In the Greeneville Sun, we find that 19th overall pick Mike Foltynewicz will begin his professional career with Greeneville.
Area Scout Troy Hoerner:
"We really like the physical side of him. He's big, he's strong, he's a competitor, and he has an easy, solid delivery. As the spring went on, he developed more and more. He has great feel and he's poised for someone so young. And, the more I got to know he and his family, the more I realized he has great character."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
This is the AL. This is goon ball. -Paul Clemens
The Astros, they're like Disneyland. If the kids come, it's a great attraction.
-Scott Boras
Let The Possum Loose - Astros County
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Kvasnicka on his first-pitch homer
Congratulations to Mike Kvasnicka, the 33rd overall pick, who hit a homer in his first game, first at-bat, and on the first-pitch.
Kvasnicka:
“I still didn’t even believe it. I was between first and third and the whole time I was like, ‘Is this even happening? But it felt good after the fact. Obviously any time you hit a home run, it’s pretty exciting. But no matter what happens in my career, it will be a cool little kind of trivia fact at the least. It was pretty cool...
...I’m an aggressive hitter. All I’m trying to do is get timed up with the fastball and hit strikes.”
Kvasnicka:
“I still didn’t even believe it. I was between first and third and the whole time I was like, ‘Is this even happening? But it felt good after the fact. Obviously any time you hit a home run, it’s pretty exciting. But no matter what happens in my career, it will be a cool little kind of trivia fact at the least. It was pretty cool...
...I’m an aggressive hitter. All I’m trying to do is get timed up with the fastball and hit strikes.”
The Hunt for Roy's October
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is playing coy, but it seems as though the Dodgers are starting to get the itch for a starting pitcher.
Colletti:
"The conversations have picked up a little. It doesn't seem that anything is really hot. There are six or seven weeks to go [until the July 31 Trade Deadline]. Teams holding on to pitchers, their value won't go down unless they get hurt."
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick:
Colletti didn't say Cliff Lee is his target, but Colletti made a strong run at Lee last summer and reportedly is after him again. The Dodgers, however, are considered a bad match with the Seattle Mariners, who want a young slugger in return. Los Angeles might need to bring a third club into the equation.
The Seattle Times' Larry Stone says this:
But Lee's time remaining with the Mariners could be measured in weeks, if not days.
If Lee goes first - ideally not to the Rangers - then Roy would be next in line as Most Attractive Pitcher, But Not Sexually.
And heck yes Roy would go to Texas:
"I'm open. Just have to wait and see what it looks like for both of us. If it wasn't for Nolan I wouldn't be up here. He actually kept me in Double A when the organization wanted to send me back down, and he stood up for me."
Colletti:
"The conversations have picked up a little. It doesn't seem that anything is really hot. There are six or seven weeks to go [until the July 31 Trade Deadline]. Teams holding on to pitchers, their value won't go down unless they get hurt."
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick:
Colletti didn't say Cliff Lee is his target, but Colletti made a strong run at Lee last summer and reportedly is after him again. The Dodgers, however, are considered a bad match with the Seattle Mariners, who want a young slugger in return. Los Angeles might need to bring a third club into the equation.
The Seattle Times' Larry Stone says this:
But Lee's time remaining with the Mariners could be measured in weeks, if not days.
If Lee goes first - ideally not to the Rangers - then Roy would be next in line as Most Attractive Pitcher, But Not Sexually.
And heck yes Roy would go to Texas:
"I'm open. Just have to wait and see what it looks like for both of us. If it wasn't for Nolan I wouldn't be up here. He actually kept me in Double A when the organization wanted to send me back down, and he stood up for me."
DeShields may be next to sign
Encouraging news from Bobby Heck this morning regarding negotiations with 1st overall pick Delino DeShields, Jr.
Heck:
"Things are moving in a positive direction. We're happy with the pace of it, and I think he'll be an Astro sooner than later."
Heck:
"Things are moving in a positive direction. We're happy with the pace of it, and I think he'll be an Astro sooner than later."
What up with Wandy? Don't ask Wandy.
In Bernardo Fallas' G68 recap, we find out that not even Wandy knows what's happening with Wandy:
“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m 3-10 now, so it’s my first time in this situation. All I can do is keep working. That’s all I can say.”
Mills has an idea:
“Those (three) walks were the issue. Wandy came out of the gate throwing really well, and after the pitcher got that double, (it) fell apart on him.”
Jerome Solomon's article sees more perplexion from Wandy:
“My mistake today was command of all my pitches. I tried to throw quality pitch but I miss the location. I throw 90 (mph) and have the same breaking ball, my changeup too ... I don’t know what’s going on right now. I don’t have nothing. I just don’t know.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m 3-10 now, so it’s my first time in this situation. All I can do is keep working. That’s all I can say.”
Mills has an idea:
“Those (three) walks were the issue. Wandy came out of the gate throwing really well, and after the pitcher got that double, (it) fell apart on him.”
Jerome Solomon's article sees more perplexion from Wandy:
“My mistake today was command of all my pitches. I tried to throw quality pitch but I miss the location. I throw 90 (mph) and have the same breaking ball, my changeup too ... I don’t know what’s going on right now. I don’t have nothing. I just don’t know.”
Our "Free Pedro Feliz" idea is gaining traction
Not that we were the first to want Pedro Feliz to go the way of Kaz Matsui, but it seems Richard Justice is on board with it, too:
Wade believed Feliz, 35, had another productive year left in him. His signing of Feliz reflected a lack of confidence in Chris Johnson as well.
Feliz is hitting .224, which is 28 points below his career average. But because he got $5 million in guaranteed money, he continues to get playing time. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson is hitting .321 at Round Rock and not getting valuable playing time that might help the Astros in 2011, or offer some clue about whether he's a big leaguer or not.
Wade believed Feliz, 35, had another productive year left in him. His signing of Feliz reflected a lack of confidence in Chris Johnson as well.
Feliz is hitting .224, which is 28 points below his career average. But because he got $5 million in guaranteed money, he continues to get playing time. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson is hitting .321 at Round Rock and not getting valuable playing time that might help the Astros in 2011, or offer some clue about whether he's a big leaguer or not.
Tranzactionz!
June 18:
Mike Schurz assigned to Lexington from Lancaster
Brandt Walker assigned to Tri-City from Lexington
June 17:
Robby Donovan activated from Temporarily Inactive List.
Mike Schurz assigned to Lexington from Lancaster
Brandt Walker assigned to Tri-City from Lexington
June 17:
Robby Donovan activated from Temporarily Inactive List.
Eddie's Farm: June 18
Round Rock
Well, Round Rock had done a pretty good job of holding Omaha. Problem is, Omaha had been just as effective at holding Round Rock, and so they headed into extra innings. In the 11th, though, Omaha hit two home runs for a 5-1 win. Andy Van Hekken threw 7IP, 7H/1ER, 6K:3BB in a great start. Chris Sampson threw 13 of his 20 pitches for strikes in a rehab inning where he struck out two. Gary Majewski threw a scoreless 9th and 10th, and Brad Thompson gave up 3H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP - allowing those two 11th inning homers. Bourgeois was on base three times (1H, 2BB), Drew Locke was 3x4, and Chris Johnson was 2x5. Wladimir Sutil was 0x4 with the lone RBI in his Triple-A debut.
Man of the Match: Andy Van Hekken.
Corpus
The 2012 Astros are going to whoop the 2012 Rangers! Hooks dominate Frisco, 14-1. Touted Rangers prospect Martin Perez threw 5H/8R (7ER), 1K:4BB in 1.1IP. Doug Arguello, on the other hand, threw 6IP, 4H/0ER, 5K:1BB. Matt Nevarez and Erick Abreu tossed scoreless innings, and Nelson Payano allowed 3H/1ER, but struck out the side to give up the first earned run by a Hooks pitcher in 26.2IP (captip to @cchooks). So you want offense? Jimmy Van Ostrand was 4x5 (4RBI), Jhon Florentino was 3x5 (2RBI), Jack Shuck was 2x5 (1RBI), German Duran (3RBI), Koby Clemens (3RBI), and Marcos Cabral had two hits each. After hitting .263 and .358 in April and May, respectively, Clemens is hitting .340/.485/.620 in 15 games this month. And Van Ostrand. He started the season hitting .195 and .190 in April and May, but is hitting .389/.378/.472 in June.
Man of the Match: Jimmy Van Ostrand
Lancaster
The JetHawks played a double-header to complete a game suspended at High Desert back in April, and whooped up 13-3. Since the roster is silly, and I got burned once before because of screwing up when the game was suspended to begin with, we'll just leave it at that.
In the 2nd game, Lancaster cruised to a 5-1 win. Dallas Keuchel threw a complete game: 7IP, 4H/1R (0ER), 6K:0BB. Lee Cruz was 4x4 with an RBI, while David Flores and John Curtis were each 2x3. And hey, with the completion win, that's five wins in seven games.
Man of the Match: Dallas Keuchel
Lexington
Delmarva scored three in the first and in the sixth to coast to a 6-2 win over the Legends. Luis Cruz threw 3IP, 6H/3R (0ER), with 6K:2BB for the loss. Jose Trinidad allowed 3H/3ER, 0K:2BB in 2.1IP and Wander Alvino held Delmarva scoreless (3K) over the final 2.2IP. J.D. Martinez was 2x4, and Miguel Arrendell had an RBI double. Jonathan Meyer, Our Boy Aaron Bray, Jiovanni Mier, and Brian Kemp added hits. Mier and Meyer each committed errors, their 18th and 22nd, respectively.
Man of the Match: How about Martinez?
Tri-City
I like this team already. Mike Kvasnicka hit a homer in his first professional at-bat - nay, his first professional pitch, and the ValleyCats pitchers struck out 15 Connecticut hitters, and then Oscar Figueroa doubled in Ben Orloff for a 4-3 walkoff win. Carlos Quevedo allowed 5H/3R (2ER), 7K:0BB in 4.1IP. The bullpen of Chris Blazek, David Martinez, Joan Belliard, and Travis Blankenship held Connecticut to 2H/0ER, 8K:0BB in 4.2IP. Figueroa was 2x5 with the aforementioned RBI, Kvasnicka hit a homer and a double (and also committed an error in RF), and Daniel Adamson and Enrique Hernandez were each 2x4.
Man of the Match: A first-AB homer? Even with the error, this goes to Kvasnicka.
Well, Round Rock had done a pretty good job of holding Omaha. Problem is, Omaha had been just as effective at holding Round Rock, and so they headed into extra innings. In the 11th, though, Omaha hit two home runs for a 5-1 win. Andy Van Hekken threw 7IP, 7H/1ER, 6K:3BB in a great start. Chris Sampson threw 13 of his 20 pitches for strikes in a rehab inning where he struck out two. Gary Majewski threw a scoreless 9th and 10th, and Brad Thompson gave up 3H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP - allowing those two 11th inning homers. Bourgeois was on base three times (1H, 2BB), Drew Locke was 3x4, and Chris Johnson was 2x5. Wladimir Sutil was 0x4 with the lone RBI in his Triple-A debut.
Man of the Match: Andy Van Hekken.
Corpus
The 2012 Astros are going to whoop the 2012 Rangers! Hooks dominate Frisco, 14-1. Touted Rangers prospect Martin Perez threw 5H/8R (7ER), 1K:4BB in 1.1IP. Doug Arguello, on the other hand, threw 6IP, 4H/0ER, 5K:1BB. Matt Nevarez and Erick Abreu tossed scoreless innings, and Nelson Payano allowed 3H/1ER, but struck out the side to give up the first earned run by a Hooks pitcher in 26.2IP (captip to @cchooks). So you want offense? Jimmy Van Ostrand was 4x5 (4RBI), Jhon Florentino was 3x5 (2RBI), Jack Shuck was 2x5 (1RBI), German Duran (3RBI), Koby Clemens (3RBI), and Marcos Cabral had two hits each. After hitting .263 and .358 in April and May, respectively, Clemens is hitting .340/.485/.620 in 15 games this month. And Van Ostrand. He started the season hitting .195 and .190 in April and May, but is hitting .389/.378/.472 in June.
Man of the Match: Jimmy Van Ostrand
Lancaster
The JetHawks played a double-header to complete a game suspended at High Desert back in April, and whooped up 13-3. Since the roster is silly, and I got burned once before because of screwing up when the game was suspended to begin with, we'll just leave it at that.
In the 2nd game, Lancaster cruised to a 5-1 win. Dallas Keuchel threw a complete game: 7IP, 4H/1R (0ER), 6K:0BB. Lee Cruz was 4x4 with an RBI, while David Flores and John Curtis were each 2x3. And hey, with the completion win, that's five wins in seven games.
Man of the Match: Dallas Keuchel
Lexington
Delmarva scored three in the first and in the sixth to coast to a 6-2 win over the Legends. Luis Cruz threw 3IP, 6H/3R (0ER), with 6K:2BB for the loss. Jose Trinidad allowed 3H/3ER, 0K:2BB in 2.1IP and Wander Alvino held Delmarva scoreless (3K) over the final 2.2IP. J.D. Martinez was 2x4, and Miguel Arrendell had an RBI double. Jonathan Meyer, Our Boy Aaron Bray, Jiovanni Mier, and Brian Kemp added hits. Mier and Meyer each committed errors, their 18th and 22nd, respectively.
Man of the Match: How about Martinez?
Tri-City
I like this team already. Mike Kvasnicka hit a homer in his first professional at-bat - nay, his first professional pitch, and the ValleyCats pitchers struck out 15 Connecticut hitters, and then Oscar Figueroa doubled in Ben Orloff for a 4-3 walkoff win. Carlos Quevedo allowed 5H/3R (2ER), 7K:0BB in 4.1IP. The bullpen of Chris Blazek, David Martinez, Joan Belliard, and Travis Blankenship held Connecticut to 2H/0ER, 8K:0BB in 4.2IP. Figueroa was 2x5 with the aforementioned RBI, Kvasnicka hit a homer and a double (and also committed an error in RF), and Daniel Adamson and Enrique Hernandez were each 2x4.
Man of the Match: A first-AB homer? Even with the error, this goes to Kvasnicka.
The ValleyCats are successful. But not because of the Astros.
Mark McGuire of the Albany Times-Union thinks the Tri-City ValleyCats success is just remarkable, despite the Astros affiliation:
Attendance has risen every season since the second; last year the team averaged 4,329 a night. The success is even more stunning when you consider:
Tri-City has had only three winning seasons since arriving in 2002.
The past three years the ValleyCats were an abysmal 82-140 … and attendance still rose 13 percent.
This is a Houston Astros’ affiliate. When was the last time you met an Astros fan from these parts?
The novelty of Bruno Stadium and the return of minor league baseball to the Capital Region have long worn off. Or at least should have by now.
Attendance has risen every season since the second; last year the team averaged 4,329 a night. The success is even more stunning when you consider:
Tri-City has had only three winning seasons since arriving in 2002.
The past three years the ValleyCats were an abysmal 82-140 … and attendance still rose 13 percent.
This is a Houston Astros’ affiliate. When was the last time you met an Astros fan from these parts?
The novelty of Bruno Stadium and the return of minor league baseball to the Capital Region have long worn off. Or at least should have by now.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Nolan Ryan wants Oswalt. Bad.
ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins quotes Nolan Ryan as having interest in Roy.
Ryan spoke prior to the first game of a three-game series with the Astros at Minute Maid Park. He was not available following the Rangers' 9-3 victory. However, Ryan told MLB that he has a fondness for Oswalt, whom he mentored when he was a special assistant to the Astros.
Ryan:
"You know, we definitely are looking to improve our ballclub, and when you have an opportunity, or might have an opportunity, to acquire someone like that, you have to look at it and evaluate it and see if that's a possibility and see if it's doable...
...I think he's phenomenal. I think he's been one of the top four or five pitchers in the league for quite a while. He's a big-game pitcher and consistent with his stuff, as we see this year, with the way he's approached each game he's been in. He's special."
Ryan spoke prior to the first game of a three-game series with the Astros at Minute Maid Park. He was not available following the Rangers' 9-3 victory. However, Ryan told MLB that he has a fondness for Oswalt, whom he mentored when he was a special assistant to the Astros.
Ryan:
"You know, we definitely are looking to improve our ballclub, and when you have an opportunity, or might have an opportunity, to acquire someone like that, you have to look at it and evaluate it and see if that's a possibility and see if it's doable...
...I think he's phenomenal. I think he's been one of the top four or five pitchers in the league for quite a while. He's a big-game pitcher and consistent with his stuff, as we see this year, with the way he's approached each game he's been in. He's special."
Might I remind you of a quote?
Back on March 31, Wandy said the following, about his preparation for 2010:
"I'm worried because I don't feel ready and the season's here."
"I'm worried because I don't feel ready and the season's here."
From the Office of the County Clerk - G68: Astros v. Rangers
Anyone hate this team yet? I DO! After the Astros give up six runs in the 3rd, the Rangers win 9-3. Let's spiral further into depression!
*With the loss tonight, the Astros have lost four straight at home, and six of their last seven to the Rangers. Since 2007, the Rangers lead this series 13-6.
*In their last seven games (@NYY, @KC, vTEX), the Astros are 1-6.
*Wandy can't be trusted. He's the first ten-game loser in the Majors. And it's not bad luck, I don't care what stats you throw at me. In his last two starts, Wandy has allowed 11H/14ER, 6K:9BB, in 8IP. He's thrown a total of 166 pitches, faced 43 batters, and posted an average game score of 22.5.
*In his last five starts, Wandy's ERA is 9.74. This is his 4th Disaster Start (more ER than IP) this season.
*For the third straight game, Wandy walked as many batters as he struck out. 8K:11BB.
*The Rangers' 5-7 hitters went a combined 7x15, 3K:0BB, 7RBI. That's brutal.
*The two-out run barrage continues: All six of the Rangers' 3rd inning runs came with two outs.
*More Wandy: His 2010 OPSA (OPS against) is .845. In May, his OPSA was .943; in June it was .873.
*Rangers hits vs. Wandy: doubled to right, singled to left, doubled to deep right, singled to left.
*Coming into tonight, the 2nd-5th batters that Wandy faced had an OPS of over 1.000.
*The Astros pitching staff walked seven batters. Amazingly, only two of those baserunners scored.
*Fulchino, jacked up elbow and all, pitched after all (ridiculously), and gave up three baserunners (2H/1BB) in 1IP, throwing 25 pitches.
*And Wesley Wright, fresh off getting screwed around with whether or not he's a starter or reliever (because that worked SO well with Paulino last year) gave up two runs in 2IP. He has appeared in six games for the Astros this season, and given up runs in three, only two of those outings have seen him not allow a baserunner. Let's go ahead and send him back to learn how to start, because this isn't working so well.
*But hey, the Astros got nine hits! When they get 9+ hits, the Astros are 16-12. They've also been outscored 134-135. Hilarious, huh?
*Let's rundown the OPS' of the Rangers vs. the Astros, by starting lineups tonight:
#1: .694 (TEX) .649 (HOU)
#2: .842/.719
#3: .745/.737
#4: .931/.648
#5: .970/.766
#6: .703/.560
#7: .700/.650
#8: .675/.519
Yeah! No one on the Astros has a higher OPS than a corresponding lineup spot on the Rangers!
*Keppinger and Pence had the only multi-hit games. Keppinger's .289 batting average is the highest on the team. The Rangers have three hitters with a higher average than Keppinger.
*This is Pence's third multi-hit game in four. Good for him. Let's keep him around.
*Michael Bourn was 0x5 for the second time this season (Apr 28 is the first. With 4Ks). He was 0x5 five times in 2009.
Pitch Count Hero: Pence (2x4) - 23 pitches in four PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Keppinger (2x4) - 7 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: Gotta go to Pence.
Goat of the Game: Wandy. Get your crap together.
*With the loss tonight, the Astros have lost four straight at home, and six of their last seven to the Rangers. Since 2007, the Rangers lead this series 13-6.
*In their last seven games (@NYY, @KC, vTEX), the Astros are 1-6.
*Wandy can't be trusted. He's the first ten-game loser in the Majors. And it's not bad luck, I don't care what stats you throw at me. In his last two starts, Wandy has allowed 11H/14ER, 6K:9BB, in 8IP. He's thrown a total of 166 pitches, faced 43 batters, and posted an average game score of 22.5.
*In his last five starts, Wandy's ERA is 9.74. This is his 4th Disaster Start (more ER than IP) this season.
*For the third straight game, Wandy walked as many batters as he struck out. 8K:11BB.
*The Rangers' 5-7 hitters went a combined 7x15, 3K:0BB, 7RBI. That's brutal.
*The two-out run barrage continues: All six of the Rangers' 3rd inning runs came with two outs.
*More Wandy: His 2010 OPSA (OPS against) is .845. In May, his OPSA was .943; in June it was .873.
*Rangers hits vs. Wandy: doubled to right, singled to left, doubled to deep right, singled to left.
*Coming into tonight, the 2nd-5th batters that Wandy faced had an OPS of over 1.000.
*The Astros pitching staff walked seven batters. Amazingly, only two of those baserunners scored.
*Fulchino, jacked up elbow and all, pitched after all (ridiculously), and gave up three baserunners (2H/1BB) in 1IP, throwing 25 pitches.
*And Wesley Wright, fresh off getting screwed around with whether or not he's a starter or reliever (because that worked SO well with Paulino last year) gave up two runs in 2IP. He has appeared in six games for the Astros this season, and given up runs in three, only two of those outings have seen him not allow a baserunner. Let's go ahead and send him back to learn how to start, because this isn't working so well.
*But hey, the Astros got nine hits! When they get 9+ hits, the Astros are 16-12. They've also been outscored 134-135. Hilarious, huh?
*Let's rundown the OPS' of the Rangers vs. the Astros, by starting lineups tonight:
#1: .694 (TEX) .649 (HOU)
#2: .842/.719
#3: .745/.737
#4: .931/.648
#5: .970/.766
#6: .703/.560
#7: .700/.650
#8: .675/.519
Yeah! No one on the Astros has a higher OPS than a corresponding lineup spot on the Rangers!
*Keppinger and Pence had the only multi-hit games. Keppinger's .289 batting average is the highest on the team. The Rangers have three hitters with a higher average than Keppinger.
*This is Pence's third multi-hit game in four. Good for him. Let's keep him around.
*Michael Bourn was 0x5 for the second time this season (Apr 28 is the first. With 4Ks). He was 0x5 five times in 2009.
Pitch Count Hero: Pence (2x4) - 23 pitches in four PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Keppinger (2x4) - 7 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: Gotta go to Pence.
Goat of the Game: Wandy. Get your crap together.
Tranzactions
Our buddy Greg Rajan confirms that Wladimir Sutil will head up to Round Rock from Corpus, along with T.J. Burton; Erick Abreu and Marcos Cabral are back on the coast.
We also find out that Matt Nevarez has been activated from the DL, and Edwin Walker will head back to Lancaster to accommodate his roster spot. Very sporting of him...
We also find out that Matt Nevarez has been activated from the DL, and Edwin Walker will head back to Lancaster to accommodate his roster spot. Very sporting of him...
Oh, yep. Fulchino might be hurt.
Jeff Fulchino will get his elbow looked at before tonight's game.
Ed Wade had this scalding hot tip:
"His elbow has been bothering him a little bit."
Fulchino broke out last year, throwing 82IP, 70H/31ER, 71K:27BB in 61 games. This year? Not so much. His WHIP is 0.58 higher in 2010 than in '09, and he has given up two fewer homeruns - in 57 fewer innings.
Update: Why be cautious? The MRI results were negative, and, hell, he might just pitch tonight!
Ed Wade had this scalding hot tip:
"His elbow has been bothering him a little bit."
Fulchino broke out last year, throwing 82IP, 70H/31ER, 71K:27BB in 61 games. This year? Not so much. His WHIP is 0.58 higher in 2010 than in '09, and he has given up two fewer homeruns - in 57 fewer innings.
Update: Why be cautious? The MRI results were negative, and, hell, he might just pitch tonight!
Lineup for G68: Rangers @ Astros
Alyson Footer has your lineup for the start of the Whatever The Trophy Is Called When the Rangers or Astros Wins More Games Than the Astros or Rangers.
1. Bourn - CF
2. Keppinger - 2B
3. Berkman - 1B
4. Lee - LF
5. Pence - RF
6. Blum - 3B
7. Quintero - C
8. Manzella - SS
9. Wandy - P
1. Bourn - CF
2. Keppinger - 2B
3. Berkman - 1B
4. Lee - LF
5. Pence - RF
6. Blum - 3B
7. Quintero - C
8. Manzella - SS
9. Wandy - P
38th Round pick Ryan Ford commits to Texas
Unsurprisingly, 38th Round pick Ryan Ford has committed to Texas. If you're a little slow, that means he won't be signing with the Astros.
I was wondering when we'd get another catcher
The Astros have signed Duke catcher Ryan McCurdy as an undrafted free agent, and he will report to Greeneville.
GoDuke.com:
McCurdy was a four-year starter during his career at Duke, playing in 197 career games at four different positions, including second base as a freshman, third base as a sophomore and junior and catcher as a senior. He joins the Astros organization as an undrafted free agent.
A native of Tampa, Fla., McCurdy was one of the best defensive players in the ACC throughout his career. After leading all ACC third basemen in fielding percentage in 2008 and 2009, McCurdy switched gears as a senior to become Duke's starting catcher. Despite never having caught a game in his baseball career, McCurdy started a team-high 46 games behind the plate and did not make a single error as a catcher. He also caught 19 runners stealing and held opponents to a 68.3 percent success rate on the base paths.
McCurdy made just 19 errors in 865 career chances for a .978 career fielding percentage. As a senior, he hit .280 with a .407 on base percentage and struck out just 10 times. McCurdy struck out once every 18.7 plate appearances for his career and holds Duke's all-time hit by pitch record after being plunked 69 times.
GoDuke.com:
McCurdy was a four-year starter during his career at Duke, playing in 197 career games at four different positions, including second base as a freshman, third base as a sophomore and junior and catcher as a senior. He joins the Astros organization as an undrafted free agent.
A native of Tampa, Fla., McCurdy was one of the best defensive players in the ACC throughout his career. After leading all ACC third basemen in fielding percentage in 2008 and 2009, McCurdy switched gears as a senior to become Duke's starting catcher. Despite never having caught a game in his baseball career, McCurdy started a team-high 46 games behind the plate and did not make a single error as a catcher. He also caught 19 runners stealing and held opponents to a 68.3 percent success rate on the base paths.
McCurdy made just 19 errors in 865 career chances for a .978 career fielding percentage. As a senior, he hit .280 with a .407 on base percentage and struck out just 10 times. McCurdy struck out once every 18.7 plate appearances for his career and holds Duke's all-time hit by pitch record after being plunked 69 times.
Eddie's Farm: June 17
Round Rock
The Express snap their losing streak, taking a 6-1 lead and having to hold on for a 6-5 win over Iowa. Bud Norris threw 4.2IP of rehab baseball, allowing 8H/5ER, 3K:3BB, and throwing 49 of his 86 pitches for strikes. Sergio Perez picked up the win, holding Iowa scoreless for 2.2IP (2H, 3K:2BB) and Roy Corcoran finishing it with 1.2 perfect IP. The Express picked up 10 hits, four each from Bourgeois, Navarro, Bogusevic, and Locke. Drew Meyer was 1x2 with a sac fly, walk, double, and 4RBI.
Man of the Match: Drew Meyer
Corpus
Corpus throws a shutout and scored twice for a 2-0 win over Frisco. Jared Wells threw 7IP, 7H/0ER, 2K:3BB, and Erik Stiller and Danny Meszaros threw a perfect inning each. German Duran was 3x3 with a walk, and Shuck and Gaston had two hits each, with Clemens (0x1, sac, 2BB) and Van Ostrand providing the RBIs - and Van Ostrand collecting an outfield assist).
Man of the Match: Jared Wells
Lancaster
Well, the two-game win streak couldn't be held, and the JetHawks lose 3-2, allowing all three runs in the final two innings. David Duncan threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 7K:1BB in a stellar start, and turned it over to the bullpen of Cespedes, Godfrey, and Modica, who combined for 2IP, 9H/3ER, 2K:1BB. Brandon Barnes (double, triple) and Ebert Rosario had two hits each, with Rosario and Lee Cruz providing the RBIs. After going 0x3 in his Lancaster debut, Lee Cruz has 15 hits in his last nine games (15x37).
Man of the Match: David Duncan
Lexington
And Delmarva shutout the Legends, 3-0. Jose Cisnero threw 4IP, 6H/3ER, 9K:3BB for the loss, while Brandt Walker threw 1IP, 1H/0ER, and Zach Grimmett struck out six in 3IP. In Grimmett's last four games (11.1IP), he has 19K:2BB. Five hits for the Legends, scattered among Altuve, Hogue (triple), Hinze (double), Meyer (double), and Garcia. Jiovanni Mier was dropped to 6th in the lineup, and was 0x2 with a walk, and his average is now .199.
Man of the Match: Zach Grimmett.
The Express snap their losing streak, taking a 6-1 lead and having to hold on for a 6-5 win over Iowa. Bud Norris threw 4.2IP of rehab baseball, allowing 8H/5ER, 3K:3BB, and throwing 49 of his 86 pitches for strikes. Sergio Perez picked up the win, holding Iowa scoreless for 2.2IP (2H, 3K:2BB) and Roy Corcoran finishing it with 1.2 perfect IP. The Express picked up 10 hits, four each from Bourgeois, Navarro, Bogusevic, and Locke. Drew Meyer was 1x2 with a sac fly, walk, double, and 4RBI.
Man of the Match: Drew Meyer
Corpus
Corpus throws a shutout and scored twice for a 2-0 win over Frisco. Jared Wells threw 7IP, 7H/0ER, 2K:3BB, and Erik Stiller and Danny Meszaros threw a perfect inning each. German Duran was 3x3 with a walk, and Shuck and Gaston had two hits each, with Clemens (0x1, sac, 2BB) and Van Ostrand providing the RBIs - and Van Ostrand collecting an outfield assist).
Man of the Match: Jared Wells
Lancaster
Well, the two-game win streak couldn't be held, and the JetHawks lose 3-2, allowing all three runs in the final two innings. David Duncan threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 7K:1BB in a stellar start, and turned it over to the bullpen of Cespedes, Godfrey, and Modica, who combined for 2IP, 9H/3ER, 2K:1BB. Brandon Barnes (double, triple) and Ebert Rosario had two hits each, with Rosario and Lee Cruz providing the RBIs. After going 0x3 in his Lancaster debut, Lee Cruz has 15 hits in his last nine games (15x37).
Man of the Match: David Duncan
Lexington
And Delmarva shutout the Legends, 3-0. Jose Cisnero threw 4IP, 6H/3ER, 9K:3BB for the loss, while Brandt Walker threw 1IP, 1H/0ER, and Zach Grimmett struck out six in 3IP. In Grimmett's last four games (11.1IP), he has 19K:2BB. Five hits for the Legends, scattered among Altuve, Hogue (triple), Hinze (double), Meyer (double), and Garcia. Jiovanni Mier was dropped to 6th in the lineup, and was 0x2 with a walk, and his average is now .199.
Man of the Match: Zach Grimmett.
Blazek back where he was five years ago
Rounding out the posts for Tri-City's Opening Day is an article on pitcher Chris Blazek's return to Tri-City - where he started his career five years ago after being drafted in the 23rd Round in 2005.
Blazek:
“It’s tough. You don’t ever want to be back where you were five years ago, but it’s an opportunity...
...Sometimes, you think you’ll never throw in a game again. When I first started throwing off a mound, I didn’t know if I could do it. But your arm responds and you keep at it. I can still spot the fastball. That’s not a problem; it’s getting the feel back, just getting use to it again.”
Blazek:
“It’s tough. You don’t ever want to be back where you were five years ago, but it’s an opportunity...
...Sometimes, you think you’ll never throw in a game again. When I first started throwing off a mound, I didn’t know if I could do it. But your arm responds and you keep at it. I can still spot the fastball. That’s not a problem; it’s getting the feel back, just getting use to it again.”
"The sky's the limit" for Kvasnicka
Tri-City manager Jim Pankovits likes Mike Kvasnicka:
"I really like his makeup. He looks like he's a gamer. He likes to play, and he's eager for information. The sky's the limit."
Kvasncika:
"I'm not going to shy away from working at it, and I'll be here early every day. I've still got my glove from high school, it's still in good shape because it hasn't been used very much. It may take a little bit of time, but I'm not going to be in the big leagues tomorrow so I have plenty of time."
"I really like his makeup. He looks like he's a gamer. He likes to play, and he's eager for information. The sky's the limit."
Kvasncika:
"I'm not going to shy away from working at it, and I'll be here early every day. I've still got my glove from high school, it's still in good shape because it hasn't been used very much. It may take a little bit of time, but I'm not going to be in the big leagues tomorrow so I have plenty of time."
Maybe if they know each other better, they'll win some games, say the Astros
Over the weekend, the Astros held a mini-camp in Kissimmee, with conflicting reports on how effective it was.
Infielder Jacke Healey:
"It was great. We got to go down there and interact with the all the guys and get to meet some of the teammates before we got up here."
Manager Jim Pankovits:
"I kind of liked it. It gave all the kids an opportunity to be in a relaxed atmosphere, get some work done. It was a great way to break the ice. (The Astros) did it to get the kids off to a better start and allow us to evaluate their talent a little bit more to make decisions on where they would be placed (in Houston's system)."
Infielder Jacke Healey:
"It was great. We got to go down there and interact with the all the guys and get to meet some of the teammates before we got up here."
Manager Jim Pankovits:
"I kind of liked it. It gave all the kids an opportunity to be in a relaxed atmosphere, get some work done. It was a great way to break the ice. (The Astros) did it to get the kids off to a better start and allow us to evaluate their talent a little bit more to make decisions on where they would be placed (in Houston's system)."
Oh...Myers just said it.
I thought about mentioning something along the lines of what Brett Myers said following last night's game. But then I thought again, because I didn't want to bring up old crap. Luckily, Brett Myers has no such filter:
Regarding theinning-ending double play completely normal play:
"If they can overturn calls like that, I think they should overturn Galarraga's no-hitter. If that's what they are starting to do when an umpire makes a mistake, then we have to live with it."
Mills:
“There was just no precedent to reverse a call like that. I think it opens up a huge can of worms.”
I knew it. I knew this would come up. Galarraga. Precedents. Whatnot. At least it seems as though the umpires are appropriately wary of getting the call wrong. Why they couldn't, you know, talk over Galarraga's game before walking off the field (seriously, where the hell was 2B umpire Jim Wolf? Or 3B umpire Derryl Cousins?) is beyond me. But this isn't about Galarraga, it's about a play that ultimately didn't hurt the Astros - but it doesn't mean they're not upset about it.
Regarding the
"If they can overturn calls like that, I think they should overturn Galarraga's no-hitter. If that's what they are starting to do when an umpire makes a mistake, then we have to live with it."
Mills:
“There was just no precedent to reverse a call like that. I think it opens up a huge can of worms.”
I knew it. I knew this would come up. Galarraga. Precedents. Whatnot. At least it seems as though the umpires are appropriately wary of getting the call wrong. Why they couldn't, you know, talk over Galarraga's game before walking off the field (seriously, where the hell was 2B umpire Jim Wolf? Or 3B umpire Derryl Cousins?) is beyond me. But this isn't about Galarraga, it's about a play that ultimately didn't hurt the Astros - but it doesn't mean they're not upset about it.
The Hunt For Roy's October - June 17
A daily round-up of the hunt for Roy's October:
Mike Silva, quoting WFAN's Mike Francesa, on the Mets:
While listening to WFAN’s Mike Francesa today he threw out an interesting blurb when a caller told him he wasn’t a supporter of the Mets going after Roy Oswalt. “The Mets don’t want Oswalt.” the “Sports Pope” proclaimed. Whether this is opinion or fact remains to be seen, but Mike was the one that broke the signing of Jason Bay back in December.
It appears the team has their sights set on Cliff Lee.
T.R. Sullivan, on the Rangers:
There is nothing imminent on any front and the club has not confirmed its interest in Lee, or any other player. The Rangers still have financial issues that must be considered in any trade discussions.
But the Rangers are actively making it known they are looking for pitching and they haven't been afraid of asking about some of the big names available including Lee and Astros ace Roy Oswalt.
Mike Silva, quoting WFAN's Mike Francesa, on the Mets:
While listening to WFAN’s Mike Francesa today he threw out an interesting blurb when a caller told him he wasn’t a supporter of the Mets going after Roy Oswalt. “The Mets don’t want Oswalt.” the “Sports Pope” proclaimed. Whether this is opinion or fact remains to be seen, but Mike was the one that broke the signing of Jason Bay back in December.
It appears the team has their sights set on Cliff Lee.
T.R. Sullivan, on the Rangers:
There is nothing imminent on any front and the club has not confirmed its interest in Lee, or any other player. The Rangers still have financial issues that must be considered in any trade discussions.
But the Rangers are actively making it known they are looking for pitching and they haven't been afraid of asking about some of the big names available including Lee and Astros ace Roy Oswalt.
From the Office of the County Clerk - G67: Astros @ Royals
A do-over? Are you kidding me, umpires? Astros lose 5-2, but the biggest story wasn't how the Astros played like hell from innings 2-9, but how the umpires overturned a call, brought the teams back out onto the field, and continued play.
ESPN:
With Mike Aviles on second and one out, Yuniesky Betancourt hit a soft liner that shortstop Geoff Blum appeared to trap. Second-base umpire Mike Everitt missed the call, ruling the ball had been caught in the air, and Blum stepped on second to double off Aviles for what appeared to be the final out...Yost came trotting out of the dugout to argue, but the umpires were already gathering before he got there. After deliberating for several minutes, they overturned the call and brought both teams back out to the field. Aviles was placed on third, and Betancourt was ruled out even though Blum never threw to first, as the umpires ruled that it was assumed that Betancourt would have been thrown out.
MLB.com:
"I didn't catch it," Blum said. "I looked up and I saw the runner stop, so I was thinking about going to third. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that there was no call, so I looked to the second-base umpire, then he made the out call, so I went to second base and tried to play it off. It almost worked."
Well, anyway. You can read more for yourself, on to the County Clerk's musings...
*This marks the 29th game in which the Astros have scored two or fewer runs. And they're 2-27.
*It's also the 32nd game in which the Astros have given up five or more runs. And they're 4-28.
*The Astros scored two runs in the first inning for the fourth time this season. They haven't scored more than four runs in the first inning all season, and this was the seventh time the Astros have scored 2+ runs in the first.
*Astros in the first inning: 2x3, BB, 2R. Astros in innings 2-9: 4x26, 7K:BB.
*The Royals in innings 1-6: 3x21, 2K:1BB ROE. 7th inning: 3x7, BB, 4R.
*All five of the Royals runs came with two outs. Meaning that, of the 22 runs the Royals scored in this series, 15 were with two outs in the inning.
*Berkman was 2x4 on the night. It's his 11th multi-hit game of the season, and his first since June 6, going 2x29 from June 6 to last night, and lowering his batting average 29 points in the process.
*After giving up 5ER in four starts from May 21-June 6 (26.2IP), Myers has given up 4ER each of his last two starts. Last night all his ER came in one inning. In his last start (June 11 @NYY), three of his four ER came in the first inning.
*Pence also had two hits, giving him five hits against the Royals, with two doubles and 2RBI.
Pitch Count Hero: Berkman (2x4) and Feliz (0x4) - 19 pitches in four PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Carlos Lee (0x4) - 10 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: Hunter Pence.
Goat of the Game: Pedro Feliz - 0x4 and his 9th error of the season.
ESPN:
With Mike Aviles on second and one out, Yuniesky Betancourt hit a soft liner that shortstop Geoff Blum appeared to trap. Second-base umpire Mike Everitt missed the call, ruling the ball had been caught in the air, and Blum stepped on second to double off Aviles for what appeared to be the final out...Yost came trotting out of the dugout to argue, but the umpires were already gathering before he got there. After deliberating for several minutes, they overturned the call and brought both teams back out to the field. Aviles was placed on third, and Betancourt was ruled out even though Blum never threw to first, as the umpires ruled that it was assumed that Betancourt would have been thrown out.
MLB.com:
"I didn't catch it," Blum said. "I looked up and I saw the runner stop, so I was thinking about going to third. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that there was no call, so I looked to the second-base umpire, then he made the out call, so I went to second base and tried to play it off. It almost worked."
Well, anyway. You can read more for yourself, on to the County Clerk's musings...
*This marks the 29th game in which the Astros have scored two or fewer runs. And they're 2-27.
*It's also the 32nd game in which the Astros have given up five or more runs. And they're 4-28.
*The Astros scored two runs in the first inning for the fourth time this season. They haven't scored more than four runs in the first inning all season, and this was the seventh time the Astros have scored 2+ runs in the first.
*Astros in the first inning: 2x3, BB, 2R. Astros in innings 2-9: 4x26, 7K:BB.
*The Royals in innings 1-6: 3x21, 2K:1BB ROE. 7th inning: 3x7, BB, 4R.
*All five of the Royals runs came with two outs. Meaning that, of the 22 runs the Royals scored in this series, 15 were with two outs in the inning.
*Berkman was 2x4 on the night. It's his 11th multi-hit game of the season, and his first since June 6, going 2x29 from June 6 to last night, and lowering his batting average 29 points in the process.
*After giving up 5ER in four starts from May 21-June 6 (26.2IP), Myers has given up 4ER each of his last two starts. Last night all his ER came in one inning. In his last start (June 11 @NYY), three of his four ER came in the first inning.
*Pence also had two hits, giving him five hits against the Royals, with two doubles and 2RBI.
Pitch Count Hero: Berkman (2x4) and Feliz (0x4) - 19 pitches in four PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Carlos Lee (0x4) - 10 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: Hunter Pence.
Goat of the Game: Pedro Feliz - 0x4 and his 9th error of the season.
Quick note
Yesterday evening Astros County passed the 100,000 mark in total hits, and we just want to thank you for your support. Whether or not you're coming to Astros County for news, rumors, game recaps, analysis, minor league info, or the dry biting humor of The Constable, we're just glad you're here. Thanks again.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lineup for G67: Astros @ Royals
Alyson Footer has your lineup for the finale against the Royals tonight:
1. Bourn - CF
2. Keppinger - 2B
3. Berkman - 1B
4. Lee - DH
5. Pence - RF
6. Sullivan - LF
7. Feliz - 3B
8. Blum - SS
9. Cash - C
1. Bourn - CF
2. Keppinger - 2B
3. Berkman - 1B
4. Lee - DH
5. Pence - RF
6. Sullivan - LF
7. Feliz - 3B
8. Blum - SS
9. Cash - C
Simunic promoted
Lexington utility man Andy Simunic has been called up to Lancaster. Simunic has played 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF for Lexington and was hitting .246/.353/.307 with 21K:18BB in 39 games.
Hey, Ed. Do this. Immediately.
SNY's Dan Graziano can't believe his fortune that the Mets are where they are in the standings. And he wants Oswalt:
I say this is New York, and you don't get too many chances to win. If you get into the playoff field anything can happen. I'd go for Oswalt (who'd still be here next year, by the way), and if it took Ike Davis to make it happen, I'd go and get Russell Branyan or somebody like that to plug in at first base for the rest of the year. I'd look at the way my Minor League system is producing talent and say I expect it to continue, so to use the guys who've come up this year as trade chips makes some sense, because I feel like we can replace them.
I say this is New York, and you don't get too many chances to win. If you get into the playoff field anything can happen. I'd go for Oswalt (who'd still be here next year, by the way), and if it took Ike Davis to make it happen, I'd go and get Russell Branyan or somebody like that to plug in at first base for the rest of the year. I'd look at the way my Minor League system is producing talent and say I expect it to continue, so to use the guys who've come up this year as trade chips makes some sense, because I feel like we can replace them.
Better than/Worse than League Average
So I got a little bored during lunch, and decided to run a few numbers. Because it was always my opinion that if you were a better-than-average player, you should probably head up a level. We're almost mid-way through the minor-league season, and there haven't been any significant, developmentally-minded promotions to speak of (*cough cough J.D. Martinez cough cough*). So let's help The Apparatus out by figuring it out for them, beginning with Lexington. (Note - the Lg Avg line is exactly what it looks, and I've brought the K:BB ratio down to x:1). (Further note: 200 PAs was the cutoff for consideration - 3+ PAs/team game) (One more note: Lg Avg OPS is currently .698. Players above .698 are naturally above that line.)
Lexington - hitters
Okay, so this is obviously telling of a few things:
-J.D. Martinez needs to stop playing here, because it's not even fair. His OPS is 299 points above league average.
-Jose Altuve, being about a year and a half younger than league average, is doing really well.
-Jiovanni Mier is not, but he's also about two and a half years younger than the average SAL player. He and Jonathan Meyer are the only 19-year olds on the team.
Lexington - pitchers (Note: cutoff was 40IP. Sure, it's arbitrary, but there had to be a line drawn somewhere) (Further note: Organized compared to League Average WHIP)
Some things to regard here:
-In what is pretty obviously a pitcher's league, the Astros have some arms better than the rest of the league. Maybe you looked at Bushue's place in this table and were surprised to find him below LgAvg. Don't fear, he's also almost three years younger than the typical SAL pitcher, and he has a better K:BB ratio and ERA.
-Same with Juan Minaya. His peripheral numbers are worse than league average, but he's also just 19.
Lexington - hitters
| Name | Age | PAs | BA/OBP/SLG | K:BB |
| Martinez | 22 | 294 | .367/.429/.568 | 1.83:1 |
| Hinze | 22 | 266 | .294/.387/.500 | 2.40:1 |
| Goebbert | 22 | 277 | .280/.344/.420 | 2.00:1 |
| Altuve | 20 | 271 | .290/.342/.453 | 1.79:1 |
| Lg Avg | 21.6 | x | .254/.322/.376 | 2.58:1 |
| Hogue | 24 | 202 | .295/.348/.344 | 2.00:1 |
| Meyer | 19 | 247 | .252/.306/.305 | 3.47:1 |
| Mier | 19 | 263 | .201/.297/.254 | 1.56:1 |
Okay, so this is obviously telling of a few things:
-J.D. Martinez needs to stop playing here, because it's not even fair. His OPS is 299 points above league average.
-Jose Altuve, being about a year and a half younger than league average, is doing really well.
-Jiovanni Mier is not, but he's also about two and a half years younger than the average SAL player. He and Jonathan Meyer are the only 19-year olds on the team.
Lexington - pitchers (Note: cutoff was 40IP. Sure, it's arbitrary, but there had to be a line drawn somewhere) (Further note: Organized compared to League Average WHIP)
| Name | Age | IP | ERA/WHIP | K:BB | Leon | 23 | 45.2 | 2.17/1.10 | 2.48:1 | Trinidad | 22 | 45.1 | 2.78/1.21 | 3.30:1 | Donovan | 22 | 71 | 2.41/1.23 | 1.52:1 | LgAvg | 21.8 | x | 3.79/1.31 | 2.58:1 | Bushue | 19 | 62 | 3.63/1.34 | 2.73:1 | Cisnero | 21 | 56.2 | 4.29/1.36 | 1.87:1 | Alvino | 23 | 41.2 | 3.24/1.39 | 2.85:1 | Minaya | 19 | 62.1 | 5.20/1.48 | 1.27:1 |
Some things to regard here:
-In what is pretty obviously a pitcher's league, the Astros have some arms better than the rest of the league. Maybe you looked at Bushue's place in this table and were surprised to find him below LgAvg. Don't fear, he's also almost three years younger than the typical SAL pitcher, and he has a better K:BB ratio and ERA.
-Same with Juan Minaya. His peripheral numbers are worse than league average, but he's also just 19.
The Hunt For Roy's October: June 16
Those team-related posts are getting way too long. So we'll turn to this format for the time being, because God knows it could take another six weeks to trade Roy.
Paul Hagen, on the Phillies:
It appears that the Phillies don't have the prospects it would take to land an upper-echelon starter or the payroll flexibility to take on a big contract - Roy Oswalt, for example - even if the other team is only looking for salary relief.
Buster Olney, on the Mets:
They would like to add a starting pitcher -- and not some five-inning, 100-pitch, grind-it-out No. 4 or No. 5 starter. They want a guy who is comparable to their two best starters, Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, and it appears as if they'll have several choices.
Roy Oswalt is available, but according to sources, the Mets are not enamored of the veteran right-hander, knowing that he will be very expensive, with the $27 million owed to him for the rest of this year and next year, and knowing that the Astros will want good prospects in return for him.
The Mets do like Cliff Lee, and there is sentiment in some quarters of the organization to take a serious run at acquiring the left-hander; in fact, the Mets might wait to make a deal for a pitcher until they are absolutely sure that they can't get Lee. But the Mets don't match up as well with their prospects in a possible trade with Seattle as other teams, such as the Minnesota Twins, who could theoretically offer catcher Wilson Ramos.
Evan Grant, on the Rangers:
If I was handicapping, I'd suggest the Rangers are the frontrunners for him if the sale of the club proceeds forward early in July. If not, the Astros may not be willing to wait and see what the Rangers' financial situation is going to be at the end of the month. Because there is so much money left in Oswalt's contract - there would be about $23-25 million guaranteed at the end of July - this deal is going to come down to who has the right combination of finances and prospects to close out the deal.
I think the Angels will get involved, at the very least to try and thwart the Rangers. I think Atlanta might be a possibility, especially if the Braves feel the Mets are a threat in the division and that the Mets are pushing for Oswalt. Oswalt is shy or quiet, however, you want to describe it. If he leaves the Astros, I think the best situation for him to succeed as a "hired-gun" ace will be in a media market where the scrutiny isn't as rough as it can be in New York and Boston.
Paul Hagen, on the Phillies:
It appears that the Phillies don't have the prospects it would take to land an upper-echelon starter or the payroll flexibility to take on a big contract - Roy Oswalt, for example - even if the other team is only looking for salary relief.
Buster Olney, on the Mets:
They would like to add a starting pitcher -- and not some five-inning, 100-pitch, grind-it-out No. 4 or No. 5 starter. They want a guy who is comparable to their two best starters, Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, and it appears as if they'll have several choices.
Roy Oswalt is available, but according to sources, the Mets are not enamored of the veteran right-hander, knowing that he will be very expensive, with the $27 million owed to him for the rest of this year and next year, and knowing that the Astros will want good prospects in return for him.
The Mets do like Cliff Lee, and there is sentiment in some quarters of the organization to take a serious run at acquiring the left-hander; in fact, the Mets might wait to make a deal for a pitcher until they are absolutely sure that they can't get Lee. But the Mets don't match up as well with their prospects in a possible trade with Seattle as other teams, such as the Minnesota Twins, who could theoretically offer catcher Wilson Ramos.
Evan Grant, on the Rangers:
If I was handicapping, I'd suggest the Rangers are the frontrunners for him if the sale of the club proceeds forward early in July. If not, the Astros may not be willing to wait and see what the Rangers' financial situation is going to be at the end of the month. Because there is so much money left in Oswalt's contract - there would be about $23-25 million guaranteed at the end of July - this deal is going to come down to who has the right combination of finances and prospects to close out the deal.
I think the Angels will get involved, at the very least to try and thwart the Rangers. I think Atlanta might be a possibility, especially if the Braves feel the Mets are a threat in the division and that the Mets are pushing for Oswalt. Oswalt is shy or quiet, however, you want to describe it. If he leaves the Astros, I think the best situation for him to succeed as a "hired-gun" ace will be in a media market where the scrutiny isn't as rough as it can be in New York and Boston.
Eddie's Farm: June 16
Round Rock
Yes. That's seven losses in a row after yet another 1-run loss. By now you've probably figured out the Express lost last night 3-2. It's the fourth 1-run loss in the last five games. Polin Trinidad threw 6IP, 5H/3ER, 5K:2BB allowing two solo homers. Yorman Bazardo and Jonah Bayliss threw two scoreless innings. The Express were 2x10 w/RISP and left ten on base. Bogusevic - batting third - was 2x4, and Marcos Cabral and Drew Meyer had two hits each. Jason Castro had an RBI double, with Meyer providing the other RBI. Bogusevic scored both Express runs.
Man of the Match: Brian Bogusevic
Corpus
Corpus scored a run in the the first inning, and didn't score again. Lucky for them, San Antonio didn't even score, and the Hooks won 1-0. Jeremy Johnson threw 5IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:4BB for his second win of the season. Edwin Walker and Henry Villar threw 4IP of 1H/0ER relief, with 4K:1BB. Shuck (also 2BB), Sutil, Clemens, and Fixler each had hits - with Clemens collecting the sole RBI of the game. Clemens and Steele also struck out three times each.
Man of the Match: Jack Shuck
Lancaster
The JetHawks had an 8-0 lead in the 5th, and then had to hold on for the 8-6 win. It's the first time the JetHawks have won back-to-back games since May 18-19 (going 4-21 in the 25 games between two-game win streaks). Ross Seaton threw 7IP, 6H/3ER, 2K:1BB. Brian Wabick, in his first game back in Lancaster, gave up four hits and a walk for three earned runs in 1.1IP. David Berner closed out the last two outs for his 9th save of the season. Jay Austin (also stealing his 28th base of the season), Albert Cartwright, and Ebert Rosario had two hits each (both of Cartwright's were doubles), and Brandon Barnes had a 2-run triple.
Man of the Match: Jay Austin
Lexington
A six-run 6th inning can help erase a walk-off walk from the night before, and the Legends cruised to a 10-3 win over Lakewood. Juan Minaya won his 2nd game of the season, throwing 5IP, 4H/2ER, 2K:3BB with Colton Pitkin allowing 2H/1ER over the final 4IP of the game. Jose Altuve (2RBI) and Rene Garcia had three hits each, while J.D. Martinez (2RBI) and Grant Hogue (1RBI) had two hits each. Also contributing multiple RBIs were Jake Goebbert and Jonathan Meyer. Jiovanni Mier was 1x5 with a double, walk, and an RBI, but also committed his 17th error of the season. He'll only be 20 in August, so let's not blow this too far out of proportion, but he is hitting .138 against LHPs, and is 7x40 in his last ten games.
Man of the Match: Jose Altuve
Yes. That's seven losses in a row after yet another 1-run loss. By now you've probably figured out the Express lost last night 3-2. It's the fourth 1-run loss in the last five games. Polin Trinidad threw 6IP, 5H/3ER, 5K:2BB allowing two solo homers. Yorman Bazardo and Jonah Bayliss threw two scoreless innings. The Express were 2x10 w/RISP and left ten on base. Bogusevic - batting third - was 2x4, and Marcos Cabral and Drew Meyer had two hits each. Jason Castro had an RBI double, with Meyer providing the other RBI. Bogusevic scored both Express runs.
Man of the Match: Brian Bogusevic
Corpus
Corpus scored a run in the the first inning, and didn't score again. Lucky for them, San Antonio didn't even score, and the Hooks won 1-0. Jeremy Johnson threw 5IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:4BB for his second win of the season. Edwin Walker and Henry Villar threw 4IP of 1H/0ER relief, with 4K:1BB. Shuck (also 2BB), Sutil, Clemens, and Fixler each had hits - with Clemens collecting the sole RBI of the game. Clemens and Steele also struck out three times each.
Man of the Match: Jack Shuck
Lancaster
The JetHawks had an 8-0 lead in the 5th, and then had to hold on for the 8-6 win. It's the first time the JetHawks have won back-to-back games since May 18-19 (going 4-21 in the 25 games between two-game win streaks). Ross Seaton threw 7IP, 6H/3ER, 2K:1BB. Brian Wabick, in his first game back in Lancaster, gave up four hits and a walk for three earned runs in 1.1IP. David Berner closed out the last two outs for his 9th save of the season. Jay Austin (also stealing his 28th base of the season), Albert Cartwright, and Ebert Rosario had two hits each (both of Cartwright's were doubles), and Brandon Barnes had a 2-run triple.
Man of the Match: Jay Austin
Lexington
A six-run 6th inning can help erase a walk-off walk from the night before, and the Legends cruised to a 10-3 win over Lakewood. Juan Minaya won his 2nd game of the season, throwing 5IP, 4H/2ER, 2K:3BB with Colton Pitkin allowing 2H/1ER over the final 4IP of the game. Jose Altuve (2RBI) and Rene Garcia had three hits each, while J.D. Martinez (2RBI) and Grant Hogue (1RBI) had two hits each. Also contributing multiple RBIs were Jake Goebbert and Jonathan Meyer. Jiovanni Mier was 1x5 with a double, walk, and an RBI, but also committed his 17th error of the season. He'll only be 20 in August, so let's not blow this too far out of proportion, but he is hitting .138 against LHPs, and is 7x40 in his last ten games.
Man of the Match: Jose Altuve
Remember SS Jorge de Leon? Make that RHP Jorge de Leon
In Jorge De Leon's Year-in-Review post, we didn't have much nice to say about his hitting. Or his fielding. So that's been taken care of by converting him to a reliever.
Tri-City manager Jim Pankovits:
...Everybody will remember Jorge DeLeon who played shortstop for us last year but now he’s one of our relief pitchers and they’ve had him 96, 97 (mph) on the gun in Florida, so we’re excited to see what he can do on the mound this year. Things didn’t work out for him at shortstop and he was eager and anxious to get on the mound and show us what he can do."
Otherwise, Pankovits expects the 2010 ValleyCats to bring some pop:
“From early indications, it looks like that’s what this club will be built more on, is power bats, more than the speed and higher average,” Pankovits said when asked about the team’s power base. We hit quite a few out of the ballpark in BP,” Pankovits said. “The wind was blowing out a little bit but we’ve got some pretty good thunder in the sticks it looks like.”
Tri-City manager Jim Pankovits:
...Everybody will remember Jorge DeLeon who played shortstop for us last year but now he’s one of our relief pitchers and they’ve had him 96, 97 (mph) on the gun in Florida, so we’re excited to see what he can do on the mound this year. Things didn’t work out for him at shortstop and he was eager and anxious to get on the mound and show us what he can do."
Otherwise, Pankovits expects the 2010 ValleyCats to bring some pop:
“From early indications, it looks like that’s what this club will be built more on, is power bats, more than the speed and higher average,” Pankovits said when asked about the team’s power base. We hit quite a few out of the ballpark in BP,” Pankovits said. “The wind was blowing out a little bit but we’ve got some pretty good thunder in the sticks it looks like.”
Astros sign Lamar University's Matison Smith
KFDM is reporting the Astros have signed undrafted free agent RHP Matison Smith. Smith is 6'1" 200lb, and will report to the GCL Astros.
Smith, who led the Cardinals’ pitching staff as a senior with a 10-4 record and 4.68 earned run average, will report to the Astros’ Gulf Coast Rookie League team based in Kissimmee, Fla. He hurled his first collegiate shutout early this season in a four-hit, 4-0 victory over Penn State.
Smith’s 117.1 innings pitched this season ranks third on the Cardinals’ one-season chart behind only the 123 pitched by David C. Smith in 1980 and the 119 hurled by Rick Nesloney in 1977. The Nederland High School product logged four complete games and was second on the team in strikeouts with 64.
Smith, who led the Cardinals’ pitching staff as a senior with a 10-4 record and 4.68 earned run average, will report to the Astros’ Gulf Coast Rookie League team based in Kissimmee, Fla. He hurled his first collegiate shutout early this season in a four-hit, 4-0 victory over Penn State.
Smith’s 117.1 innings pitched this season ranks third on the Cardinals’ one-season chart behind only the 123 pitched by David C. Smith in 1980 and the 119 hurled by Rick Nesloney in 1977. The Nederland High School product logged four complete games and was second on the team in strikeouts with 64.
Velasquez and Grills can't sign. Yet.
Zach Levine has a note in his blog post detailing who has signed from the 2010 draft class.
Also, second-rounder Vincent Velasquez can't sign yet because he doesn't graduate from high school until June 22. Also, 10th-rounder Evan Grills from Ontario, Canada, is still waiting to start final exams.
I wonder what happens if you draft a high school player who doesn't graduate. Do you have to graduate high school to play major-league baseball?
Also, second-rounder Vincent Velasquez can't sign yet because he doesn't graduate from high school until June 22. Also, 10th-rounder Evan Grills from Ontario, Canada, is still waiting to start final exams.
I wonder what happens if you draft a high school player who doesn't graduate. Do you have to graduate high school to play major-league baseball?
From the Office of the County Clerk - G66: Astros @ Royals
The Astros only got themselves five hits, but it was enough for a 4-2 win over the Royals.
*Roy got his 5th win of the season, and the 142nd win of his career. He's now two wins away from tying the all-time franchise lead (Joe Niekro).
*You'll love this: It's conceivable that Roy could tie the franchise lead on Sunday, June 27. The opponent? At Texas.
*In Roy's 14 starts, he has thrown quality starts in 12 of them, after throwing 7IP, 6H/2ER, 7K:1BB.
*Roy threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 28 batters he faced. In his last two starts (2-0, 14IP, 10H/4ER, 16K:3BB), he has thrown an FPS to 43 of 55 batters he has faced.
*Matt Lindstrom threw a scoreless 9th inning for his 15th save in his first appearance since June 8.
*The Astros' offense saw first-pitch strikes in 15 of their first 25 plate appearances from opponent (and former Astro) Bruce Chen. In the 10 PAs with a first-pitch ball, they were 2x8, 2K:2BB (both walks coming in the 6th), ROE.
*After seeing a first-pitch ball in 2010, (973 PAs) the Astros actually end up striking out more than they walk - 134K:117BB.
*Jason Michaels sure is benefitting from the playing time he's seeing, going 2x4 with 3RBI last night. It's the most RBI he's had in a game since going 2x3 with 4RBI (on 2HR) on August 7, 2009.
*During this round of interleague play, Michaels is 5x16 with 5RBI, and raised his batting average 42 points.
Pitch Count Hero: Jason Michaels (2x4) - 23 pitches in four PAs
Pitch Count Punk: Humberto Quintero (0x3) - 9 pitches in three PAs
Man of the Match: This one's going to Jason Michaels
Goat of the Game: Tommy Manzella. 0x4, and all four of his plate appearances ended innings.
*Roy got his 5th win of the season, and the 142nd win of his career. He's now two wins away from tying the all-time franchise lead (Joe Niekro).
*You'll love this: It's conceivable that Roy could tie the franchise lead on Sunday, June 27. The opponent? At Texas.
*In Roy's 14 starts, he has thrown quality starts in 12 of them, after throwing 7IP, 6H/2ER, 7K:1BB.
*Roy threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 28 batters he faced. In his last two starts (2-0, 14IP, 10H/4ER, 16K:3BB), he has thrown an FPS to 43 of 55 batters he has faced.
*Matt Lindstrom threw a scoreless 9th inning for his 15th save in his first appearance since June 8.
*The Astros' offense saw first-pitch strikes in 15 of their first 25 plate appearances from opponent (and former Astro) Bruce Chen. In the 10 PAs with a first-pitch ball, they were 2x8, 2K:2BB (both walks coming in the 6th), ROE.
*After seeing a first-pitch ball in 2010, (973 PAs) the Astros actually end up striking out more than they walk - 134K:117BB.
*Jason Michaels sure is benefitting from the playing time he's seeing, going 2x4 with 3RBI last night. It's the most RBI he's had in a game since going 2x3 with 4RBI (on 2HR) on August 7, 2009.
*During this round of interleague play, Michaels is 5x16 with 5RBI, and raised his batting average 42 points.
Pitch Count Hero: Jason Michaels (2x4) - 23 pitches in four PAs
Pitch Count Punk: Humberto Quintero (0x3) - 9 pitches in three PAs
Man of the Match: This one's going to Jason Michaels
Goat of the Game: Tommy Manzella. 0x4, and all four of his plate appearances ended innings.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Was JaCoby Jones at LSU's orientation this week?
The Baton Rouge Advocate certainly indicated that.
Randy Rosetta:
Besides LeBlanc, several incoming freshmen have gone through the initial steps of orientation on LSU's campus this week. Mainieri said a handful of the incoming players were in Baton Rouge this week, including infielder Jacoby Jones and pitcher Ryan Eades, who were both drafted in the 19th round last week.
"Mainieri" is LSU head coach Paul Mainieri.
It's worth pointing out that, if the reports are true that the Astros offered Jones $1.5m-ish, that's the signing bonus for a 2010 mid-1st Round pick. That he has seemingly turned down.
Randy Rosetta:
Besides LeBlanc, several incoming freshmen have gone through the initial steps of orientation on LSU's campus this week. Mainieri said a handful of the incoming players were in Baton Rouge this week, including infielder Jacoby Jones and pitcher Ryan Eades, who were both drafted in the 19th round last week.
"Mainieri" is LSU head coach Paul Mainieri.
It's worth pointing out that, if the reports are true that the Astros offered Jones $1.5m-ish, that's the signing bonus for a 2010 mid-1st Round pick. That he has seemingly turned down.
Wabick sent down
June 15: Brian Wabick was sent to Lancaster from Corpus.
In 20 games for Lancaster and Corpus, Wabick has posted a 3.94 ERA in 32IP, with 36H/14ER, 14K:6BB. Not bad, right? Well...in six games (10.1IP), Wabick allowed 20H/9ER, 2K:4BB. So he'll head back to Cali to get it all figured out.
In 20 games for Lancaster and Corpus, Wabick has posted a 3.94 ERA in 32IP, with 36H/14ER, 14K:6BB. Not bad, right? Well...in six games (10.1IP), Wabick allowed 20H/9ER, 2K:4BB. So he'll head back to Cali to get it all figured out.
Jose Altuve: Player of the Week
The South Atlantic League named Lexington 2B Jose Altuve Player of the Week for June 7-13.
Legends GM Andy Shea:
"Jose has been doing it for us all year long, and this week he was particularly impressive. We're fortunate to have a guy like Jose on our team who can do well in all aspects of the game."
Legends GM Andy Shea:
"Jose has been doing it for us all year long, and this week he was particularly impressive. We're fortunate to have a guy like Jose on our team who can do well in all aspects of the game."
Eddie's Farm: June 15
Round Rock
Round Rock played a doubleheader at Iowa yesterday, and neither of them went the Express' way.
Game 1: Josh Banks threw 5IP, 7H/2ER, 2K:4BB in a 2-1 loss to Iowa. Jonah Bayliss threw a perfect sixth. The Express managed just one run on two hits - the run coming on Chris Johnson's sac fly, scoring Brian Bogusevic. Bogusevic and Navarro were each 1x3, while the rest of the order was 0x16.
Man of the Match: Brian Bogusevic
Game 2: Erick Abreu threw 4.1IP, 9H/4ER, 5K:1BB in a losing effort as the Express were downed 4-0. Gary Majewski threw 1.2IP, allowing one hit. The Express were 0x6 w/RISP, and got four hits on the night - from Bogusevic, Kata, Esposito, and Abreu himself.
Man of the Match: Do we have to? No? Alright then.
Corpus
Wild one in Corpus last night as the Hooks had to endure a 5-run 9th inning from San Antonio, and get one back in the 9th for a 6-5 win. Chris Sampson started the game with a rehab inning, (1K:1BB, 0H/0ER) and then Jordan Lyles took over: 7IP, 4H/0ER, 11K:3BB. Danny Meszaros came in for the 9th to close it out, and ended up pitching to six batters, not getting anybody out, and allowing 4H/5R (4ER) in 21 pitches. Jeilen Peguero got the win when he closed out the game. Jack Shuck was 3x5, with Duran and Sutil (RBI) getting two hits each. Jhon Florentino hit a grand slam, and Clemens added the game-winning RBI, scoring Shuck for the win.
Man of the Match: Jordan Lyles.
Lancaster
Lancaster turned a 6-1 lead in the middle of the 4th into a 6-5 lead going into the 8th, but scored the final runs of the game for a 9-5 win over Inland Empire. Six JetHawk pitchers saw action, and Kyle Greenwalt got his second win of the season (and first since April 18) with 5.1IP, 11H/3ER, 6K:1BB. A bullpen of Mowdy (1IP), Modica (0.1IP), Schurz (0IP), Godfrey (1.1IP) and Berner (1IP) held Inland Empire to 4H/2ER, 4K:2BB in 3.2IP. Lee Cruz was 3x5 with an RBI, David Flories was 3x5 with a homer and 2RBI, and John Curtis was 2x4. Freddy Parejo also added a 2-run homer.
Man of the Match: David Flores
Lexington
Seriously. A bases-loaded walk ended the game with Lakewood defeating Lexington 2-1. Tanner Bushue came back strong from his DL stint with 5IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:1BB, and Arcenio Leon threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB in relief. Kirk Clark blew his third save opportunity of the season with 2H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1IP, and Wander Alvino struck out the leadoff batter, walked the second, gave up a single, intentionally walked the fourth, got the fifth to fly out, and walked in the game-winning run. Jose Altuve, Jonathan Meyer, and Grant Hogue were each 2x4, with Goebbert, Bray, and Arrendell adding hits.
Man of the Match: Tanner Bushue.
Round Rock played a doubleheader at Iowa yesterday, and neither of them went the Express' way.
Game 1: Josh Banks threw 5IP, 7H/2ER, 2K:4BB in a 2-1 loss to Iowa. Jonah Bayliss threw a perfect sixth. The Express managed just one run on two hits - the run coming on Chris Johnson's sac fly, scoring Brian Bogusevic. Bogusevic and Navarro were each 1x3, while the rest of the order was 0x16.
Man of the Match: Brian Bogusevic
Game 2: Erick Abreu threw 4.1IP, 9H/4ER, 5K:1BB in a losing effort as the Express were downed 4-0. Gary Majewski threw 1.2IP, allowing one hit. The Express were 0x6 w/RISP, and got four hits on the night - from Bogusevic, Kata, Esposito, and Abreu himself.
Man of the Match: Do we have to? No? Alright then.
Corpus
Wild one in Corpus last night as the Hooks had to endure a 5-run 9th inning from San Antonio, and get one back in the 9th for a 6-5 win. Chris Sampson started the game with a rehab inning, (1K:1BB, 0H/0ER) and then Jordan Lyles took over: 7IP, 4H/0ER, 11K:3BB. Danny Meszaros came in for the 9th to close it out, and ended up pitching to six batters, not getting anybody out, and allowing 4H/5R (4ER) in 21 pitches. Jeilen Peguero got the win when he closed out the game. Jack Shuck was 3x5, with Duran and Sutil (RBI) getting two hits each. Jhon Florentino hit a grand slam, and Clemens added the game-winning RBI, scoring Shuck for the win.
Man of the Match: Jordan Lyles.
Lancaster
Lancaster turned a 6-1 lead in the middle of the 4th into a 6-5 lead going into the 8th, but scored the final runs of the game for a 9-5 win over Inland Empire. Six JetHawk pitchers saw action, and Kyle Greenwalt got his second win of the season (and first since April 18) with 5.1IP, 11H/3ER, 6K:1BB. A bullpen of Mowdy (1IP), Modica (0.1IP), Schurz (0IP), Godfrey (1.1IP) and Berner (1IP) held Inland Empire to 4H/2ER, 4K:2BB in 3.2IP. Lee Cruz was 3x5 with an RBI, David Flories was 3x5 with a homer and 2RBI, and John Curtis was 2x4. Freddy Parejo also added a 2-run homer.
Man of the Match: David Flores
Lexington
Seriously. A bases-loaded walk ended the game with Lakewood defeating Lexington 2-1. Tanner Bushue came back strong from his DL stint with 5IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:1BB, and Arcenio Leon threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB in relief. Kirk Clark blew his third save opportunity of the season with 2H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1IP, and Wander Alvino struck out the leadoff batter, walked the second, gave up a single, intentionally walked the fourth, got the fifth to fly out, and walked in the game-winning run. Jose Altuve, Jonathan Meyer, and Grant Hogue were each 2x4, with Goebbert, Bray, and Arrendell adding hits.
Man of the Match: Tanner Bushue.
Roy's One-Way Ticket: Texas
Because keeping all of those quotes, notes, and rumors in one post is getting lengthy, let's break this down by team in separate posts. As these come in, they will be updated and reposted.
Rangers
Latest status: Harder to read than "Ulysses"
Jon Heyman (6/16):
While the Rangers have been rumored to be in on Roy Oswalt trade talks, baseball people see that as an extreme long shot considering the team was in bankruptcy court Tuesday. The Rangers have been given a budget by MLB, and technically they can make trades if they can remain within that budget. But it's hard to imagine how the team that failed to meet payroll multiple times last year (MLB fronted the money) can squeeze a $15-million-a-year player onto its roster.
Buster Olney (and here) (6/14):
Highly placed source on the Oswalt-to-Rangers-in-the-works report: "Nothing to it." Given their financial situation, it would be hard for them to think about taking the most expensive starter in what is a flush market of starting pitching.
Hardball Talk (6/14):
A major league source is telling me that the Rangers have been talking to the Astros about Roy Oswalt and that the teams are "getting closer" to having a deal in place.
GM Jon Daniels (5/27):
"I don't want to comment on Oswalt or any specific players, but suffice it to say if there's a player out there than can make a difference on our club, we'll explore ways to add him."
Kevin Sherrington (5/27):
The Rangers need Roy Oswalt in the worst way. If they can convince the Astros to hold on until the ownership question is out of the way, it's all good. But that's only if the starters don't wear out the bullpen first. If the rotation would step up, it could dramatically improve the Rangers' chances of holding on to first and making a play for Oswalt.
Randy Galloway (5/27 - excellent article):
Most of the Rangers' "ready" talent we've already seen, and so have Astros' scouts. Beyond that, the talent appears to be deep at Double A and below, yet Houston is talking about "now," not two or three years down the road.
It's a long shot that the Rangers could pull off an Oswalt deal, and not necessarily because of the 28 mil involved for a bankrupt team. It's the other kind of "currency" where they might come up short.
T.R. Sullivan (5/26):
The Rangers would love Roy Oswalt. They wish they could afford to take on his $15 million contract for this season and the $16 million for next year. Club president Nolan Ryan has talked to the Astros, the Rangers know what the asking price is and they know there is absolutely no way they can afford to trade for Oswalt until the sale of the team is completed.
Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com (5/26):
Rangers officials have made it clear that they are not going to get involved in any trade talks concerning Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt.
Buster Olney (5/26):
I wrote here Tuesday that there is a lot of prevailing sentiment in other organizations that Major League Baseball should not allow the Rangers to take on significant salaries (i.e., someone like Roy Oswalt) while they are operating on loans from other teams. Said one team official: "I'd bet that those calls [from other owners to the commissioner's office] have already been made. They don't want the Rangers dealing on their dime."
FoxSports Houston (5/25):
The Texas Rangers are among the clubs that have contacted the Astros about potentially acquiring Roy Oswalt in a trade, FoxSportsHouston.com has learned. It is unclear if the conversation was detailed, but it clearly indicates an interest by the Rangers in Oswalt.
Fox26 Houston (5/25):
Major League Baseball sources told FOX 26 Sports Tuesday Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan called the Houston Astros to express interest in pitcher Roy Oswalt.
T.R. Sullivan (5/25):
They are not going to be able to take on much in the way of salary until the sale of the club to Chuck Greenberg's group is completed. That might take place before the July 31 trade deadline but until that happens, there is no way the Rangers will be able to take on Oswalt's $15 million salary. (GM Jon) Daniels also added that at this point, acquiring a starting pitcher is not a high priority.
Buster Olney (5/25):
If Major League Baseball were to approve a deal for the Rangers to acquire Roy Oswalt, you can bet that they will have some really, really, really angry folks in their ranks -- guys in suits holding pitchforks. Other teams have been propping up the Rangers financially over the last year, and the feeling in some other executive suites is that Texas should not be allowed to take on payroll after creating its own financial trouble through decisions like the A-Rod signing. Any such decision would be in the hands of the Commissioner's Office.
Jon Paul Morosi (5/24):
Rangers announce plan to complete sale to Greenberg. "Prepackaged" Chapter 11 used. Teams says sale should be complete by midsummer.
This is one of the hurdles to Texas being a destination for Roy. If the sale gets done and Greenberg can add his own payroll, it's good news for Roy.
Phil Rogers (5/24):
The Rangers are interested in Roy Oswalt, if the Astros really are willing to trade him. The Astros like the Rangers' stable of young pitchers, including Martin Perez, Tanner Scheppers and Alexi Ogando. The constipated state of the sale of the club could be the biggest hurdle in a possible deal.
Newberg Report (5/23), an excellent breakdown of why it won't work:
For all the reasons that Texas and Oswalt seem like a really good fit, and that it would make a ton of sense for Houston to accommodate his wish to go somewhere else for a year and a half before coming back to finish his career where it started, accelerating a desperately needed rebuilding process, this one appears to have a bunch of hurdles that may be too difficult to clear.
Evan Grant (5/21):
With the club's sale still not finalized and the Rangers operating under payroll restrictions, it is highly unlikely they could get into Oswalt talks unless the Astros picked up most - if not all - of the remaining $28 million guarantee.
Baseball Time in Arlington (5/22):
Aside from the $20 million-plus still contractually owed to Oswalt, however, there's the fact that Houston will be seeking a significant bounty (M. Perez/M. Harrison/M. Moreland might be in the right area code), as well as Drayton McLane's abundant disdain for the notion of dealing star-level talent to the Rangers, whom he perceives as competition; rumors swirled years ago concerning a deal which would have sent Oswalt to Baltimore -- and then to Texas -- that McLane refused to green-light. I don't expect we're done talking about this, but I also don't expect an Oswalt-to-Texas deal to manifest anytime soon.
Sporting News:
The team's pending sale -- to a group that includes Ryan -- has tied up the finances. Assuming that is cleared up, Texas should have some money to spend.
Buster Olney:
The AL-West leading Rangers could be interested, according to rival executives -- but Texas has been operating with significant financial assistance from Major League Baseball, and some executives with other teams would be apoplectic if the MLB allowed the Rangers to make a deal for a pricey pitcher such as Oswalt.
Rangers
Latest status: Harder to read than "Ulysses"
Jon Heyman (6/16):
While the Rangers have been rumored to be in on Roy Oswalt trade talks, baseball people see that as an extreme long shot considering the team was in bankruptcy court Tuesday. The Rangers have been given a budget by MLB, and technically they can make trades if they can remain within that budget. But it's hard to imagine how the team that failed to meet payroll multiple times last year (MLB fronted the money) can squeeze a $15-million-a-year player onto its roster.
Buster Olney (and here) (6/14):
Highly placed source on the Oswalt-to-Rangers-in-the-works report: "Nothing to it." Given their financial situation, it would be hard for them to think about taking the most expensive starter in what is a flush market of starting pitching.
Hardball Talk (6/14):
A major league source is telling me that the Rangers have been talking to the Astros about Roy Oswalt and that the teams are "getting closer" to having a deal in place.
GM Jon Daniels (5/27):
"I don't want to comment on Oswalt or any specific players, but suffice it to say if there's a player out there than can make a difference on our club, we'll explore ways to add him."
Kevin Sherrington (5/27):
The Rangers need Roy Oswalt in the worst way. If they can convince the Astros to hold on until the ownership question is out of the way, it's all good. But that's only if the starters don't wear out the bullpen first. If the rotation would step up, it could dramatically improve the Rangers' chances of holding on to first and making a play for Oswalt.
Randy Galloway (5/27 - excellent article):
Most of the Rangers' "ready" talent we've already seen, and so have Astros' scouts. Beyond that, the talent appears to be deep at Double A and below, yet Houston is talking about "now," not two or three years down the road.
It's a long shot that the Rangers could pull off an Oswalt deal, and not necessarily because of the 28 mil involved for a bankrupt team. It's the other kind of "currency" where they might come up short.
T.R. Sullivan (5/26):
The Rangers would love Roy Oswalt. They wish they could afford to take on his $15 million contract for this season and the $16 million for next year. Club president Nolan Ryan has talked to the Astros, the Rangers know what the asking price is and they know there is absolutely no way they can afford to trade for Oswalt until the sale of the team is completed.
Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com (5/26):
Rangers officials have made it clear that they are not going to get involved in any trade talks concerning Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt.
Buster Olney (5/26):
I wrote here Tuesday that there is a lot of prevailing sentiment in other organizations that Major League Baseball should not allow the Rangers to take on significant salaries (i.e., someone like Roy Oswalt) while they are operating on loans from other teams. Said one team official: "I'd bet that those calls [from other owners to the commissioner's office] have already been made. They don't want the Rangers dealing on their dime."
FoxSports Houston (5/25):
The Texas Rangers are among the clubs that have contacted the Astros about potentially acquiring Roy Oswalt in a trade, FoxSportsHouston.com has learned. It is unclear if the conversation was detailed, but it clearly indicates an interest by the Rangers in Oswalt.
Fox26 Houston (5/25):
Major League Baseball sources told FOX 26 Sports Tuesday Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan called the Houston Astros to express interest in pitcher Roy Oswalt.
T.R. Sullivan (5/25):
They are not going to be able to take on much in the way of salary until the sale of the club to Chuck Greenberg's group is completed. That might take place before the July 31 trade deadline but until that happens, there is no way the Rangers will be able to take on Oswalt's $15 million salary. (GM Jon) Daniels also added that at this point, acquiring a starting pitcher is not a high priority.
Buster Olney (5/25):
If Major League Baseball were to approve a deal for the Rangers to acquire Roy Oswalt, you can bet that they will have some really, really, really angry folks in their ranks -- guys in suits holding pitchforks. Other teams have been propping up the Rangers financially over the last year, and the feeling in some other executive suites is that Texas should not be allowed to take on payroll after creating its own financial trouble through decisions like the A-Rod signing. Any such decision would be in the hands of the Commissioner's Office.
Jon Paul Morosi (5/24):
Rangers announce plan to complete sale to Greenberg. "Prepackaged" Chapter 11 used. Teams says sale should be complete by midsummer.
This is one of the hurdles to Texas being a destination for Roy. If the sale gets done and Greenberg can add his own payroll, it's good news for Roy.
Phil Rogers (5/24):
The Rangers are interested in Roy Oswalt, if the Astros really are willing to trade him. The Astros like the Rangers' stable of young pitchers, including Martin Perez, Tanner Scheppers and Alexi Ogando. The constipated state of the sale of the club could be the biggest hurdle in a possible deal.
Newberg Report (5/23), an excellent breakdown of why it won't work:
For all the reasons that Texas and Oswalt seem like a really good fit, and that it would make a ton of sense for Houston to accommodate his wish to go somewhere else for a year and a half before coming back to finish his career where it started, accelerating a desperately needed rebuilding process, this one appears to have a bunch of hurdles that may be too difficult to clear.
Evan Grant (5/21):
With the club's sale still not finalized and the Rangers operating under payroll restrictions, it is highly unlikely they could get into Oswalt talks unless the Astros picked up most - if not all - of the remaining $28 million guarantee.
Baseball Time in Arlington (5/22):
Aside from the $20 million-plus still contractually owed to Oswalt, however, there's the fact that Houston will be seeking a significant bounty (M. Perez/M. Harrison/M. Moreland might be in the right area code), as well as Drayton McLane's abundant disdain for the notion of dealing star-level talent to the Rangers, whom he perceives as competition; rumors swirled years ago concerning a deal which would have sent Oswalt to Baltimore -- and then to Texas -- that McLane refused to green-light. I don't expect we're done talking about this, but I also don't expect an Oswalt-to-Texas deal to manifest anytime soon.
Sporting News:
The team's pending sale -- to a group that includes Ryan -- has tied up the finances. Assuming that is cleared up, Texas should have some money to spend.
Buster Olney:
The AL-West leading Rangers could be interested, according to rival executives -- but Texas has been operating with significant financial assistance from Major League Baseball, and some executives with other teams would be apoplectic if the MLB allowed the Rangers to make a deal for a pricey pitcher such as Oswalt.
Astros may have more Not All-Star nods than All-Stars
Jon Heyman's Not All-Star Team has some Astros on it, of course.
1B: Lance Berkman
He wants his $15 million option for 2011 picked up to agree to a trade. No shot of that. Berkman has rallied from slow starts before, but his .238 batting average and .392 slugging percentage are especially unbecoming for a player of his skill. The Cubs' Derrek Lee (.225./688) isn't helping his free agency cause either. Jeff Clement (.189 batting average) isn't exactly tearing it up for the Pirates, either, though the standards are lower for him.
SP: Wandy Rodriguez
Coming off a very nice 2009 season, he hasn't helped hapless Houston at all, going 3-9 with a 5.60 ERA.
1B: Lance Berkman
He wants his $15 million option for 2011 picked up to agree to a trade. No shot of that. Berkman has rallied from slow starts before, but his .238 batting average and .392 slugging percentage are especially unbecoming for a player of his skill. The Cubs' Derrek Lee (.225./688) isn't helping his free agency cause either. Jeff Clement (.189 batting average) isn't exactly tearing it up for the Pirates, either, though the standards are lower for him.
SP: Wandy Rodriguez
Coming off a very nice 2009 season, he hasn't helped hapless Houston at all, going 3-9 with a 5.60 ERA.
GCL Astros 2010 roster
And Levine has your 2010 GCL Astros (2010 Draft picks noted with an *):
Pitchers
Emmanuel Cedano
Jamaine Cotton*
Danilo Del Rio
Dayan Diaz
Rafael Feliz
Pedro Gomez
Mark Jones
Jeremiah Meiners*
Juan Mojica
Luis Ordosgotti
Dieudone Paul
Kilby Pena
Jose Perdomo
Francis Ramirez
Raul Rivera
Catchers
Ernesto Genoves
Alfredo Gonzalez
Wilder Parra
Infielders
Jose Fernandez
Josh Magee*
Luca Martone
Chan-Jong Moon
Kyle Redinger*
Ronald Sanchez
Outfielders
Jose Monzon
Jordan Scott*
Geber Suniaga
Jose Vargas
Garen Wright
Pitchers
Emmanuel Cedano
Jamaine Cotton*
Danilo Del Rio
Dayan Diaz
Rafael Feliz
Pedro Gomez
Mark Jones
Jeremiah Meiners*
Juan Mojica
Luis Ordosgotti
Dieudone Paul
Kilby Pena
Jose Perdomo
Francis Ramirez
Raul Rivera
Catchers
Ernesto Genoves
Alfredo Gonzalez
Wilder Parra
Infielders
Jose Fernandez
Josh Magee*
Luca Martone
Chan-Jong Moon
Kyle Redinger*
Ronald Sanchez
Outfielders
Jose Monzon
Jordan Scott*
Geber Suniaga
Jose Vargas
Garen Wright
Greeneville Roster posted
Zach Levine has your Greeneville roster for 2010 (2010 draft picks noted with an *):
Pitchers
Ruben Alaniz
Ricardo Batista
Garrett Bullock
Ryan Cole*
John Frawley
Angel Gonzalez
B.J. Hagen
Justin Harper
B.J. Hyatt
Andrea Lucati
Juri Perez
Euris Quezada
Phil Rorabaugh
Travis Smink
Brian Streilein*
Catchers
Luis Alvarez
Chris Wallace*
Bubby Williams
Infielders
Pedro Feliz
Ricardo Garcia
Enrique Hernandez
Jhonny Medrano
Jonathan Merritt* (undrafted)
Marcus Nidiffer* (undrafted, but interestingly was a catcher for Kentucky)
Hector Rodriguez
Outfielders
Ricardo Heredia
Ryan Humphrey
Emilio King
Bryce Lane*
Telvin Nash
Pitchers
Ruben Alaniz
Ricardo Batista
Garrett Bullock
Ryan Cole*
John Frawley
Angel Gonzalez
B.J. Hagen
Justin Harper
B.J. Hyatt
Andrea Lucati
Juri Perez
Euris Quezada
Phil Rorabaugh
Travis Smink
Brian Streilein*
Catchers
Luis Alvarez
Chris Wallace*
Bubby Williams
Infielders
Pedro Feliz
Ricardo Garcia
Enrique Hernandez
Jhonny Medrano
Jonathan Merritt* (undrafted)
Marcus Nidiffer* (undrafted, but interestingly was a catcher for Kentucky)
Hector Rodriguez
Outfielders
Ricardo Heredia
Ryan Humphrey
Emilio King
Bryce Lane*
Telvin Nash
Wandy, WTF?
There are a couple of reputable sources asking what the heck has happened to Wandy.
FanGraphs:
This hasn’t been a banner year for Rodriguez, though. Through his first 13 starts, the 31-year-old has been lit up for a 5.60 ERA. That’s the highest mark among qualified NL starters. Has Wandy lost his magic?...
...While Rodriguez isn’t pitching at the same level as he did over the ‘07 to ‘09 period, that ERA does overstate the extent of his struggles — his FIP is 4.41 and his xFIP is 4.49. Rodriguez has been plagued by a .353 BABIP, second-highest among qualified Senior Circuit starters and well above his .314 career figure. Also, his rate of stranding runners on base has dipped to 62.5 percent. The MLB average is in the 70-72 percent range, and Rodriguez’s career left on base rate is 69.4 percent.
There's a lot more, and there's an excellent post at The Crawfish Boxes wondering the same thing:
Well, we have a pitcher who saw a significant jump in innings pitched coming off a year in which he dealt with minor muscle injuries. Those innings pitched were accompanied by measurable factors that indicate that those innings were potentially stressful innings. Then, when we look at known correlates with injury via pitch/fx data, that pitcher's four seam fastball and curveball display alarming trends towards fatigue/injury manifestation, but two other pitchers that are relatively neutral...but those two alarming pitches are the main weapons in the pitcher's arsenal.
There is (obviously) more to be found within the posts, which are definitely worth killing a half-hour over, but both bring valid points. Wandy has been unlucky, kind of crappy, and is coming off a career year. Maybe 2010 Wandy is Normal Wandy, and 2009 Wandy was the product of a lucky, out of the norm season.
FanGraphs:
This hasn’t been a banner year for Rodriguez, though. Through his first 13 starts, the 31-year-old has been lit up for a 5.60 ERA. That’s the highest mark among qualified NL starters. Has Wandy lost his magic?...
...While Rodriguez isn’t pitching at the same level as he did over the ‘07 to ‘09 period, that ERA does overstate the extent of his struggles — his FIP is 4.41 and his xFIP is 4.49. Rodriguez has been plagued by a .353 BABIP, second-highest among qualified Senior Circuit starters and well above his .314 career figure. Also, his rate of stranding runners on base has dipped to 62.5 percent. The MLB average is in the 70-72 percent range, and Rodriguez’s career left on base rate is 69.4 percent.
There's a lot more, and there's an excellent post at The Crawfish Boxes wondering the same thing:
Well, we have a pitcher who saw a significant jump in innings pitched coming off a year in which he dealt with minor muscle injuries. Those innings pitched were accompanied by measurable factors that indicate that those innings were potentially stressful innings. Then, when we look at known correlates with injury via pitch/fx data, that pitcher's four seam fastball and curveball display alarming trends towards fatigue/injury manifestation, but two other pitchers that are relatively neutral...but those two alarming pitches are the main weapons in the pitcher's arsenal.
There is (obviously) more to be found within the posts, which are definitely worth killing a half-hour over, but both bring valid points. Wandy has been unlucky, kind of crappy, and is coming off a career year. Maybe 2010 Wandy is Normal Wandy, and 2009 Wandy was the product of a lucky, out of the norm season.
Info needed: Astrodillo
Doing a little research, and need some help with info on the old Astros mascot Astrodillo. What you got?
What does the LA Times know about Plutko?
6th Round pick Adam Plutko is deciding between the Astros and UCLA, it seems, and the LA Times, in their Best of HS L.A. baseball refers to Plutko as such:
UCLA-bound standout capped a stellar season with a complete-game, five-hit victory over Yucaipa in the Division 2 championship. The right-hander finished 10-1 with a 1.36 ERA, striking out 97 and walking only 18 in 67 innings. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the sixth round.
UCLA-bound standout capped a stellar season with a complete-game, five-hit victory over Yucaipa in the Division 2 championship. The right-hander finished 10-1 with a 1.36 ERA, striking out 97 and walking only 18 in 67 innings. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the sixth round.
Why the Rangers are the Astros' best chance to trade Roy
This will be a quick take, so just be aware of that. With Craig Calcaterra at Hardball Talk's rumor that the Rangers and Astros are "getting close" to an agreement with the Astros about Roy, it's time to take this seriously - no matter what Buster Olney says.
-Teams are obviously choosing between Roy and Cliff Lee when considering adding pitching depth.
-There is also an obvious trade-off in what teams want in return: a half-season rental with less payroll/more prospects given, or a year and a half with more payroll/fewer prospects (depending on how much money the Astros are willing to eat)? If it's the former, Cliff Lee is your man. If it's the latter, you're obviously interested in Roy.
-The Mets, Nationals, Dodgers, Rangers, and Twins are all reportedly interested in both , with more teams seemingly interested in Cliff Lee, who's younger, cheaper, healthier, and has been to the playoffs (and dominated) more recently than Roy. But there are problems with all of the rumored teams and Roy's interest - despite him pleading to be traded anywhere (Long Island Ducks? For Rickey Henderson? I smell a payback deal...).
-But there's one hitch when it comes to the Rangers and Cliff Lee - would the Mariners trade Roy within their division? For a team that's 12.5 back of the AL West lead (held by the Rangers), you might think they wouldn't care. But note the Astros' reluctance to trade anybody to the Cardinals, and they're currently 11GB of the Cards/Reds for the NLC lead.
-I just don't see too many teams trading within the division in June, and if that's the case, then you can rule out the Rangers getting Cliff Lee. Especially if the Ryan-Greenberg group is approved for the sale (and it looks like they will be, likely by the trade deadline), they can get that infusion of cash needed to take on some of Roy's salary, should they go that route.
-Bottom line is this: the Rangers are real post-season contenders, still close to Mississippi, still in Texas, and Ryan apparently has a nice relationship with Roy. I think if Roy goes anywhere, he goes to the Rangers*.
*As with all other comments on rumors and trades, I have no source or fact to base this on. Just a logic-based opinion.
-Teams are obviously choosing between Roy and Cliff Lee when considering adding pitching depth.
-There is also an obvious trade-off in what teams want in return: a half-season rental with less payroll/more prospects given, or a year and a half with more payroll/fewer prospects (depending on how much money the Astros are willing to eat)? If it's the former, Cliff Lee is your man. If it's the latter, you're obviously interested in Roy.
-The Mets, Nationals, Dodgers, Rangers, and Twins are all reportedly interested in both , with more teams seemingly interested in Cliff Lee, who's younger, cheaper, healthier, and has been to the playoffs (and dominated) more recently than Roy. But there are problems with all of the rumored teams and Roy's interest - despite him pleading to be traded anywhere (Long Island Ducks? For Rickey Henderson? I smell a payback deal...).
-But there's one hitch when it comes to the Rangers and Cliff Lee - would the Mariners trade Roy within their division? For a team that's 12.5 back of the AL West lead (held by the Rangers), you might think they wouldn't care. But note the Astros' reluctance to trade anybody to the Cardinals, and they're currently 11GB of the Cards/Reds for the NLC lead.
-I just don't see too many teams trading within the division in June, and if that's the case, then you can rule out the Rangers getting Cliff Lee. Especially if the Ryan-Greenberg group is approved for the sale (and it looks like they will be, likely by the trade deadline), they can get that infusion of cash needed to take on some of Roy's salary, should they go that route.
-Bottom line is this: the Rangers are real post-season contenders, still close to Mississippi, still in Texas, and Ryan apparently has a nice relationship with Roy. I think if Roy goes anywhere, he goes to the Rangers*.
*As with all other comments on rumors and trades, I have no source or fact to base this on. Just a logic-based opinion.
Baseball Time in Arlington breaks down the Roy Rumor
We're not even going to pull anything from this post. Just read it.
Berkman doesn't think he or Roy will be traded, weeps
Interesting article from Jeff Passan on what Berkman thinks are the chances that he and Roy will be traded:
Berkman:
“I think it’s unlikely they’re going to work something out for Roy, and he’s a lot more attractive trade candidate for another team. It’s an even longer shot something’s going to happen with me...
...“The baseball landscape has changed. Teams value their prospects more than they ever have. I’m 34. I’m not having a great year. Who knows how many more years I’ve got left or what my production’s going to be? As a slugger, you get into your mid-to-late 30s, start struggling, and then it’s like you might be done. I don’t blame somebody for thinking that.”
And Berkman and Oswalt have their stories together, with Berkman being more specific than Roy on where he wants to be traded, referencing the Angels as a potential destination:
That wouldn’t be an automatic yes. That would be a long, hard thought. Especially because I’d rather go east than west. It would have to be a contender. There is absolutely no way I would consent to going somewhere that didn’t have a good chance not just to get to the playoffs, but to win the whole thing. That would be consideration No. 1.”
And Oswalt, who seems to be losing his grip on reality:
“I’ve heard a few things about money here and there. It all boils down to who needs starting pitching. It’s not about the money with some teams.”
This is interesting. Very interesting. Because after not hearing from Berkman for a while he pops up like a Whack-A-Mole and gives particulars: East, rather than West. Contender. "Absolutely no way." So while Lance wants to be traded - seemingly desperately - he sure is making a whole lot of noise about where he wants to go. And while Berkman says the landscape has changed, he and Roy are the ones changing that landscape.
Berkman:
“I think it’s unlikely they’re going to work something out for Roy, and he’s a lot more attractive trade candidate for another team. It’s an even longer shot something’s going to happen with me...
...“The baseball landscape has changed. Teams value their prospects more than they ever have. I’m 34. I’m not having a great year. Who knows how many more years I’ve got left or what my production’s going to be? As a slugger, you get into your mid-to-late 30s, start struggling, and then it’s like you might be done. I don’t blame somebody for thinking that.”
And Berkman and Oswalt have their stories together, with Berkman being more specific than Roy on where he wants to be traded, referencing the Angels as a potential destination:
That wouldn’t be an automatic yes. That would be a long, hard thought. Especially because I’d rather go east than west. It would have to be a contender. There is absolutely no way I would consent to going somewhere that didn’t have a good chance not just to get to the playoffs, but to win the whole thing. That would be consideration No. 1.”
And Oswalt, who seems to be losing his grip on reality:
“I’ve heard a few things about money here and there. It all boils down to who needs starting pitching. It’s not about the money with some teams.”
This is interesting. Very interesting. Because after not hearing from Berkman for a while he pops up like a Whack-A-Mole and gives particulars: East, rather than West. Contender. "Absolutely no way." So while Lance wants to be traded - seemingly desperately - he sure is making a whole lot of noise about where he wants to go. And while Berkman says the landscape has changed, he and Roy are the ones changing that landscape.
Astros sign Dominican CF
DPL Baseball is reporting that the Astros have signed Dominican CF Kelvin Vizcaino for $250,000.
DPL:
Kelvin is 6'0, 175lb with athletic build and bounce, possessing four solid tools: Hitting, Speed, Arm Strength, and Defense. He shows a quick bat and compact swing, drives the ball gap to gap with occasional power. His 60 yrd times are 6.8-6.9 and shows great first step quickness on defense and base path. He has the athletic ability of a true CF and projection of a 5 tool player.
Vizcaino is the Astros' second DPL signing of the year, having already signed Jean Carlos Batista in May.
DPL:
Kelvin is 6'0, 175lb with athletic build and bounce, possessing four solid tools: Hitting, Speed, Arm Strength, and Defense. He shows a quick bat and compact swing, drives the ball gap to gap with occasional power. His 60 yrd times are 6.8-6.9 and shows great first step quickness on defense and base path. He has the athletic ability of a true CF and projection of a 5 tool player.
Vizcaino is the Astros' second DPL signing of the year, having already signed Jean Carlos Batista in May.
From the Office of the County Clerk - G65: Astros @ Royals
One of the best ways to ensure that you're not thought of as one of the generally worst teams in baseball is to not give up 15 runs to one of the other teams thought of as one of the generally worst teams in baseball. Astros lose 15-7.
*Of course it was the most runs given up by the Astros this season. It was also the most runs the Royals have scored this season. The Royals haven't scored 15 runs since July 3, 2007, when they beat the Mariners 17-3 (the Royals actually scored 17 runs three times in 2007).
*The Astros started the 5th inning with a 6-3 lead. Previously, the Astros were 14-3 when starting the 5th inning with the lead.
*Felipe Paulino gave up 11H/10R (8ER), with 2K:3BB in 4.2IP, needing 110 pitches to get 14 outs. The last time Paulino had given up double-digit hits in a start was April 24, 2009 against Milwaukee.
*He allowed more walks than strikeouts for the first time in five starts (Colorado - May 19).
*The Astros dropped to 1-5 when scoring 7+ runs.
*Interestingly enough, the Astros pitching staff as a whole does much better with two outs. Which makes the fact that the Royals scored all seven runs in the 5th inning with two outs even more strange. With 0 out, the Astros pitching gives up a .789 OPS; 1 out - .802 OPS; 2 outs (including last night) - .720 OPS.
*Kansas City's 5th inning: seven pitches for first two outs. 43 pitches for final out.
*In a series of three pitches, Casey Daigle threw two wild ones. Despite having only played in 26 games in his career, that doubled his WP total. Daigle has allowed ten baserunners in 4IP in 2010.
*It's the first time this season the Astros have given up more than eight runs without allowing a homer. All the Royals got for their 20 hits were four doubles. And it's the first time since June 18, 2007 the Astros allowed 10+ runs without giving up a homer - against the Angels.
*Once again, the bottom of the order did the most producing. 5-6-7-8 (Pence, Feliz, Michaels, Quintero) were 7x14 with four RBI. 1-2-3-4 were 4x16, with 3RBI. Manzella was the only non-pinch hitter to go hitless.
*Berkman ended his 0x15 slump with a double in the fourth inning.
*Jason Michaels hit his 3rd homer of the season, good enough for T-3rd on the team, despite hitting his previous homerun on April 20. His 1HR/22PA is tops (Pence - 1HR/25.1PA; Lee - 1HR/25.9PA).
Pitch Count Hero: Pedro Feliz - 22 pitches in four PAs
Pitch Count Punk: Humberto Quintero - 8 pitches in three PAs
Man of the Match: Hunter Pence - on base three times, 2RBI, 2R.
Goat of the Game: Uh. Paulino.
*Of course it was the most runs given up by the Astros this season. It was also the most runs the Royals have scored this season. The Royals haven't scored 15 runs since July 3, 2007, when they beat the Mariners 17-3 (the Royals actually scored 17 runs three times in 2007).
*The Astros started the 5th inning with a 6-3 lead. Previously, the Astros were 14-3 when starting the 5th inning with the lead.
*Felipe Paulino gave up 11H/10R (8ER), with 2K:3BB in 4.2IP, needing 110 pitches to get 14 outs. The last time Paulino had given up double-digit hits in a start was April 24, 2009 against Milwaukee.
*He allowed more walks than strikeouts for the first time in five starts (Colorado - May 19).
*The Astros dropped to 1-5 when scoring 7+ runs.
*Interestingly enough, the Astros pitching staff as a whole does much better with two outs. Which makes the fact that the Royals scored all seven runs in the 5th inning with two outs even more strange. With 0 out, the Astros pitching gives up a .789 OPS; 1 out - .802 OPS; 2 outs (including last night) - .720 OPS.
*Kansas City's 5th inning: seven pitches for first two outs. 43 pitches for final out.
*In a series of three pitches, Casey Daigle threw two wild ones. Despite having only played in 26 games in his career, that doubled his WP total. Daigle has allowed ten baserunners in 4IP in 2010.
*It's the first time this season the Astros have given up more than eight runs without allowing a homer. All the Royals got for their 20 hits were four doubles. And it's the first time since June 18, 2007 the Astros allowed 10+ runs without giving up a homer - against the Angels.
*Once again, the bottom of the order did the most producing. 5-6-7-8 (Pence, Feliz, Michaels, Quintero) were 7x14 with four RBI. 1-2-3-4 were 4x16, with 3RBI. Manzella was the only non-pinch hitter to go hitless.
*Berkman ended his 0x15 slump with a double in the fourth inning.
*Jason Michaels hit his 3rd homer of the season, good enough for T-3rd on the team, despite hitting his previous homerun on April 20. His 1HR/22PA is tops (Pence - 1HR/25.1PA; Lee - 1HR/25.9PA).
Pitch Count Hero: Pedro Feliz - 22 pitches in four PAs
Pitch Count Punk: Humberto Quintero - 8 pitches in three PAs
Man of the Match: Hunter Pence - on base three times, 2RBI, 2R.
Goat of the Game: Uh. Paulino.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Roy's One-Way Ticket: Los Angeles Dodgers
Because keeping all of those quotes, notes, and rumors in one post is getting lengthy, let's break this down by team in separate posts. As these come in, they will be updated and reposted.
Dodgers
Latest Status: Interested, but not in Full Salary Roy
LA Times (6/15):
That the Dodgers don’t almost desperately need (Lee or Oswalt) in their rotation isn't even an issue. That the Dodgers will, or can, actually make a legitimate bid for either sadly doesn't even appear on the radar. With Seattle's Lee, a deal probably would require several top prospects, which the Dodgers currently have a dearth of. With Houston's Oswalt, it requires serious cash, which owner Frank McCourt has been a wee bit tight with of late.
Ed Price (6/15):
A person who knows Roy Oswalt guessed Oswalt could end up traded to the Dodgers. Oswalt is friends with ex-Dodger Brad Penny, who could help sell Oswalt on L.A. -- if the Dodgers can find the cash to pay Oswalt. Or -- as they have done in other recent trades -- the Dodgers could give up significant prospects and have Houston pay much of Oswalt's future salary.
Yahoo's Tim Brown (6/10):
That means dealing with Oswalt’s no-trade rights. And that means the Astros have no current plans to defray the cost of the 32-year old right-hander. Oswalt is due whatever would remain of $15 million this season, $16 million next season and a $16 million option (with a $2 million buyout) in 2012. That’s too rich for Frank McCourt, or so it would seem.
LA Times (6/10):
The Dodgers aren't in the mix to trade for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt. At least not at the moment. Among the reasons is money. The Astros are saying that any team that wants to acquire Oswalt will have to take on all of what remains on his contract, according to a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
LA Times (5/26):
The Dodgers have asked the Seattle Mariners about Cliff Lee and the Houston Astros about Roy Oswalt. The response from the Mariners and the Astros has been the same: We're not about to trade our guy just yet, but we'll get back to you if and when we do.
Even if the Dodgers were to agree to take on salary, the chances of a trade could depend on how deeply the Mariners and Astros wish to rebuild. The Dodgers' top prospects are at the lower levels of the minor leagues, so the team would be an unlikely trade partner should the Mariners or Astros want a trade package to feature talent ready for the major leagues.
Tony Jackson (5/25):
Despite widespread speculation, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not in active talks with the Houston Astros about pitcher Roy Oswalt, who let it be known publicly last week that he wants out of the city where he has spent his 10-year major league career.
Forbes (5/24):
If the Rangers ownership situation was settled, I would speculate that Oswalt would make the short move across Texas. It certainly would be a shame for their ownership woes to cause them to lose out on this opportunity. If I had to call it right now, I'd say Oswalt joins Torre in the City of Angels.
LA Times (5/23):
Torre can't flat out say he wants Oswalt, at least not publicly. But his eyes fairly twinkle when you ask what Oswalt could do for a team.
"He's one of those No. 1 guys," Torre said. "When you have one of the guys of that quality — like Roy Halladay was talked about last year, or Cliff Lee — for certain that type of pitcher changes the way not only you look at yourself, but the way other clubs look at you."
Does (GM Ned Colletti) have a sense as to whether the Dodgers would be in the market for an ace like Oswalt?
"I do have a sense," Colletti said.
FanHouse (5/23), quoting GM Ned Colletti:
"I sense we'll be in the market for pitching after the All-Star Break."
Colletti declined comment when asked if he and Astros GM Ed Wade have discussed a potential swap involving Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who's asked Wade to deal him.
LA Times (5/22):
Despite his request and the Dodgers’ need, there’s about as much chance of Oswalt being traded here as Lindsay Lohan winning an award as Citizen of the Year. Oswalt is costly, and the Dodgers haven’t shown any interest in spending serious cash in a long time. And with the owners undergoing a contemptuous divorce, there is no reason to think that will change soon...The Dodgers, of course, are a contending team. Unlikely or not, it at least has to be worth a phone call.
Dodgers
Latest Status: Interested, but not in Full Salary Roy
LA Times (6/15):
That the Dodgers don’t almost desperately need (Lee or Oswalt) in their rotation isn't even an issue. That the Dodgers will, or can, actually make a legitimate bid for either sadly doesn't even appear on the radar. With Seattle's Lee, a deal probably would require several top prospects, which the Dodgers currently have a dearth of. With Houston's Oswalt, it requires serious cash, which owner Frank McCourt has been a wee bit tight with of late.
Ed Price (6/15):
A person who knows Roy Oswalt guessed Oswalt could end up traded to the Dodgers. Oswalt is friends with ex-Dodger Brad Penny, who could help sell Oswalt on L.A. -- if the Dodgers can find the cash to pay Oswalt. Or -- as they have done in other recent trades -- the Dodgers could give up significant prospects and have Houston pay much of Oswalt's future salary.
Yahoo's Tim Brown (6/10):
That means dealing with Oswalt’s no-trade rights. And that means the Astros have no current plans to defray the cost of the 32-year old right-hander. Oswalt is due whatever would remain of $15 million this season, $16 million next season and a $16 million option (with a $2 million buyout) in 2012. That’s too rich for Frank McCourt, or so it would seem.
LA Times (6/10):
The Dodgers aren't in the mix to trade for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt. At least not at the moment. Among the reasons is money. The Astros are saying that any team that wants to acquire Oswalt will have to take on all of what remains on his contract, according to a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
LA Times (5/26):
The Dodgers have asked the Seattle Mariners about Cliff Lee and the Houston Astros about Roy Oswalt. The response from the Mariners and the Astros has been the same: We're not about to trade our guy just yet, but we'll get back to you if and when we do.
Even if the Dodgers were to agree to take on salary, the chances of a trade could depend on how deeply the Mariners and Astros wish to rebuild. The Dodgers' top prospects are at the lower levels of the minor leagues, so the team would be an unlikely trade partner should the Mariners or Astros want a trade package to feature talent ready for the major leagues.
Tony Jackson (5/25):
Despite widespread speculation, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not in active talks with the Houston Astros about pitcher Roy Oswalt, who let it be known publicly last week that he wants out of the city where he has spent his 10-year major league career.
Forbes (5/24):
If the Rangers ownership situation was settled, I would speculate that Oswalt would make the short move across Texas. It certainly would be a shame for their ownership woes to cause them to lose out on this opportunity. If I had to call it right now, I'd say Oswalt joins Torre in the City of Angels.
LA Times (5/23):
Torre can't flat out say he wants Oswalt, at least not publicly. But his eyes fairly twinkle when you ask what Oswalt could do for a team.
"He's one of those No. 1 guys," Torre said. "When you have one of the guys of that quality — like Roy Halladay was talked about last year, or Cliff Lee — for certain that type of pitcher changes the way not only you look at yourself, but the way other clubs look at you."
Does (GM Ned Colletti) have a sense as to whether the Dodgers would be in the market for an ace like Oswalt?
"I do have a sense," Colletti said.
FanHouse (5/23), quoting GM Ned Colletti:
"I sense we'll be in the market for pitching after the All-Star Break."
Colletti declined comment when asked if he and Astros GM Ed Wade have discussed a potential swap involving Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who's asked Wade to deal him.
LA Times (5/22):
Despite his request and the Dodgers’ need, there’s about as much chance of Oswalt being traded here as Lindsay Lohan winning an award as Citizen of the Year. Oswalt is costly, and the Dodgers haven’t shown any interest in spending serious cash in a long time. And with the owners undergoing a contemptuous divorce, there is no reason to think that will change soon...The Dodgers, of course, are a contending team. Unlikely or not, it at least has to be worth a phone call.
Corpus puts five on Texas League All-Star team
The Texas League All-Star Team was announced today and four Hooks got on it:
Jordan Lyles
Doug Arguello
Koby Clemens
Wladimir Sutil
Jack Shuck
Jordan Lyles
Doug Arguello
Koby Clemens
Wladimir Sutil
Jack Shuck
Tranzactionz!
Got some transactions for you:
June 15
Activated Tanner Bushue from the 7-Day DL
Placed Robby Donovan on the Temporarily Inactive List
June 14
Placed Michael Garciaparra, Collin DeLome, Chris Shelton, and Sam Gervacio on the 7-Day DL. Activated Drew Meyer from the 7-Day DL. Haven't seen any corresponding moves yet...
June 15
Activated Tanner Bushue from the 7-Day DL
Placed Robby Donovan on the Temporarily Inactive List
June 14
Placed Michael Garciaparra, Collin DeLome, Chris Shelton, and Sam Gervacio on the 7-Day DL. Activated Drew Meyer from the 7-Day DL. Haven't seen any corresponding moves yet...
Eddie's Farm: June 14
Round Rock (29-35)
Despite getting two runs in the top of the 9th inning, the Express lost 5-4 at Iowa. Shane Loux threw 5IP, 7H/4ER, 4K:2BB while Brad Thompson and Roy Corcoran threw 3IP, 5H/1ER, 2K:2BB in relief. With Johnson as the tying run on first following a walk, Kata and Locke didn't get it out of the infield to end the game. Bogusevic - batting leadoff - was 2x5 with an RBI while Navarro was 2x3 with 3RBI on the day.
Man of the Match: Oswaldo Navarro
Corpus Christi (30-32)
Corpus jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and then gave up the next eight runs for an 8-2 loss. Tyler Lumsden took his 3rd loss of the season, allowing 8H/4ER, 0K:4BB in 5IP (9 walks in his last 11IP). Erik Stiller was the only pitcher to do a job, striking out three and allowing just two hits (no runs) in 3IP. Nelson Payano and T.J. Burton gave up four runs in the final inning. Jhon Florentino had your only multi-hit game (2x4), while Clemens had your only extra-base hit - a double. Fixler and Lumsden hisself had the RBIs.
Man of the Match: Erik Stiller
Lancaster (19-45)
Lancaster did all their scoring in the first inning. Inland Empire got all their runs in the 9th inning. Bad news: Inland Empire won 2-1. Shane Wolf threw 7IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:1BB in a stellar performance, and Mike Modica gave up three hits and two walks in 1.1IP to take his first blown save and second loss. Lee Cruz - hitting .357 in his short stint with Lancaster - had two of the JetHawks' six hits and the lone RBI of the game.
Man of the Match: Shane Wolf
Lexington (33-31)
And the Legends blew a 9th inning lead to lose to Lakewood 5-3. Robby Donovan threw 6IP, 5H/2R (0ER), 8K:4BB while Jose Trinidad tossed two scoreless IP. Kirk Clark gave up two hits (both homers) and a walk for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, recording one out. Rene Garcia was 3x3 with an RBI and Our Boy Aaron Bray was 2x3, R, BB, RBI. Kody Hinze was 0x4 with 2Ks, and is hitting .231 (9x39) in his last ten games, with 14K:7BB.
Man of the Match: Aaron Bray, who is hitting .432 (16x37) in his last ten games, with 3K:4BB.
Despite getting two runs in the top of the 9th inning, the Express lost 5-4 at Iowa. Shane Loux threw 5IP, 7H/4ER, 4K:2BB while Brad Thompson and Roy Corcoran threw 3IP, 5H/1ER, 2K:2BB in relief. With Johnson as the tying run on first following a walk, Kata and Locke didn't get it out of the infield to end the game. Bogusevic - batting leadoff - was 2x5 with an RBI while Navarro was 2x3 with 3RBI on the day.
Man of the Match: Oswaldo Navarro
Corpus Christi (30-32)
Corpus jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and then gave up the next eight runs for an 8-2 loss. Tyler Lumsden took his 3rd loss of the season, allowing 8H/4ER, 0K:4BB in 5IP (9 walks in his last 11IP). Erik Stiller was the only pitcher to do a job, striking out three and allowing just two hits (no runs) in 3IP. Nelson Payano and T.J. Burton gave up four runs in the final inning. Jhon Florentino had your only multi-hit game (2x4), while Clemens had your only extra-base hit - a double. Fixler and Lumsden hisself had the RBIs.
Man of the Match: Erik Stiller
Lancaster (19-45)
Lancaster did all their scoring in the first inning. Inland Empire got all their runs in the 9th inning. Bad news: Inland Empire won 2-1. Shane Wolf threw 7IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:1BB in a stellar performance, and Mike Modica gave up three hits and two walks in 1.1IP to take his first blown save and second loss. Lee Cruz - hitting .357 in his short stint with Lancaster - had two of the JetHawks' six hits and the lone RBI of the game.
Man of the Match: Shane Wolf
Lexington (33-31)
And the Legends blew a 9th inning lead to lose to Lakewood 5-3. Robby Donovan threw 6IP, 5H/2R (0ER), 8K:4BB while Jose Trinidad tossed two scoreless IP. Kirk Clark gave up two hits (both homers) and a walk for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, recording one out. Rene Garcia was 3x3 with an RBI and Our Boy Aaron Bray was 2x3, R, BB, RBI. Kody Hinze was 0x4 with 2Ks, and is hitting .231 (9x39) in his last ten games, with 14K:7BB.
Man of the Match: Aaron Bray, who is hitting .432 (16x37) in his last ten games, with 3K:4BB.
Brad Mills is a champ
FanHouse's Ed Price gave Brad Mills some credit for not going crazy on the Astros in his first managerial stint.
Mills:
"I have no hair to pull. That was definitely an advantage of being bald."
Wade:
"When we hired him, we were excited. When we saw the way spring training went, we were excited. I'm more certain today than I was back then that he's the absolute right guy, because of the way he's handled the start that we got off to. It would have been very easy for him to sort of wear it on his sleeve: 'Oh my God, this is my first chance, and this is what's happening.' And none of that occurred."
Mills:
"I have no hair to pull. That was definitely an advantage of being bald."
Wade:
"When we hired him, we were excited. When we saw the way spring training went, we were excited. I'm more certain today than I was back then that he's the absolute right guy, because of the way he's handled the start that we got off to. It would have been very easy for him to sort of wear it on his sleeve: 'Oh my God, this is my first chance, and this is what's happening.' And none of that occurred."
Once again, if the Astros take on more payroll, they'll get more back
Buster Olney's blog post this morning has a financial note about the Cliff Lee/Roy Oswalt sweepstakes:
There just doesn't appear to be much in the way of available cash in the trade market, with few teams willing to take on much money. If this holds, it will limit the number of deals that can be made, as well as the size of the deals. The player most directly impacted by this, in all likelihood, is Roy Oswalt, who bears $27 million in salary obligations and is overpriced in the current market.
There's a trade-off GMs have to examine in whether or not to pursue Lee or Oswalt: Do you pay less for Lee in the short-term and run the risk of him walking at the end of the year, or do you pay more for Oswalt and have him locked up for a season and a half? (Note: This is not groundbreaking analysis).
If we put the number of Oswalt's remaining contract at $25 million, and the Astros agree to pay $15 million, the destination team will be getting a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for $10 million over 1.5 seasons, and a few prospects for that privilege. What say you? What's a reasonable number that Ed Wade could put forth to restock the upper levels of the farm system?
There just doesn't appear to be much in the way of available cash in the trade market, with few teams willing to take on much money. If this holds, it will limit the number of deals that can be made, as well as the size of the deals. The player most directly impacted by this, in all likelihood, is Roy Oswalt, who bears $27 million in salary obligations and is overpriced in the current market.
There's a trade-off GMs have to examine in whether or not to pursue Lee or Oswalt: Do you pay less for Lee in the short-term and run the risk of him walking at the end of the year, or do you pay more for Oswalt and have him locked up for a season and a half? (Note: This is not groundbreaking analysis).
If we put the number of Oswalt's remaining contract at $25 million, and the Astros agree to pay $15 million, the destination team will be getting a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for $10 million over 1.5 seasons, and a few prospects for that privilege. What say you? What's a reasonable number that Ed Wade could put forth to restock the upper levels of the farm system?
Roy's One-Way Ticket: New York Mets
Because keeping all of those quotes, notes, and rumors in one post is getting lengthy, let's break this down by team in separate posts. As these come in, they will be updated and reposted.
Mets
Latest Status: Maybe more interested in Cliff Lee
NY Post (6/15):
If the pitching wasn't addressed with significant dollars last winter, the skeptic doesn't see it happening now, not with self-congratulation being the order of the day following fine winter trash-picking by Omar Minaya. Dickey's knuckleball is dancing, so the Mets likely will stay with the one who brung them for $600,000, instead of the $28 million left on Oswalt's contract, counting a $2 million buyout for 2012.
Matthew Cerrone (6/15):
From what I can gather, the Mets and Mariners have talked quite a lot about LHP Cliff Lee, however the M’s continue to press for Jon Niese, who the Mets have little interest in trading… in fact, i’ve heard from people who know the M’s, and from people within the Mets, all of whom say Omar Minaya has the necessary prospects to get Lee, but so far Seattle is insisting on Niese and Minaya will not budge.
NY Post (6/14):
A player who is friendly with Roy Oswalt says the Astros right-hander would "definitely" accept a trade to the Mets if they remain in the playoff hunt. But the fact Oswalt is still owed about $30 million through 2011 makes it extremely unlikely the Mets would pursue him. The player who is friendly with Oswalt said the right-hander likes the veteran fiber of the Mets.
Joel Sherman (5/25):
Of course, the Mets should want Roy Oswalt. But this is not about what the Mets want. This is about what Roy Oswalt -- owner of a full no-trade clause -- wants. And all signs are that he does not want the Mets...When asked directly about Oswalt being a Met, Pettitte said: "He could handle New York because he is comfortable with who he is and what kind of pitcher he is. But we went to the World Series in '05, and he wants to go someplace that he can get to the World Series."
SI Live (Staten Island) (5/24):
In our poll on this matter, 74 percent of users said that they would give up Fernando Martinez for Oswalt. Only 18 percent picked rookie flame thrower Jenrry Mejia, 3.7 percent said they'd give up rookie first baseman Ike Davis and only 2.8 percent said they would deal Mike Pelfrey for Houston's best pitcher.
NY Daily News (5/24):
I would say, if the Astros are willing to pull the trigger right now, the Mets should do it. However, if they want to drag it out into late June or July to up the bidding war, the Mets must be careful. What good is Oswalt if the Mets are 15 games out in July? It's sort of like when the Mets got Benson and Zambrano at the trade deadline when everyone knew they had no shot to make the playoffs.
Mike Silva's Baseball Digest (5/23):
I have been talking about Oswalt with a baseball person close to the Astros situation. Despite the public claims that his situation won’t become a distraction I was told the team is growing tired of this saga in the locker room. A constant “Oswalt watch” will wear down any team...This is a deal that probably needs to wait until July. The Mets are going to have to find a way to hang around until Beltran returns. Jon Heyman indicated it could be late June, but logic says the All Star Break.
NY Post (5/23):
Bottom line: If the Mets step up to the plate, this is a trade that can be made because they have enough young talent to make a deal and the Astros have no reason to keep Oswalt.
Peter Gammons (5/22):
The Mets have had a recent history of stormy instability, of fired coaches and managers and a constant eye on which way the wind is blowing. Minaya's farm system has produced this season, beginning with Ike Davis and Niese. He doesn't have the revenue to get into the Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but he's in a division that, other than the Phillies -- and they are closing with Jose Contreras -- has several undercurrents of unpredictability.
Alyson Footer (5/22):
I love the speculation that the Mets could be a destination for Oswalt. Ha. He ain't going there, folks.
Buster Olney (5/22):
The Mets tried to trade for Oswalt two years ago and might have the need now, but it's unknown whether Oswalt would approve a deal to the struggling New York club.
NY Post (5/22):
Roy Oswalt has asked the Astros for a trade, but don't expect the Mets to have designs on picking up the remainder of the $33 million the right-hander is owed through 2011.
Sporting News (5/22):
The last-place Mets aren't exactly contenders, which could scare away Oswalt. But they aren't completely buried, either, and Carlos Beltran -- a former teammate of Oswalt in Houston -- should be back eventually.
Mets
Latest Status: Maybe more interested in Cliff Lee
NY Post (6/15):
If the pitching wasn't addressed with significant dollars last winter, the skeptic doesn't see it happening now, not with self-congratulation being the order of the day following fine winter trash-picking by Omar Minaya. Dickey's knuckleball is dancing, so the Mets likely will stay with the one who brung them for $600,000, instead of the $28 million left on Oswalt's contract, counting a $2 million buyout for 2012.
Matthew Cerrone (6/15):
From what I can gather, the Mets and Mariners have talked quite a lot about LHP Cliff Lee, however the M’s continue to press for Jon Niese, who the Mets have little interest in trading… in fact, i’ve heard from people who know the M’s, and from people within the Mets, all of whom say Omar Minaya has the necessary prospects to get Lee, but so far Seattle is insisting on Niese and Minaya will not budge.
NY Post (6/14):
A player who is friendly with Roy Oswalt says the Astros right-hander would "definitely" accept a trade to the Mets if they remain in the playoff hunt. But the fact Oswalt is still owed about $30 million through 2011 makes it extremely unlikely the Mets would pursue him. The player who is friendly with Oswalt said the right-hander likes the veteran fiber of the Mets.
Joel Sherman (5/25):
Of course, the Mets should want Roy Oswalt. But this is not about what the Mets want. This is about what Roy Oswalt -- owner of a full no-trade clause -- wants. And all signs are that he does not want the Mets...When asked directly about Oswalt being a Met, Pettitte said: "He could handle New York because he is comfortable with who he is and what kind of pitcher he is. But we went to the World Series in '05, and he wants to go someplace that he can get to the World Series."
SI Live (Staten Island) (5/24):
In our poll on this matter, 74 percent of users said that they would give up Fernando Martinez for Oswalt. Only 18 percent picked rookie flame thrower Jenrry Mejia, 3.7 percent said they'd give up rookie first baseman Ike Davis and only 2.8 percent said they would deal Mike Pelfrey for Houston's best pitcher.
NY Daily News (5/24):
I would say, if the Astros are willing to pull the trigger right now, the Mets should do it. However, if they want to drag it out into late June or July to up the bidding war, the Mets must be careful. What good is Oswalt if the Mets are 15 games out in July? It's sort of like when the Mets got Benson and Zambrano at the trade deadline when everyone knew they had no shot to make the playoffs.
Mike Silva's Baseball Digest (5/23):
I have been talking about Oswalt with a baseball person close to the Astros situation. Despite the public claims that his situation won’t become a distraction I was told the team is growing tired of this saga in the locker room. A constant “Oswalt watch” will wear down any team...This is a deal that probably needs to wait until July. The Mets are going to have to find a way to hang around until Beltran returns. Jon Heyman indicated it could be late June, but logic says the All Star Break.
NY Post (5/23):
Bottom line: If the Mets step up to the plate, this is a trade that can be made because they have enough young talent to make a deal and the Astros have no reason to keep Oswalt.
Peter Gammons (5/22):
The Mets have had a recent history of stormy instability, of fired coaches and managers and a constant eye on which way the wind is blowing. Minaya's farm system has produced this season, beginning with Ike Davis and Niese. He doesn't have the revenue to get into the Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but he's in a division that, other than the Phillies -- and they are closing with Jose Contreras -- has several undercurrents of unpredictability.
Alyson Footer (5/22):
I love the speculation that the Mets could be a destination for Oswalt. Ha. He ain't going there, folks.
Buster Olney (5/22):
The Mets tried to trade for Oswalt two years ago and might have the need now, but it's unknown whether Oswalt would approve a deal to the struggling New York club.
NY Post (5/22):
Roy Oswalt has asked the Astros for a trade, but don't expect the Mets to have designs on picking up the remainder of the $33 million the right-hander is owed through 2011.
Sporting News (5/22):
The last-place Mets aren't exactly contenders, which could scare away Oswalt. But they aren't completely buried, either, and Carlos Beltran -- a former teammate of Oswalt in Houston -- should be back eventually.
ValleyCats announce roster
Captip to Farmstros for the link - Tri-City has announced their 2010 roster. And it is as such (2010 draft pick noted with a *):
Pitchers
Joan Belliard
Travis Blankenship*
Chris Blazek
Jake Buchanan*
Jeiler Castillo
Adam Champion*
Jorge De Leon
Bobby Doran*
Murillo Gouvea
David Martinez
Mike Ness*
Carlos Quevedo
Andrew Robinson*
Tommy Shirley*
Alex Sogard*
Brenden Stines
Catchers
Buck Afenir
Ben Heath*
Carlos Mojica
Infielders
Tyler Burnett*
Oscar Figueroa
Jacke Healey*
Mike Kvasnicka*
Ben Orloff
Nick Stanley
Outfielders
Daniel Adamson*
Frank Almonte
Adam Bailey*
Wilton Infante
Renzo Tello
Pitchers
Joan Belliard
Travis Blankenship*
Chris Blazek
Jake Buchanan*
Jeiler Castillo
Adam Champion*
Jorge De Leon
Bobby Doran*
Murillo Gouvea
David Martinez
Mike Ness*
Carlos Quevedo
Andrew Robinson*
Tommy Shirley*
Alex Sogard*
Brenden Stines
Catchers
Buck Afenir
Ben Heath*
Carlos Mojica
Infielders
Tyler Burnett*
Oscar Figueroa
Jacke Healey*
Mike Kvasnicka*
Ben Orloff
Nick Stanley
Outfielders
Daniel Adamson*
Frank Almonte
Adam Bailey*
Wilton Infante
Renzo Tello
Carlos Lee is as upset as we are. Apparently.
Bernardo Fallas has an off-day story on Carlos Lee, who kind of sucks right now.
Lee:
"The fans are expecting a lot more from me, and they have a point. Trust me, I have been as disappointed as they are."
The Still-Employed Sean Berry:
"When frustration gets into the picture, you make bad choices at the plate. A lot of people say it's his hitting reaction, but hitting is a lot about making a choice. He made bad choices a lot of times because of frustration."
Ed Wade:
"(If Lee had swung the ball well from the start of the season) and people were aware of the work he's doing with Sean right now and the work in the weight room, the story would be: Carlos Lee dedicated to his craft, got in the best shape since he's been in Houston and look at the way he is playing."
And maybe the most troubling quote of this entire article, one that will go uncommented on, but still should be noted, by Sean Berry:
"Carlos definitely went through some change physically. His workout regimen has been great, so there is a change physically that may or may not have led to the slow start."
Lee:
"The fans are expecting a lot more from me, and they have a point. Trust me, I have been as disappointed as they are."
The Still-Employed Sean Berry:
"When frustration gets into the picture, you make bad choices at the plate. A lot of people say it's his hitting reaction, but hitting is a lot about making a choice. He made bad choices a lot of times because of frustration."
Ed Wade:
"(If Lee had swung the ball well from the start of the season) and people were aware of the work he's doing with Sean right now and the work in the weight room, the story would be: Carlos Lee dedicated to his craft, got in the best shape since he's been in Houston and look at the way he is playing."
And maybe the most troubling quote of this entire article, one that will go uncommented on, but still should be noted, by Sean Berry:
"Carlos definitely went through some change physically. His workout regimen has been great, so there is a change physically that may or may not have led to the slow start."
Levine's Minor League Notebook
Within Zach Levine's minor-league updates we learn a few things:
-Danny Meszaros threw a bullpen session on Sunday and is nearing a return.
-Fernando Abad has missed seven weeks and is heading to Florida to rehab his injured shoulder.
-Chia-Jen Lo won't be throwing for at least two more weeks after partially tearing his UCL.
-Tanner Bushue is nearing a return, and Farmstros says he'll pitch tonight.
Wondering why Dydalewicz was sent down to Lexington? Ask Ricky Bennett:
"He's had trouble repeating his delivery," assistant general manager and farm director Ricky Bennett said, adding that it's not a new issue with Dydalewicz. The lefthander tends to have difficulty shedding some side-to-side movement in favor of coming forward to the plate.
Bennett also had a note on Jack Shuck's success:
"The speed of the game has slowed down considerably for him. Strike zone discipline is much better for him, and pitch selection is much better."
-Danny Meszaros threw a bullpen session on Sunday and is nearing a return.
-Fernando Abad has missed seven weeks and is heading to Florida to rehab his injured shoulder.
-Chia-Jen Lo won't be throwing for at least two more weeks after partially tearing his UCL.
-Tanner Bushue is nearing a return, and Farmstros says he'll pitch tonight.
Wondering why Dydalewicz was sent down to Lexington? Ask Ricky Bennett:
"He's had trouble repeating his delivery," assistant general manager and farm director Ricky Bennett said, adding that it's not a new issue with Dydalewicz. The lefthander tends to have difficulty shedding some side-to-side movement in favor of coming forward to the plate.
Bennett also had a note on Jack Shuck's success:
"The speed of the game has slowed down considerably for him. Strike zone discipline is much better for him, and pitch selection is much better."
35th Round pick "likely" won't sign
35th Round pick HS 1B Esteban Gomez probably won't be signing with the Astros, according to the Brooklyn Heights Courier:
He has already locked up a scholarship to San Jacinto College in Texas, one of the top junior colleges in the country and its doubtful his signing bonus will come anywhere close to his scholarship offer.
But Gomez, the second player from Bishop Ford picked by the Astros – pitcher John Halama (23rd round, 1994) was the first – is keeping his options open.
“I just have to see what the offer is, what they’re willing to give and just take it from there,” Gomez said. “I’m going to listen to the advice my family gives me, but ultimately it’s going to be my decision.”
He has already locked up a scholarship to San Jacinto College in Texas, one of the top junior colleges in the country and its doubtful his signing bonus will come anywhere close to his scholarship offer.
But Gomez, the second player from Bishop Ford picked by the Astros – pitcher John Halama (23rd round, 1994) was the first – is keeping his options open.
“I just have to see what the offer is, what they’re willing to give and just take it from there,” Gomez said. “I’m going to listen to the advice my family gives me, but ultimately it’s going to be my decision.”
Choose Your Own Adventure! by Jon Daniels
Captip to Craig Calcaterra at Hardball Talk for breaking the Roy-to-Texas rumors - it's caused quite the tizzy. That said, everyone seems to be out to vehemently deny it, which only tells me that there may be something to it.
For instance, with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram debunking the "internet report" of the rumor.
First things first: Hardball Talk, while a site on the internet, is owned by NBC, which hardly condemns the fact that the rumor came from there as "an internet report." Only in the next paragraph did they link HBT to NBC. So, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, easy on the arrogance, just because you waste trees. If it came from Astros County, sure, write it off as an internet report (unless AC actually had a source- then I'd be set ablaze) but take into account the site itself, not whether or not it has an address.
To sum up: Piss off, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Back to the rumor, to which Jon Daniels responded:
General manager Jon Daniels didn't respond directly to the report, but said, "You can probably figure this one out."
Maybe not. Be more specific.
For instance, with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram debunking the "internet report" of the rumor.
First things first: Hardball Talk, while a site on the internet, is owned by NBC, which hardly condemns the fact that the rumor came from there as "an internet report." Only in the next paragraph did they link HBT to NBC. So, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, easy on the arrogance, just because you waste trees. If it came from Astros County, sure, write it off as an internet report (unless AC actually had a source- then I'd be set ablaze) but take into account the site itself, not whether or not it has an address.
To sum up: Piss off, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Back to the rumor, to which Jon Daniels responded:
General manager Jon Daniels didn't respond directly to the report, but said, "You can probably figure this one out."
Maybe not. Be more specific.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Foltynewicz finally agrees
Baseball America's Jim Callis says that the Astros have signed #19 overall pick Mike Foltynewicz to a $1.3 million signing bonus.
Roy and Rangers getting close?
Craig Calcaterra knows a guy who knows a guy who says that the Rangers and Astros are working on a deal to send Roy to Arlington. Hopefully after this weekend.
A major league source is telling me that the Rangers have been talking to the Astros about Roy Oswalt and that the teams are "getting closer" to having a deal in place. It's not yet clear which player(s) would be coming back from Texas to Houston, but my understanding is that the live bodies part of the deal is more or less agreed to.
There are some major sticking points to this. Mainly, will U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Lynn approve the sale of the Rangers to the Ryan-Greenberg group? And this is not a slam dunk decision. If he does, then I would imagine Roy is a Ranger. If not, this could be dragging on until the end of July. If so, it still may drag on, but at least everyone involved will be happy(-ier).
And then Buster Olney (and here) refutes the report:
Highly placed source on the Oswalt-to-Rangers-in-the-works report: "Nothing to it." Given their financial situation, it would be hard for them to think about taking the most expensive starter in what is a flush market of starting pitching.
A major league source is telling me that the Rangers have been talking to the Astros about Roy Oswalt and that the teams are "getting closer" to having a deal in place. It's not yet clear which player(s) would be coming back from Texas to Houston, but my understanding is that the live bodies part of the deal is more or less agreed to.
There are some major sticking points to this. Mainly, will U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Lynn approve the sale of the Rangers to the Ryan-Greenberg group? And this is not a slam dunk decision. If he does, then I would imagine Roy is a Ranger. If not, this could be dragging on until the end of July. If so, it still may drag on, but at least everyone involved will be happy(-ier).
And then Buster Olney (and here) refutes the report:
Highly placed source on the Oswalt-to-Rangers-in-the-works report: "Nothing to it." Given their financial situation, it would be hard for them to think about taking the most expensive starter in what is a flush market of starting pitching.
Who hasn't signed?
It's been a week since the first day of the 2010 June Draft, and the Astros have signed 25 players. Impressive, and while I'm not about to scour the other 29 teams' drafts, I imagine that number has to be near the top. The question is, who are the 27 players who have not yet signed (or indicated that a signing is imminent)?
1st Round: Delino DeShields, Jr.
2nd Round: Vincent Velasquez
3rd Round: Austin Wates
6th Round: Adam Plutko
10th Round: Evan Grills
13th Round: Davis Duren
19th Round: Jacoby Jones
21st Round: Aaron Blair
22nd Round: Zach Dygart
25th Round: Rodney Quintero
28th Round: Jason Chowning
29th Round: Broughan Jantz
30th Round: Kellen Killsgaard
32nd Round: William Chrismon
35th Round: Esteban Gomez
36th Round: Ryan Halstead
38th Round: Ryan Ford
39th Round: Krishawn Holley
42nd Round: Paul Gerrish
43rd Round: DeMarcus Henderson
44th Round: Alexis Garza
45th Round: Ian Vazquez
46th Round: Lawrence Pardo
47th Round: Joseph Carcone
48th Round: T.J. Pecoraro
50th Round: David Donald
1st Round: Delino DeShields, Jr.
2nd Round: Vincent Velasquez
3rd Round: Austin Wates
6th Round: Adam Plutko
10th Round: Evan Grills
13th Round: Davis Duren
19th Round: Jacoby Jones
21st Round: Aaron Blair
22nd Round: Zach Dygart
25th Round: Rodney Quintero
28th Round: Jason Chowning
29th Round: Broughan Jantz
30th Round: Kellen Killsgaard
32nd Round: William Chrismon
35th Round: Esteban Gomez
36th Round: Ryan Halstead
38th Round: Ryan Ford
39th Round: Krishawn Holley
42nd Round: Paul Gerrish
43rd Round: DeMarcus Henderson
44th Round: Alexis Garza
45th Round: Ian Vazquez
46th Round: Lawrence Pardo
47th Round: Joseph Carcone
48th Round: T.J. Pecoraro
50th Round: David Donald
Astros sign three more
It's been a busy week for Bobby Heck (which is also the title of my forthcoming children's book), who signed three more picks:
7th Round pick Roberto Pena
23rd Round pick Adam Bailey
27th Round pick Jacke Healey
7th Round pick Roberto Pena
23rd Round pick Adam Bailey
27th Round pick Jacke Healey
Round Rock leaders
And rounding out (ha ha) today's updated statistical leaders, we have your Pacific Coast League Round Rock Express. Hitters are organized by OPS (min 100ABs), Pitchers by WHIP (min 20IP).
Round Rock - hitters
Round Rock - pitchers
Round Rock - hitters
| Name | ABs | Avg/SLG/OBP | K:BB | XBH-RBI | SB/Err |
| Johnson | 129 | .341/.371/.605 | 20:7 | 17-31 | 0/10 |
| Navarro | 128 | .313/.417/.508 | 25:19 | 16-21 | 0/5 |
| Bourgeois | 223 | .350/.398/.489 | 24:15 | 18-28 | 17/3 |
| Shelton | 172 | .291/.364/.465 | 38:19 | 14-31 | 0/4 |
| Locke | 182 | .258/.325/.456 | 37:18 | 20-27 | 0/2 |
Round Rock - pitchers
| Name | IP | ERA/WHIP | K:BB | HR All |
| Bazardo | 23 | 2.74/1.13 | 11:8 | 3 |
| Daigle | 24.1 | 2.96/1.15 | 23:5 | 2 |
| Banks | 84 | 3.00/1.19 | 29:20 | 10 |
| Chacin | 25 | 3.60/1.20 | 14:6 | 5 |
| Van Hekken | 84 | 4.03/1.30 | 57:20 | 5 |
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