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2008 As good as Ensberg has been at times, the Astros were right to cut his playing time last season as his low batting average and lack of power rendered him useless. Flipped to the Padres for a player-to-be-named, Ensberg arrived in San Diego just in time to watch Kevin Kouzmanoff get hot and secure the third base job. Non-tendered over the winter, Ensberg can help a number of teams as a platoon player at third base, but he needs a manager willing to suffer his batting average. 2007 Ensberg started 2006 like a hyperactive three year old on triple-espresso shots and double-stuff epinephrine Oreos, hitting .329/.467/.765 with 9 home runs in 85 April at-bats. He hit another 8 bombs in May and had taken 40 walks by June 1, though his batting average was dropping rapidly. He was batting .241/.397/.511 on June 10 when he dove for a foul pop off the bat of Ryan Langerhans and damaged his shoulder. Ensberg played for another month before going on the DL, but his bat had gone deader than Joe Piscopo`s career (.158/.422/.263 with one home run in 57 at-bats). Twenty days of healing and rehab didn`t seem to help much, as Ensberg hit just one more home run during the month of August, but he finished strong, batting .273/.421/.477 with 3 homers in sporadic September playing time, leaving a ray of hope for the future. When healthy, Ensberg has used the Crawford Boxes--Minute Maid`s short right-field porch--better than any other player, slugging 100 points better at home than on the road. He`s neither a great defender nor a favorite of Phil Garner`s, so he`ll remain under threat of trade for the foreseeable future, but the team can`t afford to part with the power production that a fully functional Ensberg provides. 2006 A hand injury cost Ensberg some playing time down the stretch, as well as a bit of power. But despite severe pain and changing his grip on the bat, Ensberg still managed a .400 OBP with significant power in August and September. He finished fourth in the MVP voting and goes into the 2006 season with a healthy paw. If he can hang onto his dramatic increase in walks, there`s no reason that he can`t cement his place among the NL`s best players. Ensberg is an underrated defender as well; he may not look as graceful as Eric Chavez or Scott Rolen, but he`s not far out of their class. 2005 One of the most disappointing players in baseball last year, Ensberg wasn't helped by Jimy Williams' eagerness to get Mike Lamb into the lineup, or Lamb's hot start. He's not young, so you can't realistically expect another 2003 from him. The .299/.349/.477 line he put up after Williams was fired seems like a more reasonable expectation. His defense should fall in between his '03 and '04 performances. 2003 A preseason darkhorse for Rookie of the Year, Ensberg instead fell victim to Williams’s short leash and long memory. He got off to a so-so start, but was still outhitting the Astros’ other third base candidates before being scapegoated for the team’s hitting woes and demoted in late-May. A grand total of five September at-bats clearly indicates Ensberg is no longer in Houston’s plans. He could be had cheap by a ball club looking for a low-cost, effective solution at the hot corner. 2002 Ensberg broke his left wrist at the end of June, which cost him six weeks and might have saved him from being dangled as trade bait. He bounced back to have a great August and a huge winter season. Although he’s not toolsy, his defense has gotten generally good marks. While the Astros are almost falling over themselves denying that they’re considering Ensberg their third baseman, don’t be surprised if he’s starting by May 1. You could make a glib comparison to Sean Berry, because like Berry, Ensberg was relatively old before breaking in. The difference is that Ensberg does everything just a wee bit better than Berry did. 2001 Along with Keith Ginter, Morgan Ensberg was the first Astros hitter to be promoted directly from Double-A to the majors under Gerry Hunsicker’s watch. That’s a hell of an accomplishment for a guy who hit .230 and .239 in his first two pro seasons. Ensberg is just another example of how it’s easier for a prospect with secondary skills to learn how to hit for average than the other way around. He’s not young, and he’s going to have to fight Ginter for a starting job, because the utility spot already belongs to Bill Spiers. Still, Ensberg deserves a future.
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