townes19dgriot11mblally7

Once again, it is Jeremy Hulme and Jigokusabre at the top, but for the week, it was Jigokusabre with 13 points added to barely edge out Jeremy's 11 points or the Weekly Ichthyomancy Championship. Congratulations Jigokusabre, you are this week's Weekly Ichthyomancy Champion!

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http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/9/16/3340034/weekly-ichthyomancy-update-september
-9-15

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Astros History: Hunter Pence's Rookie Season

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 16 September 2012 08:01:43 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

PHOENIX, AZ - FILE: National League All-Star Hunter Pence #9 of the Houston Astros reacts during the 82nd MLB All-Star Game at Chase Field on July 12, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. According to reports on July 29, 2011 Pence has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Some of these Astros History's I haven't had an opportunity to really speak from memory. Partly because I wasn't born and partly because I was living in a time before MLB.tv. One period I can speak to is Hunter Pence as a major leaguer and prospect and he's who we'll be covering today.

Drafted out of the University of Texas at Arlington in the second round of the 2004 amateur draft, Pence made his Major League debut in 2007. Prior to that season he got the fan base excited by hitting close to .500 in Spring Training. Upper management thought it better that despite his Spring he start the year in the Minor Leagues and so he did. He couldn't be held in AAA.

In 25 games he hit .326/.387/.558, before the month was out he was called up to Houston. In his debut he went 1-3 with a run scored, his next game he went 2-4 and from there it was nothing but good vibes. In 108 games he would post a .322/.360/.539 line, which calculates out to a 129 OPS+. Digging deeper we find 17 homeruns, nine triples, 30 doubles, and 147 hits overall.

Hunter Pence would go on to post a 117 OPS+ in his five seasons with Houston as well as become a fan favorite. I know a lot of people were disappointed when he was traded, but the players Ed Wade got in return could all become fan favorites. All it will require is a little patience. Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart are on the brink of making their Major League debuts and Domingo Santana is tearing it up in the Minor Leagues. Josh Zeid the forgotten player in the trade, may end up pitching in some of the more crucial situations in a game.

Hunter Pence was the future, but unfortunately the pieces surrounding him never happened and Ed Wade was forced to trade him for some even younger future pieces. How much he helped the Astros as of yet is to be determined, but as a player in an Astros uniform he was a pretty good player.

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http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/9/16/3340252/astros-history-hunter-pences-rooki
e-season

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Top 10 Yankees of color

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 16 September 2012 08:00:47 AM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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September 16, 2012

post from Love My Team on 16 September 2012 06:00:27 AM. © Love My Team

September 16, 1975 - Pittsburgh Pirates 2B Rennie Stennett becomes the third player, second in a[...]

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Happy Birthday Robin Yount!!!

Happy Birthday Robin Yount!!! Robin Yount turns 57 years old today. Everything Robin Yount did, he did exceptionally well. A hitter for power, a hitter for average, a base runner, you name it and he did it very well. Yount was … Continue reading →

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Game 146: Braves 5, Nationals 4

post from Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club on 16 September 2012 02:00:35 AM. © Capitol Avenue ClubCapitol Avenue Club

Source: FanGraphs Game MVP: Jason Heyward, .170 Least Valuable Brave: Michael Bourn, -.068 Most Valuable National: Eury Perez, .162 Least Valuable National: Steve Lomardozzi, -.197 Big plays: 1st – (WAS) Adam LaRoche two-run homer for a 2-0 Nationals lead, .200 2nd – (WAS) Error scored two runs for a 4-0 Nationals lead, .128 6th – [...]

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