Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Astros Minor League Releases

Unfortunately, the Astros announced several more minor league player releases today. It's never easy, but the players left behind are probably reeling from this one with several "old-timers" leaving.

1B/C M.P. Cokinos - Drafted in the 31st round in 2012
RHP Jamaine Cotton - Drafted in the 15th round in 2010
RHP John Gatlin - Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2014
1B/C Ricky Gingras - Drafted in the 18th round in 2012
RHP Gerardo Juarez - International Free Agent signed April 2013
3B Jonathan Meyer - Drafted in the 3rd round in 2009
OF Jordan Scott - Drafted in the 14th round in 2010
RHP Robert Stock (MiLB free agent signed earlier this month)

Meyer


Cokinos

Scott

Cotton

Gingras

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Happy Birthday - 3/31

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

RHP Rafael Montalvo (51)
Montalvo was included as part of the Dodger trade in July 1985 for Enos Cabell. His entire major league career consisted of pitching one inning on April 13, 1986. At 22, he was 17 years younger than teammate Nolan Ryan. He continued to toil in the minors and last played in independent ball in 1999. In 13 seasons in the minors and independent league ball, he was 59-48 with 83 saves and a 3.75 ERA in 561 games.

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Monday, March 30, 2015

Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

The Astros announced more Spring Training cuts yesterday (see yesterday's post for those and other minor league roster moves). Although some of these players have technically been assigned to minor league camp, they will continue to play with the major league club as needed.

Time to check in on how all the minor leaguers have fared in their time playing with the big league club. (Unfortunately, boxscores for the games on the backfields during Spring Training aren't available so this is really the only info readily available.) The following includes all stats to date with those players who had at-bats or innings in the past week in bold.

POSITION PLAYERS
SS Carlos Correa - 14x41 7R 2B 2HR 5RBI 2BB 10SO 2SB (.341/.372/.512)
C Max Stassi - 6x16 4R 2B HR 5RBI 3BB 2SO (.375/.450/.688)
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x14 5R 5BB 2SO 2SB
OF Domingo Santana - 0x10 RBI 6SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x9 2R RBI 2BB 4SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x9 2R BB 2SO CS
IF Joe Sclafani - 4x9 6R RBI
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
OF Preston Tucker - 0x8 2BB 3SO
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 2x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x7 R 2B RBI
OF Brett Phillips - 2x6 R HR 2RBI 2SO
C Roberto Pena - 0x5
OF Teoscar Hernandez - 1x3 2B SO
2B Tony Kemp - 1x3 SO
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x2 2SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x2
OF Leo Heras - 1x1 2R 2B
3B J.D. Davis - 0x1
C Luis Flores - 0x1
SS Jio Mier - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

PITCHERS
RHP James Hoyt - 7G 8.1IP 0.00ERA 0.960WHIP 5BB 11SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 5G 16.2IP 1.08ERA 0.960WHIP 4BB 13SO
RHP Mark Appel - 3G 7.0IP 2.57ERA 1.143WHIP 3BB 5SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 3G 3.1IP 2.70ERA 1.200WHIP 3BB 2SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP BB SO
LHP Chris Lee - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP 2SO
RHP Lance McCullers - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP SO
LHP Tommy Shirley - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP


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Happy Birthday - 3/30

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Jake Marisnick (24)
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the third round in 2009, Marisnick came to Houston as a part of the July 2014 trade that sent RHP Jarred Cosart, OF Austin Wates and IF/OF Kiké Hernandez to the Marlins. In 51 games for Houston, he hit .272/.299/.370.

These former Astros have birthdays today as well ~

LHP Jeriome Robertson (died May 29, 2010 at 33)
Robertson was drafted by Houston in the 24th round in 1995 and pitched for Houston in 2002 and 2003 before being traded to Cleveland in March of 2004 for Luke Scott. The 2003 season was Robertson's shining moment in the majors. Despite a somewhat high 5.10 ERA and 1.519 WHIP, he managed a 15-9 record. His eight appearances for Cleveland didn't impress and his last major league game was in July of 2004. He died in a motorcycle accident in May 2010 at only 33.

RHP Chris Gardner (46)
A sixth round draft pick by Houston in 1988, Gardner was 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP in five games (four starts) for Houston in 1991. A September call-up, Gardner never made it back to the show.

RHP Conrad Cardinal (73)
Drafted by the Colt .45's from Detroit in November 1962, Cardinal appeared in six games (one start) for Houston in 1963 at the ripe old age of 21. Those six games constituted his entire major league career.

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Sunday, March 29, 2015

Astros Minor League Roster Moves

According to the MiLB transaction pages, IF Austin Elkins and C Jake Rodriguez have both retired. WTHB wishes them both the best of luck!




In addition, the Houston Chronicle reported today that the Astros have acquired minor league RHP Angel Baez from the Royals for cash considerations. The 24-year old Dominican has a minor league career 4.29 ERA and 1.500 WHIP. He was 1-5 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.403 WHIP in 35 games (62IP) for the Royals AA affiliate in 2014.

The 2014-2015 Astros Off-Season Transaction List has been updated with these moves.

And finally, several players were reassigned from the Astros major league camp to the minor league side today: SS Carlos Correa, C Tyler Heineman, RHP James Hoyt, LHP Darin Downs and IF Gregorio Petit. RHP Jake Buchanan, IF Matt Dominguez and C Max Stassi were optioned to minor league camp as well. Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Chronicle reported that Carlos Correa would start the season at AA Corpus Christi.

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Happy Birthday - 3/29

Happy Birthday to ~

1B/2B Jared Cruz (20)
Cruz played his first professional season in the Braves organization in 2014, coming to Houston after the season ended. Cruz, who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, was the player to be named later in the July 2014 trade that sent RHP Andrew Robinson to the Braves.

One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~

UT Eric Bruntlett (37)
Drafted by Houston in the ninth round in 2000, Bruntlett spent five seasons, between 2003 and 2007 playing for the Astros, hitting .250/.323/.364 over 320 games. In November of 2007, he was traded along with Brad Lidge to the Phillies for Michael Bourn, Mike Costanzo and Geoff Geary. In August 2009, he became only the second player in major league history to end a game with an unassisted triple play.

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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/28

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Marcos Almonte (19)
Almonte played his first professional season in 2014 for the Dominican Summer League Astros. In 67 games, he hit .233/.359/.353 with 13 doubles, one triple and one home run. He is from the Dominican Republic.

No future Astros with birthdays today, but two former Astros celebrate ~

1B Glenn Davis (54)
Davis, a first round draft pick (fifth overall) for Houston in 1981, played for the Astros from 1984 to 1990, hitting .262/.337/.483 with 150 doubles, 10 triples and 166 home runs over 830 games. Davis was a two-time All-Star and also won the Silver Slugger Award before being traded to the Orioles in January of 1991 for Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling and  Steve Finley. After a disappointing tenure with the Orioles, he ended up back in the minor leagues and eventually played for two seasons in Japan. According to Baseball-Reference:
He returned in 1996 [to Japan] and became the 10th player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to hit a sayonara (walk-off) grand slam home run to win a game; he was the first gaijin to accomplish that.
Ironically, he never hit a grand slam in the MLB.

[Side note: Last year, I was taken to task by one of my readers for my use of the word "ironically" in the above. According to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "irony" is as follows.
incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result
 I stand behind my use of the word.]

RHP Mark Melancon (30)
Drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 2006, Melancon came to Houston along with Jimmy Paredes in the Lance Berkman trade in July 2010. Melancon pitched in 91 games for Houston in 2010 and 2011, going 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.211 WHIP and 20 saves. Melancon was traded to Boston in December 2011 for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland and was subsequently traded to Pittsburgh in December 2012 where he has played for the last two seasons.

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Friday, March 27, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/27

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Felix Lucas (18)
Lucas was signed out of the Dominican Republic during the July 2013 international signing period. In his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .144/.285/.242 with four doubles and three home runs in 39 games.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

An Interview with Astros OF Jon Kemmer

After a somewhat lackluster freshman season in 2013, Jon Kemmer broke out in a big way in 2014, finishing the season with a .291/.345/.523 slashline in 91 games. He collected 25 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 50 RBI and had the third highest slugging percentage in the organization for full season teams, right behind Teoscar Hernandez and Brett Phillips and just ahead of Carlos Correa. Not shabby company! I spoke with Jon at length last week and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

Jon Kemmer - June 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Kemmer's 2014 season was cut short in August when he suffered a broken ankle. Of the injury he told me, "It was a hit and run ... that didn't go as planned. It was a tough pitch to hit and run on and I couldn't decide whether I wanted to slide head first or feet first. I decided feet first way too late and I just hit the bag wrong to where I couldn't stop myself and I just kind of rolled over my ankle." But Kemmer assured me that the ankle was "absolutely, definitely 100% right now."

Another part of Kemmer's eventful season included his being pulled out of the outfield in Quad Cities and sent back to Extended Spring Training to work on playing first base, a position which he played rather adeptly when he returned to Quad Cities. He embraced the chance to become more versatile, "It was definitely fun to learn. That's for sure. Just kind of keeps you in the action a little more than the outfield does so it was fun being in the action on almost every play." After Kemmer's promotion to Lancaster, though, he ended up mostly back in the outfield and has been playing corner outfield and DH-ing during Spring Training as well. But he always carries his first baseman's glove with him, just in case.

When I asked Kemmer to characterize himself defensively, he said, "I'd just say a solid all-around player. I'm not going to make a ton of spectacular plays, but I'll make the routine plays and just do whatever it takes to help the team."

As to Kemmer's offense, I spoke with 2014 Quad Cities Manager Omar Lopez about Kemmer last season and Lopez told me that Kemmer is a very aggressive hitter, sometimes too aggressive. Kemmer agreed, "I'm going to have to agree with him 100%. That's probably the biggest part of my game that I'm going to have to fix. I'm an extremely aggressive hitter. I swing at pitches that probably aren't my best pitches, but I feel like I can still hit them. But I'm starting to became a bit more of a disciplined hitter. Like Omar said, just stay a little more disciplined at the plate and not get myself out."

One of the biggest changes for Kemmer between 2013 and 2014 was that he expanded the field for himself. Kemmer said, "My first year I got myself out a lot by trying to pull the ball too much, trying to hit home runs. Last year, I worked with all the hitting coaches working gap to gap a lot more, just kind of opening my game up a little bit more because my first year I was very much dead pull." And Kemmer recognizes that expanding the field is the most efficient way to beat the shift.

After Kemmer's July promotion to Lancaster, he admittedly hit better in the hitter-friendly home environs of The Hangar (.339/.349/.774) than he did on the road (.264/.292/.495), but he still managed to hit five of his 12 California League home runs on the road. When asked about the 'Lancaster effect,' Kemmer said, "I'd be lying if I said a couple of the home runs weren't 'Lancaster' home runs, but a lot of those home runs I don't think I got cheated on. There's just something that clicked up there that this is what I needed to do. The wind factor gives you a little more confidence maybe, but something clicked and something just made me move forward."

What does Kemmer think he accomplished in 2014? "I think I proved that I do deserve to be here. I proved that to myself. My first year definitely wasn't a very good year for me. I didn't put up great numbers. I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to kind of prove to myself and to other people that I deserve to be here. I think I might have been able to do that this past year and hopefully keep it moving forward," said Kemmer.

As to what he needs to do to keep that forward momentum, Kemmer told me, "Probably the little things like we talked about earlier. Plate discipline. I know my walk to strikeout ratio was not very good at all at Lancaster and that's definitely a part of my game I wanted to work on this offseason." Kemmer's goal is to be productive at both corner outfield positions and first base in order to offer the versatility that can help a team.

When asked what Astros minor league pitcher he'd least like to face in the batter's box, Kemmer replied, "I'd have to say [LHP] Josh Hader, just him from the left side, that three-quarters (delivery), the way he's been looking at Spring Training." Kemmer wants to face Hader because he wants to face the best, but emphasized that Hader had been looking 'unreal' in Spring Training. Kemmer went on to single out LHP Tommy Shirley and RHP Kyle Westwood as pitchers who have been looking very good this Spring.

What teammate makes Kemmer laugh? Not surprisingly, he singled out Brett Phillips. "It would have to be Brett Phillips, just being around that kid. Goofy, funny, hilarious, everything. Once you see his laugh ... there's no other laugh in the world like his laugh. He's a good teammate to play with. Everything about him is real."

Kemmer didn't particularly like the next question. What would he do if he couldn't play baseball? "That's kind of scary to think about, but I definitely would try to coach or do something like that. Just kind of give back. I got to do hitting lessons this offseason. I absolutely loved working with younger kids, watching them grow. Maybe do something outdoors ... hunting, guiding, something like that."

Asked to name a guilty pleasure, Kemmer mentioned his taste in movies which he said could sometimes be a little embarrassing, citing "Mean Girls" as one of his favorites. But his favorite movie of all time was "Fox and the Hound." According to Kemmer, "I watched that movie so many times on VHS that it actually came undone."

As a final question, I always ask players if they can tell me something about themselves that most people don't know and might be surprised to hear. Occasionally I get an interesting answer, but often the responses are completely unusable and end up in the scrap heap. Not this time. Kemmer came through for me in a big way. He responded, "I 100% believe in ghosts. When I was about seven or eight years old, I am 100% positive that I saw a ghost and I am 100% a believer in ghosts. It was a ghost of a leprechaun. Seven or eight years old and you see the ghost of a leprechaun? You never forget that! It was at my house. I just happened to wake up one night and my door's always shut, but my door was open which was really weird. And I just sat up and I saw a leprechaun standing there and he tipped his hat to me and went around the corner and he was gone."

Thank you for your time, Jon, and best of luck in the coming season. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you and I hope your leprechaun spirit leads you to a pot of baseball gold!

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Minor league baseball season is almost upon us as the full season teams start play only two weeks from today! The best resource for information on Astros minor leaguers is the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook, now available on Amazon. Purchase this 5-star treasure today and wow your friends and family with your astounding knowledge of the Astros minor league system!


Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros with birthdays, but two former Astros celebrate today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (47)
Drafted by the Astros in the third round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002. He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292. His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP. In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (47)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for eight different teams, five of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games. He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets. In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets. He is currently a Special Assistant for Player Personnel for the Dodgers.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Roster Moves and a New Manager

The Astros announced last week that the Manager for the Greeneville Astros would be Lamarr Rogers, a long-time minor league player and independent league coach. The full story on Rogers is here.

Also, the Astros picked up two minor league free agents this month:

RHP Robert Stock: Stock was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round in 2009 and was converted from catcher, making it as far as the Advanced A Florida League prior to his release by St. Louis.

RHP Christian Powell: Powell was originally drafted by the Twins in the 8th round in 2012 and made it as far as the Low A Midwest League prior to his release in May of last year.

In addition, I had not previously posted this, but former Astro RHP Ross Seaton signed with the Tigers in February as a minor league free agent.

And finally, if you missed this from yesterday, there were several minor league player releases as well.

The updated 2014-2015 Off-Season Transaction List can be found here.

Happy Birthday - 3/25

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

RHP Mike Nagy (67)
Obtained in a trade from the Cardinals in December 1973, Nagy only pitched in nine games for Houston in 1974 at the end of his major league career with less than desirable results.  His best season was his rookie season in 1969, when he was 12-2 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.469 WHIP in 33 appearances (28 starts) for Boston.  He was second only to Lou Pinella in AL Rookie of the Year voting that year.  According to Baseball-Reference:
After his stint in the US ended, Nagy starred in the Mexican League from 1976-1979. He led the Liga in ERA in 1978 and his 2.01 career ERA is the lowest in LMB history among hurlers with 500+ innings.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Astros Minor League Player Releases

This is the part I hate. The Astros have announced several player releases today. They include:

LHP Colton Cain: Obtained in the Wandy Rodriguez trade in July 2012
OF Ydarqui Marte: International Free Agent signed out of the Dominican Republic in July 2009
OF Tanner Mathis: Signed as a non-drafted free agent in June 2013
RHP Chris Munnelly: Signed as a non-drafted free agent in July 2013
RHP Francis Ramirez: International Free Agent signed out of the Dominican Republic in November 2008
OF Jose Solano: International Free Agent signed out of the Dominican Republic in March 2010
RHP Vince Wheeland: Drafted in the 24th round in 2014

Most of these players are just names to Astros fans. I assure you they are much more and they will be missed.



Rule 5 Astros in Spring Training

As you probably recall, the Astros lost three players in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in December. These players will need to stay on the drafting team's 25-man roster for the entire 2015 season or they will otherwise have to be offered back to the Astros. Let's check in with the trio and see how they have fared so far in Spring Training.

LHP David Rollins/Seattle Mariners
In seven games (8.1 innings pitched), Rollins has done extremely well, going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a 0.625 WHIP. He has walked zero batters and struck out seven.

RHP Jandel Gustave/Kansas City Royals
In five games (7.1 innings pitched), Gustave is 1-0 and has converted one of two save opportunities. He has a 3.68 ERA, 1.227 WHIP and has walked three batters while striking out six. [UPDATE: Gustave was placed on waivers today by the Royals. This post from MLB Trade Rumors explains the process, but in a nutshell, if another team doesn't claim his Rule 5 rights, he will be offered back to the Astros.]

OF Delino DeShields/Texas Rangers
DeShields has appeared in 11 games for the Rangers, hitting .185/.214/.333 with two doubles, one triple, one RBI, one walk, and five strikeouts. He has stolen one base and has been caught stealing twice.

Happy Birthday - 3/24

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

RHP Josh Zeid (28)
Drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round in 2009 from Tulane, Zeid came to Houston as part of the Hunter Pence trade in July 2011. In 48 games for the Astros from 2013 through 2014, Zeid had a 5.21 ERA and a 1.552 WHIP. Zeid was claimed by Detroit off waivers in November 2014.

OF Jesus Alou (73)
Alou originally came to Houston as a part of the Rusty Staub trade with the Expos in January of 1969 and spent 1969 through part of the 1973 season with Houston and returned to the team for the 1978 and 1979 seasons as well. In 553 games for Houston, he hit .282/.313/.366. He spent all or parts of 15 seasons in the major leagues playing for four different teams, including the 1973 and 1974 World Series champion Oakland teams. He is the brother of Felipe and Matty Alou and uncle to Moises Alou.

RHP Jose Cabrera (43)
Acquired in a trade with Cleveland in May 1997, Cabrera pitched in 93 games over four seasons for Houston with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP before being claimed off waivers by Atlanta in April of 2001. He had his most successful season in the majors for Atlanta that year, going 7-4 in 55 games with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.298 WHIP. After one final season in the majors with Milwaukee in 2002, he kept playing in the minors, in independent ball and in Mexico. He last played for Tobasco in the Mexican League in 2012 where, at age 40, he went 1-0 with 23 saves, a 1.14 ERA and a 0.663 WHIP in 30 games.

RHP Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde (37)
Acquired in a trade with Arizona for Chris Burke, Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls in December 2007, Valverde pitched for Houston for two seasons, going 10-5 with 69 saves, a 2.93 ERA and a 1.159 WHIP. A three-time All-Star for Arizona and Detroit, he was the league leader in saves three times as well. After four seasons with Detroit, he played with the Mets briefly in 2014 until his release in May.

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Monday, March 23, 2015

Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

The Astros announced today that minor leaguers RHP Mark Appel and OF Andrew Aplin will be reassigned to minor league camp, a move that was not unexpected. Time to check in on how all the minor leaguers have fared in their time playing with the big league club. (Unfortunately, boxscores for the games on the backfields during Spring Training aren't available so this is really the only info readily available.) The following includes all stats to date with those players who appeared in the past week in bold.

POSITION PLAYERS
SS Carlos Correa - 8x30 4R HR 3RBI 2BB 8SO SB (.267/.313/.367)
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x14 5R 5BB 2SO 2SB
C Max Stassi - 5x13 4R 2B HR 3RBI 3BB 2SO (.385/.471/.692)
OF Domingo Santana - 0x10 RBI 6SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x9 2R RBI 2BB 4SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x9 2R BB 2SO CS
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
IF Joe Sclafani - 3x8 4R
OF Preston Tucker - 0x8 2BB 3SO
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 2x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x5 R 2B BB
C Roberto Pena - 0x5
OF Brett Phillips - 2x4 R HR 2RBI 2SO
OF Teoscar Hernandez - 1x2 2B SB
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x2 2SO
3B J.D. Davis - 0x1
2B Tony Kemp - 1x1
C Luis Flores - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x1
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

PITCHERS
RHP James Hoyt - 5G 6.0IP 0.00ERA 0.500WHIP BB 7SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 4G 12.0IP 0.75ERA 1.000WHIP 4BB 9SO
RHP Mark Appel - 3G 7.0IP 2.57ERA 1.143WHIP 3BB 5SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 3G 3.1IP 2.70ERA 1.200WHIP 3BB 2SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP BB SO
LHP Chris Lee - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP 2SO
RHP Lance McCullers - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP SO

Happy Birthday - 3/23

Happy Birthday to ~

SS/2B Chan Moon (24)
Signed as a NDFA from South Korea in 2009, Moon split his 2014 season between Quad Cities and Lancaster. In 127 games, he hit .286/.341/.398 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, six home runs, 60 RBI and 35 stolen bases.

Two former Astros also celebrate today ~

LHP Danny Coombs (73)
Signed as an amateur free agent by the Colt .45's prior to the 1963 season, Coombs spent parts of seven seasons playing for Houston. In 90 appearances, he was 8-7 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.551 WHIP. His best season for Houston was 1968 when he went 4-3 in 40 appearances (2 starts) with a 3.28 ERA. In 1970 he was used primarily as a starter for the Padres, compiling a 10-14 record with a 3.30 ERA. 1971 was his final year in the major leagues.

1B Lee "Big Bopper" May (72)
According to Baseball-Reference, here is how May came to Houston and how he left Houston:
  • November 29, 1971: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart to the Houston Astros for Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, Denis Menke and Joe Morgan.
  • December 3, 1974: Traded by the Houston Astros with Jay Schlueter to the Baltimore Orioles for Rob Andrews and Enos Cabell.
In between, he played in 448 games for Houston, hitting .274/.317/.471 with 81 doubles, five triples and 81 home runs and one All-Star appearance. All told, May played in 2071 games over 18 seasons for four teams, hitting 354 home runs and making three All-Star appearances.

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/22

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Ezequiel Madera (19)
An international free agent from the Dominican Republic, Madera got his first professional experience in the Dominican Summer League in 2014. In nine appearances (11 innings), he had a 7.36 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP.

Several former Astros have birthdays today as well ~

OF Dexter Fowler (29)
Originally drafted by the Rockies in the 14th round in 2004, Fowler came to Houston in the December 2013 trade that sent Brandon Barnes and Jordan Lyles to the Rockies. In 116 games for Houston in 2014, he hit .276/.375/.399 with 21 doubles, four triples and eight home runs. Fowler was traded to the Cubs in January 2015 for RHP Dan Straily and 3B Luis Valbuena.

3B Sean Berry (49)
Drafted by the Royals in the first round in 1986, Berry came to Houston in a trade with the Expos in 1995 and played for the Astros from 1996 through 1998. He hit .283/.342/.476 with 79 doubles, three triples and 38 home runs in 330 games. Berry served as hitting coach for the Astros from July of 2006 until July of 2010. Most recently, he has served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Padres.

IF Billy Goodman (died October 1, 1984 at 58)
After having spent the majority of his playing days with Boston, as well as stints with the White Sox and Orioles, Goodman played in 82 games for the Colt .45's in 1962 at the end of his career. He hit .255/.306/.292, but his career line over 16 seasons was .300/.376/.378 in 1623 games. He was a two-time All-Star and led the American League in batting average in 1950 when he hit .354 over 110 games.

MGR Matt Galante (71)
Matt Galante managed the Astros for 27 games in 1999, going 13-14, as Larry Dierker recovered from brain surgery.

RHP Jeremy Griffiths (37)
Drafted by the Mets in the third round in 1999, Griffiths pitched in a total of 10 games in his major league career, one of those for the Astros in 2004. Griffiths came to Houston with David Weathers in the Mets trade for Richard Hidalgo in June 2004.

I would also like to wish Ryan Dunsmore, Crawfish Boxes contributor and photoshop king, a very happy birthday.

Bonus Tweet of the Day

Tweets of the Day


Saturday, March 21, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/21

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Andrew Aplin (24)
Drafted in the fifth round in 2012 out of Arizona State, Aplin spent the majority of his 2014 season with Corpus Christi, earning a promotion to Oklahoma City on August 1st. In the two venues combined, he hit .265/.372/.345 in 126 games.

These former Astros mark the day as well ~

1B Prentice Almont "Pidge" Browne (died June 3, 1997 at 68)
Browne played in 65 games for the Colt 45's in 1962, a rookie at 33. According to Baseball-Reference:
Pidge Browne was a long time minor league star who at the age of 33 finally got a shot at the major leagues with the expansion Houston Colt .45's in 1962 ... He was the Texas League home run champion in 1955 when he hit 33 home runs for Shreveport. He later became a fan favorite playing for the Houston minor league team in the late 1950s. 
He hit .210/.298/.320 with four doubles, two triples and a home run for Houston that season and never played in the major leagues again.

OF Tommy Davis (76)
Davis came to Houston in a trade with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969 and played for Houston for parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons, hitting .271/.308/.377 over 81 games. Davis spent parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing 1999 games for 10 teams and earning All-Star nods and National League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.

Tweet of the Day

Friday, March 20, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/20

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

RHP Jim Golden (79)
Obtained by Houston from the Dodgers in the 1961 expansion draft, Golden pitched for the Colt .45's for two seasons before being included in a trade to the White Sox in 1963 for Nellie Fox. He was 7-12 for Houston with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.428 WHIP in 40 appearances (19 starts).

OF Rick Parker (52)
Drafted by the Phillies in the 16th round in 1985 out of the University of Texas, Parker was signed by Houston as a free agent in January of 1992 and spent one season with the Astros. In 49 plate appearances over 45 games, he hit a solid .333/.375/.400.

RHP Blas Minor (49)
Minor was drafted three times before he finally signed with Pittsburgh on the fourth try as a sixth round pick in 1988. His best season was for the Mets in 1995 when he went 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.221 WHIP.  Having signed with Houston as a free agent in November of 1996, Minor pitched in only 12 innings for the Astros in 1997 with a 1-0 record, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP.

LHP Wilfredo Rodriguez (36)
A non-drafted free agent first signed by Houston in 1995 out of Venezuela, Rodriguez's whole major league career consists of  three innings pitched over two games in 2001 with an ERA of 15.00 and a WHIP of 2.333. In eight seasons of minor league and independent ball, he had a 4.17 ERA and a 1.384 WHIP.  He was named as a #25 prospect by Baseball America before the 2000 season and a #57 prospect by Baseball America before the 2001 season.

I would also like to wish Kevin Goldstein, Director of Pro Scouting for the Astros, a very Happy Birthday!

Tweet of the Day

Thursday, March 19, 2015

2015 Consensus Astros Top Prospect Listings

MLB Pipeline came out with their Astros Top 30 Prospects yesterday and I have incorporated that information and added consensus ranking information by compiling all of the various lists into one and ranking them by their average. I will keep this information posted on the sidebar of the front page throughout the season for future reference.

Now that you've seen the Top 30 or so prospects in the Astros system, it's time to check out the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook. There you will find information on over 250 players in the Astros system, including many who will make these lists for the first time next year. Read up now and get ahead of the experts!

Carlos Correa - May 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen


Cumulative Prospect Rankings:
(All of those ranked 1-10 were on at least 5 of 6 lists; all those ranked 11-21 were on at least 3 of 6 lists)

1. SS Carlos Correa
2. RHP Mark Appel
21. IF Ronald Torreyes

FanGraphs: 10/10/2014
Top 200 List: 2/17/15

1. SS Carlos Correa (#5 on top 200)
2. RHP Mark Appel (#18 on top 200)
3. RHP Vince Velasquez (#75 on top 200)
4. 3B Colin Moran (#121 on top 200)
5. 3B Rio Ruiz - Traded to the Braves (#43 on top 200)
6. RHP Lance McCullers (#126 on top 200)
7. RHP Mike Foltynewicz - Traded to the Braves (#69 on top 200)
8. OF Brett Phillips (#107 on top 200)
9. OF Domingo Santana
10. OF Teoscar Hernandez
11. RHP Nick Tropeano - Traded to the Angels
12. OF Derek Fisher
13. 1B A.J. Reed
14. LHP Josh Hader
15. RHP Michael Feliz
16. IF Nolan Fontana
17. 3B J.D. Davis
18. OF Preston Tucker
19. C Max Stassi
20. LHP Kent Emanuel
21. RHP Andrew Thurman - Traded to the Braves
22. RHP Joe Musgrove
23. 2B Tony Kemp
24. RHP Brady Rodgers
25. OF Delino DeShields - Claimed in the Rule 5 Draft
26. IF Ronald Torreyes

Baseball America: 11/24/14 [UPDATED 3/2/15]
(This is the updated list of the top 31 from the recently released prospect handbook.)

1. SS Carlos Correa
2. RHP Mark Appel
3. RHP Mike Foltynewicz - traded to Atlanta
4. RHP Vince Velasquez
5. RHP Michael Feliz
6. OF Brett Phillips
7. 3B Colin Moran
8. 3B Rio Ruiz - traded to Atlanta
9. OF Teoscar Hernandez
10. LHP Josh Hader
11. RHP Lance McCullers
12. OF Domingo Santana
13. OF Derek Fisher
14. OF Preston Tucker
15. 3B J.D. Davis
16. 1B A.J. Reed
17. RHP Frances Martes
18. 2B/OF Tony Kemp
19. RHP Joe Musgrove
20. C Max Stassi
21. RHP Adrian Houser
22. RHP Brady Rodgers
23. C Roberto Pena
24. 2B/UT Ronald Torreyes
25. OF Andrew Aplin
26. LHP Kent Emanuel
27. RHP Jake Buchanan
28. RHP Asher Wojciechowski
29. RHP Andrew Thurman - traded to Atlanta
30. OF Danry Vasquez
31. 1B Conrad Gregor

MinorLeagueBall.com (John Sickels): 1/27/15

1. SS Carlos Correa
2. RHP Mark Appel
3. RHP Michael Feliz
4. RHP Vince Velasquez
5. OF Domingo Santana
6. OF Brett Phillips
7. LHP Josh Hader
8. RHP Lance McCullers
9. OF Derek Fisher
10. OF Teoscar Hernandez
11. 3B Colin Moran
12. 2B Tony Kemp
13. 3B J.D. Davis
14. 1B A.J. Reed
15. 1B Conrad Gregor
16. IF Nolan Fontana
17. C Max Stassi
18. OF Danry Vasquez
19. OF Preston Tucker
20. RHP Kyle Smith

Keith Law ESPN: 1/30/15 (Insider only)

1. SS Carlos Correa (#3 on top 100)
2. RHP Mark Appel (#44 on top 100)
3. RHP Vince Velasquez (#56 on top 100)
4. 3B Colin Moran (#73 on top 100)
5. OF Brett Phillips (#76 on top 100)
6. RHP Lance McCullers
7. RHP Michael Feliz
8. OF Derek Fisher
9. LHP Josh Hader
10. 3B J.D. Davis

Baseball Prospectus: 2/4/15

1. SS Carlos Correa
2. RHP Mark Appel
3. RHP Vince Velasquez
4. OF Brett Phillips
5. OF Derek Fisher
6. RHP Michael Feliz
7. RHP Lance McCullers
8. OF Domingo Santana
9. 3B Colin Moran
10. OF Teoscar Hernandez

MLB Pipeline: 3/18/15

1. SS Carlos Correa (#3 overall; #1 in shortstops)
2. RHP Mark Appel (#30 overall)
3. OF Domingo Santana (#71 overall)
4. RHP Vince Velasquez (#86 overall)
5. RHP Michael Feliz
6. 3B Colin Moran (#9 at third base)
7. OF Brett Phillips
8. OF Teoscar Hernandez
9. LHP Josh Hader
10. RHP Lance McCullers
11. OF Derek Fisher
12. 1B A.J. Reed (#5 at first base)
13. 3B J.D. Davis
14. 2B Tony Kemp
15. OF Preston Tucker
16. RHP Joe Musgrove
17. IF Nolan Fontana
18. RHP Kyle Smith
19. C Max Stassi
20. OF Danry Vasquez
21. RHP Frances Martes
22. RHP Daniel Mengden
23. RHP Asher Wojciechowski
24. RHP James Hoyt
25. RHP Adrian Houser
26. RHP Brady Rodgers
27. OF Andrew Aplin
28. IF Ronald Torreyes
29. SS Joan Mauricio
30. SS/OF Osvaldo Duarte


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

Please consider purchasing my new e-book, the "2015 Houston Farm System Handbook." The book can be read immediately on your kindle, and can also be read on virtually any computer, tablet or smart phone by downloading the Free Kindle Reading App.

Happy Birthday - 3/19

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

UT Matt Downs (31)
Originally drafted by the Giants in the 36th round in 2006 out of the University of Alabama, Downs became an Astro after being claimed off waivers in August of 2010. In three seasons with the Astros, he hit .235/.298/.432 in 208 games and played at 2B, 3B, 1B, RF, SS and LF. He was also the emergency catcher but was never called upon in that capacity.

3B/2B Jose Castillo (34)
Claimed off waivers from the Giants in 2008, Castillo played in 15 games for Houston that year, hitting .281/.314/.313. In 2014, he played in the Mexican League.

UT Chuck Jackson (52)
Drafted by Houston in the seventh round in 1984, Jackson played in 81 games for Houston in 1987 and 1988, hitting .218/.281/.321. In 12 seasons in the minors, he hit .288/.369/.426.

Tweet of the Day

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

American League West Top Prospects

MLB Pipeline has been rolling out the top 30 prospects for each American League West team this afternoon. Here are the links that have come out so far. The Astros and the Rangers are in the top 10 farm systems and those in the top 10 will be revealed throughout the remainder of the week starting Tuesday. Also included in the Top 10 (in no particular order) are the Braves, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, Mets, Pirates and Blue Jays.

[UPDATE]: Houston was named #8 out of the Top 10 farm systems and the top 30 prospects were released here: Houston Astros

[SECOND UPDATE]: The Rangers came in at #7 in the Top 10 farm systems and the top 30 prospects were released here: Texas Rangers

Former Astros farmhand Delino DeShields (#18) made the list.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Former Astros farmhands RHP Nick Tropeano (#5) and C Carlos Perez (#20) made the list.

Seattle Mariners

Former Astros farmhand LHP David Rollins (#26) made the list.

Oakland A's


Reason #1 To Buy My Book: Drumroll Please ...

Reason #1 in the Top 10 Reasons to buy the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook: Drumroll Please ...

The Number One reason to buy the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook? The sooner you buy the book, the sooner I quit nagging you about it and get back to writing on the blog!

One final note: Aside from all of the 5-star ratings I've received on Amazon, I also received this comment from someone with whom you should be familiar.
And you know that Brownie wouldn't lie!

Previous Posts:
Reason #10:Instant Hipster Cred!
Reason #9: 257+125+87+84+81=AWESOME!!!
Reason #8: You Can't Tell The Players Without A Program!
Reason #7: Humor and Fun Facts
Reason #6: Exclusive Content
Reason #5: 5-Star Reviews
Reason #4: Exclusive and Hard to Come By Stats
Reason #3: Portable and Searchable
Reason #2: Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes


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

Please consider purchasing my new e-book, the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook. The book can be read immediately on your kindle, and can also be read on virtually any computer, tablet or smart phone by downloading the Free Kindle Reading App from Amazon or from the iTunes store. And if you have an Amazon account, no need to download anything ... just read it on the Kindle Cloud Reader at read.amazon.com.

Happy Birthday - 3/18

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

RHP Brian Fisher (53)
Originally drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 1980, Fisher signed with Houston as a free agent in February 1990 and pitched in only four games (five total innings) for the Astros that season. His best season was his rookie season for the Yankees in 1985 when he was 4-4 with an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP of 1.078 over 55 games.

Tweet of the Day

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy Birthday - 3/17

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

C Raul Chavez (42)
Chavez, a native of Venezuela, was originally signed as a NDFA by Houston in 1990 and was traded to the Expos along with Dave Veres for Sean Berry in 1995. Signing with Houston in 2000 as a free agent, he played in 136 games in 2000 and 2002 through 2005 as a back-up catcher. His regular season stats were nothing to write home about, but he did go 4 for 9 with a home run and two RBI's in the NLDS and NLCS in 2004. He also boasts a 41% career caught stealing percentage in the major leagues and a 44% career caught stealing in the minor leagues.

Tweet of the Day

Monday, March 16, 2015

American League West Top Prospects

MLB Pipeline has been rolling out the top 30 prospects for each American League West team this afternoon. Here are the links that have come out so far. The Astros and the Rangers are in the top 10 farm systems and those in the top 10 will be revealed throughout the remainder of the week starting Tuesday. Also included in the Top 10 (in no particular order) are the Braves, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, Mets, Pirates and Blue Jays.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Former Astros farmhands RHP Nick Tropeano (#5) and C Carlos Perez (#20) made the list.

Seattle Mariners

Former Astros farmhand LHP David Rollins (#26) made the list.

Oakland A's


Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

Today the Astros announced more cuts from the big league camp as RHP Michael Feliz, IF Ronald Torreyes and RHP Vince Velasquez were optioned and RHP Brady Rodgers was re-assigned to minor league camp.

Let's check in and see how the Astros minor leaguers have fared to date while playing with the big league club:

Position Players
SS Carlos Correa - 4x16 R RBI 2BB 4SO
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x11 4R 5BB SO 2SB
OF Domingo Santana - 0x5 RBI 5SO
C Max Stassi - 4x10 3R HR 2RBI 2BB SO
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x7 R RBI BB 3SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x7 R BB SO CS
IF Joe Sclafani - 3x7 4R
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 1x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x3 R 2B
C Roberto Pena - 0x3
OF Brett Phillips - 2x3 R HR 2RBI SO
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x1 SO
C Luis Flores - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x1
OF Preston Tucker - 0x1 2BB
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

Pitchers
RHP James Hoyt - 3G 3.2IP 0.00ERA 0.545WHIP BB 2SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 3G 9.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP 3BB 7SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 2G 2.1IP 3.86ERA 0.857WHIP BB SO
RHP Mark Appel - 1G 2.0IP 4.50ERA 1.500WHIP 2SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP BB SO

Happy Birthday - 3/16

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Reymin Guduan (23)
An international free agent from the Dominican Republic, Guduan has played in the Astros system for five seasons. For the Greeneville team in 2014, Guduan was 2-5 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.805 WHIP in 13 games (nine starts). He struck out 58 batters in 44.1 innings.

One former Astro celebrates today as well ~

RHP Mickey Storey (29)
Originally signed by Oakland in the 31st round in 2008, Storey came to the Astros organization in a trade with Oakland for "future considerations" in July 2011 and made his major league debut in Houston on August 3, 2012. In 26 games, he had a 3.86 ERA and a 1.220 WHIP. He played with the Blue Jays organization in 2014.

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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Reason #2 To Buy My Book: Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Reason #2 in the Top 10 Reasons to buy the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook: Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes

For three years and seven months, I have been bringing you minor league news from all levels of the Astros organization. And for the last three years, I have been bleeding cash to get my minor league fix and to get you yours. Apparently some readers still don't understand that, other than a couple of hundred dollars in ad revenue over the last three years, I haven't made a cent on this. Some are under the grossly mistaken impression that I am either employed by the Astros (WRONG!) or that they reimburse me for my travel costs (WRONG AGAIN!).

But I wouldn't change a minute of it. I love to travel. I love to meet baseball people (the best people in the world) and interview the players and others. I love to take photographs. And I love to write about it all. And I was able to afford the travel costs and the new lens for my camera and the subscription to Baseball America and the video recorder and the audio recorder and the many other expenses I have had in conjunction with this pursuit.

But now my situation is changing. I will honestly be extremely surprised if I am still employed at year end. One of the owners of my company passed away and the other looks increasingly likely to sell. With the uncertainty of the situation, I have no choice but to cut way back on my travel expenses. I have only firmly scheduled one minor league trip so far and am hoping against hope to make enough on the handbook to help pay for additional travel.

I have never been one to hold out my hand expecting something for nothing. There is no way that I would ever set up a Paypal account asking for your support or a crowdfunding account like Go Fund Me or the like. Heck, I didn't even want to put ads on the blog, but I finally broke down and did that. So, instead of looking for a handout, I decided to create something of value ... the handbook.

And the handbook is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Astros minor league system. It has received nothing but 5-star reviews so far from those of you who have purchased it. Covering 257 players in the Astros minor league system and including exclusive stats and content available nowhere else, frankly it would be a bargain at twice the price. Amazon estimates that the book would be 855 pages long if it was in print form. That is a lot of information.

Not everyone is going to be interested in purchasing the book no matter how much information it contains. I get that. But if you have enjoyed the blog for any part of the past three and half plus years, if you enjoy the in person player interviews, if you enjoy the photographs and the videos, if you enjoy the eyewitness accounts ... I would urge you to consider the purchase anyway because I really don't want 2015 to be my farewell tour.

Previous Posts:
Reason #10:Instant Hipster Cred!
Reason #9: 257+125+87+84+81=AWESOME!!!
Reason #8: You Can't Tell The Players Without A Program!
Reason #7: Humor and Fun Facts
Reason #6: Exclusive Content
Reason #5: 5-Star Reviews
Reason #4: Exclusive and Hard to Come By Stats
Reason #3: Portable and Searchable


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

Please consider purchasing my new e-book, the 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook. The book can be read immediately on your kindle, and can also be read on virtually any computer, tablet or smart phone by downloading the Free Kindle Reading App from Amazon or from the iTunes store. And if you have an Amazon account, no need to download anything ... just read it on the Kindle Cloud Reader at read.amazon.com.