And I agree with him:
This is not a situation, though, where the Astros are likely to be ruining his career by stretching him out. He was at times very capable, but definitely on the fringes of holding down a big league job as a reliever.
He'll now head down to Class AAA Round Rock and build up his stamina. He'll also continue develop a changeup, which the Astros want him to use against righties and lefties, in hopes of completing an arsenal suited to making a few trips through a lineup.
It will leave Tim Byrdak (who has had tremendous BABIP luck in the last couple years) as the only lefthander in the Astros' bullpen, but a team without a true lefty specialist probably would have been without one even if Wright had made the bullpen.
So the main concern is this: what will happen if Byrdak's BABIP regresses to the mean, and he's not as effective as he has been? Of course the better infield defense will keep that BABIP lower than it would have been had the Astros kept Blum/Tejada on the left side of the infield. And as Byrdak is a lefty, hitters will be pulling the ball between Matsui and Berkman/Whoever Is At 1B (which, oh yeah, might be Blum). There wouldn't be another lefty in the bullpen...can the Astros handle that?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
