Happy Birthday - 4/22

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Eric Berger (27)
Originally drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 2008 out of the University of Arizona, Berger came to the Houston system just last week in a trade with the Tribe for C Chris Wallace. In 135 appearances (78 starts) in six seasons prior to coming to the Astros, he had a 3.91 ERA and a 1.399 WHIP. He is currently playing for the Oklahoma City RedHawks.

SS/2B Joe Sclafani (23)
Drafted by Houston out of Dartmouth in the 14th round in 2012, Sclafani played his first professional season with Tri-City, hitting .271/.355/.338 with 16 stolen bases in 70 games, playing all games at short. So far this season with Quad Cities, he has played primarily second base and, although his batting average has yet to heat up, he has managed to put up a .350 OBP in his first 10 games.

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

LHP Carlos Hernandez (33)
The Venezuelan lefty was signed by the Astros in 1997 and pitched in 35 games for Houston in 2001, 2002 and 2004. In his first three starts in the major leagues, he was 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA and a 1.019 WHIP and was considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Then a jammed pitching shoulder diving back in to second base derailed his budding career. Though he continued to pitch after that injury for both the Houston and Tampa Bay organizations, he continued to suffer injuries that kept him from ever making a real comeback. Since sitting out all of 2011, he has pitched for Mexico City in the Mexican League where he is in his second season.