Monday, October 31, 2011

WTH 25-Man Roster - Second Base

As posted over the weekend, LHP Fernando Abad won the seventh spot on the WTH roster as our first left-handed relief pitcher.  Close runners-up included Pat Urkfitz and Colton Pitkin.  Go here for more info on the What the Heck 25-Man Roster.

Next, let's pick our second baseman.  I found a couple of surprises when I compiled this list.  First of all, there are very few players in the system who are being used almost exclusively at second base and that was the basis I used in order to determine who would go on the list.  (Players who are being used at multiple infield positions will be voted on later for a utility infield position.)  Secondly, Yonathan Mejia hadn't really been on my radar previously, but he put up some good offensive numbers (except for power numbers) and very few errors so I think, at 19, he bears watching in the coming season.

Of these players, Delino DeShields, Jr. brings the most upside and excitement due to his pure speed and athletic ability.  Although his 2011 offensive numbers aren't that impressive, keep in mind that he only turned 19 in August and that his numbers improved significantly as the season progressed.  And of course, Josh Magee brought some excitement to the Appy League this year with his 12 hits in 12 consecutive at-bats.

With that said, here are their 2011 numbers.  After you look them over, please vote in the poll.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Off on Sunday

Today
Salt River (15-8) vs. Peoria (10-12) at 2:35 CST

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Gigantes over Aguilas 9-3
For the Gigantes, Jimmy Paredes went 2-4 with two RBI's, a strikeout, a sacrifice fly and two runs scored, and Erick Abreu pitched to one batter, got the out and stranded three inherited runners.  Brian Bogusevic was 3-3 with a double, two walks, an outfield assist and scored a run for Aguilas.

Licey over Escogido 5-3
Lots of Astros players involved in this one.  For Licey, Anderson Hernandez was 2-4 with a double, an RBI, a strikeout and a run scored. while Henry Villar pitched 0.1 inning with two hits and Sammy Gervacio pitched 0.1 inning with a walk.  For Escogido, Wallace (as DH) was 0-1 with two walks, a strikeout and a run scored.  Also for Escogido, Jorge De Leon pitched 1.1 innings with two hits, one run, one strikeout and a home run and David Carpenter pitched 1.1 innings with one hit and two strikeouts.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Caracas over Magallanes 5-0
Wladimir Sutil was 0-4 with a throwing error for Caracas.  Jose Altuve was 0-4 and ground into a double play for Magallanes.  As reported by farmstros, Andy Van Hekken did indeed show up in Venezuela and got the start for Magallanes yesterday.  He had a bit of a rough start and was tagged for the loss, but settled in, pitching six innings with six hits, three runs and three strikeouts.

Caribes over Lara 2-0
Oswaldo Navarro was 1-3 with a double and two strikeouts for Lara.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Culiacan over Obregon 4-1
Luis Durano was 0-2.

Tomorrow I will post the weekly update of the cumulative stats for all Astros players in the fall and winter leagues.

Happy Birthday - 10/31

SS Wladimir Sutil (27)
Originally from Venezuela, Sutil was signed by the Astros as a non-draft free agent in 2003.  He split his time between Oklahoma City and Corpus Christi this season, putting up a combined .269 BA and .342 OBP.  He is currently playng for Caracas in the Venezuelan league during the off-season.

Former Astros with birthdays today

C John "Pork Chop" Hoffman (died December 27, 2001 at 58)
Played in 8 games for the Colt 45's and the Astros in 1964 and 1965

C Ed Taubensee (43)
Played in 203 games for the Astros from 1992 to 1994

LHP Tim Byrdak (38)
Appeared in 199 games for Houston from 2008 to 2010
Went 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP

Tweet of the Day


Bud Norris
pic.twitter.com/uZ76YW6P 

Chris Johnson
Dare a little one to come to my door and ask for candy!!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

WTH 25-Man Roster

The seventh player selected for the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was Lefty Relief Pitcher Fernando Abad, who squeaked ahead of Pat Urkfitz and Colton Pitkin.  Also receiving votes were Travis Blankenship, Garrett Bullock, Kristian Bueno and Paris Shewey.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our second baseman.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Salt River over Scottsdale 4-3
Jay Austin was 0-3 with two walks and a strikeout, and scored a run after stealing a base.  Kody Hinze went 1-3 with an RBI double, a walk and a strikeout.  Josh Zeid pitched one inning giving up one hit and getting one strikeout.  Salt River leads the AFL East by four games.

Next game on Monday
Salt River (15-8) vs. Peoria (10-12)

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Aragua over La Guaira 10-8
Sergio Perez had a rough start for Aragua, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up five hits, five runs and four walks with two strikeouts and a hit by pitch.

Caribes over Lara 5-0
Oswaldo Navarro went 1-4 with a caught stealing for Lara.

Magallanes over Caracas 6-5 in 12 innings
Jose Altuve had a decent night at the plate for the Magallanes team going 2-4 with a run scored and a strikeout, but he didn't help his team out with his three errors (missed catch, fielding, fielding).  Also for Magallanes, Gabriel Garcia retired the one batter he faced.  Wladimir Sutil was 2-5, scored two runs and also committed an error.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Licey over Gigantes 4-1
Anderson Hernandez was 1-4 with an RBI and a strikeout for Licey.  For the Gigantes, Paredes went 0-2 with one walk, one strikeout and a run scored, while Erick Abreu pitched one inning with one hit and one strikeout.

Toros over Aguilas 3-1
Brian Bogusevic was 0-3 with a walk and Jonathan Villar was 0-2 with two walks and a strikeout for Aguilas.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Obregon over Culiacon 8-5
Luis Durango was 1-1 with three walks, scored a run and was caught stealing.

Happy Birthday - 10/30

LHP Andres Feliz (21)
A non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic, Feliz has spent two seasons with the DSL Astros.  In 15 games (26.1 IP) in 2011, he was 1-5 with a 6.15 ERA and a 1.860 WHIP.  Feliz had a 0.77 ERA with the bases empty.

2B Anderson Hernandez (29)
Anderson was first signed by the Tigers in 2001 as a NDFA and was picked up from Cleveland by the Astros as a waiver claim in 2010.  In 136 games for Oklahoma City in 2011, Anderson hit .300 with 25 doubles, four triples, six home runs and a 30-game hitting streak.  He is currently playing for Licey in the Dominican League during the off-season where he is hitting .275 with a .356 OBP in his first ten games.

One former Astro with a birthday today

RHP Mark Portugal (49)
Played for Houston from 1989 to 1993
Was 52-30 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP
Was 1st in the National League in win percentage in 1993, going 18-4

Tweet of the Day


Jiovanni Mier
Did the rangers give it away or did the cardinals win it?

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Scottsdale over Salt River 9-5
Kody Hinze was 2-4 with a two-run home run, a strikeout and a fielding error.  Jacob Goebbert was 1-4 with a strikeout and a run scored.  Jason Castro was 0-3, reached on a fielder's choice and a walk, was caught stealing and was charged with two passed balls.  Jason Stoffel worked two innings with one hit, one run, two walks and two strikeouts (one against Bryce Harper).  Salt River leads the AFL east by four games.

Today
A rematch between Salt River (14-8) and Scottsdale (7-13)

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Toros over Estrellas 6-3
Anuery Rodriguez gave up two solo home runs in the first two innings pitched, but then settled in for Toros.  Over five innings, he gave up five hits, two runs, one walk and had three strikeouts.

Licey over Escogido 4-3
Anderson Hernandez was 0-4 for Licey.  For Escogido, Brett Wallace was 1-3 with a double and a run scored, while David Carpenter pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit and allowing one inherited runner to score.

Aguilas over Gigantes 7-5
Brian Bogusevic was 0-3 with a walk and a run scored for Aguilas and Jonathan Villar came in as a pinch runner and scored a run.  Jimmy Paredes went 1-2 with two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base for the Gigantes.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Aragua over Magallanes 3-1
Jose Altuve went 1-3 for the Magallanes.

Caribes over Lara 9-2
Oswaldo Navarro went 2-3 with a double, a two-run home run, a walk and an error, and provided Licey with the only two runs they were to score.

Margarita over Zulia 5-4 in 10 innings
Arcenio Leon pitched a third of an inning, giving up one hit, two runs and a walk in Zulia's loss.

November Birthdays

No birthdays today so here are all the birthdays for next month.

Ages shown are those as of the date of the player's birthday.

Tweet of the Day


Austin Wates
Man I wanna do that some day

Roster Moves - 10/28/11

HOU
C Craig Tatum claimed off waivers from Orioles and added to 40-man roster

CC
OF Brandon Barnes re-signed and given an invite to spring training

Friday, October 28, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Surprise over Salt River 5-3
Jacob Goebbert was 2-4 with a doube, a strikeout and an error.  Josh Zeid pitched one inning and gave up one hit (a solo home run) and one run with a strikeout.  He was charged with a blown save.  Salt River still leads in the AFL East standings by five games.

Today
Salt River (14-7) vs. Scottsdale (6-13) at 8:35 CST

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Caracas over Zulia 6-3
For Caracas, Wladimir Sutil went 0-2 before being lifted for a pinch hitter.  Arcenio Leon pitched one inning for Zulia with one walk and two strikeouts.

La Guaira and Magallanes Game Postponed

DOMINICAN LEAGUE DAY OFF

Happy Birthday - 10/28

Only former Astros with birthdays today

RHP Mark Knudson (51)
Pitched in 11 games for Houston in 1985 and 1986

SS Tim Bogar (45)
Played in 392 games for Houston in 1997 through 2000
Had a .219 BA and .297 OBP for Houston
Had a .750 BA (3-4) in the 1999 NLDS

RHP Kirk Bullinger (42)
Pitched in 34 games for Houston in 2003 and 2004
Had a 6.28 ERA and a 1.397 WHIP

Tweets of the Day


Christopher Hicks
congrats on the little league world series. Did ya'll get a participation ribbon?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Salt River over Surprise 6-2
Jay Austin was 2-4 with a double, a two-out RBI, a walk, a strikeout and a run scored in Salt River's win.  Salt River is in first place in the AFL East by 5 games.

Today
Salt River (14-6) vs. Surprise (14-5) at 2:35 CST

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Magallanes over Aragua 8-1
Jose Altuve was 2-3 with a double, a walk, a strikeout, two runs scored and a stolen base for the Magallanes team.

LaGuaira over Lara 5-3
Oswaldo Navarro was 0-3 with a walk for Lara.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Licey over Gigantes 5-2
Anderson Hernandez had a good night, going 2-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout for Licey while Sammy Gervacio pitched 0.2 innings and gave up one hit with a strikeout.  For the Gigantes team, Jimmy Paredes was 1-4 with three strikeouts and two errors while starting at second base again.  Erick Abreu pitched one inning with two hits and three runs (none earned) and was charged with the loss for the Gigantes.

Aguilas over Toros 5-2
Brian Boguesevic was 2-4 with a solo homer, a strikeout and a stolen base for Aguilas.  Jonnathan Aristil pitched 0.1 innings for the Toros and gave up two hits; unfortunately, both of those hits were solo home runs.

Estrellas over Escogido 5-2
Brett Wallace had an 0-4 night for Escogido while Jorge de Leon pitched one inning with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.

Happy Birthday - 10/27

3B Darwin Rivera (20)
A non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic, Rivera first played for the DSL Astros in 2010 in only one game.  In 2011, he played in 12 games for DSL before getting promoted to Greeneville where he finished out the season.  At Greeneville, he only hit .224 after hitting .333 in the Dominican, but he did show some pop in the bat with 14 doubles and five home runs for the season.

One former Astro with a birthday today

LHP Eric Bell (48)
Pitched in 10 games for Houston in 1993

Bonus Tweet of the Day


Jimmy VanOstrand
Thanks everybody for all the support! What an amazing ride, fun to be a part of

Tweet of the Day

Ryan Rowland-Smith

What should I be for Halloween? Any ideas?


Drew Locke
Burt hooten

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Saving Brett Myers from Bad Juju

So, I'm on my computer doing this and that and the doorbell rings.  I glance out the front window and it's the UPS truck.  I rack my brain and I can't think of a thing that I've ordered recently so I open the door and look down and there's this largish package there.  Then it dawns on me that it's the Astros bobbleheads I pre-ordered as a season ticket holder this year.  (I love me a good bobblehead and I don't like standing in line to get them so I paid for them, sucker that I am.)

I really wanted to get the Brett Myers one out and I was having a terrible time getting it out of the box.  I finally got it out of the box and then I couldn't separate the plastic packaging.  It just didn't want to come apart.  I finally forced it apart and then I see something drop and I hear this click as something hits the floor.  It's Brett Myers' arm.  His right arm.  This cannot be a good omen.

I immediately get out the superglue because I'm trying to erase the bad juju of having Brett Myers' right arm fall off on my watch.  I put the dab of superglue on his arm, place it in his sleeve and count to 20 while the superglue takes.  Then I let the arm go and it's in place.  Phew.  It's all good.  I didn't break Brett Myers.  No harm. No foul.

And then I put it down.  Or I tried to.  A tiny speck of superglue had dropped on to my right ring finger and it was now attached to the base of Brett Myers.  Every household absolutely must have fingernail polish remover in their inventory.  I don't care if you're a guy and you've never painted your nails in your life.  Fingernail polish remover is the only thing that came between me and a very uncomfortable evening.

Brett is now happily ensconced on the Astros memorabilia shelf with the other bobbleheads and signed balls.  I think I'll wait until tomorrow to open the rest.


Yeah, Brett, I know how you feel!

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Salt River over Phoenix 4-3
Despite giving up a 2-run home run, Dallas Keuchel put in a strong five innings, giving up two hits, two runs and no walks with one strikeout.  He had ten ground-outs to three fly-outs.  Josh Zeid pitched the sixth and got the win.  He allowed two hits, no walks and had one strikeout.  Jason Castro was 1-3 with a walk, a strikeout and a run scored as he slowly tries to get back in the swing of things.  Kody Hinze continued to struggle, managing only one single in four AB's with a strikeout.

Today
Salt River (13-6) vs. Surprise (14-4) at 2:35 CST

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Lara over La Guaira 7-2
Oswaldo Navarro went 2-4 and scored two runs in Lara's win.

Magallanes over Zulia 5-3
Jose Altuve went 1-4 with a solo home run and an error while Gabriel Garcia successfully stranded two runners and got his one batter out in 0.1IP for the Magallanes team.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Licey over Aguilas 5-1
Anderson Hernandez was 1-4 with a run scored for Licey while Henry Villar pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one hit, no runs and no walks.  Brian Bogusevic was 0-4 with a strikeout for Aguilas.

Toros over Escogido 5-4
Brett Wallace went 0-3 with two RBI's and two strikeouts for Escogido and David Carpenter pitched 0.2 innings with no hits, no runs and a walk.

Gigantes over Estrellas 7-4
Jimmy Paredes, getting a start at second base, was a busy man in the Gigantes win.  He went 2-3 with a double, four RBI's, a run scored, a walk, a strikeout and a stolen base.  Erick Abreu, also with the Gigantes, pitched 0.2 innings giving up one hit and one walk with a strikeout.

Pan Am Games Final Update

Canada over U.S.A. 2-1
Canada won out over the U.S. team to earn the gold medal in a tight fast-paced game.  Andy Van Hekken pitched a great game for the U.S. team, going seven innings and giving up six hits, two runs and one walk with six strikeouts.  And Jimmy VanOstrand only got one hit, but that one hit proved to be a game-winner.  With two outs in the sixth, JVO hit a double and drove in two for the Canadian team.  Either team could have won this one, but this time Canada prevailed.  Both of the "Astro-Vans" can be proud of two well-played tournaments in Panama and Mexico over the last several weeks.  They represented their nations and the Astros organization very well.

Here's the story from Baseball America.  And here's the story from MiLB.

Tweets of the Day


Dallas Keuchel
I see you canadians taking gold from us. Damn you! Haha congrats man. Let frosty know I'm proud of you gangstas


Drew Locke
Congrats to on winning the gold medal! Clutch two out double in the sixth...


Shi Davidi
Cdn veteran Jimmy VanOstrand, who hit a 2-run double: “It’s unbelievable, a completely surreal experience. ...It’s pretty special.”

No tweets from the man himself.  Too busy celebrating, I suppose!

Happy Birthday - 10/26

We have no future or former Astros having birthdays today so I tried to find another player or two that had some tangential relationship to the Astros.  What I found was a trip down memory lane.

IF Steve Ontiveros (60)
Ontiveros played for the San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1976 and for the Chicago Cubs from 1977 to 1980.  I stumbled across this play-by-play recap of a game between the Cubs and the Astros from June 17, 1978, in which Ontiveros appeared.  There is nothing monumental about this game or even particularly interesting, but all of the names brought back so many memories for me.  So I thought I would share it.

UT Mark Sweeney (42)
Sweeney spent 14 seasons in the majors playing for seven different teams.  It was a game in which he played for the Dodgers in August 2007 that caught my eye.  Sweeney was the goat of this game as the Astros prevailed.  These memories are more recent but the story creates some great visuals.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Phoenix over Salt River 4-1
Salt River never managed to put up much of a fight in this one.  They did get eight hits but could never string anything together for a big inning.  Kody Hinze went 0-4 with a strikeout and an error, and Jacob Goebbert only managed one single in his 1-4 outing.  Jason Stoffel got a bit of a tough luck loss.  He gave up the only two runs that Phoenix would need in the third inning, but actually did a nice Houdini impersonation in the fourth inning as he got out of a no-out, men on second and third situation unscathed.  In two innings pitched, he gave up four hits, two earned runs, two walks and had one strikeout.

Today
Salt River (12-6) gets a chance to redeem themselves in a re-match with Phoenix (6-12) at 2:35 CST

The Caribbean Leagues all had the day off on Monday.

In case you missed this from yesterday, here are the cumulative stats through 10/24 for all Astros players participating in the Arizona Fall League or the Caribbean Winter Leagues.

Pan Am Games Update

U.S. over Cuba 12-10
The U.S. team won in a game that was closer than it should have been.  The U.S. led Cuba 12-4 going in to the sixth inning, but Cuba scored twice in the sixth, once in the seventh and three times in the eighth to make things a little too interesting for the U.S. team who advanced to the Gold Medal round with the win.

Canada over Mexico 5-3
Jimmy VanOstrand went 1-2 with three walks and a run scored.  Mexico took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Team Canada shut them down after that.  Canada took the lead in the fifth inning and never looked back as they advanced to the Gold Medal round.

U.S. (3-1) vs. Canada (3-1) at 7:00 p.m.

I'm hoping that this match will feature the two Vans.  It is probable that Van Hekken will pitch for the U.S. team and it is almost certain that VanOstrand will start for Canada.

Happy Birthday - 10/25

Former Astros with birthdays today

RHP Danny "Dr. Death" Darwin a.k.a. The Bonham Bullet (56)
Nicknamed Dr. Death by teammate Nolan Ryan, Danny Darwin spent 21 seasons in the major leagues, playing for eight different teams.  For his career, he had a 3.84 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP.  Dr. Death was with Houston from 1986 to 1990 during which time he had a 47-35 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP.  His most successful season was 1990 when he led the National League in ERA, WHIP and BB/9.

From Wikipedia:

"It was a source of debate amongst Astros players and fans over who would win in a fight, Ryan or Darwin. Though Astros pitcher Bob Knepper attempted to set up a fight between the two during spring training in 1988, manager Hal Lanier stopped it before it could commence. Many experts, including Astros shortstop Rafael Ramirez, felt that Darwin would win because he "looked like someone no man would want to mess with.""

LHP Skip Guinn (67)
Pitched in 32 games for Houston in 1969 and 1971

Tweet of the Day


Jimmy VanOstrand
What a win!! 5-3 victory to head to the gold medal game vs USA tomorrow. Love playing with these guys!

Roster Moves - 10/24

According to a tweet from Alyson Footer, the following players (recently removed from the 40-man roster) have been re-signed by the Astros to minor league contracts:

RHP Jose Valdez
LHP Xavier Cedeno
RHP Alberto Arias

Monday, October 24, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

Cumulative stats for all Astros players on rosters for the Arizona Fall League or Caribbean Winter League teams through 10/24.  If there are no stats, the player hasn't been in a game yet.



WTH 25-Man Roster - Lefty Relief Pitcher

As posted over the weekend, C Chris Wallace overwhelmingly won the sixth spot on the WTH roster.  Also receiving votes were Jordan Comadena, Roberto Pena, Ernesto Genoves and Marlon Avea.  Go here for more info on the What the Heck 25-Man Roster.

Next, let's pick our second relief pitcher, this time a lefty.  I picked LHP's who generally only pitched one inning per game (the actual cut-off was an average of 1.5 IP per appearance).  So these pitchers would be used primarily in the 7th and 8th innings or as LOOGY's.  The minimum number of appearances was 14.  I did not include Wesley Wright or Sergio Escalona because I think they are both likely to make the Houston team in the spring, but I did include Abad.  (We will be picking one or two long relievers/swing men later so if you aren't seeing a favorite, they may be showing up in that category.)

For me, the two strongest candidates are Garrett Bullock with his 3.25 ERA and Travis Blankenship with a 1.067 WHIP and a low .209 BA against.  But you can't completely ignore Fernando Abad with that terrific SO/BB ratio of 5.50.

As I did for right-handed relief pitchers, I'm going to do the polling a bit differently.  I'm going to allow votes for multiple players and then we'll recycle the runners-up in a later poll as we fill our last 2 or 3 bullpen positions.  Vote for your top three choices.  I'll put you on the honor system.

Fall and Winter League Updates

Sunday was an off-day for Arizona Fall League

Today
Salt River (12-5) vs. Phoenix (5-12) at 2:35 CST

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Magallanes over Aragua 2-1
Jose Altuve went 0-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base (his first) in Magallanes win.  Sergio Perez put together a terrific start for Aragua, pitching five innings with no hits, no runs, three walks and nine strikeouts.

Caracas over Lara 10-5
Oswaldo Navarro went 0-1 with three walks, a strikeout, a run scored and an error for Lara.

Zulia over Caribes 8-6
Arcenio Leon got the save (although he allowed two inherited runners to score) by facing three batters over two-thirds of an inning and allowing one hit for Zulia.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Licey over Aguilas 11-6
Anderson Hernandez went 3-6 with a solo home run, two runs scored, a strikeout and an error for Licey.  Also for Licey, Henry Villar pitched a third of an inning, facing three batters, with a hit and a strikeout and Sammy Gervacio retired his one batter with a fly out.   Brian Bogusevic went 0-4 with two strikeouts for Aguilas.

Estrellas over Gigantes 3-2
Jimmy Paredes went 1-4 and ground into a double play while Erick Abreu pitched 1.2 innings with one hit, one walk, two strikeouts and a hit batter for Gigantes.

Escogido over Toros 9-2
Brett Wallace went 1-3 with two walks, a strikeout and a run scored for Escogido while Aneury Rodriguez pitched one inning allowing two hits and a run with one strikeout.

All Caribbean League teams are off today.

Happy Birthday - 10/24

RHP Jose Perdomo (20)
Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela, Jose has played three seasons for the Astros organization.  In only five starts in 2011 at Greeneville (none after July 18th), he had an ERA of 9.00 which leads me to believe that there were injury issues.  In 2009 for the DSL Astros, he had a 3.64 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP and in 2010 for the GCL Astros, he had a 1.67 ERA and a 0.978 WHIP.  He is currently on the roster for the Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League, but has not pitched as of this writing.

Former Astro with a birthday today

RHP Mark Grant (48)
Pitched in 6 games for the Astros in 1993 with a 0.82 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP

Also, Darryl Robinson, hitting coach for Lancaster is 44 today.

Tweet of the Day


native_astro
Awesome! I bought a pack of autographed cards, and got a George Springer rookie autographed card.


native_astro
Let's try this one last time. George Springer autographed rookie card.
pic.twitter.com/afZXstgc

Sunday, October 23, 2011

WTH 25-Man Roster

The sixth player selected for the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was C Chris Wallace who, unsurprisingly, won the poll by a huge margin.  Also receiving votes were Jordan Comadena, Roberto Pena, Ernesto Genoves and Marlon Avea.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our first lefty reliever.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Mesa over Salt River 9-2
Jay Austin got a single in the first AB of the game (and was promptly caught stealing) and that would be Salt River's only hit until the 5th inning, by which time Mesa was already up 6-0.  Austin went 1-4 and reached on an error and Jacob Goebbert was 0-3 with a walk and also reached on an error.

No games today

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Magallanes over Lara 5-4
Jose Altuve went 2-5 with two RBI's while Gabriel Garcia got his one batter with a strikeout for Magallanes. Oswaldo Navarro went 2-5 with a double and a strikeout for Lara.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Escogido over Gigantes 6-2
Brett Wallace went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout while David Carpenter pitched 1.2 innings with four hits, one earned run and three strikeouts for Escogido.  Jimmy Paredes went 0-4 with a strikeout for the Gigantes.

Aguilas over Estrellas 14-2
Brian Bogusevic went 2-3 with an RBI and a walk and scored two runs for Aguilas while Jonathan Villar went 1-5 with a walk, an RBI, a strikeout, a run scored, a stolen base and an error.

Toros over Licey 5-4
Jonnathan Aristil pitched to four batters without recording an out and gave up three hits and three runs (two earned) for the Toros.  Sammy Gervacio faced one hitter and got a strikeout for Licey.

Pan Am Games Update

Canada over Venezuela 4-1
Jimmy Van Ostrand went 2-4 and scored a run.

Mexico over U.S. 3-2

Today is an off-day.

Monday - Semifinals
Canada (2-1) vs. Mexico (3-0) at 2:00
U.S. (2-1) vs. Cuba (3-0) at 7:00

Happy Birthday - 10/23

Only Former Astros with birthdays today

2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Played in 5 games for the Colt 45's in 1962

RHP Bo McLaughlin (58)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979.  He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP.  He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte.

2B Kazuo Matsui (36)
Played for Houston from 2008 to 2010 with a composite .259 BA
Responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore

Tweet of the Day


Brett Dolan
Ya, 9 games a year at the Rangers Ballpark instead of just 3 is going to be a lotttttt of fun. Humidor anyone?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Pan Am Games Update

On Friday, Team U.S.A. won 11-0 over Panama and is now 2-0 in the competition.  Baseball America has the story here.

Today
Canada (1-1) vs. Venezuela (1-1) at 10:00 a.m.
U.S. (2-0) vs. Mexico (2-0) at 7:00 p.m.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Salt River over Peoria 2-1
Jason Castro went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout.  Maybe not a great night at the plate, but he did well behind the dish with two caught stealings.  All of the other Astros players had the night off.

Today
Salt River (12-4) vs. Mesa (7-9) at 2:35 CST

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Escogido over Aguilas 5-3
Brett Wallace went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout for Escogido.  Brian Bogusevic went 0-4 with a strikeout and Jonathan Villar had a pinch-running appearance for Aguilas.

Estrellas over Licey 8-1
Anderson Hernandez went 1-4 with a walk and a run scored for Licey.

Toros over Gigantes 6-5
Aneury Rodriguez started for the Toros and pitched four innings, giving up five hits, three earned runs, a walk, six strikeouts and a home run.  Jimmy Paredes went 3-4 with a solo home run (off Aneury) for the Gigantes.  As a side note, Paredes has been playing third base exclusively.  Erick Abreu pitched one inning, with no hits, no runs and a strikeout for the Gigantes.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Margarita over Caracas 1-0
Wladimir Sutil went 0-1 in a pinch-hitting appearance for Caracas.

Magallanes over Lara 5-0
Jose Altuve went 2-4 with a double and a walk in Magallanes' win.

Caribes over Zulia 3-0
Arcenio Leon pitched one inning with no hits, no runs and two strikeouts for Zulia.

Happy Birthday - 10/22

C Miles Hamblin (23)
This Texas native was drafted in the 12th round in 2011 out of the University of Mississippi.  He put up good numbers in his first professional season.  In 201 AB's for Tri-City, his line was .264/.346/.398/.745.

Former Astros having birthdays today

LHP Frank DiPino (55)
Pitched in 201 games for Houston from 1982 to 1986 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.304 WHIP
Came to Houston as part of the Don Sutton trade
Left Houston in a trade with Chicago for Davey Lopes

CF Gerald Young (47)
Played for Houston from 1987 to 1992
Rookie of the Year Candidate (came in 5th) in 1987 when he hit .321
Hit a composite .246 with the Astros and stole 153 bases

Bullpen Coach Jamie Quirk (57)
Played for 18 seasons with 8 different clubs (11 seasons with the Royals)
Primarily a catcher, but played all positions except CF and pitcher

Manager "Harry the Hat" Walker (died August 8, 1999 at age 82)
Managed the Astros from 1968 to 1972 and went 355-353
According to Wikipedia:  ""Harry the Hat" got his nickname from his habit during at-bats of continually adjusting his cap between pitches — there were no batting helmets in his day."

Tweet of the Day


Jake Buchanan
Astros to the AL is like lamb and tuna fish

Friday, October 21, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Just a note about Chris Hicks.  He was on the original roster for the Salt River Rafters and he pitched in two games, the last of which was on October 7th, and he did not have good outings in either of his appearances.  When he didn't appear again, I assumed that he had been shut down but never saw anything about that until I saw a tweet from him regarding going home about a week ago.  Bad (busy) reporter that I am, I kept forgetting to post that.

Salt River over Surprise 7-2
After Wednesday's drubbing by Surprise, Salt River came back strong for the win on Thursday.  Kody Hinze went 1-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.  Jacob Goebbert went 1-4 with his second home run this week.  And Jason Castro, in his third start of the fall season, finally got his first hit (a single) and added on a double for good measure, going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Jason Stoffel pitched a strong two innings with no hits, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts.

Today
Salt River (11-4) vs. Peoria (7-8) at 8:35 CST

Only one Winter League game involving an Astros player.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Lara over Caribes 8-7
Oswaldo Navarro went 1-4 with a double and a walk in Lara's win.

Pan Am Games Update

U.S. over Dominican Republic 20-2
Andy Van Hekken pitched brilliantly for the U.S. team on Thursday.  In seven innings pitched, he gave up six hits, two runs (neither earned), two walks and three strikeouts.  He had a no-hitter going through 4.2 innings and simply dominated as the team from the Dominican Republic was limited to singles only.

Today
U.S. (1-0) vs. Panama (1-0) at 10:00

Cuba over Canada 9-5
Jimmy VanOstrand went 3-4 with an RBI in Canada's loss.
Today
Canada has an off-day

Happy Birthday - 10/21

2B Luca Martone (19)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from Italy, Luca is in his second year in the organization.  His numbers this season with the GCL Astros equal a vast improvement over last season's .173 BA.  This year, in 70 AB's, he hit .314/.385/.386/.770.

Former Astros with birthdays today

1B,LF Franklin Stubbs (51)
Played for Houston in 1990
Had a .261 BA with 23 doubles, 2 triples and 23 home runs

OF Ron Davis (died September 5, 1992 at age 50)
Played for the Colt 45's in 1962 and for the Astros in 1966-1968

RHP Cecil Upshaw (died February 7, 1995 at age 52)
Pitched for Houston in 1973

2B Keith Drumright (died August 7, 2010 at age 55)
Played in 17 games for Houston in 1978

Tweet of the Day


Jiovanni Mier
Nasty knuckle curve to Napoli and some guy has the nerve to say he gets millions to hit those, thats an embarrassment.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Houston to the AL? The Five Stages of Grief

DENIAL

When rumors first started floating around a few months ago that Bud Selig wanted the Astros to move to the American League West, I pooh-poohed the whole idea.  "That's a ridiculous idea.  Nobody's going to go for that," I thought to myself and continued about my everyday life.

ANGER

And then I read this post from Greg Lucas.  Not only was it becoming more likely that a move to the American League would happen, but Astros fans were going down quietly.  As I drafted this letter to Bud Selig and Drayton McLane, I started thinking about my lengthy history as an Astros fan, all of my memories, the importance of history and tradition in baseball and I started getting truly pissed off.  I don't particularly enjoy the feeling that I am getting kicked while I'm down.

BARGAINING

The last couple of weeks I've been rationalizing.  Surely Jim Crane isn't stupid.  He didn't get to be as wealthy as he is by doing something as dumb as alienating the fan base from day one.  He's just playing Bud Selig for a fool until he gets approved and then he'll tell Bud what he can do with the American League.  After all, Crane is a baseball guy.  He played the game.  He understands why this is such a big deal.  Doesn't he?

DEPRESSION

The last few days ... damn, this isn't looking good, is it?  Yeah, I'll sign the on-line petitions but it's too late.  Everybody should have gotten up in arms about this months ago.  The machinery is in motion.  Nobody can stop it.  It's just one last FU from Bud Selig before he supposedly retires and goes back to whatever part of hades he calls home.

ACCEPTANCE

Yesterday, I went to MMP with my sister.  We were renewing our tickets and wanted to upgrade our location.  We told our account guy that we wouldn't renew for 2013 if the Astros go to the American League, but I was lying and I knew I was lying.  I don't know if he knew or not.  And then today, I get a tweet from @sciaastro asking if I've seen this New York Post article.  I think the writing is on the wall so I am bracing myself for a change that I never thought would happen.  But am I going to turn my back on these young men that I follow on this blog?  Can I say goodbye forever to Jake Buchanan and Dallas Keuchel and Chris Wallace and Kody Hinze and Austin Wates and so many other players that I've been watching and pulling for?  No.

It will still be the same basic set of players.  It will still be Minute Maid Park.  It will still be Houston.  It will still be my Astros.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Surprise over Salt River 6-0
Salt River got surprised by Surprise in a lopsided match.  The bad news is that Salt River only got two hits to Surprise's 13.  The good news is that one of those belonged to Jay Austin who went 1-3 with a walk, two strikeouts and two stolen bases.  Kody Hinze went 0-4 with three strikeouts and Jacob Goebbert went 0-4 with two strikeouts.  It wasn't Dallas Keuchel's best performance either. Keuchel pitched 4.0 innings - 9H 5R/ER 0BB 3SO 1HR 1WP.  Josh Zeid pitched one inning - 1H 1R/ER 2BB 3SO 1HR.

Today
A rematch between Surprise (11-2) and Salt River (10-3) at 2:35 CST

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Escogido over Aguillas 13-3
Brett Wallace hit his first home run of the off-season for Escogido, going 1-2 with three RBI's, two walks and two runs scored.  Brian Bogusevic went 1-2 with a SO and Jonathan Villar walked in his one plate appearance for Aguillas.

Gigantes over Toros 6-5
Paredes went 0-4 with two strikeouts for Gigantes while Erick Abreu pitched one inning (one strikeout) to get the save.

Estrellas over Licey 6-2
Anderson Hernandez went 2-3 with a walk and a strikeout for Licey.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Lara over Zulia 7-3
Oswaldo Navarro went 2-4 with a strikeout for Lara.  Arcenio Leon pitched 1.1 innings - 1H 1R/0ER 1BB.

Magallanes over La Guaira 13-4
Altuve went 3-4 with a double, four RBI's, one walk and a run scored for Magallanes.

Pan Am Games Update

Navigating the Pan American Games website was not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I did find the link for baseball finally.  It's very basic but you can get the scores and box as the games progress.

In Wednesday's action, Canada won over Puerto Rico 5-4.  Jimmy VanOstrand went 2-4 with an RBI, a walk and a strikeout.  Emerson Frostad did not fare as well, going 0-4 with a strikeout.

Today:
U.S. vs. Dominican Republic at 2:00
Cuba vs. Canada at 7:00

Happy Birthday - 10/20

RHP Michael Ness (24)
Originally from New Jersey, Ness was drafted out of Duke in the 33rd round in 2010.  He wasn't able to duplicate his good numbers from 2010 (at Tri-City) after being moved to hitter-friendly Lancaster in 2011.  He was 4-6 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.613 WHIP with the Jethawks.

DH Rafael Valenzuela (24)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from Arizona in 2010, Rafy spent the majority of his season at Tri-City and put up some pretty good numbers.  His batting line for 2011 was .307/.359/.441/.800 over 127 AB's.

Tweet of the Day


Brandt Walker
Which is higher: US national defense budget or Yadier Molina eyebrow waxing budget?

Roster Moves - 10/19/11

According to Baseball America

OKC
RHP Jose Valdez elected free agency and then re-signed with Houston
RHP Jonnathan Aristil re-signed with Houston

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

Just a general note.  I can't do these recaps both fast and pretty so I'm opting for fast.  So sometimes I'm going to abbreviate and sometimes not.  Sometimes I'm going to type out numbers, sometimes not.  I don't think most people care, but any grammatical purists out there are just going to have to get over it.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Salt River improved its record to 10-3 in a wild 12-9 win over Mesa.  Combined, there were 14 pitchers, 5 wild pitches, 14 walks, 3 home runs, 2 errors and a passed ball.  One of those home runs belonged to Jacob Goebbert (his first of the off-season) as he went 1-3 with a home run and a walk.

Today
Salt River (10-3) vs. Surprise (10-2) at 2:35 CST
If the rotation holds, Dallas Keuchel should be pitching for Salt River.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Escogido over Gigantes 5-3
Brett Wallace went 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout, and David Carpenter pitched one inning with no hits, no runs and a strikeout for Escogido.  Jimmy Paredes went 1-3 with a triple, 2 RBI's, a walk and two strikeouts for the Gigantes, while Erick Abreu pitched 0.2 innings - 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO and a wild pitch.

Toros over Licey 9-4
Jonnathan Aristil pitched 2.1 innings with a walk and two strikeouts to earn the win for the Toros.  Anderson Hernandez went 2-5 and scored a run for Licey.  Pitching for Licey, Henry Villar went 1.1 innings with one hit, 2R/1ER and a strikeout and Sammy Gervacio pitched two innings - 2H, 2ER and 2SO.  (Note - Henry Villar wasn't on the roster earlier so I'll add him.)

Aguillas over Estrellas 3-1
Brian Bogusevic went 0-2 with two walks and scored a run for Aguillas.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Aragua over Margarita 2-1
Sergio Perez pitched five innings for Aragua - 2H, 1ER, 2BB, 3SO - and earned the win.

Lara over Zulia 5-0
Oswaldo Navarro went 1-3 with an RBI and a strikeout for Lara.

La Guaira over Magallanes 6-5 in 11
Jose Altuve went 1-5 for Magallanes while Gabriel Garcia pitched 0.2 innings with no hits, no runs and a strikeout.

Happy Birthday - 10/19

RHP Jordan Lyles (21)
A 2008 supplemental first round draft pick by the Astros out of high school in South Carolina, Jordan is the second player (behind Jason Castro) from that draft class to make it to the bigs.  After starting the year in Oklahoma, Jordan made his major league debut on May 31st.  At Oklahoma City, Jordan was 3-3 in 12 appearances (10 starts) with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP.  At Houston, he was 2-8 in 20 appearances (15 starts) with a 5.36 ERA and a 1.415 WHIP.

LHP J.A. Happ (29)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 3rd round in 2004, Happ came to the Astros in 2010 in the Oswalt trade.  Happ struggled during much of the season until he was sent to Oklahoma City to work on his mental game mostly.  For the season, he was 6-15 with a 5.35 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP, but he was much improved in August and September as he went 2-2 in 7 starts with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP.

Former Astros with birthdays today

OF,1B Walt Bond (died September 14, 1967 at age 29)
A member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, Bond played for the Colt 45's in 1964 and the Astros in 1965.  I was not aware of Bond's history until I read this entry from the TBHOF site.

"Standing at 6' 7" tall and weighing between 235–250 lbs, Big Walt Bond had his best year as a Houston Colt .45 in 1964 when he hit 20 home runs and drove in 85 runs—the first true power hitting ballplayer in team history."

But that was only part of the story.  He was one of many silent heroes who helped to integrate baseball.  He was active in the community, working to support local school sports programs.  And he showed enormous courage and strength in his fight against leukemia which he sadly lost at the age of 29.  I encourage reading the entire entry.

OF Brock Davis (68)
Played for the Colt 45's in 1963 and 1964 and for the Astros in 1966

RHP Dave Veres (45)
Compiled a 2.31 ERA and a 1.143 WHIP in 104 appearances in 1994 and 1995

2B Joe McEwing (39)
Appeared in 7 games in 2006

Tweet of the Day


Bobby Doran
Heath and I jamming out at 6:45am.... Bc it's our LAST day of instructs.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Mesa over Salt River 13-7
This was not a pretty game for any of the Astros players.  Jason Stoffel was effective for his first four outs and then the wheels came off with a double, walk, home run and another walk issued without getting another out and that was all for him.  Kody Hinze went 0-4 with a strikeout.  Jason Castro is still hitless in two starts in the AFL as he went 0-3 with a walk, three strikeouts and a run scored.

The Salt River Rafters are now 9-3 but still lead the Mesa Solar Sox by five games.  They will face Mesa again today at home at 2:35 CST.

CARIBBEAN LEAGUES
Only one game was scheduled and no Astros played.

Every week or so, I'm going to post the cumulative stats for all of the players participating in the Arizona Fall Leagues and the Caribbean Winter Leagues.  If there are no stats, that means that the player is listed on the roster but hasn't played yet.



Happy Birthday - 10/18

RHP Andrew Walter (21)
Originally from Arizona, Walter was signed by the Astros as a NDFA in 2011.  Splitting his time between Tri-City and the GCL Astros, he was 0-0 in 6 appearances (2 starts) with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.298 WHIP.

RHP Ross Wolf (29)
This Illinois native was drafted by the Marlins in 2002 and signed with the Astros as a free agent in 2010.  In 56 appearances (73.2IP) with Oklahoma City this year, Wolf was 4-3 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.508 WHIP.

One former Astro with a birthday today

RHP Terry Clark (51)
Pitched in 6 games for the Astros in 1990 and 1996

Tweet of the Day


Jordan Comadena

Monday, October 17, 2011

WTH 25-Man Roster - Catcher

As posted over the weekend, RHP Chris Hicks won the fifth spot on the WTH roster as our first right-handed relief pitcher.  Close runners-up included Sammy Gervacio, Josh Zeid, Blake King and Jason Stoffel.  Go here for more info on the What the Heck 25-Man Roster.

Next, let's pick our first catcher.  I tried to limit the list by leaving off some of the older catchers such as Robinson Cancel and Brian Esposito who really can't be considered prospects anymore, but I did leave on Emerson Frostad who is borderline at 28, partly because of his strong showing in the Baseball World Cup.  I also didn't include J.R. Towles because I find it highly unlikely that he will be with the organization come spring.  And, finally, I only went with players who had appeared in a minimum of 30 games.

I know that Chris Wallace will probably win this first spot, but I want to give everyone a chance to vote on it.  Personally, I have a soft spot in my heart for Jordan Comadena and I would really like to see him get more playing time in 2012.  And I've heard good reports on Ernesto Genoves and some of the others.  I do think that the Astros are finally getting a bit more depth at this position and I hope to see some movement up through the ranks by several of these catchers.

With that said, here are their 2011 numbers.  After you look them over, please vote in the poll.

Winter League Update

No Arizona Fall League game on Sunday
Today - Salt River vs. Mesa at 2:35 CST

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Lara over Zulia 1-0
Oswaldo Navarro was 0-3 for Lara.  Arcenio Leon pitched one inning, giving up one hit, no runs, no walks and no strikeouts.

Caribes over Caracas 9-3
Sutil was 1-1 in a pinch hitting appearance for Caracas.

Magallanes over Aragua 7-6
Altuve went 0-4 for Magallanes.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Aguilas over Gigantes 3-2
Brian Bogusevic went 2-4 with a double, a strikeout and a run scored for Aguilas.  Jimmy Paredes was 1-5 with two strikeouts and a GIDP for Gigantes.

Licey over Escogido 4-2
Anderson Hernandez was 0-4 with an RBI for Licey while Brett Wallace went 1-2 with a walk and a strikeout for Escogido.

Happy Birthday - 10/17

RHP Jason Chowning (24)
Originally from Kentucky, Jason was drafted in the 28th round in 2010 out of the University of Oklahoma.  In 2011 he had a very strong season for Lexington, going 4-4 in 35 appearances (58.2IP) with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.261 WHIP.  Via twitter last month, Jason indicated that he was found to have a small labrum tear, but the doctor deemed it "fixable" and is recommending rehab and not surgery.

Former Astros with birthdays today

C Chris Tremie (42)
Played in 1 game for Houston in 2004

IF Edwin Maysonet (30)
Played in 46 games for Houston between 2008 and 2009
Currently in the Milwaukee minor-league system

Also, Don Alexander, pitching coach for the CC Hooks, is celebrating his 53rd birthday today.

Tweet of the Day


Jimmy VanOstrand
Got a little something to remember Panama by! Now if we could get a flight out of here that'd b gr8

Sunday, October 16, 2011

WTH 25-Man Roster

The fifth player selected to the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was RHP Chris Hicks who squeaked out a victory over Josh Zeid and Sammy Gervacio.  (As mentioned earlier, some of the top vote-getters will be recycled as candidates as we complete our bullpen.)  Also receiving votes were Blake King, Jason Stoffel, Juan Mojica, Jose Valdez, Steve Martin, Krishawn Holley, Ebert Rosario, Joan Belliard, Arcenio Leon, Daniel Meszaros and Mark Jones.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our first catcher.

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

The Salt River Rafters are now 9-2 on last night's walk-off wild pitch 8-7 win over Phoenix.  Kody Hinze went 1-4 with an RBI, 1BB, 1SO and scored a run while Jay Austin went 1-3 with 2BB, a stolen base (his first) and scored two runs.  Josh Zeid pitched one inning, giving up one hit and striking out one on seven pitches (all for strikes).

No game today

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Magallanes over Margarita 9-0
Gabriel Garcial pitched a perfect inning with a SO, while Jose Altuve went 2-4 with 1BB, 1SO and scored two runs in Magallanes win.

Zulia over Lara 11-0
Oswaldo Navarro went 0-3 with 1SO and a HBP for Lara.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Escogido over Estrellas 3-2 in 10 innings
Brett Wallace went 1-4 with an RBI and a SO, while Jorge de Leon pitched 0.2 innings and gave up two hits.

Aguilas over Toros 6-1
Aneury Rodgriquez pitched a strong four innings for Toros, giving up 1H 0R 1BB and 3SO for the Toros.  Brian Bogusevic went 2-4 with an RBI for the winning Aguilas.

Licey over Gigantes 7-3
Anderson Hernandez went 0-4 with 1BB 2SO and a run scored for Licey.  Jimmy Paredes went 3-5 with 1SO and a run scored for Gigantes.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

Mexicali over Obregon 12-4
Luis Durango went 0-4 with 2SO in Obregon's loss.

Baseball World Cup - Final Update


USABaseball
The bronze medal game has been cancelled due to the field conditions. USA and Canada will be co-bronze medalists this year.

Bummer, I was looking forward to this.  Andy Van Hekken was scheduled to pitch for the U.S. team and Jimmy VanOstrand was in the line-up for Canada.  Final stats for the tournament:

Andy Van Hekken - 2-0 with an 0.64 ERA
Jimmy VanOstrand - .250 BA with a double, a home run and 5 RBI's
Emerson Frostad - .409 BA with a double and 5 RBI's

Happy Birthday - 10/16

RHP Enerio del Rosario (26)
Acquired from the Reds in 2010 for cash considerations, this Dominican native earned an opening day roster spot on the 2011 Astros due in large part to terrific spring training numbers.  In 12 games, he had a 0.00 ERA with 3BB and 11 SO's.  In 54 appearances during the regular season, he was 0-3 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.700 WHIP.  And just because I love it so much, here is del Rosario's rookie road trip photo from Alyson Footer's blog.

LHP Travis Blankenship (24)
Drafted in the 31st round in 2010 out of the University of Kansas, Travis had a strong second year in the Astros organization.  Over 21 appearances with Tri-City, he went 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.067 WHIP and a very good SO/BB ratio of 3.50.  His ERA against lefties was 0.00 with 1BB and 11 SO's.

Tweet of the Day


Josh Zeid
Salt river rafters win again on a wild pitch. It doesn't matter how you win, just that you do. We have fun and we play hard!!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Baseball America's Prospect Review

In case you missed this from earlier in the week, Baseball America indicates that the Astros organization is showing much improvement down on the farm.  Based on all prospects, we're probably ranked around the bottom of the middle third of teams, but after erasing "graduates" from the equation and giving full-season players greater weight, we're right smack in the middle of the pack.  As the article states:

"The last time the Astros weren't in the bottom five of our organizational talent rankings was in 2007, when they ranked 22nd. They ranked 26th last year, 30th in 2009 and 2010 and 29th in 2008."

So things are looking up in the Astros minor-league system.  Give the full article a read if you have a chance.

Fall and Winter League Updates

The Salt River Rafters continued their dominance with another win yesterday, giving them an 8-2 record.  The only Astros player involved in the win was Jacob Goebbert, who went 1-3 with a double, a run scored, a walk, two strikeouts and an error.  His double in the 7th sparked a 4-run rally by the Rafters, giving them enough of a lead to hold on for the win.

Today
Salt River will play Phoenix at 8:35 CST

Here is a link to the full list of all Astros currently listed on Winter League rosters.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Caracas over Lara 10-3
This game was all but over in the bottom of the 1st.  You owe it to yourself to look at this play-by-play of that frame.  Oswaldo Navarro went 1-5 with a HR and 2 RBI's for Lara, while Wladimir Sutil went 1-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and scored 2 runs for Caracas.

Zulia over Magallanes 3-2
Arcenio Leon pitched 2 innings (0H 0R 1BB 1SO) and got the win for Zulia.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Toros over Estrellas 5-0
Jonathan Aristil got the hold, pitching 2.1 innings (0H 0R 1BB 1SO) for the Toros.

Escogido over Licey 4-3
Anderson Hernandez went 0-3 with a walk and scored a run and Domingo Santana went 0-1 with a SO in a pinch hitting appearance for Licey, while Sammy Gervacio got his one batter with a SO.  Brett Wallace went 1-3 with a double, an RBI and 2 SO's for Escogido, while David Carpenter got the hold (1.1IP 1H 1R/ER).

Aguilas over Gigantes 10-9
This game was tied at 2-2 through the 7th when I went to bed.  The Gigantes scored 3 in the 8th and 4 in the 9th while the Aguilas went crazy with 8 in the bottom of the 9th for the win. For the Gigantes, Jimmy Paredes (playing at 3B) went 1-5 with a double, an RBI and 2 SO's and Erick Abreu pitched 1.1 perfect innings with 2 SO's.  Brian Bogusevic went 2-4 with a double and 2 SO's for the Aguilas, while Jonathan Villar, coming in to pinch run, scored a run and later walked in his one plate appearance.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

Luis Durano went 2-5 in Obregon's win over Mexicali.

Baseball World Cup Update

The U.S. team won both must-win games (3-1 against South Korea and 7-4 in a late comeback against Venezuela) on Friday to earn a spot in the finals playing for the bronze medal.  Canada needed to win against Cuba for a chance at the gold medal game but fell short in an 8-2 loss in which Jimmy VanOstrand went 0-3 and Emerson Frostad went 1-3.  If the rotation for the U.S. team holds, Andy Van Hekken will be facing VanOstrand and Frostad in the bronze medal match.

Today
The U.S. and Canada teams will face off at 11:00 a.m. The IBAF has live play-by-play if you want to follow it.

Happy Birthday - 10/15

LHP Edgar Ferreira (19)
A non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic, Ferreira has played two seasons in the DSL.  Ferreira had good numbers in 2010 (2.70 ERA over 10 appearances), but was unable to duplicate them in 2011 (11.57 over 10 appearances).  However, I wouldn't read too much into that high ERA as this lefty faced right-handed hitters almost exclusively in the 2011 season.

OF Teoscar Hernandez (19)
2011 was Hernandez' first season in the Astros organization and he didn't waste any time in getting my attention.  Over 226 AB's in the DSL, he hit .274/.360/.487/.847 with 13 doubles, 7 doubles and 7 home runs.  He is originally from the Dominican Republic.

Former Astros with birthdays today:

LHP Bill Henry (84)
In 1969, at the end of his career, he made 3 appearances for the Astros with 5IP, 0.00 ERA & 0.800 WHIP

IF Mendy Lopez (38)
Played in 10 games for Houston in 2001

Tweet of the Day


Tyler W. Burnett
Time to kill a deer

Friday, October 14, 2011

Fall and Winter League Updates

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
Dallas Keuchel had a very strong start for Salt River last night, giving up his first hit in the top of the 4th, and going 4IP 2H 1R/0ER 0BB 3SO.  If that wasn't impressive enough, Keuchel managed to get two pop outs to Bryce Harper and a ground out on Mike Trout (who also reached base against Keuchel on a force out/throwing error by the 2B).  Jacob Goebbert went 1-4 with a run scored.  Jason Stoffel and Josh Zeid each pitched one inning with identical lines, one hit and one strikeout for each.  The Salt River Rafters are now 7-2.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
The only Astros playing were in the Lara vs. Caracas game in which Oswaldo Navarro went (2-4 with 2 RBI) for Lara while Sutil went 0-1 with a walk for Caracas.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Games start tonight, but rosters are still not posted as of 7:00 a.m.

Today
Salt River vs. Phoenix at 2:35 CST
All scheduled Caribbean Winter League games are night games.

Baseball World Cup Update

Canada easily won its first game of the day over Venezuela 7-0, getting all of the runs that they needed in the first inning with help from Astros Emerson Frostad and Jimmy VanOstrand.  JVO was the DH and went 1-3 with an RBI while Frostad (normally a catcher) manned first base and went 1-3 with a double and 2 RBI's.

The second game for Canada wasn't quite so easy with a long rain delay starting in the bottom of the first. This time JVO was back at first base (going 0-3 but reaching on an error and scoring) and Frostad was behind the plate (going 2-3 with an RBI).  Canada prevailed over South Korea and has a good chance at getting to the finals.

The U.S. team won over Australia 2-1.  They will play two today to make up for Wednesday's rainouts.

Today's action
U.S. (2-3) vs. South Korea (2-4) at 11:00 a.m.
Canada (4-2) vs. Cuba (4-1) at 3:30 p.m.
U.S. vs. Venezuela (1-4) at 3:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday - 10/14

RHP Alberto Arias (28)
The oft-injured Arias hasn't pitched for Houston since 2009 when he went 2-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 42 appearances over 45.2 innings.  From the Dominican Republic, he was originally signed as a NDFA by Colorado and was picked up by Houston in 2008 as a waiver claim.

OF Jarrod McKinney (22)
Originally from Texas, Jarrod was drafted in the 31st round in 2011 out of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  In 35 games with the GCL Astros, he hit only .182, but he did manage to hit .263 in 16 away games.

Former Astros with birthdays today:

SS,3B Kiko Garcia (58)
Played for Houston in 1981 and 1982

C Carl Nichols (49)
Played for Houston in 1989 to 1991

IF Dave Hajek (44)
Played in 13 games for Houston in 1995 and 1996