A Look at the DSL Astros

Let's look at the short season teams and see how they are faring thus far this season. I'm a bad news first kind of person so let's look at the Dominican Summer League Astros and get that out of the way. It seems like a good thing to post on a Monday. Everybody hates Monday anyway.

As of Sunday the 15th, the DSL Astros have a record of 11-24. They have scored 3.54 runs per game while the pitching staff has allowed 5.6 runs per game. The average age of hitters is 18 and pitchers are barely older at 18.2 years of age.

BATTING STATS
Again, let's start with the bad news first. The offense has been bad. This is how the top DSL Astros performers rank versus other players in the league in batting statistics (BA, OBP & SLG are based on 2.7 plate appearances per team game).

Batting Average
154th - Randy Cesar .240

On Base Percentage
145th* - Randy Cesar .342

 Slugging Percentage
124th* - Mesac Laguna .353

Runs Scored
123rd* - Mesac Laguna 16

Doubles
118th* - Mesac Laguna 5

Triples
55th* - Arturo Michelena 2

Home Runs
17th* - Mesac Laguna 3

RBI
141st* - Randy Cesar 12

Walks
68th* - Cristian Murillo 16

Strikeouts
5th* - Frederick Serrano 43 (in 103 AB)

Stolen Bases
34th* - Jarico Reynoso 9

The good news is that two of the more recent additions to the team, Brauly Mejia (.258 in 22 games) and Hector Roa (.263 in 5 games) have shown some promise in their limited time.

As far as how the DSL team numbers rank against the other teams in the league, the news doesn't get any better. Out of 35 teams, the DSL Astros are 35th in walks and in triples, 34th in batting average, on base percentage, slugging, runs scored, hits, doubles and RBI. They are 33rd in total bases, 27th in stolen bases, 14th in strikeouts and are tied for 12th in home runs.

PITCHING STATS
And, although the pitching isn't great, it is a bit easier to find the occasional bright spot. This is how the top DSL Astros pitchers rank versus other pitchers in the league in pitching statistics (based on 0.8 innings pitched per team game).

ERA
47th - Edwin Villarroel 2.20
50th - Samil de los Santos 2.41

WHIP
35th - Samil de los Santos 1.02
73rd - Edwin Villaroel 1.29

Strikeouts
10th* - Samil de los Santos 40

Walks
27th* - Geronimo Franzua 18 (in 8.1 innings)

Juan Delis doesn't qualify, but in his seven appearances he has a 2.81 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP.

As far as how the team ranks, the news isn't quite as dire, but there is a great deal of room for improvement. The team ERA (4.01) is 23rd in the league and the WHIP (1.481) is 26th in the league. They are 29th in strikeouts and 32nd out of 35 teams in wins.

Most of the best DSL players from 2011 were promoted to the GCL this season, so it's not unexpected that this raw young team is struggling to make their way. This is the halfway point of their season. Let's see where they end up.

*Indicates a tie

Next up: A Look at The GCL Astros tomorrow (Spoiler Alert - the news gets better)