T.J. Steele Released

Greg Rajan has tweeted that Steele has been released and IF Brandon Wikoff has been added to the CC roster from extended spring training.

Steele was the Astros 4th round pick in 2008 but, other than the typical Lancaster boost, never lived up to expectations. In 2012 he hit just .141/.184/.268 with 27 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances.

PreStros Farm Report: April 29

PreStros: April 29

Oklahoma City (16-8) 

OKC again rode a big inning to victory as a six run fifth led to a 9-4 victory over Round Rock (TEX).

Dallas Keuchel continues to get out after out, this time throwing 6.1 innings and allowing 2 R (1 ER) on 8 H and 1 BB with 3 K, 1 pickoff, and 14 ground outs. Xavier Cedeno allowed 2 R (0 ER) in 1.2 innings on 2 H and 1 BB. Enerio Del Rosario threw a scoreless inning, giving up just 1 BB.

Keuchel is now 4-1 on the season with a 1.62 ERA.

LF-JB Shuck went 3x5 with 1 3B, 2 R, and 2 RBI. SS-Angel Sanchez was 2x5 with 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, and 3 errors. 3B-Scott Moore was 2x4 with 2 2B, 2 R, and 2 RBI. RF-Brad Snyder went 1x3 with 1 BB and 2 RBI. 1B-Mike Hessman was 2x4 with 2 R. C-Carlos Corporan went 2x4 with 1 R.

Man of the Match: JB Shuck

Corpus Christi (12-11) 

The Hooks pitchers got whooped as Corpus fell to Frisco (TEX) 10-3.

Jose Cisnero threw 4 innings and allowed 6 R on 11 H and 1 BB with 2 K. Arcenio Leon went 2.2 innings and gave up 2 R on 3 H and 2 BB. Jonathan Aristil went 1.1 innings and gave up 2 R on 3 H, including 2 HR.

PH-TJ Steele was 1x1 with a solo HR. SS-Jonathan Villar was 1x2 with 1 SB. 3B-Andrew Simunic was 1x2 with 1 BB and 1 RBI

Man of the Match: TJ Steele, I guess

Lancaster (10-14) 

Despite leaving 12 men on base as a team, Lancaster was able to edge out Stockton (OAK) 5-4.

Bobby Doran went 6 innings giving up 4 R on 10 H, 1 HBP and 2 BB with 2 K and 2 WP. Brian Streilein went 2.1 scoreless innings with 2 BB and 1 K. Jorge De Leon went the final .2 innings with 1 K to get the save.

SS-Jio Mier was 3x4 with 1 2B and 1 R. 1B-Rafy Valenzuela went 2x4 with 1 BB and 1 RBI. CF-George Springer was 4x5 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 1 RBI. RF-Domingo Santana was 2x3 with 2 BB, 1 3B, 1 SB, 1 R, and 2 RBI. C-Rene Garcia was 2x4 with 1 2B.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Lexington (11-13) 

It was another frustrating outing for a Legends team that is shaping up to be as inconsistent as they are talented, as they lost to Savannah (NYM) 9-3.

Nicholas Tropeano looked good until the 6th inning and ended his night with 5.2 IP allowing 4 R on 7 H and 2 BB with 1 K. Evan Grills allowed 1 R on 1 BB and 1 H with 1 K in .1 innings. Murilo Gouvea threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 2 K. Tanner Bushue had another rough outing, lasting .2 innings and allowing 4 R on 3 H and 2 BB with 1 K.

3B-Matt Duffy went 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. CF-Drew Muren was 3x3 with 1 BB, 1 3B, and 1 R.

Man of the Match: Drew Muren

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

Greg Rajan gives some odds

Our Buddy Greg Rajan does some looking at the Hooks' roster to determine who should move up, who should be back, and who should, uh, not.

A quick spoiler alert, those who Rajan says should not return, with a pull from Rajan's comments in parentheses (click the link to see the whole article - well worth your read):

Jon Gaston: It’s become apparent his monster year in High-A was a product of Lancaster’s launching pad.

Kyle Greenwalt: Took his lumps as both a starter and reliever here, which might mean a ticket back to Lancaster.

Brad James: It’s time to cut the cord.

Blake King: Claimed off waivers from St. Louis and had an alarming number of walks.

T.J. Steele: Somewhere in Houston, there’s an Astros official who views him as a five-tool prospect. Hooks fans didn’t see that form in two seasons.

Jose Carlos Thompson: First-year pro might be best served by playing regularly at a lower level.

Eddie's Farm: May 10

Oklahoma City (15-17)

Tommy Manzella did most of the work, and OKC defeated Tacoma 10-5. Sergio Perez allowed 13 baserunners (9H/4BB), but limited the damage to 3ER in 5.1IP. Andy Van Hekken allowed 3H but 3K:0BB in 1.2IP. Erick Abreu had a rough one, giving up 1H/2ER, 1K:3BB in 0.1IP.

Manzella got himself a cycle, hitting the homer in the 8th, and ending up 4x4 with 3RBI. Anderson Hernandez (2x4, BB) and Brandon Barnes (2BB) also hit homers. Jason Michaels was 2x4 with two doubles, a walk, and an RBI. Matter of fact, eight different RedHawks had RBIs, despite going 3x12 w/RISP.

Man of the Match: Tommy Manzella

Corpus (12-20)

That's a six-game losing streak for the Hooks - which just so happens to coincide with when J.D. Martinez went down with a hamstring injury - as they get swept at San Antonio with a 7-3 loss. Jonnathan Aristil allowed 3H/4ER, 8K:5BB, WP in 5IP, while Patrick Urckfitz allowed 2H/3ER, 0K:3BB, WP in 0.2IP. Matt Nevarez allowed a hit and walked two, with another WP in 1.1IP, and David Carpenter threw a hitless 8th. Yes. 10BBs, 3WPs, and an HBP by the Hooks' pitching.

T.J. Steele went 3x3 with a double and 2RBI, and Jimmy Van Ostrand was 2x3 with a double and a walk. Jimmy Paredes was 1x4 with his 13th SB. Wladimir Sutil was 0x5 on the night.

Man of the Match: T.J. Steele

Lancaster (15-17)

Lancaster had a 4-3 lead, but a 5-run 6th by San Jose led to a 9-6 win over the JetHawks. Luis Cruz got his 2nd start of the season, and it wasn't pretty: 4IP, 5H/3ER, 2K:1BB, WP, 2HBP. Wes Musick took the loss, however, with 5H/5ER, 1K:1BB in 1.1IP. Mike Ness allowed 2H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 2IP, and Wander Alvino allowed one of Ness' runs with 1H in 0.2IP. The JetHawks pitching also allowed 8SB by San Jose.

Jay Austin was 2x5 with two doubles, while Johnathan Villar (double, 2RBI) and Jose Altuve (RBI) had two hits each. The JetHawks also got RBIs from Austin Wates, Jonathan Meyer, and Ben Heath.

Man of the Match: Jonathan Villar

Lexington (16-16)

Lexington had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 5th, but Kannapolis broke out for a 7-3 win. Juan Minaya allowed 7H/3ER, 1K:2BB, 2WP in 5.2IP. Alex Sogard gave up 5H/4R (3ER), 3K:0BB, HBP in 2IP. Brian Streilein got the final out with two men on.

Mike Kvasnicka was 3x4 with an RBI, and Adam Bailey and Bryce Lane (BB, RBI) had two hits each. Tyler Burnett had a triple, and Delino DeShields had an RBI double.

Man of the Match: Mike Kvasnicka

Eddie's Farm: April 28

Oklahoma City (8-12)

Oklahoma City enjoyed a 3-run 5th inning courtesy of an Anderson Hernandez homer for a 4-1 win. Henry Villar threw 6IP, 5H/1ER, 3K:2BB. Andy Van Hekken threw 2IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:0BB and Ross Wolf threw 1IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:1BB.

Anderson Hernandez' 3-run shot accounted for most of the offense, but Oswaldo Navarro was 2x3 with a walk. Koby Clemens added an RBI double.

Man of the Match: Anderson Hernandez

Corpus (8-12)

Midland got out to a 10-2 lead, but had to hold on for a 12-8 victory over Corpus. Kyle Greenwalt allowed 6H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 3IP, and Erick Abreu followed that up with 5H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 1.2IP. Shane Wolf allowed 2ER and a walk in 0.1IP, and David Berner allowed 2H/1ER (2R), 4K:1BB in 2IP. Arcenio Leon was the only pitcher to not give up a hit or a run, striking out two in 1IP.

Clint Barmes was 3x5 with 2RBI, and also committed two throwing errors in the effort. T.J. Steele (2RBI, BB), Jimmy Van Ostrand (BB), Brandon Wikoff (RBI), David Flores, and Brian Esposito (RBI) had two hits each, as every player collected at least one hit, including a double for J.D. Martinez. The Hooks also grounded into four double plays.

Man of the Match: T.J. Steele

Lancaster (10-11)

Following the example of the Big League Club, the JetHakws allowed their own 9-run inning to Rancho Cucamonga in a 13-6 defeat. Jose Cisnero lasted 1+IP, allowing 3H/7ER, 3K:3BB, WP, Balk. Wander Alvino gave up 6H/5ER, 3K:2BB in 2IP. Mike Ness allowed 5H/1R (0ER), but got 3K:0BB in 2.1IP, and Jose Trinidad allowed just one hit over the final eight outs.

Jose Altuve went 3x4 with a double and an RBI, but was replaced at 2B for the final AB - we'll try to figure out why. Jake Goebbert was also 3x5. Grant Hogue went 2x4 with a walk and an RBI. Jonathan Villar had a two-run triple and a walk.

Man of the Match: Jose Altuve

Lexington (11-10)

Game 1: Lexington scored three in the bottom of the 6th for a 3-2 win over Kannapolis. Carlos Quevedo allowed 5H/2ER, 8K:0BB in 5IP, and Jorge De Leon got the win with 2IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB.

Jiovanni Mier was 2x3, and Mike Kvasnicka had the two-run double, with Tyler Burnett getting the GWRBI. Burnett, Mier, and Kvasnicka also committed errors that didn't factor in to the final score.

Man of the Match: Carlos Quevedo

Game 2: And Lexington took the second game, 3-1, earning the split. Ruben Alaniz allowed 3H/2ER, 2K:0BB in 3IP; Alex Sogard allowed a solo homer, and David Martinez got the final two outs of the game.

Chris Wallace, Dan Adamson, and Ben Orloff had the only hits of the game - all singles. Telvin Nash stole his first base of the season.

Man of the Match: Uh. Chris Wallace.

Eddie's Farm: April 24

Oklahoma City (6-11)

OKC takes the second straight from Round Rock with a 4-2 win over the Express at Dell Diamond. Sergio Perez looked good with a 7IP, 5H/1ER, 5K:1BB outing, getting his first win of the season. Casey Fien allowed 2H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1.2IP, and Sergio Escalona allowed the hit resulting in the run charged to Fien, getting the last out of the game and his first save of the season.

Koby Clemens was 2x3 with a double, homer, and a walk while Drew Locke and Anderson Hernandez each went 2x4 with a double. Locke also added a 9th inning homer for his first of the season. Carlos Corporan was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI. Brian Bogusevic drew two walks and got his 7th stolen base of the year.

Man of the Match: Sergio Perez

Corpus (7-9)

And Corpus jumped on Frisco for their second straight win on the road in a 10-2 win. The Hooks used five pitchers: Xavier Cedeno got his first win with 5IP, 7H/2ER, 3K:0BB. Arcenio Leon, Matt Nevarez, Shane Wold, and Patrick Urckfitz combined for 4IP, 3H/0ER, 4K:1BB of relief.

T.J. Steele was 3x5 with 3R, 2HR, and 4RBI, while Brandon Barnes was 2x3 with 2RBI. Brandon Wikoff also got two hits, scoring two runs, and getting an RBI. J.D. Martinez and Jimmy Van Ostrand got a hit and an RBI.

Man of the Match: T.J. Steele

Lancaster (8-9)

Off.

Lexington (9-8)

Off.

Lyles out, Figueroa likely in as SP5

Big news out of Kissimmee this morning, as the Astros have sent Jordan Lyles to minor-league camp, meaning that Nelson Figueroa is your de facto SP5 to open 2011.

Six other Astros were re-assigned to minor-league camp:

Patrick Urckfitz
Fernando Rodriguez
Casey Fien
Drew Locke
T.J. Steele

And Sergio Escalona was optioned to Oklahoma City (after coming to the Astros in the Albert Cartwright trade with Philadelphia), he can't just be sent down.

Some interesting things to see here: no catchers were moved today. Meaning that not only are Quintero and Towles still in major-league camp, but so are Carlos Corporan and Brian Esposito.

Also in camp are Rule 5 picks Lance Pendleton and Aneury Rodriguez, though the Astros are probably going to let it come down to the wire before making a decision to add them to the 25-Man roster or send them back to the Yankees/Rays, respectively.

Bourn out, Steele in

Michael Bourn is out for today's game against the Nationals, and T.J. Steele will take his place. According to Levine, Bourn is scratched with some sort of illness.

T.J. Steele could have been be a contendah

Steve Campbell has a post up about T.J. Steele, who has five tools - and one of those might be a stethoscope.

Fred Nelson, on the oft-injured Steele:
“You talk about a guy who ventures on the term of a five-tool player (run, throw, field, hit, hit for power). He’s very talented. He can drive the ball. The ball comes off his bat very well. He’s a guy who’s going to have range, can throw, can run. He basically has all the ingredients you look for in a quality player at the major league level. We just need to keep him on the field.

What kind of hitter are you, Steele?
“I’m honestly not sure what kind of hitter I am yet. I need to learn. I need to figure that out. That will come with some at-bats.”

Meat Wagon Update

McTaggart has your ST2 reaction and some injury updates, which we'll pass along here:

-T.J. Steele (elbow) and Anderson Hernandez (back) are dealing with some issues, but were cleared to play.

-J.D. Martinez (quad) will be out until Thursday, when the Astros can reevaluate him.

-Fernando Abad had a temperature of 101, and was sent back to The Facility.

Ed Wade: Friends are fleeting, but Major League glory IS FOREVER

McTaggart has an article on the Law Offices of Shuck, Steele, and Gaston, and the friendship they've developed from playing next to each other since the dawn of time.

Not so fast, sez Ed Wade:
"We tend not to look at them as a trio. We tend to look at them as individuals, because we're not looking for all them to graduate at the same time to the big league level. We're looking for the best player who can help us at any particular time and can get here and excel.

"It's great for them to have the camaraderie they've got and established those relationships, but at the end of the day, we're putting the best 25 players on the field, and if at some point in time, one of them is here, or all of them are here, the No. 1 criterion is how they help the Major League club."

'Stros before Bros.

Gaston realizes that, with the Astros outfield as it is, he may be auditioning for someone else, too:
"It's not just playing for the Astros, because you're playing for the other 29 teams, too. Whether you make it with the Astros or not, ultimately your goal is to make it to the Major Leagues. You've just got to get your opportunity and take advantage of it."

10 Non-Roster Invitees

So the Chronicle has a list of non-roster invitees who will be attending Big League Spring Training:

Those Ten are:
P Jordan Lyles
P Pat Urckfitz
C Rene Garcia
1B Koby Clemens
SS Jiovanni Mier
OF Jon Gaston
OF Drew Locke
OF J.D. Martinez
OF Jack Shuck
OF T.J. Steele

What might strike you is the presence of SS Jiovanni Mier, the Astros 1st pick in the 2009 draft. Well, don't you worry. Zach Levine says that Mier is in Big League Camp because of contract stipulations. So all you Jose Altuve enthusiasts need not worry, for the moment.

Wade:
“It gives these kids the chance to come in and see what the atmosphere is like on the big league side. And it gives Millsie and the coaches the chance to see some of the guys we talk about a lot. And frankly, it allows us to show that we’re making progress in player development.”

Exactly. Because he knows we'll be covering each Spring Training game like our lives depend on it.

Instructional League rosters

Zach Levine has your rosters for this fall's Instructional Leagues.

We also see at the bottom of the post that Brandon Barnes has been added to, and T.J. Steele has been subtracted from, the Arizona Fall League rosters. Here are your AFL representatives:

RHP Sergio Perez
RHP Kyle Greenwalt
RHP Matt Nevarez
LHP Patrick Urckfitz
1B Koby Clemens
OF J.B. Shuck
OF Jay Austin
OF Brandon Barnes

Astros announce Arizona Fall League participants

The Astros will send seven minor leaguers to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League: left-hander Patrick Urckfitz, center fielder T.J. Steele, first baseman Koby Clemens, right-handers Matt Nevarez, Sergio Perez and Kyle Greenwalt and outfielder J.B. Shuck. Play will begin October 12.

With any luck the final tally will be eight players, with the eigth participant going by the last name of Loux...

Tranzactionz!

July 8

-Yordany Ramirez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Round Rock.
-Corpus placed T.J. Steele on the 7-day Dal.
-Assigned Brian Pellegrini to Lancaster from GCL Astros
-Assigned Freddy Parejo to Corpus from Lancaster

Martinez to stay in Lexington all year?

Interesting note from Zach Levine, responding to Deputy Street about the status of J.D. Martinez:

Martinez (probably) staying at (Lexington) whole year. No place, and big jump to (Corpus) and they don't see any need for (Lancaster).

I understand it, but, jeebus. How long does a guy need to hit .360 before he gets to move on? He'll be 23 in August, and even with him on the roster, the average age of a Lexington player is 21-ish. In Lancaster, the average age is 23.1, with a more appropriate 24.8 for Corpus. Hopefully he'll get up to Corpus in 2011, because there's not a reason (as Levine noted) to send him to Lancaster.

The Hooks currently are running an outfield of Shuck, Steele, and Gaston. Only Shuck has an OPS higher than .750 (.757, to be exact), while Steele's OPS is .569 and Gaston's is .658.

We're not advocating the loss of anyone's job, but what is the purpose of holding Martinez behind (age-wise) a level for a full season?

The Lancaster Effect

Hey, so it's a slow news day, after the sigh of relief that came with Matsui's release. Let's see how those heavy hitters from the '09 Lancaster team are faring in Corpus. A couple of things to note:
-The players selected are only players who played 100+ games at Lancaster in 2009.
-I realize there is a period of adjustment, so let's reserve judgment on these stats and understand that we're dealing with 100-150 ABs at the Double-A level. Let's just call this a guide...

Name	Team	Avg/OBP/SLG	XBH/H	K:BB
Clemens	09LAN	.345/.419/.636	0.5	2.14
Clemens	10CC	.259/.350/.540	0.52	2.39
Gaston	09LAN	.278/.367/.598	0.56	2.14
Gaston	10CC	.217/.290/.304	0.28	3.00
Steele	09LAN	.345/.385/.562	0.36	4.44
Steele	10CC	.233/.263/.288	0.17	7.17
Cabral	09LAN	.298/.358/.461	0.35	1.75
Cabral	10CC	.284/.333/.379	0.26	1.71
Shuck	09LAN	.315/.389/.414	0.24	0.86
Shuck	10CC	.284/.354/.356	0.21	1.67

Eddie's Farm: May 1

Round Rock

The Express were down 6-1, and then scored 11 of the next 12 runs - including seven in innings 7-9 - for a 12-7 win over Albuquerque. Gustavo Chacin had a rough time of it, allowing 7H/6ER with three homers in 4IP. The bullpen of Wilton Lopez, Roy Corcoran, and Casey Daigle held the Isotopes to 5H/1ER, 5K:0BB in 5IP. Express hitters got six extra-base hits, and Bogusevic, Shelton, Kata were each 3x6 with 7RBI between them. Jason Castro was 2x4 with 2RBI.

Man of the Match: Chris Shelton

Corpus Christi

The Hooks jumped on Frisco early and the pitching staff held the Roughriders for a 5-2 win. Tyler Lumsden went 5IP, 6H/1ER, 3K:0BB, but exited after the 5th having thrown only 66 pitches (48 for strikes). Why, you may ask yourself - as I did? Because of the 6H he allowed, three of them came in the 5th. Payano, Wells, Villar, and Meszaros threw 4IP in relief, allowing 4H/1ER, 3K:3BB. Jack Shuck, Jhon Florentino, David Cook, Marcos Cabral, and Michael Garciaparra all had two hits each. Cook had two doubles, and T.J. Steele had 3RBI on the night.

Man of the Match: Hard to tell. How about T.J. Steele?

Lancaster

Hey-oh! It's a walkoff...it's a walkoff. JetHawks defeat Lake Elsinore 10-8 on a 10th-inning walkoff by Brandon Barnes. Dallas Keuchel threw 5IP, 7H/2ER (5 total), 6K:3BB, and Cespedes, Wabick, Urckfitz, and Berner threw 5IP in relief (though Urckfitz didn't record an out, walking the two batters he faced). Berner, after getting Employee of the Month honors, gets the blown save and the win, as the JetHawks allow the Storm to get one in the top of the 10th before Brandon Barnes saved the day with a three-run shot. Overall, the JetHawks got 22 hits - including five from Albert Cartwright, four from Mark Ori, and three from Barnes and Contreras. Catcher Jordan Comadena was 1x3 with a walk, but with two stolen bases.

Man of the Match: Brandon Barnes.

Lexington

It only took 2h16m, but Savannah beat the Legends 3-1 yesterday. Juan Minaya threw 6IP, 6H/2ER (3 total), 1K:3BB, and Mike Schurz struck out three in 2IP. The Legends only got five hits, two from Miguel Arrendell (Goebbert, Garcia, and Hogue getting the other three). Jonathan Meyer committed his 10th error of the season, but Mike Newman of Scouting The SAL said last night that Meyer was working out at second base before the game. This would be huge for him, and would clean up the left side of the infield.

Man of the Match: Juan Minaya.

Levine's 10 Minor League storylines

Good article from Levine today regarding the minor-league storylines in 2010. I'll list the 10 lines, you click the link and read the descriptions:

10. The sophomores (2009 draft class)
9. The fate of Round Rock
8. Chia-Jen Lo
7. Getting out of Lancaster with an ERA under 5.00
6. Who's the next 1B?
5. Dominican Academy
4. Gaston/Steele/Shuck
3. How will Jordan Lyles fare at Corpus?
2. Jason Castro
1. June draft

Justice still optimistic...for 2011

Richard Justice is still optimistic about the Astros. Just that it's the 2012 Astros he's optimistic about:

And there's your optimism, or at least some of it. In Norris, Paulino, Manzella and Johnson — and in Jason Castro, Jordan Lyles, etc., in the minors — the Astros have kids who have a chance to get better. That's the difference between this team and the over-the-hill gang they've thrown onto the diamond the last few years.

Mainly, though, my optimism is based on the fact the Astros appear to be doing a lot of things right as an organization and appear to have the right people in place. That hasn't been the case since Gerry Hunsicker walked out the door and Phil Garner was canned.

They've force-fed the 2008 draft class through the minor leagues and could have a half-dozen of those players, especially outfielder T.J. Steele and righthander Lyles, on the threshold of the major leagues this time next year.

In an odd way, the nation's economic problems have forced Drayton McLane to do the right thing. With revenues in free fall, he hasn't had the stomach to write another big check.