WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Jorge Alcala - May 2018
Photo by Jayne Hansen
7-27: RHP Jacob Billingsley (24)
7-28: RHP Jorge Alcala (23)
ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS
7-24: RHP Peter Solomon assigned to Buies Creek from Quad Cities
7-23: OF Andy Piñeda assigned to Tri-City from Corpus Christi
7-23: RHP Edgardo Sandoval (Quad Cities) activated from the 7-day DL
7-23: RHP Ronel Blanco (Corpus) placed on the 7-day DL
7-23: LHP Framber Valdez activated by Corpus Christi; may have been suspended or placed on temporarily inactive list
7-22: 1B Taylor Jones assigned to Corpus Christi from Fresno
7-22: RHP Trent Thornton (Fresno) activated from temporarily inactive list
7-20: 3B J.D. Davis recalled to Houston from Fresno
7-20: RHP J.B. Bukauskas activated from DL and assigned to Quad Cities
7-18: RHP Alex House assigned to Tri-City (2017 24th-round pick)
7-17: RHP Enoli Paredes assigned to Buies Creek from Quad Cities
7-17: LHP Brett Adcock assigned to Corpus Christi from Buies Creek
7-17: RHP Ralph Garza assigned to Corpus Christi from Fresno
7-17: RHP Jayson Schroeder assigned to GCL (2018 2nd-round pick)
7-17: LHP Javier Navas (GCL) released
ASTROS MILB DISABLED LIST
7/11: RHP Forrest Whitley (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
7/11: RHP Carlos Sierra (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
6/19: OF Drew Ferguson (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL (hand)
6/1: LHP Yeremi Ceballos (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
6/1: RHP Carlos Quintero (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
5/26: RHP David Paulino (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL (retroactive to the 25th)
5/4: RHP Francis Martes (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL
5/3+/-: RHP Gerardo Bojorquez had TJ surgery per Instagram post
4/5: RHP Ryan Thompson assigned to Fresno (starting the season on the 7-day DL); according to Instagram Ryan has had surgery, but I don't know whether or not it was TJ
4/5: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Quad Cities (starting the season on the 7-day DL; according to Instagram, Ruppenthal had elbow surgery to transpose the ulnar nerve in early April and started to throw mid-June)
4/5: RHP Ángel Heredia (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
4/5: RHP Nick Hernandez (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL (Tommy John)
No date: RHP Alex House (Tri-City) appears to be on the DL per his Instagram account but working his way back (end of June)
ASTROS MILB RESTRICTED LIST
6/22: RHP Yoanys Quiala placed on the restricted list (80 game suspension for performance-enhancing substance); Quiala won't be eligible to play again until approximately mid-April of 2019.
MISSING IN ACTION
Now that all of the short season teams have started playing, I've gone through my records and the following players all show as "active" on MiLB, but they haven't played yet this season. If anyone has any info on the following players, please let me know.
RHP Hunter Martin
LHP Javier Navas - made his first appearance of the season for the GCL team 7/16, released 7/17
RHP Kyle Serrano - made his first appearance of the season for the GCL team 7/6
I will be keeping track of all the releases, retirements, trades and signings for the 2018 season here.
FEATURED PLAYERS
This edition of the Farm Report has a triple feature...
Abreu began the 2018 season with Tri-City and was called up to Quad Cities two weeks ago. He was originally signed in November 2013 out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16 but was not highly regarded, even though he signed in his first year of eligibility. At the time, according to Oz Ocampo, Abreu threw 84 and had a 12-6 curveball as his primary off-speed offering. Ocampo and his team saw plenty of promise in Abreu and it's been a little bit of a slow burn as he spent his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League and his third in the Gulf Coast League before leaving the complex leagues for good with Greeneville in 2017, where he posted an unsightly 7.98 ERA in eight appearances (six starts). Despite the rough showing in the Appalachian League, Abreu still showed some of the promise that Oz Ocampo saw in him (even though it was often hidden behind some of those four and five-run outings), like when he allowed four hits and struck out eight over five shutout innings on July 27.
Now, Abreu has gained several ticks on his fastball and has two more pitches in his arsenal and he's harnessed his newfound stuff to dominate the New York-Penn League and he's now taken his act to the Quad Cities. His most recent appearance was Saturday and he got the save by allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out seven over four scoreless innings. Obviously, the small sample size caveat applies, but he's taken the hard lessons that he learned in the Appalachian League and honed his craft to become a more complete pitcher.
Jojanse Torres made his pro debut on June 19. According to the Astros' transactions page, he officially signed on April 24. Torres, a native of the Dominican Republic, will turn 23 on August 4, so yes, he's ancient for the Dominican Summer League. With that being said, a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and a potentially plus slider will turn heads, no matter where one plays. He's also gotten a mention in Baseball America's midseason update of the Astros' top 10 prospects. Torres last appeared on Friday and recorded his first professional win by allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out seven over five shutout innings. Ronel Blanco signed as a 22-year-old, turned 23 during his first professional season, and now he's in Corpus. It's entirely possible that Torres could hop on a path similar to Blanco's.
Ernesto Jaquez signed last July for $95,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He turned 19 on June 11 and he's caught my attention mainly for his absurd performance in his second season in the DSL. Jaquez has allowed two runs (one earned) in 36 innings this season. No, that is not a typo. Jaquez is described by Oz Ocampo as having a four-pitch mix and he can throw strikes with all four of his offerings. Since literally like three people have been able to touch Jaquez while he's on the mound, I wonder about the amount of deception that he has in his delivery. He doesn't have the pure stuff of Jojanse Torres, but at 6'2", 190, that doesn't mean that he won't be able to gain another tick or two to his arsenal as he continues to progress through the system. Jaquez has had his way with DSL hitters all season and he might be making his way to the US soon.
ASTROS MILB STANDINGS
Up and down arrows represent increase/decrease in win percentage over the prior week.
Most of the clubs outside of the complex leagues have been a bit uneven as of late, but they've held steady in terms of their position within their divisions.
CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League)
7/23: RHP Ronel Blanco (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
7/11: RHP Carlos Sierra (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
6/19: OF Drew Ferguson (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL (hand)
6/1: LHP Yeremi Ceballos (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
6/1: RHP Carlos Quintero (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
5/26: RHP David Paulino (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL (retroactive to the 25th)
5/4: RHP Francis Martes (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL
5/3+/-: RHP Gerardo Bojorquez had TJ surgery per Instagram post
4/5: RHP Ryan Thompson assigned to Fresno (starting the season on the 7-day DL); according to Instagram Ryan has had surgery, but I don't know whether or not it was TJ
4/5: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Quad Cities (starting the season on the 7-day DL; according to Instagram, Ruppenthal had elbow surgery to transpose the ulnar nerve in early April and started to throw mid-June)
4/5: RHP Ángel Heredia (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
4/5: RHP Nick Hernandez (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL (Tommy John)
No date: RHP Alex House (Tri-City) appears to be on the DL per his Instagram account but working his way back (end of June)
ASTROS MILB RESTRICTED LIST
6/22: RHP Yoanys Quiala placed on the restricted list (80 game suspension for performance-enhancing substance); Quiala won't be eligible to play again until approximately mid-April of 2019.
MISSING IN ACTION
Now that all of the short season teams have started playing, I've gone through my records and the following players all show as "active" on MiLB, but they haven't played yet this season. If anyone has any info on the following players, please let me know.
RHP Hunter Martin
I will be keeping track of all the releases, retirements, trades and signings for the 2018 season here.
FEATURED PLAYERS
This edition of the Farm Report has a triple feature...
Bryan Abreu - July 2018
Photo by Jayne Hansen
Great to see DR RHP Bryan Abreu coming into his own. Projection guy we signed who threw 84 mph with 12-to-6 CB calling card. Now 93/97 MPH with 4-pitch mix (FB/CB/SL/CH), maybe the best CB in the system. Great kid, another #AstrosSleeperhttps://t.co/IuAxmYHHWR https://t.co/nF1Hobyg7w— Oz (@OcampoBaseball) July 22, 2018
22yo RHP Jojanse Torres, another #AstrosSleeper to watch. Three-pitch FB/SL/CH mix with FB up to 98, pwr SL at 89, and developing CH. @DSLAstros #Astroshttps://t.co/K9xd8LV8Dt— Oz (@OcampoBaseball) July 14, 2018
Bryan Abreu, Jojanse Torres, and Ernesto Jaquez are names that very, very few Astros fans know, but they're all starting to gain helium within the system and Oz Ocampo, who is now one of Jeff Luhnow's special assistants and the leader of the Astros' international operations, is extremely excited about the stable of arms that he and his team have unearthed, and are working to unearth, in Latin America. Abreu, Torres, and Jaquez look to be the latest success stories.Spoke too soon, velo jump for Ernesto. FF 91, t94 #allJaquezesthrowhard— Oz (@OcampoBaseball) July 19, 2018
Abreu began the 2018 season with Tri-City and was called up to Quad Cities two weeks ago. He was originally signed in November 2013 out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16 but was not highly regarded, even though he signed in his first year of eligibility. At the time, according to Oz Ocampo, Abreu threw 84 and had a 12-6 curveball as his primary off-speed offering. Ocampo and his team saw plenty of promise in Abreu and it's been a little bit of a slow burn as he spent his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League and his third in the Gulf Coast League before leaving the complex leagues for good with Greeneville in 2017, where he posted an unsightly 7.98 ERA in eight appearances (six starts). Despite the rough showing in the Appalachian League, Abreu still showed some of the promise that Oz Ocampo saw in him (even though it was often hidden behind some of those four and five-run outings), like when he allowed four hits and struck out eight over five shutout innings on July 27.
Now, Abreu has gained several ticks on his fastball and has two more pitches in his arsenal and he's harnessed his newfound stuff to dominate the New York-Penn League and he's now taken his act to the Quad Cities. His most recent appearance was Saturday and he got the save by allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out seven over four scoreless innings. Obviously, the small sample size caveat applies, but he's taken the hard lessons that he learned in the Appalachian League and honed his craft to become a more complete pitcher.
Jojanse Torres made his pro debut on June 19. According to the Astros' transactions page, he officially signed on April 24. Torres, a native of the Dominican Republic, will turn 23 on August 4, so yes, he's ancient for the Dominican Summer League. With that being said, a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and a potentially plus slider will turn heads, no matter where one plays. He's also gotten a mention in Baseball America's midseason update of the Astros' top 10 prospects. Torres last appeared on Friday and recorded his first professional win by allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out seven over five shutout innings. Ronel Blanco signed as a 22-year-old, turned 23 during his first professional season, and now he's in Corpus. It's entirely possible that Torres could hop on a path similar to Blanco's.
Ernesto Jaquez signed last July for $95,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He turned 19 on June 11 and he's caught my attention mainly for his absurd performance in his second season in the DSL. Jaquez has allowed two runs (one earned) in 36 innings this season. No, that is not a typo. Jaquez is described by Oz Ocampo as having a four-pitch mix and he can throw strikes with all four of his offerings. Since literally like three people have been able to touch Jaquez while he's on the mound, I wonder about the amount of deception that he has in his delivery. He doesn't have the pure stuff of Jojanse Torres, but at 6'2", 190, that doesn't mean that he won't be able to gain another tick or two to his arsenal as he continues to progress through the system. Jaquez has had his way with DSL hitters all season and he might be making his way to the US soon.
ASTROS MILB STANDINGS
Up and down arrows represent increase/decrease in win percentage over the prior week.
Most of the clubs outside of the complex leagues have been a bit uneven as of late, but they've held steady in terms of their position within their divisions.
FRESNO (Pacific Coast League)
🠋1st 58-43 .574 -.-GB W1
The Grizzlies currently lead Tacoma by seven games in the PCL Pacific Northern division.
The Grizzlies currently lead Tacoma by seven games in the PCL Pacific Northern division.
CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League)
🠋1st 63-37 .630 -.-GB L2 (overall)
1st 20-11 .645 -.-GB L2 (second half)
1st 43-26 .623 -.-GB W5 (first half division winner)
The Hooks have made the playoffs as the first half winners of the Texas League South Division.
1st 20-11 .645 -.-GB L2 (second half)
1st 43-26 .623 -.-GB W5 (first half division winner)
The Hooks have made the playoffs as the first half winners of the Texas League South Division.
BUIES CREEK (Carolina League)
2nd 57-44 .564 4.0GB L1 (overall); no change in overall winning percentage
🠋2nd 20-12 .625 1.5GB L1 (second half)
2nd 37-32 .536 3.5GB L1 (first half)
🠋2nd 20-12 .625 1.5GB L1 (second half)
2nd 37-32 .536 3.5GB L1 (first half)
QUAD CITIES (Midwest League)
🠋3rd 55-45 .559 2.5GB W1 (overall)
🠋5th 15-15 .500 6.5GB W1 (second half)
1st 40-30 .571 -.-GB W6 (first half division winner)
The River Bandits have made the playoffs as the first half winners of the Midwest League Western Division.
TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League)
🠋1st 20-15 .571 -.-GB W1
Tri-City leads Lowell by a half-game in the New York-Penn League Stedler division.
GCL ASTROS (Gulf Coast League)
🠉3rd 16-14 .533 5.5GB W1
DSL ASTROS (Dominican Summer League Northwest)
🠉6th 20-23 .465 11.0GB W1
🠋5th 15-15 .500 6.5GB W1 (second half)
1st 40-30 .571 -.-GB W6 (first half division winner)
The River Bandits have made the playoffs as the first half winners of the Midwest League Western Division.
TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League)
🠋1st 20-15 .571 -.-GB W1
Tri-City leads Lowell by a half-game in the New York-Penn League Stedler division.
GCL ASTROS (Gulf Coast League)
🠉3rd 16-14 .533 5.5GB W1
DSL ASTROS (Dominican Summer League Northwest)
🠉6th 20-23 .465 11.0GB W1
NEWS AND LINKS
- MK Bower, in his latest for Forbes, discusses how the Astros clubhouse was an ideal environment for Kyle Tucker to enter.
- Check out Jayne's photos from her recent trip to the Quad Cities.
- Baseball America (subscription required) recently released updated top 10 prospect lists for all thirty teams. Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker are holding steady in the top two spots and they've taken notice of Corbin Martin's breakout 2018.
- Sad news to pass along as former Astros clubhouse manager Dennis Liborio has passed away at the age of 63. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
- In a video package for the All-Star Game discussing the impact of the video game "Fortnite" across the league, George Springer was featured doing the eagle dance that was originally done by Dahyun, a member of the K-pop girl group Twice (and the origins of her doing that dance is a lot deeper and I don't think I have time to go in on that). Apparently the game's dance emotes are influenced by K-pop.
- For the soccer fans: Son Heung-min, my Korean older brother, just signed a contract extension which will keep him at Tottenham Hotspur (England) until 2023.
And in case you missed any of these, here are Jayne's recent interviews:
RHP Corbin Martin (Corpus Christi)
3B Abraham Toro (Corpus Christi)
RHP Trent Thornton (Fresno)
OF Chas McCormick (Buies Creek, since promoted to Corpus Christi)
OF J.J. Matijevic (Buies Creek)
RHP Brandon Bielak (Buies Creek, since promoted to Corpus Christi)
LHP Brett Adcock (Buies Creek)
SS Alex De Goti (Corpus Christi)
1B Taylor Jones (Corpus Christi, since promoted to Fresno)
RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (Corpus Christi, since promoted to Fresno)
RHP Corbin Martin (Corpus Christi)
3B Abraham Toro (Corpus Christi)
RHP Trent Thornton (Fresno)
OF Chas McCormick (Buies Creek, since promoted to Corpus Christi)
OF J.J. Matijevic (Buies Creek)
RHP Brandon Bielak (Buies Creek, since promoted to Corpus Christi)
LHP Brett Adcock (Buies Creek)
SS Alex De Goti (Corpus Christi)
1B Taylor Jones (Corpus Christi, since promoted to Fresno)
RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (Corpus Christi, since promoted to Fresno)
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