Showing posts with label Urban Youth Academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urban Youth Academy. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Good moanin'. If you were like me, you took a mental break from watching/thinking about the Astros and now you're ready to get all pissed off about the Cardinals.

*The Twins beat the Angels, the A's did something the Astros haven't been able to do for 14 months: beat the dog piss out of the Rangers. The Mariners and Astros were off.

*The updated division looks like this:
-SW Texarkana: -
-Seattle: -4.5
-Houston: -9.5
-Oakland: -11.5
-Anaheim: -12

*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 15.6% chance to win the division and a 29.0% chance of making the postseason.

*The Washington Post breaks down what has happened to Dallas Keuchel.

*Less than 24 hours after Alamo Heights lost the state championship game, star pitcher and Astros #17 pick Forrest Whitley was in the weight room.

*The Astros signed 4th Round draft pick Brett Adcock for "a little bit below slot." The 2016 Draft page has been updated accordingly.

-Fresno's Brady Rodgers has figured something out: in his last four starts he's 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA, and out-dueled Tim Lincecum on Sunday. Astros' Director of Minor-League Operations Allen Rowin:
He's just using his pitches better and knowing how to compete at the higher level. He went through our system, on up through Double-A, and really had success everywhere he went and got to Triple-A last year, and it was the first year he had got hit pretty good and he had to figure some stuff out, and he's done it.

The ever-sunshiny Morgan Ensberg:
*The Hooks are 40-22, 11-2 in their last 13, and 31-10 since May 1. MLBTR lists Alex Bregman first in their Knocking Down The Door series.

*A group of 50 high school girls will be at Minute Maid Park today and tomorrow for the Astros' Urban Youth Academy's "Softball Breakthrough Series," for a chance to get seen by college coaches.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*Lots of links yesterday about tanking because of Buster Olney's and Jayson Stark's hand-wringing. They all pretty much agree that it doesn't make any sense to spend $100m on a 65-win team when you can spend $50m on a 60-win team. Included in those links: our own Not Hank Aaron, CRPerry from the Crawfish Boxes, Dayn Perry, and the ever-valuable Grant Brisbee.

*Here's FanGraphs on how MLB's 40-Man Rosters were created, with a good look at the Astros.

*Moar FanGraphs: The Case for Doug Fister

*The Astros used 13 starting pitchers in 2015, and have one of the best "back-up plans" in baseball.

*The Astros have lost the 6th-most fans in pro sports in the last decade. Plenty of caveats, though...

*The Astros had six Urban Youth Academy grads sign letters of intent yesterday.

*MLB.com posted its Top 100 Prospect List yesterday. On it:
#22: Alex Bregman
#40: A.J. Reed
#41: Francis Martes
#74: Kyle Tucker
#75: Daz Cameron