News
Rookies patiently await opportunities
Manzella, Johnson likely to play once per series down stretch
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
09/17/09 4:28 PM ET
HOUSTON -- Astros rookie Tommy Manzella's eyes opened wide when he saw his name written into the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Reds. He was batting eighth and playing shortstop. At 26 years old, he was about to make his first Major League start.Manzella and fellow rookie Chris Johnson, a third baseman, had been in the Major Leagues for more than a week since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock, and playing time had been scarce. Manzella had singled in his only previous at-bat and was eager for the chance to get into the flow of a game.
"Ever since I started playing baseball, this is the position I've wanted to be in -- to finally get nine innings to where I could kind of relax and settle into the game and get used to playing in a big league atmosphere," said Manzella, the Most Valuable Player this year at Round Rock.
Considered a Major League-ready defensive shortstop, Manzella went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Cincinnati and could have to wait a few days for another opportunity.
The Astros open a three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday before returning to Houston on Monday for their final homestand of the year, with three games against St. Louis and three against Cincinnati. They will close the season with four games at Philadelphia and three at the New York Mets.
With the Astros out of contention and heading towards their second losing season in three years, team officials want to get a look at Manzella and Johnson. But don't expect to see manager Cecil Cooper putting them in the starting lineup on a daily basis.
Astros general manager Ed Wade said finding playing time for prospects is a delicate balance, even with a team that's out of contention.
"There's a lot of moving parts," Wade said. "One is you want to win as many games as possible, and playing contending clubs is a factor. There is a level of respect you have to show to the guys that have been here all year and given their all for the club. And at the same time, you'd like to get a little bit of experience for the kids who are here beyond for what I call the atmospherics of it.
"It's kind of a balancing act. I talked to Coop a little bit [Wednesday], and he indicated he's going to try to get Chris Johnson into more games and give [catcher] J.R. [Towles] more time behind the plate. A big factor to take into consideration is making sure you're paying respect to the guys who have been here and have tried to put their best foot forward all season long."
Cooper said Manzella and Johnson will probably start about one game per series the rest of the way, with Johnson getting a bit more playing time because of the Astros' third-base situation. Aaron Boone has missed most of the season, Geoff Blum is battling various leg injuries and Jeff Keppinger starts mainly against left-handers.
Earlier this week, Cooper talked with shortstop Miguel Tejada about sitting out a few games down the stretch in favor of Manzella. Tejada detests getting days off, so it's unlikely he would sit for more than the occasional game.
"At home, the fans come out to see that players like [Lance] Berkman and Tejada are in there," Cooper said. "You want to play those guys. I know they want to see the younger players, too, so I'm going to try to do that, too. St. Louis might not have clinched by then, so you have to play your regulars.
"Depending on Philadelphia's situation, if they haven't clinched, you have to play your regulars. We want to stay ahead of Milwaukee and catch the Cubs, so we have to play [the veterans] as much as we can and the focus will be on trying to win games."
Manzella, a third-round pick out of Tulane in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, hit .289 with nine homers and 56 RBIs in 133 games at Round Rock. He's made strides offensively each season, but the Astros still aren't sure if he can hit well enough at the Major League level.
"Hitting is like a work in progress for me," he said. "I am probably never going to get comfortable with where I am at the plate, but this year is the closest I've been to where different parts of my offensive game have come together as far as discipline and driving the ball a little more to all fields. I'm excited to see how that translates to the big league level."
Neither Manzella nor Johnson has any complaints about how they're being used. After all, they're still learning the nuances of life as a big leaguer off the field, such as where to sit on team charters and how to get your luggage to the hotel room once you arrive in a new city.
Johnson, a fourth-round pick in 2006 who hit .281 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games this year at Round Rock, admits he needs to take advantage of every chance he gets. He's started two games at third base and is 1-for-8 at the plate.
Now, he waits for another opportunity.
"You like to do well when you get here and show everybody why you're here," Johnson said. "That's one of the things that kind of hurts me a little bit is trying to do too much. I need to relax and play the game and do the things I need to do, and hopefully it will all fall in place."
Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
