Open Letter to Jeff Lunhow (Or....The Case for Keeping Evan Gattis a Houston Astro)
As the post title would imply, this is meant to be focused on Astros' GM, Jeff Lunhow, as he makes decisions this winter regarding the future of the franchise. Haters, be warned that the following letter could cause you dizzy spells, nausea of the mouth, and other things that may make you wanna cringe in fear for everything that I am about to say.
Viewer discretion is advised....
Dear Mr. Lunhow,
You put together a stellar group of men that took the Houston Astros organization to the 2015 ALDS series against the reigning AL Champion, Kansas City Royals. Though they were eliminated, this team proved to be one of the most memorable of any that has ever been seen before in Houston since a decade ago, and in all of baseball, in my humble opinion, since the World Champion Atlanta Braves of 1995 fame. You sir, deserve a great deal of credit for that.
Now, the off season (or hot stove, as it has been known to be called) is in full swing, and you face a lot of lingering decisions regarding how the team will be comprised in the near future. I don't envy you for that, as I am sure it is taken its own toll on you already. I mean, why fix what isn't broken, right? The team did make the playoffs after all, didn't they?
Unfortunately, your role as a Baseball GM is no easy feat, and one that will require you to, eventually, have to make the hard choices that will affect the makeup of the team in 2016. There are quite a few of those, with many players becoming arbitration eligible, and a handful of others will potentially be lost to free agency. Players from other teams, however, may be available to also fill some of those voids as well.
One player that will be arbitration eligible, that I will now make a case for you to keep as long as possible, as if you really needed one, is your hard-working, talented and upstanding DH; EVAN GATTIS!
Now, I'm sure you remember what you gave up to John Hart and the fast sinking Atlanta Braves back in January in order to get Evan's powerful right-handed bat in your lineup. From all accounts, you yourself have been salivating over his power ever since his debut in Atlanta in 2013. And honestly, who could blame you?
Speaking as someone currently residing in Atlanta with a tad bit of bias of what I have seen with the Braves in recent years, YOU sir certainly got the better end of that deal. I was a bit distraught to see Evan leave from Atlanta when the trade first happened, but was certainly happy for him and the team that was smart enough to get him on their roster. That, of course, being your Houston Astros, whom I decided was a much more worthy team to root for than even the one I had grown up with for most of my life.
I'm sure you are well aware of all the stats, but despite struggling in his first 23 AB's in the regular season, Gattis ended up leading the club in home runs, RBI, and triples. At the same time, he was second overall behind Jose Altuve in total hits and extra base hits, and was third overall in total runs scored throughout the 2015 campaign. Certainly not an easy accomplishment, but one that does warrant some considerations when deciding what to do with Evan this off season.
I'll admit, looking at his overall average, on-base-percentage, and plate discipline are causes for concern. Even as his blogger and most loyalist of fans outside of his family and new fiance, I can agree that those are areas he can use improvement in. But he will always give you more than 100% of himself, which makes him a seriously valuable player and presence to have around.
Mr. Lunhow, I don't claim to be a business man. That's your area of expertise. And you, along with Jim Crane, Reid Ryan, and others within the front office will ultimately decide the fates of the entire roster as it stands right now. As a fan of the team, and the most loyalist to Evan himself, I know I will have to live with any final word that the organization makes as to the structure of the 2016 roster.
But even with that, I am employing upon you the follow points of note and plea:
1. Please don't put him into non-tender, essentially sending him to another team. Not only do you lose his production, but he then has to adjust to yet another new team. Speaking on behalf of the Oso Blanco fan base, no one, especially Evan, should have to be put through that again. He doesn't deserve it.
2. When signing him, please give him a generous sum. He's estimated to be worth roughly $4 million-$6 million/year through the next 3 he has through arbitration. I believe that to be incredibly fair for a player of Evan's production capabilities. But of course, I'll leave that amount up to you and others that do budget for the team inside of your front office.
3. Accept ABSOLUTELY NO offers for him in trades. Nothing that any team in the league would offer you is anywhere near worth getting rid of, arguably, one of your most productive hitters of the season. Not to mention, his overall club house presence among his teammates. It's best to not be fooled by such an occurrence.
Mr. Lunhow, you have a lot of great players on the team already. And though some in the fan base want to be overly critical or even deny it, Evan Gattis is definitely among them. He deserves a more stable and permanent home in Major League Baseball, and I believe the Houston Astros organization to be that home for him.
And if all that I've said here does not convince you to keep Evan, perhaps this Houston Chronicle quote from writer, Brian T. Smith, will:
"I really kind of fell in love with (Houston)," Gattis said. "I really don't want to leave in the off season. This might be the first place my girlfriend and I could actually make permanent. It would be really nice."
Of course, you joined me and countless others in now wishing the couple a happy engagement recently, as did the team's Instagram page, like so....
I don't know about you sir, but I'm pretty sure they could use a little wedding bonus. (Wink, Wink!) But again, money is no object, and I leave that to your front office team to make that call. In any case the hope is that you will, to coin an infamous movie phrase....
Viewer discretion is advised....
Dear Mr. Lunhow,
You put together a stellar group of men that took the Houston Astros organization to the 2015 ALDS series against the reigning AL Champion, Kansas City Royals. Though they were eliminated, this team proved to be one of the most memorable of any that has ever been seen before in Houston since a decade ago, and in all of baseball, in my humble opinion, since the World Champion Atlanta Braves of 1995 fame. You sir, deserve a great deal of credit for that.
Now, the off season (or hot stove, as it has been known to be called) is in full swing, and you face a lot of lingering decisions regarding how the team will be comprised in the near future. I don't envy you for that, as I am sure it is taken its own toll on you already. I mean, why fix what isn't broken, right? The team did make the playoffs after all, didn't they?
Unfortunately, your role as a Baseball GM is no easy feat, and one that will require you to, eventually, have to make the hard choices that will affect the makeup of the team in 2016. There are quite a few of those, with many players becoming arbitration eligible, and a handful of others will potentially be lost to free agency. Players from other teams, however, may be available to also fill some of those voids as well.
One player that will be arbitration eligible, that I will now make a case for you to keep as long as possible, as if you really needed one, is your hard-working, talented and upstanding DH; EVAN GATTIS!
Now, I'm sure you remember what you gave up to John Hart and the fast sinking Atlanta Braves back in January in order to get Evan's powerful right-handed bat in your lineup. From all accounts, you yourself have been salivating over his power ever since his debut in Atlanta in 2013. And honestly, who could blame you?
Speaking as someone currently residing in Atlanta with a tad bit of bias of what I have seen with the Braves in recent years, YOU sir certainly got the better end of that deal. I was a bit distraught to see Evan leave from Atlanta when the trade first happened, but was certainly happy for him and the team that was smart enough to get him on their roster. That, of course, being your Houston Astros, whom I decided was a much more worthy team to root for than even the one I had grown up with for most of my life.
I'm sure you are well aware of all the stats, but despite struggling in his first 23 AB's in the regular season, Gattis ended up leading the club in home runs, RBI, and triples. At the same time, he was second overall behind Jose Altuve in total hits and extra base hits, and was third overall in total runs scored throughout the 2015 campaign. Certainly not an easy accomplishment, but one that does warrant some considerations when deciding what to do with Evan this off season.
I'll admit, looking at his overall average, on-base-percentage, and plate discipline are causes for concern. Even as his blogger and most loyalist of fans outside of his family and new fiance, I can agree that those are areas he can use improvement in. But he will always give you more than 100% of himself, which makes him a seriously valuable player and presence to have around.
Mr. Lunhow, I don't claim to be a business man. That's your area of expertise. And you, along with Jim Crane, Reid Ryan, and others within the front office will ultimately decide the fates of the entire roster as it stands right now. As a fan of the team, and the most loyalist to Evan himself, I know I will have to live with any final word that the organization makes as to the structure of the 2016 roster.
But even with that, I am employing upon you the follow points of note and plea:
1. Please don't put him into non-tender, essentially sending him to another team. Not only do you lose his production, but he then has to adjust to yet another new team. Speaking on behalf of the Oso Blanco fan base, no one, especially Evan, should have to be put through that again. He doesn't deserve it.
2. When signing him, please give him a generous sum. He's estimated to be worth roughly $4 million-$6 million/year through the next 3 he has through arbitration. I believe that to be incredibly fair for a player of Evan's production capabilities. But of course, I'll leave that amount up to you and others that do budget for the team inside of your front office.
3. Accept ABSOLUTELY NO offers for him in trades. Nothing that any team in the league would offer you is anywhere near worth getting rid of, arguably, one of your most productive hitters of the season. Not to mention, his overall club house presence among his teammates. It's best to not be fooled by such an occurrence.
Mr. Lunhow, you have a lot of great players on the team already. And though some in the fan base want to be overly critical or even deny it, Evan Gattis is definitely among them. He deserves a more stable and permanent home in Major League Baseball, and I believe the Houston Astros organization to be that home for him.
And if all that I've said here does not convince you to keep Evan, perhaps this Houston Chronicle quote from writer, Brian T. Smith, will:
"I really kind of fell in love with (Houston)," Gattis said. "I really don't want to leave in the off season. This might be the first place my girlfriend and I could actually make permanent. It would be really nice."
Of course, you joined me and countless others in now wishing the couple a happy engagement recently, as did the team's Instagram page, like so....
Congratulations and best wishes to #Astros DH Evan Gattis and his girlfriend Kimberly on their engagement!
I don't know about you sir, but I'm pretty sure they could use a little wedding bonus. (Wink, Wink!) But again, money is no object, and I leave that to your front office team to make that call. In any case the hope is that you will, to coin an infamous movie phrase....
SHOW HIM THE MONEY!!!!
This is where I leave you now, Mr. Lunhow. Everything is in your court, and I trust you will make a decision that will benefit the organization in the best ways possible. One that, I and a good amount of others truly hope and wish, will include Evan Gattis in the fray. Best wishes to you, sir, as you ponder over the moves you will make this winter.
Sincerely,
James Ignatius Zeankowski (Journalist, Blogger, Screenwriter, and Gattis Ally)
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