Wednesday, August 31, 2011

They Say Chicks Dig the Long Ball ...

but I hate to discriminate. I love all extra base hits! So who are our leaders in HR, 3B, 2B & total XBH? I'm so glad you asked.

Full season teams, stats through 8/30:

55XBH (26/0/29) - Kody Hinze (CC) - HR leader with 29
47XBH (23/2/22) - Adam Bailey (CC)
43XBH (20/3/20) - Chris Wallace (CC)
43XBH (24/5/14) - Brandon Barnes (CC)
41XBH (21/6/14) - Jonathan Villar (CC)
41XBH (25/4/12) - Jacob Goebbert (OKC)
39XBH (31/4/4) - Mike Kvasnicka (LEX) - 2B leader with 31
37XBH (26/2/9) - Drew Locke (OKC)
37XBH (19/2/16) - Koby Clemens (OKC)
36XBH (23/0/13) - Jonathan Meyer (LAN)
36XBH (19/0/17) - David Flores (CC)
35XBH (21/8/6) - Austin Wates (LAN) - 3B leader with 8

Just for reference, here are the minor-league only numbers for the recently promoted Hooks players:

42XBH (22/10/10) - Jose Altuve (he's still leading all of our minor leaguers in 3B)
39XBH (25/1/13) - J.D. Martinez
36XBH (22/4/10) - Jimmy Paredes

Short season and rookie leagues, stats through 8/30:

27XBH (13/7/7) - Teoscar Hernandez (DSL) - 3B leader with 7
26XBH (13/2/11) - Chase Davidson (TCV) - HR leader with 11
23XBH (20/1/2) - Matt Duffy (TCV) - 2B leader with 20
19XBH (15/3/1) - Jordan Scott (TCV,LEX)
19XBH (14/0/5) - Darwin Rivera (GRN)
18XBH (12/1/5) - Jesse Wierzbicki (GRN)
18XBH (11/1/5) - Zachary Johnson (TCV)

Season Soon Ending? Not So Fast!

Zachary Levine lets us know who will be playing ball this fall or winter.

http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/08/31/altuve-among-several-astros-who-will-play-winter-ball/

So When is a Rain-Out not a Rain-Out?

@jasonpgonzalez Jason Gonzalez (Retweeted by Zachary Levine)
@JetHawks game postponed to tomorrow. City of Lancaster crew overdoes pregame water & attempt to fix fails.

Happy Birthday - 8/31

C Marlon Avea (18)
From Nicaragua, Marlon was signed by the Astros as a NDFA in 2010 and played his first season this year in the DSL. Over 37 games, he had a .165 BA and a .280 OBP which increased to .226BA/.359OBP with runners in scoring position. At only 18, he has plenty of time to develop his skills.

Former Astro with a Birthday Today:

RHP Tom Dukes (69) - Played for Houston from 1967 to 1968

Tweet of the Day

@ARob2627 Andrew Robinson
Why can't I just say "hey watch out for that girl on the bike before you run her over." All I can think of is to scream "AHH!!".

Roster Moves - 8/30

HOU
RHP Lucas Harrell from OKC to HOU to start on Friday (Brett Myers will be on paternity leave)

OKC
RHP Paul Clemens from CC to OKC to take Harrell's spot (h/t to Greg Rajan of the CC Caller Times)

CC
RHP Jake Buchanan from LAN to CC to take Clemen's spot (h/t to Greg Rajan); Jake Buchanan is tweeting from LAX even as I write this so I can consider this confirmed

TCV
OF Jordan Scott assigned to TCV from GRN

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fall Instructional League

According to a tweet from Brandon Meredith last night, the following Valley Cats will be attending the fall instructional league:

OF George Springer
RHP Jamaine Cotton
RHP Nick Tropeano
RHP Dayan Diaz
C Miles Hamblin
LHP Tommy Shirley
OF Brandon Meredith

September Birthdays

Ages listed are the player's age as of their birthday


Tweet of the Day

@JioMier Jiovanni Mier
0-4 or 4-4, nothing greater than your grandparents saying your there favorite player. #littlethingsinlifethatmeanalot

Roster Moves - 8/29

OKC
1B Koby Clemens placed on the TI list
LF Collin DeLome activate from the TI list

Monday, August 29, 2011

2010 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/27:


2010 Draft Where Are They Now? Hitters Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/27:


Happy Birthday - 8/29

RHP Mark Jones (21)
Drafted in the 22nd round in 2009 out of high school, this is Mark's first season in the Appy League. The Pennsylvania native has struggled somewhat this season, compiling a 6.75 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP in 16 games over 24 IP. However, he is finishing strong with a 3.18 ERA over his last 6 outings.

OF Frederick Serrano (17)
From the Dominican Republic, Serrano was signed as a NDFA in 2011 and played this season in the DSL. He hit .169 over 59 AB; however, his hitting improved to .250 BA and a .429 OBP with RISP. With such a young player, there will be plenty of time and opportunity to improve.

Former Astros with Birthdays today:

OF Dave Nicholson (72) - played for Houston in 1966
LHP Dan Schneider (69) - played for Houston in 1967 & 1969
RHP Roy Oswalt (34) - played for Houston from 2001 to 2010

Tweet of the Day

@Funky2414 Jordan Comadena
@thefamouswaltt (Robby Donovan) is officially cheering for japan to beat California in the #LLWS. So un-American!

Roster Moves - 8/28

CC
As reported yesterday, RHP Chris Hicks was placed on the 7-Day DL
2B Jose Carlos Thompson was activated from the DL

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Happy Birthday - 8/28

We have no directly Astros-related birthdays today that I could find, so I will leave you with a tangentially Astros-related birthday.

Louis Victor "Sweet Lou" Piniella (68)
Born in Tampa, FL, Lou roamed the outfield for the Kansas City Royals from 1969 to 1973 and for the New York Yankees from 1974 to 1984, collecting a AL Rookie of the Year title, 5 AL East titles, 4 AL penants and 2 World Series championships along the way.

But most Astros fans probably remember Lou more for his years as a manager, particularly his stint with the Cubs from 2007 to 2010 and particularly for his colorful ejections from games. What he wasn't able to accomplish in sheer numbers (Bobby Cox has him beat there), he was certainly able to make up for with style points. (I personally wouldn't mind a little more fire from the Astros dugout.)

After managing 3548 games for 5 teams over a span of 23 years for a .517 win percentage, Piniella retired in 2010 to take care of his ailing mother. Sweet Lou, indeed.


Tweet of the Day

@Dr_VanOstrand Jimmy VanOstrand
Dear Irene, please calm down & take it easy on ppl on the east coast. I know their accents are a lil different but they shouldn't b punished

Roster Moves - 8/27

CC
RHP Chris Hicks placed on the 7-day DL (8-28)

LAN
RHP Jake Buchanan activated from the DL

LEX
LHP Tommy Shirley placed on the 7-day DL
RHP Ruben Alaniz activated from the DL
OF Bryce Lane activated from the DL

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Happy Birthday - 8/27

Nick Tropeano (21)
Drafted in the 5th Round in 2011 out of Stony Brook (NY), this right-hander has come out of the gate strong for Tri-City this season. In 11 starts, he is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 1HR, 19BB, 56SO and a .217 BA against. I look forward to seeing how quickly he progresses through the Astros system.

Former Astros with Birthdays today:

RHP Jim York (63)
With the Astros from 1972 to 1975

C Ed Hermann (64)
With the Astros from 1976 to 1978

IF David Gus "Buddy" Bell (59)
With the Astros in 1988

RHP Mike Maddux (49)
With the Astros in 2000

Tweet of the Day

@Cottonjlc Jamaine Cotton
Im seriously not bragging.....but just faced JD Drew k'd him and broke his bat in his second at bat against me....:D #goodoutting

Friday, August 26, 2011

Latest on the Trade Deadline Ten ...

Stats through 8/25
(Just caught the typo on Singleton - obviously .559 SLG not 5.59)

Happy Birthday - 8/26

August 26th turns out to be the most popular birthday in the Astros organization.

Brett Wallace (25)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), the sturdy lefty-hitting 1B was first drafted by St. Louis as its 1st Round pick in 2008. Brick Wall, er, Brett Wallace has been banished to OKC to find his power stroke by using those tree-trunk legs of his more. I'd better not say anything else right now about how Brett's development has been handled by the powers-that-be because this is a family blog.

Xavier Cedeno (25)
LHP Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno has split his time between Corpus and Oklahoma City. Earlier in the season he was used primarily as a starter in Corpus with a 3.95 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. At OKC, he has been used primarily out of the bullpen and has not been as effective, posting a 7.80 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.

Justin Gominsky (22)
Drafted in the 11th Round in 2011 out of the University of Minnesota, Justin started off strong for TCV with a .283 BA in June but has since tapered off. The right-handed hitting OF from Birchwood, MN has posted a .237 average over 58 games with 8-2B and 12SB for the season.

Jimmy Howick (21)
Jimmy was drafted in the 21st Round of the 2011 draft as a SS out of Jacksonville University in FL. After signing, he reported to Kissimmee and was never heard from again. Seriously, I assume that he went to extended spring training, but I haven't heard anything about him since he signed.

Jiovanni Mier (21)
This 1st Round draft pick from 2009 has struggled to duplicate a strong rookie season in which he posted a .286/.380/.484/.864 line. Jiovanni has split his time this season between Lexington earlier in the season and now Lancaster. He has also been slowed by injury issues in the second half of the season, but showed some promise earlier as he was named a Sally League mid-season All Star.

Former Astros Birthdays Today:

3B Morgan Ensberg (36)
With the Astros from 2002 to 2007 (plus a cup of joe in 2000)

RHP Geoff Geary (35)
With the Astros from 2008 to 2009

Tweet of the Day Twofer

@brianmctaggart Brian McTaggart
Carlos Lee just ran down Carlos Beltran in a rundown to complete a double play. That just happened.

@Funky2414 Jordan Comadena
Another 0'fer for me...but on a better note I will get to watch #JerseyShore when we get to the hotel.

Roster Moves - 8/25

OKC
LF Collin DeLome placed on the TI list
RHP Enerio Del Rosario assigned from GCL to OKC (Rehab)

Also, the Shuck/Happ moves posted yesterday were made official.

TCV
OF George Springer assigned to TCV. (So let him play already!)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

RHP Starters - GO/AO

Here is the lowdown on the groundball/flyball ratio for all RHP in the Astros minor-league system who have been used primarily as starters this season. Stats are for current team only through 8/24 and are ranked from highest groundball ratio to lowest.

Happy Birthday - 8/25

Horace Guy "Dooley" Womack (72)
Where did all the colorful names go? Oh well. Dooley had a nice little stint with the Astros in 1969. A RHP, he was 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA in 30 games, giving up only 1 HR (not as unusual in the days of the Dome). His career in the majors from 1966 to 1970 was a long time coming. According to his wikipedia page, he spent 10 years in the minors in which "he appeared in 349 minor league games, going 65-55 with a 3.13 ERA in 1041 1/3 innings."

We'll be back to Astros prospect birthdays on Thursday when we have a whopping 5 birthdays in the organization to cover.

Tweet of the Day

@ThisIsNJJ Neiko Johnson
Thanks to everyone showing me love for my 1st home run and thanks to @ChampTheMan45 for getting me the ball

Congratulations to Neiko Johnson on his first professional homerun for Tri-City!

Roster Moves - 8/24

HOU
LHP Sergio Escalona to the 15-Day DL
OF J.B. Shuck assigned to OKC from HOU

OKC
RHP Mickey Storey activated from the TI list
RHP Juan Abreu called up to Houston

LEX
LHP Brad Dydalewicz activated from the DL
RHP Ruben Alaniz placed on the 7-Day DL retroactive to 8/16
RHP Tanner Bushue to 7-Day DL retroactive to 8/20
LHP Tommy Shirley assigned to LEX from TCV

GCL
Enerio Del Rosario to GCL for rehab assignment

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Lefty Starters and the GO/AO Ratio

The subtitle of this article should be The Curious Case of Xavier Cedeno. More on that later.

The GO/AO (ground outs/air outs) ratio is a squirrelly little stat. It doesn't necessarily mean anything in and of itself, but it helps us see a pitcher's tendencies (flyball pitcher, groundball pitcher or somewhere in the middle) and whether or not those tendencies are working for him. A groundball pitcher can get killed if he has weak infield defense behind him. A flyball pitcher can get killed if all of his flyballs get directed to the front rows of the Crawford Boxes.

With that said, a look at Astro minor league lefty pitchers who have predominantly been starters this season (stats through 8/23).

HIGHER GROUNDBALL RATIOS

Christopher Lee (GRN)
Lee has the highest groundball ratio at 2.52, but it isn't working in his favor (at least not yet) as he has a .300 BA and a HR/9 of 0.9.

Thomas Shirley (GCL/TCV)
In limited innings pitched, Shirley's groundball ratio of 2.40 is working well for him so far, with a .143 BA and HR/9 of 0.

Reymin Guduan (DSL)
Guduan's 2.32 GO/AO has translated well into a .193 BA against and a HR/9 of 0.

LOWER GROUNDBALL RATIOS

J.A. Happ (MLB/OKC)
Happ has a 0.65 MLB/0.75 OKC split on his GO/AO. As a flyball pitcher, he has struggled with a .290 BA and 1.28 HR/9 rate at the major league level. In his stint at OKC, he has fared much better with a .177 BA and 0 HR/9 rate.

Luis Cruz (LAN/LEX)
Cruz' combined GO/AO for the season is 0.79. He was getting lit up in his short stint at Lancaster where he posted a 0.33 GO/AO, .407 BA and a 4.85 HR/9 rate. At Lexington, his numbers are better since he increased his groundball ratio to 0.90 and lowered his BA against to .274, but his HR/9 is still fairly high at 1.67 HR/9.

Ricardo Batista (GRN)
Batista's GO/AO of 0.88 has translated into a .235 BA and a 0.4 HR/9.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF XAVIER CEDENO

Xavier Cedeno (CC/OKC) had been used the bulk of the season as a starter at Corpus Christi where he had a groundball ratio of 2.00 (which is fairly typical of his entire minor league career) and a BA against of .263. Since being used primarily in relief at OKC, he has posted a GO/AO of 0.87 which has translated into a .306 BA. His HR/9 has remained relatively unchanged at around 0.6, but his ERA jumped from 3.95 to 7.80.

So why has Cedeno suddenly become a flyball pitcher at OKC? I realize that he has had a limited number of relief appearances and IP in relief, but the difference is striking enough that it may be worth following.

THE IN-BETWEENERS (FROM HIGH GROUNDBALL RATIOS TO LOW)

1.91/.242BA/0.2HR/9 - Kyle Hallock (TCV)
1.88/.274BA/0.7HR/9 - Dallas Keuchel (CC/OKC)
1.66/.283BA/1.1HR/9 - Alex Sogard (TCV) - no longer being used as starter
1.30/.295BA/0.5HR/9 - Andy Van Hekken (OKC)
1.11/.250BA/0.9HR/9 - Brett Oberholtzer (CC) - 0.88 for full season
1.07/.230BA/0.2HR/9 - Geronimo Franzua (DSL)
0.97/.239BA/0.5HR/9 - Ambiorix De Leon (DSL)

Another Roster Move Soon ...

LHP Brad Dydalewicz tweeted that he is headed back to Lexington from Kissimmee and should be activated from the DL soon.

Happy Birthday - 8/24

Bryce Lane (22)
Lane, a 41st Round pick in 2010 signed out of Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, is currently on the DL. A right-handed hitting OF, the Alabama native struggled at the plate earlier in the season but had shown marked improvement in the second half by increasing his SLG% from .258 to .447 and significantly lowering his SO rate while compiling a .230 BA at Lexington.

Enrique Hernandez (20)
As reported by Astros County, Hernandez recently had surgery and is out for the season but is expected to be able to resume baseball activities in November. Taken in the 6th Round in 2009 out of the American Military Academy in Puerto Rico, Hernandez' BA for Lexington this year, at .247, is down from last season at TCV, but his OBP is up.

Former Astros with birthdays today:

Hal Woodeshick
LHP 62-65 Colt 45's and Houston Astros
Died in 2009 at 76

Dean Wilkins (45)
RHP pitched 8 innings for Astros in 1991

Mike Grzanich (39)
RHP pitched 1 inning for Astros in 1998 (entire MLB career)

Kip Gross (47)
RHP pitched 4.1 innings for Astros in 2000

Tweet of the Day

From 8/22

@laneb15 Bryce Lane
Aint nothing better than getting home from a 8 day road trip and your car broken into and everything stolen #livingthedream

Another reminder that minor league baseball is a tough road at times. Happy Birthday, anyway, Bryce.

Roster Moves - 8/23

TCV
1B Chase Davidson to 7-Day DL retroactive to 8/20

Also, it has been reported that J.A. Happ will be assigned to Houston later this week for a Friday start in San Francisco.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2009 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/22 unless noted otherwise

2009 Draft Where Are They Now? Hitters Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/22 unless otherwise noted

Tweet of the Day

@blackdiamondd0 brandon meredith
Just saw Yankee stadium... Would love to play there one day... Place looked like a church for baseball!!! #dreams

Happy Birthday - 8/23

Orlando "Marty" Martinez - Born 8/23/1941 in Cuba, Died 3/8/2007 at age 65
Martinez was received by the Astros in a trade with Atlanta for Bob Aspromonte in December of 1968. A utility player, he played primarily SS & 3B in his 3 seasons for the Astros (1969 through 1971), but eventually played every position except RF. He even pitched 0.2 innings in 1969 and had a much more effective outing than poor Hipolito (from yesterday's birthdays) giving up only 1 hit (OK, it was a HR, but still...). He had a .308 BA in his first season with the Astros, dropping off to a composite .268 over the 3 seasons.

He later became a player-manager for the Tulsa Drillers and then a coach in the Seattle Mariners organization, managing one game for the Mariners as an interim manager in 1986.

Roster Moves - 8/22

OKC
LHP Douglas Arguello released

CC
1B James Van Ostrand activated from the DL
2B Jose Carlos Thompson sent to the 7-Day DL

Monday, August 22, 2011

Should Tanner Bushue consider a career in janitorial services?

@tbush26 Tanner Bushue
Looking for a career backup plan......is being a janitor a career?
21 Aug via web

I think it's safe to say that Tanner was a wee little bit discouraged after his most recent start. He has struggled a bit in his 5 starts since coming back from the DL so I thought I'd delve a little deeper.

His ERA, WHIP and BA against are all up since his rehab assignment, but guess what? A couple of his numbers are actually better than his first half numbers.

SO/9 - 6.3 as compared to 5.8 in the first half
BB/9 - 1.2 as compared to 2.3 in the first half

So I looked at the recaps on his last couple of starts too. In his last start, he had the keystone kops fielding behind him with 3 errors in the first 2 innings. Until 2 solo homers in the 5th, he really didn't seem to be struggling at all. The start before that was a hard luck loss in which he was totally in control for the first 5 innings before getting hit in the 6th.

Then I looked at his age. He is 20 years old and 63 days. A couple weeks ago, I had determined that the average age at Lexington is 22 years, 22 days.

So, I think the talk of a career change might be a tad bit premature. If he can keep the back healthy and stay off the DL, he won't be needing to pick up a mop and bucket anytime soon. Don't give up the night job, Tanner.

A Down and Dirty Look at Stats

I have posted below stats for BA and ERA for all players on their current teams. "Foul," you say. "This method cheats the Chase Davidsons and Dallas Keuchels of the world as their numbers were so much better with their former team." Or something along those lines.

Never fear, this is not intended to be anything but a snapshot in time. When the minor league season ends soon, I will enter full season data into ye olde database and then we can really look at apples-to-apples numbers based on similar AB's, appearances, IP's, etc.

In the meantime, enjoy a little peek into who's hot and who's not.

ERA Down & Dirty

Stats are for all Astros minor league players, current team only, and are through 8/21 (TCV suspended game not included)

BA Down & Dirty

Stats are for all Astros minor league players, current team only, and are through 8/21 (TCV suspended game not included)


Roster Moves - 8/21

OKC
RHP Jordan Lyles assigned to OKC from HOU

As has been widely reported, this move is being made to limit the 20-year old rookie Lyles' innings down the stretch, with the plan being to get him occasional work out of the bullpen and to bring him back to Houston when rosters are expanded in September. It is also being emphasized by the Astros brass that this is not a demotion in any way.

Tweet of the Day

@Darren_Headrick Darren Headrick
Final: #OKCRedHawks 4, Iowa 0. WP - Happ (1-0); LP - J. Jackson (7-13) *Happ and Abad combined on 1 hitter. @astros

It would be really great to see J.A. Happ figure things out. Maybe Burt Hooten has done his magic.

Happy Birthday - 8/22

No Astros birthdays today so let's say Happy Birthday to a couple of former Astros.

Randy Wolf (35)
The Astros traded Chad Reineke to the San Diego Padres in July of 2008 for Randy Wolf (and was subsequently and mystifyingly not retained by the Astros at the end of that season). In 12 starts for the Astros, Wolf was 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP. But the thing I most remember Randy Wolf for is that he was just another hapless Houston victim of Bud Selig, having to start a "home game" against the Cubs in Milwaukee after Hurricane Ike. We can only hope that, if anything like that should ever happen again, Jim Crane will politely but firmly tell Bud what to do with himself.

Hipolito Pichardo (42)
Acquired as a free agent in 2002, Hipolito, despite having a pretty awesome name, did not do well in his one appearance for the Astros that year. I mean he REALLY did not do well. In 0.1 IP, he gave up 3H, 3ER, 2BB and a wild pitch, for an ERA with the Astros of 81.00 and a WHIP of 15.00. That was his last major league appearance.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Happy Birthday (8/21)

J.D. Martinez (24)

I think you're all somewhat familiar with J.D. now that he is a Houston Astro. Originally from Miami, FL, J.D. was drafted in 2009 in the 20th Round out of Nova Southeastern University. In 317 AB's with CC this season, J.D. compiled a .338 BA. Although he hasn't been able to match that in Houston (yet), he does already have 6-2B, 5HR & 19RBI in only 74 AB's.

A Day Off

Since I've noticed that my readership falls significantly on the weekend, I'll be taking Sunday off to update my database so I can hit the ground running on Monday. Enjoy the usual Birthday nonsense, TOTD and Roster Moves posted below.

Tweet of the Day

@Astrosradio Brett Dolan
So in one homestand we have seen a Super Slam, a game winning slam down 3 runs, and a leadoff inside the park home run from Altuve.

Good night for the kids!!!

Roster Moves - 8/20

OKC
RHP Ross Wolf activated from the TI list

LAN
RHP Andrew Robinson activated from the DL
RHP Jake Buchanan placed on the 7-Day DL

Turn It Around

So who do we have in the organization that can switch hit? And how effective are they from each side of the plate?

Stats are for current team only and are through 8/19:

*Jean Batista (GRN) - .375BA/.000RH/.391LH (.262BA for season)
Yonathan Mejia (DSL) - .331BA/.235RH/.360LH
Anderson Hernandez (OKC) - .302BA/.291RH/.306LH
Luis Durango (OKC) - .290BA/.333RH/.282LH
Jimmy Paredes (CC) - .270BA/.292RH/.262LH
Jimmy Paredes (HOU) - .276BA/.333RH/.256LH
Luca Martone (GCL) - .268BA/.200RH/.283LH
Carlos Corporan (OKC) - .250BA/.296RH/.226LH
Carlos Corporan (HOU) - .198BA/.267RH/.174LH
Jonathan Villar (CC) - .227BA/.195RH/.240LH
Andru Sierra (DSL) - .222BA/.135RH/.263LH
Jose Vallejo (OKC) - .220BA/.194RH/.232LH
Federico Hernandez (LAN) - .178BA/.235RH/.161LH
Max Ayarza (GCL) - .130BA/.167RH/.118LH
*Ruben Sosa (LEX) - .111BA/.000RH/.167LH (.248BA for GRN)

*Limited AB's since recently changing teams.

The DH and Pitchers Who Can Hit

One thing that comes out of writing this blog is that I make myself learn things. I knew that the DH is used extensively in the minor leagues, but I didn't exactly know the rules for it. Now I do. The DH is used exclusively in A and rookie league ball. The DH is only used at AA and AAA if one or both of the teams is an American League team. So, pitchers get no game experience as hitters until AA, and then it is still somewhat limited. With that said, I wanted to see if we had any pitchers who can hit.

BA through 8/19 for top hitting pitchers:

.353 in 17 AB - Ross Seaton (CC) - see more below
.250 in 12 AB - Lucas Harrell (OKC)
.238 in 21 AB - Andy Van Hekken (OKC)

J.A. Happ is hitting .333 but that's only based on 3 AB. Lyles, before he was promoted, was hitting .300 in 10 AB.

Ross Seaton is a bit of a stud at the plate. In 17 AB's, he has 6H, 3R, 1-2B, 1HR, 5RBI and a SLG% of .588. If he keeps that up, he can certainly help himself whenever he starts.

Happy Birthday?

No birthdays down on the farm or up in the show in the Astros system today. So I looked to see if any former Astros had a birthday today and it turns out the only former Astro I could find who was born on 8/20 is Cory Sullivan. I had just managed to forget that whole unfortunate but typical Ed Wade free agent debacle and now Cory's .188 BA is etched in my brain. I'm sure he's a lovely person and I do wish him a happy birthday, but I wanted to find someone whose birthday I could really get behind.

Let's see ...
Al Roker - meh
Connie Chung - whatever
Todd Helton - at least it's baseball related but nah
Ron Paul - no politics allowed on this site
Dimebag Darrell - having trouble getting past the name
Robert Plant - hey, now we're getting somewhere

Ah, here we go. Happy Birthday to the late great Isaac Hayes. Shaft, can ya dig it?

Roster Moves - 8/19

In addition to the previously posted moves of Wesley Wright to Houston and Jeff Fulchino to OKC, the following moves were made:

OKC
RHP Jose Valdez activated from the DL (he's been on rehab assignment)
RHP Mickey Storey sent to the TI list

And based on the latest finger damage that Ryan Rowland-Smith incurred in his futile attempts at bunting (see the nasty pic over at Astros County), I would not be surprised to see him placed back on the DL.

TCV
OF Brandon Meredith activated from the DL

GRN
RHP Luis Ordosgoitti assigned to GRN from GCL

GCL
RHP Andrew Walter assigned to GCL from TCV

Tweet of the Day

GregRajan Greg Rajan
The @cchooks IF Jose Carlos Thompson is now going by JC. It might quicken his path to #Astros since they have a JA, JB and a JD, but no JC.

I think Greg may be on to something.

Tweet of the Day (Honorable Mention)

@austinwates Austin Wates
I tweet.. Therefore I am.. To communicate is human, to tweet is divine #proverbialtweets

replies ↓
»
AppyAstros Appy Astros
@austinwates is a deep thinker. One of the top Astros prospects I could enjoy a good conversation over dinner with.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Roster Moves - Prelim

OKC
RHP Fulchino down to OKC
LHP Wesley Wright up to HOU

It's been reported that this is as much to do with the upcoming line-ups, needing an additional lefty from the pen, as anything else.

I'll post any other roster moves in the a.m., but being Saturday, I will be sleeping in so don't look for updates early!

Totally Useless Fact

Out of those drafted over the last 4 years, how many are still in the Astros system?

2008 - 18 of 32
2009 - 21 of 36
2010 - 34 of 35
2011 - 35 of 35

And as I posted last week, there are 12 players still in the system that were drafted prior to 2008.

My Hero

@farmstros beat me to the punch on this, but I've got a little different take. Here are the Astros minor league system save leaders for the entire season through 8/18.

18 - Kirk Clark (LAN)
13 - Jorge De Leon (LEX)
8 - Ryan Cole (TCV)
7 - Blake Ford (GCL)

Keep in mind that Cole and Ford are playing short season ball and have had far fewer opportunities.

Since milb.com doesn't post save opportunities or blown saves as a stat, I had to go into individual boxscores to determine the save rate. I think these are all correct but I won't guarantee it.

80% - Ryan Cole (TCV)
78.3% - Kirk Clark (LAN)
76.5% - Jorge De Leon (LEX)
70% - Blake Ford (GCL)

Tweet of the Day

@BrandtSkywalker Brandt Walker
My rock bottom was when I stole detergent from the clubhouse so I could do laundry at the hotel.

replies ↓
»
hyphen18 Ryan Rowland-Smith
Been there! Wait until your tryin to strike out the side to get 'pass the hat' money for gas #calleague

Roster Moves 8/18/11

OKC
Released RHP Nelson Figueroa

Nelson was very well travelled, having played for Arizona, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, New York Mets, Toronto, Philadelphia again and then Houston, not to mention stints in the Mexican League and the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. He may be 37 years old, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up somewhere eventually. I wish him all good luck.

Happy Birthday - 8/19

LHP Ricardo Batista (20)
In 10 starts for Greeneville this season, Ricardo is 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He is having a strong finish to the season with an ERA of 2.30 in August. From the Dominican Republic, Ricardo was signed as an NDFA in 2008.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

2008 Draft Where Are They Now? Hitters Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/17

2008 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/17


Happy Birthday - 8/18

SS Juan Santana (17)
Santana was signed by the Astros as an NDFA from the Dominican Republic at the end of 2010 and is currently playing in the DSL. In 65 games, he has compiled a line of .272BA/.352OBP/.366SLG/.718OPS. He currently has 11-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 24RBI & 8SB, all before his 17th birthday. He will need to cut down on his 27 errors but it could be fun to watch his development.

Tweet of the Day

@blackdiamondd0 brandon meredith
You know your hotel is nice when u spend your first twenty minutes swatting and chasing flies out of your room.... #suitelife

Ah, the joys of minor league baseball!

Roster Moves - 8/17/11

OKC
CF Jordan Schafer assigned to OKC (Rehab)

TCV
OF Brandon Meredith is still listed as being on the 7-Day DL, but via twitter he expects to get a start within the next day or two.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Good, The Pretty Good & The Futile

THE GOOD

Most Stolen Bases (full season through 8/14)

29 - Jonathan Villar (CC)
27 - Delino DeShields Jr (LEX)
24 - Luis Durango (OKC)*
23 - Jay Austin (LEX)
20 - Austin Wates (LAN)
18 - Grant Hogue (LAN)
18 - Jose Solano (DSL)
18 - Anderson Hernandez (OKC)
16 - Tyler Burnett (LEX)
16 - Neiko Johnson (TCV)
16 - Teoscar Hernandez (DSL)
16 - T.J. Steele (CC)

*Includes his time in the Padres organization

MORE GOOD

Highest SB success rate for a min. 12 SB's (full season through 8/14)

92% - Jon Gaston (CC)
89% - Tyler Burnett (LEX)
84% - Neiko Johnson (TCV)
80% - Teoscar Hernandez (DSL)
80% - Ruben Sosa (LEX)
77% - Austin Wates (LAN)
75% - Grant Hogue (LAN)
75% - Wladimir Sutil (CC)
73% - T.J. Steele (CC)
72% - Jose Solano (DSL)

THE PRETTY GOOD

They may not have stolen many, but these guys have a success rate of 100% (full season through 8/14)

8 - Andrew Simunic (LAN)
3 - J.R. Towles (OKC)
3 - Daniel Adamson (LAN)

THE FUTILE

As of 8/14, these guys have a 0% success rate in a minimum of 2 tries.

Federico Hernandez (LAN)
David Flores (CC)
Enrique Hernandez (LEX)
Matt Duffy (TCV)
Michael Medina (DSL)
Darwin Rivera (GRN)

Happy Birthday - 8/17

OF Emilio King (22)
Born in the Dominican Republic, King was acquired by the Astros as an NDFA prior to the 2006 season. For the season at Lexington, he is hitting .268. His production has tapered off this season, with a .346 BA before the All-Star break and a .204 BA after the break.

LHP Christopher Lee (19)
Drafted in the 4th Round in 2011 and originally from Tampa, FL, Lee is still trying to find his way for the Greeneville Astros. He is 1-3 with a 6.63 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in 10 starts.

It is also Brett Myer's 31st birthday today.

Tweet of the Day

@keithlaw
keithlaw The Astros win on a walk-off grand slam ... by a guy who was drafted as a pitcher. @cantpredictball

@SamMillerOCR
Sam Miller @keithlaw @cantpredictball Off a guy who was signed as a catcher.

Roster Moves - 8/16/11

LAN
RHP Zachary Grimmett activated from the 7-Day DL.
RHP Andrew Robinson moved to the 7-Day DL (8/15)

LEX
1B Jhonny Medrano moved to the 7-Day DL (retroactive to 8/11)
OF Bryce Lane moved to the 7-Day DL (retroactive to 8/15)

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Not So Fast There, Buddy

A subject that is near and dear to my heart. Here are the caught stealing percentages for all catchers in the Astros minor league system. Stats are for the full season (if a player played for multiple clubs this year) and are through 8/14:



Wow, I just looked up J.R. Towles major league percentage. Out of 38 attempts, he caught 5 ... a whopping 13.2% caught stealing rate.

Soapbox, Draft Bonuses Edition

People write all kinds of silly things on twitter that are easy to ignore or discount, depending on their knowledge, intent, etc. But every once in a while, I'll read something on twitter that will really annoy me because the person writing it should know better. That was the case yesterday evening when I read, shortly before the signing deadline, that the Astros "refuse" to go over slot.

I will be the first to acknowledge that the Astros organization has made a lot of mistakes over the last few years, but let's just look at that statement:

First of all, the idea that the Astros refuse to go over slot was immediately refuted when Springer signed for around $700,000 over slot and Armstrong signed for $414,300 over slot.

Secondly, let's look at last year's draft. Adam Plutko, a 6th round pick, didn't accept an amount reported to be in excess of $1,000,000 to sign with the Astros. That's $1,000,000+ offered for a 6th round pick (183rd overall) when the slot value for our 3rd round pick (99th overall) this year was $335,700. Were the Astros reluctant to pay over slot in prior years? Maybe so; probably so. But does that mean that is still the case? It doesn't look like it to me.

Next, let's consider that baseball is still a business. If you make a regular habit of vastly overpaying for a product, it will become the new reality. You will always have to overpay because you will be seen as a weak negotiator who will cave when push comes to shove.

Finally, one needs to consider that there other factors involved in the decision for a player to sign, particularly a high school player. The player may just not be ready to embark on a professional career (and his parents may be dead-set against it). A player may simply have his heart set on going to a particular college or may actually place a premium on his education. I know this is hard to believe, but for many of us, there are more important things than money. In the case of a Gandy Stubbefield, the Astros probably knew that he was a long-shot to sign or they would have drafted him in an earlier round. But at least they tried.

So you can complain about everything from bad free agent signings to the cost of beer, but I think it's disingenuous to say that the Astros "refuse" to pay over slot anymore. And the fact remains that 35 players from the 2011 draft did sign and many of them have been playing for a couple of months now. And yesterday, the Astros farm system got just that much stronger with the signings of Springer and Armstrong, and the acquisition of Domingo Santana.

Soapbox --------> Exit Stage Right

Roster Moves - 8/15/11

OKC
LHP Dallas Keuchel activated from the TI list
RHP Ross Wolf placed on the TI list

LEX
RF Domingo Santana from the Lakewood BlueClaws to the Lexington Legends as the PTBNL in the Pence trade to the Phillies

Happy Birthday - 8/16

LHP Jeremiah Meiners (23)
Drafted in the 40th Round of the 2010 draft out of Francis Marion University (SC), Jeremiah is 1-3 in 15 appearances, including 1 save, for Greeneville. He has a 2.45 ERA, 0.939 WHIP and a 5.83 SO/BB ratio. He was born in Silver Springs, MD.

2B Delino DeShields Jr (19)
The Astro's 1st Round draft choice in 2010 has struggled some at the plate in his time at Lexington, but has improved his BA from .197 before the All-Star break to .259 after the break. The speedster from Norcross, GA has 14-2B, 2-3B, 6HR, 42RBI, 27SB, 41BB & 103SO for the season.

Tweet of the Day

@alysonfooter
Astros have signed 1st round pick OF George Springer and 3rd rounder RHP Jack Armstrong. Astros have signed top 13 picks and 35 of 50.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Workhorses III

Most appearances this season by a pitcher:

49 - Ross Wolf (OKC)
45 - Kirk Clark (LAN)
42 - Arcenio Leon (CC)
42 - Danny Meszaros (OKC/CC)
40 - Wander Alvino (LAN)
39 - Pat Urckfitz (OKC/CC/LAN)
37 - Jorge de Leon (LEX)
37 - Michael Ness (LAN)
37 - Wesley Wright (OKC)

Strike Three and Ball Four

SO/BB ratio for all Astros minor league players, current team only, through 8/12:


Happy Birthday - 8/15

Tons of birthdays this week - 5 pitchers (3 lefties), 3 IF and 1 OF

RHP Jorge de Leon (24)
In 37 appearances (47.2 IP) for the Lexington Legends this season, Jorge has 13 saves with a 3.40 ERA, 1.049 WHIP and a SO/BB ratio of 5.00. Born in the Dominican Republic, Jorge was picked up by the Astros as an NDFA in 2006 and is currently on the Astros 40-Man Roster.

SS Alex Todd (22)
Alex was selected in the 27th round of the 2011 draft out of Sonoma State (CA). He was just called up to Lancaster from Greeneville and currently has a .200 BA for LAN, .162 for the season. He is originally from San Jose, CA.

Tweet of the Day

If you're easily offended by slightly off-color humor, read no further (but personally I was laughing about this one all day long)

Tweet from the DH for the Tri-City Valley Cats:

@RafyVvv Rafael Valenzuela
If she wakes up in the morning and puts on Dora the Explorer #shestoyoungforubro

Roster Moves - 8/14/11

TCV
IF John Hinson placed on the 7-Day DL retroactive to 8/11/11

LHP Thomas Shirley assigned to TCV from GCL

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Side Note from Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger

As you probably know, I am extremely new at this so I'm still trying to find my way. I really want my main focus to be a comparative look at the stats across all levels of the minors, but in order to be up to the minute, the amount of data entry into my database is simply unsustainable. With that said, I will probably update stats once a week and draw the majority of my info from that. I will make sure to tell you the effective date of the info and whether or not it is current team only or for the season. Thanks for your indulgence as I figure this out.

How Ya Doin' Slugger?

Slugging % for all Astros minor leaguers, current team only, through 8/12/11



Tweet of the Day

@zacharylevine
Vin Scully on air on Jose Altuve: "These are big guys. When you see a little fella play and play well, it shows you he has a lot of heart."

Roster Moves - 8/13/11

LEX
2B Ruben Sosa assigned to LEX from GRN

TCV
C Bubby Williams activated from the TI list

CC
Wladimir Sutil is now shown as being on the 7-day DL

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Workhorses Part Deux

Most games played by Astros minor leaguers this season:

113 - 1B Kody Hinze (LAN/CC)
113 - 2B Anderson Hernandez (OKC)
111 - LF Jacob Goebbert (LAN/CC/OKC)
111 - 1B Koby Clemens (OKC)
110 - 3B Jonathan Meyer (LAN)
110 - RF Adam Bailey (GCL/LEX/LAN)
109 - OF Austin Wates (LAN)
108 - 3B Mike Kvasnicka (LEX)
107 - SS Jonathan Villar (LAN/CC)

Workhorses Part the First

Most innings pitched by Astros minor leaguers this season:

144 IP - RHP Jack Buchanan (LAN)
133 IP - LHP Dallas Keuchel (CC/OKC)
130.2 IP - RHP Carlos Quevedo (LEX)
124.2 IP - RHP Ross Seaton (CC)
122.1 IP - LHP Xavier Cedeno (CC/OKC)
122.1 IP - RHP Mike Foltynewicz (LEX)

For comparative purposes, Jordan Lyles has pitched 138.1 innings between OKC and HOU.

Tweet of the Day

@AstrosCounty
Ah crap. The Astros won't finish over .500?!

Roster Moves - 8/12/11

OKC
IF Jose Vallejo assigned to OKC from CC

CC
OF Adam Bailey assigned to CC from LAN
IF Jose Carlos Thompson assigned to CC from LAN

In addition, Greg Rajan of the CC Caller Times is reporting that IF Wladimir Sutil will be going on the DL, but that hasn't been reported in the official transactions yet.

LAN
SS Alex Todd assigned to LAN from GRN
OF Daniel Adamson assigned from LEX to LAN

GRN
SS Jean Batista assigned to GRN from GCL

Friday, August 12, 2011

And Then There Were Twelve

There were only 13 players left in the Astros organization who were drafted by Houston prior to the 2008 season. Tommy Manzella was one of them, having been drafted in the 3rd round in 2005. Who remains from the PBH (pre-Bobby Heck) era and how are they faring?

C J.R. TOWLES (27)
Drafted out of community college in the 20th Round in 2004

Minor Leagues Overall: .297BA/.394OBP/.862OPS
This Season at OKC: .292/.453/.869 with 3-2B 2HR 2SB 13BB 7SO
Major League Overall: .186/.270/.588

RHP BRAD JAMES (27)
Drafted out of community college in the 29th Round in 2004

Brad was out with a shoulder injury in 2010 and the first part of 2011.

Minor Leagues Overall: 4.09 ERA 1.419 WHIP
This Season at TCV/CC: 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA 2.000 WHIP in 9 games

OF BRIAN BOGUSEVIC (27)
Drafted out of college in the 1st Round in 2005 (as a pitcher)
Bats L

Brian is a special case in that he has 7 seasons in the minor leagues, but only 4 as a position player since he was converted from pitcher.

Minor Leagues Overall: .280BA/.363OBP/.770OPS
This Season at OKC: .261/.361/.761 with 11-2B 5-3B 3HR 20SB 30BB 49SO
This Season at HOU: .273/.365/.747

OF BRANDON BARNES (25)
Drafted out of community college in the 6th Round in 2005

Minor Leagues Overall: .249BA/.311OBP/.740OPS
This Season at OKC/CC: .227/.303/.721 with 18-2B 5-3B 12HR 10SB 35BB 89SO

His season numbers are skewed by bad numbers at OKC.
In 29 games in CC - .292BA/.325OBP/.777OPS

1B KOBY CLEMENS (24)
Drafted out of high school in the 8th Round in 2005

Minor Leagues Overall: .265BA/.358OBP/.817OPS
This Season at OKC: .234/.329/.752 with 18-2B 1-3B 16HR 4SB 46BB 106SO

This is his first season at AAA.

RHP SERGIO PEREZ (26)
Drafted out of college in the 2nd Round in 2006

Minor Leagues Overall: 38-40 4.18 ERA 1.509 WHIP
This Season in OKC: 5-9 4.25 ERA 16.09 WHIP 110IP 14HR 48BB 71SO

3B CHRIS JOHNSON (26)
Drafted out of college in the 4th Round in 2006

Minor Leagues Overall: .277BA/.317OBP/.748OPS
This Season at OKC: .281/.410/.942 over 8 games
Major Leagues Overall: .271/.306/.722
This Season at HOU: .245/.286/.659

RHP BUD NORRIS (26)
Drafted out of college in the 6th Round in 2006

Major Leagues Overall: 20-21 with a 4.38 ERA 1.428 WHIP
This Season in HOU: 5-8 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.336 WHIP

1B JAMES VAN OSTRAND (27)
Drafted out of college in the 8th Round of the 2006 Draft

Minor Leagues Overall: .277BA/.344OBP/.766OPS
This Season at CC: .308/.384/.866 with 21-2B 2-3B 11HR 3SB 42BB 48SO

LF COLLIN DELOME (25)
Drafted out of community college in the 5th Round in 2007
Bats L

Minor Leagues Overall: .256BA/.319OBP/.787OPS
This Season in OKC: .273/.327/.781 with 15-2B 3-3B 7HR 9SB 14BB 66SO

RHP KYLE GREENWALT (22)
Drafted out of high school in the 20th Round in 2007

Minor Leagues Overall: 5.20 ERA 1.492 WHIP
This Season in CC/LAN: 6.93 ERA 1.513 WHIP

Kyle has a save and hasn't given up a run in 4 appearances since being sent to LAN.

LHP COLTON PITKIN (22)
Drafted out of high school in the 41st Round in 2007

Minor Leagues Overall: 4.80 ERA 1.568 WHIP
This Season in LAN: 6.39 ERA 1.500 WHIP (3.21 ERA against lefties)

Rooting for the Good Ones to Succeed

I was at an Astros game last season and, prior to the start of the game, I was watching the players do their stretching and running and tossing and general loosening up. A group of elementary kids were coming in from right field to get into position to sing the national anthem. Tommy Manzella started messing around with the kids; teasing them by feigning running right over them and then peeling off at the last second; acting like he was going to throw a missile to one of them and then playing a game of toss. The kids were giggling and I think he was too.

Seeing that display and knowing a little of Tommy's history (having lost his mom to cancer a while back and having his family home devastated by Katrina) made me really want him to succeed. It makes me a little sad that he was never able to pull it all together for the Astros organization. I hope that he is able to do great things for the Diamondbacks (as long as he's not playing against any of the Astros teams).

With that said, part of the fun of watching baseball, for me anyway, is rooting for the good guys. Euris Quezada may be a terrific individual. He may come from a background where the pressure to succeed is enormous. He may have never used any PED's. He may have never intended to use that syringe. He may have just made a mistake. But it's not going to be easy for him to convince me that he deserves my support in the same way that Tommy Manzella did. But I'm willing to try if he is.

Soapbox ----> Exit stage right

Roster Moves - 8/11/11

OKC
SS Tommy Manzella claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks and assigned to the Reno Aces

CC
2B Jose Vallejo sent to CC from LAN

LAN
C Jordan Comadena activated from the TI list

TCV
RHP Euris Quezeda placed on the restricted list
According to reporting by Zachary Levine, Quezada was found to be in possession of an unauthorized syringe resulting in a 25-game suspension, which will effectively end his season.

1B Chase Davidson promoted to TCV from GRN
As I had posted earlier this week, Davidson has one of the highest OBP's in the Astros minors; however, he also has an abysmal SO rate that he will really need to work on in order to be successful long-term.

GRN
OF Kellen Kiilsgaard was sent to GRN from TCV


Tweet of the Day

@zacharylevine And my problem as general manager is I can't think of another place to play. RT @brianmctaggart Astros 19-40 at home and 19-40 on the road.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Excuses, excuses

I had planned something else for today, but between a particularly bad dental appointment and the fact that my brakes went out in the middle of traffic on Richmond Avenue on my way home from said appointment, I am planning on curling up in a fetal position for the rest of the evening.

Check out astroscounty.com for all the latest and greatest information on changes and moves today. They are doing their usual excellent work over there.

The Good, The Bad and The Downright Painful

THE GOOD

Highest OBP based on 250 min. AB for full season, 115 min. AB for short-season and rookie leagues

.439 - Kody Hinze (LAN/CC)
.431 - Neiko Johnson (TCV)
.426 - Chase Davidson (GRN)
.422 - Chris Epps (GCL/TCV)
.401 - Mario Gonzalez (DSL)
.391 - Brandon Wikoff (CC)
.391 - Ben Orloff (LEX)
.386 - Robinson Cancel (OKC)
.384 - James Van Ostrand (CC)
.379 - Brandon Meredith (TCV)
.377 - Teoscar Hernandez (DSL)
.376 - Austin Wates (LAN)
.375 - Jordan Scott (LEX/GRN)

I can't believe a guy that's 35 years old and built like an ottoman (Cancel) has a higher OBP than some of our young studs. Step it up!

THE BAD

Lowest OBP (same parameters)

.232 - T.J. Steele (CC)
.268 - Jean Batista (GCL)
.283 - Joshua Magee (GRN)
.284 - Yoel Silfa (DSL)
.290 - Mesac Laguna (DSL)
.296 - Darwin Rivera (DSL/GRN)
.298 - Jonathan Gaston (CC)

Now I see why everyone over at crawfishboxes.com breaks into hysterical laughter every time Steele is referred to as a 5-tool player by the front office.

THE UGLY

I'm indulging in a bit of schadenfreude (my dental appointment didn't go well) by looking at the Astros minor league leaders in hitting batters.

10 - Sergio Perez (OKC)
9 - Ruben Alaniz (LEX)
9 - Rodney Quintero (GRN)
7 - Mike Foltynewicz (LEX)
7 - Jose Cisnero (LAN)
8 - Eight players are tied.

The thing that stands out to me on this list is that Rodney Quintero has only pitched 25 innings and he has 9 HBP. The dude is playing whack-a-mole out there!

More to Come ...

I have a couple of posts in the planning stages, but due to impending dental work in the very near future, it may be late afternoon or early evening before I get those finished. Check back later or give me a follow on twitter at @whattheheck57 and I'll tweet you when the blog is updated.

No Birthdays Today But ...

Let's look at where the players in our system were born.*

157 - United States (broken down below)
68 - Dominican Republic
21 - Venezuela
11 - Puerto Rico
8 - Panama
5 - Columbia
5 - Nicaragua
3 - Canada (2 from BC, 1 from ONT)
1 - Australia
1 - Brazil
1 - Cuba
1 - El Salvador
1 - Italy
1 - South Korea
1 - Swaziland (see my earlier post)
1 - Taiwan
1 - Virgin Islands

U.S.

26 - Texas
21 - California
14 - Florida
11 - Georgia
9 - Illinois
7 - New York
6 - Oklahoma
6 - Pennsylvania
5 - Alabama
5 - Arizona
5 - South Carolina
4 - Massachusetts
3 - Colorado
3 - Indiana
3 - Ohio
3 - North Carolina
3 - Washington
2 - Connecticut
2 - Minnesota
2 - Missouri
2 - Nebraska
2 - New Jersey
2 - Tennessee
1 - Delaware
1 - Kansas
1 - Kentucky
1 - Louisiana
1 - Maryland
1 - Michigan
1 - Mississippi
1 - Oregon
1 - Utah
1 - Virginia
1 - West Virginia

*This includes major league players as well as minor-leaguers. I may be missing a couple that I'm not 100% sure where they were born.

Roster Moves - 8/10/11

The following roster moves took place on 8/10:

In addition to the previously reported call-up of RHP Henry Sosa to Houston and the corresponding move of LHP Wesley Wright to OKC, Tommy Manzella was removed from the 40-Man Roster (to make room for Sosa) and designated for assignment. It may be a few days before we know exactly where Tommy will land.

CC
C Chris Wallace was put on the 7-day DL, retroactive to 8/8. According to Greg Rajan of the CC Caller-Times, Chris has a wrist injury.

GCL
C Joe Witkowski was activated from the DL

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Why I'm really rooting for Steve Martin to get to the bigs

Why am I really, really, really hoping that RHP Steve Martin makes it to the major leagues in an Astros uniform one day?

Is it because of the name? All those "wild and crazy guy" jokes and arrows through the head? Well, maybe a little.

Is it because he was picked in the 37th round of the 2011 draft and I always root for the underdog? Yeah, kind of.

Is it because he had a fantastic July for the Greeneville Astros with a 1.38 ERA? And a very respectable .189 BA against? Doesn't hurt.

Is it because he went to Texas A&M? Any roots in Texas are definitely a plus.

But none of that is really, really the reason that I really, really want Steve Martin to go all the way. The real reason is that I want the Houston Astros to have the first player born in Swaziland playing for them. As far as I can tell, no one born in Swaziland has ever played in the MLB. According to Baseball Almanac, the closest country alphabetically is Switzerland and the closest country geographically appears to be Saudi Arabia (although there are 38 listed as unknown and one poor fellow who appears to have been born in the Atlantic Ocean).

Now I don't know the circumstances behind Steve Martin's birth in Mbabne, Swaziland. Heck, I don't even know how to pronounce Mbabne and I had to look on "the google" to see where Swaziland was. And it appears that he probably grew up in Brenham. But none of that matters. The fact remains that he was, indeed, born in Swaziland and that's enough for me.

Totally Useless Fact

On June 6, 1995, Nelson Figueroa was signed by the New York Mets after being drafted in the 30th round.

On June 6, 1995, Frederick Serrano, the youngest player in the Astros minor league system, had been on this earth for a total of 281 days.

How Old Are They?

More than you ever wanted to know about the average age of your Astros (note that these figures don't reflect any of yesterday's roster moves)

Average age of all players in the system, including MLB and those on the disabled list - 22 years, 306 days

HOU
Average - 27 years, 261 days (doesn't factor in Henry Sosa)
Oldest - 35 years, 51 days (Carlos Lee)
Youngest - 20 years, 295 days (Jordan Lyles)

OKC
Average - 27 years, 164 days
Oldest - 37 years, 84 days (Nelson Figueroa)
Youngest - 23 years, 221 days (Dallas Keuchel)

CC
Average - 24 years, 297 days
Oldest - 32 years, 167 days (Brian Esposito)
Youngest - 20 years, 100 days (Jonathan Villar)

LAN
Average - 23 years, 83 days
Oldest - 26 years, 3 days (Andrew Simunic)
Youngest - 19 years, 326 days (Jonathan Singleton)

LEX
Average - 22 years, 22 days
Oldest - 25 years, 135 days (Chia-Jen Lo)*
Youngest - 18 years, 359 days (Delino DeShields Jr)

*Since Lo is on the DL, I'll give you the second oldest
Ben Orloff is 24 years, 106 days

TCV
Average - 22 years, 282 days
Oldest - 25 years, 62 days (Garrett Bullock)
Youngest - 20 years, 296 days (Andrew Walter)

GRN
Average - 20 years, 309 days
Oldest - 23 years, 100 days (Steve Martin)
Youngest - 17 years, 329 days (Ariel Ovando)

GCL
Average - 20 years, 160 days
Oldest - 23 years, 90 days (Kevin Gonzalez)
Youngest - 17 years, 316 days (Michael Feliz)

DSL
Average - 18 years, 314 days
Oldest - 21 years, 107 days (Kelvin Santana)
Youngest - 16 years, 346 days (Frederick Serrano)



Happy Birthday

Colton Pitkin (22)
A RHP for Lancaster, Pitkin has had an uneven season. His first half ERA was a respectable 3.84 but he has compiled an 11.83 ERA in the second half. Originally from Baytown, TX, he was signed by the Astros in the 41st round of the 2007 draft.

Jay Austin (21)
Jay is a left-handed hitting CF from Atlanta, GA who has split his time between Lancaster and Lexington this year. A .250 hitter for the season, he has used his speed to compile 24 doubles, 4 triples and 23 steals so far this year. Jay was a second round draft pick in 2008.

It is also Brandon Lyon's 32nd birthday.

Roster Moves - 8/9/11

RHP Henry Sosa has been called up to Houston (effective 8/10/11) from OKC. I now see that Wesley Wright will be sent back to OKC in the corresponding roster move.

LF Luis Durango outrighted to OKC

RHP Juan Mojica sent to the Greeneville Astros from the GCL Astros

RHP Francis Ramirez sent to the Greeneville Astros from the GCL Astros

RHP Luis Ordosgiotti sent to the GCL Astros from the Greeneville Astros

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

THE GOOD

SO% for players with a minimum of 250 PA's (140 PA's for Short Season A & Rookie Leagues) that fall below the ML Average of 18.9%

6.3% - Ben Orloff/LEX
7.9% - Juan Santan/DSL
7.9% - Brandon Wikoff/CC
9.4% - Wladimir Sutil/CC & OKC combined
11.3% - Yoel Silfa/DSL
11.6% - Rene Garcia/LAN
11.9% - Franny Polanco/DSL
12.2% - Neiko Johnson/TCV
12.3% - Mesac Laguna/DSL
12.6% - Jimmy Van Ostrand/CC
12.7% - Mario Gonzalez/DSL
13% - Jordan Scott/GRN & LEX combined
13.1% - Oswaldo Navarro/OKC
13.6% - Zachary Johnson/TCV
13.8% - John Hinson/TCV
14% - Austin Wates/LAN
14.8% - Jacob Goebbert/OKC & CC combined
14.8% - Anderson Hernandez/OKC
14.9% - Justin Gominsky/TCV
15.1% - David Flores/CC & LAN combined
15.5% - Jose Solano/DSL
15.8% - Grant Hogue/LAN
16.4% - Robinson Cancel/OKC
16.6% - Adam Bailey/LAN & LEX combined
16.9% - Jean Batista/GCL
16.9% - Ruben Sosa/GRN
17.1% - Drew Locke/OKC
17.4% - Tyler Burnett/LEX
17.4% - Matt Duffy/TCV
17.8% - Teoscar Hernandez/DSL
18.2% - Miles Hamblin/TCV
18.7% - Jose Thompson/LAN

THE BAD

SO% for players with same minimum PA's that are above the ML Average of 18.9%

28.7% - Justin Shults/GCL
27.8% - Chase Davidson/GRN
27.8% - Tommy Manzella/OKC
26.8% - Jonathan Villar/CC & LAN combined
26.4% - Chris Epps/TCV & GCL combined
26.4% - T.J. Steele/CC
25.5% - Koby Clemens/CC
25.2% - Andrew Simunic/LAN, CC & OKC combined
24.6% - Jonathan Gaston/CC
24.5% - Darwin Rivera/GRN & DSL combined
24.4% - Jiovanni Mier/LAN & LEX combined
24.2% - Jonathan Meyer/LAN
23.3% - Brandon Barnes/CC & OKC combined
23.2% - Chris Wallace/CC & LEX combined
22.6% - Delino DeShields Jr/LEX
21.7% - Emilio King/LEX
21.1% - Jay Austin/LAN & LEX combined
20.9% - Drew Muren/TCV
20.4% - Javaris Reynolds/GCL
20.2% - Mike Kvasnika/LEX
19.9% - Brandon Meredith/TCV
19.5% - Kody Hinze/CC & LAN combined

THE UGLY

HR/9 allowed - minimum of 50IP (25IP for short season and rookie leagues)

1.7 - Erick Abreu/CC
1.6 - Jonathan Aristil/CC
1.5 - Nelson Figueroa/OKC
1.5 - Luis Cruz/LEX
1.5 - Tyson Perez/GRN
1.5 - Francis Ramirez/GCL
1.5 - Andrew Robinson/LAN

The good news is that as a team, the DSL Astros are only allowing 0.3 HR/9 IP, followed closely by the GCL Astros and the Tri-City Valley Cats at 0.5 HR/9 IP. Not surprisingly, Lancaster gives up the most as a team at 1.3 HR/9 IP.


Happy Birthday

RHP Erick Abreu (28)
Erick is 5-4 with a 3.98 ERA for CC this season. In 97.1 IP, he has issued only 20 BB while striking out 87. Born in the Dominican Republic, Abreu was first signed by the Yankees as a NDFA in 2003. The Astros signed him as a free agent in 2008.

1B Ronald Sanchez (20)
Originally from Puerto Rico and drafted by the Astros out of high school in the 16th round in 2009, this lefty hitting 1B is struggling with a .190 BA in 42 AB for the Greeneville Astros.

Roster Moves - 8/8/11

The following moves took place on 8/8:

OKC
RHP Sergio Perez was placed on the 7-day DL

LAN
RHP Zachary Grimmett was placed on the 7-day DL
RHP Robert Donovan was activated from the 7-Day DL

GCL
RHP Nathan Pettus was assigned to the GCL Astros. A 27th Round Draft pick in 2008, Pettus (22) hasn't pitched since 2010 (for GCL & LEX).

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

THE GOOD - Highest SO/9 with a minimum of 20 IP

Dayan Diaz/TCV - 13.1
Blake King/CC - 12.1
Reymin Guduan/DSL - 11.5
Matison Smith/GRN - 11.3
Murillo Gouvea/LEX - 11.0
Danny Meszaros/CC - 11.0

THE BAD - Highest BB/9 with a minimum of 20 IP

Luis Abad/DSL - 9.2
Reymin Guduan/DSL - 9.0
Andres Feliz/DSL - 8.6
Blake King/CC - 7.2
Geronimo Franzua/DSL - 7.0

THE UGLY - Most GIDP

Mike Kvasnika/LEX - 14
Tommy Manzella/OKC - 13
Rene Garcia/LAN - 10
Roberto Pena/LEX - 9
Matt Duffy/TCV - 9

As a side note, it was nice to see that the high for GIDP for the GCL was only 3.

Happy Birthday

3B Hector Rodriguez (22)
In 2 games with the Lexington Legends, Hector has a .500 BA, slightly higher than the .176 BA he sported for the Tri-City Valley Cats. From the Dominican Republic, he started his career with the DSL Astros in 2008.

RHP Juri Perez (21)
In 10 starts with the Tri-City Valley Cats, Juri is 1-3 with an ERA of 4.04. His last start was a very effective outing: 6IP, 5H, 1R/ER, 1HR, 1BB and 5 SO. He is originally from Venezuela and started with the VSL Astros in 2007.

Roster Moves - 8/7/11

The following moves took place on 8/7:

OKC
RHP Sergio Perez activated from the TI list
LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith activated from the 7-day DL

TCV
RHP Andrew Walter assigned to TCV from GCL
C Bubby Williams to the TI list
RHP Euris Quezeda to the 7-day DL
RHP Jamaine Cotton from GRN to TCV (I assume that this is correct. MiLB.com lists him as going to the T-C Dust Devils instead of the Valley Cats, which is most likely an error.)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Highest OPS thru 8/6/11 - 75 AB minimum



This is based on players with their current teams only. Others who would qualify with their prior team are:

Adam Bailey - .823 OPS in 312 AB for Lexington
Kody Hinze - 1.083 OPS in 285 AB for Lancaster
Chris Epps - .918 OPS in 112 AB for GCL
Jacob Goebbert - .823 OPS in 272 AB for CC
Chris Wallace - .865 combined OPS for total of 98 AB at Lexington & CC

Lowest WHIP 20 IP minimum as of 8/6/11



These are based on players with their current teams only. Others who would qualify with prior teams:

Chris Hicks - 0.97 WHIP for 24.2 IP with Lancaster
Dallas Keuchel - 1.12 WHIP for 127.2 IP with CC

How Did They Get Here

Draft Info As Of 8/7/11

Yet another Astros blog? Why?

Well, the truth is that this blog is more for my entertainment than for anything else.  Because of the current, ahem, “difficulties” of the Astros team, I have found myself increasingly interested in the Astros farm system.  But I am a big picture kind of person.  I like to see how all the pieces fit together.  So over the last month or so, I put together a huge database on all the players currently in the Astros system, from the Tri-City Valley Cats to the Lancaster Jethawks to the DSL Astros, including all stops in between.  I can sort and filter and make all kinds of meaningless connections of all the data to my heart’s content.  If anyone else likes to look at this minutiae, so be it.

I feel certain that I have made mistakes along the way.  Please contact me via twitter @whattheheck57 for corrections.  Give me a follow on twitter and I’ll let you know when I update the blog.

August Birthdays