GCL Astros: Ryan Ditthardt

Ryan Dittardt
How did he get here?: Undrafted Free Agent (Troy University)
Stats: 6'3", 205 lbs, Bats: Right. Throws: Right
Age as of April 1, 2011: 22

2010 Overview

PA	Avg/OBP/SLG	K:BB	XBH-RBI	K/PA%	XBH/H%
154	.274/.364/.356	23:9	8-12	14.9%	21.6%

What happened?

Ditthardt was a nice pickup as an undrafted free agent out of Troy towards the end of June. He spent most of his time at 1B (28 of 40 starts), but also saw six starts in LF. Ditthardt posted his best numbers of the season at the beginning of the year, with a .764 OPS in six June games, an .871 OPS in 17 July games, before bottoming out with a .217/.325/.275 line in 19 August games, including a 6x37 run in his final ten games of the season.

Ditthardt hits a lot of groundballs - 43.2%, with 38.9% flyballs, and 16.8% line drives. This is a decent indicator of his 2010, as his BABIP was .309.

In the field, Ditthardt posted a .968 Fld% - committing seven errors at 1B and one error in seven chances in LF.

What went right?
Hitting against LHPs. In a limited sample size (which will be a theme throughout the GCL In-Reviews), Ditthardt hit .324/.395/.441 against lefties in 2010, compared to .257/.353/.327 in 101 ABs against RHPs.

Also, Ditthardt thrived on the road - which is always nice to see. His road OPS (.793) was 140 points higher than his home OPS.

Total Man of the Match awards: Three

What went wrong?

It seems like Ditthardt just got tired. He struck out eight times in 23 games in June and July, and 15 times in 19 games in August, seeing a 271-point OPS dropoff from July to August.

Also, check this out. With the bases empty, Ditthardt had a .798 OPS. With runners on, that drops to .644, and with runners in scoring position that dropped further to .558.

An off-season for conditioning should help Ditthardt as he moves up the chain.

Eddie's Farm: August 13

Round Rock

Round Rock scored two in the 9th to make it look a little more respectable, but Tacoma pretty much ran this game for a 7-3 win. Wesley Wright allowed 8H/6ER, 1K:5BB in 4IP. Yorman Bazardo allowed 6H/1ER, 3K:2BB, and Gary Majewski threw an uneventful 8th inning. Chris Shelton was 3x5 with an RBI, Brian Bogusevic was 2x3 with an RBI and two walks, and Edwin Maysonet was 2x3 with an RBI and a walk.

Man of the Match: Brian Bogusevic

Corpus

Tough night for Hooks pitching as the Springfield Cardinals defeat Corpus 6-1. Keuchel allowed 6H/4ER, 3K:0BB in 4IP. Bubbie Buzachero allowed 4H/1ER, 2K:1BB, Balk, HBP in 2IP, and Arcenio Leon gave up 3H/1ER, 3K:2BB, WP in 2IP. Keuchel only threw 48 pitches on the night, while Buzachero threw 32 and Leon threw 41. J.D. Martinez was 2x4 with a double, and Parejo, Sutil, Gaston, and Kirkland (RBI) all got hits.

Man of the Match: J.D. Martinez

Lancaster

BOOM, SUCKA! Lancaster scores 10 runs from the 7th inning on, including six in the 9th with Jose Altuve's walk-off grand slam for a 12-8 win. Ross Seaton threw 5IP, 10H/6ER, 3K:1BB. Shane Wolf gave up two hits and a walk in 1IP, Ashton Mowdy allowed one hit in 2IP, and Mike Modica allowed 2H/2ER, 2BB in 1IP. Okay, lots of hits. Jonathan Villar (two triples), Brandon Barnes (two homers, 3RBI), Brian Pellegrini (HR, 2RBI), John Curtis, Andy Simunic (RBI), and Altuve (2B, HR, RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Jose Altuve!

Lexington

The big story of the night was Ben Heath. The bigger story was how the Legends let an 8--2 lead turn into a 10-8 loss to West Virginia. Jose Cisnero allowed 6H/5ER (three of those courtesy of Colton Pitkin), 2K:3BB, HBP. Pitkin himself allowed 3H/2ER in 1IP. Mike Schurz gave up 3H/2ER, 2K:2BB, and Dan Sarisky allowed an unearned run in 1IP. Back to Ben Heath. Dude was 3x4 with a walk, three homers, and 7RBI. Jimmy Paredes was 2x5, Jake Goebbert was 2x3 with a walk and a stolen base. Grant Hogue was 1x4 with a walk and two stolen bases. Paredes also committed his 40th error of the year.

Man of the Match: Ben Heath.

Tri-City

Staten Island came to the Joe, and went back to the hotel with a 2-1 loss after Enrique Hernandez hit a walk-off homer. David Martinez threw 4.1IP, 8H/1ER, 4K:1BB; Alex Sogard threw 3.1 innings, and didn't allow a hit or a walk (but did hit two batters). Mike Ness got the win with 1.1IP. In addition to the walk-off, Hernandez also added a double, and Ben Orloff was 2x4, as well.

Man of the Match: Enrique Hernandez

Greeneville

The Gastros scored the final four runs of the game for a 6-3 win over Johnson City. Ruben Alaniz allowed 5H/3R (0ER), 2K:1BB, and Garrett Bullock struck out four over the final 3IP. Jonathan Merritt (3B, RBI), Roberto Pena (2RBI), and Emilio King (BB) had two hits each. Delino DeShields made his Greeneville debut, and went 1x4 with a double and 2RBI.

Man of the Match: What the heck, DeShields!

GCL Astros

The GCL Astros committed SIX errors in a 4-2 loss to the GCL Cardinals. Parra, Perdomo, Fernandez, Vargas, Feliz, and Redinger combined for two throwing, two pickoff, and two fielding errors. Jose Perdomo allowed 3H/2R (0ER), 6K:2BB in 5IP. Ryan Ditthardt was 2x4, while Jose Vargas and Bryce Lane provided RBIs.

Man of the Match: Ryan Ditthardt.

Eddie's Farm: July 22

Round Rock

So now the Express can get some runs, huh? Round Rock comes back from 8-7 in the 9th for a 12-8 win over New Orleans on a walk-off grand slam by Yordany Ramirez. Round Rock swept the Zephyrs, scoring 34 runs in the three-game series. Andy Van Hekken threw 5.2IP, 11H/7ER, 3K:4BB, with one of those runs coming courtesy of Jonah Bayliss, who allowed 2H/0ER, 0K:2BB in 2IP. Danny Meszaros, despite allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th, got his first Triple-A win with 1.1IP, 2H/1ER, 2K:0BB. Wladimir Sutil was 4x5 w/3RBI to lead the hit parade. Brian Bogusevic, Edwin Maysonet, Yordany Ramirez, and Brian Esposito had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Gotta give it to the walk-off grand slam guy. Yordany Ramirez.

Corpus

Evan Englebrook allowed two 11th inning home runs, and the Hooks drop 5-2 to Midland. Doug Arguello threw 5IP, 7H/2ER, 5K:4BB in the no-decision (ERA: Now 2.68). Jared Wells got 2K:2BB in 2.1IP, Fernando Abad threw 1.2IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in relief. Englebrook allowed 4H/3ER, 1K:1BB, 2HR in 1.1IP. Nevarez was pulled after walking the first batter he saw, and Jeilen Peguero struck out the last two batters to end the inning. Koby Clemens provided all the offense with a two-run shot - his 22nd of the year - and added another hit and a walk. Marcos Cabral also added two hits, while Jack Shuck was 1x3 with 2BB. J.D. Martinez was 1x5 with 3Ks, but did get an outfield assist at home plate.

Man of the Match: Koby Clemens

Lancaster

Lancaster took a 4-2 lead into the 8th, and allowed two in the 8th and one in the 10th for a 5-4 loss to Visalia. Ross Seaton enjoyed something of a bounceback performance with 7IP, 6H/4ER, 4K:1BB. Brian Wabick was responsible for two of Seaton's runs with 2H in 0.2IP, and David Berner took the loss by allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk and a fielding error by Mark Ori. Jay Austin, Andy Simunic (2RBI), Lee Cruz, Brandon Barnes (2SB), and Ori (RBI) had two hits each. Federico Hernandez hit his 6th homer of the season.

Man of the Match: Going with Ross Seaton on this one.

Lexington

The Legends took a 3-0 lead at the end of three and then held on for a 3-2 win over Rome. Jose Cisnero threw 6IP, 4H/2ER, 4K:1BB, while Mike Schurz allowed 1H/0ER, 3K:1BB in 2IP, and Kirk Clark recorded his 22nd save of the season. Miguel Arrendell, Rene Garcia and Grant Hogue added two hits each, while Jose Altuve, Jake Goebbert, and Kody Hinze drew two walks each. RBIs came courtesy of Jonathan Meyer (3B), and Renzo Tello.

Man of the Match: Jose Cisnero.

Tri-City

Aberdeen pretty much shut the ValleyCats down in a 3-0 loss. Alex Sogard got the start, allowing 3.1IP, 5H/3ER, 2K:2BB. Murillo Gouvea struck out three in 2.2IP, Adam Champion and Mike Ness threw scoreless innings. Sogard got seven groundball outs, and one flyball out. The ValleyCats were limited to three hits - Enrique Hernandez, Tyler Burnett, and Mike Kvasnicka, also drawing a walk to become the only ValleyCat to get on base twice.

Man of the Match: Mike Kvasnicka

Greeneville

Pitcher's duel in Greeneville last night as the Gastros shutout Bristol 3-0. Ruben Alaniz is one inconsistent son of a gun, throwing 5IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:0BB - one start after lasting 0.2IP, allowing 5H/6ER. Travis Smink (2K), Ryan Cole (0H, 1K), and Paul Gerrish (1BB) held Bristol to 4IP, 1H/0ER, 4K:1BB in relief. The Gastros won despite only getting four hits - a triple from Marcus Nidiffer and Rafael Valenzuela, one from Our Boy Bubby Williams, and one from Bryce Lane - with Valenzuela and Lane providing the RBIs.

Man of the Match: Ruben Alaniz.

GCL Astros

Game 1: Lost 2-0 to the GCL Marlins. Danilo Del Rio threw 7IP, 4H/2R (1ER), 5K:1BB in the losing effort. Roberto Pena and Garen Wright - who also had two stolen bases - provided the only hits of the day.

Man of the Match: Danilo Del Rio

Game 2: Didn't get any better as the GCL Marlins win, 3-1. B.J. Hagen took the loss, despite not allowing an earned run: 3IP, 3H/2R (0ER), 1K:2BB. Nathan Pettus was perfect in the fourth and Rafael Feliz allowed 1H/1ER, 1K:2BB, 2WP in 1IP. Jeremiah Meiners allowed 1H/0ER in 2IP. Ryan Ditthardt had two hits, while the other eight hits were scattered among eight players. Ernesto Genoves provided the only RBI. Chan-Jong Moon was 1x4 with 3K and is hitting .313 on the year.

Man of the Match: Ryan Ditthardt.

Eddie's Farm: July 3

Round Rock

Just a brutal, brutal loss for the Express at the hands of Memphis. Leading Memphis 6-3, Roy Corcoran got the loss in a 4-run inning, and Memphis wins 7-6. Polin Trinidad threw 5IP, 6H/1ER, 1K:2BB, while Jonah Bayliss allowed 3H/2ER in 1IP. Gary Majewski preserved the lead for 2IP, before turning it over to Corcoran, who promptly gave up 3H/4ER, 1K:1BB in 0.2IP. Matt Kata was 3x4 with 2HR, Brian Bogusevic was 2x4 with a stolen base and a walk, and Tommy Everidge and Drew Locke each added solo homers.

Man of the Match: Matt Kata

Corpus

Mercifully postponed against Frisco.

Lancaster

The JetHawks - despite being outhit 8-5 - earned their first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over San Jose. Pat Urckfitz threw 5.1IP, 3H/0ER, 7K:2BB, Brian Wabick added 2.2IP of 3H/0ER relief, and David Berner allowed three baserunners (2H/1BB), but didn't allow a run. Big play of the game came in the bottom of the 9th. With the bases loaded and nobody out, the JetHawks turned a game-ending triple play to preserve the win. Mark Ori was 2x4, with Cartwright, Parejo, and Federico Hernandez adding the other two hits (RBIs from Parejo, Hernandez, and Ori). Brandon Barnes was 0x2, but drew 2BB and stole a base. Lee Cruz stole two bases.

Man of the Match: Mark Ori

Lexington

Lexington scored four runs in the first three innings, and then rode it out for a 4-1 win over Hickory. Luis Cruz threw 6IP, 3H/0ER, 4K:1BB for the win, and Wander Alvino allowed two hits and a solo homer in 2IP. Kirk Clark recorded his 16th save (allowing three baserunners) and struck out the side. Kody Hinze was 3x5 (RBI) and Brian Kemp was 3x4. Jake Goebbert was 1x3 with 2BB. Your RBIs came from Hinze, Our Boy Aaron Bray, and two from Jiovanni Mier.

Man of the Match: Jiovanni Mier.

Tri-City

The ValleyCats took their first series of the season after busting out for a 10-2 win over Connecticut. Carlos Quevedo threw 6IP, 5H/2R (1ER), 6K:1BB. Chris Blazek allowed a hit and walk - striking out three - in 2IP, and Mike Ness gave up a hit in 1IP. Enrique Hernandez, Tyler Burnett, and Daniel Adamson had two hits each, while Ben Heath, Burnett, Adamson, and Adam Bailey each knocked in two runs. Mike Kvasnicka - in the DH position - was pinch-hit for in the 6th. Anyone know why?

Man of the Match: Carlos Quevedo

Greeneville

Rough series for the Gastros as they get beat by Bristol again, 6-2. The Gastros were outscored 32-3 in the three-game series. Euris Quezada allowed 8H/3ER in 6IP, with 3K:1BB (2WPs) and Brian Streilein threw the final 2IP, giving up 2H/3R (1ER), 1K:1BB. Pedro Feliz (regrettably, not that one) and Bubby Williams were both 2x4 with Feliz and Jhonny Medrano getting the RBIs.

Man of the Match: Pedro Feliz

GCL Astros

Pitchers duel in the GCL, and the GCL Astros come out on top of the GCL Nationals 2-1. Jose Perdomo allowed just 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB in 5IP, while Andrea Lucati got the win with a scoreless 6th inning. Austin Lucas struck out three in 2IP, Dieudone Paul allowed an unearned run (so his ERA is still 0.00) in 0.2IP and Pedro Gomez got the final out for his first save. Ryan Ditthardt was 2x4 with a game-winning solo homer in the top of the 9th, and Luca Martone got his first RBI of the season. Brian Pellegrini was 1x4.

Man of the Match: Ryan Ditthardt.

More Signings!

We need to add to the list of undrafted free agents, and Baseball America has our back:

RHP Austin Lucas, out of Jacksonville State
1B Ryan Ditthardt, out of Troy
3B Rafael Valenzuela, out of Arizona

(Everyone all at once) Welcome!

We also find out that the Astros have released 3B Rayner Contreras.