Oh, okay, yeah, J.B. MacDonald retired

According to Farmstros, who did some legwork, it turns out that, yes, J.B. MacDonald will go ahead and retire.

J.B. MacDonald reinstated?

Now this is interesting. Baseball America's Transactions Page says the Astros reinstated J.B. MacDonald from the Inactive List. But the 2009 pick retired last April. Hmmm.

Out of nowhere, J.B. MacDonald retires from baseball

Astros prospect and 2009 18th-Round pick J.B. MacDonald, 2009 NYPL All-Star and guest columnist for the Danvers Herald (where he had written on March 25 that he was working on getting his arm into shape) has retired from baseball. Says MacDonald, in the Herald:

I developed tendonitis in my rotator cuff, and so I haven’t been able to throw at all recently. On top of that, I decided to retire from baseball [April 6], and therefore I will be heading back to Danvers to find a job.

I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and finally decided to move on with my life.

I understand there are a lot of people, who would kill to do this, but it’s not for me. This was 100 percent my decision, and I am proud of it.

Also, it had nothing to do with my shoulder. I just decided this is not what I want to do with my life, and I needed to make this decision.

MacDonald was slated to start 2010 at Lexington. Best of luck to him.

J.B. MacDonald checks in from Spring Training

J.B. MacDonald has a guest post for the Danvers Herald on what Spring Training has been like, and it sounds uncertain:

I am still not sure where I will be playing this season or whether or not I will be a starter or reliever, but for now I am just focused on getting my arm in shape and ready for a long season.

The days have been flying by, and seem to be blending together since my routine has been basically the same since I’ve been down here.

The hardest thing for me has been to stay focused, when there are about 80 other pitchers down here all fighting for a spot on a team just like I am.

Tri-City ValleyCats: J.B. MacDonald

J.B. MacDonald
How did he get here?: Drafted, 18th Round (2009)
Stats: 6'2", 190 lbs, Throws: Right
Age as of April 1, 2010: 22

Splits!

Split	IP	ERA/WHIP	K:BB	BAA
Season	32	2.53/1.34	29:10	.264
vs LHB	13.1	2.03/0.98	12:5	.170
vs RHB	18.2	2.89/1.61	17:5	.321
Home	18	3.00/1.39	15:6	.271
Away	14	1.93/1.29	14:4	.255
Bases Empty	12	x/1.75	12:5	.296
Runners On	20	x/1.10	17:5	.239
w/RISP	14.1	x/0.91	13:4	.191
June	5	5.40/1.80	4:1	.364
July	14.2	1.23/1.16	15:4	.250
August	9.1	3.86/1.50	7:4	.250
September	3	0.00/1.00	3:1	.182

Season Total
K/9 Rate: 8.2
BB/9 Rate: 2.8
Groundout/Flyout Rate: 1.86
K:BB Ratio: 2.90

MacDonald served as the ValleyCats closer, recording eight saves, and only giving up 9ER in 32IP. MacDonald kept the ball on the ground, almost a 2:1 groundout/flyout ratio, and gave up two homers - one solo shot, and one two-run shot. MacDonald also finished strong, posting a 1.59 ERA in his last ten games of the season, giving up runs in just two outings. The only concern would be the splits against righties, who hit .321 against him (25 hits in 18.2IP). The strikeouts are nice, as are the low-ish walks.

Mayo, on the Astros' 2009 draft class

Jonathan Mayo has a look at the Astros' 2009 draft class:

Houston went the high-school route with their first four picks, clearly going with who they thought was the best available player in each spot instead of perhaps going with "safer" college players who could conceivably get to the big leagues faster. They did make up for that later on with a slew of college and junior-college picks. The final tally showed 27 of the 36 players signed did come from those ranks...

...And perhaps most important, the Astros didn't waste any time getting this talent going in the system. With just one exception, every pick who signed did so before June was over. If nothing beats experience, then the Astros are way ahead of the game with this Draft class.

On Jiovanni Mier:
The top high-school shortstop in the Draft class, Mier should actually be able to stay at short thanks to a great arm, smooth actions and good range. He impressed those who saw him in the Appalachian League during his debut on both sides of the ball. He hit .276/.380/.484 over 192 at-bats and looks like the Astros hitting prospect with the highest upside throughout the system.

On Tanner Bushue:
Bushue didn't get to pitch a ton even though he signed quickly because of a back injury. He did get in 22 1/3 Gulf Coast League innings, posting a 2.42 ERA and .220 batting average against, striking out 19 and walking just five. He's expected to be fine for Spring Training and it should be interesting to see how this projectable right-hander progresses when healthy.

On Telvin Nash:
Coming from the same high school as 2008 No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham, Nash has some serious raw power. He didn't show much of it during his debut in the GCL, where he hit .218/.280/.324 with 45 strikouts in 40 games. He did show some improvement with a .259/.317/.379 August, but he'll have to tighten up his swing some so he can tap into that power potential.

On Jonathan Meyer:
Taken in the compensation round following the third, thanks to not signing 2008 third-rounder Chase Davidson, Meyer was a versatile high schooler who played the infield, caught and pitched. The Astros are developing him as a third baseman and he has the chance to be a good one. He started switch-hitting not long ago and while he's behind from the left side, it looks like it might work. He played 62 games for Rookie League Greeneville alongside Mier and hit .190/.301/.299 with 69 strikeouts in 221 at-bats.

On B.J. Hyatt:
The Astros love the pre-Draft workout and Hyatt is one who likely got taken and signed because of how he looked in his workout with the team. He's strong-armed and projectable and his stats with Greeneville as a junior-college product might point to his future role: 1.64 ERA, 11 strikeouts in 11 innings as a reliever; 8.36 ERA in 8 1/3 innings, 18 hits allowed, nine walks and four strikeouts in three starts.

Sleeper Picks:
Dallas Keuchel, J.D. Martinez, Grant Hogue, and Mike Schurz

Projected Fast-Riser:
The Astros used Boston College senior sign James Macdonald (18th round) as a reliever with Tri-City and he pitched well in that role. Should he stay there, he could get there sooner than most.

J.B. MacDonald has a Money publicist

There's a lot of Astros prospect J.B. MacDonald in the news. Here's the local paper has a story on the young pitcher. Some highlights:

-“Over the next five plus months, I will be lifting weights and trying to find a job to save up some money before I go back. I won’t start throwing again until probably January, and from there I will work to get my arm in shape [in order to be] ready for the beginning of March.

“My end of the year meeting with my pitching coach [Gary Ruby] went well, and all he said was that I pitched well this summer, and they were happy with how I played, and the way I went about my business. He wasn’t sure what my role, or even where I’ll be placed as far as next season goes.

“All in all, I’m pleased with all that’s happened so far, and hope to have a similar experience next spring/summer.”

J.B. MacDonald likes playing baseball

Profile on J.B. MacDonald, Tri-City closer and NYPL All-Star:

"It was a great honor, and the [New York-Penn] league had a lot for us to do over the two-day event. I was one of 10 pitchers selected as an all-star, and I was able to pitch two-thirds of an inning retiring both batters that I faced on just three pitches — one on a liner and one on a grounder to shortstop. I feel pretty good and pretty confident right now."

So what will happen this off-season?
Macdonald should be back in town sometime after the Sept. 6 finale. He has no plans to play fall or winter ball; he just wants to relax for a while and rest up, so that he’ll be fresh for spring training next February.

“I’m certainly happy with the way things have been going so far,” he said.

ValleyCats rock balls in NYPL All-Star Game

The NYPL All-Star Game was last night, and the Tri-City ValleyCats were well represented.

-Brian Kemp was 1x1 with a BB.
-J.D. Martinez was 1x2 with a solo homer in the 5th.
-Russell Dixon was 0x2
-J.B. MacDonald threw 0.2IP, 0H/0ER, needing three pitches to get two outs.

With the 551st pick...

The Astros select 6'2" 190lb RHP J.B. McDonald from Boston College.

In 2009, McDonald's line...
5-7 record, 96.1IP, 96H/52ER, 72K:31BB, .250 BAA. Caught 7 of 13 baserunners stealing.

McDonald:
"Pro ball is what I'd love to do. I've talked to some teams lately: the Padres, Tigers, and Royals. A fair amount of teams basically called me to make sure my health is good and asked if I wanted to play (pro baseball). There wasn't been any kind of talk about money or (which) round. Honestly, I have no idea what round I may get picked or if I will be drafted. I definitely want to play (professionally) and my BC coach, Don Oaki, feels I have a shot at being drafted."