Jimmy Paredes claimed by Marlins

This apparently happened yesterday, so you can see how much attention I was paying. The Marlins claimed outfielder/human cannonball Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Astros yesterday. And thus ends one of the saddest eras in Astros' history.

Paredes, 22, was acquired from the Yankees with Mark Melancon in the 2010 Lance Berkman trade. Keith Law wrote at the time that Paredes was a "Toolsy, athletic infielder without a clear position. He could end up in centerfield long term, but he is still very crude overall and his swing and body don't point to future power. He needs to learn to take a walk more than once every week and a half."

Jonathan Mayo wrote that "His hands and feet don't work well enough to stay in the middle infield, but with a plus run tool, plus arm and plus body, there's still plenty to like about this high-ceiling prospect."

Following the 2010 season Mike Newman at Scouting the Sal said that Paredes' "best case scenario leaves Paredes as a passable second baseman with a solid combination of gap power and speed. Worst case, he’s little more than a very good athlete with a baseball skill set in which the pieces just never seem to fit together." Perhaps this is an indication of the Astros' farm system at the time, but Paredes ranked 7th on the Hardball Times' 2011 Astros prospect list.

For Corpus in 2011 Paredes hit .270/.300/.426, with 36 extra-base hits in 93 games, but 15 walks in 407 Plate Appearances. He made his Major-League debut in 2011, where in 179 PAs (46 games), he hit .286/.320/.393, good enough for a 97 OPS+. Not terrible, certainly encouraging for his Age 23 season, and he was expected to challenge Chris Johnson for the 3B spot in the 2012 season before getting sent to minor-league camp in Spring Training, where he was moved to the outfield.

For OKC in 2012, Paredes hit .318/.348/.477 (22 walks in 536 PAs) and in 24 games for the Astros, "hit" .189/.244/.230. In 2013 he again got some playing time in Houston, hitting .192/.231/.248 and giving him a 2012/13 OPS+ of 32. His .216 wOBA in 2013 was the 4th-worst among all MLB hitters with at least 130 PAs (out of 420 hitters). Of course he ran into Jose Altuve in a May game that derailed Altuve's season, and then ran into (some infielder) causing him to drop the ball, allowing the game-winning run to score.

Bye bye, Jimmy Paredes.

Today, in News You Thought Happened Six Months Ago

Carlos Lee retired.

After 14 years in the Majors, playing in 140+ games in twelve of those seasons, Lee hung up his cleats with a career .285/.339/.483 slash line, 358 homers, 1363 RBI, and 47 stolen bases. From 1999-2008, Lee hit .290/.344/.505 with 281 homers. His career peaked in 2008 when he was hitting .314/.368/.569 after 115 games with 28 homers and 100 RBIs, and then Bronson Arroyo broke his finger with a pitch in August. He would put up an .831 OPS in 2009, but between 2010-12 Lee hit .261/.321/.410, averaging 17 HRs a year.

Lee ranks 10th all-time on the Astros' franchise leaderboard with a .286 batting average in 3419 plate appearances, 6th in slugging percentage (.479), and 8th in OPS (.817). His 133 home runs in an Astros uniform are 10th in franchise history. His 190 hits in 2007 are 7th in Astros history for a single season, and his 331 total bases in 2007 are 10th all-time in a season.

Back in 2012, we took a look at the Astros' decision to sign Carlos Lee, and what a big deal it was when he came to Houston.

Looks like Grant Hogue retired

Another one of my favorite players in the organization, 2009 35th Round pick Grant Hogue, tweeted out this morning what looks to be his farewell to the organization.

I want to thank the Astros for an unforgettable 5 yrs. Made friendships and memories I will cherish forever. Time to start that job search!
 
In four seasons (322 games, 1271 plate appearances), Hogue hit .289/.361/.357 and was an 11-time Man of the Match recipient. In 43 games last season (limited due to injury) at Lancaster, he hit .361/.421/.458 with 22K:17BB. Hogue was kind enough back in 2009 to send in a picture with Aaron Bray and B.J. Hyatt with an official Astros County Proof of Citizenship.

Update: It actually looks as though Hogue retired. 

Xavier Cedeno claimed off waivers

The Nationals have claimed Xavier Cedeno off waivers from the Astros today. That is all.

Jose Carlos Thompson released

We learn from Matt Eddy that the Astros have released Jose Carlos Thompson. (UPDATE: Our buddy Greg Rajan noted this two weeks ago).

He wasn't doing well, at all. The 25-year old played in 87 games in 2011, hitting .303/.340/.468 in 69 games at Lancaster, but hitting .115/.164/.135 in 18 games at Corpus. The Astros gave him 18 more games in 2012 at Corpus, but he hit .119/.159/.143, with 17K:0BB in 44 plate appearances.

He signed for $250,000 in January 2011.

Campbell leaving the Chronicle

So last night Steve Campbell from the Houston Chronicle (a member of the Fearless Few who actually get paid to write about the Astros) announced that he was leaving not only the Houston Chronicle, but also the sportswriting profession (presumably). Here's the tweet:

My last story with the Houston Chronicle. I'm walking away from the business, into an entirely different realm.

Best wishes to Steve as he pursues...whatever the hell it is he's pursuing.

Koby Clemens signs with Blue Jays

Kevin Goldstein just tweeted that the Blue Jays signed Koby Clemens to a minor-league deal.

Clemens peaked in 2009 with Lancaster, hitting .341/.415/.636 for the JetHawks, and then followed that up with Corpus in 2010 with 26 HRs and a .241/.350/.476 line. He hit .234/.331/.424 in 126 games (444 PAs) with OKC in 2011.

Clemens was the Astros' 8th Round pick in 2005. That leaves Brian Bogusevic, Brandon Barnes (who may actually still be a minor-league free agent), and T.J. Steele as the only players from the '05 draft still in the system. In an interesting little side note, the Astros' 50th Round pick in 2005 was Wes Musick, whom the Astros received from the Rockies in the Matt Lindstrom deal.

UPDATE: The Commenter Is Right. Forgot they drafted Steele in 2005, and again in 2008.

Drew Locke signs with Sugar Land

Courtesy of Farmstros, we learn that former Eddie's Farmhand Drew Locke has signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Locke, a former Rule 5 pick of the Astros, spent 2009-11 with the Astros (09 with Corpus, 10-11 with Round Rock/OKC), hitting .272/.337/.458 in Triple-A, and sported a .297/.357/.480 minor-league career line.

How dare the Diamondbacks take a catcher we didn't need!?

Keith Law tweeted that the Diamondbacks have claimed catcher Craig Tatum, whom the Astros DFA'ed to make room for Jack Cust.

Tatum posted a .000/.000/.000 line for the Astros in 0 PAs.

Al Pedrique out, Pettini in

Al Pedrique - bench coach for the past two seasons - has resigned his position after he was told that he was being reassigned to Bullpen Coach, a void left by Jamie Quirk's move to the Cubs.

Pedrique:
“I’m leaving. I resigned after being told I was going to be the bullpen coach.”

Short. Sweet. To the point. Hemingway would love it.

McTaggart says the Astros have hired Joe Pettini, who had spent the last ten years as Tony LaRussa's bench coach in St. Louis.

Luhnow, on Pettini, to Mark Berman:
"The way he runs spring training. The way he organizes all of the fundamentals, he really brings so much experience to the game. He was a minor league field coordinator for many years before that. He just has a really deep understanding of all the elements of the game. His experience is invaluable and the fact that we were able to get someone like him is an opportunity I really felt we couldn't miss."

Here's a Derrick Goold story on Pettini from May 2011:
Pettini, 56, doesn't have the headlines or longevity of pitching coach Dave Duncan, he doesn't have the former-player following of Jose Oquendo, but he has emerged was La Russa's utility coach. Pettini's daily role is as bench coach, but at times he's filled in for Oquendo as third-base coach, he's taken over at first base when Dave McKay is ailing, and no coach is busier than Pettini when it comes to spring training.

Here's a Pettini interview with the Birdhouse, a Cardinals blog. Spoiler: Pettini uses geometry for infield defensive positioning.
-
Also, the Astros hired Matt Sinatro as the ML Catching Coach/Advance Scouting Coordinator; Dan Radison is now a special assistant in player development; Mike Elias as a special assistant to the scouting department.

Radison was fired by the Nationals with Jim Riggleman when he said Riggleman was his "best friend in the whole world."
-
But if you're Bobby Heck or Fred Nelson, don't worry, 'cos you're staying right where you are.

Ross Wolf signs with Baltimore

Looks like there are going to be some spots open at OKC, now that the Orioles have signed Ross Wolf to a minor-league deal.

Wolf appeared in 56 games for OKC in 2011, with a 4.76 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Wolf came to the Astros' system from Baltimore in 2010, after he was traded to the Orioles by the A's for Jake Fox.

The middle infielder situation gets a little less cloudy

So Anderson Hernandez has signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates.

Who does this affect? Not Jed Lowrie or Jose Altuve, your presumed 2012 middle infielders, but it creates a free spot at 2B at OKC. This could be a place for Brian Bixler, but it also could be a place for Brandon Wikoff, or Jose Carlos Thompson - both of whom spent time at Corpus in 2011.

Jason Michaels is no longer our problem

The gentleman who took so many ABs away from Brian Bogusevic, the gentleman Brad Mills trusted off the bench above all others - Jason Michaels - has signed a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals.

Travis Smink moves into coaching

Travis Smink, 31st Round selection in the 2009 draft, has moved on from professional baseball, and will be the new head coach for Carlisle (PA) High School.

In three seasons with the Astros (two with Greeneville, one with Tri-City), Smink posted a 4.57 ERA/1.37 WHIP, with 75K:19BB in 104.1IP.

The J.R. Towles era has come to a swift end

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Joe Christensen tweeted that the Twins have signed J.R. Towles to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.

Ahhh, Justin Richard. The promise you had! The ways you would tease us! You're now a Twin. No longer will we confuse your appearance with Chase Budinger.

Over five seasons - three of those stints totaling fewer than 53 plate appearances - Towles hit .187/.267/.315. But man, on September 20, 2007, we thought we saw Johnny Bench. Do you not remember that game? It was a meaningless one, although anytime the Astros beat the Cardinals 18-1 it can hardly be described as "meaningless."

It was Towles' sixth career major-league appearance. He started it off with a two-run double to left in the top of the 2nd. And a two-run single to left in the top of the 4th. And then an RBI ground-rule double to right in the top of the 6th. And was hit by a pitch in the 7th. And drew an RBI walk in the 8th. And then topped it off with a two-run homer in the top of the 9th.

The result? Six plate appearances: a walk, an HBP, four hits (two doubles, a homer, a single), eight RBIs.

But what was to come was not pretty. If you take out that one game, from 2008-11 Towles hit .168/.251/.289, bouncing back and forth between Houston and Triple-A/Double-A, where in parts of four seasons, he hit a maddening .286/.389/.443. But his days were effectively done when, on May 5, 2010 Greg Lucas brought the thunder about Towles, following his demotion all the way to Corpus. He wrote:

J.R. Towles is no longer an Astro because pitchers don’t like working with him. It has not been a secret within the Astro clubhouse that at least two starters—one with significant prominence—have had problems communicating with J.R. Everything from pace of the game, to targets offered, to being on the same page contributed to the split.

So fare thee well, J.R. Towles. If anyone has ever needed a change of scenery, it's you.

Andy Van Hekken will play in Korea

Andy Van Hekken has declined contracts from the Astros and A's to play for the Nexen Heroes in Korea.

Van Hekken:
"I’m working to get back to the major leagues, and I think I’m as close as I’ve ever been. My agent and my wife and I talked about my desire to come back to the majors, that it’s still a goal. There will still be a need a year from now for a left-handed pitcher."

Van Hekken threw 129.2IP for OKC in 2011, allowing 152H/49ER, 111K:47BB, for a 3.40 ERA/1.54 WHIP. He has a career 122-86 record in 14 minor league seasons, with a 3.94 ERA/1.35 WHIP, and a 2.51 K:BB ratio.

I'm honestly sorry to see him go.

Still, it frees up a rotation spot at OKC, so we'll see where the rosters shake out, but it could bode well for Cosart, Oberholtzer, Clemens, etc.

Jeff Fulchino now a Padre

Courtesy of MLBTR, we find that the Padres claimed Jeff Fulchino off of waivers, and he will join the team tomorrow night.

In the least surprising news of the day...

...Nelson Figueroa has been released.

There's no point in coming up with an explanation.

Tranzactionz

Some tranzactionz for you:

Released

July 22: The Astros released Yordany Ramirez

Ramirez game to the Astros' organization in 2008 as a shortstop, but was moved to pitcher in 2010, where he posted a 4.76 ERA/1.94 WHIP for Lexington in 5.2IP. In 2011, between Lexington and Lancaster, he had a 10.41 ERA/2.28 WHIP in 32IP, allowing 45H/37ER, 20K:28BB.

Sent Down

July 23: OKC sent Brandon Barnes to Corpus
July 23: Lexington sent Murilo Gouvea to Tri-City
July 24: Corpus send Kyle Greenwalt to Lancaster

In 71 games for OKC, Barnes hit .197/.294/.402, with 69K:29BB.
In 27 games for Corpus, Greenwalt allowed 90H/58ER in 66.2IP, with 44K:17BB for a 7.83 ERA/1.61 WHIP, allowing 2.0 homers per 9IP.

DL Moves

July 23: Corpus placed Jose Vallejo on DL
July 24: Lancaster activated Austin Wates

Chacin released

Today is the end of the reign of King Hippo. The Astros have released Gustavo Chacin.

Chacin was 2-2 for the Astros in 2010, with a 4.70 ERA/1.85 WHIP (44 games). He posted a 5.13 ERA/1.58 WHIP for Oklahoma City, allowing 81H/38ER, 37K:24BB in 66.2IP in 2011.

The RedHawks activated Jeff Fulchino from the DL.