Monday, January 29, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/29

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Dex McCall - August 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-29: 1B Dex McCall (24)
1-30: RHP Dariel Aquino (22)
1-31: SS Juan Pineda (20)
2-2: RHP Brad Peacock (30)
2-2: OF Ramiro Rodriguez (20)
2-3: LHP Javier Navas (20)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

These are the only recent posted transactions, aside from the non-roster invitees which are covered below.




Jon Singleton - April 2017
Photos by Jayne Hansen

1-23: 1B Jon Singleton suspended 100 games for a third positive test for a drug of abuse
1-23: RHP Dean Deetz suspended 80 games for a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug
1-22: LHP Buddy Boshers claimed off waivers from Minnesota

Boshers is being added to the mix (along with Tony Sipp and Rule 5 Draft pickup Anthony Gose) as a possible lefty reliever. Drafted by the Angels in the fourth round in 2008, Boshers has pitched in 100 major league games, compiling a 4.54 ERA and 1.274 WHIP. In 2016, lefties slashed .241/.267/.293 against him; in 2017, they hit .224/.258/.397 against him.

I would like to add a personal word about the suspension of Dean Deetz. I've had the opportunity to talk to and observe Deetz several times over the last three seasons and I have come to admire his humility and his professionalism. Following the suspension, Deetz released the statement below and he has given me no reason to doubt him. I'm sure many of you will think that I'm just being naive, but I'm going to go with my gut here. Other players have been just as adamant that they didn't know how the same banned substance Deetz tested positive for got into their system. Again, I may be naive, but I'm going to give Deetz the benefit of a doubt.

"Let me say first and foremost that I have never knowingly taken a performance enhancing substance of any kind," Deetz said in a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association. "I come from a small town, and know how fortunate I am to call myself a professional baseball player. I would never jeopardize that opportunity, or betray those who have supported me along the way, by trying to cheat in order to gain an advantage. As I explained to the arbitrator in my appeal, I have no idea how I could possibly have tested positive and although I am disappointed with the outcome, I will abide by his decision."

Several additional players were extended non-roster invitations to Spring Training this week. The complete list is here. One interesting invitee is 3B Randy Cesar. As I wrote in my post last week on third base depth, Cesar has been pretty steady at third base the last couple of seasons, but he has yet to play above High A going in to his seventh season in the system. It appears that the Astros intend to be aggressive with him in order to determine what his ceiling may be before he is lost to minor league free agency. All of the other invitees have played at AA or higher, although OF Myles Straw only played in 13 games with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks at the end of the season.

You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

The winter leagues are all but over with only the Australian Baseball League postseason and Caribbean Series left to play. The final updates for the ABL regular season and LBPRC are below.  For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1. The Caribbean Series will start on Friday; information on the series can be found here.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Since Rodrigo Ayarza's team was in dead last at the end of the regular season, he will not be playing in the postseason. But Ayarza is sure to have left a good impression on his Australian hosts with a very solid season. In his final four games, he was 5-for-18 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 40G .292/.324/.476 11-2B 1-3B 6HR 15RBI 8BB:34SO 6SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The stats below carry over from last week as neither Ruben Castro nor Carlos Sierra appeared in the final regular season games. Castro had only one plate appearance in the postseason, going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter and Sierra did not appear in postseason play. The Cangrejeros de Santurce lost 0-3 to the Criollos de Caguas.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 5G 3.1IP 5.40 ERA 3.900 WHIP 1SO:7BB
C Ruben Castro - 5G .500/.545/.600 1-2B 1RBI 1BB:3SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Kyle Glaser at Baseball America has this great article about players who take the opportunity to play in Korea and Japan. [Insider only]

Connor MacDonald - August 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Former Astro Connor MacDonald, a first baseman who signed with the Astros in 2012 as the first signing out of Australia in 20 years, was released by the Astros during the 2017 season but is getting a second chance with the Pirates as a pitcher. We at WTHB wish Connor all the best!

The Greeneville Reds, formerly the  Greeneville Astros, unveiled their logo this week. (I will miss visiting beautiful Pioneer Park at Tusculum College.).

Prospect ranking season continues with Kyle Tucker ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #5 outfield prospect. Last week, they had Forrest Whitley as second on their list of right-handed pitching prospects, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

And over the weekend, MLB Pipeline came out with their Top 100 overall prospect list and it included RHP Forrest Whitley (#9), OF Kyle Tucker (#17) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76). In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#39) and RHP Albert Abreu (#74) were also ranked. Notably missing from MLB Pipeline's list was Yordan Alvarez who was ranked #62 by Baseball America. Jonathan Mayo breaks down the Top 100 for you.

As a reminder, here is Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect Rankings list which came out last week, with RHP Forrest Whitley (#10), OF Kyle Tucker (#15), 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez (#62) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76) all earning a nod. In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#35), RHP Albert Abreu (#77), OF Brett Phillips (#80) and RHP Jorge Guzman (#87) were also ranked. BA included tool rankings for all 100 here.

Baseball America also posted an article about breakout prospects for 2018 who didn't quite make the Top 100 and included the Astros Freudis Nova.

When MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season prospect list, Baseball America releases their 2018 Prospect Handbook and FanGraphs weighs in with their Top Prospect list, I'll do a consensus prospect list. In the meantime ...

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field - Coming this week

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Beyond the Top 30: Third Base

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Many of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

[UPDATES TO FINAL 2018 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS SHOWN IN RED.
BA= BASEBALL AMERICA, BP = BASEBALL PROSPECTUS,
FG=FANGRAPHS, MLB = MLB PIPELINE]

THIRD BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30

As noted above, I'm not including write-ups on any players who have made their major league debuts, but I would like to note that 3B J.D. Davis is currently ranked #9 by MLB Pipeline, #10 by Baseball America and in the "Next 10" by Baseball Prospectus. Former Astros Colin Moran was ranked #5, #9 and #9 by each of those respective sources prior to his trade to the Pirates. In addition, although I included Freudis Nova in my shortstop post, he has also spent time at third base and may very well end up at that position. Nova is currently ranked #10, #5 and "Next 10" by the same respective sources. Which brings us to ...

Joe Perez (R/R) - MLB #14, BA #15, FG #19
Perez is currently only ranked by MLB Pipeline at #17, but may very well be included in Baseball America's forthcoming Prospect Handbook since BA called him the best athlete out of the Astros 2017 draft class. Drafted in the second round out of Archbishop McCarthy High School (FL), Perez reportedly underwent Tommy John surgery in June and has yet to play in his first professional game. According to BA, he was a "legitimate two-way star" in high school, but the Astros drafted him as a third baseman where he is projected to hit for both power and average, using all fields and making good contact. Defensively, he has the arm for third base, but it remains to be seen whether or not his other defensive tools will be enough for him to stick at the position. It is unlikely that he will make his professional debut until late in the 2018 season. He will turn 19 on 8/12.

THIRD BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Abraham Toro-Hernandez - August 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Wander Franco (S/R)
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of Franco up to this point in his professional career. Originally signed by the Astros in July 2013 for $575,000, Franco has baseball in his blood. He has two brothers who are also named Wander Franco (as is his father), one of whom is currently in the minors of the Giants organization and one of whom signed with the Rays during the 2017 July international signing period and is ranked as their #8 prospect by MLB Pipeline. In addition, his uncles, Erick Aybar and Willy Aybar, have both played in the majors. That big signing bonus and baseball pedigree are the main reasons that I am including Franco on this list. One reason I am concerned, however, has to do with a July 2017 suspension for undisclosed reasons followed by a quick demotion to the Gulf Coast League for about a month. Before and after the demotion, Franco played in 64 games with Quad Cities, hitting .230/.285/.358. Those numbers are less than stellar, but those 64 games were his first career games played above rookie ball. Franco just turned 21 in October so there is definitely still time for him to live up to his early promise as a smooth fielder with good instincts, and an advanced hitter with developing power and an ability to hit to all fields. [Franco was released prior to the 2018 season.]
Keys: Continue to develop his line drive approach to all fields, refine his defensive abilities, stay out of trouble and prove that he can do all of that at the higher levels of the organization. With 2018 being his fifth season in the system, Franco needs to gain some real forward momentum in his development this year.

Sean Mendoza (S/R)
Mendoza, a 17-year old Venezuelan, may not stay at third base (he also played in the outfield and at second base in his first season), but he was solid defensively in his 23 games at the position in 2017. But it was his offensive contributions that really stood out, particularly for a 17-year old. In 63 games with the Dominican Summer League, he hit .301/.384/.342 with six doubles, one triple and 17 stolen bases to 10 caught stealing. He walked 27 times while only striking out 29 times. And he just got better as the season progressed. In 24 games in August, he hit .366/.418/.427 (including five of his six doubles). When he signed in July 2016, Oz Ocampo of the Astros saw Mendoza as "an athletic middle infielder with soft hands and solid actions" and lauded his speed, hand-eye coordination and ability to hit for contact. Mendoza won't be 18 until 6/2.
Key: Build on a very sold first season and use his speed to collect more extra base hits.

Josh Rojas (L/R) - FG #28+
I am in total agreement with Baseball America who cited Rojas as the best late round pick in the Astros 2017 draft. Drafted in the 26th round out of the University of Hawaii, he could prove to be a real steal. Rojas skipped short season A completely and ended up hitting a home run as his first professional hit at Low A Quad Cities. Although he was solid defensively at third base, he can also fill in nicely at second, and play short stop and left field in a pinch. Because of this, his value may eventually be as a utility player, but he showed enough power potential in 56 games (5 doubles, 5 triples and 10 home runs) to be considered at the hot corner. For the season, he hit .261/.319/.478, including hitting .333 in a four-game fill-in stint with AAA Fresno at the end of the season. I was really impressed with what he accomplished at a level that most 2017 draftees weren't even challenged to in their first season.
Keys: Work on driving the ball, including using more of the opposite field, and work on plate discipline (19 walks to 46 strikeouts).

Abraham Toro-Hernandez (S/R) - FG #22, MLB #29
Toro was supposed to transition to catcher in 2017, but only played 15 games at that position as compared to 42 at third base so for purposes of this write-up, I still consider him a third base prospect. Toro peaked in July, hitting .315/.431/.607 in 26 games (21 at Tri-City and 5 at Quad Cities). His transition to Quad Cities was not a particularly smooth one and he managed only a .209/.323/.463 line in 37 regular season games at the level (as compared to .292/.414/.538 in 32 games with Tri-City), but Toro came through in the postseason, hitting .314/.400/.571 in nine postseason games as Quad Cities took the Midwest League crown. There is a lot to like about Toro. He is described as having great hands, a great arm, great defensive versatility, good power potential and "elite plate discipline" (40 walks to 51 strikeouts for the season). Toro is very athletic and has exceptional intangibles as well ... a leader on the field and in the clubhouse who speaks French, English and Spanish fluently. Yes, I'm a fan. If that's not enough, he also profiles as a true switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate. Toro was drafted in the fifth round in 2016 out of Seminole State College (OK) and just turned 21 on 12/20.
Key: Refine his approach at the plate to show that he is capable of facing the more and more experienced pitchers he will encounter at each level.

Others to Watch:

Randy Cesar (R/R) - FG #28+
Originally signed by the Astros for $100,000 in July 2011 out of the Dominican Republic, Cesar will be entering his seventh season in the Astros system in 2018. Unfortunately for the 23-year old, that means that 2018 is a make-or-break season for Cesar as he will become a minor league free agent at the end of the season. He has been a solid albeit unspectacular player, particularly the last two seasons, but the fact remains that he has yet to play a single game above High A.

Yeuris Ramirez (R/R)
Ramirez didn't have a particularly good season at the plate (.219/.397/.337) in 57 games in his second season with the Dominican Summer League, but he showed enough improvement during the season and enough of a hint of developing power (10 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs) in his age 18 season that I plan to keep an eye on him in 2018 when he will presumably graduate to the Gulf Coast League. He turned 19 on 11/28.

Adrian Tovalin (R/R)
Tovalin was one of the weaker third basemen on this list, defensively speaking, but it is his bat that got him drafted. A 16th round draft pick in 2017 out of Azusa Pacific University (CA), Tovalin is pretty much a boom-or-bust prospect. Baseball America described him as having "massive pull power with little effort," but the question is whether or not he can cut down on the strikeouts that go with that power. Tovalin hit .218/.294/.396 with six doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 20 walks to 65 strikeouts in his first 54 professional games between Greeneville and Tri-City. He will be 22 next month.

Previous Posts:
Shortstop
Second Base
First Base

Monday, January 22, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/22

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Carlos Sanabria - July 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-22: RHP Mike Hauschild (28)
1-22: 1B Angel Tejeda (21)
1-24: C/1B Jose Carrillo (20)
1-24: RHP Carlos Sanabria (21)
1-25: RHP Bryan Solano (20)
1-27: LHP Antonio Pujols (20)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

There haven't been any posted moves since the big Garrit Cole trade last week. You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Coming into the final week of the regular season, Rodrigo Ayarza has continued to impress with a solid season. On Sunday, Ayarza went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored two runs, punctuating a 4-game series in which he was 5-for-18 with five runs scored, two doubles; he walked once and struck out four times. The ABL regular season will conclude on Saturday.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 36G .293/.329/.493 10-2B 1-3B 6HR 13RBI 8BB:31SO 5SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Ruben Castro - August 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ruben Castro appeared in four games since my last post, two as the starting catcher, one as a defensive replacement and one as a pinch hitter, going 4-for-9 with a run, one walk to three strikeouts and four stolen bases allowed. Carlos Sierra appeared twice over the past week. In his first appearance on Thursday, he allowed two hits and a walk without recording an out (none of his bequeathed runners scored or it could have been worse for him!) and on Sunday, he pitched one inning of relief, allowing one hit, one walk and no runs. The LBPRC will end its abbreviated regular season on Tuesday with postseason play starting on Wednesday.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 5G 3.1IP 5.40 ERA 3.900 WHIP 1SO:7BB
C Ruben Castro - 5G .500/.545/.600 1-2B 1RBI 1BB:3SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs weighs in on the Gerrit Cole trade.

MiLB.com looks at the reality of minor league free agency.

Travel headaches in the Pacific Coast League, a league that stretches more than 2000 miles from the Pacific.

A history of some of minor league baseball's oldest team names.

The Astros front office released the 2018 minor league coaching staff on Friday. There are a couple of notable departures with 2017 Corpus Christi Hooks Pitching Coach Dave Borkowski leaving for the Dodgers AA staff and Hooks 2017 Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis joining former Fresno Manager Tony DeFrancesco on the Mets AAA roster. Notably returning to the Astros fold is Josh Bonifay who will be the minor league Fielding Coordinator after spending one season with the Rangers. In addition, there are several Manager promotions, including Rodney Linares from AA to AAA, Omar Lopez from Low A to AA and Morgan Ensberg from short season A to High A. One final note: Assistant Pitching Coordinator Chris Holt is this Chris Holt and not that Chris Holt.

It is prospect ranking season and more are starting to come out. MLB Pipeline is currently rolling out their Top 10 by position. They have Forrest Whitley as second on their list of right-handed pitching prospects, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

And Baseball America came out with their official Astros Top 10 list, after giving us a sneak peak in the run up to the Gerrit Cole trade. The scouting reports are insider only. [Note: If you're interested in prospects, college players, draft rankings, international rankings, etc., a BA subscription is your best friend!]

And just this morning, Baseball America came out with their Top 100 Prospect Rankings, with RHP Forrest Whitley (#10), OF Kyle Tucker (#15), 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez (#62) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76) all making the list. In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#35), RHP Albert Abreu (#77), OF Brett Phillips (#80) and RHP Jorge Guzman (#87) were also ranked. BA included tool rankings for all 100 here.

When MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season prospect list, Baseball America releases their 2018 Prospect Handbook and FanGraphs weighs in with their Top Prospect list, I'll do a consensus prospect list. In the meantime ...

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen - Coming this week

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Beyond the Top 30: First Base

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Many of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

[UPDATES TO FINAL 2018 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS SHOWN IN RED.
BA= BASEBALL AMERICA, BP = BASEBALL PROSPECTUS,
FG=FANGRAPHS, MLB = MLB PIPELINE]

FIRST BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30

Yordan Alvarez - May 2017
Photo Courtesy of Rich Guill

Yordan Alvarez (L/L) - BA #3, FG #4, BP #4, MLB #4
OK, technically Alvarez spent more time in left field than at first base in 2017, but since there are a TON of outfield prospects in the Astros system and Alvarez is the only one from the current lists who spent time at first base, I'm calling him a first baseman (at least for now). Alvarez, a 20-year old Cuban who came to the Houston system in an August 2016 trade with the Dodgers for RHP Josh Fields, was ranked as the third best prospect in the Astros system by Baseball America last week (Baseball Prospectus and MLB postseason rankings have him at number 4). The reason that he is ranked so highly is because of his bat. He provides average defense at first base with an average arm and below average speed, so it was his 2017 offensive line of .304/.379/.481 in 90 games split between Quad Cities and Buies Creek that set him apart. Alvarez hits with authority to all fields and his power (17 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs) should continue to develop with more experience. His bat control and strike zone discipline have worked very well for him so far in his professional career.

FIRST BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Troy Sieber - July 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Jake Adams (R/R)
Adams, drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2017 out of the University of Iowa, did not have a very auspicious freshman professional season (.170/.280/.388). But as a unanimous Big 10 Player of the Year and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, he has earned the opportunity to show the Astros what he can do in the new season. The bad news? He only collected 28 hits in 48 games for short season A Tri-City in 2017. The good news? 16 of those 28 hits were for extra bases (six doubles and 10 home runs). As a matter of fact, his first professional home run was a monster 425-foot shot in his first professional at-bat. There was more good news in that Adams cut waaayyyy down on his strikeouts later in the season (a total of 24 walks to 68 strikeouts in 48 games). Adams just turned 22 in December.
Keys: Work on his plate discipline and long swing, putting more balls into play and cutting his strikeouts down to a manageable level. Also, he reportedly will need to work on his footwork at first base.

Roman Garcia (R/R)
Garcia, drafted 13 rounds lower than Adams in the 19th round out of the University of San Diego had the kind of solid first season one would have liked to see from Adams. Granted Garcia's season was with the lower level Rookie League Greeneville team, but Garcia was able to show more plate discipline and keep the strikeouts reasonably within check while putting up a .277/.342/.457 line (eight doubles, one triple and seven home runs) in his 48 games. He also finished the season very strongly with a .337/.356/.530 line in 23 games in August, plus an excellent postseason. Garcia was a solid defender at first in his inaugural season. Garcia turned 22 this past November.
Key: Keep strikeouts in check (48 strikeouts to 14 walks in 48 games in 2017) while putting the ball in play at the higher levels.

Colton Shaver (R/R)
I find Shaver, the Astros 2017 39th round draft pick out of Brigham Young, to be very intriguing. With a .215/.332/.423 batting line and 25 walks to 63 strikeouts in his first 49 professional games (between Greeneville and Tri-City), Shaver certainly has his work cut out for him when it comes to plate discipline, but he has legitimate power. Shaver peaked in July (16 games in Greeneville and five games in Tri-City), hitting .275/.420/.609 with two doubles and seven of his 10 home runs. Shaver also collected the first and second walk-off grand slams in Tri-City history in 2017. With a bat that big, you have to root for the 39th round pick! Shaver really tailed off at the end of the season as first year players sometimes do. I'll be interested to see what he can do in his sophomore season.
Key: Work on plate discipline and strikeout rate without sacrificing a ton of power.

Troy Sieber (L/R)
I am a big fan of Sieber for all of his intangibles. He is smart, a very hard worker, a good clubhouse guy and a leader on the field. He started the season at Extended Spring Training taking additional instruction, but it only took two games at short season A Tri-City to convince the Astros that he was ready for full season A Quad Cities where he spent the remaining 54 games of his season. For the season, he compiled a .289/.403/.457 batting line with 37 walks to 49 strikeouts. His power (12 doubles and seven home runs) is developing and he shows the aptitude to hit to all fields. Sieber ended the season extremely well, hitting .343/.478/.514 in 20 games in August and .333/.478/.389 in five postseason games. Sieber is a very physical player who will use his body to keep the ball in front of him, if necessary, as he works to finetune his defensive game. The 2016 24th round draft pick out of St. Leo College (FL), will be 23 in June.
Keys: Sieber is working to drive the ball more. He will need to keep making adjustments, both offensively and defensively, as he climbs the ladder and faces more polished competition at the higher levels.

Final Notes:
  • I went back and forth about 20 times as to whether or not to include Hooks 1B Dex McCall on this list. Ultimately, I decided that I needed to see more consistency from him. At 24 later this month, going into his fifth professional season, I need to see more consistency for average, power and in his on-base skills in 2018. At this point in his development, he needs to prove that he can be a major league first baseman and I don't believe that he has yet done that. I hope for him to prove me wrong in 2018! [McCall was released prior to the 2018 season.]
  • I will also keep an eye on Angel Tejeda who hit .304/.398/.411 in 45 games between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. It was, however, Tejeda's third professional season and his first promotion to the U.S. Since he will be 20 later this month, any enthusiasm I have for him is somewhat tempered.
Previous Posts:
Shortstop
Second Base

Monday, January 15, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/15

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Yoanys Quiala - August 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-15: RHP Yoanys Quiala (24)
1-17: OF Kyle Tucker (21)
1-18: SS Osvaldo Duarte (22)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

I certainly don't need to inform my readers about the big weekend trade with Pittsburgh to obtain RHP Garrit Cole in exchange for RHP Joe MusgroveRHP Michael Feliz3B Colin Moran and OF Jason Martin. Baseball America has a very good post on what the Astros gained and what they lost from a talent perspective. And J.J. Cooper of BA weighs in with some additional thoughts on Moran. MLB Pipeline has updated their 2017 postseason prospect rankings to remove Moran (#5) and Martin (#15). RHP Jairo Solis has been slotted in at #21 and OF Ronnie Dawson has been added at #30.

19-year old Joe Musgrove - August 2012
Photo by Jayne Hansen

What these various pundits don't weigh in on is what else the Astros fans are losing. If you are on twitter, you might have seen many tweets of praise for Joe Musgrove ...






Any fan who has ever had the opportunity to interact with Joe from the low minors all the way up to Houston will know what a special person he is, generous with his time and his heart. I first interviewed Joe when he was only 19 and I immediately fell in love with him. He was sweet and charming ... a gentle giant like my father. Every time I spoke with him from that point forward just cemented my impression of him as a really special person. He and his wonderful family will be missed. Best of luck to Joe, Michael, Colin and Jason as they continue their baseball journeys!


One additional note ... as of 1/14, the Astros 40-man roster stands at 38 with the addition of Cole and the subtraction of Musgrove, Feliz and Moran. I do not think it was a coincidence that Astros General Manager Luhnow's trade allows him much more flexibility to identify and patch holes where the team sees them as the season approaches. Had he given up top prospects not on the 40-man roster, Luhnow would still have had his hands tied with a full roster and much less room to maneuver.

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

MiLB.com is currently down for maintenance. Therefore, I cannot currently access the specifics of Ayarza's last four games, but it appears that he continues to have a good amount of success with the Bite. The ABL regular season will conclude on January 27th.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 32G .295/.331/.508 8-2B 6HR 13RBI 7BB:27SO 5SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Again, I can't access the boxscores for detailed information at this time, but Sierra lowered his ERA over three points in one appearance and Castro had his first and only at-bat (so far) of his winter campaign resulting in an RBI double.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 3G 2.1IP 7.71 ERA 3.429 WHIP 1SO:5BB
C Ruben Castro - 1G 1.000/1.000/2.000 1-2B 1RBI

NEWS AND LINKS

Baseball America gave us an early look at the Top 10 Astros prospect list as the Gerrit Cole trade loomed. Colin Moran's #9 ranking and (according to J.J. Cooper) Jason Martin's #19 ranking look to be in the upcoming BA Prospect Handbook as their press deadline came and went last week. Also according to Cooper, an Astros prospect will be gracing the cover. I will assume that player to be Forrest Whitley since they have him ranked as the top Astros prospect.

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen - coming this week

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Beyond the Top 30: Second Basemen

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Most of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

SECOND BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)


Yeah, there aren't any. At least no players whose primary position in 2017 was second base. Of course, when you have an MVP at the major league level, you hope you won't need another second baseman any time soon. But just in case ....

SECOND BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Alex De Goti - July 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ryne Birk (L/R)
Birk doesn't have any one tool that makes you say, "Wow!" But the sum of the parts seems to work well for him. Drafted in the 13th round in 2016, Birk made it to AA Corpus Christi in mid-July in his second season as a professional. Although he hit better in his 81-game stint with Buies Creek (.274/.340/.430) than he did in 37 games with Corpus Christi (.246/.286/.429), Birk was catching up with AA pitching later in the season as he compiled a .279/.311/.512 batting line in August and September. Birk does show a little power (17 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs) with the tendency being toward his pull side, and his on-base skills are generally above average. Birk is a solid defender with an average arm and decent speed. As I said, he doesn't have one tool that really stands out, so it has been his consistency that has moved him through the system more quickly than most. Birk turned 23 in November.
Key: Consistency. Continue to provide solid defense and continue to improve against hitters at the higher levels of the system.

Jeury Castillo (L/R)
I know. I know. You're going to take one look at Castillo's first season stats in the Dominican Summer League and think I'm a lunatic for including him on this list. But first please consider that he won't turn 18 until later this week and that, when he was signed for $400,000 in July of 2016, he was lauded for his offensive potential. Castillo hit only .136/.263/.235 in his first 51 professional games with a lot of ground outs, but he is expected to make good contact with a solid line-drive approach. He hit a tiny bit better as the season progressed and I fully expect his bat to improve substantially in 2018. The good news is that his defense at second base was very solid.
Key: Work on his offensive approach, getting back to the high contact rate and approach that earned him a $400,000 bonus.

Alex De Goti (R/R)
De Goti, in his second professional season, proved himself to be arguably the best defensive second baseman in the system while his bat lagged behind somewhat when it came to his first taste of High A pitching following his late May promotion to that level. However, De Goti was starting to make those adjustments at the plate by the end of the season with improving power and on-base skills. In 109 total games at Quad Cities (34), Buies Creek (70) and five fill-in games with Fresno, De Goti hit .236/.341/.356 with 18 doubles, one triple and eight home runs. De Goti played in 50 games at second, 39 games at first and 12 games at third and, although very capable at the other positions, it was his 428 errorless innings at second base that stood out. De Goti shows good leadership skills on the field to go with soft hands, good instincts and great intangibles. Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 out of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, De Goti signed for a mere $2,000 according to Baseball America which makes him an incredible bargain. De Goti will be 23 for most of the 2018 season.
Keys: Continue to work on the bat. Although most of his power is to the pull side, he has shown a decent penchant for using the whole field and I'd like to see him hit with more authority to the opposite field. And, although De Goti did a better job of getting on base toward the end of the 2017 season, he needs to maximize his capabilities in that regard. And, lastly, he will likely need to continue working on his versatility in the field since his value as a utility player may prove to be more than that of a second baseman.

Nick Tanielu (R/R)
Tanielu missed virtually all of the 2017 season (two rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League and two appearances in the Arizona Fall League) after undergoing ACL surgery in late 2016. Primarily used as a third baseman in his first two professional seasons, Tanielu moved over to second for the majority of his games in 2016 and was very, very solid at the position. His .285/.327/.409 batting line for 2016 was inflated by his production at the very hitting-friendly confines of The Hangar in Lancaster, California for the first 35 games of that season prior to his mid-May promotion to Corpus Christi. Tanielu peaked at AA in July before tailing off at the plate for the remainder of the season. Tanielu has a compact swing and uses the entire field, although most of his home run power is limited to the pull side. His power in 2016 (24 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs) plays up better at second base than at third which is likely the reason for moving him from the hot corner for the majority of his appearances. In 304 career minor league games to date, he has hit a more than respectable .297/.343/.422. Add in some very nice intangibles and Tanielu is definitely a player worth watching.
Keys: Prove himself to be healthy. The fact that he only played in two games in the AFL makes one wonder if his comeback was a bit premature. Prove himself to be able to handle higher level pitching with consistency. And prove that he is still a reliable defender at second base post-injury. Having turned 25 in September, Tanielu will need to prove all of this fairly quickly.

Enmanuel Valdez (L/R)
Valdez, who just turned 19 in December, just completed his second season in the Astros organization after signing for $450,000 in July 2015. Valdez profiles a lot like Castillo in that he was signed for a healthy bonus based more on his hitting ability than his defensive prowess and has not yet lived up to early projections. And also like Castillo, Valdez's defensive abilities have been better than advertised. The good news is that, although Valdez's .217/.321/.395 batting line for 2017 was less than impressive, it was his first season stateside as an 18-year old and he showed improvement later in the season with his strikeout rate. Also Valdez has intriguing gap power when he gets the ball out of the infield.
Key: I would like to see Valdez make adjustments at the plate in order to turn some of those many groundouts into line drives. When he uses a line-drive approach, he appears to have much more success, particularly since he's an average runner at best and needs to elevate the ball out of the infield for the best results.

Other Second Basemen of Interest (all played fewer than 20 games at the position in 2017):
Alfredo Angarita (S/R) - The 21-year old Venezuelan hit a respectable .257/.359/.327 in 41 games split between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, ending the season on a 10-game hitting streak (.457/.525/.514) which he carried over into an excellent winter league season in Venezuela.
Ronaldo Urdaneta (S/R) - Urdaneta turned 19 in November, following his second season in the system. My note to myself after reviewing his 2017 campaign was "don't know anything about him, but bring him to the States!" In his second professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017 (after signing out of Venezuela in 2015), he hit a robust .312/.420/.427 with 35 walks to 44 strikeouts. Oh, and he stole 27 bases to eight caught stealing. I reiterate, "Bring him to the States!"
Marco Van Der Wijst (R/R) - I know even less about Van Der Wijst who reportedly signed in July 2017 for $17,500, but his on-base skills are quite impressive. In 35 games, he hit .273/.411/.394 with 23 walks to 20 strikeouts. He will be 20 in February.

Note: There will be additional second basemen of interest who I will be including in a later write-up on utility players.

Previous Posts:
Shortstop

Monday, January 8, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/8

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Antonio Nunez - August 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-10: IF Antonio Nunez (25)
1-11: 3B Randy Cesar (23)
1-11: RHP Carlos Quintero (18)
1-12: SS/3B Freudis Nova (18)
1-13: RHP Andrew Thome (25)
1-14: 2B/3B Jeury Castillo (18)
1-14: SS Yorbin Ceuta (18)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

It's been all quiet on the transaction front since the end of December purge. The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Rodrigo Ayarza started out the weekend with a nice 4-for-10 in the first two games, but was 0-fer in the next two. Overall, he was 4-for-19 with a run and a stolen base, and one walk to three strikeouts. The ABL regular season will conclude on January 27th.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 28G .283/.325/.504 7-2B 6HR 11RBI 7BB:24SO 4SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The Puerto Rican winter league started up an abbreviated schedule of games this past weekend. Although Ruben Castro is listed on the Santurce roster, only Carlos Sierra has played to date. Sierra's first outing on Friday consisted of 1.1 innings of relief in which he allowed two hits and one walk with one of two inherited runners scoring. His second appearance on Sunday did not go well at all. After walking three straight batters, Sierra recorded his only out of the inning on a strikeout before issuing another walk with bases loaded after which he was lifted from the game. It could have been worse; only one of the three runners he left behind were allowed to score.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 2G 1.2IP 10.80 ERA 4.200 WHIP 1SO:5BB
C Ruben Castro

NEWS AND LINKS

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. My first post on shortstops in the system is here. Look for a post on second basemen in the system up next.

Top baseball execs like Forrest Whitley (no big surprise since they kept trying to trade for him last season!).

And speaking of trades, Jonathan Mayo sees three former Astros as breakout candidates in 2018.

Baseball Prospectus has some love for J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin with a shoutout to Joe Perez.

According to MiLB via the Fayetteville Observor, the Astros new stadium being built in Fayetteville, North Carolina is already benefiting the community.

And last but certainly not least, Astros farmhand Jack Mayfield's son Jackson says "Put me in coach! ... OK, maybe after my nap."

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Beyond the Top 30: Shortstops

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Most of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list and the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once Baseball America and FanGraphs weigh in, and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

[UPDATES TO FINAL 2018 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS SHOWN IN RED.
BA= BASEBALL AMERICA, BP = BASEBALL PROSPECTUS,
FG=FANGRAPHS, MLB = MLB PIPELINE]

SHORTSTOPS IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Jonathan Arauz - August 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Jonathan Arauz (S/R) - BP #6, FG #16, MLB #22, BA #23
Arauz is currently ranked by Baseball Prospectus at number 6 and by MLB Pipeline at number 23. After missing the first 50 games of the 2017 season on the restricted list (tested positive for a methamphetamine), Arauz was sent to Quad Cities where he hit a less than robust .220/.331/.276 in 36 games and was subsequently demoted to Tri-City for the remainder of the season. He hit .264/.341/.364 at the lower level. But keep in mind that he is a solid defender who only turned 19 toward the end of the 2017 season. Look for Arauz to start the 2018 season back with Quad Cities where he will try to catch up with full season A pitching.

Freudis Nova (R/R) - BA #5, MLB #5, FG #7, BP #11+
The Astros were able to sign Nova in July 2016 for 1.2 million, roughly half of his projected bonus after Nova tested positive for steroid use and was thought to have a potential issue with his elbow. Nova was cited by Baseball America as being one of the top athletes in the 2016 class. In his first season with the Dominican Summer League in 2017, Nova split his time between shortstop and third base. He may very well be moved to the hot corner as he is projected to have the bat and the arm for the position. He started off the season extremely hot before cooling off in his final month of play, hitting .247/.342/.355 with six doubles, four home runs, eight stolen bases and 15 walks to 33 strikeouts in 47 games while his defense improved throughout the season. The Dominican-born Nova won't turn 18 until January 12th. Nova is currently listed as number 11 by MLB Pipeline and in the 11-20 range by Baseball Prospectus.

Miguelangel Sierra (R/R) - BA #30, FG #28+
Miguelangel Sierra, however, does not currently project to move out of a middle infield position. In his third season of playing since signing for $1 million in July 2014, Sierra exhibited plus defense at short with a bat that lagged behind in his 57 games at short season A Tri-City (.178/.260/.297). He is not ranked by Baseball Prospectus and will likely fall from his current number 16 ranking by MLB Pipeline based on his regression with the bat. Having turned 20 on December 2nd, Sierra will need to show a more disciplined line drive, high contact approach at the plate in his fourth season.

SHORTSTOPS BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Kristian Trompiz - July 2017
Photo by Jayne Hansen


Cody Bohanek (R/R)
As the only signed shortstop in the 2017 Astros draft class (30th round, University of Illinois at Chicago), Bohanek impressed the front office enough with his excellent fielding at rookie level Greeneville that he was rewarded with a promotion to the Quad Cities full season A club for the last 10 games of the regular season (and the postseason). Bohanek also displayed a decent bat in his first 56 pro games, hitting .246/.353/.332 with a little pop (8 doubles and 3 home runs).
Key: Keep up the good work defensively, cut down on the strikeouts (18BB:54SO) and show enough consistency/improvement with the bat to enable the 22-year old to move quickly through the system.

Deury Carrasco (L/R) - FG #28+
Although Carrasco is nowhere near as polished a fielder as Bohanek, what he did at age 17 in his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League was nothing short of remarkable. In 64 games, Carrasco hit .266/.407/.319 with nine doubles and one triple. But what really stood out was his 50 walks to 48 strikeouts and his 32 stolen bases to 14 caught stealing. It is little wonder that Carrasco was given a $480,000 bonus when he signed in 2016. At that time he was lauded for his athleticism, speed and plus arm.
Key: Improve defensively and build on that initial offensive success as he moves to the more advanced levels of competition.

Yorbin Ceuta (S/R)
Ceuta, who won't be 18 until the 14th of this month, signed for a reported 1 to 1.2 million in 2016. He was ranked #11 in that signing class by Baseball America with his hit and fielding tools projected to be his best assets. He did not disappoint on either front, showing excellent fielding skills and a bat that improved as the season continued. His .248/.349/.293 batting line (with 27BB:39SO) in 60 games in the Dominican Summer League matched the scouting reports of a disciplined bat with little power projection. Although his speed was said to be average or a little lower, he managed to steal 11 bases and was caught six times.
Key: Build on his early success. At this point, he hits considerably better from the left side of the plate. Any improvements he can make as a right-handed hitter will increase his stock even more.

Kristian Trompiz (R/R)
Trompiz originally signed with the Astros in 2012 for a $320,000 bonus and just completed his fifth season in the system. However, he just turned 22 in early December and finished his 2017 season with the full season A Quad Cities squad, an appropriate level for his age. Trompiz can play (and has played) at any of the infield positions so I considered placing him on my list of utility players, but his solid defense and improving bat keeps him on this list for now, particularly considering the dearth of true shortstops at the higher level of the system. Trompiz started his 2017 season at Corpus Christi and was demoted to Tri-City after only 17 games. But he was way too advanced for short season A and ended up at Quad Cities for the final 40 games of the season where he hit a very respectable .261/.331/.310 and .258/.324/.258 in nine postseason games (.275/.340/.322 for the season as a whole). He also managed to swipe 22 bases while getting caught 8 times in only 82 games. The one thing that has eluded Trompiz has been consistency with his bat and it feels as though he had a breakthrough with that this past season. In addition, Trompiz is one of the most respected players in the system for his work ethic, selflessness and leadership by example. Those intangibles help all of his other skills play up.
Key: Going into his 6th season, time is not on Trompiz's side. He will need to show (quickly) that the improved consistency at the plate was not a fluke and he will need to be able to display that consistency at AA and possibly AAA.

Next up: Second Base

Monday, January 1, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/1

Happy New Year!!! Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Dallas Keuchel - Spring Training 2013
Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-1: LHP Dallas Keuchel (30)
1-2: RHP Juan Corniel (22)
1-3: RHP Hansel Paulino (22)
1-4: RHP Valente Bellozo (18)
1-7: RHP Brendan McCurry (26)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

In case you missed it, quite a few Astros minor leaguers were released last week and I did a write up with some general observations about them. Since that was posted, a few more players got their pink slips as well.

12-29: OF Renaigel Martis (DSL Orange) released
12-29: RHP Renny Ugarte (DSL Blue) released
12-29: OF Luis Coronel (DSL Blue) released
12-22: C Freddy Chirino (DSL Blue) released
12-22: RHP Jonger Ochoa (DSL Blue) released
12-22: 2B Samir Caraballo (DSL Blue/Orange) released
12-22: 1B Michael Garcia (DSL Orange) released
12-22: RHP Jesus Bernaez (DSL Orange) released

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE (AFL) - SEASON OVER

The Mesa Solar Sox ended their fall campaign with a 16-13-1 record to lead the East, but ultimately fell 8-2 to the West in the Arizona Fall League Championship game on 11/18.

RHP Dean Deetz - 8G 4.91 ERA/1.182 WHIP 11.0IP 4BB:23SO
RHP Riley Ferrell - 9G 4.66 ERA/1.552 WHIP 9.2IP 9BB:7SO
RHP Brendan McCurry - 5G 4.05 ERA/1.350 WHIP 6.2IP 3BB:5SO (last played 10/30)
LHP Framber Valdez - 6G/6ST 3.20 ERA/1.627 WHIP 19.2IP 8BB:14SO
1B Yordan Alvarez - 4G .313/.353/.438 3B 1BB:6SO (last played 10/14)
3B/2B Nick Tanielu - 2G .000/.000/.000 (last played 10/16)
OF Kyle Tucker - 22G .214/.305/.310 6-2B 3B 9RBI 9BB:22SO 2SB:0CS

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP) - SEASON OVER

18-year old Venezuelan OF prospect Wilyer Abreu had the opportunity to play in the final two games of the season for Zulia. Although he didn't have much to show for those two games, it is a testament to his talent that he was given that opportunity after playing in only 34 games at the pro level in his first season in 2017.

In years past, the Liga Paralela (the Venezuelan version of the minor league) featured many Astros minor leaguers, but due to the current economic issues in Venezuela, the league was roughly cut in half and very few Astros players participated this year.

Aguilas de Zulia
OF Wilyer Abreu - 2G .143/.143/.143 1RBI 0BB:1SO
SS Kristian Trompiz - 10G .227/.320/.227 3BB:4SO (last played 10/28)
RHP Elieser Hernandez - 5G/5ST 2.11 ERA/0.844 WHIP 21.1IP 6BB:22SO (last played 11/6 - picked up by the Rays in the Rule 5 draft)

Bravos de Margarita
2B Alfredo Angarita - 29G .304/.396/.337 2B 3B 8RBI 13BB:27SO 4SB:3CS (last played 11/26)

Leones del Caracas
RHP Diosward Gonzalez - 2G 6.75 ERA/2.251 WHIP 1.1IP 2BB:0SO (last played 10/19 - released 12-20)
RHP Yoanys Quiala - 4G/2ST 7.45 ERA/1.448 WHIP 9.2IP 5BB:8SO (last played 10/31)
C Gabriel Bracamonte - 3G .125/.125/.125 0BB:2O (last played 10/28)

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LMP) - SEASON OVER

Caneros de los Mochis
RHP Akeem Bostick - 11G/11ST 3.43 ERA/1.357 WHIP 42IP 19BB:47SO (returned to the U.S. week of 12/17)
OF Drew Ferguson - 9G .094/.147/.125 2BB:12SO

Naranjeros de Hermosillo
RHP Jacob Dorris - 8G 8.64 ERA/2.280 WHIP 8.1IP 10BB:2SO (last played 12/7)

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Rodrigo Ayarza - July 2016
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Rodrigo Ayarza is the only Astro currently playing and he had a great weekend down under, going 7-for-17 with three home runs, a double, three RBI and a stolen base. He scored five runs in the four games and struck out once (no walks).

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 24G .298/.340/.564 7-2B 6HR 11RBI 6BB:21SO 3SB:1CS

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM) - SEASON OVER

Gigantes del Cibao
LHP Reymin Guduan - 5G 4.50 ERA/2.500 WHIP 2.0IP 2BB:1SO (last played 12/12)

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The LBPRC has set January 6 as their target date to begin play.
NEWS AND LINKS

A post Tommy John surgery update on Astros RHP Brady Rodgers.

EXCELLENT proposition from Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com on how to raise minor league wages with little to no pain for the major league clubs.

"Sorry, wrong number!" Unique minor league team names lead to confusion.

This story on the Trenton Thunder bat dogs was originally posted in September, but I missed it and it's too cute not to share.

Congratulations to Astros C Anthony Hermelyn and former Astro Austin Kerns on earning their degrees!


And one final non-baseball link for my fellow chocoholics out there. I made this super easy recipe for a Christmas dessert and it was sinfully good!!!