Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Greeneville Astros Season in Review

Despite dominating in the standings for a large part of the summer, Greeneville ended up in second place in their division two and a half games back after some late season struggles. They went on to win the West Division series 2-1 before falling 0-2 in the Appy League Championship series. Here is how their 2013 season compared to the 2012 campaign.

2012 Win Percentage - .529
2013 Win Percentage - .559

2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 339 - 297 = 42
2013 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 289 - 271 = 18

2012 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.76 & 1.301
2013 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.30 & 1.233

2012 Team Batting Line - .262/.328/.379
2013 Team Batting Line - .237/.339/.337

It doesn't take long to see what the strengths and weaknesses of this team were. The pitching was superior and was even better than last season. The team ranked first in the league in WHIP, third in ERA and strikeouts and ninth (out of 10 teams) in issuing free passes. The offense, on the other hand, ranked in the bottom four in almost all offensive categories (including dead last in triples and stolen bases) except for walks (ranked first) and on-base percentage (in a virtual tie for first).

In looking at offensive achievements for the season, three players stand out. OF Tanner Mathis ranked first in the league in walks and second in the league in on-base percentage (.425). The 22-year old lefty was also in the top 20 in the league in runs scored and just outside the top 20 in batting average (.277). OF Marc Wik was first in the league in OBP with a .433 mark and second in the league in walks; Wik is a 21-year old lefty. 21-year old 1B Chase McDonald was tied for 10th in the league in home runs and in the top 15 in the league in RBI and led the team in those categories.

Other players in the top 20 in various categories in the league include C Brian Holberton (home runs and walks), 2B Juan Santana (RBI) and OF Ariel Ovando (walks). C Ricky Gingras only appeared in 16 games, but had some of the best offensive numbers on the team with a .275/.383/.471 batting line. 3B Tyler White had great numbers in his 18 games at Greeneville as he passed through on his way to Tri-City, hitting .344/.411/.484.

The pitching on the other hand has almost too many success stories to note. Let's start with 22-year old RHP Frederick Tiburcio. He led the team in innings pitched and was the only pitcher on the team with enough innings to qualify as a league leader. He ranked fifth in the Appy League in ERA (2.43) and sixth in WHIP (1.096) in 12 games (11 starts). He was also tied for 15th place in strikeouts.

LHP Christopher Lee, who only recently turned 21, ranked 12th in the league in strikeouts and would have been in the top 15 in ERA (3.10) and sixth in WHIP (1.095), edging out Tiburcio, but fell just short of having enough innings to qualify. He appeared in 11 games (10 starts). RHP Jandel Gustave ranked 20th in the league in strikeouts and, similarly would have ranked seventh in ERA (2.68) and in the top 20 in WHIP (1.397) in his 10 starts. He will turn 21 in October.

21-year old LHP Jordan Mills with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.028 WHIP in 14 games (six starts) and 22-year old RHP Edison Frias with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.200 WHIP in nine games (eight starts) would also have been among the league leaders had they pitched just a few more innings.

Among the relief crew, there were several standouts as well. 21-year old RHP Krishawn Holley (18G 2.41 ERA 1.307 WHIP) and RHP Austin Chrismon (11G 3.06 ERA 1.021 WHIP) pitched exclusively at Greeneville in 2013. Chrismon turned 21 on Monday. RHP Raul Rivera (22) started the season with the GCL before coming to Greeneville and putting up a 2.14 ERA and a 0.905 WHIP in 12 appearances.

RHP Gonzalo Sanudo (21) spent the bulk of his season pitching for Greeneville. He had a 1.29 ERA and a 0.571 WHIP in 18 appearances before graduating to Tri-City for his last nine appearances of the regular season (0.00 ERA 0.308 WHIP 8 Saves). He was second in the Appy League in saves with 11 and was second in the Astros organization in saves with 19 total for the season.

22-year old RHP Chris Munnelly's second stop of the season was Greeneville. He started the season in the GCL, pitched in 10 games at Greeneville (with a 0.53 ERA and a 0.647 WHIP) and ended up in Tri-City to end the season. Overall, he had a 1.24 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP in 20 appearances at three levels. 22-year old LHP J.D. Osborne pitched in eight games at Greeneville (with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.143 WHIP) before subsequently being promoted to Tri-City and Quad Cities to end the season. He ended with a cumulative 1.88 ERA and 1.395 WHIP over 21 appearances. He had eight saves.

Seasons in Review for Other Astros Minor League Teams
DSL Season in Review
GCL Season in Review

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