Former Astros with birthdays today ~
2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Drafted from the Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft, Williams played in only five games for the Colt 45's in 1962, hitting .375/.375/.500 in eight plate appearances.
RHP Bo McLaughlin (61)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979. He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP. He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte. In 2014, he was the Bullpen Coach for the Colorado Rockies.
2B Kazuo Matsui (39)
Matsui signed with Houston as a free agent in November 2007 and played for the Astros from 2008 until his release in May of 2010. In 255 games with Houston, he hit .259/.315/.370. After his release, he played briefly in the Rockies minor league system. He has played in the Japan Pacific League for the past four seasons for Rakuten. Matsui was responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore. Thanks for that.
OF Ben Francisco (33)
Francisco came to Houston in the 10-player megatrade with the Blue Jays in July 2012 and departed via trade to Tampa Bay six weeks later. In the interim, he played in 31 games, hitting .247/.289/.365. Ah, Benny Fresh, we hardly knew ye.
A LOOK AT THE ASTROS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
Showing posts with label Ben Francisco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Francisco. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Happy Birthday - 10/23
Former Astros with birthdays today ~
2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Drafted from the Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft, Williams played in only five games for the Colt 45's in 1962, hitting .375/.375/.500 in eight plate appearances.
RHP Bo McLaughlin (60)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979. He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP. He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte. In 2013, he was Assistant Pitching Coach of the Colorado Rockies.
2B Kazuo Matsui (38)
Matsui signed with Houston as a free agent in November 2007 and played for the Astros from 2008 until his release in May of 2010. In 255 games with Houston, he hit .259/.315/.370. After his release, he played briefly in the Rockies minor league system. He has played in the Japan Pacific League in 2013. Matsui was responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore. Thanks for that.
OF Ben Francisco (32)
Francisco came to Houston in the 10-player megatrade with the Blue Jays in July 2012 and departed via trade to Tampa Bay six weeks later. In the interim, he played in 31 games, hitting .247/.289/.365. Ah, Benny Fresh, we hardly knew ye. Since then, he played with the Yankees until his release in June and then played in the Padres minor league system.
2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Drafted from the Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft, Williams played in only five games for the Colt 45's in 1962, hitting .375/.375/.500 in eight plate appearances.
RHP Bo McLaughlin (60)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979. He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP. He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte. In 2013, he was Assistant Pitching Coach of the Colorado Rockies.
2B Kazuo Matsui (38)
Matsui signed with Houston as a free agent in November 2007 and played for the Astros from 2008 until his release in May of 2010. In 255 games with Houston, he hit .259/.315/.370. After his release, he played briefly in the Rockies minor league system. He has played in the Japan Pacific League in 2013. Matsui was responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore. Thanks for that.
OF Ben Francisco (32)
Francisco came to Houston in the 10-player megatrade with the Blue Jays in July 2012 and departed via trade to Tampa Bay six weeks later. In the interim, he played in 31 games, hitting .247/.289/.365. Ah, Benny Fresh, we hardly knew ye. Since then, he played with the Yankees until his release in June and then played in the Padres minor league system.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Looking at the Astros/Blue Jays July 2012 Trade
Going into July 20, 2012, the Toronto Blue Jays were 45-47. They were in 5th place in their division, 12 and a half games out. And then Astros GM Jeff Luhnow came in and robbed them blind. That day a 10-player trade went through sending RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP David Carpenter and LHP J.A. Happ to the Blue Jays in exchange for MLB OF Ben Francisco and RHP Francisco Cordero, and minor-leaguers RHP Asher Wojciechowski, C Carlos Perez, LHP David Rollins, RHP Joe Musgrove and RHP Kevin Comer as the player to be named later.
Toronto went 28-42 the rest of the season and ended in 4th place, 22 games behind in their division. Here's what they got:
Brandon Lyon (currently 33)
Lyon pitched 25 innings in 30 appearances for Toronto. He was 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.120 WHIP. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Mets on February 8th.
David Carpenter (currently 27)
Carpenter only pitched in three games at the MLB level for Toronto. In two and two-thirds innings, he had a 30.38 ERA and a 3.750 WHIP. In 16 minor-league appearances, he was 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.245 WHIP. He was part of an October trade that brought 31-year old infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto from Boston. A month later, Carpenter was selected off waivers by Atlanta.
J.A. Happ (currently 30)
In ten starts for Toronto, Happ was 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.289 WHIP. For his MLB career, he is now 35-35 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.388 WHIP. He is still with the Blue Jays.
Net for the Blue Jays: A 30-year old LHP (Happ) and a 31-year old infielder (Aviles)
Here is what the Astros got in the trade:
Francisco Cordero (currently 37)
Cordero was released by the Astros on September 10th after going 0-3 with a 19.80 ERA and a 3.400 WHIP in six games (five innings).
Ben Francisco (currently 31)
Francisco played in 31 games for the Astros, hitting .247/.289/.365 before being traded to Tampa Bay on August 31st for a player to be named later. The player turned out to be Theron Geith, a 23-year old lefty relief pitcher who had a 2.98 ERA and a 1.086 WHIP in 31 appearances in High A.
Asher Wojciechowski (currently 24)
A first round draft pick in 2010, Wojciechowski was ranked #14 in the organization in the recent Baseball America Prospect Handbook and #15 by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. In eight starts for AA Corpus Christi after the trade, he was 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.008 WHIP.
Carlos Perez (currently 22)
Perez's rankings are a mixed bag. Baseball America has him at #27, Mayo at #20, but Fan Graphs liked him enough to rank him #9. In 26 games after the trade, Perez hit .318/.368/.409 at High A Lancaster and boasted a 47% caught stealing percentage.
David Rollins (currently 23)
Rollins was 1-3 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP in six starts at Low A Lexington after the trade. For the season, he was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP in 24 starts.
Joe Musgrove (currently 20)
A 2011 first round pick, Musgrove is currently ranked by Jonathan Mayo at #19 in the Astros system. Musgrove was coming off an arm injury in 2012 and only pitched 17 innings with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP for the season in the Rookie Appalachian League.
Kevin Comer (currently 20)
Comer was also a first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2011, but signed late and did not play until 2012. Comer was 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP in 12 appearances (eight starts) for the season, playing in the Rookie Appalachian League. He is currently ranked by Jonathan Mayo at #17 in the Astros system.
Net for the Astros: A 24-year old AA RHP (Wojciechowski), a 23-year old High A lefty reliever (Geith), a 23-year old Low A lefty starter (Rollins), a 22-year old High A catcher (Perez), and two 20-year old rookie league first round RHP's (Musgrove and Comer). Four of the six are ranked in the Astros top 20 by Jonathan Mayo. In Luhnow we trust.
Tomorrow I'll be posting more on this topic over at The Futurists blog, including thoughts from Jonathan Mayo. [UPDATED with the link to the second post.]
Toronto went 28-42 the rest of the season and ended in 4th place, 22 games behind in their division. Here's what they got:
Brandon Lyon (currently 33)
Lyon pitched 25 innings in 30 appearances for Toronto. He was 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.120 WHIP. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Mets on February 8th.
David Carpenter (currently 27)
Carpenter only pitched in three games at the MLB level for Toronto. In two and two-thirds innings, he had a 30.38 ERA and a 3.750 WHIP. In 16 minor-league appearances, he was 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.245 WHIP. He was part of an October trade that brought 31-year old infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto from Boston. A month later, Carpenter was selected off waivers by Atlanta.
J.A. Happ (currently 30)
In ten starts for Toronto, Happ was 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.289 WHIP. For his MLB career, he is now 35-35 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.388 WHIP. He is still with the Blue Jays.
Net for the Blue Jays: A 30-year old LHP (Happ) and a 31-year old infielder (Aviles)
Here is what the Astros got in the trade:
Francisco Cordero (currently 37)
Cordero was released by the Astros on September 10th after going 0-3 with a 19.80 ERA and a 3.400 WHIP in six games (five innings).
Ben Francisco (currently 31)
Francisco played in 31 games for the Astros, hitting .247/.289/.365 before being traded to Tampa Bay on August 31st for a player to be named later. The player turned out to be Theron Geith, a 23-year old lefty relief pitcher who had a 2.98 ERA and a 1.086 WHIP in 31 appearances in High A.
Asher Wojciechowski (currently 24)
A first round draft pick in 2010, Wojciechowski was ranked #14 in the organization in the recent Baseball America Prospect Handbook and #15 by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. In eight starts for AA Corpus Christi after the trade, he was 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.008 WHIP.
Carlos Perez (currently 22)
Perez's rankings are a mixed bag. Baseball America has him at #27, Mayo at #20, but Fan Graphs liked him enough to rank him #9. In 26 games after the trade, Perez hit .318/.368/.409 at High A Lancaster and boasted a 47% caught stealing percentage.
David Rollins (currently 23)
Rollins was 1-3 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP in six starts at Low A Lexington after the trade. For the season, he was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.252 WHIP in 24 starts.
Joe Musgrove (currently 20)
A 2011 first round pick, Musgrove is currently ranked by Jonathan Mayo at #19 in the Astros system. Musgrove was coming off an arm injury in 2012 and only pitched 17 innings with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP for the season in the Rookie Appalachian League.
Kevin Comer (currently 20)
Comer was also a first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2011, but signed late and did not play until 2012. Comer was 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP in 12 appearances (eight starts) for the season, playing in the Rookie Appalachian League. He is currently ranked by Jonathan Mayo at #17 in the Astros system.
Net for the Astros: A 24-year old AA RHP (Wojciechowski), a 23-year old High A lefty reliever (Geith), a 23-year old Low A lefty starter (Rollins), a 22-year old High A catcher (Perez), and two 20-year old rookie league first round RHP's (Musgrove and Comer). Four of the six are ranked in the Astros top 20 by Jonathan Mayo. In Luhnow we trust.
Tomorrow I'll be posting more on this topic over at The Futurists blog, including thoughts from Jonathan Mayo. [UPDATED with the link to the second post.]
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Happy Birthday - 10/23
No future Astros, only Former Astros with birthdays today ~
2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Drafted from the Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft, Williams played in only five games for the Colt 45's in 1962, hitting .375/.375/.500 in eight plate appearances.
RHP Bo McLaughlin (59)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979. He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP. He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte. In June 2012, he was made Pitching Coach of the Colorado Rockies.
2B Kazuo Matsui (37)
Matsui signed with Houston as a free agent in November 2007 and played for the Astros from 2008 until his release in May of 2010. In 255 games with Houston, he hit .259/.315/.370. After his release, he played briefly in the Rockies minor league system. He has played the last two seasons in Japan. Matsui was responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore. Thanks for that.
OF Ben Francisco (31)
Francisco came to Houston in the 10-player megatrade with the Blue Jays in July 2012 and departed via trade to Tampa Bay six weeks later. In the interim, he played in 31 games, hitting .247/.289/.365. Ah, Benny Fresh, we hardly knew ye.
2B George Williams (died May 14, 2009 at age 69)
Drafted from the Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft, Williams played in only five games for the Colt 45's in 1962, hitting .375/.375/.500 in eight plate appearances.
RHP Bo McLaughlin (59)
A first round pick for the Astros in 1975, McLaughlin played for Houston from 1976 to 1979. He had a 9-15 record over 87 appearances with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.352 WHIP. He was traded to the Braves in 1979 for Frank LaCorte. In June 2012, he was made Pitching Coach of the Colorado Rockies.
2B Kazuo Matsui (37)
Matsui signed with Houston as a free agent in November 2007 and played for the Astros from 2008 until his release in May of 2010. In 255 games with Houston, he hit .259/.315/.370. After his release, he played briefly in the Rockies minor league system. He has played the last two seasons in Japan. Matsui was responsible for placing the phrase "anal fissure" in the lexicon of Astros lore. Thanks for that.
OF Ben Francisco (31)
Francisco came to Houston in the 10-player megatrade with the Blue Jays in July 2012 and departed via trade to Tampa Bay six weeks later. In the interim, he played in 31 games, hitting .247/.289/.365. Ah, Benny Fresh, we hardly knew ye.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Mega Trade
The Astros traded LHP J.A. Happ, RHP Brandon Lyon and RHP David Carpenter to Toronto for major leaguers RHP Francisco Cordero, OF Ben Francisco, minor league players RHP Joseph Musgrove, LHP David Rollins, C Carlos Perez, RHP Asher Wojciechowski and a PTBNL. Click on the name to see the players stats page. For the full story, see the Houston Chronicle article here.
Three of the four named minor league players were listed in Jonathan Mayo's Top 20 prospect list for the Blue Jays coming in to the 2012 season.
8th - C Carlos Perez was described as a very good defensive catcher (34% caught stealing coming in to the 2012 season) that has some ability with the bat. Baseball America had him at 14th and agreed that, even though he had an off-season in 2011, he has the ability to swing the bat well.
10th - RHP Asher Wojciechowski could be a workhorse starter if he can find consistency with his fastball. He has a plus fastball, above average slider and has a changeup that needs work. Baseball America also ranked him 10th and also cited the need to find consistency with his fastball and repeat his mechanics but thought he had the potential of a #2 starter.
11th - RHP Joe Musgrove is a hard thrower with good sink. He has a pretty good breaking ball and has used a splitter in the past. According to Baseball America who had him ranked 20th, his fastball has a very good combination of velocity and life and he has been known to hit 98.
UPDATED TO ADD: Jonathan Mayo just posted his take on these prospects and included some information on LHP David Rollins here.
Three of the four named minor league players were listed in Jonathan Mayo's Top 20 prospect list for the Blue Jays coming in to the 2012 season.
8th - C Carlos Perez was described as a very good defensive catcher (34% caught stealing coming in to the 2012 season) that has some ability with the bat. Baseball America had him at 14th and agreed that, even though he had an off-season in 2011, he has the ability to swing the bat well.
10th - RHP Asher Wojciechowski could be a workhorse starter if he can find consistency with his fastball. He has a plus fastball, above average slider and has a changeup that needs work. Baseball America also ranked him 10th and also cited the need to find consistency with his fastball and repeat his mechanics but thought he had the potential of a #2 starter.
11th - RHP Joe Musgrove is a hard thrower with good sink. He has a pretty good breaking ball and has used a splitter in the past. According to Baseball America who had him ranked 20th, his fastball has a very good combination of velocity and life and he has been known to hit 98.
UPDATED TO ADD: Jonathan Mayo just posted his take on these prospects and included some information on LHP David Rollins here.
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