The Hot Stove Season is winding down, and Spring Training begins in a little over a month. The complexions of many teams have changed pretty dramatically, and as a result, many teams should finish in different positions in the standings than in 2008.

About this time last year, DyingQuail and I had discussions about which teams we thought would make some unexpected noise in the 2008 season. Both of us thought that the Rays would be on the rise, and had a good chance to compete for the AL East crown. We were proved right. I had the gaul to turn my back on the Tigers and Indians, when I told him the White Sox would win the AL Central. Seattle, New York (both teams), and the aforementioned Tigers did not impress me, despite the positive press, and I was proved right.

By the same token, I thought the Blue Jays were a big time sleeper, and that Braves would be a team to be dealt with in the NL East

It was all well and good for the two of us to go out and give our opinions, but it's even better to keep track of what is said. With that in mind, I'm proposing that everyone who comes to TCB should start thinking about the regular season. Who will succeed? Who will flame-out in spite of high hopes? DQ, Clack and I will do our best to update everyone on more off-season moves of other teams, and to let everyone know what we think will happen in 2009. It's going to take some time to write in-depth season previews for the other 29 teams, but I think it'd be worth it both from the standpoint of looking back on the off-season, but also to compete against your fellow Astro-fan

So, look for team previews in the coming weeks- off season moves, trades, signings and a team overview/projected lineup for 2009. At the end, everyone can comment/send in emails with how you think the season will unfold. Maybe league MVPs, Cy Youngs, and the like can be included as well, if everyone is so inclined. Just a heads up, folks.

Sit on the couch. Turn on the TV, and put on the Astros game. We see Berkman, Lee, Pence, Matsui, Oswalt and Rodriguez on the back of jerseys. Being that these are among our best players, it's probable that we subconsciously attach pre-determined opinions to these players regardless of how they perform on the field in any given game. If Michael Bourn lines a single to center, we breathe a sigh of relief. If Lance Berkman does the same, we don't bat an eye. We expect certain things from certain players based on reputation and opinion.

What if we removed the names and numbers from the jerseys and blurred the faces of the guys on the field? No stats on the screen either: batting average, runs, RBI, OBP, forget 'em all. The only thing we can judge by are how they look while in the batter's box or out in the field. Is there any one quality that a player can exude in order to make him appear to be a "good" player? How he holds his bat? The sound the ball makes when struck? Or how about not getting fooled/having superior pitch recognition abilities? And in the field, what does a player do to make you stop and take notice- the route a player takes to the ball, his throwing arm, the ease with which he makes the play?

Do mannerisms and body language tell us what kind of player a guy is, or at least what kind of player he thinks he is? From personal experiences, it's plain to  see that Manny Ramirez is at total ease when at the plate in a clutch situation. Other players have the look of a person who may not be up to the challenge at hand. I think players like Ramirez, or our own Lance Berkman usually appear more confident at the plate because they realize that they are great contact hitters and are able to take what the pitcher gives them. They won't expand their strike zones (unless the situation absolutely warrants it) and as I touched on before, don't look foolish very often. Compare that to Hunter Pence a guy who, despite his skills, doesn't seem to do as well in late inning situations. Whether it's swinging even more wildly or not reacting as well to pitches as he would earlier in the game, Pence lacks the calmness of his teammate Berkman. Mark Loretta may not be half the player Pence is, but if you'd ask me who I'd rather have up at the plate in a high leverage situation, I would say Loretta ten times out of ten. 

From style, to appearance to mannerisms, baseball players all have their own identity. From that identity we're able to establish opinions, and subjective thoughts about them. What qualities (if any) do ya'll look for in a player?

A healthy Carlos Lee, an improved Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence and a strong performance out of the bullpen should keep the Astros in contention this year, so says The Houston Chronicle. Had Ty Wigginton been kept, I'd be much more optimistic at this point. A combination of Chris Johnson, Geoff Blum and Aaron Boone probably won't be able to make up the loss of Ty.

As we've noted quite a few times, Hunter Pence must cut back on his free swinging ways to be a more effective player. Michael Bourn may not be the player Ed Wade thought he was when he traded for him last November, but he still has skills that no other player in this organization can offer at the major league level. Both should improve from last year, and will need to in order for this team to compete as the Chronicle seems to believe it can.

Sully Baseball made a post, wherein they compiled the best teams the Astros could build through players they themselves drafted, and those acquired through free agency/trades.

I gotta say, the "All Acquired" team looks stout: Bagwell, Kent, Alou, Clemens, Ryan, Scott and Beltran (as a reserve behind Jimmy Wynn).

While the first part of the Astro-iest bracket is up and running, Craig Biggio is out to a big lead in his matchup against the Toy Cannon, Jimmy Wynn. We know Craig played his entire career in Houston, led the team to a 2005 World Series birth, and is a member of the 3,000 hit club. All are accolades worth weighing in your mind when determining if he should be the most Astro-iest Astro of all time.

He may be first in our hearts, but if we take a more objective look of Bidge's career, is he as good as our hearts make him out to be? What's more, did he/Astros management handle the end of his career the "right" way?

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Who is a replacement level player? How does one become defined as such? This article sheds some light on those questions. Replacement level players that are currently on major league rosters are listed too. Yes- there are some Astros on there. In fact, third base is populated by a bevy of onetime/former/current Astros: Mike Costanzo, Jose Castillo, and Geoff Blum. How far off is Aaron Boone from joining them? Probably not that far at all, sadly.

What about Mark Mulder? Just throwing it out there. Probably will demand too much $, but he'd be an interesting guy.

After Miggy goes off the books next year, what about taking a shot at Noah Lowry? He has a $6.25 million option for the 2010 season. The Giants seem to be both trying to rebuild and contend all at the same time, so perhaps Lowry's option is not picked up.

Sidenote: Does anyone else think the Giants could make some noise in a perpetually average NL West? A rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Randy Johnson and Noah Lowry seems as stacked as any in the NL other than Chicago. Oh yea, Barry Zito is in the mix too for what it's worth...

Here's the ZIPS projection for the 2009 Giants. Remember that Edgar Renteria and Randy Johnson have been brought in since the projection was made earlier this offseason.