Colby Rasmus and the Mystery of the Slumping Astros

Before I get into the 'Stros, Anecdote Time:

March 2008. I believe it was Eastertime. I'm over my grandmother's house, and me and my dad, while waiting for my mom's dish of lasagna to bake, were watching, what else, Spring Training. Cardinals game, because that was what was on, and I hadn't developed my hatred for them yet.

We're watching, and this kid, Colby Rasmus gets up. My dad knew of my growing love of baseball, so he looked at Rasmus and pointed. "That's Colby Rasmus. He's one of the top prospects for the Cardinals. He's gonna be huge someday."

I heard him. So I remembered the name.

Unlike people like Andrew McCutchen or Austin Jackson, Colby Rasmus didn't exactly go for the HUGEST seasons. But he still went for good seasons. His tenure in Toronto was much-maligned, as he went and got cornrows halfway through one season, which was...kind of stupid. Once he got to the Astros he rebounded, first as a bench player, and eventually as one of the more reliable outfielders on the team.

And now, Colby Rasmus is one of the few Houston Astros who's doing his job well. Yes, the team isn't in last anymore, but they're a far cry from first, thanks, mostly, in part to the freezing up of the pitching staff, and the lack of offensive progress from Carlos Gomez, Evan Gattis and Luis Valbuena.  Springer and Altuve are there, but not as 'there' as they were last year. They're not the team they were in 2015, and it's become very clear.

The West is a tough division this year- the Rangers are completely rebuilt, and the Mariners are having a pretty consistent season too. So unless Rasmus and the Astros want to stay in last, they need to figure out how to get past those teams, or how to succeed down the stretch. Because they've had last place seasons before, and it'd be pretty unfortunate to have one only a year after the big comeback, and two years after the last drought.

The Astros are better than this...hopefully.

Coming Tonight- Most of the Padres have been offensively challenged this year...save for one.

Post-Sweepage Assessment

So the Yankees just got swept by the Astros, one of the more difficult teams in the AL to beat, only getting in one win, and even that one was a squeaker. Game 2 we got absolutely crushed, getting 15 runs scored against us. And Game 3, the offense pounded on Big Mike and we only got a run or so.

I honestly don't blame the Yankees. I mean, I wish they could have scored a few more points, but this is a really, really strong Astros team right now. To put it into perspective, even Colby Rasmus is playing really well this season. Even Evan Gattis is hitting 30+ homers. The offense is thriving, especially with the addition of Carlos Gomez. And the people who were hitting already are still hitting, especially Jose Altuve. This is a strong, cohesive unit, and they are a threat for the postseason, so it's no wonder the piled on the Yanks so much.

Best part for the Astros is that the Angels, their only threat, is slowly getting further and further from the wild card spot. People keep beating them, the injuries keep piling up, and their only midseason moves were for 30's utility guys. The Astros are taking complete advantage of this, and continuing to beat the pants off them, even if people like Albert Pujols and Mike Trout are still playing really well.

I'm happy about the whole 'Astros being contenders' thing, and I'm even happier that the Yankees don't have to play them anymore.

Coming Tomorrow- an outfielder for a last place team who unexpectedly shot to the top of the NL Home Run list this week.

Year by Year Customs: 1987

 

 This one's a very special custom. Sure, it's a custom of someone who only played one game, but who cares about that? It's a portrait of resiliency, of perseverance, and determination. Adam Greenberg's story is one of the most inspiring of the year, and if I don't customize that then I'm overlooking him.

I find it even better that he just signed with Baltimore. This is the return he needed.

 

Texas' last hope in the rotation.

 

Isn't this card awesome? I think it's a great display of the comeback season Rodney had.

 

Not shown: cornrows.

Coming Tomorrow- Our first 90's design.

Custom Card of the Day: Rasmus Edition

I know Colby over here has been a little under the radar most of his career, but it seems that now that he's been traded to Toronto, people are finally paying attention to him. There was the bit of hype in the years it took him to progress through the minor leagues, and when he finally premiered in 2009, it took off. Despite not winning ROY, Rasmus still settled into the Cardinals, and kept a low profile, not being a huge star. Now that he's been traded, his star will rise, and people will look at him more.

Coming Tomorrow- He was a hit in Japan, and Chicago, then the Tribe came calling.

Year by Year Customs- 1980

Enjoy today's batch of customs. I know I already did a Heyward this year, but that was back before I really developed the right formula for making them look cool. So, J-Hey Mach-2.

Tomorrow- as a kid, I loved this set. As a teen, I still do. 1981 is tomorrow.