Thursday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros failed to take advantage of early baserunners, going 0x8 w/RISP - now 1x28 in this series vs Detroit w/RISP - and ended up losing 6-3. Charlie Morton made it through the 7th for just the second time this season.

*After a 9th inning homer, Alex Bregman finished (wink wink) a triple shy of the cycle.

*For only the second time this season Chris Devenski didn't strike out a batter. Hinch:
It was a little bit of bad luck, little bit of rough start to the inning, and they found a way to push across a couple of runs. 

*Notably, Jordan Jankowski made his major-league debut, striking out the side but allowing a 2-run homer to Jose Iglesias in between the 2nd and 3rd strikeouts. Jankowski:
I felt fine. I thought I made some pretty good pitches. Iglesias just beat me. I hit my spot, and he just beat me. 

Given the velocity and launch angle, Iglesias' home run is a home run 1% of the time.

*Dallas Keuchel is ready to come off the DL:
I didn't really want to go on the DL in the first place...It's not like I was on my death bed or anything. It was one of those things where it wasn't feeling right, and I decided to get right just based on how we're playing and the situation we're in.

Also in that link we find that Correa has been out of the lineup for two games because of a "sinus-induced sickness" that led him to sleep all day yesterday. While the sinus issues are nothing to envy, I'd do just about anything to just sleep all day.

*Since posting consecutive 2-hit games on April 11/12, Carlos Beltran is hitting .210/.269/.370 in his last (arbitrary end point alert) 32 games - 30 starts - with 32 strikeouts in 130 plate appearances.

*A strengthened lineup top-to-bottom means the Astros are stealing far fewer bases this year compared to the last two years.

*Jerome Solomon writes that the Astros faced their biggest challenge this past weekend, and still found ways to win.

*Recently DFA'd outfielder Andrew Aplin was traded to the Mariners yesterday for Cash Considersations or a PTBNL. Aplin, the Astros' 5th Round pick in 2012, had hit .245/.341/.329 in four seasons at Triple-A. When he was drafted, Baseball America said that Aplin was good defensively but profiled more as a 4th outfielder-type.

*Eno Sarris: The Astros have played the 10th-toughest schedule in baseball to date.

*Want a new lefty reliever? The Padres are open to dealing Brad Hand and his 12.1 K/9 rate.

*The Astros' marketing folks are up to it again, revealing a Chris Devenski/Dragon bobblehead promotion (June 20) on the day the new Game of Thrones trailer was released (whatever "Game of Thrones" is...)

*Coming up tonight: Verlander vs. Fiers, which should be just fine.

*Before You Go:

Goosebumps! The amazing moment Manchester crowd joins in with woman singing Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger after minutes silence pic.twitter.com/Cw4mOq8yde

— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) May 25, 2017

Report: Astros to call up Jordan Jankowski

Brian McTaggart is reporting that the Astros will call up reliever Jordan Jankowski from Fresno today to fill Ashur Tolliver's spot, who filled Dallas Keuchel's spot when he went on the DL.

Jankowski turned 28 last week and has been in the Astros' system since 2012, when they drafted him in the 34th Round (four years after they drafted him in the, yes, 34th Round). Over six seasons, Jankowski has posted a 3.20 ERA / 1.16 WHIP with 478 strikeouts and 131 walks in 399.2IP.

This season for Fresno, his 3rd season at Triple-A, Jankowski has posted a 1.42 ERA/1.16 WHIP with 22K:9BB in 19IP. It will be his first appearance in the majors.

Andrew Aplin was DFA'd to make room on the 40-Man Roster.

Monday Morning Hot Links

*Astros pitching got lit up in the 8th in yesterday's 10-4 loss to the Rays. Michael Feliz allowed a single and a home run to make it a 6-3 game and then Tony Sipp allowed a three-run homer on his second pitch because that's what Tony Sipp does in 2016, apparently.

Hinch, on Sipp:
We're trying to work with his delivery. Today, they were saying his breaking ball wasn't breaking as much. His fastball leaks over the plate. Those are all bad signs for him. 

*Alex Bregman made another couple of errors at third base by seemingly over-correcting from the two errors on Saturday night. Hinch:
You have one shot at third base to judge whether to come in or go back. Yesterday, [Bregman] went back and the ball took the second hop and it hurt him. Today, he tried to come in, and he couldn't quite reach it, and the ball gets under his glove. It's still a learning curve for him. 

*Who won yesterday: North Cleburne (of course), Baltimore, Toronto, Kansas City
Who lost yesterday: Houston, New York, Boston, Detroit.

The Astros are 8.5 GB of Lower Wichita Falls and 3.0 GB of WC2. The Ramgers open a series at home against Seattle; Baltimore plays Toronto; the Yankees are at Kansas City.

*The New York Times says the playoff race isn't as chaotic as it seems.

*Will the potential lack of October baseball hurt Altuve's MVP chances?

*Joe Musgrove, who will start tonight against Oakland, is trying to be better at making adjustments in the middle of the game, rather than battling through it and waiting to adjust before the next game starts.

*Yulieski Gurriel will get a start in the field this week.

*Colby Rasmus may not need a rehab start and, depending on how he runs and swings, could be back in the lineup this week.

*Louisiana native Will Harris is helping out flood victims.

*Corpus has won 80 games for the second straight year. According to the Hooks' Michael Coffin, four Texas League teams have won 80 games in back-to-back seasons. The Hooks have done it twice.

*Watch Fresno's Andrew Aplin make a ridiculous catch in center-field.

*George Springer's parents were named Little League Parents of the Year.

*The Detroit Free Press' Mary Chapman spoke to a longtime umpire to talk about ejections. Like every link I put in here, it's well worth your time.

*Before you go: This is the greatest gif of all time.

Astros Depth Charts: the Middle Outfield Edition

To whittle away the time between now and the start of Spring Training, us at Astros County plans to preview each positional group of Astros.  We will look at the Major League roster, all relevant players who have played AA and above, and any available or reasonable trade targets or free agents.  We may also include some random players for the sake of comparison.  If you missed the earlier editions, the primer is here, the Catchers here, and the Middle Infielders here.

Those of you who (i) try to untangle my mangled prose most days and (ii) pay attention and have space in their heads for random facts may be aware that I don't share a hemisphere with the team that I write about.  All of my spellings become Anglicised rather than Americanised.  I am not normally bothered by posting with the "wrong" spelling for a predominantly US audience, except when it comes to Centre Field, which bothers the heck out of me to look at.  I can't bring myself to type Center Field, and yet Centre Field looks stupid.  Some of you may have noticed that I will always write CF, rather than spelling it out and having to engage in an internal argument about whether I override the spellcheck autocorrect or not.  It causes a significant amount of cognitive dissonance to me, nearly to the point where it costs me much-needed sleep.

I have devised a plan around this to present these depth charts without spelling anything incorrectly or causing significant anxiety and losing sleep.  So, without further ado, lets jump straight into the Middle Outfield Edition of the Astros Depth Charts.


The Starter:  Carlos Gómez (30, turns 31 in December)

It seems that once every 10-or-so years, the Astros trade for a CF named Carlos, who has a limited amount of team control left.  It happened in 2004 with Carlos Beltrán (who is still referred to by some Astros fans as Carlos the Jackal), and it happened in 2015 with Carlos Gómez, who was in the midst of a down year prior to the trade.  Time will tell whether Gómez will abandon the Astros for the almighty dollar like The Jackal did, which he could do as a free agent after this season.  While we are on the topic of Carlos the Jackal, it makes sense to point out that the Constable has an excellent article with a link on the front page of Astros County which is well worth a re-read.

Because Gómez’s career has been an interesting one, the projections don't quite know what to do.  The Astros traded for a player with a high floor – he will at least offer some pop with the bat while playing a solid-to-above-average CF - but there is a pretty good chance that he totally busts out again, and puts up a near league-leading WAR in CF. 

Gómez will play 2016 as a 30-year-old.  He looked older than that last year, but his injury troubles were well documented throughout the year, culminating in an aborted trade to the Mets, and Gómez sitting out much of September.  He will hit free agency at the end of the 2016 season after being paid $9MM to play in 2016 (which is the last year of a 4 year, $28.3MM contract that he signed with the Brewers prior to the 2013 season). 

Gómez’s travels have also been well-documented – he was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2002 by the Mets, eventually making his big-league debut with the Mets in 2007 as a 21 year old.  The following offseason, he was sent to the Twins in the Johan Santana trade, where he spent the next two years playing pretty well for a young guy, posting a combined 2.6 bWAR / 3.7 fWAR in the process.  After the 2009 season, Gómez found himself traded straight up for the Brewers’ J.J. Hardy, and he spent the next five-and-one-half seasons in Milwaukee.  Game then headed to the Astros as a CF upgrade (along with SP Mike Fiers) prior to the trade deadline last season.  So Gómez has now played for four teams at the major-league level, and he seems likely to play for a fifth team starting in 2017.

The Brewers did well out of Gómez.  For a start, they gave up only a solid major-league regular in J.J. Hardy to sign him.  Secondly, they got a bunch of prospects back from the Astros– Santana is young, interesting and possesses RH power, Phillips profiles as a decent regular, Josh Hader has a floor as a LOOGY and a ceiling as mid-rotation starter, and Adrian Houser (the fourth prosect in the trade) certainly isn’t nothing.  Thirdly, Milwaukee was the recipient of 20 bWAR (or 21.3 fWAR) from Gómez over his five-plus years there, with a good-value extension signed prior to Gómez being due to hit free-agency.

What is interesting when looking at Gómez's career is his capacity for brilliance, but also his high floor in "down" years.  Since his age 25 season (2011), he has posted a minimum 2.2 bWAR (or 2.2 fWAR), while also throwing in a couple of stellar campaigns.  His 2013 season involved a monster .284/.338/.506 triple-slash, 40 stolen bases and 24 home runs, good for an 8.5 bWAR (or 7.4 fWAR), while his 2014 season resulted in a .284/.356/.477 triple slash with 34 stolen bases and 23 home runs, good for a 4.8 bWAR / 5.7 fWAR.  In his 2015 campaign (combined .255/.314/.409 with 12HR), he was still worth 2.3 bWAR / 2.6 fWAR / 1.4 WARP, which was the least he has offered in a single season since 2012.

Logic would predict, therefore, that Gomez could be a solid above-average player, with some potential to be a difference-making star.  Marcel likes him to regain some value, projecting a .269/.330/.456 line with 17 home runs.  Steamer is a little less bullish (.257/.317/.427 with 19 HR and 24 stolen bases).  ZiPS is roughly in agreement with Steamer (.259/.317/.433 with a strikeout rate approaching 24% and a walk rate approaching 6%, with 17 HR and with a projected zWAR of 3.4) 

However, history would suggest that he is a good chance to handsomely beat those projections with the bat while providing above average defence and baserunning.  Up the middle, that is a very handy player to have.

The Backup:  Jake Marisnick (24, turns 25 in March)

Handsome Jake, as he is sometimes known around here, came to Houston in the Jarred Cosart trade at the deadline in 2014.  Marisnick may prove to be the worst of the three prospects arriving in Houston in that trade, which is eye watering when you think about it - we may see Colin Moran this year, and Francis Martes is appearing on high up on some top prospects lists, so both of those guys are making solid progress.

Marisnick was originally drafted by Toronto in the third round of the 2009 draft - he remained in the Toronto system for three-and-one-half years, and went to Miami in the Jose Reyes mega-trade in the offseason of 2012.  He was a top-rated prospect at the time (#28 according to Baseball Prospectus) but some concerns around his hit tool were expressed through his minor-league career.  Marisnick shuttled to and from the major-leagues in 2013 and 2014.  2015 represented his first full season with a big-league team.

In 2015, Marisnick posted a combined .236/.281/.383 line.  That line, combined with solid outfield defence at all three positions was good for a bWAR of 2.2 (or an fWAR of 1.8, or a WARP of 1.7, whatever you want to use).  The triple slash line - whilst not impressive by itself, was an improvement on his career line in the major leagues.  He had 372 PA's, hit 9 home runs and 4 triples, and walked 18 times against 105 strikeouts (28.2% K-rate).  He stole 24 bases against 9 caught-stealings.

However, the season-long stats don't tell the whole story.  Marisnick opened the season ridiculously hot, posting a triple-slash of .379/.422/.621 in 65 April PA's.  Then, in the four months between May and August, his best monthly OBP was .236, and his best monthly SLG was .320.  Then he rebounded to an above-average .275/.367/.510 line in 62 September and October PA's at a time when the regular at the position was battling injuries.  So his season was four months of suck, bookended by some crazy-good months where it all came together.

So that poses the question of what the heck happened, and how can Handsome Jake revert more consistently to his offensive megastar ways.  Jake remains only 24, so he still has some time to develop, and perhaps further improvement - if only age related - is in order.  On the other hand, he has a career K% of 27.4 versus a BB% of 4.4 in the Major Leagues, and his BABIP was .310 in 2015.   Marisnicks career - the arc of which will be defined principally by his abilities with the bat from here onward - could easily go either way from this point.

Marcel projects Marisnick to post a .246/.294/.377 line in 410 plate appearances - very similar to 2015.  Steamer sees a little less room for growth, with a .237/.281/.372 line in 175 plate appearances, with a wRC+ of 77, and a projected fWAR of 0.4.  ZiPS goes for the middle ground between those two projections, pegging Marisnick for a .244/.292/.380 season, with a 26% K-rate, and a 4.7% walk rate.

Regardless of what the projection systems say, it should be obvious to most Astros fans that (i) Marisnick's glove and legs will be very useful at the big league level and (ii) he has the potential in his bat to post a monster season at some point over the next 3-4 years, if everything breaks right, if he strings a few good months together, and if pitchers forget to throw the ball three feet off the plate every time he bats.  To me, his strikeout rate looks too high to come down through natural regression, and his walk rate looks too low to forecast a breakout year with reasonable confidence, but Big Fudge continues to be a guy you can dream on.


Covered in the Next Exciting Instalment:  Colby Rasmus and George Springer


Also on the 40-Man:  Andrew Aplin (24, turns 25 in March)

Andrew Aplin in a graduate of Arizona State, who was drafted by the Astros in the 5th round of the 2012 draft.  He had been drafted in the 33rd round of the 2009 draft by the Yankees, but he opted to head back to school and he re-entered the draft three years later.  He bats and throws as a lefty, has appeared mostly in CF / middle-outfield through his minor-league career and was Rule 5 draft eligible for the first time this year.  The Astros added him to the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft, thereby protecting him from being pinched by other teams.

Aplin spent 2015 in Fresno and Corpus, with approximately two-thirds of the season spent at the AAA level.  He dominated Corpus prior to his call up (.343/.458/.448), and continued to show a good batting eye at Fresno (.275/.392/.348), working 45 walks compared to 41 strikeouts.  His career walks exceed his career strikeouts in number, so this was no surprise.

Aplin's combined 2015 numbers (.296/.413/.379) were a significant improvement over his 2014 numbers at the same two levels (combined .265/.372/.345), so he showed some progression with the bat in 2015.  It seems that 2016 a very important season for him - if he continues to show some progression, he will probably push hard for a roster spot on the big-league team, but if he regresses, he could struggle to remain on the 40-man.  Throw in his age, and it is evident that his time is now.

Marcel - by virtue of it's simplicity, is silent on Aplin's progression, given his lack of Major-League plate appearances.  Steamer sees Aplin posting a solid OBP for a young outfielder (.248/.328/.344), while striking out at a 16% clip, and maintaining a 10% walk rate.  Steamer also forecasts a BABIP drop to .290, which would be lower than any mark he has had in his career to date.  ZiPS sees a considerably worse batting line than Steamer, so there is some considerable divergence between the Fangraphs projection systems for once.  ZiPS has a .238/.319/.318 line with a walk rate just over 10% and an above-average strikeout rate of nearly 17%.

Aplin had a good 2015 season, and 2016 will determine whether he is able to ride that into a big-league debut this year.  He seems like he may be the first middle-outfielder called up in the event of an injury (although the Astros could easily just move Springer or Rasmus back to CF instead).  If he does play at Minute Maid this year, he is likely to offer modest offensive value only.  However, a contact-first left-hander with OBP skills may not be the worst thing to slot somewhere in the Astros lineup.


Long Shot:  Teoscar Hernandez (23, turns 24 in October)

Teoscar Hernandez is an outfielder from the Dominican Republic who spent time in CF in Corpus last year.  Prior to the season, he was getting some prospect-love, after posting a .294/.376/.550 line at the offensively-friendly Hi-A Lancaster.  He continued to slug in 99 PA’s at Corpus in 2014 after a late-season promotion, but his OBP took a hit while his strikeout rate jumped to over 35% to close 2014 (.284/.299/.474).  Because he needed to be added to the 40-man to be protected from the Rule 5 draft after this season, 2015 shaped to be an important year for him.

The last 12 months didn’t go well.  Hernandez remained at Corpus for the entire year, receiving 514 PA’s.  His triple slash took a hit in all categories - .219/.275/.362 - with his strikeout rate remaining significantly below-average (24.5%).  He managed 33 stolen bases, and hit 17 home runs, however, so these was some value related to his speed and power.  

These peripherals do not scream success, however, and 2016 is shaping up to be a bigger year for Hernandez as a result.  Depending on whether the Astros plan to start him in CF or in one of the corner spots, he could well open the year at Corpus again.   Steamer projects more offensive mediocrity in the form of a .221/.266/.356 triple slash, with a 27% strikeout rate against a 5.2% walk rate.  ZiPS projects Hernandez to be worse: .209/.254/.348 with a strikeout rate approaching 33%.

Hernandez has the additional hurdle of needing to be added to the 40-man to get promoted to the big-league club.  I wouldn't expect to see him around in Houston in 2016 unless something very odd happens and he breaks out.


The Guy They Traded:  Brett Phillips (21, turns 22 in May)

Phillips was sent to the Brewers in the aforementioned Carlos Gómez trade.  J.J. Cooper rated him number two in the bevy of Astros prospects traded away over the last season, and he was starting to get some national prospect love from the various organisations.  In 145 plate appearances in Corpus in 2015 (his age 21 season), Phillips raked to the tune of .321/.372/.463.  He regressed a bit after the trade in a new league in AA Biloxi: .250/.361/.413 in 98 plate appearances, but that OBP from a young guys looks very appealing.

Phillips is included as a comparison only.  He is also a poor comparison - Marcel has no projection, and the ZiPS projections for the Brewers have not yet been released, so we only have Steamer.  Steamer sees Phillips hitting .254/.303/.388 with a strikeout rate just over 22% and a walk rate of just under 6%.  

Phillips is not, according to the projections systems, a can't-miss prospect, but that is a pretty solid projected line for a 21 year old.  And as a point of comparison, Ender Inciarte (who is profiled next) hit .281/.327/.362 at AA Mobile during his age 22 season.  Phillips' career is going to be very interesting to watch.


The "Trade Target":  Ender Inciarte (25, turns 26 in October)

I put trade target in speech marks, because of the dubious nature of the rumour that linked Inciarte to the Astros.  MLBTR reported recently that the Astros had contacted the Braves about Inciarte, who had been traded to the Braves from the Diamondbacks earlier in the offseason.  I called the rumour dubious because, while it most likely has a grain of truth, I am sure that most clubs have contacted the Braves about Inciarte.  Additionally, the Astros Front Office is notoriously tight-lipped, so the rumour would have most likely been leaked from elsewhere, and probably served some kind of purpose, such as pressuring another team into making a move.  Inciarte is not an obvious fit in Houston, and I also cannot see the Astros making another worthwhile move to accommodate him, unless they plan to ship Springer out of town for a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Anyhow, Inciarte seems like the real deal: he is young and controllable, bats from the left side, and has a solid major-league line for a contact-orientated player: .292/.329/.386 in just over 1000 ML plate appearances.  Although he has managed only 10 home runs over his big-league career, he has stolen 40 career bases against 13 career caught-stealings.  He is a solid defender (5.2 career dWAR according to Baseball-Reference).  So he would certainly be a piece that other teams should enquire on, but I doubt the discussions between the Astros and the Braves got very advanced.

Moving to the projections, Marcel buys into Inciarte's batting line, projecting a .292/.335/.400 line, with a career-high 7 home runs projected in 525 plate appearances.  Steamer forecasts a lesser line: .273/.315/.369, also with 7 home runs in just over 550 plate appearances.  ZiPS would have been a useful third system to consult, but he appears neither on the Atlanta projection page (which was published first) or on the Arizona page, which is a relatively recent publication, contains projections for him.  Darn.  


Conclusion:  The story of the Middle Outfield Candidates is one of solid defence and a reasonably high floor in both the starter and the backup, but with considerable capacity for growth or breaking out from both players.  Carlos Gómez has a couple of MVP-grade seasons on is resumé.  In his walk-year, he could be doubly dangerous.  Jake Marisnick has broken out for month-long periods of time, with two unsustainably-awesome months bookending his 2015 season.  Marisnick would need to lower his strikeout rate for that to happen consistently - consistent contact has always been his weak point.  

Elsewhere on the farm, Andrew Aplin may get a look, but the various systems don't think that he will make an immediate impact in the major-leagues.  Brett Phillips had a pretty decent projection for a young guy, but he is sadly plying his trade in the National League now.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

The Astros are tied for the League-lead in road wins (1) since the beginning of play on August 11. The White Sox beat the Angels in 13 innings, and David Robertson called Mike Scioscia "bush-league." You already likely know that Seattle pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit the Orioles (my friend was there, man), and the A's and Rangers both lost. The Astros are currently two games up on the Angels, 5.5 up on the Rangers. There are 47 games left in the season.

*Carlos Gomez wasn't in the lineup yesterday thanks to that pretty amazing play in center field against Matt Duffy on Tuesday night, but with the off-day today, he's looking to be in the lineup tomorrow.

*Jose Altuve TOOTBLANs more when the offense is struggling.

*Brad Peacock had to have back surgery to remove bone spurs as a result of a pinched nerve. He'll return in 2016.

*The Astros had a team meeting in Oakland.

*Nice one, Preston Tucker.

*Kirk Bohls on Carlos Correa.

*Oh good. Miguel Cabrera will be back for the Tigers tomorrow against the Astros.

*Director of Player Development Quinton McCracken spent six days in Quad Cities. Also, there was a drone delay in the Peoria/Lake County game.

*Watch Andrew Aplin make a boss catch for Fresno

PreStros Morning Report: April 17

TL;DR

*Org affiliates go 3-1 on the day; cumulative 26-9 record.
*Crazy game in Las Vegas as Fresno had an 8-2 lead, then fell behind 9-8, and ended up winning 11-10.
*Carlos Correa dominated in a rain-shortened 8-5 win over Springfield.
*Lancaster jumped all over High Desert in a 10-4 win, with Evan Grills allowing 2H in 5IP.
*Quad Cities blew an 8th inning lead in a 9-6 loss, despite Thomas Lindauer's HR, BB, 3RBI night.

Fresno (7-2)

These games are crazy. Fresno had an 8-2 lead after three, and then Las Vegas scored the next seven runs (with a 6-run 6th inning) to take a 9-8 lead over Fresno. Then three more runs in the 7th for Fresno gave the Grizzlies an 11-9 lead, then Las Vegas brought it to 11-10 and James Hoyt threw a perfect 9th to preserve the 11-10 win. Alex White threw 5IP, 9H/6R (5ER), 3K:2BB; Gonzalo Sanudo made his Triple-A debut and allowed 5H/3ER (2HR) in 0.2IP; Jordan Jankowski held Las Vegas to 1H/0ER in 1.1IP; Josh Fields allowed the run to bring it to 11-10 with 3H/1ER in the 8th, and James Hoyt did his thing.

Nolan Fontana (2B, BB), L.J. Hoes (2B, BB), Andrew Aplin (HR, 2RBI) had two hits each. Jon Singleton (3-run homer) and Max Stassi (2RBI) added home runs. Domingo Santana was 1x4 with a triple, walk, and three runs scored.

Man of the Match: Andrew Aplin

Corpus (7-1)

Corpus jumped out to an 8-1 lead and withstood a 4-run 7th from Springfield before rain finished the game after 7 1/2 innings with an 8-5 Corpus win. Kyle Westwood threw 5IP, 7H/1ER, 4K:1BB; Angel Baez allowed 3H/4ER, 2K:3BB in 1.1IP; Jandel Gustave gave up two hits that led to two of Baez's charged runs in 0.2IP.

Carlos Correa is a beast, going 3x4 with two doubles and 2RBI. He's now hitting .394/.474/.727. Colin Moran was 2x4 with a double and 2RBI; Leo Heras was 2x3 with two doubles, and Roberto Pena was 2x3 with an RBI. Telvin Nash was 1x4 with 2RBI; Brandon Meredith was 1x3 with a solo homer. Tonky Kemp was 0x1 with three walks, a stolen base, and three runs scored.

Man of the Match: Carlos Correa

Lancaster (5-4)

Lancaster scored runs in seven of the nine innings on their way to a 10-4 win over High Desert. Evan Grills threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB; Troy Scribner allowed 5H/4ER, 3K:2BB in 2.2IP; Randall Fant walked one in 1.1IP.

Danry Vasquez (2B, BB), J.D. Davis (2B, HR, BB, 2RBI), Chase McDonald (2B, HR, BB, RBI), Brett Phillips, and Brian Holberton (2 2B, 2RBI) all had two hits each. A.J. Reed hit a two-run homer in the 8th; Jack Mayfield had a triple and an RBI.

Man of the Match: Evan Grills

Quad Cities (7-2)

The River Bandits took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 8th, and by the time they came up to bat again it was 9-6 Beloit, which is how the game ended. Daniel Mengden threw 4.2IP, allowing 7H/4R (2ER), 6K:0BB; Ryan Thompson entered the game with the bases loaded and allowed one run (charged to Mengden) before ending the 5th. Austin Chrismon allowed 7H/5ER in 2IP, and Albert Minnis struck out one in the 9th.

Jacob Nottingham (2B, RBI), Thomas Lindauer (HR, BB, 3RBI), and Bobby Boyd all had two hits each. Derek Fisher and Mott Hyde had a double and a walk each. Alfredo Gonzalez was 1x3 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Thomas Lindauer

Straily, Appel and Aplin Leave...

Just a quick update because time is short today.  This afternoon, I will be unavailable due the largest sporting event locally since the Rugby World Cup in 2011.  The pundits say too close to call, and because there is no best-of-three / five / seven format, the microscope will be on every single play.  I am not going to have much in the way of fingernails left come 10pm this evening.

Anyhow, for fans of fifth-starter races, this move signals the first significant cut of the spring.  Dan Straily, recently acquired from Chicago, was optioned to Minor League Camp prior to today's game.  He pitched yesterday, giving up a solo homer in 3-and-two-thirds - one of his better outings of the spring.  Overall, he threw 10.2 IP for 12 hits and 5 walks, while striking out six.  He gave up seven earned runs over the spring.

Putting the Spring Training stats aside, it is probably important to acknowledge Straily's recent form. After a promising early Major League career, he struggled in 2014 with the Cubbies.  It is not every year that your pitching coach can take a struggling starter and turn them into a strikeout machine with an ERA in the mid- to high- twos using just one Spring Training.  With McHugh, it took a Spring Training and three weeks in the minor leagues, after all.

And placing unrealistic expectations to one side, it seems that the Astros are intent on adjusting the way that Straily pitches to perhaps alter his repertoire or try and regain some velocity.  I think it is also likely that the Astros saw Straily as someone who may require a little more than a single Spring Training to turn his career around when they traded for him.  Overall, this move isn't surprising, especially given the Roberto Hernandez roster situation, the Sam Deduno lack of options, and the strong spring of Wojo.

Mark Appel and Andrew Aplin were both reassigned to minor league camp.  Appel had a solid spring, throwing 7 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 walks against 5 strikeouts, and giving up two runs.  He appears ticketed to Corpus, and may be lined up for a cup of coffee or call up post-All Start Break this year.  Otherwise, he will sit in the minors for the first month of 2016, unless the Collective Bargaining Agreement is changed prior to then.

Andrew Aplin was granted 19 plate appearances, getting one hit and walking five times.  That lone hit was a single.  The Small Sample Size Police would arrest me for attempting to draw any inferences from those stats, and rightly so.  He remains an interesting prospect who is on the outside-looking-in with an Astros organisation with a number of high-ceiling outfield prospects and young major league pieces.

The camp now sits at 41, with the interesting decisions likely to be made in the next week.  Opening day is, after all, only two weeks from today, and the Astros have stated that they want player-battles over in the last week prior to starting the season.

Correa, Appel, Others Receive Spring Training Invites

The Astros announced they are inviting Mark Appel, Carlos Correa, Nolan Fontana, Colin Moran, Joe Sclafani, Andrew Aplin,  Preston Tucker, Luis Flores, Tyler Heineman, Roberto Pena, Brady Rodgers, Jason Stoffel, Jordan Jankowski, Gregorio Petit, Matt Duffy and Dan Johnson to Spring Training for the upcoming season.

The invites range from top prospects with no chance to make the big club, to potential role players aiming to win jobs out of spring training, to Dan Johnson, who you might have missed is now in the organization.

This is one of the joys of spring training for me, seeing the future playing alongside with the present. Also, Dan Johnson.  Pitchers and catchers report on February 20. Now that the Hall of Fame ballot watching is over, I'm getting a little antsy for real baseball to start. Just around the corner.

So what has been going on in Arizona* anyhow?

* - the Fall League, not the Winter Meetings...

The Astros contribute to the 35-man roster of the Salt River Rafters, along with the Marlins, the Twinkies, the and the Astros' two "interleague rival clubs", the Diamondbacks and the Rockies.  Man, I bet all that rivalry makes for some tense bus trips to away games.

Anywho, despite all that tension between prospects that are forced to hate one another, the Salt River Rafters won the AFL East Division with a 17-11-4 record.  There must have been something good about those bus trips, because they managed a 10-4 record on the road, and only managed a .500 record at home.  They play the Championship Game tomorrow (Saturday) - against the Peoria Javelinas, who clinched the West in the last game of the season.  I think it will be on the MLB network, and kicks off a 1pm MST, or 2 Central and 3 Eastern.

So lets have a look at how the Astros prospects went during the "regular" season of the AFL.  And who knows - perhaps  Cockroach or myself may whip together a game recap for the final.  Stranger things have happened!

Mark Appel:
Warning: sarcasm ahead...

You may have heard of this guy.  Former #1 pick, got lazy and out-of-shape, washed out of Lancaster, then went for a anti-baseball bullpen visit to MMP, which he TOTALLY didn't earn.  After that, I blocked his name from my browser, so I have no idea how the rest of the season ended.  I imagine he wound up in the GCL somewhere, trying to keep his ERA below 9.

/end sarcasm

Well, he had a pretty decent AFL.  He garnered some attention - this time of the good sort! - over the seven starts that he made.  Filthy slider!!  His overall stats resulted in him throwing 31 innings, allowing 18 hits, 10 runs (9 earned) with one lone home run.  He struck out 24, and walked 8.

Looking at the game log also gave cause for a little optimism.  Four of his starts (17 innings) were scoreless.  In those 17 innings, he allowed a total of 5 hits, 3 walks and 17 strikeouts.  Those starts weren't all against patsies either - he beat the Scottsdale Scorpions (12-20-0), the Surprise Saguaros (16-15-1), the Mesa Solar Sox (15-14-2) and the AFL West-winning Peoria Javelinas (15-14-3).

The others starts were (obviously) worse, but he never allowed more than five hits (the shortest outing was 4 innings), and never walked more than three.  He had a 6ER/5R outing against Scottsdale, where he gave up 5 hits, walked 3 and struck out 2.  In the start before that, he gave up 3R/ER, 5 hits, 1 walk and three strikeouts against the Peoria Javelinas - his second start in a row against them - and in the last game of the season, he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and a walk.  The final earned run came on a solo shot.  So only one of the starts was a disaster, and even then, he only gave up one more hit than innings pitched in that start.

So a pretty good AFL for Appel, and he definitely could see Houston at some stage in 2015.  His form may have factored into the Tropeano decision, which netted Houston "switch-hitting" Hank Conger.

Mitchell Lambson:
Lambson is a left handed reliever who spent the season between Lancaster and Corpus.  He was taken in the 19th round of the 2011 draft out of Arizona State, so he should have been plenty familiar with the climate.  His time in the Texas League was fairly strong, yielding a 1.36 ERA over 33 innings, striking out more than a batter an inning.

Lambson continued his solid year in the AFL, making 10 appearances, throwing 14-and-1/3 innings, and allowing 2 earned runs.  That resulted in an ERA of 1.26.  He struck out 17, and walked 7.  One of his earned runs was via a solo home run.

Lambson certainly didn't hurt his stock in the AFL at all, and his IP per appearance logs indicate that he is more than a LOOGY.  He will start the season in AA or AAA, and could potentially get a sniff at Houston late in 2015.

Tyson Perez:
Perez is a right handed reliever who also split the year between Lancaster and Corpus.  Like Lambson, his showing in Corpus (ERA 2.09) was also better than in Lancaster (5.87).

Perez certainly didn't hurt his stock in the AFL either.  Working as a reliever who threw multiple-innings on a number of occasions, he also appeared in 10 games, also throwing 14-and-1/3.  He allowed 11 hits, struck out 11, and walked one.  He allowed only 1 earned run, resulting in an ERA of 0.63.  However, he also allowed 2 unearned runs on three hits in his last appearance of the year.

Prior to his last two appearances (where all three runs scored), he had allowed 6 hits in 11 innings, while striking out 10.

Perez turns 25 in December, so his time is soon.  He also didn't hurt his chances to either sniff Houston in 2015, and will probably open the season at Fresno.

Vincent Velasquez:
Velazquez needs little introduction, besides a reminder than he turned 22 in June and finished the season in Lancaster.  His career has been continually hampered by injury.  He managed only 64 innings this year between the GCL Astros (where he was sent on a rehab assignment) and Lancaster, so his appearance in Arizona was likely an attempt to simply get him more innings.

Velasquez had a rough AFL, throwing 13-and-two-thirds innings over 5 total appearances, with 4 starts.  He allowed 14 hits, walked three and struck out 13.  His ground-out : air-out ratio was in positive territory which is consistent with his results over the year.  However, he had two disaster starts - one against the Glendale Desert Dogs (3IP, 6H, 5R/ER, 2HR allowed, 2K) and one against the Mesa Solar Sox (0.2IP, 4H, 3R/ER, BB, K).  He was scored upon in one other outing (5IP, 2H, 1R/ER, BB, 6K).  His overall ERA was a lofty 6.59

(An anonymous yet undoubtedly handsome AC Commentator pointed out that Velasquez left his shortest (0.2IP) and final start - where he is recorded as allowing three earned runs - due to injury, and that all of the runs recorded against him were allowed to score by the "relief" pitcher.  Without that start, his ERA would have been 4.84 - 7 runs in 13 innings, but five of the seven remaining runs scored were in one outing.  Thanks for the extra info.)

The verdict is probably that Velasquez has probably not done much to make the 40-man decision any easier.  He will have to be added, or risk being lost in the Rule V draft in December.  A pitching-poor team, looking for a potential starter could easily stash him in the 'pen in long relief.  It will be an interesting decision.

Rio Ruiz:
Ruiz had a big year - at least in terms of games played - appearing in 131 games at Lancaster, with a solid (albeit offensively swollen) line of .293/.387/.436.  The scouting reports that I have read on him are generally positive, but tend to doubt how much power he could get out of his stroke.  However, at 20, he has a lot of time to work it all out, and getting some time in the AFL was probably more about exposing him to better pitching than anything else.

Ruiz had a bit of a struggle, eventually getting 87 plate appearances which yielded a .187/.292/.227 triple-slash.  He managed 12 walks versus 17 strikeouts.  Out of his 14 hits, three were doubles.  This may not be his last trip through the AFL, but will nearly certainly be is least productive, because a year at AA next year is going to say a lot about his ability to hit better pitching in a less offence-friendly environment.

Joe Sclafani:
Sclafani's rise will be well known amongst fans of the Astros' minor-league system.  Sclafani started his professional career at Tri-Cities in 2012 as a Dartmouth grad, after being drafted in the 14th round.  The following year, he played 19 games at Quad Cities (.241/.430/.293) and 92 at Lancaster (.302/.396/.474).  He opened 2014 in Corpus (.285/.333/.361), but was promoted after 36 games to OKC, where he continued to hit and walk in 62 games (.339/.420/.438).  He has fielded all over the diamond, starting his career in the lower minors as a middle-infielder, then getting some third-base reps at Lancaster.  At Corpus, he played 4 positions (2B, 3B, LF, RF) and at Oklahoma he was used only as an infielder, including one game at shortstop (which he hasn't played since Hi-A).  As a switch-hitting contact-and-walk guy who doesn't strike out (1181PA, 147K, 138BB, career line .295/.384/.404), there is nearly-immediate potential value here, á la Kiké Hernandez.  In fact, Sclafani may have been the reason that the Astros felt they were able to trade Hernandez.

Well, Sclafani continued to "rake" in the AFL - at least his particular brand of raking.  He managed 51 plate appearances, walked 5 times while striking out 11 times.  He managed 17 hits, five of which were doubles.  That all amounted to a a .370/.431/.543 line, which is very solid.

Note that the Rafters had only 4 outfielders on the roster, so Sclafani saw time at both outfield corners.

Sclafani is 24-and-a-half, so his time is soon as well, and he has done nothing to worsen his position in the Astros' depth chart.  He would need to be added to the 40-man to see time in the Bigs, but I imagine that he will be going to Florida in February with a realistic chance to battle Matty D for the 3B job, Mike-Bob Grossman for the LF job, or Mar-Go for a super-utility job - if Gonzalez isn't the starting shortstop.

Andrew Aplin:
Andrew Ahyim Aplin should also be well-familiar with the Arizona climate, also coming out of Arizona State, but this time in the 2012 draft.  Aplin split 2014 between Corpus and Oklahoma, finishing the season with a combined .265/.372/.345 line.  As a lefty would patrols a decent CF, he wouldn't be without supporters watching his career closely.

Aplin saw action in 19 AFL games, resulting in a triple-slash of .269/.388/.358.  He may have been tired (126 games on the year, heading into the AFL), because his last ten games saw him slash .188/.395/.188.  He had 79PA, which yielded 18 hits (1x2B, 1x3B, 1xHR) and 12 walks versus 18 strikeouts.  He stole four bases, but was caught stealing five times.

At 23 years, 7 months, Aplin has a little more time to put it all together.  That is not saying that he isn't putting it together now, of course, but at this stage it would be nice to see the average and/or slugging percentage creep up a little.  Still, not a bad season overall.


In all, the Astros prospects - as a whole - did little to dent their reputations.  Appel and Sclafani probably did their stock a lot of good, Lambson and Perez had pretty decent stints for relief pitchers, and Aplin did fine.  Ruiz and Velasquez - who are both quite young - probably didn't do their stock any harm, but only after age is taken into account.  As mentioned previously, the Astros have an interesting and difficult decision to make on Velasquez shortly.

Feel free to add information or express opinions in the comments below!

A Look at the Astros in Arizona - Part II

The Salt River Rafters continue to dominate the Arizona Fall League, sitting with a leagues best 11-3 record and a 3 game lead in the East Division. And Astros prospects continue to be in the middle of it.

Mark Appel 

Appel continues to impress, as he now has 12 innings with 0 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks and 12 strikeouts, in 3 starts. His last start was his best, going 5 innings, with only two hits and zero walks allowed. Scouts have liked what they've seen with his stuff, for the most part, and he seems to be regaining some of that top prospect sheen. Really, best case scenario for Appel in the desert.

Vincent Velasquez

Velasquez has had two starts, and they could not have been any more different. He was shelled his first go round, going three innings and giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and two home runs. He struck out two, against zero walks, which as the only positive to be gleaned from that outing. His second start was a different story. Against a tough Peoria lineup, he went 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit, again striking out two. His AFL season numbers are still ugly, but they are trending in the right direction.

Andrew Aplin

Aplin has cooled off considerably, going hitless in his last 4 games. He is still hitting .300/.344/.500, which only looks good if you forget he was hitting .500 just over a week ago.

Rio Ruiz

As Aplin has cooled, Ruiz has taken off, as he is hitting .294 with a .415 OBP in his last 10 games. The power is still not showing up, as he has only two doubles and no other extra base hits. He is showing a good eye, and I'm sure the power is right around the corner.

Tyler Heineman,  Tyson Perez,  Mitch Lambson and Joe Sclafani continue to perform well in limited roles. Perez, in particular, has pitched 7 innings, allowing zero runs on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts, against only 1 walk. Lambson hasn't been quite as good in his 6 innings. He's matched Tyson with 7 strikeouts and allowed two fewer hits, but has been plagued by 5 walks. He's got a 3.00 ERA on the season. Heineman has only appeared in three games, going 2-5 with 2 walks. Sclafani has seen action in 4 games, and has gone 4-14 with two walks and a homer un.

Obviously, these are incredibly small samples, and nothing meaningful can be gleaned from these numbers. But it's still fun to see the Astros prospects perform well. The AFL All Star Game is set for November 4, and I think you can expect to see some Astros prospects take part in that.

A Look at the Astros in the Arizona Fall League

The Astros sent 8 players to Arizona this fall to play for the Salt River Rafters, including big names like Mark Appel, Rio Ruiz and Vincent Velasquez. The Salt River team also contains other big name prospects, including Byron Buxton and Archie Bradley. They have now played 7 games and are playing like the star studded team they are, going 6-1. And the Astros prospects have had a lot to do with that.

Mark Appel

Mark Appel's fall appearance is helping to erase the memory of the disastrous 2014 season. He pitched well in AA after his promotion, and so far in Arizona has been close to dominant. In two starts, he has pitched 7 innings, allowing only 2 hits and three walks compared to 8 strikeouts. He has yet to allow a run. Keith Law (insider) wrote up his first outing, and noted his velocity and slider were good, but he was lacking fastball command.

Andrew Aplin

Aplin has been pretty clearly the MVP of the Rafters so far, batting .500/.500/.857 in 14 at bats. His biggest game came on October 10, in a 12-2 walloping of Peoria. The Rafters scored 11 runs in the 5th inning in that game, and Aplin was 2-2 with a grand slam in that inning alone. He that day 4-5. He also drove in the only run of the night last night, with a triple in the 8th. 

Rio Ruiz

Ruiz has struggled a bit in the early going, batting only .217/.308/.268 in in 23 ABs, although he went 2-2 with a walk last night. Law (insider) commented on some extra weight and a resulting slower bat speed.  

The remainder of the Astros have received minimal playing time. Velasquez has only pitched in 1 inning, and gave up two hits and a walk, but avoided any runs by striking out 2. Mitch Lambson and Tyson Perez have both pitched 4 innings, with a Lambson home run the only run allowed between them. Perez earned the save last night. Tyler Heineman has gone 2-5 with two walks and Joe Sclafani is 0-3 so far. 

For more on the Astros in the Arizona Fall League, go read these first hand account of a very Astros-Centric game last night over at What the Heck, Bobby?

Andrew Aplin to OKC

The Hooks announced a few minutes ago that Andrew Aplin has been promoted from Corpus to Oklahoma City.

Aplin was hitting .267/.379/.354 for Corpus with 56K:65BB, and was hitting .281/.397/.365 in 29 July games. He'll likely fill the void left by Austin Wates.

Colin Moran has been assigned to Corpus as a corresponding roster move.

PreStros Morning Report: July 31

TL;DR

*Domestic teams go 2-5 on the day.
*Alex White gets pulled in the 2nd, Joe Sclafani goes 3x4 in an OKC loss
*Corpus Christi has recorded three total hits in their last two games as the Hooks fall to Midland
*Lancaster scores six in the bottom of the 8th, Ronnie Mitchell goes 3x3 with a double, two homers, and 5RBI in his Lancaster debut.
*Marc Wik pops three triples in a Quad Cities loss.
*Tri-City rallies twice but falls in the 11th for their first three-game losing streak of the year.
*Greeneville drops a game to Johnson City despite Angel Heredia's four scoreless IPs (5K).
*Elieser Hernandez strikes out nine GCL Pirates in 6IP as the GCL Astros win.

Oklahoma City (56-58, 4.0 GB)

OKC put up two runs in the top of the 1st and were flexing at Round Rock. And then...then, they, uh...gave up eight unanswered runs to lose 8-2. Alex White didn't make it out of the 2nd, giving up 6H/4ER, 0K:0BB in 1.2IP; Richard Rodriguez allowed 2H/2ER, 0K:0BB in 2.1IP; Jorge De Leon threw 2.2IP, 3H/1ER, 1K:1BB and Pat Urckfitz allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:0BB.

Joe Sclafani was 3x4 with a stolen base; Domingo Santana was 2x4 with a double and 2RBI. Jonathan Villar, Ronny Torreyes (OF assist), Carlos Perez and Jio Mier added hits.

Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani

Corpus (18-23, 7.0 GB; 52-59 overall)

Make that three total hits in their last two games. Corpus tied the game up at 1-1 in the 4th, but promptly allowed five Midland runs in the bottom of the 5th on their way to a 6-1 loss. Mike Hauschild threw 4.1IP, 5H/5ER, 4K:3BB; Jordan Jankowski gave up 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB in 3.2IP.

Leo Heras was 2x3 while Andrew Aplin got an RBI double and a walk. The rest of the team was 0x21 with 12K:0BB.

Man of the Match: How about Heras and Aplin?

Lancaster (22-18, 2.0 GB; 66-44 overall*)
*clinched playoff berth

Crazy one - as usual - in Lancaster last night as Lake Elsinore puts up five 1st inning runs, the JetHawks tie it up at 6-6 in the 3rd, trade runs in the 4th and 5th, fall behind 9-7 heading into the bottom of the 8th, and score six for a 13-9 win. Lance McCullers got knocked around for 12H/8ER, 2K:3BB (3HR) in 5IP; Zach Morton allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:0BB in 2IP; Daniel Minor (1H/0ER) and Jamaine Cotton (0H/0ER) threw an inning each.

Ronnie Mitchell was 3x3 with a double, two homers, two walks, and 5RBI in his Lancaster debut. Teoscar Hernandez (2 2B) and Jon Kemmer (2B, HR, 2RBI) had three hits each. Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with two doubles, a walk, and 2RBI. Chan Moon (2RBI) and Tyler White (2B) got a walk and a hit.

Man of the Match: Ronnie Mitchell

Quad Cities (21-18, 2.0 GB; 56-52 overall)

Clinton rallied from a 4-2 deficit, despite the RiverBandits bringing the game to within 8-7, and just kept scoring, handing the River Bandits a 13-9 loss. Michael Feliz allowed 10H/8ER, 3K:4BB in 4.1IP; Albert Minnis gave up 4H/3ER, 3K:2BB in 1.2IP and Frederick Tiburcio allowed 4H/2ER, 3K:1BB in 3IP.

Marc Wik was 3x5 with three triples and 4RBI; James Ramsay was 2x4 with a double, triple, and an RBI. Brian Holberton (RBI) and Thomas Lindauer (BB, SB, RBI) had two hits each. Brett Phillips was 1x4 with a walk, double, RBI, and an outfield assist.

Man of the Match: Marc Wik

Tri-City (31-16, 6.0 up)

Down 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th, the ValleyCats tied up the game and sent it to extras. Mahoning Valley scored a run in the top of the 10th which the ValleyCats answered, but couldn't answer a Mahoning Valley run in the top of the 11th for a 7-6 loss - Tri-City's first three-game losing streak. Joe Musgrove allowed 6H/3ER, 5K:1BB in 5.2IP; Bryan Radziewski gave up 2H/2ER, 2K:2BB in 1.1IP; Raul Rivera walked one in 2IP and Jordan Mills took the loss with 2IP, 3H/2R (1ER), 2K:1BB.

Alex Hernandez (BB), Derek Fisher (RBI), Ricky Gingras (RBI), Mott Hyde (2B, BB, 10th inning HR), and Ariel Ovando (2B) had two hits each. Jamie Ritchie was 0x3 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Joe Musgrove

Greeneville (21-20, 3.0 GB)

A three-run Johnson City 5th pretty much put the game away in a 4-1 Greeneville loss. Joshua James threw 4IP, 4H/1ER, 3K:3BB; Aaron Greenwood allowed 3H/3ER, 0K:1BB in the 5th; Angel Heredia threw four scoreless innings, striking out five JC batters.

Kristian Trompiz (BB) and Jeffry Santos (RBI) had two hits each. Jason Martin got a double, and Luis Reynoso and Ydarqui Marte each stole a base.

Man of the Match: Angel Heredia

GCL Astros (20-16, 1.0 GB)

The GCL Astros rallied with four runs in the 4th inning on their way to a 6-4 win over the GCL Pirates. Ross Seaton threw 2IP in a rehab start, allowing 5H/2ER, 2K:0BB; Travis Ballew walked one and struck out one in the 5th, and Elieser Hernandez allowed 5H/2ER, 9K:1BB in 6IP.

Dexture McCall was 2x3 with two doubles and an RBI. Richard Gonzalez hit a two-run homer. Connor Goedert was 1x2 with two walks. Arturo Michelena was 1x4 with 2RBI.

Man of the Match: Elieser Hernandez

PreStros Morning Report: April 6

TL;DR:

All four affiliates won their games Sunday. OKC's David Martinez threw five perfect innings, Corpus' Andrew Aplin was 1x3 with a double, 2BB, and a stolen base; Lancaster's Carlos Correa hit a three-run go-ahead homer; Quad Cities' James Ramsay was 1x2 with two walks and three stolen bases.

Oklahoma City (2-2)

OKC salvaged the opening series split at Round Rock by jumping the Express in the alley and curb-stomping them in a 9-1 win. Starting pitcher David Martinez got through his five innings in perfect fashion: 5IP, 0H/0ER, 5K:0BB - 40 of his 54 pitches were thrown for strikes. Bobby Doran threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB, and Raul Valdes allowed 1H/1ER, HBP, 2K:0BB in the 9th inning.

Ronald Torreyes was 3x5 with a double and 2RBI, while Austin Wates (3B, BB), Japhet Amador (2B, 2RBI) and Jonathan Meyer each had two hits. George Springer was 1x3 with an HBP, SB, 2B, and BB. Jon Singleton was 1x4 with a walk and 3RBI.

Man of the Match: David Martinez

Corpus (3-1)

Corpus survived a late scare at Springfield, winning 5-3 despite giving up three runs in the bottom of the 8th. Tommy Shirley allowed 2H/0ER, 7K:1BB in 5IP (45 of 72 pitches for strikes); Matt Heidenreich allowed 5H/3ER, 1K:3BB in 2+IP. Jordan Jankowski gave up 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 0.2IP, but one of those hits resulted in a run charged to Heidenreich. Travis Ballew got a four-out save, his first of the season, with 1H/0ER, 0K:1BB in 1.1IP.

Matt Duffy was 3x5 with a double; Preston Tucker was 2x5 with two doubles and an RBI; MP Cokinos was 2x4 with 2RBI. Tyler Heineman was 1x3 with a double and an HBP; Andrew Aplin went 1x3 with a double, two walks, and a stolen base. Jio Mier was 1x4 with 2RBI, and Delino DeShields was 1x4 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Andrew Aplin

Lancaster (2-2)

Down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 5th, the JetHawks put up consecutive 3-run innings in a 7-4 win over Lake Elsinore to split the opening series. Mark Appel went 2.2IP, allowing 3H/2R (1ER), 1K:2BB; J.D. Osborne allowed 2H/2ER, 2K:1BB with two wild pitches and a balk in 1.1IP; Mike Hauschild locked it down with 3H/0ER, 6K:0BB in 5IP.

Brandon Meredith tied the game in the 5th with a three-run homer on a 2x4, 4RBI, BB day; Carlos Correa hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the 6th, going 3x4 with three runs scored and 3RBI. Teoscar Hernandez was 2x5, Rio Ruiz went 1x3 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Carlos Correa

Quad Cities (2-2)

Quad Cities took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and managed to give it back, allowing three Kane County runs in the 4th, but scored five runs in the bottom of the 7th for a 7-3 win. Adrian Houser got the start, throwing 3.1IP and allowing 4H/3ER, 4K:4BB; Pat Christensen struck out three and walked one in 1.2IP; Gonzalo Sanudo did what Gonzalo Sanudo does: 3IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB. Zach Morton closed it out with 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in the 9th.

Tanner Mathis (BB) and Austin Elkins (2B, RBI) had two hits each; James Ramsay had himself a day, going 1x2 with two walks, two runs scored, and three stolen bases. Brian Holberton was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI; Brett Phillips was 1x5 with 2RBI and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: James Ramsay

PreStros Morning Report: July 23

Oklahoma City (55-49), 4.0 GB

Game 1 was the completion of a game suspended by rain on June 8, and it turns out that Omaha won on a walk-off in the 11th inning, 4-3. And the box score is bizarre, since so many moves have happened since then. Ross Seaton got the start, I guess, allowing 3H/1ER, 0K:1BB only recording the first two outs of the game. Asher Wojciechowski pitched the next 7.1IP, allowing 7H/1ER, 2K:2BB. Josh Zeid blew the save opportunity with a hit, three walks, and a run in 1.2IP. Alex Sogard took the loss with 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB in the 11th.

Jimmy Paredes hit a three-run homer in the 5th for all the RedHawks' runs.

Man of the Match: Asher Wojciechowki

Game 2 saw another Omaha walk-off victory, this time because of Rhiner Cruz and two runs in the bottom of the 7th (doubleheader rules, remember) leading to a 3-2 Omaha win. Bobby Doran allowed 5H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 5.1IP; Eric Berger struck out two in a scoreless inning, and Rhiner Cruz allowed 2H/2ER, 0K:1BB, WP for the BS/L.

Robbie Grossman was 2x4 with a double and a stolen base; Brandon Laird had two hits, and Marwin Gonzalez, Jimmy Paredes (SB), and Ruben Sosa provided your other hits. Jon Singleton was 0x2 with a walk to lower his AVG to .202.

Man of the Match: Bobby Doran

Corpus (16-15), 2.5 GB

Holy crap. San Antonio out-hit the Hooks 20-4 in an 11-3 beatdown of Corpus. Let's see: Ruben Alaniz allowed 7H/3ER, 2K:3BB in 5IP; Theron Geith made his Double-A debut and allowed 4H/3ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP; Carlos Quevedo was the only reliever to not allow any runs; Sergio Escalona (4H/2ER) and Pat Urckfitz (3H/3R - 2ER) threw one ineffective inning each.

Ronald Torreyes, Jonathan Meyer, Drew Muren (RBI), and Michael Burgess (RBI) had your hits - all singles. Michael Burgess also had two outfield assists, nailing runners from left field at second base.

Man of the Match: Michael Burgess.

Lancaster (21-12), 3.0 up

The JetHawks overcame a 4-2 deficit by scoring the last five runs of the game in a 7-4 win over 62-41 San Jose. Luis Cruz allowed 6H/4ER, 6K:0BB in 7IP; Jonas Dufek walked two in 1IP and Kenny Long got the save in his first game back at Lancaster to preserve his 0.00 High-A ERA.

Delino DeShields (2B), Nolan Fontana (2B, RBI), Andrew Aplin (BB, SB, 2RBI), Joe Sclafani (2B), Brandon Meredith (2B, BB, RBI) and Chris Epps (2B, SB, 2RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Andrew Aplin.

Quad Cities

Off.

Tri-City (24-12), 3.5 up

Down 4-1 heading into the 9th, Tri-City got two runs to bring the game to 4-3, but left the tying run on 1st to lose to Hudson Valley. Michael Feliz allowed 5H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 5IP; 2nd Round pick Andrew Thurman threw 2.1IP, allowing 3H/2ER but getting six of his seven outs via strikeouts. Pat Christensen got the final two outs.

Tony Kemp (2B), James Ramsay (two 9th inning RBI) and Conrad Gregor (RBI) had two hits each. Ryan Dineen had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Andrew Thurman

Greeneville (21-10), 3.5 up

Greeneville ran their win streak to eleven with a 5-4 win over Johnson City, withstanding a late Johnson City Johnsons* charge. Jordan Mills allowed just 4H/1ER, 5K:0BB in 5IP; Austin Chrismon gave up 2H/3ER, 3K:1BB in 3IP, and Gonzalo Sanudo recorded his 6th save of the year.

Tanner Mathis was 2x3 with a walk; Ariel Ovando (2B, BB, RBI) and Juan Santana (SB, RBI) had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Jordan Mills

*not their actual name

GCL Astros (14-13), 3.0 GB

The GCL Blue Jays had a 6-0 lead before the GCL Astros got a run and that's how it ended, with a 6-1 loss. Agapito Barrios allowed 2H/1ER, 4K:2BB, WP, Balk, HBP in 5IP; Reymin Guduan gave up 2H/2ER in 1.2IP; Jorge Perez allowed 3H/3ER, 1K:1BB in 0.1IP and Zach Dando closed it out with 1H in 1IP.

Mesac Laguna was 2x4 with an RBI; Jacob Nottingham was 0x2, but with a walk and an HBP and scored the lone run of the game.

Man of the Match: Mesac Laguna

Pre-Stros Morning Report: July 22

Oklahoma City (55-47), 2.5 GB

Tied 1-1 heading into the 6th, the RedHawks scored in each of the next four innings for a 6-1 win at Omaha. Brett Oberholtzer threw 6IP, 1H/1ER, 9K:1BB while Kevin Chapman (2IP, 4K:2BB) and Jason Stoffel (1BB) held the Storm Chasers scoreless.

George Springer was 1x5 with three strikeouts, but stole two bases and made what seems to have been a pretty great diving catch in center. Brandon Laird (BB, 2RBI), Jimmy Paredes (SB), and Ruben Sosa (3B, RBI) had two hits each. Robbie Grossman (RBI) and Jon Singleton (2B, RBI) each had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Brett Oberholtzer

Corpus (16-14, 1.5 GB), 58-42 overall

A 5-run 5th inning was enough to get the Hooks a 6-4 win over San Antonio. Ross Seaton threw 7.2IP, allowing 10H/4R (3ER), 2K:0BB. Chia-Jen Lo and Jorge De Leon got the final four outs.

Rene Garcia was 3x4 with a double and 2RBI; Erik Castro hit his 14th homer of the season - a two-run shot. Jonathan Meyer was 1x1 with an RBI and two walks.

Man of the Match: Rene Garcia

Lancaster (20-12, 2.5 up), 59-43 overall

There was only scoring in two innings total, but the JetHawks came away with a 3-2 win at Bakersfield. David Rollins threw 6IP, 5H/2ER, 3K:1BB; Jonas Dufek threw two perfect innings, striking out three, and Travis Ballew threw a scoreless 9th for his 17th save.

The JetHawks only had four hits, two by Andrew Aplin, but one of those hits - a three-run homer - was enough to win the game. Brandon Meredith (BB) and Joe Sclafani had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Andrew Aplin

Quad Cities (16-13, 4.5 GB) 54-44 overall

Quad Cities defeated Lake County 7-4 on the strength of the 4th and 6th innings. Colton Cain threw 4IP, 6H/3ER, 3K:3BB; Daniel Minor (3K:1BB) and Mitchell Lambson (3H) threw two scoreless innings each.

Jordan Scott was 2x4 with a triple and 5RBI; Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer in the 6th, his 17th; Teoscar Hernandez, Roberto Pena, and Brian Blasik (2B) drew two walks each.

Man of the Match: Jordan Scott

Tri-City (24-11), 4.5 up

Tri-City never trailed in this one, defeating Hudson Valley 4-3 to improve to 24-11. Tanner Bushue threw 5IP, 5H/3ER, 2K:2BB; Adrian Houser threw 2IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB.

Mike Martinez (2B, RBI), Ernesto Genoves, and Jon Kemmer (HR, 2RBI, BB) had two hits each. Conrad Gregor drew two walks.

Man of the Match: Jon Kemmer

Greeneville (20-10), 2.5 up

Greeneville was up 5-4 in the bottom of the 5th when rain suspended their game at Johnson City, and it will be made up on August 12.

GCL Astros (14-12), 2.5 GB

The GCL Astros took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and held on for a 4-3 win over GCL Blue Jays. Francis Ramirez allowed 5H/2ER, 4K:1BB in 4IP; Samil De Los Santos struck out three in four scoreless innings. Erick Gonzalez allowed an unearned run in the 9th.

Yonathan Mejia (2B, BB), Jose Solano (RBI), and Javaris Reynolds (BB, RBI) had two hits each. Brett Booth had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Yonathan Mejia

PreStros Morning Report: July 8

Oklahoma City (49-41), 1.0 GB

Asher Wojciechowski was super-human last night as OKC beat the Junior Rangers 5-0. Wojo pitched a complete game one-hitter, striking out five and walking one. Two double plays along the way meant that he faced the minimum, 27 batters.

Grossman was 2x4 with 2 RBI. Marwin Gonzalez was 1x5 with 1 2B and 3 RBI. George Springer went 1x3 with 1 BB and 1 SB

Man of the Match: Asher Wojciechowski

Corpus (9-9), 1.0 GB

Bobby Doran turned in a strong start and Preston Tucker showed signs of getting things on track as he propelled CC to a 4-2 win over Tulsa. Doran turned in 6 IP, allowing 4H/2R with 2K:2BB. Carlos Quevedo, Pat Urckfitz, and Jorge De Leon combined for 3 shutout innings in relief, with Quevedo giving up 1 H and De Leon adding 1 K.

Tucker went 2x4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. Max Stassi added a solo HR as he went 1x4.

Man of the Match: Preston Tucker

Lancaster (14-5), 2.0 up

Lancaster lost to High Desert 7-3. Tyson Perez threw 6 IP and gave up 8H/6R with 1K:3BB. Theron Geith threw 2 IP and allowing 3H/1R with 2 K.

Andrew Aplin was 2x4 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Joe Sclafani went 2x3 with 1 BB

Man of the Match: Andrew Aplin

Quad Cities (12-5), 0.0 GB

Cancelled 

Tri-City (14-8) 2.0 up

The ValleyCats and the IronBirds locked up for 11 and a half innings before a walk-off home run in the 12th gave Tri-City a 2-1 win. Randall Fant threw 5 scoreless innings with 4 H and 2 K. Zach Morton went 4 IP, allowing 3H/1R with 5K:1BB. Richard Rodriguez went the final 3 IP allowing 1 H and striking out an amazing 8 batters.

Tony Kemp was the only ValleyCat hitting for most of the game, finishing 4x5 with 1 R, but had 2 CS. Ryan Dineen supplied the game-winner while going 1x5.

Man of the Match: Tough call. Four strong individual performances and one clutch hit. (channeling my inner Oprah) YOU get a Man of the Match, YOU get a Man of the Match, YOU get a Man of the Match, YOU get a Man of the Match, YOU get a Man of the Match! EVERYBODY GETS A MAN OF THE MATCH!!!!!

Greeneville (10-8), 2.5 GB

The Astros avoided the sweep by beating Kingston 3-2. Sebastian Kessay threw 2.2 IP, allowing just a solo HR with 3 K. Christian Garcia went 2.1 scoreless innings with 1 H, 1 K, and 1 BB. Austin Chrismon threw 2 IP, giving up 3H/1R. JD Osborne went the final 2 scoreless with 2 H and 5 K for his fifth save. Osborne has been lights out so far for Greeneville. In 6 games and 10 innings, he has yet to allow a run while tallying 19 strikeouts to just 2 walks. With runners on, opponents are hitting just .053 against him so far.

Tanner Mathis was 2x3 with 1 RBI. Chase McDonald went 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: JD Osborne

GCL Astros (8-5), 1.5 GB

The Astros unloaded on the Braves, winning 13-1. Joe Bircher went 5 shutout innings with 6 H and 4 K. Javier Lozano threw 1 IP, giving up 0H/1R (unearned) with 1K:1BB. Chris Munnely went 1 scoreless with 1 BB. Kevin Ferguson went the final 2 IP with 1 K.

Luis Reynoso went 4x6 with 1 2B and 2 R. Tyler White went 2x3 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 2 RBI. Jean Batista was 3x4 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 2 RBI. Jacob Nottingham was 1x2 with 2 BB, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI. Luis De La Rosa was 1x2 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 R, and 3 RBI.

Man of the Match: Joe Bircher

DSL Astros (18-11) 1.5 GB

The Astros squeeked one out against the Red Sox, winning 4-3. Juan Hernandez pitched 1.1 innings and gave up 3H/2R with 2K:2BB. Junior Garcia went 4.2 scoreless IP with 1 H and 3 K. Victor Mesa threw 1 IP, allowing 2H/1R (unearned) with 1K:1BB. Christhoper Santamaria went 1.1 scoreless, and Angel Heredia (yep, this guy) finished up the final .2 IP with 1 H and 2 K.

Luis Payano was 1x3 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Hector Roa was 1x4 with 1 2B and 1 R. Jarico Reynoso was 1x3 with 1 R and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Junior Garcia

Six Hooks make Texas League All-Star team

So six Hooks players made the Texas League All-Star team:

Rene Garcia and George Springer will start, with Domingo Santana in reserve; pitchers Jake Buchanan, David Martinez and Mike Foltynewicz will, um, pitch.

A few days ago it was announced that four JetHawks players made the California League All-Star team:  Preston Tucker, Andrew Aplin, and Matt Duffy representing the position players, and Brady Rodgers as the lone JetHawks pitcher to make the team.

Pre Stros Morning Report April 15th

AAA

Oklahoma City (6-5)

The Redhawks got their first home win of the season in a 11-0 shutout of the Memphis Redbirds (5-5). Wes Musick got the start and was stingy on the mound, giving up 2 hits and striking out 5 over 5 innings, earning his first win of the season. Jared Cosart followed Musick on the mound with 3.2 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits and striking out 3. Kyle Hallock pitched a third of an inning. At one point Musick and Cosart combined to retire 14 hitters in a row.

Brandon Laird lead the offensive attack with 3 hits in 2 ABs, including a double, 2 runs, and an RBI. Jonathan Villar hit his first triple of the season after being moved to the bottom of the lineup. Villar was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Hopefully this is a sign of him realizing baseball season has started and he needs to get his bat out of the deep freeze. Villar also had a stolen base. Jimmy Paredes (2H, 2R, 2B, 2RBI) and Trevor Crowe (2H, RBI, 2BB) each had 2 hits on the evening. Robbie Grossman (H, 2R, BB, 2K, SB), Mark Krauss (H, 3RBI) and Jake Elmore each had a hit, with Elmore extending his hit streak to 10 games.

Man of the Match: Wes Musick

AA

Corpus Christi (7-4)

The Hooks gave up solo home runs in each of the last 3 frames, losing 3-2 to the Tulsa Drillers (5-6) in walk off fashion. Austin Wates (2H, R, RBI, BB, 2SB) lead the game off with a walk and stole 2nd. He then advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch from Tulsa starter Dan Houston. Jiovanni Mier (BB, K, CS) also walked which brought George Springer (H, RBI, SB) to the plate with runners on the corners and no one out. Springer singled to right field to score Austin Wates. 3 Consecutive ground outs from Michael Burgess (2K), Domingo Santana (K), and Jonathan Meyer (0-4) would end the frame. In the 2nd the Hooks would take advantage of a Driller error that allowed Erik Castro (H, R, BB) to reach base. Carlos Perez (2H, 2B, 2K) doubled to left field moving Castro to 3rd, who would then score on an Austin Wates single. That would the be the extent of the scoring for the Hooks. Enrique Hernandez had a hit and was caught stealing.

Asher Wojciechowski keeps up his scoreless innings pitched streak. In 5 innings he scattered 4 hits and struck out 3, walking none.
David Martinez pitched 1.2 innings and allowed a solo homer. He was awarded his first hold of the season. (2H, ER, 2K, HR.)
Jorge De Leon got the blown save, giving up 2H, 1ER, BB, 2K, and a solo home run.
Andrew Robinson got the loss when he gave up the winning run, another solo shot, to end the game.

Man of the Match: Asher Wojciechowski. On the season WOJO has a 0.00 ERA in 14IP, allowing 6 hits, 4 walks, and is striking out a batter per inning (14K)

A

Lancaster (8-3)

The Jethakws put up 15 runs on 12 hits to defeat High Desert (5-7) 15 to 5. Lancaster scored 5 in the 4th and 7 in the 7th. They got long balls from Drew Muren (1H, 2R, HR, 3RBI, BB, 3K), Preston Tucker (2H, 2R, HR, 2RBI, BB, K), and Andrew Aplin (2H, 2R, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 2BB). It was Aplins first home run and he also notched his 3rd triple on a 5RBI night. Brandon Meredith (H, 2R, 2B, BB, 3K) and Raout Torrez (2H, R, 2B, 2RBI, K) each had doubles. MP Cokinos (2H, 2R, RBI, BB) also had a mutli-hit game. Nolan Fontana (H, 3R, 3BB, K) walked 3 times and scored 3 runs. Zach Johnson (RBI, 3K) and Tyler Heineman (0-1) were the only Jethawks without a hit.

Tyson Perez went 3.2 innings giving up 8 hits and all 5 High Desert runs. He walked 2, struck out 1, and gave up a long ball.
Theron Geith got his 2nd win of the season. (1.1 IP, 0H, 2BB, K)
David Rollins earned his first save of the season. (4IP, 2H, 2BB, 6K.)

Man of the match: Andrew freaking Aplin on a 5 RBI night.

Low A

Quad City (7-3)

PPD

Astros County Top 25 Prospects: 15-11

These five and the previous five are virtually interchangeable. As a matter of fact, if I were to re-rank this group, my number 15 would be number 20 today. If you missed it, check out the first two posts 25-21 and 20-16 first, then come back to check out this one. 

15.  Kevin Chapman

As a lefty reliever, Chapman finally showed some ability to get out right handed hitters in 2012, though his walk rate remains too high. Admittedly, it's risky to rank a minor league reliever this high, but with a floor as a lefty specialist I think Chapman has a good shot of reaching the majors some day. He was originally a 4th round pick by the Royals and came to the Astros in the Humberto Quintero deal. He should spend most of the season in AAA and has the chance to earn a cup of coffee this season.

14.  Andrew Aplin

Aplin is a centerfielder with a little pop and a lot of speed. As is the case with many of the prospects added to the system recently, he also shows some patience at the plate. Aplin was taken in the 5th round of the 2012 draft by the Astros. He should spend the season in A ball.

13.  Preston Tucker

Tucker is a corner outfielder with some power, a decent walk rate, and a low strikeout rate. I could see him and Aplin playing side by side for a few years to come. Tucker should also be in A ball in 2013. He was the Astros 7th round pick in 2012.

12. Austin Wates

Wates is best known for his Sportscenter Top Plays catch over the wall, but the attention he received afterwards is warranted. As a left fielder who can play a little center, Wates' best tools are his defense and his strong batting average. He's also very engaging with fans on Twitter. Wates was the 3rd round pick by Houston in 2010 and earned a shot at AAA pitching this year.

11.  Nolan Fontana

Fontana got a lot of attention for walking 65 times in just 49 games in 2012. That said, he also struck out a lot and only hit .225, though that's a direct result of him taking so many pitches and working to two-strike counts. A more balanced approach will help this shortstop going forward. Picked in the 2nd round by the Astros in 2012, Fontana should spend the year in A ball.