Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Final Winter League Recap

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE FINALS

Escogido over Aguilas 6-5 to win the Championship
Aneury Rodriguez pitched 3.2 innings in relief in game nine of this best of nine series.  He gave up three hits, no runs, no walks and had three strikeouts to end the playoffs with a 1.29 ERA.  And he gets bragging rights at Spring Training, along with the Arizona Fall League Astros who won their championship, and Jimmy VanOstrand who won a gold medal in the Pan-Am games. 

Other good playoff appearances by pitchers ~
Enerio del Rosario - 10 games with an 0.00 ERA
Sergio Escalona - 5 games with an 0.00 ERA
Arcenio Leon - 4 games with a 2.45 ERA
Gabriel Garcia - 7 games without giving up a run, before getting hit in the 8th game to end with a 4.91 ERA

In case you missed my wrap up on how your Astros did in the regular season of the fall and winter leagues, here are my notes on the Arizona Fall League, the Dominican League, Venezuelan League, and the Puerto Rican League.  Cumulative stats for all Astros for the regular season in the fall and winter leagues can be found here.

An Interview with Brandon Barnes

Brandon Barnes was the 6th round pick for the Astros in 2005.  In 2011, he split his time between Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City.  In 54 games at Corpus, he batted .286/.335/.453/.788 and in 71 games at Oklahoma City, he batted .197/.294/.402/.696.  He had a total of 26 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs for the season.

Playing for Sydney this winter, Brandon seemed to find his groove.  In 29 games, he hit .322/.382/.534/.916 with seven doubles, six home runs and 30 RBI’s.  Interestingly enough, he only hit .250 with the bases empty, but .379 with runners on and .389 with RISP.  He came back to the U.S. before the ABL finals to get ready for Spring Training.

WTH:  First of all, I'd like to hear more about how the Australian Baseball League differs from American Baseball. Is baseball gaining in popularity in Australia?  Are there many American and other foreign players participating?

BB:  The Aussie baseball league is awesome to start off. There is not much that differs from Aussie ball to American ball. It's all baseball where men go to compete and win. Baseball is growing for sure in Australia.  You see kids playing catch in the street and in the parks. It's not as big as it needs to be but it's getting there with the help of the ABL. There are many different ethnicities out here like Americans, Koreans, Japanese and, of course, your local Aussies.

WTH:  How did playing in the ABL come about?  Were you able to bring your wife and baby daughter along? Were you able to play tourist a bit?  Can you just give me a general impression of Australia and Sydney from your viewpoint?

BB:  I was looking for a job in the winter and everything was full so my agent made a call to the ABL and got me out here. I was not able to bring my daughter and wife with me but was able to fly home for Christmas. I have played tourist on many occasions - beaches, landmarks and even the zoo. I had to see a kangaroo before I left Sydney. Australia is beautiful and filled with great people that love their country. The people are relaxed and just living life. Sydney is a beautiful city with so much to offer. You can just walk around in amazement.

WTH:  You earned Player of the Week honors in Round 8, hitting .375 with four home runs, seven runs scored and 15 RBI's in 5 games.  Have you ever had a streak like that before?  Can you bottle that and bring it home with you?

BB:  I don't think I have had a stretch like that but I am learning what I can hit and what I can not. I learn more about my swing the more at bats I get. I'm going to bring everything I have learned here and bring it back for sure.

WTH:  Looking at last season for the Astros, you had been making steady progress up through the system and then hit a little bump in the road in Oklahoma City in which you weren't quite as successful.  What did you take away from your time in OKC and what are you working on to get back there and be successful?

BB:  Everybody hits a bump in the road sooner or later, and there is always something to take away from failure. I have learned a lot about mental preparation at the plate and that your mind plays a big part in this game. If I just play my game and don't try to do too much I will be successful.  It's when I put pressure on myself to play good is when things go wrong. Wherever I end up this year I will make sure people know who I am.

WTH:  You've always had pretty decent power numbers.  How do the Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City ballparks compare for a power hitter?

BB:  Corpus Christi is a more hitter friendly park but I feel if I put a good swing on the ball I can hit it out of any park. They are both beautiful stadiums.

WTH:  What will you be trying to accomplish in Spring Training?

BB:  I want to learn as much as possible while in camp and of course try everything I can to help the team get better. Get better in every aspect of the game.

WTH:  Finally, can you tell me something about yourself that most people don't know (and might be surprised to hear)?  It doesn't have to be baseball-related.

BB:  If you have ever seen me you could tell I have tattoos but I also have tattooed myself, friends and family members. I have been tattooing for about 5 years and I'm intrigued by art.

pic.twitter.com/sZGLOKlQ
Brandon at Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia

Happy Birthday - 1/31

No future Astros, only one former Astro with a birthday today (you may have heard of him)

RHP Nolan Ryan (65)
Lynn Nolan Ryan (aka the Ryan Express) was drafted in the 12th round in 1965 by the Mets and signed as a free agent with Houston in November of 1979 where he pitched from 1980 to 1988.  Despite pitching for 27 seasons with a lifetime ERA of 3.19 and WHIP of 1.247, striking out 5714 batters, throwing 7 no-hitters and appearing in 8 All-Star games, he never once won the Cy Young Award.  He was, however, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility with a whopping 98.8% of the vote.

Tweet of the Day

Less than a month and I'll be back with my boys. Championship season baby!

Bonus Tweet of the Day



Neiko Johnson
I am so glad they didn't change the name of the ....any other name wouldn't have sound right

Monday, January 30, 2012

Off-Season Roster Moves - 2011/2012

UPDATED 4/1/12 - Since I haven't updated this in a while, I may very well have missed something.  Please let me know if I have!

OFF-SEASON ACQUISITIONS
(40-Man Roster in Bold)
UT Brian Bixler - Waiver claim
OF Jordan Brown - FA - Released
OF Travis Buck - FA
LHP Kevin Chapman - Acquired via trade
RHP Hector Corpas - FA
RHP Rhiner Cruz - Rule 5
OF Jack Cust - FA - Released
LHP Zach Duke - FA - Released
C Jair Fernandez - FA
RHP Adalberto Flores - FA
SS Marwin Gonzalez - Rule 5
RHP Angel Heredia - FA (Currently on restricted list for PED's)
3B Diory Hernandez - FA
RHP Livan Hernandez - FA - Released
IF Mike Hessman
2B Jordan Kreke - FA
RHP Tomas Lopez - Dominican FA
SS Jed Lowrie - Acquired via trade
OF Fernando Martinez - Waiver claim
2B Jose Martinez - FA
IF Scott Moore - FA
C Landon Powell - FA
OF Justin Ruggiano - FA
OF Edward Santana - Dominican FA
OF Brad Snyder - FA
C Chris Snyder - FA
OF/1B Nick Stavinhoa - Granted release to play in Japan
C Craig Tatum - Waiver claim; Claimed by Diamondbacks
IF Joe Thurston - FA - Released
RHP Carlos Vasquez - Dominican FA
RHP Kyle Weiland - Acquired via trade

RE-SIGNED
RHP Erick Abreu
RHP Alberto Arias - Released
RHP Jonnathan Aristil
OF Brandon Barnes
LHP Xavier Cedeno
C Carlos Corporan
LHP Lance Pendleton - Released
SS Angel Sanchez
RHP Jose Valdez

RELEASED OR RETIRED
RHP Wander Alvino
RHP Alberto Arias
SS Miguel Arrendell
RHP Joan Belliard
LHP Travis Blankenship
LHP Garrett Bullock
LHP Adam Champion
RHP Ryan Cole
C Jordan Comadena
RHP Danilo del Rio
RHP Robert Donovan
LHP David Duncan
1B David Flores
C Emerson Frostad
RF Jon Gaston
RHP Justin Gill
RHP Pedro Gomez
C Kevin Gonzalez
RHP Kyle Greenwalt
SS Jacke Healey
C Federico Hernandez
RHP Mark Jones
OF Kellen Kiilsgaard
RHP Blake King
OF Bryce Lane
RHP Steve Martin
C Jacob Meskin
RHP Michael Ness
RHP Lance Pendleton
LHP Colton Pitkin
IF Hector Rodriguez
RHP Ebert Rosario
1B Ronald Sanchez
RHP Kelvin Santana
1B Justin Shults
LHP Travis Smink
RHP Matison Smith
OF Devon Torrence
1B Jimmy VanOstrand
OF Jose Vargas
RHP Brandt Walker
C Bubby Williams
LHP Shane Wolf

TRADED
CF Jason Bourgeois
RHP Mark Melancon
C Humberto Quintero

FREE AGENTS WHO SIGNED ELSEWHERE
SS Clint Barmes - Pittsburgh
1B Koby Clemens - Toronto
OF Luis Durango - Braves
C Brian Esposito - Reds
IF Anderson Hernandez - Pirates
OF Drew Locke - Sugarland Skeeters
OF Jason Michaels - Nationals
LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith - Cubs
SS Wladimir Sutil - Diamondbacks
C J. R. Towles - Twins
LHP Andy Van Hekken - Korea
RHP Ross Wolf - Orioles

UNSIGNED FREE AGENTS (FROM 2011)
LHP Kristian Bueno
C Robinson Cancel
RHP Sammy Gervacio
RHP Brad James
IF Jhonny Medrano
IF Oswaldo Navarro
2B Jose Vallejo

WTH 25-Man Roster - Relief Pitcher

As posted over the weekend, the 18th player added to the WTH 25-Man Roster was Utility Infielder Brandon Wikoff.  Also receiving votes were Yonathan Mejia, Luca Martone, Josh Magee, Jean Batista and Jio Mier.  For more information on the WTH Roster, go here.

This week we're going to pick our 5th relief pitcher.  This list is compiled of the top vote getters from all prior rounds of voting for relief pitchers.  This will probably not be a slam dunk pick for most voters, but there are a number of very interesting candidates.  Juan Mojica and Krishawn Holley have the lowest ERA's but it is a small sample size.  Zach Dando and Jorge de Leon had the stingiest WHIP's.  De Leon and Ryan Cole are the save leaders of the group.  Alex Sogard and Xavier Cedeno have added versatility with the ability to spot start or handle long relief (plus we REALLY need another lefty on our roster).  A number of these pitchers have excellent SO/9 and SO/BB ratios ~ I keep coming back to Matison Smith in that regard.  And finally you have wild cards Jack Armstrong, with a high 90's fastball; Chia-Jen Lo who dominated in 2009 before injuries took their toll; and Josh Zeid who could develop into the closer of the future.

With all that said, here are the 2011 stats for the players.  Look them over and vote.

Winter League Update

DOMINICAN LEAGUE FINALS

Aguilas over Escogido 9-2
Still no sign of Aneury Rodriguez as Escogido lost this one to Aguilas to force a 9th and final game for the championship.  He may have pitched in his last game last week so he could have some down time before reporting to spring training three weeks from today!!!

Happy Birthday - 1/30

There are no future or former Astros with birthdays today so I tried to find something or someone Astros-related for this day.  I think that those of us who followed the Astros in the 80's will agree that this individual's history will always be entangled with that of the Astros.

Davey Johnson (69)
Whether you hate him, begrudgingly respect him or even secretly like him, you've got to admit that Davey Johnson's tenure as Manager of the Mets from 1984 to 1990 was memorable for Astros' fans as he propelled the 1986 Mets to the World Series, barely edging out the Astros to get there.  Johnson has other Texas ties in that he went to high school in San Antonio and attended Texas A&M.  Johnson also managed the Reds, Orioles and Dodgers, and after a long hiatus as Manager, became the Manager for the Washington Nationals in 2011.

Tweet of the Day



Joe Witkowski
Exactly one month til I start my trip down south to Florida for spring training...

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Roster Moves - 1/29/12

Baseball America reported that the following individuals have been released by the Astros:

LHP Travis Blankenship
LHP Colton Pitkin
LHP Shane Wolf
C Federico Hernandez
SS Hector Rodriquez
OF Kellen Kiilsgaard

The only one of these that I don't get is Travis Blankenship.  He had a 3.90 ERA and a 1.067 WHIP in 2011 at Tri-City with 8.4 SO/9 and a very respectable SO/BB ratio.

In addition, the Astros have signed 2B Jordan Kreke from the Atlanta organization and OF Jordan Brown from the Brewers organization.

The 24-year old Kreke has a .239 minor league career batting average and hit .218/.262/.288/.550 at AA in 2011.  He was drafted by Atlanta in the 13th round in 2009.

The 28-year old Brown was originally drafted by Cleveland in the 4th round in 2005 and played in both the Indians and the Brewers organization in 2011.  He hit .230 in 26 games for Cleveland in 2010.  His career minor league average is .307.  At AAA last season, he hit .311/.346/.466/.812.

WTH 25-Man Roster

The 18th player selected to the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was UTIF Brandon Wikoff.  Also receiving votes were Yonathan Mejia, Luca Martone, Josh Magee, Jean Batista and Jio Mier.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go  here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our 5th relief pitcher.

Winter League Update

DOMINICAN LEAGUE FINALS

No sign of Aneury Rodriguez as Escogido won 5-2 over Aguilas to take the series lead 4-3.  I'll keep an eye out to see if he appears in Game 8 today.

Happy Birthday - 1/29

No future Astros, only one former Astro with a birthday today

RHP Brian Meyer (49)
Pitched in 34 games for Houston in 1988-1990
ERA of 2.84 and WHIP of 1.263

Tweet of the Day



J.D. Martinez
Winter time in Florida 
pic.twitter.com/bPH5IEOh

No Announced Roster Moves Today

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Winter League Update

DOMINICAN LEAGUE FINALS

Aguilas over Escogido 2-1
Since Aguilas won, the 9-game series is now tied 3-3 so there will be at least 2 more games in the offing.  Unless Aneury Rodriguez has decided to come home early, it is a given that he will pitch in one of the next two games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Happy Birthday - 1/28

LHP Wesley Wright (27)
Dequam LaWesley Wright was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 7th round in 2003 and came to Houston as a Rule 5 pick in 2007.  After abandoning a side arm delivery experiment in 2011, Wright got back to basics and the results were terrific.  In 39 games with AAA OKC in 2011, he had a 2.07 ERA and a 1.102 WHIP which led to a call-up.  With the Astros, he fared even better.  In 21 games, he had a 1.50 ERA and a 0.917 WHIP.

Two former Astros with birthdays today

IF Pete Runnels (died May 20, 1991 at 63)
3-time All-Star for Boston with a .291 career BA
Played in 146 games for the Colt 45's in 1963 & 1964

RHP Oscar Henriquez (38)
Pitched in 4 games for Houston in 1997
Traded to the Marlins in a package for Moises Alou

Tweets of the Day



Neiko Johnson
Places I plan to visit that I've never been before: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, & Miami




Jonas Dufek
 Just got to make it to the show and all those places have teams but Vegas.

Bummer Tweet of the Day



Kellen Kiilsgaard
Twitfam, im no longer playing for the Astros... as for what's next in my life, we will see. God has his ways. Thx for all the support!!

Roster Moves - 1/27/12

The Astros signed LHP Zach Duke to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.  Here is the story from Steve Campbell.  It is a low risk signing much like the Ryan Rowland-Smith signing last season.  We can only hope that this one proves to be more successful.  It also could signal that the Astros are looking for a lefty with major league experience in the event that Wandy Rodriguez is traded.  If Duke works out, this would give lefties Dallas Keuchel and Brett Oberholtzer more time in the minors without rushing them to the majors before they are ready.

OF Kellen Kiilsgaard announced via twitter that he is no longer with the Astros.  (The move still has not been posted on MiLB.com or on Baseball America.)  Kellen was a 30th round draft pick in 2010.  He has been going to school over the winter as he works on his degree from Stanford.  Something tells me that he will do just fine with a Stanford education and the terrific sense of humor he has shown on twitter.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Winter League Finals

We're at the point where I think the only Astros player who may still be playing in the winter league finals is Aneury Rodriguez.  He pitched 4 innings on Saturday and 4 innings on Tuesday so as long as he didn't wrap things up early to come home, he'll probably be pitching again this weekend for Escogido.  (Escogido leads the best of 9 finals 3-2 over Aguilas after losing to Aguilas last night.)

Aneury Rodriguez has had a very strong winter.  During the regular season for Escogido, he had a 2.48 ERA, 0.857 WHIP and 5BB:32SO over 8 appearances (32.2 IP).  During the finals, he has a 1.56 ERA, 1.269 WHIP and 3BB:13SO over 17.1 IP so far.

Happy Birthday - 1/27

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today

LF Phil Plantier (43)
Played in 22 games for Houston in 1995
According to Baseball-Reference, this is how he got to Houston ~

"December 28, 1994: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Derek BellDoug BrocailRicky GutierrezPedro Martinez and Craig Shipley to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later, Ken CaminitiAndujar CedenoSteve FinleyRoberto Petagine andBrian Williams. The Houston Astros sent Sean Fesh (minors) (May 1, 1995) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade."

RHP Rusty Meacham (44)
Pitched in 5 games for Houston in 2000

Tweet of the Day



Zach Johnson
pic.twitter.com/4vEcFvgG

No Announced Roster Moves Today

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Winter League Recaps

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE FINALS

Obregon over Guasave 19-0
Brad Snyder went 0 for 2 for Guasave as Obregon swept the finals series 4-0 to win the championship.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE FINALS

Mayaguez won the best of 9 series over Caguas 5-3.

Happy Birthday - 1/26

LHP Ryan-Rowland Smith (29)
Though technically not an Astro at this time, we'll give Free Agent Rowland-Smith a little birthday love today.  Rowland-Smith was originally signed as a NDFA out of Australia by the Mariners in 2000.  He was able to put up decent numbers for the Mariners in 2007 to 2009, but after a disastrous 2010, he was granted free agency and signed with the Astros in hopes that he could find his earlier success.  For the OKC team in 2011, he was 2-11 with a 5.90 ERA and a 1.653 WHIP.  However, he fared much better in the Puerto Rican Winter League.  Despite an 0-3 record, he had a respectable 3.63 ERA and a 1.432 WHIP.

Tweet of the Day



Jason Castro
 the knee is feeling great and the foot Is coming along ahead of schedule just getting ready to get back to it

No Announced Roster Moves Today

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Final Winter League Regular Season Cumulative Stats

Now that Brandon Barnes has finished his season with the Sydney Blue Sox down under in the Australian League, I can update the "Almost Final" winter league regular season stats to "Final."  Without further ado ...






The only changes from the "Almost Final" to "Final" are updating Brandon Barnes numbers and adding Brad Snyder's numbers into the spreadsheet.

*Free Agent

Winter League Recaps

DOMINICAN LEAGUE FINALS

Aguilas over Escogido 1-0
Aneury Rodriquez pitched a very strong four innings in relief with no hits, no runs and one walk for Escogido, but  Aguilas got the win.  Escogido leads the best of 9 series 3-1 over Aguilas.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE FINALS

Obregon over Guasave 6-4
Brad Snyder was 1 for 4 with two strikeouts in Guasave's loss.  Obregon is one win away from sweeping the best of 7 finals.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

I've been in touch with Brandon Barnes and he just got back from Australia to get ready for Spring Training, and to spend some quality time with his wife and baby daughter, so he won't be participating in the Australian League playoffs.  Look for my interview with Brandon next week.

No Astros played in the Puerto Rican or Venezuelan finals games last night.

Happy Birthday - 1/25

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today

RHP Vern Ruhle (died January 20, 2007 at 55)
Pitched in 186 games for Houston from 1978 to 1984
Record of 39-46 with a 3.35 ERA & 1.227 WHIP
Best Year - 12-4 with a 2.37 ERA and 1.111 WHIP in 1980

IF Ernie Fazio (70)
Played in 114 games for the Colt 45's in 1962 and 1963

LHP Phillip Barzilla (33)
Faced two batters in 0.1 IP and gave up a hit

Tweet of the Day


Joe Witkowski
Wicked nice out today

Bonus Tweet of the Day



Jarred Cosart
Congrats to  on the deal... Well deserved. Look forward to facing you down the road.......... Not really

Roster Moves - 1/24/12

At long last, the corresponding 40-Man roster move from the Brad Snyder pick up was announced as SS Angel Sanchez was DFA'd.  If Angel clears waivers, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the Astros offer to re-sign him to a minor league deal as there is little depth at short in the higher levels of the system.  Here is the story from Zachary Levine.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

It's Not That We Don't Trust You ...

Dear Mr. Crane ~

Here's the deal.  During the lead up to your purchase of the Astros, your name was dragged through the mud.  Fairly or unfairly, many Astros fans really didn't trust you from the start because of this.  I have tried to keep an open mind because, having been in the business world for many years now, I know that things are rarely black and white.

Then came the whole American League thing.  Personally, I believe that you had no choice in the matter.  I firmly believe that whether you bought the Astros, another entity bought the Astros or McLane retained ownership of the Astros, the Astros were going to the American League.  Bud Selig decided it and it was so.  But there are a lot of fans who don't believe that was the case.  They think you sold them out.

Now, after long-time fans have had to swallow the AL move and have just started coming to terms with that, you throw out as kind of an after-thought that you're looking at possibly changing the Astros name.  I have no defense for you on this one.  The whole idea is simply indefensible.  We have had our 50+ year National League history ripped from us and now you're thinking of voluntarily changing the name?  The only possible reason to change the name is for money, pure and simple.  Merchandising revenues are down so why not stir things up a little?  Really bad idea.

Let me give you a little free advice.  John McMullen is still universally detested for asking Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan to take a pay cut and chasing him out of town.  Bud Adams is still hated for, among other things, demanding that the Astrodome scoreboard be removed to make room for more seats.  If you push through a name change, Houstonians will never forgive you.

If, as has been suggested, the idea of a name change was simply a trial balloon and a way of getting a free focus group, shame on you.  You have not earned our trust yet.   If you continue to do things like this, you never will.

An Interview with Adrian Houser

At a time when most 18-year olds are starting college or looking for entry level jobs, Adrian Houser was embarking on a professional baseball career.  He will be turning 19 on February 2nd, shortly before he heads to his first Spring Training.  Since we know very little about Adrian, I reached out to ask him a few questions.

But first a little stats background …

RHP Adrian Houser was the Astros 2nd Round draft pick in 2011.  As a senior at Locust Grove HS in Oklahoma, he was 10-1 with an 0.62 ERA, 125SO:28BB in 62 innings pitched.  In 6 games with the GCL Astros, he had a 4.03 ERA, a 1.522 WHIP and 10.1 SO/9.  In 6 games with the Greeneville Astros, he had a 4.56 ERA, a 1.558 WHIP and a 6.7 SO/9.

WTH:  Let's get right to the meat of it.  You're said to have one of the best fastballs in the organization and, according to Baseball America, "a hard curveball with plus potential."  I also read that you would need to be working on your change-up as you didn't use it very often in high school.  Can you tell me a little about where you were with your pitches when you first started with the GCL Astros and what you worked on and were able to accomplish by the time you finished up the season at Greeneville?

AH:  When I first started with the GCL Astros my pitches were all about like they were in high school.  They were all good, besides my change-up which I hardly threw in a high school game, but all of my pitches still needed a lot of work.  Once I started throwing in the GCL I was able to work more with my change-up and get it developed more to go along better with my other pitches.  I also worked on lengthening my stride and keeping all my pitches in the bottom part of the zone.  I worked on those two things the whole summer.  By the end of the season in Greeneville all my pitches were looking pretty good.  I was hitting spots well with my fastballs, and keeping my curveball and change-up down in the zone.  My change-up was my best improved pitch over the summer.

WTH:  What other sports did you play in high school?  Was baseball always your first love?  I understand you also played centerfield in high school.  Do you miss playing a position and getting to hit?

AH:  In high school I played baseball, basketball, and football.  I played all three sports until my senior year. I decided not to play football after my commitment to the University of Oklahoma for baseball.  Baseball was definitely my first love! I've played it the longest and love to play it the most. I always have and always will.  It was the first sport I ever learned to play.  I do miss playing a position and hitting.  I loved to play centerfield during high school. It was a blast and I also loved to hit and still do.  I love pitching the most though; its what I'm best at.  It would be awesome though if I could do all three.

WTH:  You won't turn 19 until February 2nd.  How much of an adjustment was it going to Kissimmee straight out of high school?  What was the most difficult part of the adjustment?

AH:  It was a pretty big adjustment going to Kissimmee by myself, but I was somewhat used to being on my own because I played travel ball the summer before and I would be away from home for weeks at a time.  It didn't take me long to adjust after I got there and got settled in.  The hardest part was being away from all of my friends for the whole summer.  I missed hanging out with them the most, and being so far away from home it wasn't an easy trip for them to come see me.

WTH:  You were drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft and signed very quickly. Was there ever any doubt either before or after you signed that you made the right move?  Did it help to have your friends Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley being drafted as well?  Do you still keep in touch with them?

AH:  I knew from the start that I wanted to play professional baseball and being drafted so high made it a pretty easy decision that I wasn't going to go to school. I was going to sign a professional baseball contract.  Having my friends Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley drafted as well made the decision even easier.  It was pretty cool that we played baseball together since we were 8 or 9 and we all signed a professional contract in the same year.  I do keep in touch with them.  I actually workout every morning with Dylan and some other baseball guys and I talk to Archie every now and then.

WTH:  Your 2011 season was evenly split with you pitching in 6 games for the GCL team and 6 games for the Greeneville team.  How did the experiences compare? (h/t to Steve of Appy Astros for this question)

AH:  In the GCL it was very hot, we played in the middle of the day, and we had little to no fans at the games so when we played.  It was pretty much just the teams there to watch and play the games.  It wasn't quite as fun as playing in Greeneville, but it was still fun because I got to play the game that I love.  In Greeneville it was still pretty hot, but not as bad as it was in the GCL.  We also didn't play in the middle of the day and we had quite a few fans coming to our games - a whole lot more than in the GCL.

WTH:  Were there any pitchers growing up that you particularly admired or wanted to emulate?  Any role models?

AH:  As a kid I had always liked Randy Johnson.  He played on my favorite team at the time with A-Rod and Ken Griffey Jr.  I also liked Nolan Ryan and that's probably because he is my dad's favorite pitcher.  Now that I am older he has become my favorite pitcher.

WTH:  What will be your biggest focus in the upcoming season?  What will you be trying to accomplish?

AH:  My biggest focus this upcoming season is to pitch the best I can in every game and to help my team win as much as I can.  I'll also be focusing on pushing myself and making myself better throughout the whole season.  I will be trying to and will accomplish being a better overall pitcher at the end of the season than I am at the beginning of the season.

WTH:  Finally, can you tell us something about yourself that most people don't know that might surprise them?

AH:  There isn't much about myself that would surprise somebody.  I'm just an average guy fulfilling a dream and goal that I had when I was five years old.

Many thanks to Adrian for letting us get to know him a little better.  If you aren’t already, give him a follow on twitter ~ @AdrianHouser12 

Winter Leagues

No Astros played in any of the Winter League playoff games last night.  Since they took the night off, so did I!

Happy Birthday - 1/24

CF Javaris Reynolds (19)
Drafted by the Astros out of a Florida high school in 2011 in the 7th round, the lefty-hitting Reynolds is young and raw, but shows promise.  In 2011 for the GCL Astros, he hit .228/.354/.247/.601 but managed a .333 batting average vs. lefties and hit .277 in July.

Former Astros with birthdays today

LF Sandy Valdespino (73)
Played in 41 games for Houston in 1969

LHP Ross Powell (44)
Pitched in 27 games for Houston in 1994 and 1995

Tweet of the Day



Rafael Valenzuela
After a good baseball and workout day getting greeted by my dog when I walk in the door is priceless

No Announced Roster Moves Today

OK, I am officially annoyed that the Astros 40-Man Roster shows 41 players.  We still do not know who the odd man out will be as Chris Snyder is added to the roster.

UPDATED TO ADD:  I totally forgot about the fact that C Craig Tatum was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks.

Monday, January 23, 2012

WTH 25-Man Roster - Utility Infielder

As posted over the weekend, the 17th player added to the WTH 25-Man Roster was RHP Paul Clemens.  Also receiving votes were Luis Ordosgoitti, Nick Tropeano, Vincent Velasquez, Tommy Shirley, Kyle Hallock, Adrian Houser, Tanner Bushue, Ross Seaton and Brandt Walker.  For more information on the WTH Roster, go here.

This week we're going to pick our 5th infielder.  This list is compiled of true utility players plus middle infielders who received votes in prior rounds of voting.  (Corner infielders and utility players used extensively as DH's will be considered in the DH category, plus top vote-getters from that category will be considered for the 6th and final infield position, along with the top vote-getters in this category.)  One name stands out for me.  Brandon Wikoff was used as a true utility infielder in 2011 with time divided among 2B, 3B and SS, and he had very good numbers, with a .302 BA, a .391 OBP and only 7 errors over 107 games.  Another interesting player is Neiko Johnson with a .397 OBP and the ability to play both infield and outfield positions.  Neiko, along with Enrique Hernandez, Ruben Sosa and Andru Sierra will also be included in the outfield utility position as they played all over the field in 2011.  Yonathan Mejia and Luca Martone lead the way in BA, but over a limited number of games.  Finally, there is Jose Thompson who leads this group in SLG%.

With all that said, here are the 2011 stats for the players.  Look them over and vote.