In my ongoing season reviews of the various Astros minor league teams, today we'll look at the Quad City River Bandits.
The team finished with a 70-69 record (.504 win percentage) and fell just short of getting a playoff berth. As a team they ranked within the league as follows:
Quad Cities Team Batting
.261 BA - 3rd out of 16 teams
.340 OBP - 1st
.408 SLG - 1st
They also led the league in doubles and walks, and were tied for second in home runs.
Quad Cities Team Pitching
3.79 ERA - 10th
1.33 WHIP - 10th
1064 SO - 10th
399 BB - 15th
For each of the full season teams, I made bold predictions in my season preview. [Note to self: Quit making bold predictions.] I was woefully wrong on my prediction of the Quad Cities team which I predicted to have a much better finish. I completely underestimated the offense (and the number of players who would be promoted!) and completely overestimated the pitching. The starting pitching was uneven at times, and it is probably a given that they were not exactly helped out by the inordinate number of postponements and make-up doubleheaders that the team experienced. Mother Nature was not a friend to the 2014 River Bandits.
Now, on to individual achievements. Below I am indicating the player's current age as well as information as to how many years the player has been playing. Any players who were promoted to Lancaster or above prior to the end of the season will be addressed in the season recap for that team.
CATCHERS
Brian Holberton - 22; 2nd season
The 9th round 2013 draft pick appeared in 85 games (66 as catcher), hitting .253/.330/.380 with 18 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 34 RBI. The lefty walked 33 times while striking out 42 times. His defense behind the plate can be characterized as average which is actually a good thing considering that he was not a catcher in college and is still learning the nuances of his trade. He caught 23% of would-be base stealers.
Brett Booth - 23; 2nd season
Booth played in 56 games (38 as catcher) and the 34th round 2013 draft pick shows plus defensive abilities and managed a very nice 40% caught stealing rate. He put up a .242/.322/.390 batting line with ten doubles, a triple and five home runs (.271/.333/.438 in August).
INFIELDERS
1B A.J. Reed - 21; 1st season
Reed, the Astros 2014 second round pick, split his season evenly between Tri-City and Quad Cities (34 games each). In the two venues combined, he hit .289/.375/.522 with 20 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 54 RBI and displayed plus defense at his position. He is a left-handed hitter.
3B J.D. Davis - 21; 1st season
The 3rd round draft pick from 2014 had an excellent freshman season, splitting his time between Tri-City (30 games) and Quad Cities (43 games) and hitting .293/.371/.508 with 16 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 52 RBI. On paper, his defense skews slightly below average.
There were two players who played both infield and outfield for the River Bandits who had very nice seasons at the plate:
2B/OF Jose Fernandez - 21; 5th season
In 40 games, Fernandez hit .279/.363/.434 with seven doubles, two triples and 21 RBI. He stole nine bases and was caught stealing four times. His defense at second base is passable, but his outfield defense will need improvement if he continues to split his time. He is from the Dominican Republic.
IF/OF Marc Wik - 22; 3rd season
The lefty-hitting Wik was drafted by Houston in the 21st round in 2012. He played in a total of 75 games: two at Corpus Christi; two at Lancaster; 12 at Tri-City and 59 at Quad Cities. He played 2B (26 games); 3B (17 games); SS (2 games); RF (9 games); LF (14 games); and CF (10 games). He was solid defensively at all of the positions he played. His combined batting line for all venues was .252/.343/.408 with 17 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases (10 caught stealing). Wik's versatility will likely take him a long way.
OUTFIELDERS
Brauly Mejia - 19; 3rd season
Mejia spent the vast majority (49 of 54 games) in the GCL, earning a promotion to Quad Cities for the final five games of the season. In total, he hit .263/.377/.406 with seven doubles, six triples, two home runs and 26 RBI. He stole nine bases, but was caught 10 times. His defense in left field was somewhat below average for the season.
Ryan Bottger - 21; 1st season
Bottger, the 12th round 2014 draft pick, spent his first 27 games at Tri-City, hitting .313/.395/.495 before his promotion. In a total of 61 games, he hit .266/.333/.372 with eight doubles, five home runs, 25 RBI and eight stolen bases (five caught stealing). He walked 18 times while striking out 38 times. His numbers are indicative of more or less average defensive abilities. He is a switch hitter.
Bobby Boyd - 21; 1st season
The 8th round 2014 draft pick played his first 42 games with Tri-City before receiving his promotion to Quad Cities for his final 20 games. A left-handed hitter, Boyd hit .333/.404/.371 at Tri-City and .297/.368/.332 with six doubles, one triple and 24 walks to 33 strikeouts for the season. Boyd stole 19 bases and was caught six times. His defensive numbers skew above average.
LEFTY PITCHERS
Chris Lee - 22; 4th season
The Astros fourth round pick in 2011 had a bit of a mixed bag of a season, but ended it on a high note, compiling a 2.66 ERA and a 1.394 WHIP in six games (three starts) in August. For the season, he had a 3.66 ERA and a 1.513 WHIP in 28 games (16 starts). He walked 51 batters while striking out 75 in his 113 innings of work.
Blaine Sims - 25; 5th season
You may not be buying it when I tell you that a 25-year old in Low A with a 1.677 WHIP had a very successful season, but all the rules go out the window for the lefty knuckleballer. His 3.31 ERA and 1.677 WHIP are a huge improvement over his 2013 numbers (8.44 ERA and 2.044 WHIP) and seem to indicate that he is having better success in learning the nuances of the knuckleball. Sims, picked up from Atlanta in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December 2013, appeared in 17 games (12 starts) between Tri-City and Quad Cities. He walked 47 batters and struck out 60 in 73.1 innings pitched.
Albert Minnis - 22; 2nd season
Drafted by Houston in the 25th round in 2013, Minnis had a tough start to his season and ended it with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.585 WHIP in 27 games. However, things came together for him in his final 12 games in July and August; he had a 2.10 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP in his final 25.2 innings. Minnis walked nine and struck out 25 during that period (15 walks to 42 stikeouts in 47.1 innings for the season).
Jordan Mills - 22; 2nd season
Mills spent the majority of his season with Tri-City before his promotion to Quad Cities for his final seven appearances. In 31.2 innings, he had a 2.84 ERA and a 1.295 WHIP. He walked 14 batters and struck out 39. Mills was drafted in the 28th round in 2013.
RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS
Several of the right-handed starters on the team had uneven seasons. Andrew Thurman (22; 2nd round pick 2013) is certainly capable of better results than the 5.38 ERA and 1.405 WHIP that he put up for the season. Likewise, Edison Frias (23; 4th season) had an up-and-down season before hitting the DL in early August (4.82 ERA, 1.326 WHIP, 15BB:60SO in 74.2IP).
Two of the tandem starters fared much better in relief. Kevin Comer (22; 3rd season) had a 4.24 ERA and a 1.389 WHIP for the season, but when he was on the relief side of the tandem, that improved to a 1.41 ERA and a 1.031 WHIP. And Jandel Gustave (21; 5th season) had a 5.01 ERA and a 1.557 WHIP for his overall season, but a 0.78 ERA and a 0.870 WHIP as a reliever. Gustave's overall numbers may have been impacted by injury, though, as he spent over a month on the DL.
Three right-handed starters stood out from the rest.
Adrian Houser - 21; 4th season
Houser, drafted in the second round in 2011, had a 4.14 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP in 25 games (17 starts). In August, that improved to a 3.00 ERA and a 1.074 WHIP in six games (three starts). He had four walks to 26 strikeouts in August (27IP), as compared to 37 walks and 93 strikeouts over 108.2 innings pitched for the season.
Michael Feliz - 21; 5th season
Feliz did not dominate in 2014 as he did in 2013, but he still had a solid season and still showed (several) flashes of what he can ultimately become (which is really, really good). In 25 games (19 starts), he had a 4.03 ERA and a 1.373 WHIP. He walked 37 batters and struck out 111 in 102.2 innings of work. In August, he had a 2.89 ERA and a 1.179 WHIP in five starts.
Troy Scribner - 23; 2nd season
Scribner got a couple of spot appearances in Corpus Christi early in the season before taking Tri-City by storm. He ended the season with five games (three starts) at Quad Cities. All told, he ended the season with a 2.09 ERA, a 1.102 WHIP and 27 walks to 103 strikeouts in 81.2 innings pitched. Not bad for a non-drafted free agent!
Of those who weren't promoted to the next level (which was darn near every reliever at Quad Cities!), these three right-handed relievers stood out.
Frederick Tiburcio - 23; 6th season
Tiburcio appeared in 28 games, including a spot appearance at Oklahoma City, and ended his season with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP and seven saves. He walked 17 batters and struck out 48 in 43.1 innings of work. He is from the Dominican Republic.
Raul Rivera - 23; 5th season (DNP in 2011)
Rivera, the 37th round pick in 2009, spent the majority of his season with Tri-City, earning a late August promotion to Quad Cities. In 22 bullpen appearances, he had a 2.97 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP (1.65 ERA and 0.980 WHIP in 8 games in August). He walked 12 batters and struck out 38 for the season (36.1IP); in August that ratio improved to three walks to 20 strikeouts (16.1IP).
Keegan Yuhl - 22; 1st season
Yuhl was drafted in the 35th round in 2014 and started his season at Greeneville, appearing in nine games (two starts), before leap-frogging Tri-City and receiving a promotion directly to Quad Cities in early August. For the season, he put up a 1.98 ERA and a 1.073 WHIP and walked eight batters while striking out 33 in 36.1IP
Next up will be the Corpus Christi team (I am skipping Lancaster for the moment because I didn't want to do their write-up before their season was finished. That will happen tonight as they play Game 5 in the best of 5 California League Championship Series).
Earlier season reviews ~
Dominican Summer League offensive standouts
Dominican Summer League Pitching Standouts
Gulf Coast League Astros
Rookie League Greeneville Astros
The team finished with a 70-69 record (.504 win percentage) and fell just short of getting a playoff berth. As a team they ranked within the league as follows:
Quad Cities Team Batting
.261 BA - 3rd out of 16 teams
.340 OBP - 1st
.408 SLG - 1st
They also led the league in doubles and walks, and were tied for second in home runs.
Quad Cities Team Pitching
3.79 ERA - 10th
1.33 WHIP - 10th
1064 SO - 10th
399 BB - 15th
For each of the full season teams, I made bold predictions in my season preview. [Note to self: Quit making bold predictions.] I was woefully wrong on my prediction of the Quad Cities team which I predicted to have a much better finish. I completely underestimated the offense (and the number of players who would be promoted!) and completely overestimated the pitching. The starting pitching was uneven at times, and it is probably a given that they were not exactly helped out by the inordinate number of postponements and make-up doubleheaders that the team experienced. Mother Nature was not a friend to the 2014 River Bandits.
Now, on to individual achievements. Below I am indicating the player's current age as well as information as to how many years the player has been playing. Any players who were promoted to Lancaster or above prior to the end of the season will be addressed in the season recap for that team.
CATCHERS
Brian Holberton - 22; 2nd season
The 9th round 2013 draft pick appeared in 85 games (66 as catcher), hitting .253/.330/.380 with 18 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 34 RBI. The lefty walked 33 times while striking out 42 times. His defense behind the plate can be characterized as average which is actually a good thing considering that he was not a catcher in college and is still learning the nuances of his trade. He caught 23% of would-be base stealers.
Brett Booth - 23; 2nd season
Booth played in 56 games (38 as catcher) and the 34th round 2013 draft pick shows plus defensive abilities and managed a very nice 40% caught stealing rate. He put up a .242/.322/.390 batting line with ten doubles, a triple and five home runs (.271/.333/.438 in August).
INFIELDERS
1B A.J. Reed - 21; 1st season
Reed, the Astros 2014 second round pick, split his season evenly between Tri-City and Quad Cities (34 games each). In the two venues combined, he hit .289/.375/.522 with 20 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 54 RBI and displayed plus defense at his position. He is a left-handed hitter.
3B J.D. Davis - 21; 1st season
The 3rd round draft pick from 2014 had an excellent freshman season, splitting his time between Tri-City (30 games) and Quad Cities (43 games) and hitting .293/.371/.508 with 16 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 52 RBI. On paper, his defense skews slightly below average.
There were two players who played both infield and outfield for the River Bandits who had very nice seasons at the plate:
2B/OF Jose Fernandez - 21; 5th season
In 40 games, Fernandez hit .279/.363/.434 with seven doubles, two triples and 21 RBI. He stole nine bases and was caught stealing four times. His defense at second base is passable, but his outfield defense will need improvement if he continues to split his time. He is from the Dominican Republic.
IF/OF Marc Wik - 22; 3rd season
The lefty-hitting Wik was drafted by Houston in the 21st round in 2012. He played in a total of 75 games: two at Corpus Christi; two at Lancaster; 12 at Tri-City and 59 at Quad Cities. He played 2B (26 games); 3B (17 games); SS (2 games); RF (9 games); LF (14 games); and CF (10 games). He was solid defensively at all of the positions he played. His combined batting line for all venues was .252/.343/.408 with 17 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases (10 caught stealing). Wik's versatility will likely take him a long way.
OUTFIELDERS
Brauly Mejia - 19; 3rd season
Mejia spent the vast majority (49 of 54 games) in the GCL, earning a promotion to Quad Cities for the final five games of the season. In total, he hit .263/.377/.406 with seven doubles, six triples, two home runs and 26 RBI. He stole nine bases, but was caught 10 times. His defense in left field was somewhat below average for the season.
Ryan Bottger - 21; 1st season
Bottger, the 12th round 2014 draft pick, spent his first 27 games at Tri-City, hitting .313/.395/.495 before his promotion. In a total of 61 games, he hit .266/.333/.372 with eight doubles, five home runs, 25 RBI and eight stolen bases (five caught stealing). He walked 18 times while striking out 38 times. His numbers are indicative of more or less average defensive abilities. He is a switch hitter.
Bobby Boyd - 21; 1st season
The 8th round 2014 draft pick played his first 42 games with Tri-City before receiving his promotion to Quad Cities for his final 20 games. A left-handed hitter, Boyd hit .333/.404/.371 at Tri-City and .297/.368/.332 with six doubles, one triple and 24 walks to 33 strikeouts for the season. Boyd stole 19 bases and was caught six times. His defensive numbers skew above average.
LEFTY PITCHERS
Chris Lee - 22; 4th season
The Astros fourth round pick in 2011 had a bit of a mixed bag of a season, but ended it on a high note, compiling a 2.66 ERA and a 1.394 WHIP in six games (three starts) in August. For the season, he had a 3.66 ERA and a 1.513 WHIP in 28 games (16 starts). He walked 51 batters while striking out 75 in his 113 innings of work.
Blaine Sims - 25; 5th season
You may not be buying it when I tell you that a 25-year old in Low A with a 1.677 WHIP had a very successful season, but all the rules go out the window for the lefty knuckleballer. His 3.31 ERA and 1.677 WHIP are a huge improvement over his 2013 numbers (8.44 ERA and 2.044 WHIP) and seem to indicate that he is having better success in learning the nuances of the knuckleball. Sims, picked up from Atlanta in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December 2013, appeared in 17 games (12 starts) between Tri-City and Quad Cities. He walked 47 batters and struck out 60 in 73.1 innings pitched.
Albert Minnis - 22; 2nd season
Drafted by Houston in the 25th round in 2013, Minnis had a tough start to his season and ended it with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.585 WHIP in 27 games. However, things came together for him in his final 12 games in July and August; he had a 2.10 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP in his final 25.2 innings. Minnis walked nine and struck out 25 during that period (15 walks to 42 stikeouts in 47.1 innings for the season).
Jordan Mills - 22; 2nd season
Mills spent the majority of his season with Tri-City before his promotion to Quad Cities for his final seven appearances. In 31.2 innings, he had a 2.84 ERA and a 1.295 WHIP. He walked 14 batters and struck out 39. Mills was drafted in the 28th round in 2013.
RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS
Several of the right-handed starters on the team had uneven seasons. Andrew Thurman (22; 2nd round pick 2013) is certainly capable of better results than the 5.38 ERA and 1.405 WHIP that he put up for the season. Likewise, Edison Frias (23; 4th season) had an up-and-down season before hitting the DL in early August (4.82 ERA, 1.326 WHIP, 15BB:60SO in 74.2IP).
Two of the tandem starters fared much better in relief. Kevin Comer (22; 3rd season) had a 4.24 ERA and a 1.389 WHIP for the season, but when he was on the relief side of the tandem, that improved to a 1.41 ERA and a 1.031 WHIP. And Jandel Gustave (21; 5th season) had a 5.01 ERA and a 1.557 WHIP for his overall season, but a 0.78 ERA and a 0.870 WHIP as a reliever. Gustave's overall numbers may have been impacted by injury, though, as he spent over a month on the DL.
Three right-handed starters stood out from the rest.
Adrian Houser - 21; 4th season
Houser, drafted in the second round in 2011, had a 4.14 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP in 25 games (17 starts). In August, that improved to a 3.00 ERA and a 1.074 WHIP in six games (three starts). He had four walks to 26 strikeouts in August (27IP), as compared to 37 walks and 93 strikeouts over 108.2 innings pitched for the season.
Michael Feliz - 21; 5th season
Feliz did not dominate in 2014 as he did in 2013, but he still had a solid season and still showed (several) flashes of what he can ultimately become (which is really, really good). In 25 games (19 starts), he had a 4.03 ERA and a 1.373 WHIP. He walked 37 batters and struck out 111 in 102.2 innings of work. In August, he had a 2.89 ERA and a 1.179 WHIP in five starts.
Troy Scribner - 23; 2nd season
Scribner got a couple of spot appearances in Corpus Christi early in the season before taking Tri-City by storm. He ended the season with five games (three starts) at Quad Cities. All told, he ended the season with a 2.09 ERA, a 1.102 WHIP and 27 walks to 103 strikeouts in 81.2 innings pitched. Not bad for a non-drafted free agent!
Of those who weren't promoted to the next level (which was darn near every reliever at Quad Cities!), these three right-handed relievers stood out.
Frederick Tiburcio - 23; 6th season
Tiburcio appeared in 28 games, including a spot appearance at Oklahoma City, and ended his season with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP and seven saves. He walked 17 batters and struck out 48 in 43.1 innings of work. He is from the Dominican Republic.
Raul Rivera - 23; 5th season (DNP in 2011)
Rivera, the 37th round pick in 2009, spent the majority of his season with Tri-City, earning a late August promotion to Quad Cities. In 22 bullpen appearances, he had a 2.97 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP (1.65 ERA and 0.980 WHIP in 8 games in August). He walked 12 batters and struck out 38 for the season (36.1IP); in August that ratio improved to three walks to 20 strikeouts (16.1IP).
Keegan Yuhl - 22; 1st season
Yuhl was drafted in the 35th round in 2014 and started his season at Greeneville, appearing in nine games (two starts), before leap-frogging Tri-City and receiving a promotion directly to Quad Cities in early August. For the season, he put up a 1.98 ERA and a 1.073 WHIP and walked eight batters while striking out 33 in 36.1IP
Next up will be the Corpus Christi team (I am skipping Lancaster for the moment because I didn't want to do their write-up before their season was finished. That will happen tonight as they play Game 5 in the best of 5 California League Championship Series).
Earlier season reviews ~
Dominican Summer League offensive standouts
Dominican Summer League Pitching Standouts
Gulf Coast League Astros
Rookie League Greeneville Astros
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