PreStros Morning Report: July 31

TL;DR

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

Oklahoma City (56-58, 4.0 GB)

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

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

Man of the Match: Joe Sclafani

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

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

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

Man of the Match: How about Heras and Aplin?

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

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

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

Man of the Match: Ronnie Mitchell

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

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

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

Man of the Match: Marc Wik

Tri-City (31-16, 6.0 up)

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

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

Man of the Match: Joe Musgrove

Greeneville (21-20, 3.0 GB)

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

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

Man of the Match: Angel Heredia

GCL Astros (20-16, 1.0 GB)

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

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

Man of the Match: Elieser Hernandez

PreStros Morning Report: July 21

TL;DR

*Astros domestic affiliates go 4-3 on the day
*Mike Foltynewicz struggled in a loss to Round Rock.
*Corpus got lit up at San Antonio, despite newly-promoted Conrad Gregor's two hits.
*Rio Ruiz hit a late game-tying 3-run homer and Teoscar Hernandez provided the 12th inning walkoff for Lancaster
*Adrian Houser throws a strong start and Chase McDonald hits a three-run walk-off homer for Quad Cities.
*Tri-City cruised to a win over State College behind Joe Musgrove's strong start.
*Greeneville got shut down and shut out by Danville.
*GCL Astros beat the GCL Blue Jays as Cristhoper Santamaria strikes out nine in 5IP.

Oklahoma City (52-52, 3.0 GB)

Wild one in OKC last night as Round Rock kept trying to surge ahead, and OKC kept clawing back in. OKC, at various points, were down 4-1, 5-1, 8-5, 8-6, 9-6, and 9-7. They tied it up in the bottom of the 8th, but gave up two in the top of the 9th to fall 11-9. Mike Foltynewicz got rocked, giving up 9H/8ER, 3K:3BB in 4IP to send his ERA over 5.00. Richard Rodriguez allowed 1H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 3IP; Jorge De Leon gave up 5H/2R (1ER) in 1.2IP, and Kevin Chapman allowed a hit that scored the 11th run, but was charged to De Leon.

Austin Wates was 3x5 with a 2nd inning grand slam; Marc Krauss was 3x5 with a double anr 2RBI; Jonathan Villar (RBI) and Jio Mier (HR, BB, three runs scored) had two hits each. Domingo Santana was 0x2 with two strikeouts and three walks.

Man of the Match: Austin Wates

Corpus (16-15, 3.5 GB; 50-51 overall)

Corpus was down 7-0 before they got on the board at San Antonio, ultimately falling 8-3. Jordan Jankowski gave up 8H/7R (6ER), 2K:2BB in 5IP; Travis Ballew allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:2BB in 3IP.

Andrew Aplin (RBI) and newly-promoted-to-Corpus Conrad Gregor had two hits each. Telvin Nash hit his 15th homer of the season and drew a walk. Tony Kemp was 1x4 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Let's give it to the newbie - Conrad Gregor.

Lancaster (15-16, 4.0 GB; 59-42 overall*)

*clinched playoff berth

This one was kerrazy! Down 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th to Modesto, Rio Ruiz hit a game-tying three run homer that sent it to extra innings. Despite Modesto getting the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th, Teoscar Hernandez hit a shot to center that scored Chan Moon for a 7-6 JetHawks win. Brian Holmes threw 6IP, 5H/4ER, 4K:2BB; Juan Minaya threw 2H/1ER, 3K:0BB in 2IP; Jamaine Cotton threw 3IP, allowing just 2H/0ER, and Daniel Minor got the win with 2H/1ER, 3K:0BB in the 12th.

Chan Moon (BB, SB, 2RBI), Teoscar Hernandez (2B, SB, RBI) and Danry Vasquez had two hits each; Rio Ruiz hit the aforementioned three-run homer. Jack Mayfield and Jobduan Morales added hits.

Man of the Match: Let's go with Teoscar Hernandez

Quad Cities (15-15, 4.0 GB; 50-49 overall)

Carrying a 2-1 lead into the top of the 9th vs Lake County, Quad Cities gave up the tying run to send it to extras. But it only went to the 10th thanks to Chase McDonald's three-run walk-off homer to give Quad Cities a 5-2 win. Adrian Houser threw 6IP, 3H/1R (0ER), 6K:3BB; Frederick Tiburcio walked one in a scoreless inning; Andrew Walter gave up the unearned run in 3IP to send it to the 10th, but struck out five in 3IP.

J.D. Davis was 2x4 with a walk; Marc Wik was 2x3 with a walk, double, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Chase McDonald hit the three-run walk-off, while James Ramsay, Brett Phillips, and Jose Fernandez (3B, 2BB) had your other hits. Ronnie Mitchell was 0x2 with two walks and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Marc Wik

Tri-City (25-12, 6.0 up)

Tri-City held State College to five hits in a 4-1 win. Joe Musgrove got the start for the ValleyCats, throwing 6IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:1BB; Bryan Radziewski struck out five in two shutout innings, and Jordan Mills allowed 2H/1ER in the 9th.

Derek Fisher (BB, SB, RBI) and Jamie Ritchie (2B, RBI) had two hits each; Mott Hyde was 1x2 with a double and two walks, while Bobby Boyd was 1x4 with a walk, RBI, and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Joe Musgrove

Greeneville (14-16, 4.5 GB)

Danville scored a run in the 1st, and that was all they needed, holding Greeneville to four hits in a 4-0 defeat. Joshua James allowed 7H/3R (2ER), 3K:0BB in 5IP; Jose Montero allowed 2H/1ER, 6K:1BB in 4IP.

Jason Martin had two of the Gastros' four hits and a stolen base, with Jacob Nottingham and Ydarqui Marte providing the other two. Cesar Carrasco drew a walk.

Man of the Match: Jason Martin

GCL Astros (14-13, 2.5 GB)

The GCL Astros trailed 3-2 going into the 6th, but popped off for the next six runs in an 8-3 win over the GCL Blue Jays. Christhopher Santamaria allowed 4H/3ER, but with 9K:0BB in 5IP; John Gatlin threw a scoreless 6th, and Joselo Pinales threw 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:2BB.

Ruben Castro (2RBI) and Brian Pena (RBI) had two hits each; Brauly Mejia had a hit, stolen base and two walks, Alexander Melendez (2B, RBI), and Jean Estrella had a hit and a walk each. Luis Payano was 1x4 with a triple and two RBI.

Man of the Match: Christhopher Santamaria

Greeneville vs Kingsport: Game 1 report

The Greeneville Astros opened up their Best-of-Three series at home against regular season division champion Kingsport Sunday night and lost 3-1.

Kingsport got two runs in the top of the 1st on a double, walk and two consecutive singles, and added another in the 4th with two outs on an HBP, stolen base and a single. The Gastros had two on with nobody out in the bottom of the 5th, but a bunt led to Tanner Mathis getting thrown out at 3rd base. Chase Mcdonald and Marc Wik were retired to end the threat.

Greeneville did add one in the bottom of the 7th when Brett Phillips scored from first on a Brian Holberton double, but the Astros were 0x9 w/RISP for the game. Kingsport retired the final six batters of the game for the series-opening win. Game 2 is tonight (Monday) at Kingsport.

Jandel Gustave: 5IP, 5H/3ER, 7K:2BB
Joe Musgrove: 4IP, 0H/0ER, 4K:0BB

Brett Phillips: 3x4
Tanner Mathis: 1x4, BB
Brian Holberton: 1x4, 2B, RBI
Juan Santana: 1x4, 2B

Man of the Match: Joe Musgrove

Astros County Top 25 Prospects: 25-21

What a difference a year makes! Since I know we have the smartest readers in the entire internet, I won't rehash just how needed this organizational overhaul was when Houston's rebuild was started a couple years ago. Not only do the Astros now have bona fide prospects knocking on the door, but quality depth on the farm as well. Sure, the last two years have been painful in The Juicebox, but the fans' patience should start paying off soon, with some of these kids making appearances as early as this coming season.

In order to add some semblance of structure to these rankings, I judged a list of about 50 players on four categories: ceiling, floor, production, and intangibles.

Because I don't feel like writing this as a novel, let's break it up a little so I can spend a couple seconds on each player.

25.  Jonathan Villar

"But wait, how can you rank a guy 25th when the experts have him in their top 10?" Honestly, I'm not a Villar fan. The tools are definitely there, and I think he has one of the higher ceilings in the system, but I have doubts that he'll ever put it all together. Between his lackluster production to date, and his questionable make-up I still feel like he could flame out at any minute. But if he pulls it all together this year and proves me wrong, I'll be one of his biggest cheerleaders. This toolsy shortstop will probably spend the year in AAA, but he's still fairly raw. Villar was signed by Philadelphia out of the Dominican Republic and came to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal.

24.  Marc Krauss

Marc is a power-hitting corner outfielder who is also capable of drawing a walk. After repeating at AA last year, he'll likely start the season at AAA and could show up in Houston late this season. He was a 2nd round pick for Arizona in 2009 and came to Houston in the Chris Johnson trade last year.

23.  Jiovanni Mier

Yep, Mier ranked above Villar. That just happened. Prior to a pretty bad hamstring injury this season, Mier was showing us why he was a #1 pick in 2009 (Lancaster caveat). He's a more polished fielder at shortstop with a better eye at the plate and, in my opinion, a better makeup than Villar. His ceiling may not be as high, but I think he's more likely to stick around for a little while. Assuming Villar moves up to AAA, Mier will probably be in Corpus this year.

22. Joe Musgrove

Musgrove is a big right-handed starter who battled injuries in 2012. If his health comes back and, with it, his velocity as well he could start moving up the list. He was a supplemental first round pick for Toronto in 2011 and came to the Astros organization as part of the multi-player trade with the BlueJays this year. I doubt Musgrove plays full-season ball this year, so I'll say he starts the year with Tri-City.

21.  Chia-Jen Lo

Lo has bounced around the prospect radar for a few years now. Remember when he was the winning pitcher in the same Futures game as Jason Castro? Well, since then he's thrown just 47 innings in the past three seasons. After injuries threatened to derail his career, he came roaring back in 2012. Lo was signed as a reliever out of Taiwan prior to the 2009 season. I'd expect him to start out at AA and could move up very quickly if his arm and production hold up. We may even see him in Houston in September.

Post-trade tranzactionz

In light of this morning's mega-deal, we've got a whole bundle of roster moves for you:

*Dallas Keuchel will be recalled from OKC to take J.A. Happ's spot in the rotation, starting tomorrow.
*Francisco Cordero and Ben Francisco will join the big club today in Phoenix, taking Happ's and Lyon's immediate spots, but another move will need to make room for Keuchel by tomorrow's game.

Thanks to the Chronicle, we learn:

*Asher Wojciechowski is headed to AA Corpus Christi.
*Carlos Perez will go to high-A Lancaster.
*David Rollins is going to low-A Lexington.
*Joe Musgrove will report to Rookie-ball Greeneville.

Also, courtesy of Greg Rajan, catcher Chris Wallace is moving up to OKC from Corpus, and catcher Ben Heath is moving up to Corpus from Lancaster (where Perez will take his spot).

And, not a transaction, but Jeff Luhnow says that even with Cordero's arrival, Brett Myers remains the Astros' closer... "for now."

Meet the new PreStros

So, the Astros traded three guys you presumably knew, for a AStros load of players you've never heard of. Have no fear, Astros County is here to bring you up to speed. We're not going to discuss Cordero or Francisco, they've been around long enough.


Joseph Musgrove


Musgrove is a big right hander (6' 5", 230 lbs) and was a supplemental first round pick for Toronto in 2011, as compensation for losing John Buck. He projects as a major league workhorse and throws a hard, sinking fastball, a good breaking ball, and a splitter. He's shown to be a good, strike throwing control guy, too. His fastball reports to sit in the low 90's, but he can dial it up to 96-98 on occasion. His breaking ball is described as a hard, hammer curve and he's been working on a changeup, as well. Right now he projects as a #3 starter. He hasn't pitched since June 24th due to shoulder soreness, but it's not considered a long term concern. He's currently in the Appalachian League, where the Astros have an affiliate in Greeneville, TN. It's likely he'll just slide on over to Greeneville, but if the Astros feel like challenging the big righty, he could get promoted to Tri-City or even Lexington.


Asher Wojciechowski


Asher is another big righty (6' 4", 234 lbs) and was a supplemental pick for Toronto in 2010. He has a plus-potential fastball, an above average slider, and a developing change. He also projects as a workhorse, though he has the power arsenal to fall into a late inning reliever. He had a shaky 2011 season as Toronto tried to tinker with his mechanics, but once the Jays gave up that thought he quickly regained his success. However, his inability to adapt to a more fluid delivery is another indicator he may end up in a relief role long term. Asher is working through the Florida League right now, which is the same level as Houston's affiliate in Lancaster. Given Wojciechowski's age it wouldn't be that surprising to see him wind up in Corpus, though it would take some roster shuffling to fit him in.


David Rollins


Rollins is a local guy, drafted out of San Jacinto College North in the 24th round last year by Toronto. He had an impressive debut last year in seven starts, posting a 1.77 ERA and 9.67 K/BB ratio between rookie and short-season A ball. He has a decent fastball, slider, changeup mix, though his control has fallen off a bit this season. He's currently pitching in the Midwest league, where he's eighth in ERA, so the lateral shift would be to Lexington. Again, though, given his age a bump up a level wouldn't be unexpected.


Carlos Perez


Perez is described by Jeff Luhnow as a major league quality prospect at catcher. Signed out of Venezuela, Perez is an athletic, good running catcher with a solid arm and good defensive potential. He's not all glove, though, as he shows a good walk rate, a decreasing strikeout rate, and good doubles power as a spray, line drive hitter. He's been catching David Rollins in the Midwest league, so again he could end up in Lexington. 


Player to be named later


Of course, we have no idea the details surrounding the PTBNL. It's either tied to performance by the guys we let fly to Toronto, a late-signing 2011 draft pick (can't be traded until 12 months after they sign), or a 2012 pick (doubtful this soon after the draft). What we do know is that the last PTBNL Luhnow was able to pick up turned out to be a higher ceiling outfielder from Kansas City, so there's that.


Sources: Minor League Ball, Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs, Jays Journal, Bluebird Banter


*Fangraphs just posted their own rundown of the new PreStros. 

Astros make 10-player mega-deal with Toronto

WHOA. Apparently Jeff Luhnow was as pissed about last night's loss as the rest of us. This morning the Astros announced a 10-player trade with Toronto. Gone to the Blue Jays are:

LHP J.A. Happ
RHP Brandon Lyon
RHP David Carpenter

Coming back to the Astros:

RHP Francisco Cordero
OF Ben Francisco
RHP Joseph Musgrove
RHP Asher Wojciechowski
LHP David Rollins
C Carlos Perez
...and a PTBNL

The first two are Major League pieces; the rest are minor leaguers, although Clark Goble points out that three of them were among Toronto's top 11 prospects.

Francisco Cordero is a three-time All-Star closer, though he's 37 now and his best days are behind him. He has a 5.77 ERA in 34.1 IP this season.

Ben Francisco is a 30-year-old corner outfielder known to Astros fans primarily as a Phillie from 2009-2011. He has a .240/.296/.380 line in 50 major-league ABs this season.

Joseph Musgrove, Toronto's #11 prospect, is a right-handed starter and was a supplemental first-round pick last season. He 19 years old, with a 1.12 ERA in two games (one start) for Rookie-league Bluefield.

Asher Wojciechowski, Toronto's #10 prospect, is also a right-handed starter and was a supplemental first-round pick in 2010. He's 23 years old, 7-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 18 starts for high-A Dunedin.

David Rollins, 22, is a lefty starter out of San Jacinto College North, drafted in the 24th round last year. He's 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 18 starts for Class A Lansing this year.

Carlos Perez, Toronto's #8 prospect, is a 21-year-old catcher from Venezuela. He posted a .275/.358/.447 line with 5 HR and 40 RBI in 273 ABs for Class A Lansing.

Much more on this to come later, I'm certain...