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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, June 23, 2017

This Yordan Alvarez cat looks promising.

Fresno 7, Sacramento 6

W- Tyson Perez (2-0)
L- Derek Law (0-1)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies walked it off Friday night.

Mike Hauschild went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. Brian Holmes was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 2 hits, walking 3, and striking out 1. Kevin Comer threw 1.2 innings and allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyson Perez got a strikeout in a 1-2-3 9th.

Fresno responded to Sacramento's 3-run 1st inning with 3 of their own in the 3rd. Preston Tucker put them on the board with a 2-run single and Colin Moran hit a sac fly. Both teams scored a run in the 5th; the Grizz got theirs on a D.J. Fisher sac fly. Fisher scored on an A.J. Reed groundout in the 8th.

Max Stassi walked to lead off the bottom of the 9th and Alejandro Garcia came on to run for him. Tony Kemp joined Garcia on the bases by drawing a walk. They both advanced on a Tyler White sac bunt, and then Big Tuck got a free pass to 1st. Fisher went down on strikes, but Colin Moran came through with a walk to tie the game. One batter later, Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI single to win it.

The top third of the Grizzlies order, which was Kemp (3 R, SB), White (R, BB), and Tucker (2 RBI), all finished with 2 hits on the evening.

Fresno and Sacramento will conclude their series with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 Pacific. Casey Coleman starts game 1 while Dean Deetz gets the nightcap.

Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Shane McCain (1-1)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (2-3)
S- Reed Garrett (6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks scored a pair in the 5th to take a 2-1 lead, but the Roughriders responded with 2 of their own in the top of the 6th. Corpus had a chance to steal it late, but they left the bases loaded to end the game.

Corpus Christi's 2 runs in the 5th came when Kyle Tucker hit into a fielder's choice that scored Jack Mayfield and an RBI single from J.D. Davis. They also missed an opportunity to do more damage in the 5th as they left the bases loaded. Davis and Drew Ferguson had 2 hits apiece.

Rogelio Armenteros went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 10 hits (9 singles and a double) and struck out 5. Sean Stutzman allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 over 1.1 scoreless innings. Ditto for Ryan Thompson, although he threw 2.2 scoreless innings.

Brock Dykxhoorn takes on Collin Wiles in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 3, Winston-Salem 0

W- Brett Adcock (2-3, 3-3 season)
L- Dane Dunning (3-3)
S- Nick Hernandez (8)

BC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (1, 10 season; solo in 4th)

Dane Dunning threw a complete game shutout against Buies Creek in last week's doubleheader. The Carolina Stros got even with him on Friday.

Brett Adcock, Justin Ferrell, and Nick Hernandez combined to throw a 3-hit shutout; each of them allowed one hit. Adcock went 5, walking 2, and striking out 5. Ferrell was the first man out of the bullpen and walked 1 while striking out 5 in 3 innings, and Hernandez worked around his hit to complete the shutout, striking out the side in the 9th.

Yordan Alvarez opened the scoring in the 4th with his first Carolina League home run, a solo shot. Jake Rogers went 2-3 with an RBI single in the 5th. Spencer Johnson also had a 2-hit game; he doubled in the 8th and scored the last run of the night on an error that also allowed Randy César to reach. Ryne Birk finished 2-4 with a double and scored on Rogers' single.

Franklin Perez starts game 3 of this series. He'll go up against Jimmy Lambert at 6:30 Eastern.

Quad Cities 7, Cedar Rapids 6

W- Yohan Ramirez (1-1)
L- Sean Poppen (5-2)

QC home runs: Daz Cameron (7, 2-run in 4th), Wander Franco (4, 2-run in 6th)

The Banditos nearly saw a 7-1 lead vanish, but they managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth.

Yohan Ramirez posted a nice start as he allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5 in 5 innings of work. Carlos Sanabria went 1.2 innings and allowed an RBI double, walked 5, and struck out 2. Salvador Montaño allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 over 1.1 innings, and Erasmo Pinales had a rocky 9th inning, allowing 4 runs on 2 hits (3-run homer) and walking 2. Despite his ordeal, he still found a way to preserve the lead.

Bryan De La Cruz put Quad Cities on the board with his RBI single in the 2nd inning. Troy Sieber, who scored on that play, hit an RBI single in the 4th and came home on Daz Cameron's blast. Ronnie Dawson led off the 6th with a single and scored when Wander Franco launched a homer. De La Cruz hit his second RBI single of the evening in the 8th.

Chuckie Robinson (R, SB), Sieber (RBI, 2 R), and De La Cruz (2 RBI) all finished 2-4 on the night.

Carson LaRue takes on Domenick Carlini at 6:35.

Lowell 7, Tri-City 2

W- Denyi Reyes (1-0)
L- Ben Smith (0-1)

TC home runs: Jake Adams (1, solo in 2nd)

The ValleyCats were foiled in their bid to sweep their first home series of 2017.

Jake Adams smacked a solo homer in the 2nd inning to open the scoring. His first home run as a pro is also his 30th this calendar year. Adams led Division I with 29 homers for Iowa in the spring. Connor MacDonald hit an RBI single in the 3rd.

Cristian Javier pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 4, and struck out 6. Ben Smith was the first man out of the TC bullpen and allowed 5 runs (4 earned, 3 inherited runners charged to him) on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 1 in 1.1 innings. Nathan Thompson didn't have any runs charged to him in his 3.2 innings, but he couldn't get Smith out of a bases-loaded quagmire unscathed. Thompson allowed 3 hits and struck out 7. Reggie Johnson struck out the side in order in the 9th inning.

César Rosado will start the first of a 3-game series against the Vermont Lake Monsters at 7:00 Eastern. He'll take on Oscar Tovar.

Bluefield 9, Greeneville 5

W- Randy Pondler (1-0)
L- Bryan Abreu (0-1)
S- Yonardo Herdenez (1)

Greeneville home runs: Juan Piñeda (1, 2-run in 9th)

Bluefield blew this game open with a pair of 4-run innings.

The Appy Astros scored twice in the 5th as Ruben Castro scored on a Juan Piñeda groundout and Carlos Machado scampered home on a passed ball. Machado ripped an RBI double in the 9th and one batter later, Piñeda launched a 2-run homer, the first of his career.

The bottom third of the order scored all 5 of Greeneville's runs; Castro and Machado scored twice, while Piñeda scored on his homer. Machado (2B, RBI, 2 R) and Brody Westmoreland both finished with 2 hits on the night.

Bryan Abreu went 4.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 6. Jheyson Caraballo allowed 4 hits, walked 2, struck out 5, and allowed both of the runners he inherited from Abreu to score in 3.1 innings. Ian Hardman got the last two outs of the 8th and 1 out in the 9th, allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and walking 2. Dariel Aquino got the last out of the 9th inning.

Gerardo Bojorquez takes the mound as the Appy Astros wrap up their first series of the year. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

DSL Dodgers1 6, DSL Astros Blue 3

W- Joan Valdez (1-0)
L- Gustavo Almonte (0-2)
S- Luis Pasen (3)

Blue home runs: None.

The Dodgers 1 seized control with 4 runs in the 8th.

Both teams scored one run in the 2nd and the 3rd innings. The Blue team got theirs on a couple of passed balls: Nerio Rodriguez scored in the 2nd and Samir Caraballo did the same in the 3rd. Caraballo scored on Angel Tejeda's RBI single in the 5th. Tejeda finished 3-3 with a double and stole 3 bases.

Jose Antonio Hernandez allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 4 innings. Yulian Frontado tagged in to throw 3 scoreless, allowing a hit and walking 2. Gustavo Almonte allowed 4 runs, a single, and walked 4 in the 8th. He hit a batter with the bases loaded, allowed a sac fly, uncorked a wild pitch, and induced a force out in which a runner scored. Natanael Ventura worked around a hit batter to throw a scoreless 9th.

DSL Indians 8, DSL Astros Orange 6

W- Wuilson Meza (1-0)
L- Wender Oberto (1-1)
S- Luigence Thomas (1)

Orange home runs: None.

Giving up 6 runs in the 1st proved to be too much for the Orange team to overcome.

Team Orange scored 3 in the 1st on RBI singles from Euclides Chavez and Jose Alvarez and a sac fly from Jeury Castillo. Freudis Nova scored on an error following a Chavez single in the 5th. Speaking of Chavez, he added a sac fly to his ledger in the 7th. He doubled in the 9th and scored on a single from Jose Carrillo. Chavez went 3-4, while Nova went 2-4 and scored twice.

Wender Oberto got the start but only got 1 out. He allowed 4 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 2 hits and walked 2. Jervic Chavez allowed 2 runs, a hit, walked 3, and fanned 2 in 1.2 innings. Jairo Solis had the longest outing for the Orange team as he went 3.2 innings; the one run he allowed came on a homer hit by Jhon Torres. Solis allowed 2 other hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. The one run that Fredy Medina allowed in his 1.2 innings came on a homer hit by Henderson de Oleo in the 7th. Medina allowed one other hit and walked 4. Luis De Paula got the last two outs of the 8th.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Angel Tejeda, OF, DSL Astros Blue: 3-3, 2B, RBI, 3 SB (3)
Euclides Chavez, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Jairo Solis, RHP, DSL Astros Orange: 3.2 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Brett Adcock's photo from MiLB.com

Buies Creek Astros pitchers

W 3-0 @ Winston-Salem

9 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 13 K

Brett Adcock: W (2-3, 3-3 season), 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K

Justin Ferrell: 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Nick Hernandez: Save (8), IP, H, 3 K

Juan Piñeda's photo taken by Bryan Green

Carlos Machado, OF, and Juan Piñeda, 2B, Greeneville

Machado: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R

Piñeda: 1-4, 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI; 1st career HR

Photo from MiLB.com

Yohan Ramirez, RHP, Quad Cities

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

Nathan Thompson, LHP, Tri-City

3.2 IP, 3 H, 7 K

Tony Kemp, 2B, Teoscar Hernandez, OF, and Preston Tucker, OF, Fresno

Kemp: 2-4, 3 R, SB (13)

Hernandez: Walk-off RBI single

Tucker: 2-4, 2 RBI; 9-game hitting streak

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Revenge of the DSL Astros.

Albuquerque 7, Fresno 3

W- Ryan Carpenter (3-5)
L- David Martinez (3-7)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies scored a couple of runs late to give themselves a lifeline, but the Isotopes got 3 in the 8th to put this game away.

Tyler White doubled to lead off the 6th and scored Fresno's first run on a Preston Tucker single. White added an RBI single to his ledger in the 7th, and Tony Kemp had an RBI single in the 9th. The top third of the order, which was Kemp, White, and Tucker, all finished 2-5. Alejandro Garcia scored 2 of the Grizzlies' 3 runs.

David Martinez went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 3, and struck out 4. Aaron West worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out 1. Brendan McCurry allowed 3 runs in the 8th, all of which were unearned, on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th inning.

Kyle Smith makes his AAA debut at 7:05 Mountain. He'll face Barry Enright.

Corpus Christi and Midland was postponed

Due to rain. This game will be made up Friday as part of a doubleheader.

Brock Dykxhoorn takes on Grant Holmes tonight at 7.

Potomac 4, Buies Creek 2

W- Grant Borne (2-2)
L- Jorge Alcala (1-3, 3-3 season)
S- Ronald Peña (1)

BC home runs: Randy César (1, 4 season; solo in 9th)

Both teams scored in two innings, but the Nationals put up a crooked number in both of their scoring innings.

Jorge Alcala went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Justin Ferrell allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 2.1 scoreless, and Ralph Garza got the final two outs of the 8th via strikeouts.

Buies Creek got one in the 1st on a Spencer Johnson RBI single and one in the 9th on a Randy César solo blast. That was César's first Carolina League homer.

The Carolina Stros head home to start a 3-game series with Winston-Salem at 7:00 Eastern. Framber Valdez is listed as the starter on MiLB.com. Not sure if that's accurate. Whoever starts will take on Brannon Easterling.

Quad Cities 7, Cedar Rapids 1

W- Cionel Perez (4-3)
L- Domenick Carlini (3-5)

QC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (7, solo in 5th)

The Cubans played an integral role in the Banditos' big win on Wednesday.

Cionel Perez allowed 7 hits (all singles) and struck out 6 in 5.1 innings of work. Abdiel Saldaña allowed the only Cedar Rapids run in the 7th on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Erasmo Pinales struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Taylor Jones opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st. Yordan Alvarez added a 2-run single in the 2nd and Ray Henderson hit an RBI single in the 3rd. Alvarez launched a solo homer to lead off the 5th and Chuckie Robinson capped off Quad Cities' night with a 2-run single in the 6th. Alvarez finished 3-3, while Jones and Marcos Almonte had 2 hits apiece.

The River Bandits and Kernels wrap up their series at 6:35. Gabriel Valdez will face Clark Beeker.

DSL Astros Blue 15, DSL Rays1 4

W- Nivaldo Rodriguez (1-0)
L- Angel Ramirez (0-1)
S- Fredis Guerrero (1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team cruised to a big win behind a 15-run, 15-hit assault.

Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 9 over 5 shutout innings. Fredis Guerrero allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 4 innings.

DSL Astros Orange 10, DSL Rays2 5

W- Luis De Paula (1-0)

L- Eduardo Perez (0-1)

Orange home runs: Jeury Castillo (1, solo in 6th)

The DSL Astros got a measure of revenge on the Rays by winning both meetings after the Rays took Tuesday's games. After the Rays 2 scored 4 in the top of the 8th to take a 5-4 lead, Team Orange hit back for 6 in the bottom of the inning to regain control.

Christian Mejias allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 4.2 innings. Ronny Garcia got the last out of the 5th. Jose Alberto Rivera went 2.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 3, and struck out 2. Luis De Paula walked 2 and struck out 2 in 1.1 innings.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Nivaldo Rodriguez, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: W (1-0), 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 9 K
Angel Tejeda, 1B, DSL Astros Blue: 4-4, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R

Jeury Castillo, IF, DSL Astros Orange: 2-3, solo HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 R

.@CionelP pic.twitter.com/ZR1avzChuj

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 29, 2017

Photo by Rich Guill

Cionel Perez, LHP, Quad Cities

W (4-3), 5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 K

Photo from MiLB.com

Yordan Alvarez, 1B, Quad Cities

3-3, solo HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 R

Buies Creek Astros bullpen

3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Justin Ferrell: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Ralph Garza: 0.2 IP, 2 K