Similarities with Rockets and Astros are Evident

Are the Astros and Rockets the Same Team in Different Sports?

The Houston Astros will begin the 2012 baseball season with a number of players in the lineup that fans who gave up on the team midway through 2011 won’t know. The Houston Rockets are playing the 2011-2012 season in the NBA with a roster filled with little known or mysterious names to casual local sports fans.


The Rockets don’t have any players in the NBA All Star game. That may not be a bad thing. The team reached six games over .500 for the first time in three seasons when they beat the 76ers on Wednesday. Coach Kevin McHale has his club playing as a team bereft of super star players. Sure, Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola have veteran status. None of them are super stars that need to have each game revolve around them. McHale has used his bench and has broken away from the standard substitution patterns most teams follow.


How does this apply to the Astros? Like the Rockets, the Astros will not likely have any all stars (other than the required representative) on the NL team this summer. Like the Rockets, not much is expected from the team this season. GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters in Florida a couple days back that his expectation is higher than most of the media. He did not go so far as to expect contention from the 2012 team, but that it would have a better record than last year and could surprise a lot of folks.


If that happens we would have another valid comparison with their basketball buddies. The Rockets are playing much better than expected. They look like a genuine playoff team that has the capability of beating almost anyone in a given game. Will the Astros be able to do the same?


Competition for playing time with the Astros mirrors what is going on with the Rockets. As spring training begins it would appear that other than catcher and third base most spots are solid. But are they? Jason Castro would appear to be the primary catcher, but he must prove his physical health and then win the job. Chris Johnson may have the early edge at third base, but will face competition from Jimmy Paredes and perhaps Brett Wallace. Brian Bogusevic won the hearts of a lot of Astro fans last season in right field. But he faces stiff challenges from Jack Cust, Fernando Martinez and others. Jordan Schaffer may have the edge in center field. But what about Jason Bourgeois? In left field J.D. Martinez is the leader, but he, too could be beaten out. In short, the Astros have almost the same situation as the Rockets. Players will face real competition and, other than Carlos Lee at first base, do not have a position guaranteed by virtue of a large contract. As for the pitchers only Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Bud Norris have spots wrapped up it would seem. Wandy and Brett thanks to the investment in them and Bud thanks to his arm strength and potential. Roster spots and playing time is up for grabs just as it is with the Rockets.


Another future comparison with the two teams as the Astros continue to build their minor league system is that there will be players that don’t make the team that wind up being key cogs with others. Rocket fans know all too well that Jeremy Lin of the Knicks did not make it through training camp. They also note that Jeremy’s teammate Steve Novak has been doing some successful long range shooting for New York. Then there is Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks who are performing at high levels in the NBA, but no longer in Rocket uniforms.


If the Astros are successful in their building plan fans may bemoan some baseball players with other teams that passed through the Astros as young unproven players and became stars elsewhere. Pitchers Mike Cuellar and Curt Schilling are two notables out of several from years past.  If the system is built to the level desired that may be more frequent. It is not a bad thing. That is the price of building a deep system. You can’t keep everyone and judgments must be made. Sometimes the player that gets away is still worth it because of what he brought in return. The jury is still out on the Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn deals of last season. There is no question the Astros got some top prospects in return. If a few of them turn out to be productive or even better players that trade will be positive even if Pence and Bourn are all stars.


Although Lin was not really traded from the Rockets—he just failed to make the team— and there was no room for him, many Rocket fans still bemoan him as “one that got away.” Yet, the 2011-12 team without him is doing quite well anyway. The Astros and their fans hope for the same after this spring when a number of the 63 plus in camp have to be trimmed—some of whom will no doubt catch on elsewhere and may even develop into stars.