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Sunday, May 2, 2021

Meet the Corpus Christi Hooks

Part two of the Meet the Team series takes us down to South Texas. Let's get to know the 2021 Corpus Christi Hooks!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Hooks have been an Astros affiliate since its inception in 2005. 2020 would have been the 15th anniversary of their inaugural season, but again, unless you have been living off the grid, there was no Minor League Baseball season. During the (still) ongoing pandemic, Whataburger Field has served as the Astros' Alternate Site.

Following the MiLB realignment, Corpus was placed in the AA Central League, which is essentially a continuation of the Texas League. (Why didn't they just retain the league names?) This ten-team league consists of the eight teams that comprised the Texas League, with San Antonio and Wichita moving down from what used to be the AAA Pacific Coast League. Wichita makes its return to minor league baseball with the Wind Surge. The last franchise in that city now does business as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. 

Corpus Christi will play in the South division, which consists of all Texas clubs just like the old Texas League, alongside Amarillo (now a D-Backs affiliate), Frisco (Rangers), Midland (A's), and San Antonio (back with the Padres). The North division is, well, the Texas League's North division (Arkansas, NW Arkansas, Springfield, Tulsa) with Wichita added in.

As Corpus Christi is the birthplace of Whataburger, the Hooks have decided to commemorate the beloved burger chain's Coastal Bend roots. You have probably seen the apparel collection, complete with their twist on the iconic orange W logo. Every Wednesday, they will take the field as the "Corpus Christi Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits," with jerseys that evoke the table tents that you get with every Whataburger order. 

@cchooks

Get your 🔥 merch at cchooks.com/shop ##whataburger ##MLB ##milb ##baseball ##fyp ##astros ##fastfood ##greenscreen

♬ Pumpkins - Clutch

Corpus opens its 2021 season Tuesday as they host the San Antonio Missions.

SOCIAL MEDIA/TEAM-RELATED ACCOUNTS

Official website: cchooks.com
Twitter: @cchooks
Instagram: cchooks
Michael Coffin, radio play-by-play, Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting: @CoffinMJC

COACHING STAFF

2014 Astro Gregorio Petit will finally get his first managerial opportunity. He was originally slated to take over as Hooks manager in 2020 and then you know what happened next.

Pitching Coach: Graham Johnson
Hitting Coach: Rafael Peña
Athletic Trainer: Nate Stewart
Strength Coach: Mike Myers

ROSTER

Corpus Christi has served as a landing spot for many top Astros prospects to start and this year is no different. Hunter Brown appears to be on the fast track as he's skipping both A levels to begin his first full professional season with the Hooks. The man to watch, however, is Pedro León, the highly-touted Cuban outfielder who will be making his professional debut as an infielder. León has received significant hype in advance, but now it's time for him to deliver.

Italics - player bats/pitches left-handed
Bold - player is a switch-hitter

Pitchers
Jonathan Bermúdez - 23rd round, 2018 draft (Southeastern); played with Quad Cities and Corpus Christi in 2019
Hunter Brown - 5th round, 2019 draft (Wayne State); Tri-City
Willy Collado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Corpus/Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Brett Daniels - 17th round, 2018 draft (North Carolina); Corpus/Quad Cities
Tommy DeJuneas - Acquired via trade from Cleveland for James Hoyt, 2018; Corpus/Fayetteville
Chad Donato - 11th round, 2016 draft (West Virginia); Corpus/Fayetteville
J.P. France - 14th round, 2018 draft (Mississippi State); Fayetteville
Nick Hernandez - 8th round, 2016 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville
Michael Horrell - 30th round, 2019 draft (Campbell); Tri-City
Parker Mushinski - 7th round, 2017 draft (Texas Tech); Fayetteville, with rehab appearances in Tri-City and the Gulf Coast League
Hunter Peck - Undrafted free agent, 2020 (Georgia Gwinnett)
Joe Record - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Twins, 2020; Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers (Twins)
César Rosado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Fayetteville

Catchers
Scott Manea - Acquired via trade along with Ross Adolph and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville
C.J. Stubbs - 10th round, 2019 draft (Southern Cal); Quad Cities/Tri-City

Infielders
Norel González - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Villa Clara (Cuban National Series)
David Hensley - 26th round, 2018 draft (San Diego State); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Grae Kessinger - 2nd round, 2019 draft (Ole Miss); Quad Cities/Tri-City
Pedro León - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Mayabeque (Cuban National Series)
J.J. Matijevic - 2nd round, 2017 draft (Arizona); Corpus/Fayetteville
Michael Wielansky - 18th round, 2018 draft (College of Wooster); Quad Cities

Outfielders
Ross Adolph - Acquired via trade along with Scott Manea and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Marty Costes - 22nd round, 2018 draft (Maryland); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Corey Julks - 8th round, 2017 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville
Chandler Taylor - 10th round, 2018 draft (Alabama); Fayetteville

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