To whittle away the time between now and the start of Spring Training, we at Astros County plan to preview each positional group of Astros, looking at the history and projections for the players that we are likely to see in 2016. We will look at the Major League roster, all relevant players who have managed significant time at AA and above, and any interesting, available or reasonable trade targets or free agents.
We started with the Catchers a couple of days ago, and if you missed the Primer, here it is.
Shortstop: Carlos Correa (21, turns 22 in September)
I may be out on a limb here, but I am ready to anoint Carlos Correa as the 2016 starting shortstop for the Astros, barring injury, natural disaster or alien invasion. Correa, famously, was drafted first overall in 2012 out of Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, and he made the jump from AA, with a brief stop at AAA, to the major leagues in June of 2015, after sitting out much of 2014 with what I recall to be a broken tibia (often reported as a broken fibula, which is a much more common injury, but I definitely remember it being reported at the time as a broken tibia). He enters the 2016 season as the reigning Rookie of the Year after he raked to the tune of .279/.345/.512 in 432 plate appearances. He hit 22 home runs and doubles, one triple, and stole 14 bases against four caught stealing. He struck out 78 times against 40 walks. That all amounts of a bWAR of 4.1, although Fangraphs was a less bullish 3.3 fWAR, amassed over only 99 games. Baseball Prospectus rated him a 2.7 Wins Over Replacement Player. Pro-rating B-R's digits for the whole season results in a bWAR of 6.7. Now cast your eyes upward and remind yourself of his age.
I can only really say one more thing beyond what I have said in the above paragraph about Carlos Correa. The numbers quoted above are impressive and speak for themselves. What may be more impressive is his maturity. Everyone he meets seems to be impressed by him, and in interviews he comes across as respectful, polite, and a keen guardian of the game. He is going to be fun to watch over the next few years, and will be easy to root for whether you support the Astros or not.
Correa's strength appears to be his bat, which is fabulous, especially for an up-the-middle player. The various statistical systems are less bullish about his defence. He finished 2015 with a -7.3 Fielding Runs Against, and the statistics commonly employed by Fangraphs and B-R all indicate a slight negative rating for his defence overall. What we often say about the Astros and fielding stats is that there are concerns about how they can be applied to the Astros, because of the frequency and intensity of their shifting, especially regarding the infield. Correa seemed to be a solid defender to the eye, but remember that we watched a whole lot of Jed Lowrie and Marwin González prior to his call up, and that may have made Correa look more impressive in comparison. His crucial error in Game 4 of the ALDS may have helped shorten the Astros' season somewhat, but that was certainly not typical of how he fielded during the year. The best part of his defensive arsenal seems to be his arm, which reminds me of a cannon, and supports any future move to third base.
Just as a reminder, Correa managed a .279/.345/.512 triple slash in 2015.
Marcel seems to think that Correa will have fewer plate appearances in 2016 - it is a very simple projection system, after all - but that his triple slash will largely remain the same, showing only a slight decrease in power (.282/.346/.496 with 19 HR). Steamer likes Correa to play the full season, but to also take a slight hit to his power numbers (.275/.340/.458 with 22 HR). Steamer also thinks that Correa's defence will be a slight plus this year, yielding an overall fWAR of 4.2. ZiPS disagrees with Steamer and Marcel regarding Cornea's power, suggesting a .273/.340/.492 triple-slash, with a strikeout rate just below 20%. This would result in an overall zWAR of 4.9, which is pretty awesome for a middle-infielder. ZiPS' number one comparison for Correa is Troy Tulowitzki - I would certainly take Tulo's career for Correa at this point.
I think we can all agree - Correa is pretty frikking awesome, and he is capable of being the best shortstop in the league this year. However, his modus operandi has been - to this point - more about slow and steady development, so perhaps we should temper our expectations and expect a little less, rather than more form Correa for the upcoming season. He needs to avoid injury, of course, and the rigors of playing a full season may be a bit of a challenge for 2016. On that note, I would expect Hinch to proactively rest Correa if the Astros are doing well early in the season in order to prevent him wearing down later in the summer.
Second Base: José Altuve (25, turns 26 in May)
José Altuve - everybody's favourite Astro - seems set to man the keystone in 2016 - again barring unforeseen circumstances such as the aforementioned alien invasion or other stuff. Altuve is a fascinating guy: he is short (generously 5-foot-6), young, and has already amassed nearly 3000 ML plate appearances for his career. He has manned the keystone full-time since 2012, and has been awarded two Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove in the process. He signed with the Astros as an amateur free-agent in 2007, and since signing, has done nothing but rake his way through the Astros system, into the major leagues. He is also signed to a ridiculously team-friendly contract: he will earn $3.5MM in 2016, $4.5MM in 2017, and has two team options totalling $12.5MM for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Altuve is coming off another solid season where he assembled a .313/.353/.459 batting line, hitting a career high 15 home runs in the process. He stole 38 bases, but was caught stealing 13 times - both league highs. He reached the 200 hit-plateau for the second time. He was worth - according to the various systems, 5 bWAR, 4.3 fWAR, or 3.2 WARP.
As impressive as 2015 was for Altuve, it was a slight regression from 2014, where he slashed .341/.377/.453 and stole 56 bases. But Altuve's 2015 was superior to 2014 in two important categories - his power hitting, and his defence. Altuve's defensive numbers improved according to both Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, moving into slight positive territory in both measures. Baseball Prospectus (Fielding Runs Against) thought that Altuve's 2015 was less-negative than his 2014 and 2013. Regardless of what the unintelligible defensive stats say, Altuve was recognised by his peers by virtue of being awarded a Gold Glove which (i) should be mainly seen as a sign that he is a good all-round player rather than the best defensive player in the AL at the keystone and (ii) recognition that his defence isn't awful, which it once was.
The forecasting systems like Altuve's ongoing offensive excellence, which is no surprise because he has been an excellent player for three of the last four seasons. Marcel projects Altuve to slash .315/.355/.439 with 10 home runs and 34 stolen bases. Steamer sees a little bit of regression, forecasting a .307/.350/.433 triple-slash with 11 home runs and 36 stolen bases, adding up to an fWAR of 3.3. ZiPS sees what Steamer sees, projecting Altuve to hit .309/.346/.432 while striking out in less than 10% of his at-bats, hitting 11 home runs, and stealing 40 bases.
Most betting Astros fans would take the "over" on both Fangraphs systems, I would think. Astros fans have seen Altuve continually beat his projections in the past, and would likely characterise him as an outlier with continued similar production going forward. The heartless projection systems often have trouble with consistent outliers, often projecting regression unfairly in early-career stats, not realising that some guys are freakish. Perhaps that is what is happening here.
Altuve, like Correa, obviously needs to avoid injury. Anything that eats into his speed would be a disaster. And also like Correa, ZiPS projects Altuve to produce north of 4 zWAR. For those keeping count at home, the Astros starters in the middle infield are projected to combine for 9 zWAR in 2016. Goodness, that is a decent core to build around.
Backup: Marwin González (26, turns 27 in March)
MarGo is an interesting case. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs in 2005, but was claimed by Boston in the Rule 5 draft in late 2011, and promptly traded to the Astros for minor leaguer Marco Duarte (who has spent the last three years pitching in Mexico). The Astros of 2012 and 2013 were pretty starved of talent, so Gonzalez was allowed to post poor batting numbers (65 and 58 OPS+'s) in 152 games and 441 plate appearances combined over the two seasons. However, a stronger 2014 saw him post a .277/.327/.400 in 310 plate appearances, resulting in a 105 OPS+. He continued along the same lines in 2015 (.279/.317/.442 in 370 plate appearances) resulting in a slightly better 106 OPS+. He hit 12 home runs in 2015 - twice what he has hit in any other year, and as many as he has hit between 2012 and 2014. Combine that with positional flexibility and a solid-but-unspectacular glove, and the Astros have a bench player of considerable value.
MarGo posted a bWAR of 1.5 and 1.8 respectively in 2014 and 2015 (and an fWAR of 0.8 and 1.5 over the same period). Baseball Prospectus rates him as posting a 1.4 WARP each year over 2014 and 2015, which is plenty valuable in part-time duty. Perhaps the best thing about González is that he won't hurt you if he has to step in to a regular role for a month or two.
González's value - at least measured by some kind of WAR-to-salary ratio - is about to take a hit, however. He was arbitration eligible for the first time this year, and MLBTR projected him to earn around $1.9MM, which still seems like a bargain for the Astros. González signed for a little over that - he will play the 2016 season earning $2MM annually. It will seem like less of a bargain in a few years, especially if González breaks the $5MM barrier, which I imagine he could do in 2017 with another strong full season.
What is also notable about González is how he has managed to ward off challengers for his super-utility roster spot. In particular, Jed Lowrie (.222/.312/.400 with 9HR, 1.0 bWAR) and Jonathan Villar (.284/.339/.414, 0.9 bWAR in 128 PA's) both had the potential to challenge for González's roster spot, but both have been the victims of offseason trades for seemingly poor returns.
The interesting thing about González's 2015 was his splits. In the first half of the year, he "hit" .253/.279/.412 in 203 PA's. In the second half - and we all remember him having some vital knocks for the Astros down the stretch - he hit a considerably better .313/.364/.480 in 167 PA's. His September/October was particularly hot: .308/.345/.519 over 56 PA's, which is a huge bonus for a utility guy. And some of this occurred with a finger and wrist injury that he sustained in September, which apparently restricted his swing from the left side. It is also notable that he was stronger against lefties last year (.295/.347/.496 versus .268/.296/.405), which is not consistent with his career mark (.681 OPS against LHP versus .690 against RHP), so the hand/wrist injury may have had something to do with that. The Astros didn't really have many effective lefty-mashers on the bench last year, so González was doubly useful.
So González has transformed himself from a light-hitting Rule 5 shortstop into a defensively flexible bench bat who won't let you down, and has an ability to get on a hot streak. He is entering his prime years (he is 26 at the time of writing), and is about to start getting expensive. He is likely to be around for a few more years yet, given the offseason trades of his challengers, which is nice for the legions of Astros fans who love him.
In terms of his 2016 projections, Marcel seems him hitting .267/.313/.408 in 416 PA's, with 11 home runs. Marcel thinks that the recent surge in power is for real, despite it predicting a slight regression in 2016. Steamer sees MarGo regressing significantly: .252/.294/.381 with 7 HRs in 342 PA's, good for a 0.5 WAR - not the worst from a utility guy, but Jonathan Villar may have been a better option if that was what MarGo hits next year. ZiPS sees similar production: .257/.295/.385 with 8 home runs, again not buying into González's hot second half of 2015. ZiPS also sees González posting a slightly above-average strikeout rate (18.5%) but a well below-average walk rate (4.4%).
MarGo could do his future playing prospects a lot of good with another solid year. The AL is, after all, crying out for another Ben Zobrist (who slashed .297/.405/.543 in his stellar 2009 - his best campaign). Mentioning Ben Zobrist is a little rough on Marwin - Zobrist was absolutely stellar in his time with Tampa Bay, and expecting any utility man to match that production is grossly unfair.
Also on the 40-man: Nolan Fontana (24, turns 25 in June)
Nolan Fontana is the only remaining player currently on the 40-man roster capable of manning a passable shortstop. It therefore seems likely that he will probably be the first player called up in the event of a Correa or González injury. Fontana was added to the 40-man in advance of the 2015 Rule 5 draft which was held at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings. He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 amateur draft as a polished OBP-type infielder graduating college.
Since then Fontana has steadily advanced through the minor-leagues to Fresno. He sports an OBP over .400 in his minor-league career, but his 2015 line at Fresno was a little uninspiring and perhaps portends an inability to play at the very top level: .241/.369/.357 in 456 PA's, with 3 HR. He walked 74 times against 99 strikeouts, maintaining a walk rate of well above 10% (16.2%). However, he has also consistently maintained strikeout rates of 20% or more in the minor leagues as well, so his walks obviously don't just come from amazing contact abilities and fighting strike 3 off until he gets ball four.
Marcel has no projections on Fontana, given he has no major-league PA's as yet. Steamer sees him producing at a .218/.321/.307 clip in a handful of plate appearances in 2015, with a K% over 25%. ZiPS is also unimpressed, forecasting a walk rate of 13.9% against a strikeout rate of 30%, resulting in a remarkable line of .195/.311/.284.
It is safe to say that 2016 is a big year for Fontana in what is likely to be his second AAA go-round. He will need to hit better than he hit in 2015 if he is to hold his place on the 40-man roster. He isn't young anymore, and his offensive value relies on a gaudy walk rate, which probably won't be maintained at the major league level without the ability to occasionally punish the pitchers for throwing the ball in the strike zone. Fontana will also need to show some better skills at the plate if he is to push for a promotion, but clearly the most likely situation that would see him arrive in Houston in 2016 would be as cover for an injury. He is also probably a good bet to be outrighted off the 40-man if he gets off to a slow start in AAA.
Invited to Spring Training: Tony Kemp (24, turns 25 in October)
Tony Kemp is primarily a second baseman who was also given some time in the outfield in 2015. This may have been because the Astros were interested in his all-round skills, and second base is... um... taken for the foreseeable future. Kemp is also notable by virtue of his short stature (1 Altuve tall), and by the fact that he was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. He is Rule 5 draft eligible after this season and the Astros seem set at his primary position, so 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for him if he wants of push for a promotion.
In 2015, he hit a combined .308/.388/.386 in 541 PA's between Corpus and Fresno, with 3 home runs and 4 triples. He made some stellar plays early on in his outfield career which got some Astros fans pretty excited and talking about perhaps seeing him in Houston in 2015. Scouting reports since then seem to indicate that he has more work to do on his outfield routes, but he seemed to do pretty well for an in-season experiment. His batting line at Corpus (.358/.457/.420) was far better than his batting line at Fresno (.273/.334/.696), so promotion past Fresno was not warranted in 2015. However, Kemp was also promoted midseason in both 2013 and 2014, and a similar decline was noted each time at the higher level. He seemed to make an adjustment at the new level to start the next season each time - 2016 shapes up as an important year for him, too, but he will have to be pretty darn good to force a promotion.
Marcel has no projections - stupid Marcel - but Steamer is quite bullish on Kemp: .275/.334/.362, which is a reasonable line for a young, vertically challenged middle infielder (wRC+ 88). What is very interesting is that this line will be obtained in one solitary plate appearance (Steamer predicts this for a number of guys on the fringes of the majors, so I will officially retire this joke now). ZiPS is less bullish, predicting a below-average line of .253/.319/.338, but with an above-average strikeout rate of just over 15%. All this, according to ZiPS, will occur in 532 plate appearances.
However, when compared with Nolan Fontana's Steamer and ZiPS projection above, Kemp's line is far more palatable. Steamers line is superior to (i) Fontana's projection, and (ii) far better than Marwin González's 2013 season, in which González was also 24 years of age. So both projection systems potentially see some future development in Kemp that they don't see in Fontana, which is understandable because Fontana has more unique overall profile. Kemp certainly seems like the most likely prospect of this group to make an impact in Houston over the next couple of years.
Invited to Spring Training: Joe Sclafani (25, turns 26 in April)
Sclafani is a switch-hitting infielder who was drafted in the 14th round of the 2012 draft out of Dartmouth College, the same college that produced legendary Astros slugger Brad Ausmus. Sclafani was Rule 5 draft eligible this year, but remained exposed to the draft by virtue of his not added to the 40-man in advance of the Winter Meetings. He (obviously) went untaken in the Rule 5 draft as he remains in the Astros organisation, where he will probably return to Fresno to play a mix of second base, third base and shortstop in 2016.
Sclafani spent 2014 between AA Corpus and AAA Oklahoma City. In the latter of the two stops, he raked to the tune of .339/.420/.438 in 226 PA's, and continued his hot streak in the AFL (.370/.431/.543) to conclude 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, I wondered whether he would get a serious look at the big leagues to open 2015, but instead he spent 2015 also split between Corpus (14 PA's) and Fresno (256 PA's) after a rough spring training. Sclafani continued to splutter in 2015 - if he had continued the hot work with the bat that he managed in 2014, he could easily have had a look at the majors late last year.
As mentioned above, his 2015 batting line took a wee step backward, with Sclafani logging a combined .292/.370/.339 line between the two levels. However, he continues to sport a walk rate over 10% at the AAA level, and his AAA K% was under 12% in 2014 and under 15% in 2015. Sclafani seems a lot like Kemp and Fontana - there may be value there, but it is likely to be obtained through OBP rather than slugging. His late-season 2014 performance may be the peak of his career, sadly.
Marcel, again, comes up empty in terms of projections because of a lack of major-league time. Steamer sees Sclafani posting a .256/.315/.338 batting line, for an 80 wRC+. ZiPS lands in a similar place: .241/.306/.310, with a strikeout rate of just over 17% and an OPS+ of 72.
2016 is a big year for Sclafani - repeat last-2014 and he will push for a spot in Houston in either the super-utility role, or in the corner infield. Repeat 2015, and his days in the organisation may be over at the end of the season.
Interesting Guy: Chan Moon (24, turns 25 in March)
Chan Moon is either a lefty hitting (according to Fangraphs) or switch hitting (according to B-R) middle-infielder who was born in Korea. Moon was another guys who was Rule 5 draft eligible, but he was passed over by the other 29 clubs, going unselected. He spent 2015 playing for four teams - Lancaster (71 PA's for a .322/.406/.475 line), Corpus (289 PA's for a .266/.356/.347 line), Fresno (7 PA's, did not reach base) and Glendale of the Arizona Fall League (.093/.241/.116). Moon isn't young (2016 is his age 25 season) and he has a career slugging percentage of .354, so again he relies on contact and a good batting eye for value at the plate.
I won't spend much more time on Moon, and will move to the projections. He is the longest of the long-shots AA or above in the Astros system in the middle infield. Marcel remains silent on his abilities, which is entirely expected. Steamer sees him hitting .229/.283/.309 for an wRC+ of 62, while ZiPS is similarly pessimistic, forecasting a .217/.271/.283 line (for an OPS+ of 55). That isn't good.
Ex-Prospect: Jiovanni Mier (25, turns 26 in August)
Firstly, I am aware that Mier is now in the Blue Jays system - I thought that I would post this projection for the sake of comparison with some of the other prospects.
Mier was taken as a first rounder in the height of the McLane nightmare drafts in 2009 (when McLane was trying to stay onside with Bud Selig and not go over the recommended soft-slot for draft signings) out of high school. He briefly entered the top-100 prospect lists of Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, only to plummet quickly from prospect radar due to a significant lack of progression with the bat. He has consistently been older at each level than you would want prospects to be, although he has been young for each level he has played. That is unlikely to continue.
2015 saw him spend the entire year at Corpus (hitting .258/.350/.372 as a 25 year old), after he finished 2014 at AAA Oklahoma City (.250/.348/.310 in 118 plate appearances) Going down a level is nearly never a good thing in terms of prospect development. Meir sports a combined minor-league line of .239/.333/.340 in nearly 2800 PA's, which should tell you everything you need to know about his bat. He has had some good stops along the way - in 200 PA's in Lancaster, he hit a solid .292/.396/.409 - but that says more about Lancaster than anything else, I would think.
Anyhow, Steamer has little hope for Mier, projecting a line similar to Chan Moon: .217/.282/.305. ZiPS offers a projection of a similar nature: .209/.207/.295. Again, that is not palpably better than the similarly-aged infield options listed above, nearly all of whom have performed better at higher levels in the minor leagues than Mier has. I doubt that Mier sniffs Toronto this year, but he could be useful as a depth-piece, or as an organisational guy in the upper minors. Best of luck to him.
The Guy They Traded: Jed Lowrie (31, turns 32 in April)
AC readers should know all about Lowrie, who signed a 3-year sweetheart deal with the Astros prior to the 2015 season, then was traded before he could record 270 plate appearances within the contract period. Lowrie and Handsome Jake Marisnick combined to prop up the Astros offence in April of 2015, but then Lowrie got injured, spending nearly three months on the DL after a thumb operation. The Astros traded him for the second time to the A's for a seemingly underwhelming return and some salary relief. I will write about the return when I talk about the bullpen later in this series.
Lowrie, as I have already written (same link as above), is a legit part-time Major League piece, so lets just head to his projections without worrying about his credentials.
Marcel likes Lowrie to log nearly 350 plate appearances, and post a .254/.321/.398 line with 9 home runs. Steamer sees a similar line of .252/.323/.383 - the degree of similarity between Steamer and Marcel is logical, because Lowrie is an established major-league player, not an early career-guy like many of the players we have reviewed. Oakland's ZiPS projections have not been released yet, but it seems likely that it will also project Lowrie in the vicinity of .255/.325/.400 - his established major-league performance.
Lowrie's projected OBP is better than everyone here, except Tony Kemp's OBP. That includes MarGo. But Lowrie also would have been circa-$4.5MM more expensive this year, and if you think MarGo's projection is a little light, then Lowrie's advantage quickly disappears. 2016 will be an interesting year to watch for Jed Lowrie, but the Astros could quickly regret letting him go.
Another Guy They Traded: Jonathan Villar (24, turns 25 in May)
I also made my thoughts public on the Villar trade, earlier in the offseason, essentially doing the blogging equivalent of lying on the floor of my study, crying uncontrollably, kicking and punching the floor, and sobbing "why??" over and over again. Villar was a controllable piece going forward, having logged just over 1 year of service time. He seemed to he improving, coming off an awesome September and October for the Astros where he slashed to the tune of .381/.435/.619. At 24, his brain might mature enough to assist his on-field concentration, and stop him from muffing easy plays. And he had the ability to make some outrageously good plays, as well. His ceiling is high, but his floor, sadly, is probably a little lower. Still, dammit, I like him.
The Astros opted to retain the safer Marwin González, and traded Jonathan Villar for an unheralded prospect, who will also get discussed in the upcoming piece on starting pitchers.
Here is what the projection systems think of 2106 Jonathan Villar: Marcel sees a .251/.313/.388 triple-slash, with 6 home runs in just over 260 plate appearances. Steamer predicts some serious regression: .239/.301/.364, not liking a walk rate of 7.8% versus a strikeout rate of 25.5%. ZiPS is unavailable at this time, as the Brewers' projections haven't yet been released.
Perhaps that trade for Cy Snead wasn't so bad after all.
Trade Candidate: Nil
The Astros have been frantically trading away middle-infielders all offseason. It would have to be a doozy of a deal for them to want to add players at this juncture. I don't see a trade candidate entering the picture.
Free Agent: Ian Desmond
The Astros are NOT going to shell-out nine-figures for Ian Desmond to play a crappy shortstop. But, for the purposes of comparison, lets fast-forward to his projections.
Marcel sees Desmond posting a .251/.308/.415 line, striking out 155 times against 41 walks. Steamer is even less keen, seeing a .236/.294/.390 line, with a nearly-28% K-rate and a 7% walk rate. If those projections are accurate, I can see Desmond sitting out until the middle of the year, especially with a QO attached.
That wraps up the Astros' middle-infield depth charts. The Astros have doubled-down on the middle infield trio of Altuve, Correa and González by trading away Lowrie and Villar. Waiting in the wings is a group of guys who need a big 2016 remain with the organisation. This includes Nolan Fontana, Chan Moon and Joe Sclafani. Tony Kemp is the pick of the non-major-leaguers in this group, but will need to be added to the 40-man at the end of the season, else he will be exposed in the Rule 5. Kemp is the most likely - according to the projection systems that we have covered - to make a decent step forward and produce at the Major League level.
The only other point I would make is that the Astros seem a little exposed to injuries in the middle infield. If either Correa or Altuve go down for any length of time, then that will force González into an everyday role, and bring (probably) Fontana up from the minor leagues. If the projections are to be believed, that could prove to be a disaster, and potentially be the difference between a postseason berth and an October at the side of a pool or on a golf course.
As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Joe Sclafani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Sclafani. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Friday, May 29, 2015
Prestros Morning Report: May 28
TL;DR
*Org goes 2-2 on the day; 116-72 on the year
*Joe Sclafani hit a walkoff single in the 11th to give Fresno the win.
*Mark Appel threw 5.2IP, 9H/3ER, 4K:3BB in a 3-2 loss to NW Arkansas
*Evan Grills and Bryan Radziewski combined for 5H/0ER, 7K:0BB in a Lancaster win.
*Quad Cities couldn't overcome a 4-run 2nd inning in a 5-2 loss
Fresno (27-20)
Joe Sclafani's walkoff single in the 11th was the first Grizzlies run in 7+ innings, and gave Fresno a 5-4 win over Memphis. Brady Rodgers threw 5.1IP, 6H/4ER, 1K:2BB; Mitch Lambson's one hit allowed accounted for two of Rodgers' runs; Tyson Perez threw 1.1IP, 1H/0ER, 0K:1BB; Kevin Chapman allowed a hit in 1IP and Richard Rodriguez improved to 5-0 with 2IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB.
Tyler Heineman was 3x5 with a double and 2RBI; Joe Sclafani was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI; L.J. Hoes was 2x5 with an RBI and an outfield assist, getting a runner at home; Matt Dominguez (2B) and Alex Presley had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Corpus (31-15)
Corpus had a 2-1 lead in the 6th, but NW Arkansas got two in the bottom half for a 3-2 win over Corpus. Mark Appel threw 5.2IP, allowing 9H/3ER, 4K:3BB and 60 of his 92 pitches for strikes. Travis Ballew inherited the bases loaded by Appel, and allowed just one run (charged to Appel), throwing 1.1IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Juan Minaya struck out two in the 8th.
Tony Kemp was 2x2 with two walks, and Conrad Gregor was 2x4 with a double and a solo homer. Jio Mier was 1x3 with a double, walk, and RBI. Danry Vasquez got his first Double-A hit.
Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor
Lancaster (24-23)
Lancaster had a 2-0 lead after one, 3-0 lead after two, and tacked on three in the fourth, going on to a 6-0 win at Stockton. Evan Grills threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB and Bryan Radziewski tossed 4IP, 3H/0ER, 5K:0BB.
J.D. Davis was 2x5 with two doubles and 2RBI; A.J. Reed was 2x4 with a 2-run homer and a walk. Ronnie Mitchell was 1x2 with two walks and a stolen base; James Ramsay was 1x3 with two walks, Marc Wik was 1x3 with a walk.
Man of the Match: A.J. Reed
Quad Cities (34-14)
Kane County put up four runs in the 2nd and cruised to a 5-2 win at Quad Cities. Brock Dykxhoorn threw 5IP, 5H/4ER, 3K:3BB, WP, Balk; Eric Peterson threw 2.2IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 3K:0BB, 2HBP; Jordan Mills retired the four batters he faced.
Bobby Boyd was 1x3 with a walk and two stolen bases; Derek Fisher and Nick Tanielu were each 2x4 with an RBI.
Man of the Match: Bobby Boyd.
*Org goes 2-2 on the day; 116-72 on the year
*Joe Sclafani hit a walkoff single in the 11th to give Fresno the win.
*Mark Appel threw 5.2IP, 9H/3ER, 4K:3BB in a 3-2 loss to NW Arkansas
*Evan Grills and Bryan Radziewski combined for 5H/0ER, 7K:0BB in a Lancaster win.
*Quad Cities couldn't overcome a 4-run 2nd inning in a 5-2 loss
Fresno (27-20)
Joe Sclafani's walkoff single in the 11th was the first Grizzlies run in 7+ innings, and gave Fresno a 5-4 win over Memphis. Brady Rodgers threw 5.1IP, 6H/4ER, 1K:2BB; Mitch Lambson's one hit allowed accounted for two of Rodgers' runs; Tyson Perez threw 1.1IP, 1H/0ER, 0K:1BB; Kevin Chapman allowed a hit in 1IP and Richard Rodriguez improved to 5-0 with 2IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB.
Tyler Heineman was 3x5 with a double and 2RBI; Joe Sclafani was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI; L.J. Hoes was 2x5 with an RBI and an outfield assist, getting a runner at home; Matt Dominguez (2B) and Alex Presley had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Corpus (31-15)
Corpus had a 2-1 lead in the 6th, but NW Arkansas got two in the bottom half for a 3-2 win over Corpus. Mark Appel threw 5.2IP, allowing 9H/3ER, 4K:3BB and 60 of his 92 pitches for strikes. Travis Ballew inherited the bases loaded by Appel, and allowed just one run (charged to Appel), throwing 1.1IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Juan Minaya struck out two in the 8th.
Tony Kemp was 2x2 with two walks, and Conrad Gregor was 2x4 with a double and a solo homer. Jio Mier was 1x3 with a double, walk, and RBI. Danry Vasquez got his first Double-A hit.
Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor
Lancaster (24-23)
Lancaster had a 2-0 lead after one, 3-0 lead after two, and tacked on three in the fourth, going on to a 6-0 win at Stockton. Evan Grills threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB and Bryan Radziewski tossed 4IP, 3H/0ER, 5K:0BB.
J.D. Davis was 2x5 with two doubles and 2RBI; A.J. Reed was 2x4 with a 2-run homer and a walk. Ronnie Mitchell was 1x2 with two walks and a stolen base; James Ramsay was 1x3 with two walks, Marc Wik was 1x3 with a walk.
Man of the Match: A.J. Reed
Quad Cities (34-14)
Kane County put up four runs in the 2nd and cruised to a 5-2 win at Quad Cities. Brock Dykxhoorn threw 5IP, 5H/4ER, 3K:3BB, WP, Balk; Eric Peterson threw 2.2IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 3K:0BB, 2HBP; Jordan Mills retired the four batters he faced.
Bobby Boyd was 1x3 with a walk and two stolen bases; Derek Fisher and Nick Tanielu were each 2x4 with an RBI.
Man of the Match: Bobby Boyd.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Hoes Down, Chapman Up, plus Jed Lowrie's Injury.
L.J. Hoes was optioned to AAA after the first game of the Mariners series, with lefty relieved Kevin Chapman being summonsed to take his place. The Mariners lean left in their batting lineup, so this move is totally understandable. Remember when the Astros were fiddling with their starting rotation a year ago to get lefty starters to throw against the Mariners? In the meantime, the Astros will play with a 3-man bench with plenty of positional flexibility - Conger, Grossman, Villar and González are all switch hitters, with the latter two having played nearly every position on the diamond and one of the two are expected to start at short in some kind of semi-platoon.
Lowrie's injury got me thinking. Firstly, about how good the Lowrie contract was in the offseason. When he departed in 2013 - after being acquired for a mercurial reliever - he had rebuilt his value with nearly 400 solid plate appearances on a bad team. He raked for a middle infielder in 2013 over 154 games for Oakland (119 OPS+), and when he entered 2014, I wondered whether the Yankees would tab him as the interim replacement for DJ2, and offer him boatloads of cash in the process. But his play in 2014 was not great, and it may have cost him a fair bit in contract money, but 3-and-23 is still an absolute bargain. Especially when the guy mashes to a 179 OPS+ through the first 12% of the season.
Secondly, Lowrie is out until after the ASB, and he is going to rejoin the team as a fresh set of legs with around 2-and-one-half of the season to go. If there are no lingering issues to his thumb - and there probably shouldn't be - then he will at least serve as a solid stretch-run addition. Neither González or Villar is going to be a total naught at shortstop, and Lowrie has been unsustainably hot so the regression monster was starting to take an interest. Perhaps the drop off in production could be less than first thought.
And while we are acknowledging the glass-half-full opinion of Lowrie's injury, it seems reasonable to look at how the Astros could use the DL time and roster spot to their best advantage. No one seemed surprised when Jonathan Villar was called up - and they shouldn't have been - because he remains the logical replacement. He has experience, positional flexibility, is a switch hitter, and a month ago was in the midst of a solid spring. He also needs reps at the ML level to see what kind of player he will become, and the Astros would be wise to give him that opportunity now, lest they are forced to cut bait at some time in the future with that question unanswered. Villar can do stuff on the field that other people simply can't, and I seem to remember that around a year ago, he was leading the Astros starters in slugging. What I am trying to saw is that his ceiling is significant.
So Villar was always going to get the call up, although fans could be forgiven for being disappointed that the computer didn't spit out Carlos Correa's name. Delay Correa's call up until this time next year (which would be developmentally very forgivable) and you get control until after the World Series in 2021. Call him up now - and if you can't realistically return him to the minors because of solid performance - and you move his free-agency date to late 2020. With the team winning as it is, and with a Villar-like candidate with his service clock already ticking, Correa wasn't ever coming up.
L.J. Hoes was called up for the series in the NL ballpark to allow for more of a pinch hitting option. He was hot in AAA (.418/.458/.658 in a hitter-friendly league), but he only managed one plate appearance and one pinch-running appearance over the series. With Sam Deduno starting - and likely to be restricted to around 60 pitches for this start - and with the pitchers hitting back in Houston, a 4-man bench is a luxury. So the extra lefty reliever in Chapman was summonsed to counter the Mariners' lefty leaning lineup.
So, all pretty logical to this point, huh?? But Sam Deduno is (i) either going to return to being a long reliever or (ii) going to be stretched out to start full time and an extra arm won't be needed in the 'pen. Either way, in a month or so, the fifth starter spot will hopefully be much clearer and someone who can carry a decent pitch load. Either Obie or Peacock will be back, or Wojo would have benefitted from his time in AAA, or Deduno's name will appear in more permanent ink on the lineup card in the fifth starter slot. So perhaps a four man bench in AL ballparks will become more defensible.
Assuming Conger and Grossman remain permanent bench players, and González and Hoes share shortstop duties, how could the Astros use this extra slot? There are a number of interesting possibilities. Preston Tucker is tearing up AAA right now, but he isn't on the 40-man, so another move would need to be made. L.J. Hoes could pop back up and get more of a chance to mash. Domingo Santana is another outfield possibility, and everyone remembers his time in the Majors from last year. Jon Singleton is hitting .243/.369/.514 with four jacks, so perhaps he could get a look. Nolan Fontana bats lefty, plays short, and is hitting .250/.394/.411, so he could be a possibility if Villar struggles (but isn't on the 40-man either, so a corresponding move would need to be made). Joe Sclafani is a switch-hitter with positional flexibility, so he could get a look for a month or so, but this is becoming more of a long-shot with every name mentioned.
In terms of corresponding transactions, the guy on the 40-man who is at AAA who isn't performing well is our old friend, Matt Dominguez. He has played 16 games, and is hitting .250/.299/.317 with no home runs. I would hate to see Matty D leave the organisation, mostly because of how he would gently lays the bat down and trot around the bases at a good clip on home run balls. Even if he crushed it and it was a massive home run in the context of the game, he always acted the same. Showboating wasn't really his style, and when a guy is struggling in the majors and isn't taking the opportunity to show people up, then that earns some respect from me.
Of course, Matty D may be working on something very specific with the hitting coaches, and his number may have taken a hit on the basis that he is in an adjustment phase. Numbers don't tell the whole story, and the Astros have been a scouting-savvy organisation recently, despite their reputation as ruthless number-crunchers. There may be a plan with Matt D that I know nothing about - that would not surprise me at all. The possibility of an adjustment may protect Matt somewhat.
This entry has gotten too long again, but I hope that my point has been made. Jed's injury will keep him out for 2-3 months, and the first month or so of that will probably involve a short bench. However, once the fifth starter - swingman areas of the pitching staff sort themselves out, the Astros have all sorts of tantalising options. These include a number of guys that need a few months in the majors to see what they could become as players. This list includes both guys that have seen The Show before (Hoes, Santana and Singleton) plus guys currently knocking on the door, that may need to be added to the 40-man. A roster spot may have to be created, and Matty D looks to be at the stage of his career where he needs to hit better, or he may be struggling for a job.
Either way, the presence of too many players for too few roster spots on a first-place team is something that Astros fans should relish.
Lowrie's injury got me thinking. Firstly, about how good the Lowrie contract was in the offseason. When he departed in 2013 - after being acquired for a mercurial reliever - he had rebuilt his value with nearly 400 solid plate appearances on a bad team. He raked for a middle infielder in 2013 over 154 games for Oakland (119 OPS+), and when he entered 2014, I wondered whether the Yankees would tab him as the interim replacement for DJ2, and offer him boatloads of cash in the process. But his play in 2014 was not great, and it may have cost him a fair bit in contract money, but 3-and-23 is still an absolute bargain. Especially when the guy mashes to a 179 OPS+ through the first 12% of the season.
Secondly, Lowrie is out until after the ASB, and he is going to rejoin the team as a fresh set of legs with around 2-and-one-half of the season to go. If there are no lingering issues to his thumb - and there probably shouldn't be - then he will at least serve as a solid stretch-run addition. Neither González or Villar is going to be a total naught at shortstop, and Lowrie has been unsustainably hot so the regression monster was starting to take an interest. Perhaps the drop off in production could be less than first thought.
And while we are acknowledging the glass-half-full opinion of Lowrie's injury, it seems reasonable to look at how the Astros could use the DL time and roster spot to their best advantage. No one seemed surprised when Jonathan Villar was called up - and they shouldn't have been - because he remains the logical replacement. He has experience, positional flexibility, is a switch hitter, and a month ago was in the midst of a solid spring. He also needs reps at the ML level to see what kind of player he will become, and the Astros would be wise to give him that opportunity now, lest they are forced to cut bait at some time in the future with that question unanswered. Villar can do stuff on the field that other people simply can't, and I seem to remember that around a year ago, he was leading the Astros starters in slugging. What I am trying to saw is that his ceiling is significant.
So Villar was always going to get the call up, although fans could be forgiven for being disappointed that the computer didn't spit out Carlos Correa's name. Delay Correa's call up until this time next year (which would be developmentally very forgivable) and you get control until after the World Series in 2021. Call him up now - and if you can't realistically return him to the minors because of solid performance - and you move his free-agency date to late 2020. With the team winning as it is, and with a Villar-like candidate with his service clock already ticking, Correa wasn't ever coming up.
L.J. Hoes was called up for the series in the NL ballpark to allow for more of a pinch hitting option. He was hot in AAA (.418/.458/.658 in a hitter-friendly league), but he only managed one plate appearance and one pinch-running appearance over the series. With Sam Deduno starting - and likely to be restricted to around 60 pitches for this start - and with the pitchers hitting back in Houston, a 4-man bench is a luxury. So the extra lefty reliever in Chapman was summonsed to counter the Mariners' lefty leaning lineup.
So, all pretty logical to this point, huh?? But Sam Deduno is (i) either going to return to being a long reliever or (ii) going to be stretched out to start full time and an extra arm won't be needed in the 'pen. Either way, in a month or so, the fifth starter spot will hopefully be much clearer and someone who can carry a decent pitch load. Either Obie or Peacock will be back, or Wojo would have benefitted from his time in AAA, or Deduno's name will appear in more permanent ink on the lineup card in the fifth starter slot. So perhaps a four man bench in AL ballparks will become more defensible.
Assuming Conger and Grossman remain permanent bench players, and González and Hoes share shortstop duties, how could the Astros use this extra slot? There are a number of interesting possibilities. Preston Tucker is tearing up AAA right now, but he isn't on the 40-man, so another move would need to be made. L.J. Hoes could pop back up and get more of a chance to mash. Domingo Santana is another outfield possibility, and everyone remembers his time in the Majors from last year. Jon Singleton is hitting .243/.369/.514 with four jacks, so perhaps he could get a look. Nolan Fontana bats lefty, plays short, and is hitting .250/.394/.411, so he could be a possibility if Villar struggles (but isn't on the 40-man either, so a corresponding move would need to be made). Joe Sclafani is a switch-hitter with positional flexibility, so he could get a look for a month or so, but this is becoming more of a long-shot with every name mentioned.
In terms of corresponding transactions, the guy on the 40-man who is at AAA who isn't performing well is our old friend, Matt Dominguez. He has played 16 games, and is hitting .250/.299/.317 with no home runs. I would hate to see Matty D leave the organisation, mostly because of how he would gently lays the bat down and trot around the bases at a good clip on home run balls. Even if he crushed it and it was a massive home run in the context of the game, he always acted the same. Showboating wasn't really his style, and when a guy is struggling in the majors and isn't taking the opportunity to show people up, then that earns some respect from me.
Of course, Matty D may be working on something very specific with the hitting coaches, and his number may have taken a hit on the basis that he is in an adjustment phase. Numbers don't tell the whole story, and the Astros have been a scouting-savvy organisation recently, despite their reputation as ruthless number-crunchers. There may be a plan with Matt D that I know nothing about - that would not surprise me at all. The possibility of an adjustment may protect Matt somewhat.
This entry has gotten too long again, but I hope that my point has been made. Jed's injury will keep him out for 2-3 months, and the first month or so of that will probably involve a short bench. However, once the fifth starter - swingman areas of the pitching staff sort themselves out, the Astros have all sorts of tantalising options. These include a number of guys that need a few months in the majors to see what they could become as players. This list includes both guys that have seen The Show before (Hoes, Santana and Singleton) plus guys currently knocking on the door, that may need to be added to the 40-man. A roster spot may have to be created, and Matty D looks to be at the stage of his career where he needs to hit better, or he may be struggling for a job.
Either way, the presence of too many players for too few roster spots on a first-place team is something that Astros fans should relish.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Six More Mailed to Minor League Camp in Two Further Culls
In a busy day for reassignments, the Astros reassigned six more players in Minor League camp in two separate bursts.
Firstly, they reassigned Brady Rodgers (who allowed 6 runs in three-and-one-third) and optioned Michael Feliz, Vincent Velasquez and Ronald Torreyes to the Minor League camp. Those last three players had divergent Major League camps, and probably all feel differently about their exits.
Michael Feliz performed strongly, throwing three shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out three. He sat in the high-90's with his fastball. Jeff Luhnow indicated that he could see the Majors later in the year, as he projects to be a guy who moves quickly through the upper minors.
Ronald Torreyes appeared in six games, going 0-for-8 and walking once. He struck out twice. Probably not the impression he wanted to make, but he will get more opportunities over the coming years.
Vincent Velasquez didn't throw at all in camp. He continued to rehab from a lattisimus dorsi injury that he suffered during the Arizona Fall League. His injuries continue to negatively influence his career, but if he ever stays healthy... look out!
In the second set of reassignments after Monday's games, Jordan Jankowski and Joe Sclafani joined the exodus.
Jankowski had a tough camp in a very small sample, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk over two innings pitched. He didn't pitch on Monday at all.
Sclafani had a better camp, going 3-7 and scoring 4 runs. He played against the Nationals in the split-squad game on Monday, explaining the timing of the transaction late in the day. Sclafani's reassignment is probably related to the infield battle, which is really heating up. Altuve and Lowrie are absolutely playing somewhere, Singleton and Valbuena are having great springs, and Gonzalez and Petit are battling it out for the utility role. Gattis and Carter may be somewhere. Dominguez is most likely on the outer, but needs some plate appearances and innings at first base before he is optioned because of his relative seniority and occasional RH pop.
These two culls reduce the Major League spring training camp number to 51 - roughly twice the eventual number that will take the field April 6. Things remain interesting, with Mike-Bob Grossman and Handsome Jake Marisnick both playing well in the outfield and Wojo having a strong start to the spring. The next few cuts may be a little less predictable and a little more dramatic.
And if you are keen to catch some TV Spring Training action, the Tuesday game against the Pirates is televised on the new cable network and on MLB.com.
Firstly, they reassigned Brady Rodgers (who allowed 6 runs in three-and-one-third) and optioned Michael Feliz, Vincent Velasquez and Ronald Torreyes to the Minor League camp. Those last three players had divergent Major League camps, and probably all feel differently about their exits.
Michael Feliz performed strongly, throwing three shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out three. He sat in the high-90's with his fastball. Jeff Luhnow indicated that he could see the Majors later in the year, as he projects to be a guy who moves quickly through the upper minors.
Ronald Torreyes appeared in six games, going 0-for-8 and walking once. He struck out twice. Probably not the impression he wanted to make, but he will get more opportunities over the coming years.
Vincent Velasquez didn't throw at all in camp. He continued to rehab from a lattisimus dorsi injury that he suffered during the Arizona Fall League. His injuries continue to negatively influence his career, but if he ever stays healthy... look out!
In the second set of reassignments after Monday's games, Jordan Jankowski and Joe Sclafani joined the exodus.
Jankowski had a tough camp in a very small sample, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk over two innings pitched. He didn't pitch on Monday at all.
Sclafani had a better camp, going 3-7 and scoring 4 runs. He played against the Nationals in the split-squad game on Monday, explaining the timing of the transaction late in the day. Sclafani's reassignment is probably related to the infield battle, which is really heating up. Altuve and Lowrie are absolutely playing somewhere, Singleton and Valbuena are having great springs, and Gonzalez and Petit are battling it out for the utility role. Gattis and Carter may be somewhere. Dominguez is most likely on the outer, but needs some plate appearances and innings at first base before he is optioned because of his relative seniority and occasional RH pop.
These two culls reduce the Major League spring training camp number to 51 - roughly twice the eventual number that will take the field April 6. Things remain interesting, with Mike-Bob Grossman and Handsome Jake Marisnick both playing well in the outfield and Wojo having a strong start to the spring. The next few cuts may be a little less predictable and a little more dramatic.
And if you are keen to catch some TV Spring Training action, the Tuesday game against the Pirates is televised on the new cable network and on MLB.com.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Rafters Win!!! The-e-e-e Rafters... Win!!
Tied 7-apeice entering the bottom of the seventh, and the Rafters put the season away with a seven-run inning in the bottom half. The Javelinas were unable to chip away at that deficit with the 6 outs they had left, so the final score was 14-7 to the Rafters.
How does a seven-run inning happen in a championship game?? Mostly, in this case, a bunch of self inflicted wounds (walks) with the occasional extra-base hit. It went like this: groundout - walk (Joe Sclafani) - double - intentional walk - walk (immediately after a pitching change) - 2 RBI single - RBI single - walk (bases loaded) - 3 RBI double - fly out - walk (Joe Sclafani, again) - line out.
Evan Marzilli - the player immediately ahead of Sclafani in the order, and also the lead-off hitter, made two of the outs on a ground out and a fly out. The big hit was a Taylor Featherston bases-clearing double from the nine-hole. Boom.
Sclafani was batting second and DH-ing. He had a very strong game: 2-3, 2xBB, 2B, 2R, RBI, K. On base four of five plate-appearances. Nice.
On the pitching side of the ledger, only Mitch Lambson made it into the game from the Astros prospects. He threw a scoreless inning, not allowing a baserunner and striking out one. He was relieved with one out to go in the game, with Enrique Burgos recording the final out.
Now there really is no baseball until Spring Training. Unless you count the MLB All-Stars in Japan. Hope they get a hit next game.
How does a seven-run inning happen in a championship game?? Mostly, in this case, a bunch of self inflicted wounds (walks) with the occasional extra-base hit. It went like this: groundout - walk (Joe Sclafani) - double - intentional walk - walk (immediately after a pitching change) - 2 RBI single - RBI single - walk (bases loaded) - 3 RBI double - fly out - walk (Joe Sclafani, again) - line out.
Evan Marzilli - the player immediately ahead of Sclafani in the order, and also the lead-off hitter, made two of the outs on a ground out and a fly out. The big hit was a Taylor Featherston bases-clearing double from the nine-hole. Boom.
Sclafani was batting second and DH-ing. He had a very strong game: 2-3, 2xBB, 2B, 2R, RBI, K. On base four of five plate-appearances. Nice.
On the pitching side of the ledger, only Mitch Lambson made it into the game from the Astros prospects. He threw a scoreless inning, not allowing a baserunner and striking out one. He was relieved with one out to go in the game, with Enrique Burgos recording the final out.
Now there really is no baseball until Spring Training. Unless you count the MLB All-Stars in Japan. Hope they get a hit next game.
Friday, November 14, 2014
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!
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!
Friday, October 24, 2014
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.
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.
Friday, August 1, 2014
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
*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
Thursday, August 8, 2013
PreStros Morning Report: August 7
Oklahoma City (68-50), 4.0 up
Off
Corpus (28-18), 0.0 GB
Enrique Hernandez got to play the heroes role as the Hooks beat the Naturals 4-2. Mike Foltynewicz threw 5.1 IP and allowed 2H/2R with 3K:4BB. Kyle Hallock, Carlos Quevedo, and Jonas Dufek finished up the game without allowing another run.
Hernandez, who pinch hit in the eighth inning, was 1x1 with a 3 run HR. Domingo Santana went 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 R. Raoul Torrez was 2x4 with 2 2B.
Man of the Match: Enrique Hernandez
Lancaster (29-17), 5.0 up
The JetHawks held off a late rally to beat Modesto 8-6. Aaron West went 7 IP, giving up 5H/2R with 5 K. Blair Walters threw 1 IP and gave up 3H/3R with 1K:2BB. Tyson Perez gave up 2H/1R in .1 IP. Kenny Long finished up the last .2 IP with 2 K.
Carlos Perdomo was 1x4 with 1 R and 2 RBI. Joe Sclafani went 3x4 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (27-17), 0.5 GB
The River Bandits bullpen gave up 5 runs in the 7th as QC lost 7-5 to Clinton. Lance McCullers threw 6 IP and allowed 5H/2R (0 ER) with 7K:1BB. Gerardo Sanchez went 2 IP and gave up 6H/5R with 3K:1BB. Daniel Minor went the last 1 IP with 2 H and 1 K.
Tony Kemp was 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Carlos Correa went 2x4 with 2 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Danry Vasquez was 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. Bobby Borchering went 2x4 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Tony Kemp
Tri-City (29-21) 0.0 up
In a well fought game that saw the score tied in the 4th, 7th, and 8th innings the ValleyCats came out on top with an 8-7 win over the CrossCutters on a walk-off, 2 run homer by Conrad Gregor. Adrian Houser threw 4.2 IP and allowed 5H/2R with 8 K. Alber Minnis threw .1 IP. Tanner Bushue pitched 2.1 IP and gave up 4H/4R with 2 K. JD Osborne went the last 1.2 IP and gave up 2H/1R with 4K:2BB.
Conrad Gregor was 2x5 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 R, and 3 RBI. Michael Martinez went 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Jack Mayfield went 2x3 with 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor
Greeneville (30-15), 4.0 up
Despite giving up 8 runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Astros beat the White Sox 11-10. Frederick Tiburcio threw 5 IP and allowed 3H/2R with 5K:2BB. Ryan Connelly threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 1 K. Christian Garcia went 1.1 IP and gave up 0H/3R with 3K:5BB. Kevin Ferguson threw .1 IP and allowed 3H/5R with 1K:3BB. Krishawn Holley got the last .1 IP with 2 BB.
Juan Santana went 2x6 with 2 R and 1 RBI. Ariel Ovando was 2x4 with 1 BB and 2 R. Chase McDonald was 2x5 with 1 R and 2 RBI. Brian Holberton went 2x5 with 1 HR, 2 R, and 3 RBI. Darwin Rivera was 2x5 with 1 2B and 3 RBI. Alfredo Gonzalez went 2x5 with 1 2B and 1 R. Thomas Lindauer went 3x4 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Thomas Lindauer
GCL Astros (20-20), 4.0 GB
The Astros were beat by the Blue Jays 10-3. Austin Nicely threw 4 IP and gave up 7H/4R (2 ER) with 2K:1BB. Reymin Guduan went 2 IP and gave up 2H/2R with 2K:1BB. Samil De Los Santos threw 1.1 IP and gave up 4H/4R with 2K:1BB. Javier Lozano and Devonte German each added .1 IP.
Mesac Laguno went 2x4 with 1 2B and 3 RBI.
Man of the Match: Mesac Laguno
DSL Astros (30-26) 6.0 GB
The Astros gave up 3 unearned runs in the ninth to lose 4-3 to the Mariners. Edwin Villarroel threw 5 IP and gave up 5H/1R with 5K:2BB. Cristhopher Santamaria went 1.2 IP with 2 H and 2 K. Yonquelys Martinez threw 1.1 IP with 2K:1BB. Angel Heredia took the final 1 IP and allowed 2H/3R (0 ER) with 1 BB.
Brian Pena was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Edwin Villarroel
Off
Corpus (28-18), 0.0 GB
Enrique Hernandez got to play the heroes role as the Hooks beat the Naturals 4-2. Mike Foltynewicz threw 5.1 IP and allowed 2H/2R with 3K:4BB. Kyle Hallock, Carlos Quevedo, and Jonas Dufek finished up the game without allowing another run.
Hernandez, who pinch hit in the eighth inning, was 1x1 with a 3 run HR. Domingo Santana went 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 R. Raoul Torrez was 2x4 with 2 2B.
Man of the Match: Enrique Hernandez
Lancaster (29-17), 5.0 up
The JetHawks held off a late rally to beat Modesto 8-6. Aaron West went 7 IP, giving up 5H/2R with 5 K. Blair Walters threw 1 IP and gave up 3H/3R with 1K:2BB. Tyson Perez gave up 2H/1R in .1 IP. Kenny Long finished up the last .2 IP with 2 K.
Carlos Perdomo was 1x4 with 1 R and 2 RBI. Joe Sclafani went 3x4 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (27-17), 0.5 GB
The River Bandits bullpen gave up 5 runs in the 7th as QC lost 7-5 to Clinton. Lance McCullers threw 6 IP and allowed 5H/2R (0 ER) with 7K:1BB. Gerardo Sanchez went 2 IP and gave up 6H/5R with 3K:1BB. Daniel Minor went the last 1 IP with 2 H and 1 K.
Tony Kemp was 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Carlos Correa went 2x4 with 2 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Danry Vasquez was 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. Bobby Borchering went 2x4 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Tony Kemp
Tri-City (29-21) 0.0 up
In a well fought game that saw the score tied in the 4th, 7th, and 8th innings the ValleyCats came out on top with an 8-7 win over the CrossCutters on a walk-off, 2 run homer by Conrad Gregor. Adrian Houser threw 4.2 IP and allowed 5H/2R with 8 K. Alber Minnis threw .1 IP. Tanner Bushue pitched 2.1 IP and gave up 4H/4R with 2 K. JD Osborne went the last 1.2 IP and gave up 2H/1R with 4K:2BB.
Conrad Gregor was 2x5 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 R, and 3 RBI. Michael Martinez went 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Jack Mayfield went 2x3 with 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor
Greeneville (30-15), 4.0 up
Despite giving up 8 runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Astros beat the White Sox 11-10. Frederick Tiburcio threw 5 IP and allowed 3H/2R with 5K:2BB. Ryan Connelly threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 1 K. Christian Garcia went 1.1 IP and gave up 0H/3R with 3K:5BB. Kevin Ferguson threw .1 IP and allowed 3H/5R with 1K:3BB. Krishawn Holley got the last .1 IP with 2 BB.
Juan Santana went 2x6 with 2 R and 1 RBI. Ariel Ovando was 2x4 with 1 BB and 2 R. Chase McDonald was 2x5 with 1 R and 2 RBI. Brian Holberton went 2x5 with 1 HR, 2 R, and 3 RBI. Darwin Rivera was 2x5 with 1 2B and 3 RBI. Alfredo Gonzalez went 2x5 with 1 2B and 1 R. Thomas Lindauer went 3x4 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Thomas Lindauer
GCL Astros (20-20), 4.0 GB
The Astros were beat by the Blue Jays 10-3. Austin Nicely threw 4 IP and gave up 7H/4R (2 ER) with 2K:1BB. Reymin Guduan went 2 IP and gave up 2H/2R with 2K:1BB. Samil De Los Santos threw 1.1 IP and gave up 4H/4R with 2K:1BB. Javier Lozano and Devonte German each added .1 IP.
Mesac Laguno went 2x4 with 1 2B and 3 RBI.
Man of the Match: Mesac Laguno
DSL Astros (30-26) 6.0 GB
The Astros gave up 3 unearned runs in the ninth to lose 4-3 to the Mariners. Edwin Villarroel threw 5 IP and gave up 5H/1R with 5K:2BB. Cristhopher Santamaria went 1.2 IP with 2 H and 2 K. Yonquelys Martinez threw 1.1 IP with 2K:1BB. Angel Heredia took the final 1 IP and allowed 2H/3R (0 ER) with 1 BB.
Brian Pena was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Edwin Villarroel
Monday, June 10, 2013
PreStros Morning Report: June 9
Oklahoma City (33-27), tied
Things were going along swimmingly at Omaha, well, for the pitching staff. Down 1-0 heading into the 6th, Omaha busted out for a six-run inning, cruising to a 7-0 win over the RedHawks. Jarred Cosart threw 5IP, 2H/4R (3ER), 5K:4BB (16 walks in his last three starts). Josh Zeid threw 1IP, allowing 3H/3R (0ER), 1K:0BB; Kevin Chapman walked two in 1IP and C.J. Fick walked one. On the day, OKC's pitchers allowed 5H/7R (3ER), 7K:7BB.
Not much offense to speak of - five hits, none for extra-bases. Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Villar, Fernando Martinez, Che-Hsuan Lin and Cody Clark had your hits. Jake Elmore and Marc Krauss (2BB) drew the walks.
Man of the Match: Uh...
Corpus (38-24), 2.0 up
Rough one for the Hooks as they watch a 3-1 lead evaporate into a 7-4 loss at San Antonio. Bobby Doran allowed 4IP, 5H/3ER, 4K:1BB; Sergio Escalona threw 1IP, 4H/4ER; Nick Tropeano threw the final 3IP giving up just 2H/0ER, 5K:1BB.
George Springer hit his 18th homer, stole his 18th stolen base, and drew a walk. Erik Castro and Jonathan Meyer went back-to-back in the 2nd inning. Domingo Santana was 1x3 with a walk. Jon Singleton was 0x3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Justin Maxwell was 0x4, and is 0x17 with eight strikeouts in five rehab appearances at Corpus
Man of the Match: George Springer
Lancaster (35-28), 5.0 up
After being down 3-1 heading into the 7th, the JetHawks tied it up, only to see San Jose reclaim the two-run lead in the bottom half of the inning and win 5-3. Chris Devenski threw 5IP, 6H/3ER, 5K:2BB; Brady Rodgers took the loss, throwing 3IP, 4H/2ER, 4K:1BB.
Joe Sclafani was 2x4 with 2RBI; Delino DeShields had a hit and a walk; MP Cokinos and Preston Tucker (Outfield Assist) had a hit each.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (34-27), 4.0 GB
This one was over pretty quick. It was 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, and Peoria tacked on four runs in the bottom of the 8th, sealing a 9-1 win over Quad Cities. Juan Minaya allowed 5H/4R (3ER), 3K:0BB in 4IP; Jordan Jankowski allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP; and Richard Rodriguez allowed 6H/4ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP.
OHHHH CONGRATULATIONS PEORIA. You held the River Bandits to five hits with Jake Freaking Westbrook making a rehab start. Hits: Jesse Wierzbicki, Rio Ruiz (2B), Brian Blasik (two errors), Ariel Ovando (2B, RBI), and Jordan Scott.
Man of the Match: Ariel Ovando
DSL Astros (4-3), 1.0 GB
The DSL Dodgers had a 1-0 lead before the DSL Astros got six in the 6th and 7th innings, winning 6-3. Juan Hernandez threw 3IP, 3H/1ER, 2K:1BB; Junior Garcia got the win, throwing 4IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB; Victor Mesa gave up 2H/2ER, 1K:2BB in 0.2IP and Angel Heredia got his first save, striking out two in a four-out save.
Hector Roa was 2x4 with a grand slam and 5RBI total; Randy Cesar was 2x2 with a walk; and Luis Payano was 1x3 with a double and a walk.
Man of the Match: Hector Roa.
Things were going along swimmingly at Omaha, well, for the pitching staff. Down 1-0 heading into the 6th, Omaha busted out for a six-run inning, cruising to a 7-0 win over the RedHawks. Jarred Cosart threw 5IP, 2H/4R (3ER), 5K:4BB (16 walks in his last three starts). Josh Zeid threw 1IP, allowing 3H/3R (0ER), 1K:0BB; Kevin Chapman walked two in 1IP and C.J. Fick walked one. On the day, OKC's pitchers allowed 5H/7R (3ER), 7K:7BB.
Not much offense to speak of - five hits, none for extra-bases. Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Villar, Fernando Martinez, Che-Hsuan Lin and Cody Clark had your hits. Jake Elmore and Marc Krauss (2BB) drew the walks.
Man of the Match: Uh...
Corpus (38-24), 2.0 up
Rough one for the Hooks as they watch a 3-1 lead evaporate into a 7-4 loss at San Antonio. Bobby Doran allowed 4IP, 5H/3ER, 4K:1BB; Sergio Escalona threw 1IP, 4H/4ER; Nick Tropeano threw the final 3IP giving up just 2H/0ER, 5K:1BB.
George Springer hit his 18th homer, stole his 18th stolen base, and drew a walk. Erik Castro and Jonathan Meyer went back-to-back in the 2nd inning. Domingo Santana was 1x3 with a walk. Jon Singleton was 0x3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Justin Maxwell was 0x4, and is 0x17 with eight strikeouts in five rehab appearances at Corpus
Man of the Match: George Springer
Lancaster (35-28), 5.0 up
After being down 3-1 heading into the 7th, the JetHawks tied it up, only to see San Jose reclaim the two-run lead in the bottom half of the inning and win 5-3. Chris Devenski threw 5IP, 6H/3ER, 5K:2BB; Brady Rodgers took the loss, throwing 3IP, 4H/2ER, 4K:1BB.
Joe Sclafani was 2x4 with 2RBI; Delino DeShields had a hit and a walk; MP Cokinos and Preston Tucker (Outfield Assist) had a hit each.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (34-27), 4.0 GB
This one was over pretty quick. It was 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, and Peoria tacked on four runs in the bottom of the 8th, sealing a 9-1 win over Quad Cities. Juan Minaya allowed 5H/4R (3ER), 3K:0BB in 4IP; Jordan Jankowski allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP; and Richard Rodriguez allowed 6H/4ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP.
OHHHH CONGRATULATIONS PEORIA. You held the River Bandits to five hits with Jake Freaking Westbrook making a rehab start. Hits: Jesse Wierzbicki, Rio Ruiz (2B), Brian Blasik (two errors), Ariel Ovando (2B, RBI), and Jordan Scott.
Man of the Match: Ariel Ovando
DSL Astros (4-3), 1.0 GB
The DSL Dodgers had a 1-0 lead before the DSL Astros got six in the 6th and 7th innings, winning 6-3. Juan Hernandez threw 3IP, 3H/1ER, 2K:1BB; Junior Garcia got the win, throwing 4IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB; Victor Mesa gave up 2H/2ER, 1K:2BB in 0.2IP and Angel Heredia got his first save, striking out two in a four-out save.
Hector Roa was 2x4 with a grand slam and 5RBI total; Randy Cesar was 2x2 with a walk; and Luis Payano was 1x3 with a double and a walk.
Man of the Match: Hector Roa.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
PreStros Morning Report: June 1
Oklahoma City (31-23), 0.5 up
Crazy one in Albuquerque last night, yeah? OKC had a 3-0 and 5-1 lead, then were down 9-7 heading into the top of the 9th. Of course the RedHawks scored six runs in the top of the 9th for a 13-9 win. Then, the Isotopes scored a run and loaded the bases against Rhiner Cruz who was pulled for Jose Valdez, who got J.R. Towles (yep, you read that right) to end the game. RedHawks win 13-10.
Lots of pitchers tonight. Seven, in fact. Brett Oberholtzer had a rough one, allowing 9H/6ER in 3.2IP; Eric Berger got four clean outs; Phil Humber allowed 4H/2ER in 1IP; C.J. Fick didn't give up a run; Alex Sogard got his first win of the season despite allowing an earned run; Rhiner Cruz allowed a hit and two walks, and Valdez recorded his 12th save of the season.
Jake Elmore (2B, 3B, 2RBI), Brett Wallace (two doubles, RBI), and Carlos Perez (2B, 2RBI) had three hits each; Marc Krauss (BB), Che-Hsuan Lin (game-tying 9th inning 2-run HR, BB), and Jonathan Villar (BB, RBI) had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Che-Hsuan Lin.
Corpus
Postponed due to rain - doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
Lancaster (33-21), 4.5 up
The JetHawks dominate the Visalia Rawhide (singular) for a 12-3 win at home. Chris Devenski gave up nine hits and walked four batters (and hit one) in 3.2IP, but limited the damage to 3ER; Michael Dimock got four outs in four batters, and Brady Rodgers got the win with 4IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB.
Brandon Meredith was 3x5 with a double, 2RBI, and an outfield assist; Delino DeShields, Joe Sclafani (HR, 3RBI, 2BB), Preston Tucker (2B, HR, BB, 3RBI) and Telvin Nash (2B, RBI) had two hits each. Chris Epps hit a 2-run homer and drew a walk.
Man of the Match: Going with Joe Sclafani.
Quad Cities (30-24), 5.0GB
Beloit got four in the 3rd inning and, while the River Bandits got it to 5-3, Beloit wins 10-3. Jamaine Cotton got the start, going 2.2IP and allowing 7H/4ER, 2K:2BB; Richard Rodriguez allowed 1H/1ER, 2K:2BB in 2.1IP; Vincent Velasquez had a disastrous outing, allowing 7H/5ER, 1K:1BB in 1.1IP; John Neely allowed one of Velasquez's runs.
Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with a double, HR, and 3RBI; Jordan Scott (SB) was 2x4; Carlos Correa (2B), Miles Hamblin, and Ariel Ovando each had a hit. Teoscar Hernandez and Jobduan Morales went hitless but drew two walks.
Man of the Match: Rio Ruiz
Crazy one in Albuquerque last night, yeah? OKC had a 3-0 and 5-1 lead, then were down 9-7 heading into the top of the 9th. Of course the RedHawks scored six runs in the top of the 9th for a 13-9 win. Then, the Isotopes scored a run and loaded the bases against Rhiner Cruz who was pulled for Jose Valdez, who got J.R. Towles (yep, you read that right) to end the game. RedHawks win 13-10.
Lots of pitchers tonight. Seven, in fact. Brett Oberholtzer had a rough one, allowing 9H/6ER in 3.2IP; Eric Berger got four clean outs; Phil Humber allowed 4H/2ER in 1IP; C.J. Fick didn't give up a run; Alex Sogard got his first win of the season despite allowing an earned run; Rhiner Cruz allowed a hit and two walks, and Valdez recorded his 12th save of the season.
Jake Elmore (2B, 3B, 2RBI), Brett Wallace (two doubles, RBI), and Carlos Perez (2B, 2RBI) had three hits each; Marc Krauss (BB), Che-Hsuan Lin (game-tying 9th inning 2-run HR, BB), and Jonathan Villar (BB, RBI) had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Che-Hsuan Lin.
Corpus
Postponed due to rain - doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
Lancaster (33-21), 4.5 up
The JetHawks dominate the Visalia Rawhide (singular) for a 12-3 win at home. Chris Devenski gave up nine hits and walked four batters (and hit one) in 3.2IP, but limited the damage to 3ER; Michael Dimock got four outs in four batters, and Brady Rodgers got the win with 4IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB.
Brandon Meredith was 3x5 with a double, 2RBI, and an outfield assist; Delino DeShields, Joe Sclafani (HR, 3RBI, 2BB), Preston Tucker (2B, HR, BB, 3RBI) and Telvin Nash (2B, RBI) had two hits each. Chris Epps hit a 2-run homer and drew a walk.
Man of the Match: Going with Joe Sclafani.
Quad Cities (30-24), 5.0GB
Beloit got four in the 3rd inning and, while the River Bandits got it to 5-3, Beloit wins 10-3. Jamaine Cotton got the start, going 2.2IP and allowing 7H/4ER, 2K:2BB; Richard Rodriguez allowed 1H/1ER, 2K:2BB in 2.1IP; Vincent Velasquez had a disastrous outing, allowing 7H/5ER, 1K:1BB in 1.1IP; John Neely allowed one of Velasquez's runs.
Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with a double, HR, and 3RBI; Jordan Scott (SB) was 2x4; Carlos Correa (2B), Miles Hamblin, and Ariel Ovando each had a hit. Teoscar Hernandez and Jobduan Morales went hitless but drew two walks.
Man of the Match: Rio Ruiz
Saturday, June 1, 2013
PreStros Morning Report: May 31
Oklahoma City
Postponed, because Oklahoma is getting crapped on by Nature. (Seriously. Thoughts and prayers to Oklahoma.)
Corpus (33-21), 1.0 up
It was 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th at Arkansas, but the Travelers got two in the inning to defeat Corpus 5-3. Bobby Doran dealt, throwing 5IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:2BB; Andrew Robinson allowed 2H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 1.1IP and Pat Urckfitz got the BS/L with 1.2IP, 3H/2ER, 2K:2BB (and one of Robinson's earned runs).
Drew Muren was 3x4 with a double; George Springer was 2x4 with two doubles, a walk, and only one strikeout. Max Stassi, Domingo Santana, and Jonathan Meyer each had a hit, a walk, and an RBI. The Hooks left 12 LOBsters and were 1x13 with runners in scoring position.
Man of the Match: Bobby Doran.
Lancaster
Crazy one in Lancaster. The JetHawks led 3-0, 4-1, and 5-3 before Visalia (the Rawhide, for those of you who listen to the Morning Drive and listen to Idiot guess at minor-league franchise names) got EIGHT RUNS in the top of the 4th. The JetHawks answered with five in the bottom half, but it wasn't enough. Visalia wins, 12-10.
Blair Walters allowed 5H/4R (2ER) in 3.1IP; Jonas Dufek gave up 5H/6ER, 0K:1BB in 0.1IP; T.J. Geith allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1.1IP; Aaron West allowed 3H/1ER, 6K:1BB in 4IP.
Andrew Aplin (2B, RBI) and Matt Duffy (2B, HR, RBI) had three hits each; Joe Sclafani (3R, 2B, 2BB), Matt Duffy (2B, HR, RBI), Tyler Heineman (RBI), and Chris Epps (2B, RBI) had two hits each; Brandon Meredith was 1x3 with two walks, a homer, and 4RBI total. Telvin Nash was 0x2 with two walks (and three strikeouts).
Man of the Match: Uh. Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (30-23), 4.0 GB
The River Bandits moved within half a game of 2nd place Beloit with a 6-3 14-inning win over the Snappers. Jordan Jankowski threw 2IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:2BB; Cameron Lamb allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB in 3IP; Gera Sanchez was The Pimp with 1H/0ER, 6K:0BB in 4IP; Mitchell Lambson allowed 2H/2ER, 3K:1BB in 1.1IP (but got the win), with John Neely recording the final two outs - the last of which represented the tying run.
Carlos Correa was 3x6 with a double and an RBI (now hitting .350/.422/.525 in his last ten games); Jon Homerton's one hit was, indeed, a 14th-inning homer, but he was 1x6 with 3K. Brian Blasik also struck out three times - in fact, the River Bandits won despite striking out an Astros-worthy 17 times.
Man of the Match: Gera Sanchez
Postponed, because Oklahoma is getting crapped on by Nature. (Seriously. Thoughts and prayers to Oklahoma.)
Corpus (33-21), 1.0 up
It was 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th at Arkansas, but the Travelers got two in the inning to defeat Corpus 5-3. Bobby Doran dealt, throwing 5IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:2BB; Andrew Robinson allowed 2H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 1.1IP and Pat Urckfitz got the BS/L with 1.2IP, 3H/2ER, 2K:2BB (and one of Robinson's earned runs).
Drew Muren was 3x4 with a double; George Springer was 2x4 with two doubles, a walk, and only one strikeout. Max Stassi, Domingo Santana, and Jonathan Meyer each had a hit, a walk, and an RBI. The Hooks left 12 LOBsters and were 1x13 with runners in scoring position.
Man of the Match: Bobby Doran.
Lancaster
Crazy one in Lancaster. The JetHawks led 3-0, 4-1, and 5-3 before Visalia (the Rawhide, for those of you who listen to the Morning Drive and listen to Idiot guess at minor-league franchise names) got EIGHT RUNS in the top of the 4th. The JetHawks answered with five in the bottom half, but it wasn't enough. Visalia wins, 12-10.
Blair Walters allowed 5H/4R (2ER) in 3.1IP; Jonas Dufek gave up 5H/6ER, 0K:1BB in 0.1IP; T.J. Geith allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1.1IP; Aaron West allowed 3H/1ER, 6K:1BB in 4IP.
Andrew Aplin (2B, RBI) and Matt Duffy (2B, HR, RBI) had three hits each; Joe Sclafani (3R, 2B, 2BB), Matt Duffy (2B, HR, RBI), Tyler Heineman (RBI), and Chris Epps (2B, RBI) had two hits each; Brandon Meredith was 1x3 with two walks, a homer, and 4RBI total. Telvin Nash was 0x2 with two walks (and three strikeouts).
Man of the Match: Uh. Joe Sclafani
Quad Cities (30-23), 4.0 GB
The River Bandits moved within half a game of 2nd place Beloit with a 6-3 14-inning win over the Snappers. Jordan Jankowski threw 2IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:2BB; Cameron Lamb allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB in 3IP; Gera Sanchez was The Pimp with 1H/0ER, 6K:0BB in 4IP; Mitchell Lambson allowed 2H/2ER, 3K:1BB in 1.1IP (but got the win), with John Neely recording the final two outs - the last of which represented the tying run.
Carlos Correa was 3x6 with a double and an RBI (now hitting .350/.422/.525 in his last ten games); Jon Homerton's one hit was, indeed, a 14th-inning homer, but he was 1x6 with 3K. Brian Blasik also struck out three times - in fact, the River Bandits won despite striking out an Astros-worthy 17 times.
Man of the Match: Gera Sanchez
Monday, August 6, 2012
PreStros Farm Report: August 5
PreStros: August 5
The RedHawks lost for the seventh time in eight games, getting beat 6-4 by Salt Lake (LAA).
Rudy Owens went 5.2 innings and gave up 4 R on 6 H and 2 BB with 1
K. Brian Sanches threw 1.1 innings, allowing 2 R on 3 H with 2 K. Garrett Mock
pitched 1 inning with 1 K.
DH-Fernando Martinez was 2x4 with 2 2B, 1 R, and 2 RBI. RF-Brad
Snyder was 2x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI.
Man of the Match: Brad Snyder
*Notes: Despite a team ERA in July of 6.45, the RedHawks finished
the month 16-12.
Corpus held off a late rally to beat Midland (OAK) 6-4.
Rob Rasmussen threw 6 innings, giving up 2 R on 7 H and 3 BB with
8 K. Josh Zeid pitched 1 scoreles inning with 1 BB and 2 K. Kevin Chapman went
1 inning, allowing 2 R on 1 H and 2 BB with 2 K. Jason Stoffel pitched 1 inning
with 1 BB and 1 K, but allowed the two runners he inherited from Chapman to
score.
CF-Robbie Grossman was 2x3 with 1 R. 2B-Jose Martinez
Man of the Match: Jose Martinez
*Notes: Jason Castro, who has been rehabbing in Corpus, is
expected to join OKC to continue his rehab.
The JetHawks held a two run lead heading into the seventh, but ultimately lost 4-2 to High Desert (SEA).
Colton Cain pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 R on 6 H and 2 BB with
6 K. Jorge De Leon
DH-Chris Epps was 2x3 with 1 2B and 1 RBI. 3B-Jonathan Meyer was
2x4 with 1 2B and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Colton
*Notes: The JetHawks have the fewest errors in the California
League.
The Legends offense unloaded on Hagerstown
Chris Devenski threw 5 innings, giving up 4 R (3 earned) on 7 H
and 3 BB with 5 K. Nathan Pettus pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 R on 5 H and 2
BB with 3 K. Mitchell Lambson took the final inning with 1 K.
2B-Delino DeShields was 2x4 with 3 SB, 1 R, and 2 RBI. LF-Brandon
Meredith was 4x6 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 3 RBI. RF-Emilio King was 2x6 with 1
2B and 2 R. CF-Jordan Scott went 2x5 with 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 2B, and 2 R. DH/3B-Jose
Fernandez was 2x6 with 2 R. C-Cristian Moronta was 3x5 with 1 BB, 2 2B, 3 R,
and 3 RBI.
Man of the Match: Cristian Moronta
*Notes: Matt Duffy set two records for being hit by pitches. His
three times getting hit yesterday were a Sally League record for most in one
game, and his season total of 33 is a Sally League record for most in a season.
Tri-City (34-13)
Tri-City won their fourth in a row, beating Mahoning Valley (CLE) 5-4.
Tri-City won their fourth in a row, beating Mahoning Valley (CLE) 5-4.
Joe Bircher threw 6.2 innings and gave up 4 R on 10 H and 2 BB
with 2 K. Travis Ballew pitched 1.1 innings with 1 H and 3 K. Blake Ford
pitched 1 inning with 1 BB.
SS-Joe Sclafani was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI. DH-Tyler
Heineman was 2x2 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI. RF-Preson Tucker was 2x4 with 1
RBI.
Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani
*Notes: The ValleyCats are first in the New York-Penn League in
runs scored, home runs, steals, batting average, on base percentage, and slugging
percentage.
Greeneville (25-19)
Postponed
Postponed
*Notes: The G-Stros have a 2 game lead for the second playoff spot
in the West Division.
GCL Astros (20-21)
Off
Off
*Notes: Lance McCullers has been promoted to Greeneville.
DSL Astros (16-37)
Off
Off
*Notes: Writing recaps for a team that loses this much isn’t fun.
I guess this is how the County
Clerk
Saturday, June 9, 2012
More draft picks sign
Two more "unofficial" picks signed yesterday (meaning, news didn't come from Astros.com):
From KZTV, we also find that 9th Round pick Daniel Minor has signed for $50,000. Recommended slot for the 279th overall pick is $131,500. We'll do the math for you and tell you that the Astros saved $81,500 on this pick.
And from the Greensboro Times-Record we find that 37th Round pick Michael Dimock has signed.
Bobby Heck did confirm that eight more draft picks signed with the Astros yesterday:
5th Round pick Andrew Aplin
12th Round pick Terrell Joyce
13th Round pick Brian Holmes
14th Round pick Joe Sclafani
15th Round pick Erick Gonzalez
18th Round pick Ricky Gingras
30th Round pick John Neely
31st Round pick M.P. Cokinos
*With these updates, the Astros are currently $2,481,500 under their bonus pool.
From KZTV, we also find that 9th Round pick Daniel Minor has signed for $50,000. Recommended slot for the 279th overall pick is $131,500. We'll do the math for you and tell you that the Astros saved $81,500 on this pick.
And from the Greensboro Times-Record we find that 37th Round pick Michael Dimock has signed.
Bobby Heck did confirm that eight more draft picks signed with the Astros yesterday:
5th Round pick Andrew Aplin
12th Round pick Terrell Joyce
13th Round pick Brian Holmes
14th Round pick Joe Sclafani
15th Round pick Erick Gonzalez
18th Round pick Ricky Gingras
30th Round pick John Neely
31st Round pick M.P. Cokinos
*With these updates, the Astros are currently $2,481,500 under their bonus pool.
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