Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/30

Happy Birthday to ~

IF Jack Mayfield (24)
A product of the University of Oklahoma program, Mayfield signed with Houston as a non-drafted free agent in 2013. He split his 2104 season with the Astros between Quad Cities (39 games) and Lancaster (66 games). Between the two venues, he hit .282/.341/.440 with 31 doubles. two triples, nine home runs and 55 RBI.

A few former Astros mark the day as well ~

RHP Robin Roberts (died May 6, 2010 at age 83)
Roberts came to Houston as a free agent in August 1965 and pitched in 23 games (22 starts) for the Astros in 1965 and 1966. Roberts compiled an 8-7 record with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.146 WHIP. His best years were those spent with the Phillies for whom he was an All-Star in seven straight seasons. An astounding statistic in this day and age is that of Roberts' 609 career starts, 305 of them were complete games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

3B/1B Dave Magadan (52)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the second round in 1983, Magadan signed with Houston as a free agent in April 1995. In 127 games for the Astros that season, Magadan hit a rather healthy .313/.428/.399 with 24 doubles and 71 walks. He is currently the hitting coach for the Rangers.

RHP Jose "Lima Time" Lima (died May 23, 2010 at age 37)
Lima came to the Houston organization in a December 1996 trade with Detroit and pitched for the Astros from 1997 until he was traded back to Detroit in a June 2001 trade. In 167 games (111 starts) for Houston, he was 46-42 with a 4.77 ERA and a 1.328 WHIP. He had his greatest success for Houston in 1998 and his All-Star season of 1999 when he went 21-10 in his 35 starts.

LHP Yorkis Perez (47)
Perez came to Houston in a March 2000 trade with the Phillies for LHP Trever Miller and pitched in 33 games for the Astros with a 2-1 record, a 5.16 ERA and a 1.721 WHIP.

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Astros 2014 Season: I Told You So ...

Back on April 25th, the Astros were 7-17 and the Astros fan base was in collective freakout mode. There was much wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. The loss that night was a particularly ugly one with three Astros errors and a bullpen implosion of epic proportions in which a 5-5 tie going into the ninth inning became a 12-5 loss when the ninth inning was, at last, mercifully complete.

The next day I posted one of my "soapboxes" in which I posited the following:
No matter how good a team is, and the Astros certainly cannot be categorized as a good team of late, they are going to have almost shockingly bad games from time to time. But as Astros fans, we have been conditioned over the last three seasons to expect those shockingly bad games. And we have been conditioned to respond, "Here we go again," when they happen. No longer do we think, "Oh, that's just a blip on the radar screen." We think that a flaming Hindenburg is going to crash onto the deck of a sinking Titanic and the whole fiery mess is going to be swept up by a Category 5 hurricane and deposited at the corner of Crawford and Texas. Even when the Astros do start playing well, every stunningly bad game that they have will provoke this response in Astros fans as surely as Pavlov's dogs looking for dinner. 
I went on to say that I felt confident that the Astros would play better than their rough start indicated, and that we, the fans, would start seeing incremental improvements in the team's play.

One commenter had this to say to me, "Feeling pretty silly about your 71 win prediction, aren't ya? Another 100 losses is in the cards."

After scraping myself off the ceiling for basically being referred to as a "silly" girl, I engaged in a little back and forth with Mr. Commenter. After saying that I stood by my prediction and that 24 or 25 games was too early to make any sweeping generalizations about the season, Mr. Commenter game back with this, "Going 71-91 translates to .432. We are currently a .280 team [the Astros were actually .292 after 24 games]. Getting to 71 wins from our current record would require a .468 clip the rest of the way [actually .464, but why pick nits?]. Going .468 is generally not much to ask. This very poor start make [sic] even that look like a bridge too far."

Well, he was right. The Astros only went .457 the rest of the way and my prediction of 71-91 fell far short of the actual final record of 70-92. Silly me.

In any event, Astros fans did finally climb down from the ledge and start to enjoy the season. There were still some rocky stretches from time to time, but overall, it was a fun season to watch as eight more players made their major league debuts and more established players such as Dallas Keuchel and Jose Altuve soared to new heights. Collin McHugh and George Springer showed us the promise of things to come and Chris Carter came into his own. There were a lot of positives to take away from the season.

Even without knowing who will manage the team in 2015, how the roster will be constructed, who will come and who will go, I can already tell you a few things. There will continue to be growing pains at times. The team will occasionally have a monumentally bad game. There will be bullpen implosions from time to time. At least one rookie will have a bad start that will have "fans" calling for his head in April. And the Astros will get that much closer to contending, and contending for a long time to come. At some point, it won't be baby steps any longer; it will be a giant leap to viability. And, hopefully, at some point, Astros fans will be conditioned to expect the best and not the worst.

Oh, and I do have one last thing to say to Mr. Commenter. Nanny Nanny Boo Boo. (I never said that I was mature.)

Happy Birthday - 9/29

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro celebrates the day ~

LHP Jim Crawford (64)
A 14th round draft pick by Houston in 1972, Crawford pitched in 92 games for the Astros in 1973 and 1975. In those games, he was 5-9 with 10 saves, a 4.02 ERA and a 1.474 WHIP. Crawford was traded to the Tigers in December 1975. According to Baseball-Reference, his first plate appearance came four days after his pitching debut in 1973 and resulted in a walk-off double in extra innings against the Dodgers.

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Sunday, September 28, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/28

No future Astros with birthdays today, but five former Astros celebrate the day ~

1B Dick Gernert (86)
Drafted from the Reds in the 1961 expansion draft, Gernert played for the Colt 45's in 1962 at the end of his major league career. In 10 games for Houston, he hit .208/.345/.208.

PH Gene Ratliff (69)
Ratliff had our at-bats in four games for the Colt 45's in 1965 and that one hit in the majors eluded him.

RHP Charlie Kerfeld (51)
A first round pick by Houston in 1982, Kerfeld pitched for Houston from 1985 to 1987 and again in 1990. In 98 appearances (six starts), he was 15-8 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.474 WHIP. His best season was by far the 1986 season when he was 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP in 61 appearances out of the bullpen. Kerfeld, along with Larry Andersen and Dave Smith, was one of the Astros coneheads back in the day.

C Ronn Reynolds (56)
A fifth round pick by the Mets in 1980, Reynolds came to Houston in an April 1987 trade with the Phillies. In 38 games, he hit .167/.189/.235. Reynolds was also a catcher for the fictional Sidd Finch.

C/PH Hector Gimenez (32)
Gimenez played in two games for Houston in 2006 and didn't get a hit in his two at-bats. Five years later, he would get his first major league hit for the Dodgers. He last played in the minors for the Brewers in 2014.

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Saturday, September 27, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/27

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Jamaine Cotton (24)
Originally from the Virgin Islands, Cotton was drafted in the 15th round in 2010 out of Western Oklahoma State University. In 37 regular season appearances for Lancaster this season, Cotton was 2-4 with 12 saves, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.511 WHIP.

Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

2B Gary Sutherland (70)
Sutherland spent time with the Philadelphia and Montreal organizations before coming to Houston in 1972. He only played in 21 games for the Astros in 1972 and 1973, hitting .242/.277/.323, before moving on to have his most productive years with Detroit in the mid 70's.

RHP Doug Konieczny (63)
A first round pick by Houston in 1971, Konieczny played for the Astros in 1973 to 1975 and in 1977. In 44 games (38 starts), he was 7-18 with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.588 WHIP. Methinks he would have been right at home pitching alongside Asher Wojciechowski and Mike Foltynewicz.

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Friday, September 26, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/26

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Albert Abreu (19)
Signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic, Abreu played in his first professional season in 2014 for the Dominican Summer League Astros. In 14 starts, he was 3-2 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.132 WHIP. He walked 29 and struck out 54 in 68 innings.

Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

LHP Bobby Shantz (89)
In 16 seasons pitched between 1949 and 1964, Shantz went full circle, starting his career with the Philadelphia Athletics and ending it with the Philadelphia Phillies.  In between, he pitched for the Kansas City Athletics, the Yankees, the Pirates, the Colt 45's, the Cardinals and the Cubs.  In 1935 and two-thirds innings pitched, he was 119-99 over 171 starts with a lifetime ERA of 3.38 and WHIP of 1.260.  He had 78 complete games, 15 shut-outs and 48 saves.  Obtained from the Pirates as the 21st pick in the 1961 expansion draft, Shantz was only with the Colt 45's for 3 starts in 1962, in which he went 1-1 with a 1.31 ERA and a 0.968 WHIP, before being traded to the Cardinals.  In addition to appearing in three All-Star games, he also won eight Gold Gloves and the 1952 AL MVP.

C Rich Gedman (55)
After spending the majority of his career with Boston, Gedman only played one season with the Astros (1990) and was used primarily as a back-up catcher to Craig Biggio.  He had a lifetime .252 batting average, .202 with the Astros.

More on Gedman from Wikipedia:

"1986 saw three of the highlights of Gedman's career. On April 29, he set the American League record for putouts by a catcher with 20, as Roger Clemens set the major league record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game against the Seattle Mariners. On April 30, he had 16 putouts for a total of 36 in two days, which is the most for a catcher in two consecutive games. Gedman was also selected to the All-Star Game that year, to go with his appearance in the 1985 game. But the peak of his career coincided with one of its lows in the 1986 World Series. In the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, with the Sox leading by one run with two outs, Kevin Mitchell on third and Mookie Wilson at bat, reliever Bob Stanley threw a pitch that Gedman failed to handle. It was scored as a wild pitch, but many considered it a Gedman passed ball. Mitchell came in to score, tying the game. Then, Wilson hit a ball that went through first baseman Bill Buckner's legs to win the game for the Mets. The Sox went on to lose the deciding game, and the series."

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

High A Lancaster JetHawks Season in Review

In my ongoing season reviews of the various Astros minor league teams, the final team up is the High A Lancaster JetHawks.

The team finished with a 78-62 record (.557 win percentage), first place overall, won the first half of the season, swept the South Division playoffs and walked away from the Finals with some bling!

Lancaster Team Batting
.285 BA - 2nd out of 10 teams
.366 OBP - 1st
.452 SLG - 2nd

They also led the league in doubles, triples and walks, and were last in the league in strikeouts.

Lancaster Team Pitching
4.75 ERA - 8th
1.381 WHIP - 3rd
1134 SO - 5th
391 BB - 9th

This is the only team for which my prediction was not only close, but right on the money. I predicted precisely 78-62 and a return to the California League Championship Finals. I also correctly predicted a bit of a drop off in their offensive numbers and an improvement in the pitching numbers over the 2013 team. But I don't plan on breaking my arm patting myself on the back since I botched my Corpus Christi prediction so badly. The team had their best ERA and WHIP in six years of playing at The Hangar.

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.

CATCHERS

Roberto Peña - 22; 5th season
Peña has long been called the best defensive catcher in the Astros system and for good reason. He had a .996 fielding percentage, 9.02 range factor and a 57% caught stealing rate in 93 games behind the dish in Lancaster this season. In those 93 games, he hit .249/.306/.414 with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 54 RBI, and had 25 walks to 63 strikeouts. Peña was drafted by the Astros in the seventh round in 2010 out of Puerto Rico.

Jobduan Morales - 23; 6th season
Originally drafted by the Marlins in the 9th round in 2009, Morales came to the Houston system in the May 2012 Justin Ruggiano trade. He isn't quite the elite defensive catcher that Peña is, but he is a solid backstop and managed a very nice 35% caught stealing rate in his 56 games as catcher (18 at Quad Cities and 38 at Lancaster). In a total of 65 games at the plate, Morales hit .244/.318/.376 with 5 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 39 RBI. In Quad Cities, he hit .310/.390/.451 in 20 games prior to his promotion.

INFIELDERS

SS Carlos Correa - 19; 3rd season
Correa broke his fibula on June 21st and missed the remainder of the season, but what he did before that? Oy. The 2012 number one overall pick hit .325/.416/.510 with 16 doubles, six triples, six home runs and 57 RBI in only 61 games. He swiped 20 bags and was caught four times, walked 36 times and had 45 strikeouts. His range factor at shortstop was a whopping 5.32. Be still, my heart.

3B Rio Ruiz - 20; 3rd season
Drafted by Houston in the 4th round in 2012, Ruiz had an extremely solid season defensively and at the plate at Lancaster. Ruiz hit over .290 every month from April through July before dropping off somewhat in August. For the season, he hit .293/.387/.436 with 37 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 77 RBI in 131 games. He walked 82 times and struck out 91 times. A left-handed hitter, Rio hit .286 against right-handed pitchers and .312 against his fellow lefties.

3B/1B Tyler White - 23; 2nd season
White played mostly third base in his time with Quad Cities (71 games) and mostly first base after his promotion to Lancaster (43 games), and handled both positions adeptly. In a total of 114 games, he had a .290/.410/.501 batting line, with 33 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 64 RBI. White collected 63 walks while striking out 67 times. White was the 33rd round pick in 2013.

SS/2B Chan Moon - 23; 5th season
Moon was called up to Lancaster from Quad Cities after the injury to Carlos Correa to fill in at short and handled the task well, although his defensive numbers at second base while in Quad Cities were superior to his numbers at short in Lancaster. In a total of 127 games between the two venues, Moon hit .283/.352/.401 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, six home runs and 60 RBI. He stole 35 bases (13 caught stealing) and walked 52 times while striking out 100 times. Moon was signed by the Astros out of South Korea prior to the 2010 season.

IF Jack Mayfield - 23: 2nd season
Mayfield played more of his games at second base, his best position defensively, but also spent time at short and third. He received his promotion from Quad Cities (39 games) in early June and played in an additional 66 games for Lancaster. In a total of 105 games, Mayfield hit .282/.341/.440 with 31 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 55 RBI. Mayfield signed with Houston as a non-drafted free agent in 2013.

2B Austin Elkins - 23; 3rd season
Elkins, a switch-hitter drafted in the 19th round in 2012, followed Mayfield from Quad Cities to Lancaster in late June. He missed approximately six weeks early in the season and only appeared in 62 games (26 at Quad Cities; 36 at Lancaster), hitting a combined .254/.369/340. In August, he was hitting his stride at the plate, hitting .309/.449/.400 for that month. He provided plus defense at second base.

1B/DH Chase McDonald - 22; 2nd season
The 12th round 2013 draft pick played all but one of his 103 games at Quad Cities, getting the call to California just in time for the playoffs. In 102 games with the River Bandits, he hit .279/.363/.481 with 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 67 RBI, 44 walks and 116 strikeouts. Often used as a DH, McDonald excelled defensively in the 65 games he played at first base. In the post season, McDonald hit .323/.364/.710.

OUTFIELDERS

All of the following players are left-handed hitters.

Danry Vasquez - 20; 4th season.
Vasquez played his entire season with the JetHawks. In 114 games, he hit .291/.353/.407 with 30 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 47 RBI and 40 walks (to 68 strikeouts). Vasquez had better defensive numbers in left field than he did in right field (and having seen him play both, I will say that he looks more comfortable playing in left field). Vasquez came into the Astros system in the July 2013 trade with Detroit for Jose Veras. He is from Venezuela.

Brett Phillips - 20; 3rd season
Phillips was named the Astros minor league Player of the Year for good reason. In 130 games (103 with Quad Cities and 27 with Lancaster), Phillips put up a .310/.375/.529 batting line and collected 29 doubles, 14 triples, 17 home runs, 68 RBI, 23 stolen bases (14 caught stealing), and 50 walks (to 96 strikeouts). He had an outstanding season defensively with 10 outfield assists while playing right field and seven more in center. Phillips was drafted by Houston in the 6th round in 2012.

James Ramsay - 22; 2nd season
Another plus defensive outfielder, Ramsay received his promotion to Lancaster in late August, playing only five regular season games with the team. In a total of 123 games, the 7th round 2013 pick hit .246/.340/.374 with 27 doubles, 11 triples, three home runs and 34 stolen bases (caught stealing eight times).

Ronnie Mitchell - 23; 2nd season
The Astros 38th round 2013 draft pick received his call up to Lancaster at the end of July. In a total of 99 games between Quad Cities and Lancaster, Mitchell hit .274/.353/.466 with 17 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 57 RBI, and 41 walks to 85 strikeouts. Another very good defensive outfielder, his best numbers came in right field.

Jon Kemmer - 23; 2nd season
Drafted by Houston in the 21st round in 2013, Kemmer played in 52 games at Quad Cities before his July call up to Lancaster. In a total of 91 games, he hit .291/.345/.523 with 25 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 50 RBI. While in Quad Cities, Kemmer was tasked with playing first base for a number of games, a position that he handled extremely well. In Lancaster, he returned to the outfield and provided solid defense in right field. He suffered a broken fibula in late August and was shut down for the season.

Jordan Scott - 22; 5th season
The 14th round 2010 draft pick played all but four of his 62 games with Lancaster (four in Corpus Christi) before being shut down on July 16th for a thumb injury that eventually required surgery. Scott put up a .294/.350/.431 batting line with 13 doubles, seven triples, a home run and 31 RBI. On paper, his outfield defense appears to be more or less average.

Tanner Mathis - 23; 2nd season
Mathis was also shut down early due to a foot/ankle injury suffered on August 20th. Mathis started his season with Quad Cities (36 games) before earning an early June promotion to Lancaster. In a total of 76 games, he hit .259/.362/.371 with 14 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 26 RBI. He walked 38 times while striking out 46 times, and stole 10 bases with eight caught stealing. Mathis played all three outfield positions this season and had stronger defensive numbers in center and right than he did in left. Mathis signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in 2013.

LEFTY PITCHERS

Kent Emanuel - 22; 2nd season
Drafted by Houston in the third round in 2013, Emanuel started his season for Quad Cities with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.091 WHIP in six games (four starts). Following his early May promotion to Lancaster, Emanuel went 9-5 with a 4.59 ERA and a 1.275 WHIP in 21 games (14 starts). In his six appearances in August, he improved to a 3.09 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP. In 124 innings of work, he walked only 23 batters while striking out 93. Emanuel also has one of the best (if not the best) pick off moves in the system.

Brian Holmes - 23; 3rd season
Holmes played his entire season for Lancaster and went 5-2 with a 4.53 ERA (3.00 in August) and a 1.248 WHIP in 20 games (10 starts). He walked 23 batters and struck out 82 in 87.1 innings of work. Holmes was a 13th round draft pick in 2012.

Evan Grills - 22; 5th season
Grills started his season with Quad Cities, going 3-3 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.239 WHIP in 16 games (10 starts) and was promoted to Lancaster in early July. In 10 games (six starts) for the JetHawks, Grills was 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.409 WHIP. For the season, he fared better in relief (2.67 ERA/1.099 WHIP). In 120.2 innings, he walked only 15 batters and struck out 73. Grills was drafted in the 10th round in 2010.

Chris Cotton - 23; 2nd season
Cotton only appeared with Lancaster three times at the end of the season (2.2IP) with forgettable results. In his 32 appearances with Quad Cities (including one spot start), Cotton had a 3.40 ERA and a 1.186 WHIP. In August, prior to his promotion, he had a 0.00 ERA and a 0.692 WHIP in six appearances. For the season, Cotton walked only 11 batters and struck out 50 in 58.1 innings. He was drafted in the 14th round in 2013.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Kyle Westwood - 23; 2nd season
Drafted in the 13th round in 2013, Westwood spent his entire 2014 season with Lancaster. He started out the season extremely well, but encountered some struggles in the middle of the season and ended with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.303 WHIP, 26 walks to 88 strikeouts in 132 innings.

Lance McCullers - 20; 3rd season
The Astros supplemental first round pick in 2012 also got off to a good start (2.51 ERA and 1.151 WHIP in April), but then encountered some turbulence to end the season with a 5.47 ERA and a 1.557 WHIP. When pitching the back half of a piggyback, McCullers fared much, much better. In relief he had a 2.16 ERA and a 1.240 WHIP, holding batters to a .191 average. He walked 56 batters and struck out 115 in 97 innings of work.

Vince Velasquez - 22; 4th season (DNP in 2011)
Velasquez is still one of the most exciting players to watch in the Astros system; he just needs to stay healthy! Velasquez missed over two months of the season with a groin injury. He ended the season with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.172 WHIP in 18 games (13 starts), including three rehab starts in the Gulf Coast League. In 64 innings, Velasquez walked 25 batters and struck out 91. He was drafted in the second round in 2010 and missed all of 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Zach Morton - 24; 2nd season
Drafted in the 36th round in 2013, Morton was used exclusively as a reliever in his first 12 appearances of the season in Quad Cities, compiling a 2.86 ERA and a 1.182 WHIP. Following his promotion to Lancaster in mid May, he was used in both a starting role and relief (often long relief) and ended his regular season for the JetHawks with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.437 WHIP in 22 games (seven starts). By August, he had improved to a 2.91 ERA and a 1.292 WHIP in six games (three starts). For the season, Morton allowed 29 free passes while striking out 47 batters in 93 innings.

Gonzalo Sanudo - 22; 4th season
Obtained from the Twins in the March 2013 Mike Kvasnicka trade, Sanudo started his season appearing in seven games (two starts) for Quad Cities with a 1.14 ERA and a 0.887 WHIP. After his mid-May promotion to Lancaster, Sanudo struggled in several starts and worked solely from the bullpen for his final 11 appearances. In looking at his splits, it is abundantly obvious that Sanudo is not a fan of The Hangar. At home he had a 7.22 ERA and a 1.545 WHIP; on the road, he had a 3.86 ERA and a 1.179 WHIP. For the season, he ended with a 4.50 ERA, 1.250 WHIP and 15 walks to 55 strikeouts in 76 innings.

Daniel Minor - 23; 3rd season
Minor, the Astros 9th round draft pick in 2012, did not get off to a good start in 2014. In his first season with Lancaster and first season being used solely in relief, Minor got hammered in his first three appearances (30.86 ERA and 4.715 WHIP), but then turned around and gave the JetHawks 12 straight scoreless appearances. He ended the season with a 9-3 record, three saves, a 4.25 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP (2.45 ERA/0.727 WHIP in August/September) in 36 appearances. He walked 17 batters and struck out 51 in 53 innings. One of his saves was in a combined no-hitter on May 13th. He also played a huge role in the JetHawks post-season success.

Jamaine Cotton - 23; 5th season
Cotton pitched for Lancaster the entire season and ended with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.511 WHIP with 12 saves. Those numbers were inflated by a bad month in August. Prior to August, Cotton had a 3.38 ERA and a 1.392 WHIP. He walked 15 batters and struck out 29 in 45 innings. Cotton was the Astros 15th round draft pick in 2010.

Tyler Brunnemann - 23; 2nd season
This 40th round 2013 draft pick had a storybook season. After playing most of his season with Quad Cities, Brunnemann received a promotion to Lancaster for his final eight appearances of the regular season. For the season, he had a 1.90 ERA, 0.892 WHIP, 15 walks and 69 strikeouts in 61.2 innings (33 appearances). He pitched brilliantly in the postseason, leading to his being named MVP of the Championship Series.

Andrew Walter - 23; 4th season
Walter received his promotion to Lancaster in mid-August. In his first 33 appearances of the season with Quad Cities, he had a 3.21 ERA and a 1.259 WHIP. In 40 total appearances, he had a 3.46 ERA and a 1.354 WHIP with 12 saves, and 20 walks to 56 strikeouts in 54.2 innings of work. Walter was another integral part of the JetHawks post-season success. He signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in 2011.

Patrick Christensen - 23; 2nd season
Christensen split his season fairly evenly between Quad Cities and Lancaster. Unfortunately, his results in Quad Cities (2.39 ERA and 1.253 WHIP) didn't exactly translate well to Lancaster (5.60 ERA and 1.939 WHIP). All told, the 27th round 2013 draft pick ended the season with a 4.02 ERA, 1.602 WHIP and 18 walks to 46 strikeouts in 53.2 innings (30 appearances).

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

Earlier season reviews ~

Happy Birthday - 9/25

No future Astros with birthdays today, but several former Astros celebrate the day ~

SS/3B Ray Busse (66)
Originally signed by Houston as a NDFA in 1967, Busse played in a total of 44 games for the Astros in 1971, 1973 and 1974, hitting .153/.209/.200.

RHP Mike Stanton (62)
Drafted by Houston in the first round in 1973, Stanton pitched in only seven games for the Astros in 1975 with a 7.27 ERA and a 2.308 WHIP. He went on to pitch for Cleveland, Seattle and the White Sox with a career 4.61 ERA and 1.509 WHIP.

RHP Ron Mathis (56)
Originally drafted by Detroit in the 30th round in 1980, Mathis came to Houston as a free agent in May of 1982. In 31 games for the Astros in 1985 and 1987, he was 3-6 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.598 WHIP.

RHP David Weathers (45)
A third round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 1988, Weathers came to Houston as a part of the June 2004 trade with the Mets for Richard Hidalgo. He pitched in 26 games that season with a 1-4 record, a 4.78 ERA and a 1.375 WHIP. In all, Weathers spent 19 seasons in the major leagues playing for nine different teams. He won a World Series with the Yankees in 1996.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/24

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Jake Buchanan (25)
Drafted in the eighth round in 2010 out of North Carolina State, Buchanan made his major league debut on June 21st. In 16 appearances (two starts) for the Astros this season, he has a 1-3 record with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.545 WHIP. In 16 games (15 starts) for the AAA Oklahoma City team, he had a 7-5 record with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.257 WHIP. He walked only 16 batters (one intentional) in 88.1 innings for the RedHawks.

Alyson Footer (?)
Although Alyson isn't technically a part of our Astros family anymore, the scarlet-tressed MLB.com goddess will always hold a special place in our hearts. Happy Birthday, Alyson!

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/23

Happy Birthday to ~

C Brett Clements (24)
A graduate of Nova Southeastern, Clements signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2013. He appeared in 15 games with the Greeneville Astros, hitting .116/.220/.140.

OF Ruben Sosa (24)
This switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic was drafted in the 23rd round in 2011 out of Oklahoma City University. Sosa split his season between Lancaster (40 games), Corpus Christi (50 games) and Oklahoma City (26 games) and hit a combined .257/.340/.402 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, five home runs, 47 RBI and 39 stolen bases.

Three former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

RHP Oscar Zamora (70)
Zamora signed with Houston as a free agent prior to the 1978 season and pitched in 10 games with a 7.20 ERA and a 1.800 WHIP.

C Terry McGriff (51)
Originally drafted by the Reds in the eighth round in 1981, McGriff came to Houston in an August 1990 trade and played in only four games for the Astros in which he went hitless.

RHP Pete Harnisch (48)
A first round pick by Baltimore in 1987, Harnisch came to Houston as part of the Glenn Davis trade with the Orioles (along with Steve Finley and Curt Schilling) in January of 1991. In 117 starts from 1991 through 1994, he was 45-33 with ten complete games, six shut-outs, a 3.41 ERA and a 1.205 WHIP. Harnisch was named to the All-Star team for Houston in 1991. His best season was 1993 when he compiled a 16-9 record and threw two one-hitters.

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Monday, September 22, 2014

Oklahoma City RedHawks Season in Review

In my ongoing season reviews of the various Astros minor league teams, today we'll look at the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks.

The team finished with a 74-70 record (.514 win percentage) and was tied for second place in the division, two and a half games out of first.

Oklahoma City Team Batting
.283 BA - 6th out of 16 teams
.356 OBP - 4th
.417 SLG - 10th

Oklahoma City Team Pitching
4.19 ERA - 4th
1.36 WHIP - 4th
1089 SO - 10th
454 BB - 11th

Yet again, I was woefully wrong in my prediction for this team's record to end the season. Their win-loss record did not come close to my eternally optimistic speculation. However, I was correct in my assumption that they would be better across the board in ERA, WHIP, BA, OBP and SLG over the team's 2013 numbers.

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. I won't be including any players who spent substantial time with the major league club during the season.

CATCHERS

Carlos Perez - 23; 7th season
Perez was one of the 10 players who changed hands in the July 2012 trade between Houston and the Blue Jays. An above average defensive catcher, Perez hit .259/.323/.385 with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 34 RBI in 88 games. He walked 29 times and struck out 54 times. In 74 games behind the dish, Perez had a 32% caught stealing rate.

Max Stassi - 23; 6th season
Stassi received his call-up back to Houston after the RedHawks season concluded, spending his entire season in Oklahoma City prior to that. In 101 games, he hit .247/.296/.378 with 20 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 45 RBI, walking 22 times and striking out 103 times. On paper, I would characterize his work in 72 games behind the plate as average to slightly above average; his 26% caught stealing rate keeps me from rating him higher, particularly considering some of the other very strong defensive catchers in the system. Stassi came to the Astros system in the February 2013 trade that sent Jed Lowrie to Oakland.

INFIELDERS

3B/2B/SS Jio Mier - (24; 6th season)
Mier seems to have gotten a second wind after his promotion to Oklahoma City in July. In 41 games with the RedHawks, he hit .250/.348/.310 as opposed to his .216/.281/.302 batting line with Corpus Christi in the first 79 games of the season. In 120 total games, he collected 16 doubles, four home runs, 35 RBI and 37 walks, while striking out 89 times. Mier was the Astros first round draft pick in 2009. He also held his own defensively as he spent significant time at third base and second base for the first time in his professional career.

2B/3B/DH Joe Sclafani - 24; 3rd season
Drafted by Houston in the 14th round in 2012, Sclafani had a very good season at the plate between his first 36 games in Corpus Christi (.285/.333/.361) and his final 62 games in Oklahoma City (.339/.420/438). In the 98 games combined, Sclafani hit seven doubles, three triples and two home runs, walking 26 times to 27 strikeouts. Drafted as a middle infielder, his defense is much stronger at second base than it is at third base. He is a switch-hitter who hits better from the left side of the plate, but also has solid numbers as a right-handed bat.

1B/3B Matt Duffy - 25; 4th season
Duffy played in 136 games this season, second in the system to only Preston Tucker, and his time was evenly split between first base and third base. He was very solid defensively at both positions. Duffy started his season at Corpus Christi (49 games), hitting .302/.340/.455 before earning his promotion to Oklahoma City in late May. In 87 games for the RedHawks, he hit .279/.333/.448. For the season, he collected 22 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 84 RBI and walked 28 times while striking out 106 times. Duffy was the Astros 20th round draft pick in 2011.

2B Ronald Torreyes - 22 (as of 9/2): 5th season
Torreyes played far more games at second base than any other position, but did get his hand in at third base, short, left field and center field as well and provided solid defense at all of those positions. In 126 games for Oklahoma City this season, he hit .298/.345/.376 with 20 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 46 RBI. He snagged 12 bases and was caught in the act nine times. Torreyes was also one of the hardest outs in the system as he struck out only 26 times while walking 25 times. Originally from Venezuela, Torreyes came to the Astros system from the Cubs in 2013 in exchange for two international bonus slots.

OUTFIELDERS

Preston Tucker - 24; 3rd season
Drafted by Houston in the 7th round in 2012, Tucker appeared in 65 games with Corpus Christi and was promoted a couple of days after he hit two home runs in a showcase game against the Missions in Minute Maid Park. He played in another 73 at Oklahoma City, and his 138 total games led the system. For the season, the lefty hit .282/.352/.481 with 35 doubles, 24 home runs and 94 RBI, walking 57 times and striking out 120 times. Although Tucker played a handful of games at first base, he spent the vast majority of his time in right field and left field, and has progressed nicely with his defensive skills.

Andrew Aplin - 23; 3rd season
The fifth round 2012 draft pick played in 98 games for Corpus Christi before receiving an August 1st promotion to Oklahoma City for his last 28 games of the season. Splitting his time between right field and center field, he continued to show off his impressive defensive skills and collected 15 outfield assists for the season. At the plate, the lefty hit a combined .265/.372/.345 with 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 65 RBI and 26 stolen bases (caught 11 times). He also walked (80 times) more than he struck out (71 times).

Domingo Santana - 22; 6th season
Aside from two very brief (and forgettable) stints in Houston, Santana played the rest of his season at Oklahoma City, hitting .296/.384/.474 with 27 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 81 RBI in 120 games. He walked 64 times and struck out 149 times. Santana held his own defensively, splitting his time between right field and left field. Santana, from the Dominican Republic, came to the Astros system as the PTBNL in the Hunter Pence trade.

Ruben Sosa - 23; 4th season
A switch-hitter, Sosa played in 40 games at Lancaster, 50 games in Corpus Christi and his final 26 games in Oklahoma City. Sosa played a few games at second base, but was used primarily in left field, putting up decent defensive numbers. For the season, he hit .257/.340/.402 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, five home runs, 47 RBI and 39 stolen bases (caught stealing 10 times). In 116 games, he struck out 103 times while walking 46 times. Sosa was drafted by the Astros in the 23rd round in 2011.

LEFTY PITCHERS

Rudy Owens - 26; 8th season
Owens made one spot start in Houston, but otherwise spent his entire season with Oklahoma City, leading the Astros minor league system in innings pitched only a year removed from a season-ending foot injury in early 2013. Owens appeared in 25 games (21 starts) with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP for the season, and 35 walks to 105 strikeouts in 140.2 innings. He had a terrific final month of the season as he went 3-0 in 6 starts (40 innings) with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.100 WHIP. Batters hit .217 against him for the month. Owens, a 26th round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2006, came to the Astros system in the July 2012 Wandy Rodriguez trade.

Tommy Shirley - 25; 5th season
A 9th round draft pick in 2010, Shirley started his season with Corpus Christi. In 17 games (13 starts) for the Hooks, he had a very stingy 1.88 ERA and 0.927 WHIP leading to his early July promotion. After three starts in Oklahoma City, he was relegated to bullpen duties for his next 10 appearances, presumably due to the large increase in workload from the prior season. When all was said and done, he ended the season with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.099 WHIP, striking out 100 batters while walking 32 in 117.1 innings pitched.

Luis Cruz - 24 (as of 9/10); 7th season
Drafted by the Astros in the 9th round in 2008 out of Puerto Rico, Cruz spent the majority of his seaason with Corpus Christi before being promoted to OKC in early August. In 21 appearances (17 starts) with the Hooks, Cruz had a 3.14 ERA, a 1.106 and held batters to a .231 average. After five starts for the RedHawks, he ended the season with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.243 WHIP. In 124.2 inning, he issued 38 walks while striking out 118.

Patrick Urckfitz - 26; 7th season
Urckfitz pitched out of the bullpen in Corpus Chrisit for 22 games and in Oklahoma City for 25 games, ending the season with a 2.68 ERA and a 1.323 WHIP. Predominantly a ground ball pitcher, he walked 20 batters and struck out 42 in 53.2 innings. He was more adept at keeping righties in check when he pitched for the Hooks than he was after the promotion. Urckfitz was a non-drafted free agent signed by the Astros in 2008.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Nick Tropeano - 24; 4th season
Until Tropeano's call-up after the minor league season had concluded, he spent his entire 2014 season in Oklahoma City, putting up some of the best numbers in the Pacific Coast League. In 23 games (20 starts), the 5th round 2011 draft pick went 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA and a 0.987 WHIP while holding hitters to a .203 batting average. In 124.2 innings, he walked 33 batters and struck out 120. Tropeano missed approximately a month on the DL in the middle of the season.

Asher Wojciechowski - 25; 5th season
Wojo got a late start to his season as he battled back from injury. In a total of 15 games (14 starts), he compiled a 4-4 record with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.447 WHIP. However, he was coming on strong at the end of the season; in six starts in August, he was 3-1 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.115 WHIP. A first round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 2010, Wojciechowski came to the Astros system in the July 2012 10-player trade with that team.

Jason Stoffel - 26 (as of 9/15); 6th season
Stoffel was the workhorse of the RedHawks bullpen, appearing in a system-leading 54 games. In 64.2 innings of work, Stoffel was 5-4 with 11 saves, a 3.20 ERA, a 1.485 WHIP and he walked 28 batters (six intentionally) to 68 strikeouts. Stoffel was drafted by the Giants in the 4th round in 2009 and came to the Houston system in the July 2011 Jeff Keppinger trade.

Richard Rodriguez - 24; 5th season
Rodriguez was moved up and down a bit this season, and spent time in Lancaster (seven appearances) and Corpus Christi (11 games) before landing in Oklahoma City permanently in July. In a total of three stints with Oklahoma City, Rodriguez was 2-0 with a 3.49 ERA and a 0.882 WHIP in 16 games. For the season, he had a 3.62 ERA, a 1.006 WHIP and walked 10 batters while striking out 67 in 59.2 innings. Rodriguez is from the Dominican Republic.

Jorge de Leon - 27; 9th season (5th season as a pitcher)
After spending some of last August in the Houston bullpen, de Leon found himself back in Corpus Christi to start the season. After 15 appearances, he was promoted to Oklahoma City where he spent the remainder of the season prior to his post-season callup back to the big league club. In 46 total appearances, he had a 3.01 ERA and a 1.267 WHIP, walking 23 and striking out 61 in 68.2 innings. De Leon is from the Dominican Republic.

Next up will be the final installment in the series on the Lancaster team.

Earlier season reviews ~

Happy Birthday - 9/22

Happy Birthday ~

LHP Alejandro Solarte (20)
Solarte came to the Astros system in a trade with the Blue Jays organization for Adron Chambers earlier this year. The young Venezuelan lefty is in his third professional season. In 17 bullpen appearances with the Gulf Coast League Astros this season, Solarte was 2-1 with one save, a 4.88 ERA and a 1.792 WHIP.

SS Carlos Correa (20)
The number one overall pick from the 2012 draft was doing swimmingly at High A Lancaster and was likely headed for a promotion to Corpus Christi shortly when he suffered a broken fibula on June 21st which required surgery and which, obviously, derailed the remainder of his season. In 62 games with the JetHawks, he hit .325/.416/.510 with 16 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 57 RBI, 20 stolen bases (four caught stealing), and 36 walks to 45 strikeouts.

OF Jordan Scott (23)
Drafted in the 14th round in 2010 out of Riverside High School in South Carolina, Scott was having a successful season with Lancaster when he suffered a thumb injury that ended up requiring surgery. Before he was shut down for the season, he hit .297/.355/.439 with 13 doubles, seven triples and one home run in 58 games at Lancaster.

RHP Luis Ordosgoitti (22)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2009, Ordosgoitti spent the 2014 season with Tri-City. In 14 games (nine starts), he had a 4.53 ERA and a 1.324 WHIP. He walked 19 while striking out 53 in 59.2 innings pitched.

Outfield/Baserunning Coach Vince Coleman (53)
Coleman, the former All-Star outfielder for the Cardinals and perennial league stolen base leader, just finished his second season with the Astros organization working with players on their outfield and baserunning skills.

Three former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

RHP Larry Dierker (68)
Dierker signed with the Colt .45's prior to the 1964 season and made his major league debut on his 18th birthday that same year. Dierker pitched in 345 games for the Colt .45's and Astros from 1964 to 1976 with a 137-117 record, a 3.28 ERA and a 1.214 WHIP. He was a two-time All-Star for Houston. He also managed the Astros from 1997 to 2001, compiling a 435-348 record and being named the National League Manager of the Year in 1998.

LF Jeffrey Leonard (59)
Leonard came to Houston in a September 1978 trade with Los Angeles and played in 237 games for the Astros until his trade to the Giants in April 1981. During that time, he hit .265/.329/.349. He came in second in Rookie of the Year voting to Rick Sutcliffe and made the All-Star team for both the Giants and the Mariners. Probably the most awesome thing about Leonard is that he has three nicknames listed on Baseball-Reference: HacMan, One Flap Down and Penitentiary Face.

RF Charlton Jimerson (35)
A fifth round draft pick by Houston in 2001, Jimerson played in 18 games for Houston in 2005 and 2006 hitting .333/.333/.833 in six plate appearances.

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Gotta love Rookie Road Trip ...

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/21

No future Astros with birthdays today, but several former Astros mark the day ~

OF Art Gardner (62)
A second round pick by the Astros in 1971, Gardner played for Houston in 1975 and in 1977. In 79 games, he hit .167/.216/.167.

RHP Aurelio "Senor Smoke" Lopez (died September 22, 1992 at age 44)
Lopez came to Houston as a free agent in June of 1986 and played for the Astros for a little over a year before his release in June 1987 at the end of his career. In 71 games for Houston, he was 5-4 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.207 WHIP. His best years were with Detroit where he earned a World Series ring and for whom he made his sole All-Star appearance.

C Troy Afenir (51)
A first round pick by Houston in 1983, Afenir played in only 10 games for the Astros in 1987 before being included in an April 1989 trade to Oakland. In those 10 games, he hit .300/.300/.350.

RHP Manuel Barrios (40)
Signed as a free agent in January 1993, Barrios played in only two games for the Astros in 1997 with rather inauspicious results. His entire major league career consisted of 6.2 innings pitched for three different teams with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.550 WHIP.

RHP Billy Sadler (33)
Originally drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2003, Sadler signed as a free agent with Houston in August 2009 and pitched 1.1 innings in one game for Houston in 2009 with forgettable results.

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Saturday, September 20, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/20

Happy Birthday to ~

Astros Announcer Bill "Brownie" Brown (67)
An announcer for the Astros since 1987, Brown has become a beloved fixture in the Astros broadcast booth. He also collaborated with Mike Acosta on this great photographic history of the Astros and their journey from inception to their first World Series appearance in 2005 - Houston Astros: Deep in the Heart, and published a memoir, My Baseball Journey, in 2012.

One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~

SS Angel Sanchez (31)
Angel was originally drafted by the Royals in the 11th round in 2001 out of Puerto Rico and came to Houston in a trade with the Red Sox in July 2010. In 175 games as an Astro in 2010 and 2011, he hit .258/.310/.314. After starting the 2014 season in Independent League ball, he signed with the Dodgers in June and played in their minor league system for the rest of the season.

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Corpus Christi Hooks 2014 Season in Review

In my ongoing season reviews of the various Astros minor league teams, today we'll look at the Corpus Christi Hooks.

The team finished with a 67-73 record (.479 win percentage) and was in fourth place (out of four teams) in their division. As a team they ranked within the league as follows:

Corpus Christi Team Batting
.252 BA - 5th out of 8 teams
.337 OBP - 1st
.381 SLG - 3rd

Corpus Christi Team Pitching
3.92 ERA - 7th
1.27 WHIP - 2nd
1118 SO - 3rd
412 BB - 8th

I am still somewhat mystified as to what exactly happened with the 2014 Hooks. To start the season, they were made up largely of the 2013 JetHawks team who had dominated the California League and won both halves of the season, yet the team never really took off (even before losing players to promotion and injury). Their offensive numbers were decent and, except for their ERA, the pitching was definitely above average in the league. That they had the second best WHIP in the league and the second worst ERA, and a run differential of +31, tells me that tough luck had to have played a big factor. The other glaring stat for this team was that they were 40-30 at home and 27-43 on the road. Needless to say, I botched my prediction for this team horribly, but I'm hard pressed to explain it.

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 Oklahoma City prior to the end of the season will be addressed in the season recap for that team.

CATCHERS

Tyler Heineman - 23; 3rd season
Heineman isn't quite the elite defensive catcher that Lancaster's Roberto Pena is, but he doesn't miss that high mark by much. And the switch-hitter is also solid offensively. Heineman has always been a good hitter and will likely improve upon the .242/.332/.332 batting line that he put up this season. In 78 games (70 at catcher), he hit 15 doubles, three triples and one home run with 25 RBI; walked 24 times to 37 strikeouts; and caught 46% of would-be base stealers.

Rene Garcia - 24; 7th season
I am at a loss to explain Garcia's regression at the plate this season. His .244/.279/.352 batting line was well below the mark he set last season at Corpus Christi. In 75 games (71 as catcher), the 35th round draft pick from 2008 hit 14 doubles and five home runs with 23 RBI; walked nine times while striking out 32 times; and had a 37% caught stealing rate. Garcia is also a plus defensive catcher.

INFIELDERS

1B/DH/C M.P. Cokinos (24; 3rd season) was another player whose offense fell off this season as he hit .271/.305/.320 with seven doubles, one hone run and 22 RBI in 60 games. 1B/DH Telvin Nash (23; 6th season) has improved on his plate discipline since his 198 strikeout season in 2012, but he's still going to strike out a lot. He's also going to keep hitting home runs as he did this season with 22 of them (.227/.330/.484 in 84 games). 2B/SS Nolan Fontana (23; 3rd season) gets an incomplete, having been shelved since June 19th, but he did manage to hit .262/.418/.376 in his 66 games. Utility infielder Carlos Perdomo (24; 7th season) split his time between Lancaster (36 games) and Corpus Christi (60 games), hitting a combined .277/.358/.347.

There were two players promoted to Corpus Christi during the season who had particularly good years, and one player obtained in a trade who played very well for the team in his short time there.

1B Conrad Gregor - 22; 2nd season
The 4th round 2013 draft pick had a whirlwind season: 44 games at Quad Cities, 47 games at Lancaster and 33 games at Corpus Christi. All told, he hit .311/.404/.509 with 31 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs and 86 RBI in 124 games, walking 68 times and striking out 80 times. The lefty started a little slowly at Corpus Christi after his promotion (.239/.323/.376), but was already showing improvement at the end of the season with a .270/.360/.459 batting line in August. He is also a very good defensive player.

2B Tony Kemp - 22; 2nd season
Fellow lefty infielder Kemp preceded his Vanderbilt teammate Gregor to Corpus by about a month, playing 72 games at Lancaster and 59 at Corpus Christi. Kemp had an excellent season at the plate, hitting .316/.411/.449 with 30 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs and 58 RBI. He stole 41 bases (13 caught stealing), walked 73 times and struck out 67 times. He was also a plus defender; Kemp made a fielding error in his fourth game for the Hooks and then went errorless for the remainder of the season.

3B Colin Moran - 21: 2nd season
Yet another lefty bat, Moran came into the Astros system in the Marlins trade in July. For the season (117 games with the Marlins High A affiliate and 28 games at AA Corpus Christi), he hit .296/.344/.397 with 27 doubles, seven home runs, 55 RBI and 37 walks to 76 strikeouts, and showed above average defensive abilities. In his time with the Hooks, the first round 2013 draft pick hit .304/.350/.411.

OUTFIELDERS

Brandon Meredith - 24; 4th season
Meredith started the season playing first base for Lancaster before hitting the DL for a month and a half. After his return, he went back to playing the outfield and he had good defensive numbers at both positions. Meredith hit .239/.346/.450 with ten doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 80 games (39 at Lancaster and 41 at Corpus Christi). He walked 41 times and struck out 70 times. In August, he was batting .257/.381/.571 and in his final game on September 1st, he hit a grand slam ... nice way to end a season.

Teoscar Hernandez - 21; 4th season
Hernandez spent his first 96 games with Lancaster and his final 23 with the Hooks, hitting .292/.362/.535 with 37 doubles, nine triples, 21 home runs, 85 RBI and 33 stolen bases (nine caught stealing), but there is the matter of the Astros system-leading 153 strikeouts (to 51 walks) that he still needs to work on. His batting average and slugging percentage at AA translated well from his time playing in the (mostly) hitter-friendly California League, but there was a significant drop off in his on-base percentage after the the promotion. He is an excellent defender in center field. Hernandez is from the Dominican Republic.

Delino DeShields - 22; 5th season
DeShields, the 1st round pick in 2010, spent his entire season with the Hooks, hitting .236/.346/.360 with 14 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 57 RBI. He walked 61 times to 112 strikeouts and had a system-leading 54 stolen bases (14 caught stealing). In his first full season playing the outfield, DeShields held his own, but his defensive numbers overall were better in center field than in left field.

Leo Heras - 24; 7th season
Picked up from the Mexican League last year, Heras also spent his entire season with the Hooks, hitting .236/.354/.364 with 13 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 36 RBI, 16 stolen bases (4 caught stealing), 52 walks and 58 strikeouts. He improved his batting line to .250/.400/.375 in August, and contributed solid defense in both left and right field.

LEFTY PITCHERS

Josh Hader - 20; 3rd season
Obtained in the Bud Norris trade last year, Hader was just named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in the Astros system. Drafted by the Orioles in the 19th round in 2012, Hader pitched his first 22 games (15 starts) in Lancaster with a 2.70 ERA, 1.103 WHIP and held batters to a .206 batting average before his promotion to Corpus Christi in early August. For the season, he had a 3.28 ERA, 1.184 WHIP and walked 54 batters while striking out a system-leading 136 batters in 27 games (19 starts) and pitched a total of 123.1 innings.

David Rollins - 24; 4th season
Rollins came to the Astros in the July 2012 mega-trade with the Blue Jays and pitched for the Hooks the entire season. In 27 games (12 starts), he had a 3.81 ERA, 1.231 WHIP and walked 22 batters while striking out 77 in 78 innings pitched. Rollins was transitioning from starter to reliever at the end of the season.

Mitch Lambson - 24; 4th season
Drafted by Houston in the 19th round in 2011, Lambson started his season with 17 bullpen appearances in Lancaster before receiving a mid-June promotion to Corpus Christi. In 40 total appearances (54.2 innings), he had a 2.14 ERA and a 1.006 WHIP, holding batters to a .229 average. In Corpus, he had a 1.36 ERA and a 0.909 WHIP and held batters to a .207 average. Lambson was extremely stingy with his walks, allowing only nine free passes all season while striking out 63 batters.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Brady Rodgers - 24 (as of 9/17); 3rd season
Rodgers' season almost serves as a microcosm of the Hooks season on the whole. His ERA was on the high side at 4.55, but his WHIP of 1.239 was better than the league average, and his up and down results were somewhat reflective of that. He walked only 20 batters in 126.2 innings and struck out 91 in 27 games (18 starts), all of which were in Corpus Christi except for one spot start in Oklahoma City. Rodgers was drafted in the third round in 2012.

Aaron West - 24; 3rd season
West is another player who gets an incomplete for the season. The 17th round 2012 draft pick was out from April 27th to July 8th and then again after July 26th. He only pitchd in 10 games (8 starts) with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP, striking out 19 and walking 11 in 34.1 innings of work.

There were four starters who graduated from Lancaster during the season and had varying degrees of success.

Kyle Smith - 22 (as of 9/10); 4th season
Smith, the 4th round 2011 draft pick who was obtained in the Justin Maxwell trade, was the first to be promoted in early May. In 28 games (16 starts) between the two venues, he had a 3.95 ERA, a 1.195 WHIP and held batters to a .235 batting average. He walked 37 and struck out 127 in 123 innings.

Mike Hauschild - 24; 3rd season
The Astros' 33rd round pick in 2012 was also promoted in May. In a total of 28 games (20 starts), Hauschild had a 4.32 ERA, a 1.268 WHIP and walked 34 batters while striking out 118 in 133.1 ininngs of work. He was second only to Rudy Owens in innings pitched in the Astros minor league system this season.

Chris Devenski - 23; 4th season
Devenski had a terrific bounceback season in 2014, earning his promotion to the the Hooks in early July. In 27 games (16 starts), he had a 4.04 ERA, a 1.127 WHIP and held batters to a .226 batting average. In 118 innings, he walked 33 and struck out 114. Devenski was drafted in the 25th round in 2011 and came to Houston in the Brett Myers trade with the White Sox in 2012.

Mark Appel - 23; 2nd season
Unless you've been living under a rock, you likely know of Appel's early season woes. The first overall draft pick from 2013 had a 9.74 ERA and a 1.914 WHIP in 12 starts in Lancaster. After Appel's promotion to Corpus Christi at the end of July, he appeared in seven games (six starts) with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.231 WHIP, holding hitters to a .236 average. For the season, he walked 24 and struck out 78 in 83.1 innings.

Jordan Jankowski - 25; 3rd season
Jankowski pitched all season for Corpus Christi, starting in relief but earning a rotation spot later on in the season. In 30 games (14 starts), Jankowski had a 3.58 ERA, a 1.074 WHIP and held batters to a .227 average. In August, he improved on that considerably; in four games (three starts), he had a 1.35 ERA and a 0.650 WHIP, walking three and striking out 33. For the season, the 34th round 2012 draft pick walked 26 and struck out 120 in 108 innings of work.

Tyson Perez - 24; 4th season
Perez, the 17th round 2011 draft pick, was moved solely to relief work this season and he thrived in that capacity. In 39 games (9 with Lancaster and 30 with Corpus Christi), Perez had a combined 3.17 ERA and 1.296 WHIP. In Corpus, he had a 2.09 ERA, 1.009 WHIP and held batters to a .187 batting average, allowing only one earned run in his last 14 appearances. For the season, Perez had 12 saves and walked 23 batters whiled striking out 44 in 54 innings.

Next up will be the Oklahoma City team (I skipped Lancaster and that will be my final review.

Earlier season reviews ~

Happy Birthday - 9/19

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Yonathan Mejia (22)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, Mejia spent the 2014 season playing for the Greeneville Astros. In 50 games, he hit .235/.297/.350 with eight doubles, two triples and three home runs.

OF George Springer (25)
Houston's first round 2011 draft pick out of the University of Connecticut started his season in Oklahoma City, but soon thereafter received the call to Houston, making his major league debut on April 16th. In 78 games, he hit .231/.336/.468 with eight doubles, one triple, 20 home runs and 51 RBI before ending up on the DL in late July.

Two former Astros celebrte the day as well ~

2B Joe Morgan (71)
Originally signed by the Colt .45's as a free agent in 1962, Morgan played for the Colt 45's and Houston Astros from 1963 to 1971 and again in 1980. In 1032 games over 10 seasons for Houston, Morgan hit .261/.374/.393 and earned two of his ten All-Star Nods. Following his trade to the Reds in November of 1971, Morgan hit his stride. It was with the Reds that the future Hall of Famer earned two National League MVP awards, two World Series rings, five Gold Gloves and made his other eight All-Star appearances.

C Joe Ferguson (68)
An eighth round draft pick by the Dodgers in 1968, Ferguson came to Houston in a November 1976 trade with the Cardinals. In 183 games for the Astros in 1977 and 1978, he hit .243/.375/.420

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Happy Birthday - 9/18

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Ross Seaton (25)
Drafted in the third round as a compensation pick in 2008 out of Second Baptist High School in Houston, Seaton spent a large part of his 2014 season on the DL. In 16 games (7 starts) between Corpus Christi, Oklahoma City and a rehab stint in Kissimmee, he was 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP.

1B Jon Singleton (23)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the eighth round in 2009, Singleton came to the Astros in the Hunter Pence trade in July 2011. After spending the early part of the season in Oklahoma City, Singleton made his major league debut on June 4th. In 89 games, he is hitting .172/.292/.343.

RHP Juan Minaya (24)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2008, Minaya spent the majority of his season at Lancaster until a late season promotion to Corpus Christi. In a total of 35 games (one start), he was 2-3 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.453 WHIP.

Four former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

CF Tony Scott (63)
Originally drafted by Montreal in the 71st(!) round in 1969, Scott came to Houston in a June 1981 trade with the Cardinals. In 292 games played for the Astros from 1981 to 1984, he hit .249/.283/.320.

RHP Roger Mason (57)
Mason signed as a free agent with the Astros in February 1989 and pitched in only two games for the Astros that year. In one and a third innings pitched, he had a whopping 20.25 ERA and a 3.000 WHIP.

RHP Chris Holt (43)
Originally drafted by Houston in the third round in 1992, Holt pitched in 103 games (90 starts) for the Astros from 1996 to 2000 with a 21-42 record, a 4.51 ERA and a 1.456 WHIP before being traded to Detroit in December 2000.

C Mitch Meluskey (41)
A 12th round draft pick by Cleveland in 1992, Meluskey came to the Houston system in an April 1995 trade with Cleveland. He played in 135 games for the Astros from 1998 to 2000 before being included, along with fellow birthday boy Chris Holt, in a December 2000 trade to Detroit. He came back to play in 12 games for Houston again in 2003, signing as a free agent. All in all, he hit .287/.389/.465 for the Astros.

Tweets of the Day


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

WTHB Presents the 2014 Bobby Awards

It's time to hand out the postseason Bobby Awards to a few deserving players and coaches for their 2014 seasons. I will start with the more serious awards and follow with the not-so-serious ones. The envelope please ...

Full Season Starting/Tandem Pitcher of the Year: LHP Tommy Shirley
RHP Nick Tropeano was under serious consideration for the honor, as was LHP Josh Hader, but in the end I was extremely impressed with what Tommy Shirley accomplished this season and I wanted to give him some special acknowledgment for that. For the first three months of the season, Shirley appeared in 17 games (13 starts) for Corpus Christi and managed a 1.88 ERA and a 0.927 WHIP in 86.1 innings pitched during his first season pitching against Texas League hitters. He held batters to a .201 batting average and walked only 17 batters while striking out 78. Once he was promoted to Oklahoma City in July, he had a tough couple of starts before settling in the rest of the way. He allowed 11 earned runs in his first two outings, but then allowed only four in the next 11. Shirley was moved to the bullpen after three starts presumably due to the fact that his previous high in innings was 75.1. He ended the season with a 2.53 ERA, a 1.099 WHIP, and 32 walks to 100 strikeouts in 117.1 innings. And in those 10 relief appearances, he stranded all but one of 11 runners he inherited! I look forward to seeing what I've heard alternatively called his "Invisiball" or "Bugs Bunny Fastball" on a major league mound in the not so distant future.

Tommy Shirley - March 2013
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Full Season Relief Pitcher of the Year: RHP Tyler Brunnemann
This one really wasn't a hard choice at all. Brunnemann simply dominated in his time at Quad Cities and more than held his own after his promotion to Lancaster in early August. In 33 bullpen appearances between the two venues, he had a 1.90 ERA and a 0.892 WHIP in 61.2 innings of work. He walked 15 batters and struck out 69. He held batters to a .183 batting average for the season. Also, if my hand-kept records are correct, I am showing that of 25 inherited runners, only 8 went on to score. He was also named MVP for the just completed 2014 California League Championshp Series. Not bad for a 40th round draft pick! (Oh, and he wears high socks.)

Tyler Brunnemann - September 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Full Season Player of the Year: CF Brett Phillips
I am an unabashed fan of Brett Phillips as a player and as a person, but going in to the season, I never really thought that he would be in the mix for my Player of the Year, much less the winner. But what he accomplished this season showed off all his tools. He hit for average, got on base at a good clip, had excellent power numbers, exhibited speed on the basepaths and showed off his canon of an arm in centerfield. It was a truly incredible season. For the season, he hit .310/.375/.529 with 29 doubles, 14 triples (yes, you read that correctly), 17 home runs, 68 RBI, 23 stolen bases and had 17 outfield assists. Yeah, that happened. [Full Disclosure: I was somewhat torn between Phillips and Conrad Gregor and I turned to trusty co-author of WTHB, Dustin, and asked him what he thought. He gave Phillips the edge by "the thinnest possible razor-thin margin." After putting all the numbers down on paper, I definitely agreed.]

Brett Phillips - September 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Short Season Pitcher of the Year: RHP Troy Scribner
This was undoubtedly one of the hardest categories for me. Under serious consideration were the fine seasons of RHP Agapito Barrios, RHP Erasmo Pinales, RHP Elieser Hernandez and RHP Joe Musgrove. But in the end, I went with Scribner's sheer dominance. Scribner made a couple of spot appearances in Corpus in April (2-0 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.200 WHIP) before returning to Extended Spring Training. He was then assigned to the Short Season A Tri-City ValleyCats where he was 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA and a 0.962 WHIP in 10 starts. Scribner was promoted to Quad Cities for his final five starts and had mixed results at the higher level, but for the season he ended with a 10-3 record, a 2.09 ERA, a 1.102 WHIP, and walked 27 batters while striking out a whopping 102 in 81.2 innings pitched.

Short Season Relief Pitcher of the Year: RHP Derick Velazquez
There were also a number of fine seasons amongst the relief corps. In particular, RHP Aaron Vaughn and RHP Josue Uribe stood out. And RHP Eric Peterson's final month of the season was ridiculous (in a good way). But the hands-down winner was Velazquez. In 18 games for Tri-City, he was 2-1 with four saves, a 1.57 ERA and a 0.870 WHIP in 23 innings pitched. Only one base was stolen on his watch and he stranded 11 of the 14 runners he inherited. Oh, yeah, and he only walked two batters for his season while striking out 24.

Short Season Player of the Year: 1B A.J. Reed
Reed, the Astros 2nd round pick from 2014, hit the ground running in his first professional season. In 34 games at Tri-City, he hit .306/.420/.516 in 34 games and was promptly promoted to Quad Cities at the end of July where he played in an additional 34 games, hitting .272/.326/.528. In those 68 total games, he scored 43 runs; hit 20 doubles, one triple and 12 home runs; drove in 54 runs; stole two bases; and walked 30 times while striking out 54 times. In addition, he is an excellent defensive player! Unfortunately, I just missed Reed in my whirlwind tour of the Astros minor league ballparks this summer, but by all accounts, he is a truly special player. Another player under serious consideration for this award was a 17-year old Dominican player who earned a late promotion from the DSL to the GCL. 2B Frankeny Fernandez is still a bit rough around the edges, but what he was able to accomplish in his first season of professional ball was remarkable.

Defensive Catcher of the Year: Roberto Peña
Just put Peña down as a given to win this every year until he graduates to the major leagues. In 93 games catching in Lancaster this season, he had a .996 fielding percentage, 9.02 range factor and he caught 57% of would be base-stealers (that is not a typo). He is the most elite of elite catchers.

Offensive Catcher of the Year: Jamie Ritchie
Ritchie was actually on my short list for Short Season Player of the Year, but he was edged out since he didn't play in as many games as Reed. In 47 games for Tri-City, the 13th round 2014 draft pick hit .331/.455/.465 with 12 doubles, two triples and a home run. He even stole five bases, an uncommon occurrence for most catchers. And he walked (29 times) more than he struck out (26 times), an uncommon occurrence for most hitters regardless of position.

Postseason MVP (Player): 1B Tyler White and DH Chase McDonald
I was going to jokingly award this to Tyler McDonald or Chase White because I simply couldn't decide between the two. They had the two most potent bats in the JetHawks line-up in the post-season. Between the two players, they scored 10 runs, collected eight doubles and four home runs and drove in 12 runs in eight post-season games.

Postseason MVP (Pitcher): RHP Tyler Brunnemann
Until the final game of the California League Championship Series on Monday, I was leaning toward awarding this to Joe Musgrove for his fine work in the New York-Penn League series, but Brunnemann was named the MVP of the Cal League Finals for a reason. Coming into the fifth inning of Monday's game with two runners on and no outs, Brunnemann retired the next three batters without allowing a run across. And he went on to pitch a total of three hitless innings with six strikeouts to earn the win. All told, Brunnemann appeared in five games with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP and stranded all eight runners that he inherited. Case closed.

Comeback/Breakthrough Pitcher of the Year: RHP Chris Devenski
To say that Devenski had a tough year in 2013 is a bit of an understatement. He struggled mightily at Lancaster (7.88 ERA and 1.819 WHIP) and was demoted to Quad Cities where he started to figure things out again, but still ended the season with a 6.60 ERA and a 1.592 WHIP. Fast forward a season and his success at Lancaster (4.11 ERA and 1.070 WHIP) led to his promotion to Corpus Christi in early July. There he put up a 3.92 ERA and a 1.234 WHIP in his final 10 appearances. Quite the turnaround!

Comeback/Breakthrough Player of the Year: 1B/DH Chase McDonald
For McDonald, the 2014 improvements represented a nice breakthrough for the 2013 12th round pick. McDonald had a solid season in 2013 (.245/.341/.413), but you just knew that he was capable of much more than that. In 2014, he showed that he was, indeed, capable of more as he put up a very nice .279/.363/.481 batting line with 25 doubles, 16 home runs and 67 RBI in 102 games at Quad Cities. He was rewarded with a promotion to Lancaster for the last game of the season and had a very nice postseason campaign.

Manager of the Year: Lancaster's Rodney Linares
Linares managed his team to a first half Championship, dealt adeptly with the loss of one Astros top prospect to injury and with the highly public struggles of another top prospect, had a revolving door installed in the clubhouse because of promotions, injuries and one retirement, and then went on to win his second California League Championship title in three years with a team that had only a handful of players who started the season there.

Hitting Coach of the Year: Joel Chimelis of Quad Cities
Chimelis took a team largely comprised of players from the 2013 Tri-City team that had a batting line of .246/.322/.345 (as well as from the weak-hitting 2013 Greeneville team) and ended up coaching them to a .261/.340/.362 line in 2014. He oversaw great improvements from Brett Phillips, Jon Kemmer, Chase McDonald and others and ended up with a dozen or so of his players successfully graduating to the next level before the season was over.

Pitching Coach of the Year: Corpus Christi's Doug Brocail
Brocail was supposed to be a Special Assistant to the General Manager this season. And he was, but he also ended up taking on the Pitching Coach duties of the Hooks team when Gary Ruby fell ill. He gets this award not only for doing double duty, but because of the way he handled four pitchers who have not been considered top prospects in the system. Brocail recognized what Tommy Shirley had accomplished in Lancaster the prior year and built on that beautifully, resulting in Shirley's success and eventual promotion. He was able to coax from Jordan Jankowski the absolute dominance that emerged by season's end. And he successfully continued the development (started by Lancaster Pitching Coach Don Alexander earlier in the season) of Chris Devenski and Tyson Perez, each of whom opened some eyes by the end of the season. And, as he told me, he really had fun doing it (but don't tell his wife!).

Team of the Year: Lancaster JetHawks
California League Champions, Baby!!! 'Nuff said.

Now for some of the not-so-serious awards ~

Funniest Tweeter: Brian Holmes
Holmes is not quite as prolific a tweeter as Kenny Long (who I still miss for his frequent Tweets of the Day), but what he lacks in quantity, he makes up for in quality.



Best Twitter Handle: Chris Cotton
Cotton is the reigning champion with his @58percentCotton handle.

Best Name in the Astros System: Frankeny Fernandez
I still miss Geronimo Franzua and Rayderson Chevalier, but Fernandez is a Frankenstein nickname waiting to happen!

Best Nickname in the Astros System: Ramon Laureano
In a nod to Ramen (Ramon/Ramen, get it?), the very serious looking Laureano has been christened "Noodles" by his teammates.

Ramon "Noodles" Laureano - July 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Name Most Likely to be Misspelled: RHP Brock Dykxhoorn
Dykxhoorn's name is also probably the most likely to be mispronounced as well, but he's Canadian so he'll always be gracious about any gaffes.

Most Likely to Give Up Baseball for a Career in Modeling: Lance McCullers
That is one photogenic young man!

Lance McCullers - September 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

The Bridesmaid Award: OF Tanner Mathis
Last season, Mathis was a late addition at Lancaster prior to the postseason, but he never got into a game. This season he ended up on the DL in late August and had to watch the postseason from the dugout again. Next year, we hope that Tanner is finally a bride.

Best Mustache: Delino DeShields
This bushy caterpillar from DeShields just edges out Mike Hauschild's Fu Manchu.



Most Likely to be Misidentified as Amish: Brett Phillips
Seriously, take a look at his playoff beard in his picture at the top. Doesn't he look like he's out on Rumspringa?

Player Most Likely to Cause Road Closings: Chase McDonald
Since both of McDonald's postseason home runs at Lancaster landed on Avenue I, the City of Lancaster might need to put traffic controls in place when McDonald presumably returns there next season.

The Joey Tribbiani Award: Bryan Muniz
Just look at this picture. "How YOU doin'?"

Bryan Muniz - July 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

The "Wild Thing" Award: RHP Gerald Benzant
With 15 hit batters and 18 wild pitches in 37.2 innings, Benzant reminds me of another pitcher who had a similar season a couple years back. Jandel Gustave, had 5 wild pitches and 21 hit batters in only 19.1 innings in 2011. Now he is one of the most exciting heat-throwing prospects in the Astros system. Let's see if Benzant can follow in his footsteps.

Best Overheard Conversation of 2014: Lancaster Pitching Staff
During early work one day in May, I was out taking pictures and overheard a very animated conversation among the Lancaster pitching staff regarding the existence of mermaids, Bigfoot and aliens. I won't out anyone, but one particular college-educated player was adamantly in the pro-mermaid camp.

Best Photobomb: Devonte German

Being Photobombed by Devonte German
July 2014 - Photo by Jayne Hansen

The Alleve Award: Tyler White
After holding the crown for two years, Matt Duffy finally stepped down as the hit-by-pitch leader in the Astros minor leagues. This year the "honors" go to Tyler White who was plunked 19 times. Duffy faded to fifth place with 12.

Armed and Dangerous, Part I: C Roberto Peña
Pena led the Astros system, by far, with his 57% caught stealing rate.

Armed and Dangerous, Part II: CF Brett Phillips
Phillips led the Astros minors in outfield assists with 17 in 130 games.

Armed and Dangerous, Part III: LHP Kent Emanuel
Emanuel picked off 12 baserunners this season.

The Workhorse Award, Part I: LHP Rudy Owens
Owens, after missing most of last season due to injury, pitched the most innings of any Astros minor leaguer in 2014 at 135. And he pitched another 5.2 at the major league level!

The Workhorse Award, Part II: RHP Jason Stoffel
Stoffel led the Astros minors in bullpen appearances ... by far! He pitched 64.2 innings in 54 outings.

The Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Award: Josh Hader, Chris Devenski and Troy Scribner
This trio tied with 10 wins each to lead the Astros minors.

The Mighty Mouse Award: Jamaine Cotton, Tyson Perez, Andrew Walter and Ryan Thompson
These four pitchers are all tied atop the Astros minor league leaderboard for most saves in a season with 12 each. Most impressive from this list is Ryan Thompson who accomplished the feat in 14 to 17 fewer games than the other three! And for those who don't get the Mighty Mouse reference, go here.

The Fireman Award: Kevin Chapman, Josue Uribe, Mitch Lambson, Jordan Mills and Jason Stoffel
Although Kevin Chapman led this list by stranding a whopping 79% of inherited runners, the other four were close behind. All five of these relief pitchers stranded 72% or more of the runners they inherited.

Most Likely to Outrun a Coyote: OF Delino DeShields
DeShields is definitely a roadrunner and is a three-time winner in this category with 54 stolen bases. Meep meep!

Walk Like a Man Award: 3B Rio Ruiz
Ruiz led the Astros system with 82 walks in 130 games.

The Wizard of Oz Award: OF Preston Tucker
There's no place like home and that's precisely where this wizard sent 94 players as he led the organization in RBI.

One for the Money: 2B Tony Kemp
Kemp led the Astros minor leagues in hits with 167.

Two for the Show: 3B Rio Ruiz and OF Teoscar Hernandez
This duo tied for most doubles in the system with 37 each.

Three to Get Ready: OF Brett Phillips
Phillips' 14 triples led the organization.

Go, Cat, Go: OF Preston Tucker
Tucker's organization-leading 24 home runs earn him a pair of blue suede shoes.

The Cyborg Award: RHP Jordan Jankowski
At the end of the season, Jankowski was relentless, striking out 38 batters in his last five outings (24 innings pitched), leading some to believe that Jankowski really is a Cyborg.

Most Remarkable Feat: IF Ronald Torreyes
Torreyes played in 27 straight games from August 1st through August 29th before finally striking out on August 30th. Wow.

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I wish I could have given an award to every player in the system after such a terrific year, but, alas, I finally ran out of time and ideas.