Saturday Morning Hot Links

I took Thursday off. I'm not all that sorry, but I did need to recharge a little bit. Again, I can't thank Flick enough for taking three days of Hot Links per week. The Astros took on the Blue Jays, who vanquished the East Weatherford Rangers in 2015, so they're cool with me. Houston is 47-23.

*Houston is 29-11 in their last 40 games. It's the 13th straight series the Astros have opened with a win.

*The Astros went off for 10+ hits for the 2nd time in their last three games. It's their first 15-hit game since May 12 against the South Denton Rangers and their first 15-run game since...that game to which I just linked.

*Houston's 4-5-6 (Alvarez-Chirinos-Reddick) went 7x13 and 10RBIs. Reminder that Altuve, Springer, and Correa are currently hurt

*Gerrit Cole has allowed two or fewer earned runs in ten of his 15 starts in 2019. They're 8-2 in those starts. Cole:
I got into a better rhythm with the fastball command. I was good at times but fell behind. I was just able to do what I needed to do to get out unscathed.

*Gerrit Cole struck out ten batters in 6IP. It's the 5th time this season he has double-digit strikeouts with six or fewer innings pitched. For your consideration, Gerrit Cole 10+ Ks per start:

2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 1
2016: 0
2017: 2
[Goes to Houston]
2018: 8
2019: 8

*Rogelio Armenteros made his major league debut and threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB and is the first player in Astros history to record a save in his debut.

*Robinson Chirinos hit the first grand slam of his career. Houston has hit six grand slams in 2019, one fewer than 2001, 2007, and 2018. You have to go all the way back to September 21, 2018 to find the last game in which the Astros had a player with 6RBI, when Yuli did it. It's the 51st time in franchise history an Astro had 6+ RBI in a game.

*Yordan Alvarez is the 20th player in MLB history to hit his 3rd home run in his first four MLB games. Last night he was 3x4 with a walk. Hinch, on Yordan:
There's just a lot that he's doing right that starts with the right mindset and mental aptitude to be at this level at an early age. So I applaud him for his approach to his at-bats and how he's not letting the third deck get to him, he's not letting hitting in the middle of the order get to him. He's crushing.

Yordan hit the three hardest balls of the night. His home run was too much for this kid to handle.

*Alex Bregman went 1x3 with a 3-run homer, a walk, and 3RBI.

*Tony Kemp hit his 5th home run of the season. Three more than DH Tyler White, who went 1x5 with 3Ks.

*Jesse Sanchez has each AL West team's need as the 2019 season progresses. Unsurprisingly, it's the rotation, which by "rotation" I'm sure he meant "bullpen."

At 6.9 fWAR, the Astros' rotation ranks 8th in MLB, 3rd in the AL. The Astros' bullpen ranks [squints] 6th in MLB, 5th in the AL.

*Jose Altuve began his 2nd attempt at a rehab assignment last night for Round Rock. Collin McHugh joined him. George Springer is not about to begin a rehab assignment. Last night Round Rock was down 3-2 at the end of the 6th and somehow lost 16-3.
Altuve: 0x4, 2K
McHugh: 0.2IP, 1H/2ER, 1K:1BB
Corbin Hunter Martin: 1IP, 8H/7ER, 1K:1BB
Kyle Tucker: 2x4, 2 doubles

*Joe Smith will join the team in Cincinnati next week and prepare to go on a rehab assignment.

*Jake Kaplan: Did you know that Framber is ambidextrous?

*The Biggios are celebrating Father's Day Weekend. Patty Biggio is the secret to the Biggios' success.

*The Astros officially signed 2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger and 4th Round pick Colin Barber. The draft page, with financials, has been updated.

*The Tri-City Valley Cats were held to two hits in their season opener last night, which they lost 4-0.

*The Astros signed Cuban outfielder Roilan Machandy to a $250,000 bonus on a minor-league deal.

*The Athletic: Inside the XFL's first week of tryouts.

*Noted Ass-Clown Darren Rovell's suspicious gambling set off some alarms.

*The first family of counterfeit hunting.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

The Astros, well, it didn't go so well. Houston got a run in the first and then didn't do much of anything against Mike Leake (after getting handled by Wade LeBlanc earlier in the series!). And then the wheels fell off the pitching. Seattle won 14-1, though it was 2-1 Seattle at the end of the 5th. Congratulations to the Mariners for winning the World Series. Houston is 42-21 with a 9-game lead and 99 games to play.

Loss Stuff

*Last night was the fifth time in the last six series in which the Astros won the first two games, and then lost the third.

*The Astros had allowed 14 runs in their previous five games combined.

*The 13-run margin is the largest defeat for an Astros team since May 4, 2013, and just the 25th time in franchise history that the Astros lost by 13 runs.

*It's the second time this season the Astros have allowed their opponent to hit five home runs. They're 1-1 in those games.

*Brad Peacock did not deserve the loss: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:2BB. Hinch, on Peacock:
It's a tough loss for him because he pitched better. The score is going to look up on the board that it was a blowout and it was actually really close when he was in there. 

Peacock has allowed 2ER or fewer in ten of his 13 starts. Since allowing 7ER against the Twins on May 2, Peacock: 34IP, 21H/5ER, 41K:11BB. 1.32 ERA / 0.94 WHIP.

*Brady Rodgers became the 3rd reliever in 2019 to allow 8ER in 2IP, joining Milwaukee's Taylor Williams and Miami's Wei-Yin Chin. Williams did it all the way back on Tuesday night. Rodgers is just the 2nd Astros reliever to ever do it, the last being Xavier Hernandez on May 2, 1990. Rodgers gave up a 3-run pinch hit home run to a guy who had been released by the Giants, signed to a minor-league deal, and was making his first PA for Seattle. Hinch:
I was going into it not trying to use our primary guys. We've worked them a ton, so some other guys haven't got to pitch on a daily basis. They struggled tonight and it got really ugly.

*Reymin Guduan was handed a 2-1 game and allowed two hits and a walk. All three runners scored. Guduan has made four appearances in which he has recorded one out. Those four appearances: 1.1IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:3BB. Guduan's lone good appearance of 2019 came on April 20 when he threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB in a 9-4 loss to the Rangers. Guduan, a "lefty specialist" has faced lefty hitters eight times in 2019 and allowed a single, double, home run, and a walk. He has not struck out any of them. Guduan:
My command has been good. Just the slider today wasn't falling the way I wanted it to. Unfortunately, that's part of the game. I need to do better next time around. These are things that happen in baseball and I need to maintain my confidence...and (keep) my head high and attack the zone and keep doing my job.

Chandler Rome: The Astros do not have a reliable lefty in the bullpen.

*Houston was 1x10 with runners in scoring position.

*The Astros are hitting .271/.351/.489 with the bases empty, and .253/.331/.457 w/RISP.

*Jack Mayfield is 0x22 since hitting a double in his MLB debut.

Multiple injured superstars? The @astros train KEEPS ROLLIN' 🚂

Dive into the tape, @LaurenShehadi!#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/oSNcHEZLqb

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 5, 2019

Draft Stuff

*The Astros stocked up on college players and righty pitchers in the draft.

*2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger is no stranger to the Major Leagues.

*"The sky is the limit" for Astros' 3rd Round pick Jordan Brewer.

*4th Round pick Colin Barber ran out of a final to hug his coach.

*Garrett Stubbs gave an in-depth scouting report of his brother, 10th Round pick C.J. Stubbs.

*While there wasn't the in-depth coverage of yesterday's Rounds 11-40 of the 2019 MLB Draft, you can at least get the latest news and financials over at this here page. Some notable draftees from the late rounds:
37th Round: Max Dias, son of Astros VP Gene Dias.
38th Round: J.C. Correa, brother of ol broke rib head lookin ass boiiiii Carlos Correa, whom they drafted in 2018, as well.

*Here's a cool story on 21st Round pick Davis Vainer.

*SI has some ideas on How to fix the Draft.

*Keith Law: An oral history of how Mike Trout fell to the Angels in the 2009 Draft (not paywalled). Still think Jio Mier could pan out, guys.

Injury Stuff

*George Springer hit on the field yesterday. Jose Altuve ran the bases yesterday and "looked great." Aledmys Diaz is "doing everything." Collin McHugh threw off the mound yesterday.

Other Stuff

*MLB.com's Mike Petriello: Even after losing Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers, could the 2019 Astros' pitching staff be the best of all time? How? (Lots of fun stats in here).

*The Yankees and Braves are favorites to land Dallas Keuchel.

*Emma Baccellieri: How and Why MLB adopted the Save.

*Rob Manfred addressed the potential for more netting at ballparks, but probably just went back to trying to figure out how to negatively affect Baseball right after.

*This is great:

In the 32nd round, the @BlueJays select RHP @BradenHalladay from Calvary Christian HS (FL), son of the late Roy Halladay. pic.twitter.com/Z4wBaPqmyi

— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2019

*The Gambling Nuns of Torrance, California.

*A Musical Selection:

2019 MLB Draft Day 2 Post

Alright, folks, in years past I've done one post per pick, but that's a lot of separate posts for a three-day span. So this is the running post for Day 2, Rounds 3-10. Keep in mind I used to have a job that would allow me to just sit and stare at the Draft Tracker all day with few to no distractions. That is not the case. If it gets behind, don't worry, we'll get caught up ASAP.

Round 3 (106th pick overall): Jordan Brewer
Slot Value: $549,000

Jordan Brewer is a 21-year old 6'1" 195lb righty Junior from the University of Michigan, ranked as the 108th draft prospect by the Draft Tracker. Brewer was the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Big Ten outfielder. He had a day on March 15, hitting two home runs - including a grand slam - with 7RBI against Manhattan. As a JuCo transfer, this was his first year at Michigan, and he hit .349/.409/.612 with 12HR and 44K:24BB in 209 ABs. He did not ground into a double play once all season.

Brewer was on track to walk on to Michigan's football team before dislocating his shoulder. The Detroit Free-Press' Jim Seidel:
A proven college hitter, who is a versatile five-tool player. He runs like a deer and plays fantastic outfield defense. He has a strong arm, hits for power and for average...And he has a big upside. He's still learning how to hit - he credits the Michigan coaches for unlocking his power - is a threat on the bases, and can play all three outfield spots and first base. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Astros pick of Jordan Brewer. Extremely productive junior year. May be able to play CF in pro ball. Have mentioned he outproduced Ronnie Dawson in same conference as a junior (another Astros pick from a few years ago)

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 4, 2019

Round 4 (136th pick overall): Colin Barber
Slot Value: $410,100

Colin Barber is a 6'0" 185lb lefty outfielder from Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, California. Perfect Game wrote:
Medium athletic build with good present strength and room for more. 6.51 runner, works through the ball aggressively in the outfield with athletic actions, gets on top of his throws and creates good carry, centerfield tools. Left-handed hitter, hits from a spread open stance, has very quick hands with a short line-drive swing, works to all fields with a high-contact approach, can get some jump off the barrel when on time. Projects well in all areas.

He hit .493 with a .634 OBP with 6K:33BB in his senior year for Pleasant Valley. Barber has a commitment to Oregon (and grew up an A's fan), but maybe $410,100 and that Oregon just fired their coach, can change that. He is MLB Pipeline's #172 prospect on their Top 200.

Watch him take some BP:



Round 5 (166th pick overall): Hunter Brown
Slot Value: $306,800

Hunter Brown is a 6'2" 203lb junior RHP from Wayne State University in Michigan. He was selected to the D2CCA All-America First Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team, and the NCBWA All-America Third Team in 2019. He threw 85.1IP at Wayne State in 2019, allowing 62H/21ER, with 114K:39BB (2.21 ERA / 1.14 WHIP), holding batters to a team-best .203 BA.

Baseball America wrote him up as an under-the-radar prospect Up North, noting that his velocity was in the upper 90s, with a slider in the low 80s. Baseball America:
There's some length in the back of his arm stroke, which could potentially hurt his strike-throwing ability moving forward, but it's a fairly easy operation altogether. Brown's pure stuff should be enough to get him off draft boards before Day 3, and he is one of the most interesting Division II players in the 2019 draft class.

Astros take Wayne State's Hunter Brown in the 5th here. DII player, the second of the day taken. FB into upper-90's, touched as high as 98 mph, slider flashes plus, mature build but good size/strength. Had him a bit higher than this on the board

— Brian Sakowski (@B_Sakowski_PG) June 4, 2019

Round 6 (196th pick overall): Matthew Barefoot
Slot Value: $239,000

Matthew Barefoot is a 6'0" 205lb righty-hitting/lefty-throwing senior CF from Campbell University, who play their home games at Jim Perry Stadium in Buies Creek, North Carolina, where the Astros' High-A Carolina League affiliate played for the previous two seasons while the stadium in  Fayetteville was being built.

Barefoot hit .311/.407/.570 for Campbell in 2019 with a team-high 14HR (2nd-highest had 7HR) and stole 25 bases in 31 attempts. He was rated as the #148 prospect in MLB.com's Prospect Watch. Campbell coach Justin Haire:
I've told a bunch of people, he's just a true professional in the (batter's) box. He's basically a professional hitter, and has been for three years for us. Nobody shows up every day with a more consistent mindset than Matthew Barefoot. I'm just really proud of him.

Round 7 (226th pick overall): Blair Henley
Slot Value: $188,900

Henley, a  6'3" 190lb (he narra!) junior RHP from the University of Texas, comes out of Arlington Heights High School, where he was a 2016 Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American Honorable Mention pitcher after throwing three consecutive no-hitters, and was drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd Round of the 2016 Draft. For UT this season, Henley was 6-4 in 73.2IP with 62K:34BB, a 3.54 ERA / 1.48 WHIP, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Burnt Orange Nation says Henley has a high-80s/low-90s fastball with command over his curve. More Burnt Orange Nation:
Pro scouts are lukewarm on Henley because his stuff hasn't really gotten better since he started his career as a Longhorn....After going in the 2016 draft as a 22nd-Round pick to the Yankees, Henley was a well-rounded right-hander out of high school with an 88-92mph fastball. And three years later, he's a well-rounded right-hander with an 88-92mph fastball. He's a solid strike thrower with a fringe fastball and changeup, but an excellent curve will get him some positive reviews.


Round 8 (256th pick overall): Luis Guerrero
Slot Value: $160,300

Guerrero, a 5'11" 185lb sophomore originally from The Bronx but attending Miami-Dade College, earned Player of the Year honors in 2019, hitting .266/.333/.456 for the Sharks. In a nice profile during his freshman year, a teammate said of Guerrero:
Luis is a relentless worker who puts the team first. Even as a freshman he's a leader by example who pushes others to be better. He's the guy I chose to workout with because I know I'm going to get better with him pushing me.

Guerrero hit .348 as a freshman for Miami Dade, after being ranked as the #1 shortstop in New York by Perfect Game. Miami Dade coach Danny Price says the Astros "outsmarted some people."

Committed to USF, and says he has "a decision to make."

Round 9 (286th pick overall): Peyton Battenfield
Slot Value: $148,400

Battenfield, a 6'4" 224lb RHP from Oklahoma State, won three state titles at Verdegris High School in Claremore, Oklahoma. For OK State in 2019, Battenfield threw 58.2IP, allowing 39H/19ER, 71K:21BB as a multi-inning reliever. Opponents hit .186 against him this season.

Round 10 (316th pick overall): C.J. Stubbs
Slot Value: $142,200

Stubbs, a 6'3" 200lb pitcher/catcher (drafted by the Astros as a pitcher) from USC, is the brother of Current Astros Great Garrett Stubbs. C.J. Stubbs missed the entire 2018 season after getting Tommy John Surgery. He came back in his senior season and focused on catching, hitting .285/.378/.466 with 44K:20BB.

According to Mark Berman, he and the Astros have an agreement, and he will sign.