Michael Bourn Identity Key to Astros' Supremacy

I will say it right here and now. Michael Bourn will be the most important key to the Astros' offense.

Not Lance Berkman, not Carlos Lee, not Miguel Tejada, and not Hunter Pence.

The offensive efficiency of the Astros rides on Bourn. How well he does will also determine the attitude of fans toward General Manager Ed Wade.

Effective leadoff hitters can make a gigantic difference in the way a team is approached by a pitcher. Bourn is a leadoff hitter that has the potential to make a lot of pitchers uncomfortable on the mound.

He has the ability to put the pitcher in the stretch and force him to think about him turning that walk or single into a double with his great speed. Bourn has the speed and skills that allow him to move from first to third on a single and score from first on doubles.

History shows an aggressive but improving player in Michael Bourn. His batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage all increased from Double A to Triple A.

Bourn will need to be selective and walk a little, but his strikeouts have decreased from year to year, showing a more selective and effective hitter.

His big league experience was rocky. Usually he wasn’t really allowed to get into a good groove for the Phillies.

Bourn is a young player who is developing well. I think a full season of at-bats will tell a great story for the Houston native. He will improve on the .277 batting average as well as the .346 on-base percentage.

He will hit over .300 and hover a tad over .450 for the season. Assuming he stays injury free, he could become one of the better lead-off players in the game.

If Michael Bourn goes down, the Astros are in big trouble. There is not a bona fide lead-off hitter on the roster if he does. Only Jose Cruz, Jr. could leadoff if Bourn faltered or goes down.

He also plays great defense. He will save the Astros a ton of runs if the outfield has a good enough arm to keep runners from taking advantage of him.

His speed is a tremendous asset in the field and he is more than willing to risk his body for a spectacular catch.

A healthy Bourn will be the key to the Astros getting things going early and never looking back. Ed Wade is most certainly taking a gamble, but the chance that Bourn will succeed is higher than his chance of failure.

An important aspect of his season will have to do with how much attention he is given. Jose Valverde and Tejada grabbed most of the offseason headlines. As long as the spotlight stays away from him Bourn will be fine.

The Michael Bourn experiment is definitely here to stay.