Seven More Optioned... Still No Surprises... Camp at 44

The Astros continued to send out minor-leaguers and NRI's, with seven more optioned Friday.  Pitchers Jason Stoffel and Alex White, catcher Roberto Pena, infielders Colin Moran, Nolan Fontana and Matt Duffy, and outfielder Preston Tucker we all sent out.  Six of the seven were reassigned as invitees, and Alex White was optioned, as he was on the 40-man.

Alex White was probably the only one of that group with a realistic chance of breaking camp with the Astros on Opening Day.  He was competing for the last spots in the rotation / bullpen swingman role. However, he continued to struggle - as he has done since he lost 2013 to surgery - in the 4 innings that he pitched.  He gave up 7 earned runs on 8 hits, with six walks versus no strikeouts.  He pitched his way off the team, plus the Astros really needed to give innings to Sam Deduno and Wojo in preference to White, so this move isn't a shock.

Preston Tucker probably attended spring training with an outside chance of forcing his way into a crowded outfield / DH roster.  His plans for a hot spring were derailed by a HBP to his hand, which resulted in a break from baseball activities for a little more than a week.  He went hitless in 11 plate appearances, but walked twice (and took first on the afore-mentioned HBP) versus three strikeouts.  Tucker will undoubtedly get a look at some stage - but perhaps not in 2015 - and for now he will man the outfield in Fresno.

Colin Moran (.444, BB in 10 PA's) and Matt Duffy (2-7, 2BB, HR in 9 PA's) both turned some heads, but were unlikely to make the remain in camp by virtue of the play of Luis Valbuena and the need for reps at 3B for Valbeuna, Dominguez, Petit and Gonzalez.

Nolan Fontana struggled in 11 PA's, recording one single but walking twice.  Shortstop and second base are about as crowded as third base, with two established up-the-middle regulars, and the utility guys needing a look.  So no surprise with his exit, either.  And Roberto Pena didn't record manage to get on base in 5 PA's, and again, was likely the victim of a busy catcher-rotation.  No surprise.

These moves leave us with little clue as to how the spring-training battles are shaking down, but things are starting to get closer to a resolution.  Of the Astros remaining in camp - and according to MLBTR - only Chris Carter, Alex Presley and Luis Valbeuna (and the free-agent signings) cannot get optioned to minor-league camp, although Sam Deduno is out of options as well (according to the Chronicle) and appears to be so, given his years on the ML roster.  Joe Thatcher and Roberto Hernandez have XX(B) protection, which means they require a roster spot five days out from opening day, or the team will need to pay a $100K retention bonus and the player will need to agree to head to AAA to start the season.  XX(B) players also get a opt out option for June 1 if they are not in the major leagues on that date, so there is some additional options for Roberto and Joe.

Interestingly, there have been trade rumour rumblings from teams in need of lefty-relievers and starting pitchers.  The Orioles - in particular - are looking at lefty relievers according to MLBTR, and the Blue Jays and Rays are both looking for starting pitching due to injuries.  Neither of the XX(B) players will demand a great deal in a trade because of their XX(B) opt-out dates, but the Astros may explore trade options for others in the same position battle, such as Kevin Chapman or Dan Straily (names listed only as examples).  This may also have the effect of clearing roster space for Thatcher or Hernandez to be added.

But all this is speculation.  For mine, the big questions are also the predictable ones.  Will Dominguez even make the 25-man?  What will the outfield look like? And who will throw in the back-end of the rotation and man the last couple of spots in the 'pen?

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.

Employees of the Month: June 2013

Remember all Employees of the Month get to park up front, and 5% off in the Team Store...

Houston

Pitcher: Bud Norris. Despite a 2.77 ERA/1.15 WHIP, and holding opponents to a .632 OPS (with 33K:9BB in 39IP), Norris went 1-3.

Hitter: Chris Carter. This one wasn't even close. Carter hit .241/.357/.518 with five homers and eight doubles. Thirteen of his 20 hits in June went for extra-bases. And he only struck out in 34% of his plate appearances. Yay.

Oklahoma City

Pitcher: Jason Stoffel. This one could have gone a few different ways: Asher Wojciechowski and Brad Peacock had excellent months, but we're giving it to Stoffel, who held opponents to a .200/.286/.260 line in ten appearances (15.2IP), allowing 10H/3ER, 13K:6BB.

Hitter: Brett Wallace. In 27 June games before his call-up to Houston, Wallace was hitting .327/.372/.540 (all, amazingly, worse than his May).

Corpus

Pitcher: David Martinez. Ridiculousness. Opponents in seven June games hit .193/.204/.330 as Martinez went 2-2 with a 2.35 ERA/0.75 WHIP. He struck out 24 batters, and walked just two.

Hitter: George Springer. Yeah, he cooled off from two straight months of 1.000+ OPS hitting, but he still went .296/.386/.500 in 27 June games, including five June games at OKC.

Lancaster

Pitcher: Could have also gone with David Rollins, but our choice is Tommy Shirley. In 20IP, he allowed 10H/6ER, 21K:5BB for a 2.70 ERA/0.75 WHIP in June.

Hitter: Tough one. But MP Cokinos hit .392/.500/.633 with 7K:14BB and ten doubles in 23 June games. 

Quad Cities

Pitcher: Lance McCullers. In six June appearances, he went 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA/0.99 WHIP, with 33K:9BB in 27.1IP. Opponents hit .188/.264/.240 - and that's with a .286 BABIP.

Hitter: Carlos Correa hit .370/.413/.510 in 25 June games, with 14K:7BB. Now let's just hope that hand is okay, having gotten plunked on it twice in a week.

PreStros Morning Report: June 17

Oklahoma City (36-32), 2.0 GB

OKC got dumptrucked, 12-2, by Round Rock once again to fall two games back of the Express in the division. Brett Oberholtzer didn't make it out of the 1st inning, allowing 2H/4R (3ER), 0K:4BB, WP in just 0.1IP; Alex Sogard worked out of the bases-loaded jam without allowing further damage, but over the next 2IP allowed 6H/6ER, 3K:2BB; Rhiner Cruz gave up 4H/2R (1ER), 2K:1BB in 2IP; Jason Stoffel (2IP), Kevin Chapman (1IP) and outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin (1IP) held Round Rock scoreless after the 5th.

Jake Elmore and Marc Krauss (2B) had two hits each; Jon Singleton was 1x4 with a double; Just Maxwell was 0x3 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Uh. How about Jason Stoffel? First reliever to not give up a run, and threw two perfect innings.

Corpus (42-28), 3.0 up

San Antonio scored the final five runs of the game in an 8-6 win over Corpus, despite committing five errors. Bobby Doran allowed 6H/3ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP; Nick Tropeano gave up 7H/4ER, 4K:0BB in 4IP, and Andrew Robinson allowed 2H/1ER in the final 2IP.

Jio Mier hit his 5th homer of the season, a 2-run shot, in a 2x5 night; Rene Garcia (2B, 2RBI) and Zach Johnson (2B) had two hits each. George Springer was 2x4 with a double, walk, and two strikeouts. Enrique Hernandez hit a solo homer.

Man of the Match: Jio Mier.

Lancaster 

All-Star Break.

Quad Cities

All-Star Break.

Tri-City (1-0), tied

Tri-City has yet to trail this season as they put up a 9-3 win over Vermont in the season-opener. Evan Grills threw 4IP, allowing 3H/1ER, 2K:2BB; Edison Frias got his inning of work in the 5th, and allowed 3H/2ER, 1K:0BB, and Kevin Comer gets his first win of the season with four shutdown innings, allowing 1H/0ER, 5K:1BB.

Jon Kemmer was 4x4 with a home run in his first professional AB, also drawing a walk and 2RBI total. Tony Kemp was 3x4 with a double and 2RBI; Conrad Gregor (BB, RBI), Dan Gulbransen, and Ryan Dineen (2B, BB, RBI) had two hits each. And the ValleyCats were only 6x20 w/RISP.

Man of the Match: Hard to beat Comer's outing, but Jon Kemmer is Tri-City's first Man of the Match.

PreStros Morning Report: May 28

Oklahoma City (29-23), 1.0 up

OKC got over a shaky start, command-wise, from Jarred Cosart and put up early runs in a 5-2 win over Omaha (somewhere in middle America). Cosart improved to a 5-2 record after allowing 3H/2ER, but 4K:7BB in 5IP with two wild pitches; Jason Stoffel lowered his ERA to 1.65 with 3IP, 0H/0ER, 0K:0BB; Jose Valdez walked a batter in the 9th.

Brett Wallace was 2x3 with a walk and an RBI; Marc Krauss was 2x3 with a double and a walk. Jake Elmore had a hit, a walk, and his 11th stolen base of the season, but Fernando Martinez came up with the big hit - a 2-run triple - and finished with 3RBI.

In "That Guy Is Still Playing" news: Omaha's Willy Taveras was 1x4 with a triple and an RBI. Xavier Nady was 1x3 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Jason Stoffel

Corpus (31-20), 1.0 up

Down 3-1 heading into the 7th, the Hooks broke out with a 5-run inning for a 6-3 win. David Martinez got the start, throwing 5IP, 4H/2R (1ER), 2K:1BB; Mike Foltynewicz finished off the game with 4IP, 3H/1ER, 6K:1BB (ERA now 1.08) and recording the first Double-A win of his career.

Ben Orloff was 3x5 with 2RBI; Rene Garcia (2RBI), Jonathan Meyer (2B), and Michael Burgess (HR - his 5th in eight games) had two hits each. George Springer was 1x4 with a double and no strikeouts (!).

Man of the Match: Mike Foltynewicz

Lancaster (31-20), 4.5 up

Lancaster scored the first ten runs of the game, and won 10-2 over Rancho Cucamonga. Brady Rodgers threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:1BB and Chris Devenski followed it up with 4IP, 5H/2ER, 2K:1BB.

Preston Tucker went off, going 3x5 with a double, a three-run homer, and 6RBI total; Andrew Aplin (3B, BB, SB), Raoul Torrez (2B) and Chris Epps (2B) had two hits each. Brandon Meredith was 1x4 with an RBI, walk, and stolen base.

Man of the Match: Preston Tucker

Quad Cities (28-23), 3.5 GB

JON SINGLETON DAY! Quad Cities got out to a 7-2 lead before Kane County cut it to 7-5, before rain shortened the game - River Bandits win. Daniel Minor threw 4IP, 3H/2ER, 3K:3BB; Richard Rodriguez allowed 2H/3ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP. Lance McCullers got his first professional win, throwing 1IP, 0H/0ER, striking out the side and lowering his ERA to 1.90.

Jon Homerton did exactly that, going 2x2 with a solo homer and an RBI single and also a walk. Carlos Correa was 2x3 with a double and 3RBI. Teoscar Hernandez was 1x2 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Let's give it to Lance McCullers who is now 1-8 with a 2.49 ERA/1.28 WHIP in his minor-league career.

A slew of Tranzactionz!

Alright, so here are your roster moves today amid a flurry of activity:

To Houston
Jordan Lyles
Dallas Keuchel

To Oklahoma City
P Jason Stoffel (from Corpus)
C Carlos Perez (from Corpus)

To Corpus

C Max Stassi (from Extended Spring Training - oblique)
1B Zach Johnson (from Lancaster)
OF Austin Wates (from DL)

To Extended Spring Training

P Lance Day (from OKC)

Released

IF Rafael Valenzuela*

*This makes us sad. Valenzuela was an undrafted free agent out of Arizona in 2010.

Pre Stros Report April 7th

AAA

It took the Redhawks (3-1) 11 innings to put away Memphis (1-3) 14-10 in a back and forth affair.Brett Oberholtzer got the start for OKC and surrendered 7 runs, 3 of them earned. Oberholtzer struck out two and walked none in 4.1 IP. OKC would commit 3 errors in the game, with Oberholtzer responsible for 2 of them. Memphis put was up 7-2 after 5 innings but the Redhawks would put up 3 runs in the top of the 6th to make the score 7-5. In the eighth Brandon Laird singled to drive in two and tie the game, and then Jimmy Paredes continued his hot start to the season with an RBI single to put the Redhawks ahead. Memphis would regain the lead the following frame. Ruben Sosa would score the tying run in the 9th on a fielders choice off the bat of Che-Hsuan Lin. Robbie Grossman, Jake Elmore, and Trevor Crowe would drive in the final 5 runs of the game with Crowe knocking in 3 on a homerun ball, the 4th homerun of the game. Mark Krauss and Jake Elmore each hit a homerun. Jimmy Paredes was 3 for 6 and is hitting .533 on the young season. Brandon Laird finished the evening with 2 RBI, giving him 6 for the season.

Kevin Chapman pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with a K.
Jose Valdez gave up the save and vultured the win allowing 2 hits in 2.2 IP. 1BB 1K.

Man of the match: Robbie Grossman. 3BB to go along with 3 runs scored, 2 hits, and a steak.

AA

Corpus Christi (3-1) won their 3rd game thanks to a 3 hit day for Enrique Hernandez, who finished a triple shy of the cycle. George Springer scored the first run for Corpus on two consecutive wild pitches by Tulsa Drillers (1-3) pitcher Tim Gustafson. Enrique Hernandez had the other two RBI, the last coming in the 8th via a double that scored Jonathan Meyer from 2nd base. Starter Ruben Alaniz went 3.2 innings and gave up 2 runs and a walk and struck out one. Matthew Heidenreich K'd 3 over 3 scoreless innings, walking none and surrendering only 2 hits. Jason Stoffel pitched a scoreless 9th, earning his 2nd save of the season.

Man of the match: Enrique Hernandez.

A
Lancaster (3=1) put up 10 runs and took the game 10-4 over High Desert. Preston Tucker, Drew Muren, and Rafael Valenzuela each homered. The Jetwaks scored in 4 consecutive innings, and would match that total in the 8th with a 5 run frame capped by Valenzuela's 2 run homerun. Andrew Aplin was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Preston Tucker hit his 2nd home run of the season. Delino DeShields walked and was caught trying to steal 2nd. Nolan Fontana had two hits, walked twice, and scored 3 runs. Fontana is hitting .462 so far this season.

Aaron West got the start and pitched 4.1 innings, surrendering 8 hits and all 4 runs to High Desert (1-3). He
walked one batter and K'd 5.
Luis Cruz got the save after pitching 4 scoreless innings, striking out 6 and walking 2.

Man of the match: Since there were multiple big games at the plate, Luis Cruz for pitching 4 scoreless innings in the California League.

Low A

Quad City (4-0) completed the sweep of the Kane County Cougars (0-4) tonight with a 3-1 victory in extras. The River Bandits could only muster 2 hit through nine innings. Teoscar Hernandez lead off the 13th with a triple and would score on a wild pitch. Carlos Correa was intentionally walked and would score on a single by Jesse Wierzbicki. Teoscar Hernandez (3B), Jobduan Morales (2B), and Chase Davidson had the only extra base hits of the evening.

Brian Holmes was on the mound for Quad City and pitch 5 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. Jordan Jankowski allowed the only Kane County run of the game in 3.2 innings pitched. He walked one and struck out one, earning his first blown save of the season.

Man of the match: Quad City pitchers not named Jankowski. 9 scoreless innings, 3 hits, 4 K's and 3 walks.

MiLB's Organizational All-Stars

So Minor League Baseball posted the Astros' organizational All-Stars today, and it's well worth your time. You can click the link and read the full descriptions for yourselves, but here's the short list:

C: Tyler Heineman
1B: Jon Singleton
2B: Delino DeShields
3B: Matt Duffy
SS: Angel Sanchez
OF: George Springer, Domingo Santana, Brandon Barnes
DH: Erik Castro

RHP: Mike Foltynewicz
LHP: Brian Holmes
Closer: Jason Stoffel

Keith Bodie named Texas League Manager of the Year

That pretty much covers it. Corpus manager Keith Bodie was just named Texas League Manager of the Year.

In other Corpus honors, Jose Martinez, Jason Stoffel, Austin Wates, and Jon Singleton were named to the Texas League Postseason All-Star Team.

May PreStros Employees of the Month

We've reached the point in the season where early trends start turning into something meaningful. Let's look at who made a name for themselves last month.

OKC
15-14 in May

Hitter of the Month: Mike Hessman

At 34 years old, Mike may be the old man in Oklahoma, but this RedHawks performed like a spring chicken in May. He hit .338/.460/.718 with eight home runs, 16 runs, and 17 rbi in 23 games while keeping first base warm for the Astros at AAA.

Pitcher of the Month: Jose Valdez

After earning an honorable mention last month, Jose grabbed the gold ring for May. In 13 appearances and 12 1/3 innings, Jose was 0-1 with seven saves while racking up 14 strikeouts to just five walks. He had a 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP for the month and opponents hit just .174 against him.

Honorable Mention:

Justin Ruggiano hit .380/.426/.720 for OKC with four home runs and 18 rbi in just 15 games before being traded to Miami.

CC
13-15 in May

Hitter of the Month: Jon Singleton

Jonathan strengthened his push to take over for Mike Hessman by hitting .281/.400/.531 for the month with seven home runs, 20 runs, and 24 rbi.

Pitcher of the Month: Jason Stoffel

For the second month in a row, Stoffel dominated the Texas League out of the bullpen. In May he was 0-1 with four saves. In 12 appearances and 14 innings he posted a 1.29 ERA with 10 strikeouts and five walks, two of which were intentional.

Honorable Mention:

Ross Seaton went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six starts for Corpus.

Jose Martinez hit .342/.383/.532 with eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs.

Lancaster
17-13 in May

Hitter of the Month: George Springer

Springer took a big bounce forward in May. On the month he hit .324/.382/.622 with three triples, eight home runs, and seven steals. He scored 26 times and batted in 21 runs.

Pitcher of the Month: Jose Trinidad

Jose took on the role of long man in May and thrived. He went 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. In 22  1/3 innings across 10 games he struck out 13 and walked four.

Honorable Mention:

Domingo Santana hit .304/.362/.609 with seven doubles, two triples, and eight home runs while knocking in 25.

Lexington
17-11 in May

Hitter of the Month: Matt Duffy

Matt also made the jump from honorable mention to the big prize. In May Matt hit .343/.416/.556 with an amazing 11 doubles and four home runs. He also stole three bases while scoring 18 runs.

Pitcher of the Month: Carlos Quevedo

Carlos wins this month out of an entire pitching staff that excelled in May. Carlos posted a 4-0 record while holding a 1.40 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Opponents hit just .209 and Carlos notched 19 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings while walking just two.

Honorable Mention:

Jason Chowning had six saves with a 1.42 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.

Luis Cruz was 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts.

April PreStros Employees of the Month

The first month of the season is in the books and the improvement in the farm system is already evident. Let's look at some interesting early numbers.

OKC
16-9
1st place in their division by .5 games

As a team, the RedHawks are hitting .285/.356/.429 with a team ERA of 3.42.

Hitter of the Month: Scott Moore

Scott is hitting .397/.519/.714 with 12 doubles, two home runs, 15 runs scored, and 21 runs batted in through 23 games with 13 walks and 14 strikeouts. He's spent most of the season splitting time with Brett Wallace at third base, but he's also seen time at first and second and he's yet to commit an error at any position.

Pitcher of the Month: Dallas Keuchel


Dallas finished April with a 4-1 record and 1.62 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 33.1 innings in five starts. He's struck out 16 while walking just seven.

Honorable Mention:

Fernando Martinez is hitting .315/.374/.517 with four home runs.

Jose Valdez has a 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 10.1 innings. He has 12 strikeouts and three walks (two were intentional) with four saves.

CC
12-12
3rd in their division, three games back

As a team, the Hooks are hitting .264/.334/.428 with a team ERA of 4.78.

Hitter of the Month: Brandon Barnes

Brandon is hitting .353/.398/.659 with 14 doubles, four home runs, 18 runs scored and 21 runs batted in through 22 games with five walks and 22 strikeouts. He's been the teams primary center fielder where he's had two outfield assists.

Pitcher of the Month: Jason Stoffel

Jason has appeared in nine games in relief with two saves and has a 1.93 ERA and 0.53 WHIP through 9.1 innings. He's racked up ten strikeouts to just one walk, hasn't allowed a home run, and has given up just 3.9 hits per nine innings.

Honorable Mention:

Austin Wates is hitting .340/.392/.457 with five steals.

Jose Cisnero is 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. He's struck out 30 in 23.2 innings.

Lancaster
10-14
4th in their division, four games back

The JetHawks are hitting .266/.333/.431 with a team ERA of 5.03.

Hitter of the Month: Telvin Nash

Telvin is hitting .247/.348/.623 with nine home runs, 14 runs and 15 runs batted in through 20 games with 11 walks and 28 strikeouts. He's played mostly left field with a few games at first base with no errors and one outfield assist.

Pitcher of the Month: Ruben Alaniz

Ruben is 2-0 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through five starts and 31 innings. He's yet to allow a home run and has 26 strikeouts and seven walks.

Honorable Mention:

Jiovanni Mier is hitting .288/.406/.388 with 15 walks in 22 games.

Wes Musick is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He has 22 strikeouts and five walks in 24.1 innings across four starts.

Lexington
11-14
5th in their division, six games back

The Legends are hitting .238/.324/.344 with a team ERA of 4.78.

Hitter of the Month: Zach Johnson

Zach is hitting .275/.376/.505 with nine doubles, four home runs, 13 runs scored and 30 (!) runs batted in. He's been the clubs main first baseman where he has a .994 fielding percentage.

Pitcher of the Month: Dayan Diaz

Dayan has appeared in nine games in relief with a 4-1 record and two saves with a 0.49 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. He has struck out 19 in 18.1 innings and has not yet allowed a home run.

Honorable Mention:

Matt Duffy is hitting .296/.343/.459 with four home runs.

Nick Tropeano is 1-2 despite a 2.36 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He hasn't allowed a home run and has 33 strikeouts and eight walks in 26.2 innings.

The Meat Wagon makes an early round

Zachary Levine has a post up in which we learn about a mini-camp for the following players:

Jake Buchanan, Jarred Cosart, Mike Foltynewicz, Brett Oberholtzer, Ross Seaton, Jason Stoffel, and Josh Zeid.

And also some Meat Wagon notes:

*The Astros signed minor-leaguer Mike Hessman.
*Vince Velasquez is ready to go after Tommy John surgery at the end of 2010.
*Chia-Jen Lo had to have TJ surgery at the end of the season, and probably won't be back until 2013.

Salt River Rafters: October 10

We'll be better about this in the coming days, but here's your Salt River Rafters (Arizona Fall League) Astros recap from yesterday, October 10:

Salt River defeated Surprise, 13-6.

Kody Hinze: 3x5, HR, 2RBI
Jake Goebbert: 1x4, 2BB
Jason Stoffel: 1IP, OH/0ER, 3K:1BB, 19 pitches - 11 for strikes

Arizona Fall League rosters announced

Zach Levine has the rosters for the Arizona Fall League:

-Jay Austin
-Jason Castro
-Jake Goebbert
-Chris Hicks
-Kody Hinze
-Dallas Keuchel
-Jason Stoffel
-Josh Zeid

Updated rosters

In light of the recent influx of prospects, here's a rundown of where they went on Eddie's Farm:

Keppinger trade

Henry Sosa - Corpus
Jason Stoffel - Corpus

Pence trade

Jarrod Cosart - Corpus
Jonathan Singleton - Lancaster
Josh Zeid - Corpus

Bourn trade

Juan Abreu - Oklahoma City
Paul Clemens - Corpus
Brett Oberholtzer - Corpus
Jordan Schafer - DL

Xavier Cedeno sent to Oklahoma City

Not quite sure what Dallas Keuchel has to do to get some love, but our buddy Greg Rajan let everyone know that, to make room for Jason Stoffel, the Astros have sent Xavier Cedeno up to Oklahoma City.

Henry Sosa is currently injured, but when he gets back, another move will have to be made, and Sosa will work out of the rotation.

Xavier Cedeno: 108.2IP, 98H/46ER, 109K:42BB, 3.82 ERA/1.29 WHIP
Dallas Keuchel: 108.1IP, 100H/38ER, 63K:25BB, 3.16 ERA/1.15 WHIP

The only thing I can see is the strikeout rates, but at least someone is moving up...

The First Domino Falls: Keppinger traded

Let's get 2012 underway, shall we? The Astros have traded Jeff Keppinger to the Giants for RHPs Jason Stoffel and Henry Sosa. Jose Altuve's contract has been purchased, and he is on his way to Houston, where Mills promises:

I can tell you he's playing second base tomorrow. He's my second baseman. We didn't bring him here to sit him."

Let's come back to that, because I want to end this on a high note.

The two pitchers the Astros got in return for Keppinger are Jason Stoffel and Henry Sosa.

About Jason Stoffel. He'll be 23 in September, a 6'2" 225lb RHP drafted by the Giants in the 4th Round of the 2009 draft. He's a reliever - in 32 games for Double-A Richmond, Stoffel has thrown 31.2IP, 34H/14ER, 31K:16BB for a 3.98 ERA/1.58 WHIP. FanGraphs lists his FIP at a more friendly 3.36, and is also suffering from a .347 BABIP.

Not eight hours ago Stoffel was profiled by MiLB, where we find he was a history major at Arizona, and enjoys military history.

Richmond pitching coach Ross Grimsley on Stoffel:
"He has an overpowering fastball at times. Sometimes he can be erratic. He will fall behind and throw a fastball down the middle, but everyone does that at times. He gets too quick in his delivery at times."

Henry Sosa is a 6'1" 205lb 25-year old RHP from the Dominican Republic. He's been in the Giants system since 2006, and spent his time in Triple-A Fresno, also as a reliever, but has been in Double-A Richmond as a starter for the last six games.

As a starter for Richmond, Sosa has thrown 34.2IP, allowing 38H/12ER, 29K:8BB for a 3.12 ERA/1.33 WHIP. His FIP for Richmond is 2.33 (for those of you concerned about that 10.41 ERA for Triple-A Fresno, his FIP is "just" 5.90). Opponents are hitting .258 off of Sosa at Richmond, and that's with a .328 BABIP.

Sosa had been DFA'd back on May 26. And no one claimed him off of waivers. For what it's worth.

A couple of things about this trade:

1. We can be happiest for Jose Altuve.

One year ago, Altuve was in Lexington. He was coming off a 2009 where, between Lexington and Greeneville, he had an .838 OPS. People (you know who they are) had only really heard of him after he hit .408 for Lancaster, and showed that it wasn't exactly a fluke in 35 games at Corpus. If anyone knew of him, it was because he's 5'7" (and by "5'7"" we of course mean, "5'5""). And then he got to the Futures Game, and The Baseball Conglomerate acted like Pavement fans who say, "Oh yeah, I saw them play Neumo's. Whatever."

By all accounts, Altuve is a great person, and a great ball player. And at least he made it before Jean Segura.

Now we know the Astros are willing to promote from Double-A. I've seen your tweets. You're upset that J.D. Martinez is still in Corpus. But if you call him up, where are you going to put him? On the bench? I'd rather he play every day in Corpus than get Bogusevic'ed in Houston. But, if the Astros deal Bourn or Pence (or both), there is now the precedent that a J.D. Martinez sighting could come to pass now that the Astros pulled the first block out of the Jenga cube.

2. We can also be happy for Jeff Keppinger.

Keppinger said he wanted to stay in Houston, but come on. What else is he going to say? So feel free to just ignore that. But Keppinger didn't publicly complain when Ed Wade romanced the pooch and signed Bill Hall. Despite having a career year in 2010, Wade apparently never felt comfortable with Keppinger in the lineup. So good for him for upgrading his station (although Anywhere would be an upgrade over the Astros).

3. We can be disappointed with Ed Wade.

Seriously, with the relievers? (I know, Sosa is back to being a starter). The Tigers and Indians were thought to be interested in Keppinger, and possibly the Brewers, as well. This was the best deal available? It's the type of deal where we won't know the outcome for a few years, but neither Sosa nor Stoffel were in Sickels' Top 20, Baseball America's Top 10, Baseball Prospectus' Top 20, or FanGraphs' Top 10 prospects list.

To be fair, when Wade traded Pedro Feliz for David Carpenter, we thought, "Okay, whatever." And that has turned out pretty well.

4. This was not a salary dump.

But to call this deal a "salary dump" is ridiculous. The Astros are saving about $900,000 and an arbitration year. Or what Carlos Lee makes in about nine games. The real salary savings are going to come with Lee (don't hold your breath), Myers, Wandy, Bourn, or Pence. Keppinger's trade is hopefully the first of many.

But let's watch the little guy do his thing.