New Astros CF George Springer may be considered raw on the baseball diamond, but his PR skills are already top-notch. In a chat with Stephen Goff earlier this week, the Astros Examiner brought up the idea of fellow Nutmegger Jeff Bagwell to Springer, and he played it very carefully, making sure not to seem too full of himself:
As a native of New Britain, Conn., and product of Avon Old Farms School, Springer -- an avid Boston Red Sox fan -- isn't too familiar with the history of the Astros, but he's aware of a legendary ballplayer named Jeff Bagwell from the state of Connecticut who had a similar background coming out of college before graduating to a Hall of Fame-caliber career in Houston.
"I can never put myself in the same sentence as Jeff Bagwell since he's an all-time great," Springer said. "It's nice to know that a player has gone down to Houston from Connecticut and put together one of the greatest careers any ballplayer could ever have.
"It's up to me to establish my own legacy and hopefully I can follow a similar path by making a significant impact for the Astros over a long-term period."
What's that saying about jibs? I like the cut of Springer's jib. He may take some time before he's MLB ready, but given the fact that Michael Bourn will be arbitration eligible for the last time in 2012, the Astros have to be hoping he can be ready for the start of 2013. Or at least June of that year, if MLB hasn't fixed their ridiculous Super Two issues yet.