An Interview with Andrew Aplin

When I spoke with Manager Rodney Linares about Andrew Aplin, he had this to say about him, "Appy's just a baseball player. [He] and [Nolan] Fontana are the definition of a baseball player. Fontana's got a little bit more finesse. Aplin is just greedy and getting after it, dirty, plays hard. Love him to death. Got a chance to be whatever he wants to be in this game. As solid as they come."

Interestingly enough, both Linares and Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson spent a lot of time enumerating all of the things that Aplin needs to work on: swinging at pitches in his zone and not trying to hit the pitcher's pitch, finding his power stroke, getting a better read on the pitcher as he runs bases. But that's not because Aplin isn't good, but as Robinson puts it, "I see more for him and he does too." Aplin is, as Morgan Ensberg might put it, a "Really Good Player," but Linares and Robinson both seem to think that Aplin can be so much more.

Andrew Aplin - May 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Let's hear from the man himself (edited for brevity and clarity) ~

What does he bring to the game and what is he trying to improve on?: "I think I’m a real big team guy. I like to bring a lot of energy, a lot of hustle and try to just lead by example, more of an example guy than a vocal guy. So I just try to play as hard as I can all the time to try to set that tone. Things I’m trying to improve on … just trying to drive the ball the other way using the whole field. I’ve been working with the hitting coach on that. It’s getting better."

What does he think Robinson had to say about him?: "He probably said I still have a lot of improvement which I do. Been in there consistently in the cage working with me. I love the guy. He is a real fun guy to be around. [On hearing the assessment that he hits like he has a chip on his shoulder.] I’m a little guy out there so I have to act like a big guy."

On his lefty/righty splits: "This year it’s been better off of righties, but over the years through college, it’s been about the same. My freshman year in college I struggled with it so I’ve worked on it a lot and practiced it hitting off our pitchers and it really helped me adjust to lefties, just learning [a good] approach to the lefties is what helped me the most."

Which Astros pitcher would he least like to face?: "I’ve never hit off of Kenny Long before but I see how he make some hitters look. I’d like to stand in there, but I don’t know if I’d like it to be in the stat book. Just something about him, whatever he’s throwing up there, it’s got to be really good because I stand in the outfield in awe sometimes. It’s pretty impressive. You see this kid walk up there, 160 pounds, and he’s just striking people out and getting them out left and right. It’s impressive. It’s really impressive. I played with him in summer ball in college in the Cape Cod [league] so I knew him before he got drafted [and] I was glad to have him [in the Astros organization]."

On his defensive skills: "I take defense really serious. Just because you can’t ever slump on defense. If [I'm] not hitting, I’d better be doing something else to help the team win. If it’s making a diving play, [if] it’s throwing somebody out, I always want to be a part of the team."

Who on the team makes him laugh?: "I like Brandon Meredith. He’s a character. I get to play outfield with him every day and he just makes you laugh nonstop all day. Him or Fontana. I’m roommates with Fontana and we’re nonstop joking with each other and messing around with each other so those two guys."

Who on the team does he like to just sit back and watch play?: "On this team I’d probably say Fontana. Kind of just sit back and just watch him. He hits the ball. He plays defense. He’s just a down dirty-nosed type player. Every night he’s just going to bring as much as he has and leave it all on the field. It’s just impressive to watch."

Was he surprised about skipping Low A last season?: "It was a big surprise. Getting drafted, just that half-year, [I] did pretty well in New York and they told me I was going up so I figured I was going to Low A, and when they told me I was coming up to High A, I was just really proud, happy, thankful. When I got here, the guys took me in under their wing really good and we gelled as a team and won the whole thing."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball?: "If I couldn’t play baseball, and if I had the money, I’d just like to golf every day. If not, stay around the game, coach kids and help people grow as players, just share experiences and share my knowledge of the game."

Something most people don't know about him: "As serious as I look on the field, I’m actually a big jokester. I like to have fun with the game. That’s what it is. It’s a game. You’ve got to have fun with it or it’s going to eat you alive so I like to go out there and joke around when it’s the time to joke around and try to keep the team loose."

How does this Lancaster team compare to last year's team?: "I’d say it’s just as good if not better. We have a lot of talent out here … a lot of good pitchers, a lot of hitting, a lot of guys that don’t take the game too seriously so when they’re not doing too well it’s not like you don’t want to be around them. Everybody wants to be around each other all the time so it kind of keeps the team going and doesn’t separate anybody from the team. That last two weeks [last year] we had unbelievable chemistry but I definitely see it in this team [as well]. In the clubhouse, everybody is just mixed together ... pitchers, hitters, nobody really separates."

What does he think about the Astros minor league system?: "This whole minor-league system ... it’s unbelievable how much talent we have and how many young guys that are already really good and really mature and are going to be pretty awesome down the road. There are a lot of opportunities in this organization. It keeps you motivated. The depth in this organization is unbelievable."

According to Linares, you could insert Aplin into a major league roster today and he wouldn't embarrass himself because he does so many things the right way right now, but he sees a guy who will develop into a player who will give you 15 or 20 home runs, 40 doubles, 50 steals and provide great centerfield defense to boot. Linares left me with this final thought about Aplin, "He's got a chance to be however good he wants to be and I think he wants to be really, really good. That's scary a little bit." Yeah, scary good.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Thank you for your time, Andrew, and best of luck as the season unfolds.

Roster Moves

Lancaster
RHP Aaron West placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to 5/18

Astros Minor League Recaps

Monday's Games

Fresno over Oklahoma City 10-3
Asher Wojciechowski had a rare hiccup in his outing on Monday, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on ten hits while striking out four in his five innings of work. Six of those runs scored via the long ball as Wojo gave up three home runs. According to the game story, Wojo had only given up one home run in the previous 134.2 innings pitched. Phillip Humber allowed two more runs across in his two innings and Alex Sogard pitched a scoreless final frame. Fernando Martinez (3x4) drove in two of the three RedHawks runs with a solo home run in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth. A Jake Elmore RBI sac fly accounted for the other 'Hawks run. Brandon Laird was two-for-four with a double and a run scored; Che-Hsuan Lin and Carlos Perez doubled as well.

Midland over Corpus Christi 19-11
It would simply be easier to show you this than to try to explain what happened with the pitching staff.

Pat Urckfitz is the only pitcher that was totally unscathed in the run column and even he walked three batters (one intentional). Errors from Erik Castro, Max Stassi, Matt Heidenreich and Kiké Hernandez compounded the pitchers' woes. Home runs were the order of the day for the Hooks offense. A two-run homer from Zach Johnson in the second, a three-run home run from Michael Burgess (2x4 2R) in the fourth, and another two-run shot by Erik Castro (3x4 2B HR 3RBI BB 3R) in the fifth helped fuel the offense. Jonathan Meyer (2x4 2B BB R) had a good game as well.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster over Lancaster 10-6
After winning five in a row (the last four while I was in Lancaster), the 'Hawks have dropped five of the last six. Do I need to come back out there to get you guys winning again? Don't make me turn this blog around. In the immortal words of Cher:



I say that with all love. Now, back to the matter at hand. Tyson Perez got roughed up to the tune of seven runs in only two innings pitched before giving way to two scoreless innings from T.J. Geith. David Rollins (3H 2BB 4SO) allowed two runs (one earned) in his three innings and then Michael Dimock gave up one unearned run on a walk, wild pitch and sac fly in the eighth. He then settled in to retire the side in order in the ninth in his Lancaster debut. Facing a 7-0 deficit before they came to bat in the second inning, the 'Hawks did make a valiant effort to come back but the hill proved to be a little too steep. Telvin Nash drove in three with a two-run bomb in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. Chris Epps hit a phantom home run in the eighth that landed him at third base and got Rodney Linares ejected from the game; the official scorer listed it as a double and an error. Epps (2x3 2-2B 2BB 2R) then scored on a Joe Sclafani (2x3 BB) sac fly. Preston Tucker was three-for-three with a walk, a sac fly RBI and scored a run.

Beloit over Quad Cities 4-1
Mike Hauschild pitched a beauty, five innings of no hit ball with two walks and five strikeouts. Unfortunately, Colton Cain, Mitch Lambson and Cameron Lamb allowed four runs (three earned) over the final four innings while Beloit didn't allow another hit after a Teoscar Hernandez lead-off single in the first inning. Hernandez stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a Rio Ruiz sac fly and that was the extent of the Quad Cities scoring.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro lacked a triple to hit for the cycle. Despite the Hooks loss, he is my man of the day.

Pitcher of the Day: Mike Hauschild earns the honors by allowing no hits in his five innings. He has only allowed one earned run in his last three outings.

Happy Birthday - 5/21

No future Astros, but a couple of former Astros celebrate today today ~

RHP Barry Latman (77)
Obtained in a trade with the California Angels in December of 1965, Latman pitched for Houston in 1966 and 1967 at the end of his career. In 70 games pitched, he was 5-13 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP. He was an All Star for Cleveland in 1961 when he went 13-5 with 5 saves in 45 games (18 starts).

LHP Tom Martin (43)
A sixth round draft pick by the Orioles in 1988, Martin came to Houston as a free agent in December 1995. He pitched in the Houston organization for two seasons before being selected by the Diamondbacks in the expansion draft in November 1997. He again signed with Houston as a free agent in April 2005 and was released in June of that same year. Martin pitched out of the bullpen in 55 games with Houston at the major league level in 1997. He was 5-3 with a 2.09 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP over 56 innings pitched.

Tweets of the Day

Morgan Ensberg ‏@MorganEnsberg
That's how you do it!!! @TNASH100 just hit a ball 8 miles!!! Dude has pop!!!!

Morgan Ensberg ‏@MorganEnsberg
Seriously, @TNASH100 just hit that ball into the desert.

An Interview with Astros OF Preston Tucker

Preston Tucker seems like kind of a quiet guy, but that may be because he lets his bat do the talking for him. Before I spoke with Tucker, I had already talked to Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson to get his take on Tucker. Robinson's eyes lit up, "Tuck. Tuck. You know, the ball comes off his bat like never before. He hits the ball hard."

The next day I talked to Manager Rodney Linares about Tucker,  "His name's Bam Bam. He's one of loudest bats I've ever listened to. I'm talking about, he ranks up there with Vlad Guerrero and those guys. It's LOUD. People talk about the park where we play at, but when Tucker hits them, he hits them. It doesn't matter [where]. He's got a chance to be a special bat. Not only hit for power but hit for average. He's going to drive the ball and it doesn't matter if it's righty or lefty. He's getting better at the left-handers. If you hang it, he's going to bang it. That's what Bam Bam does."

It's all still a work in progress as Robinson works with Tucker to use the whole field and drive the ball to all parts of the ballpark. Robinson described a recent series where Tucker struggled because they were pitching him in, but he made the necessary adjustments and hit a double and base hit the other way in the last game of the series. Linares agrees that Tucker needs to refine his approach at the plate, but also notes that he is encouraged by his play in right field, "He's learning to play right field. He's getting good at it."

Preston Tucker - May 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

One of the first things I talked to Tucker about was how scouts seemed to downplay his talent prior to the draft despite his terrific college stats. Was he aware of that?: "Yeah, kind of. Most of the time numbers aren’t everything in college. You see some guys come out of college, but didn’t have great numbers that are really good and progressed pretty quickly through organizations and you see some guys with really good numbers in college [that] kind of fell short of expectations. I just do my thing. I had success in college. I plan on carrying it over. Someone told me I wasn’t going to be successful. I’ll just give it my best shot and hopefully it continues. So far I feel like I’ve been successful in professional ball and hopefully I keep it up. It's all where you end up really."

What does he bring to the game?: "Obviously I think my biggest asset would be my hitting. I can play the field. I’m not going to go out there and surprise anybody, wow anybody out there. I can play the corners. I played first [base] my first two years of college so I think I have some versatility and can play pretty much anywhere anyone needs me. I’ve been playing a little bit of both. I’ve been playing left and right here. I feel comfortable at both positions so I’m just kind of going out there wherever I see myself in the lineup. [Is he comfortable as a DH?] If it comes to that, yes. For the most part I do like playing at DH, but [it can be] a little tough. Especially [when] you have to sit and wait your turn, think about hitting the whole time, rather than go out there, focus on defense and base-running, and what not, but if that’s where someone wants to put me, I’d be more than happy to do that as well."

Which Astros pitcher would he least like to face?: "There’s a lot of good guys. One guy that I played college ball with [in Florida], I haven’t faced in this organization, obviously, [is] Kevin Chapman. He’s up in Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’s a big 6’4” lefty and throws hard, good slider and no one could hit him when I played college ball, especially lefties so that would be someone that I would probably have to battle. My confidence probably wouldn’t be as high as I’d like [it to be] against him."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball? "I graduated from college with an anthropology degree, don’t know why. That’s the degree I got. I kind of got put in there as a freshman, hadn't decided what I wanted to do. Still haven’t decided what I want to do. I’d be going back to grad school, I guess, would be the right answer." [He went on to tell me that he's somewhat interested in business, advertising and finance.]

What did he think about getting drafted by the Astros?: "It was unexpected, that’s for sure. Beforehand, I hadn’t heard from them. My agents spoke with a couple teams but I didn’t know the Astros were interested. I knew they had picked a lot of great players before me so I was kind of excited to get in the organization, especially with Fontana having already gone to them. We were still playing. We still had probably about a month left of college ball because we had the whole playoffs to go, but it was definitely in the back of my mind the whole time we were playing college ball. I was looking forward to getting ready and starting my career with the Astros."

What does he think about the Astros farm system?: "When I got to spring training, I see all this talent, especially the outfield. I asked some guys who had been here if other organizations are like this and they said, 'No, this is something special.' There’s so much talent and a lot of guys are still working their way up [that] would already be up in the big leagues on a lot of teams just because there are so many. It’s kind of backed up because there are so many good players. I think some guys will weed themselves out. Some guys will just ride their way all the way to the big leagues and I think we’ll have a successful team in a couple of years."

Who on the team makes him laugh?: "Brandon Meredith. Absolutely. He’s always in a good mood. He sits right behind me on the bus. He’s a fun guy to talk to. He’s a fun guy to hang out with. One of my other good buddies, M. P. Cokinos, he’s one of those guys who’s really easy-going, always in a good mood. Both of those guys are just hard workers so they are always focused, but like to joke around too. I like to surround myself with those guys."

On something most people don't know about him: "I play guitar. I guess that some people don’t know [that]. I’m not going to give you something embarrassing or anything like that. I like to play guitar. It’s one of my hobbies. I normally shut it down during the season because I don’t like to haul the guitar around with me wherever I go. But in the off-season, I do like to pick it back up and it’s something to pass the time, when you’re bored. It’s something I’ve done since the eighth grade and I just enjoy doing it. I’m not too interesting. I just play baseball. Wake up. Eat some breakfast. Go to the field."

Rodney Linares had something else to say about Tucker that really stood out for me, "It's a really good mix when you have guys like Tucker and [Matt] Duffy who are really quiet and to themselves when the game's going on, but they're actually awesome teammates. They pull for each other so bad. It's more like a family than a team and that's one of the things I like." It seems that, although Tucker is a quiet guy, he lets his bat and his actions on the field speak for him. And those are just loud enough.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Thank you for your time, Preston, and best of luck as the season unfolds.

Roster Moves

Lancaster
RHP Michael Dimock assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster

(Although I haven't seen anything official, this tweet from this morning seems to confirm the move.)

Michael Dimock ‏@slimdim23
Good luck to my fellow river bandits. Next stop LAX, so long davenport #blessed #hardworkpaysoff

I will update with any corresponding moves as they become available.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Oklahoma City over Sacramento 9-3
Brad Peacock pitched the first five, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks. He struck out five. Kevin Chapman gave up the final run in relief and was sandwiched with scoreless outings from Jason Stoffel and Rhiner Cruz. Fernando Martinez (2x4 BB R) and Jason Jaramillo (1x3 BB R) made the only two extra-base hits count as each contributed a two-RBI double to the effort. Che-Hsuan Lin went two-for-five and scored twice.

Corpus Christi over Midland 5-3
Starter David Martinez allowed two runs on a home run to former Astros farmhand Jake Goebbert in the bottom of the first inning, one of only two hits allowed over five innings on his way to his seventh win of the season. He walked one and struck out six. Josh Fields, in his fifth rehab appearance gave up one hit in yet another scoreless outing. He was followed by three innings from Mike Foltynewicz who allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. The Hooks scored one in the third and two more in the fourth on an Erik Castro (3x3 BB) two-run home run to take the lead. A sac fly from Rene Garcia (1x4 2B 2RBI) scoring Kiké Hernandez (2x4 2B SB) and an error allowing Ben Orloff (1x3 BB SB) to score gave the Hooks a little breathing room in the seventh. George Springer was hitless in three at-bats, but walked twice and stole three bases. After a rough start to the season, Erik Castro is hitting .354/.415/.583 in May.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 11-7
This just wasn't a particularly good night for pitchers, except for Jonas Dufek who got the final out in the top of the ninth to stop the bleeding. Brady Rodgers (5IP 4H 3R 1BB 4SO) kept the team in the game, but four runs issued by Chris Devenski (3IP 4H 4R 1BB 4SO) in the top of the sixth and four unearned runs allowed by Travis Ballew (0.2IP 3H 4R/0ER 1BB 1SO) in the top of the ninth turned out to be too much to overcome. Lancaster put one across in the third on a Delino DeShields (2x5 3RBI) RBI single and two more in the fourth on a Telvin Nash 2-run homer to tie the game the first time. Then the 'Hawks put up four in the sixth to re-tie the game, thanks to home runs from Matt Duffy (3x5 2R), Tyler Heineman (2x3 2BB 2R) and Delino DeShields, but a third comeback was not to be. Joe Sclafani was two-for-three and walked twice, and Chris Epps went two-for-three with a walk and a run scored.

Beloit over Quad Cities 3-2
Daniel Minor got the start, going four innings and allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts. Richard Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth before giving way to the second half of the tandem, Lance McCullers. McCullers allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out five and was yet again denied his first professional win as they left men on second and third in the bottom of the ninth and fell just short despite scoring once in the inning. Carlos Correa was two-for-four with a walk and an RBI; Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-five; and Austin Elkins was two-for-two with a double, two walks and a run scored.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro gets the love today for a great three-for-three outing and a two-run dinger in yesterday's game, but he also deserves acknowledgement for the great month he's had thus far. After struggling a bit in April, Castro has hit .354/.415/.538 in May and .368/.429/.553 in his last 10 games.

Pitcher of the Day: David Martinez gets the nod for being the first pitcher in the minor leagues to get to seven wins. In 11 games (six starts), Martinez has a 2.00 ERA and a 1.022 WHIP. He has walked only nine batters in 45 innings while striking out 29.

Happy Birthday - 5/20

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Jose Fernandez (20)
A non-drafted free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic, Fernandez spent his first two seasons in the Astros organization playing with the Gulf Coast League Astros before graduating to Greeneville (14 games) and Lexington (20 games) in 2012. His combined line for the two teams was .231/.336/.337 with eight doubles, one home run and 11 RBI.

Tweet of the Day

Brian Holmes ‏@BHolmes130
Working on my pickoff move in my apartment #grind #gettingbetter