Looking at the Evan Gattis Trade

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published this article on Tuesday focusing on former Astros RHP Mike Foltynewicz and his road to recovery from a blood clot and related surgery last year. His first appearance of the spring season in a split squad game was rated a solid "Holy Cow!"

Mike Foltynewicz - March 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

That led me to wonder how all the players from that January 2015 trade with Atlanta are faring since they left the Astros fold.

RHP Mike Foltynewicz is, according to the above article, expected to be able to join the Braves as soon as mid-April. He split his 2015 season between AAA Gwinnett and Atlanta. With Gwinnett, he was 1-6 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.376 WHIP. He walked 26 and struck 63 in 56.2 innings. For the Braves, Folty was 4-6 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.627 WHIP, walking 29 and striking out 77 in 86.2 innings. Through two Spring Training appearances, Foltynewicz has a 4.76 ERA and a 0.882 WHIP in his 5.2 innings of work. He is 24.

RHP Andrew Thurman has only appeared in one Spring Training game with the big league club at this point, but he was perfect in that one inning. The former 2013 second rounder's 2015 season was a tale of two seasons. He was putting up very nice numbers in his first six appearances in High A (2.51 ERA and 1.206 WHIP in 32.2 IP), but then this happened. Thurman missed almost two months to the disabled list after the bus accident. After coming back, he put up a 5.02 ERA and a 1.413 WHIP in his final 13 appearances of the season and his Arizona Fall League Campaign was mostly forgettable. Thurman was ranked #28 in the Braves system in Baseball America's 2016 Prospect Handbook. He is also 24.

3B Rio Ruiz struggled in his first taste of AA for the Braves (.229/.331/.318 in 126 games), but this article from the Atlanta paper reports a newly focused and more mature Ruiz showed up for Spring Training this year. In six games with the big league club, he has hit .400/.455/.500. Ruiz, who turns 22 in May, was ranked #17 in the Braves system by Baseball America going in to the 2016 season.

In return for Foltynewicz, Thurman and Ruiz, the Astros obtained DH Evan Gattis and minor league right-hander James Hoyt. Gattis hit .246/.285/.463 with 20 doubles, a mind-boggling 11 triples and 27 home runs in his first season for the Astros in 2015. He is currently working his way back from an injury (sports hernia) and is not expected to be ready by opening day. Gattis is 29.

Hoyt's 3.49 ERA and 1.204 WHIP for AAA Fresno in 2015 is somewhat misleading as he was significantly stronger in the second half of the season. He built on that with an excellent showing in Venezuelan winter ball which I spoke with him about in this December 2015 interview. In eight Spring Training appearances, Hoyt is 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP. He has held hitters to a .071 batting average. He was ranked #27 in the Astros system by Baseball America going in to the 2016 season despite being much older than the average prospect at 29 years of age (see the linked interview for more on that as well).

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

Nothing but 5-star reviews for the 2016 Houston Farm System Handbook!!! Get yours today.

Happy Birthday - 12/10

Happy Birthday to ~

IF Gregorio Petit (30)
Petit originally signed with Oakland out of Venezuela in 2001 and came to Houston as a free agent in January 2014. After playing 85 games in Oklahoma City, hitting .297/.340/.457, he was called up to Houston on July 25th. In 37 games for the Astros, he hit .278/.300/.423.

RHP Andrew Thurman (23)
Drafted in the second round in 2013 out of UC-Irvine, Thurman spent his 2014 season with the Quad Cities team. In 26 games (20 starts), Thurman went 7-9 with a 5.38 ERA and a 1.405 WHIP.

These former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

RHP Doug Henry (51)
Originally drafted by the Brewers in the eighth round in 1985, Henry came to Houston as a free agent in November 1997. In 139 games for the Astros from 1998 to 2000, he was 11-8 with 5 saves and had a 3.88 ERA and a 1.372 WHIP.  In four games for Houston in the NLDS in 1998 and 1999, he had a 1.88 ERA and a 1.125 WHIP. He is currently the Bullpen Coach for the Kansas City Royals.

RHP Dan Wheeler (37)
A 34th round pick by Tampa in 1996, Wheeler came to Houston in an August 2004 trade with the Mets. In 205 games for the Astros from 2004 to 2007, he was 6-12 with 23 saves and had a 3.02 ERA and a 1.088 WHIP.  In the NLDS in 2004 and 2005, he pitched in four games with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.313 WHIP.  Since it's his birthday, we'll just say that he didn't fare quite that well in the World Series and leave it at that.  He was traded to the then Devil Rays in 2007 for Ty Wigginton.

2B Bob Fenwick (68)
A first round pick by the Giants in 1967, Fenwick was drafted from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft in November 1971. In 36 games for the Astros in 1972, he hit .180/.226/.240. According to Baseball-Reference, Fenwick was the only major leaguer born in Okinawa when it was under U.S. control.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 23


Oklahoma City was off

As part of a league-wide off day in the Pacific Coast League. Tonight, they'll begin a 4-game series at home against Nashville at 7:05. Mike Foltynewicz and Rudy Owens will start the opener against Ariel Peña.

Midland 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- Chris Jensen (2-0)
L- Luis Cruz (2-2)
S- Murphy Smith (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were held in check as they couldn't muster up anything in support of Luis Cruz, who had a nice outing. He went 6 innings and the only blemish on his line was a solo homer from Jefry Marte in the 5th. Cruz gave up 3 other hits and struck out 3 in his outing. R.J. Alaniz, who was making his season debut, pitched the final 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2.

Nolan Fontana's RBI double in the 8th accounted for the lone Hooks run and the lone Hooks extra-base hit. Leo Heras went 2-4.

Tommy Shirley and Matt Heidenreich will be the pairing for the series finale, and they will face Andrew Werner at 7:10.

Inland Empire 4, Lancaster 3 in 12 innings

W- Eduard Santos (1-0)
L- Tyson Perez (0-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks walked off with a loss a half-inning after they spoiled a situation with 2 runners in scoring position and no outs.

Mark Appel, who is well below-form at the moment, labored through 2.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Juan Minaya was the first reliever out of the bullpen and struck out 2 over 1.2 perfect innings. Mitch Lambson worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Mike Hauschild came in to piggyback and threw 4 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 3. Tyson Perez was next up, and he went 2.1 innings and allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 3. He got the loss, as J.D. Osborne allowed one of the 2 runners he inherited to score, as Sherman Johnson delivered the game-winning single with 1 out in the 12th. Osborne faced 2 66ers and did not retire either of them.

Brandon Meredith drew a 1-out walk in the 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a Danry Vasquez single, and scored Lancaster's first run on a sac fly from Carlos Perdomo. The JetHawks tied the game with a pair of RBI singles from Meredith and Carlos Correa in the 6th. Roberto Peña went 3-4 with a double, and Rio Ruiz was 2-6 with a double.

In the series finale, Kyle Westwood and Vince Velasquez will take on Nate Smith at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 7, Clinton 1

W- Andrew Thurman (2-1)
L- Carlos Misell (3-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits have put up 15, 11, and now 16 hits in the first 3 games of this series. The game was tied at 1 after the 1st inning, but QC scored the final 6 runs to win handily. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Jon Kemmer, who went 0-5 with a K.

Tanner Mathis led off the game with a triple and Chan-Jong Moon opened the scoring with an RBI single one batter later. Moon, who finished 4-5, hit a triple of his own in the 3rd and wound up scoring on the play, thanks to an error. Jobduan Morales went 3-3, and all of his hits were doubles. 2 of those (in the 4th and 7th) resulted in an RBI, and he also walked twice. Moon added a 2-run single in the 6th, and Chase McDonald finished 2-4 with an RBI single in the 8th. Conrad Gregor also had a nice night at the plate as he went 3-5 with a double. 3 straight multi-hit games for Gregor has raised his average to an even .300.

Chris Lee went 4 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits and struck out 2. Andrew Thurman also went 4 innings as he got the victory; he allowed a hit and struck out 5. And finally, Albert Minnis struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th. Thurman has really turned it up as of late; this was another outstanding stint on the mound after two rough ones to open the season.

In the series finale, Kent Emanuel and Jandel Gustave will take on Jake Zokan. First pitch is at 6:30.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster
1-4, RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 SB (4)

2. And I want Korean food, all of a sudden.

Moon cooking our meal... pic.twitter.com/lkk41uyV
— brandon meredith (@bmeezytrain) June 4, 2012

Chan-Jong Moon, SS, Quad Cities
4-5, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R

1.

Jobduan Morales, C, Quad Cities

3-3, 3 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Mike Hauschild's Twitter: @MikeHauschild3

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Lancaster

4 IP, H, BB, 3 K

2.

Luis Cruz, LHP, Corpus Christi

L (2-2), 6 IP, 4 H (solo HR), ER, 3 K

1.

Andrew Thurman, RHP, Quad Cities

W (2-1), 4 IP, H, 5 K

Andrew Thurman's last 3 appearances:  2-0, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 9 H, ER, BB, 18 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, April 18, 2014

Swept again.

Colorado Springs 10, Oklahoma City 9

W- Greg Burke (2-0)
L- David Martinez (2-2)

OKC home runs: Jon Singleton (6, solo in 2nd), Max Stassi (3, 2-run in 7th)

The RedHawks walked off with another loss as they split the series. This happened after they ran off 8 unanswered, which culminated in them taking a 9-8 lead after the top of the 9th.

Jon Singleton opened the scoring with a solo homer (6) in the 2nd. After that, the Sky Sox went on a 9-0 run and were on their way to a comfortable win. However, Singleton had other ideas. He added an RBI single in the 6th, and then Domingo Santana hit a 2-run double. Santana would score when Jonathan Meyer hit into a force out. Max Stassi then made it a 1-run game by smacking a 2-run homer (3). Gregorio Petit hit the game-tying RBI double in the 8th, and Kiké Hernandez completed the comeback with an RBI double in the 9th. Hernandez wound up finishing 4-5. Singleton was 3-5, while Stassi, Petit, and Santana all went 2-5.

Bobby Doran got shelled in 3.2 innings as he allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (3-run homer) and struck out 2. Rhiner Cruz was the first man out and went 1.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and fanning 2. David Martinez threw 3 innings and allowed 2 runs (both inherited runners that scored) on 5 hits and struck out 4. Chia-Jen Lo only got 1 out in the 9th and allowed the game-tying and game-winning singles for Colorado Springs.

The RedHawks will now travel to Memphis for 4 games. In the opener, Rudy Owens and Mike Foltynewicz will take on Angel Castro at 6:05.

Frisco 4, Corpus Christi 3

W- Phil Klein (3-0)
L- Jordan Jankowski (0-1)
S- Matt West (2)

CC home runs: None.

The Roughriders answered the Hooks' 3-run 6th with a 4-run 7th. This was a game that was contested under protest by the Hooks after the 5th inning, stemming from a play at the plate where Tyler Heineman was leveled by Frisco CF Jake Skole.

After 10 zeros were posted, Joe Sclafani led off the 6th inning with a triple. He finished 2-4 and would score the game's first run on a single from Andrew Aplin. Preston Tucker added to the lead with an RBI single to bring Aplin home; he would score himself on a squeeze play from Nolan Fontana.

Aaron West was flying solo last night, as David Rollins is currently on the DL. He started off the game with 4 scoreless and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Alex Sogard went 2 innings and allowed a solo homer to Drew Robinson in the 7th, which wound up sparking their rally. Jordan Jankowski got the L as he gave up 3 runs (1 inherited runner scored) on 2 hits, including a 2-run homer, while only getting 1 out. Andrew Robinson got the final 2 outs of the 7th and gave up a hit that allowed the runner he inherited from Jankowski to score and struck out 1. Travis Ballew struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 8th.

Ross Seaton and Luis Cruz will start in game 3; their opponent is TBA, but their game notes say a rehabbing Matt Harrison will be starting for Frisco. First pitch is at 7:05.

High Desert 9, Lancaster 0

W- Scott DeCecco (1-0)
L- Mike Hauschild (1-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

If I could describe this game in one picture:

Mike Hauschild had a pretty good outing; in 5 innings, he allowed a run on a solo homer to Patrick Kivlehan in the 2nd, 3 other hits, and struck out 5. Tyson Perez worked around 2 hits to throw a scoreless 6th in his season debut. Dan Minor and J.D. Osborne.... had outings that they would love to forget. Let's just leave it at that.

The JetHawks offense was held to just 5 singles and struck out 14 times. They'll look to avoid the sweep as Vince Velasquez and Kyle Westwood will take the hill to face Matt Anderson. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific.

South Bend 4, Quad Cities 3

W- Will Locante (1-0)
L- Andrew Walter (1-2)
S- J.R. Bradley (2)

QC home runs: Brett Phillips (1, solo in 1st), Jon Kemmer (1, solo in 6th)

Every team in the system pretty much let their games get away late.

Andrew Thurman was solid once again; he's put up 2 nice efforts since starting off with a couple of duds. He went 4.1 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. Pat Christensen came on to get the final 2 outs of the 5th, striking out 1. Chris Lee went 2 innings and loaded the bases twice, but only allowed a run on a bases-loaded walk in the 6th. Lee allowed 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Andrew Walter threw a scoreless 8th, but he couldn't preserve the lead in the 9th as he gave up 2 runs, which gave the Silver Hawks a 4-3 lead. Walter allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Brett Phillips put QC on the board with his first home run as a professional, a solo shot in the 1st that tied the game at 1. Jack Mayfield hit an RBI single in the 5th, and Jon Kemmer connected on a solo shot (1) which gave the River Bandits a 3-2 lead in the 6th.

The River Bandits will look to salvage a game in this series as Jandel Gustave and Kent Emanuel will take the mound. They will take on Ben Eckels at 6:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

It was a clean sweep for OKC players.

3.

Enrique Hernandez, 2B/OF, Oklahoma City

4-5, RBI

Domingo Santana, RF, Oklahoma City

2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

2.

Max Stassi, Oklahoma City
2-5, 2-R HR (3), 2 R

1.

Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City
3-5, solo HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 R

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Lancaster

L (1-1), 5 IP, 4 H (solo HR), ER, 5 K

2.

Andrew Thurman, RHP, Quad Cities
4.1 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 8 K

1.

Aaron West, RHP, Corpus Christi
4 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, April 13, 2014

Let's play 2 in Midland, Michigan!

Oklahoma City 4, New Orleans 3

W- Josh Zeid (2-0)
L- Chris Hatcher (0-2)

OKC home runs: Jon Singleton (4, solo in 6th), Domingo Santana (1, solo in 9th)

The RedHawks walked off with the victory as Domingo Santana played hero late. After dropping the opener, they've taken the next 2 games.

Jon Singleton and Domingo Santana had all the RBIs today. Singleton was first up; he finished a triple shy of the cycle (in 4 at-bats) and opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st, and after the Zephyrs tied the game in the top of the 6th, he untied it with a solo blast in the bottom of the inning. New Orleans took the lead with a 2-run double from Kyle Jensen in the 8th, and Chris Hatcher was on to close it out in the 9th. Santana had other ideas; he tied the game at 3 by taking Hatcher deep to begin the inning, and he had the last laugh by delivering the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. Austin Wates went 2-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base (5). Carlos Perez was 2-4, and Ruben Sosa was 2-3 with 2 steals (2).

After getting knocked around in his first appearance on the year, Nick Tropeano has settled in a bit, throwing 8 scoreless innings since then. He threw 5 shutout innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Collin McHugh went 2 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits. Jason Stoffel was victimized by the 2-run double in the 8th; he walked 1 and struck out 1. Josh Zeid got the win by throwing 2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking 2, and fanning 2.

In the series finale, David Martinez and Bobby Doran will face Bryan Evans. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 9, Springfield 1

W- Aaron West (2-0)
L- Jonathan Cornelius (0-2)

CC home runs: Preston Tucker (2, solo in 5th), Jio Mier (2, 3-run in 5th), Delino DeShields (2, solo in 8th)

The Hooks opened up this series with a bang as they battered the Cardinals with 14 hits and scored the game's first 9 runs. 5 of the starting 9 had multi-hit games, led by DeShields and Tucker, who had 3 each. Jio Mier, Leo Heras, and Andrew Aplin had 2 apiece. Aplin opened the scoring in the 1st with an RBI single that brought DeShields home. Jio reached on a fielder's choice in the 2nd, and an error allowed 2 to score on the play. Heras stole home on a double steal in the 4th. Tucker and Mier delivered the haymakers in the 5th with their blasts, and DeShields provided the cherry with his shot in the 8th.

David Rollins issued a lead-off walk and that was the end of his day.

Word is David Rollins left his #cchooks start today with an oblique injury.
— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) April 13, 2014

Jordan Jankowski came out in Rollins' stead and threw 3 scoreless, allowing only 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 2. Aaron West tagged in and got the victory with 5 scoreless. He allowed a hit and struck out 2. Travis Ballew allowed a solo homer to James Ramsey in the 9th, but that was all the Cardinals got.

In the middle game of this series, Luis Cruz and Ross Seaton will face Kurt Heyer at 7:10.

Lake Elsinore 3, Lancaster 2 in 11 innings

W- Chris Nunn (1-1)
L- Dan Minor (0-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks couldn't finish off the sweep as they were left to rue the miscues and missed opportunities in this game. They were just 2-15 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. In the process, they snapped a 7-game winning streak. 2 errors resulted in 2 unearned runs, including the tying run in the bottom of the 8th.

Down 1-0 in the 6th, Danry Vasquez hit a 2-run double that gave the JetHawks the lead. He, Rio Ruiz, Carlos Perdomo, and Tony Kemp all went 2-5.

Josh Hader went 5 innings and allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. That was Hader's first walk issued of the year. The unearned run came as Teoscar Hernandez misplayed a ball that was hit by Gabriel Quintana in the 1st. Chris Devenski pitched 4 innings and also allowed an unearned run on 3 hits and walked 1. Vasquez called off Kemp to catch a popup from Corey Adamson and dropped it. Adamson wound up coming home with the tying run. Dan Minor came on for the 10th and worked around a single and a walk to strike out 2 in a scoreless frame, but Diego Goris took him deep to begin the 11th to end the game.

The JetHawks will now travel to High Desert to open a 3-game set with the Mavericks. Mark Appel and Mike Hauschild will take the mound for Lancaster, and they'll take on TBA. First pitch will be at 7:05 Pacific.

Game 1: Quad Cities 11, Great Lakes 0

W- Andrew Thurman (1-2)
L- Luis Chirinos (1-1)

QC home runs: None.

Quad Cities ran roughshod over the Loons in the early afternoon, sealing the deal with an 8-0 assault over the final 3 innings. Everyone had a hit except for Jack Mayfield, who was 0-4 with a sac fly in the 5th. 8 of the 9 River Bandits in the lineup had at least 1 RBI, except for Chan-Jong Moon, who was 3-4 with 2 runs scored.

Brian Holberton opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd, although he got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Tanner Mathis hit an RBI single of his own in the inning, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a force out, and scored on an error as the Loons tried to pick him off. Mayfield put up the first run of the 5th with his sac fly, then they got a 2-run double from Conrad Gregor, who scored on a Tyler White double. James Ramsay hit a sac fly in the 6th, and in the 7th, Jon Kemmer added another RBI double. He would score on a Ramsay single, and Brett Phillips finished it off with an RBI single.

After a rough start to his season, Andrew Thurman got himself going with 5 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 5. Tyler Brunnemann completed the shutout; he went 2 innings and allowed 2 hits and fanned 2.

What would game 2 hold in store for Quad Cities?

Game 2: Great Lakes 5, Quad Cities 4 in 9 innings

W- Jacob Rhame (1-0)
L- Pat Christensen (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits walked off with a loss, but they still took 2 of 3 to finish with a .500 record on their first roadtrip of the year.

Chris Lee went 4.2 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Zach Morton pitched 3.1 scoreless and gave up 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Pat Christensen got a groundout from the first batter he faced, but the next 3 guys all reached on him, the culminaiton of which was a walk-off single from Kyle Farmer.

Brett Phillips was 2-4 with a bases-clearing triple in the 3rd. Conrad Gregor was also 2-4; he added an RBI single in the 6th.

The River Bandits will now head home, where they will host the West Michigan Whitecaps for 3 at Modern Woodmen Park. In the opener, Kent Emanuel and Jandel Gustave will take on Jeff Thompson at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Brett Phillips, CF, Quad Cities

Game 1: 2-4, RBI, R

Game 2: 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI

2. Hooks sink Springfield

Delino DeShields, CF, Corpus Christi

3-4, 2B, solo HR (2), 2 R

Preston Tucker, LF, Corpus Christi

3-5, solo HR (2)

Jio Mier, SS/3B, Corpus Christi

2-4, 3-R HR (2)

1 (tie). ALL THE RUNS BATTED IN!!!!!!!!!

Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City

2-4, game-tying solo HR (1) in 9th, walk-off RBI single in 10th

Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City

3-4, 2B, solo HR (4), 2 RBI

Honorable Mentions: Austin Wates, Leo Heras, Danry Vasquez, Conrad Gregor, Andrew Aplin


Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Andrew Thurman, RHP, Quad Cities

W (1-2), 5 IP, 4 H, 5 K

2.

Nick Tropeano, RHP, Oklahoma City

W (1-1), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

1.

Aaron West, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-0), 5 IP, H, 2 K

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Jankowski, Tyler Brunnemann, Josh Zeid, Josh Hader, Zach Morton, Chris Devenski

Happy Birthday - 12/10

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Chris Epps (25)
Drafted in the 45th round in 2011 out of Clemson, this Georgia native spent his time in 2013 with the High A Lancaster team. In 115 games, Epps hit .275/.381/.503 with 32 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs and 75 RBI. A left-handed hitter, Epps has historically hit as well or better against lefty pitchers than he has against righties and 2013 wasn't an exception. In 72 at-bats against lefties, Epps hit .306/.370/.542.

RHP Andrew Thurman (22)
Drafted in the second round in 2013 out of UC-Irvine, Thurman spent his first professional season with the Tri-City ValleyCats. In 12 games (five starts), Thurman went 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.361 WHIP. He walked 11 batters while striking out 43 in 39+ innings.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Doug Henry (50)
Originally drafted by the Brewers in the eighth round in 1985, Henry came to Houston as a free agent in November 1997. In 139 games for the Astros from 1998 to 2000, he was 11-8 with 5 saves and had a 3.88 ERA and a 1.372 WHIP.  In four games for Houston in the NLDS in 1998 and 1999, he had a 1.88 ERA and a 1.125 WHIP.

RHP Dan Wheeler (36)
A 34th round pick by Tampa in 1996, Wheeler came to Houston in an August 2004 trade with the Mets. In 205 games for the Astros from 2004 to 2007, he was 6-12 with 23 saves and had a 3.02 ERA and a 1.088 WHIP.  In the NLDS in 2004 and 2005, he pitched in four games with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.313 WHIP.  Since it's his birthday, we'll just say that he didn't fare quite that well in the World Series and leave it at that.  He was traded to the then Devil Rays in 2007 for Ty Wigginton.

2B Bob Fenwick (67)
A first round pick by the Giants in 1967, Fenwick was drafted from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft in November 1971. In 36 games for the Astros in 1972, he hit .180/.226/.240. According to Baseball-Reference, Fenwick was the only major leaguer born in Okinawa when it was under U.S. control.

Funky Foto Friday

I've been playing with the BeFunky photo effect site again. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Andrew Thurman

Andrew Aplin

Michael Feliz

Chase McDonald

Jonas Dufek

Jandel Gustave

 

Jon Singleton

Marc Krauss

Ryan Connolly

Preston Tucker

Matt Duffy

Astros Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

Oklahoma City over Albuquerque 6-5
Jake Buchanan (5IP 8H 3R 1BB 3SO) got the start and was followed by Jason Stoffel and Pat Urckfitz who combined to allow the next two runs across. Hector Ambriz and Rhiner Cruz each pitched a perfect frame in relief and Cruz was rewarded with the win. The RedHawks drew first blood with a George Springer solo home run in the first (his 17th at Oklahoma City and his 36th overall). Three more runs scored in the fifth on a Trevor Crowe bases-loaded walk and a Jose Martinez (3x5 2B 3RBI R) two-RBI single. Down one run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Martinez doubled in Carlos Perez and was then driven in by a George Springer walk-off single. Che-Hsuan Lin was two-for-three with a triple, walk and a run scored. George Springer is now at 36/39 in his quest for the 40/40 club. The RedHawks magic number to win the division is now at eight with 13 games remaining.

Corpus Christi over Midland 3-2 in 10 innings
Nick Tropeano tossed the first six innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four. Alex Sogard allowed the final Midland run to score in the seventh on a solo home run. Carlos Quevedo (2IP 1H 4SO) and Jonas Dufek (1IP 1H) took it the rest of the way with Dufek earning the win. The Hooks scored one in the third on a Cody Clark sac fly, and one in the seventh on a Drew Muren home run to tie the game. Jonathan Meyer singled in Preston Tucker with one out in the 10th for the walk-off win. Kike Hernandez went three-for-five and Drew Muren was three-for-four with the solo home run and scored twice.

Lake Elsinore over Lancaster 5-4
Vincent Velasquez (3.2IP 7H 5R 3BB 4SO HR) saw his first action in the California League and mostly cruised through the first three innings. In the fourth, he allowed a single and a home run to start the inning; however, he was poised to escape with just the two runs allowed, but he couldn't get that elusive third out. With two on and two out, Velasquez gave up three straight singles, threw a wild pitch and walked a batter before Michael Dimock came in to get the final out of the frame. Dimock and Jordan Jankowski combined to allow only one hit (with five strikeouts) over the last four and a third innings. The 'Hawks scored two in the fourth on a Dan Gulbransen (2x3 BB) home run and their final two runs in the fifth on an Andrew Aplin (2x4 2-2B R) RBI double and a Tyler Heineman RBI single.

Quad Cities over Burlington 9-2
Josh Hader (5H 2R 2BB 2SO) pitched the first five and earned the win. He was followed by three scoreless innings from Jamaine Cotton and one from Patrick Christensen. The Bandits got their first run in the second as Bobby Borchering (3x4 2B HR 2R) doubled, advanced on a ground out and scored on an Austin Elkins (2x2 2B HR BB 3RBI 2R) sac fly. Elkins led off the fifth with a home run and was followed by RBI singles from Tony Kemp (3x5 3B 2RBI 2R) and Carlos Correa (1x4 BB 2RBI) to make the lead 5-2. QC then padded their lead with two in the sixth on back-to-back RBI triples from Tony Kemp and Teoscar Hernandez (3x5 R SB) and two in the seventh on a Borchering home run and an Elkins RBI double.

Tri-City over Vermont 2-1
Andrew Thurman cruised to his fourth win of the season as he allowed only one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out two. Thurman was followed by three scoreless innings from Adrian Houser (2H 3SO) and a perfect frame from Gonzalo Sanudo who earned his second save in his third appearance for Tri-City. Tri-City only got five hits, but made them count. In the second, Conrad Gregor hit a lead-off double, advanced on a ground out and scored on a Ronnie Mitchell (2x3) single. In the third, James Ramsay walked, advanced on a ground out and scored from second on a Mike Martinez single. It wasn't much, but the pitching staff ensured that it would be enough. Tri-City reclaimed first place in the division and are now a half game up on Lowell who lost on Tuesday.

Elizabethton over Greeneville 10-8
Francis Ramirez struggled through three and allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks and was charged with the loss. Three more scored against Christian Garcia in his three innings of work, two via the long ball. Ryan Connolly stopped the bleeding with two scoreless innings. Greeneville was down 8-0 going into the sixth, but battled back with a six-run frame which featured seven walks, a sac fly, a fielding error, a wild pitch and only one hit, a single. Greeneville scored another pair in the ninth on a two-run Ariel Ovando homer, but ultimately fell short. After all was said and done, Greeneville scored eight runs on only four hits, but drew 11 walks. Edwin Gomez had four walks. Angel Ibanez and Darwin Rivera drew three each. Greeneville is still in first place by a half game, but lost ground against Kingsport who won on Tuesday.

GCL Phillies over GCL Astros 3-2 in 10 innings
Joe Musgrove put up a solid five innings (8H 1R 0BB 6SO), an encouraging sign as he works toward showing his shoulder is healthy. Musgrove was followed by Matt Heidenreich in his latest rehab outing (2IP 0H 1R/0ER 1BB 1SO) and Justin Hess with two perfect innings (3SO). Erick Gonzalez (2H 1R 2SO) allowed the final run across in the 10th and was charged with the loss. The Astros got one in the fourth as Jacob Nottingham tripled and came home on an Alex Gonzalez single and one in the sixth as Nottingham hit a lead-off double and came around to score later in the inning. Nottingham went three-for-four with two doubles and a triple and scored twice. Jason Martin was three-for-five and stole a base.

DSL Astros at DSL Indians postponed due to rain

Players of the Day: I'm splitting the honors again. Jacob Nottingham's two doubles and a triple get him a share of the pie. And Austin Elkins not only had a great game on Tuesday, he also has been having a great August so far, hitting .364/.396/.636 in 13 games.

Pitchers of the Day: The Tri-City gets my love today. Andrew Thurman, Adrian Houser and Gonzalo Sanudo did a terrific job of giving their team the chance to get back into first place.

An Interview with Tri-City RHP Andrew Thurman

Andrew Thurman just got his first professional win last night. Having seen him earlier this month in person throwing four one-hit innings in Tri-City, I knew that it wouldn't take the second round draft pick long to get to that first win. In six appearances, he has a 2.00 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP.

I spoke with Tri-City Manager Ed Romero regarding Thurman and this is what he had to say, "What I've seen so far is a guy with good poise on the mound, good composure, knows what he's doing. He's under control on the mound. He has a pretty decent fastball that he knows how to spot. He has a very good curveball that he throws any time in the count whether he's ahead or behind. He's got control and command which is very important at this stage. He throws strikes, basically. He's a very good competitor. I think down the road he has a chance of being a quality starter."

Andrew Thurman - July 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I spoke with Andrew earlier this month and this is what he had to say (edited for brevity and clarity) ~

On his draft experience: "Honestly, I hadn't really talked to the Astros too much prior to the draft. I was talking to a bunch of clubs, regarding the questionaires, where I thought I was going to get drafted and things like that. Come draft day, I didn't really know where I was going to go. But I was talking with my agent and when he let me know that the Astros were thinking about taking me with the first pick of the second round, I was beyond excited and very thankful."

On his college experience: "I went to UC Irvine. It was great. I enjoyed it very much. This past year, I lived down at the beach with a bunch of baseball guys and had a great time. I enjoyed going to school. I plan on finishing up. [Major?] Political science [If he couldn't play baseball?] Possibly law school. Possibly teach. One of those routes. Teach and coach baseball."

On his pitch repertoire: "Fastball pretty much goes any where from 90-92, usually sits 90-92. I like to throw that most of the time, start pitching aggressively with that, in and out. Probably next best pitch ... change up. I'll pretty much throw it in any count, probably the off-speed pitch I'm most comfortable with. Curveball ... I like throwing that more to lefties. I would say it's more of an out pitch and slider to righties. The slider I've been working on since this past summer. It's kind of coming along. Still working on it, but I like that too."

What does he need to work on?: "I just think consistency. Throw well each and every time out, and establish command of my off-speed pitches a little better."

Biggest surprise from his short time in pro ball?: "I think just being able to come out here every day and play baseball has been the biggest surprise. It's been great. Enjoyed every minute of it. Being out here, playing in front of 3000, 5000 people every night is a big change from college ball where I'm used to not playing in front of that many. I can't ask for much more I guess."

Whose pitch would he like to steal?: "I would probably have to say ... can I say Mark Appel's fastball? [laughter] No, Adrian Houser's curveball is a pretty good pitch. I was playing catch with him the other day and he was throwing it. It's tight and it's a good pitch for sure."

Which teammate would he least like to face in the batter's box?: "Ronnie Mitchell. He takes some healthy hacks out there. If I left one over the plate, he'd probably hit it way over the bullpen at least. He gets up there and swings it.  He's a good player. He plays a good right field too."

Which teammate makes him laugh?: "Either Chan Moon or Tony Kemp. Chan's a character and I live with Tony Kemp and Conrad Gregor, and Tony's a funny guy."

I didn't talk to Andrew for long, so I will leave you with a couple observations. As I was waiting to interview him, he was finishing up a "light" workout on the field with Mark Appel. He was out there doing side planks with leg lifts which I think will attest to his strength and athleticism (and perhaps his competitiveness, if he was showing off for Appel). He is very comfortable in his own skin and displays an easygoing attitude, ready smile and a good sense of humor. And, most importantly, he wears high socks, "That's how I've worn them all my life, through college, and carried it over here."

When I asked Andrew for any final thoughts about the Astros, he left me with this, "[I'm] very thankful. This is everything that I thought it would be and I'm very thankful for the opportunity that they've given me."

Thank you for your time, Andrew, and the best of luck as the season continues.