Happy Birthday - 10/25

Happy Birthday to ~

3B Bobby Borchering (24)
A first round draft pick by Arizona in 2009, Borchering came to the Astros organization, along with Marc Krauss, in the July 2012 trade that sent Chris Johnson to the Diamondbacks. Borchering only played in 16 games for Lancaster this season, hitting .238/.324/.333, before being shut down in late May and shipped off to Weiland Island, never to be heard from again.

RHP Gabriel Valdez (19)
An international free agent out of Panama, Valdez spent his first professional season with the Dominican Summer League Astros. In 18 appearances, he was 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.264 WHIP. He walked only 10 batters, striking out 34, in 46.2 innings.

Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

RHP Danny "Dr. Death" Darwin a.k.a. The Bonham Bullet (59)
Darwin came to Houston in an August 1986 trade with the Brewers. Nicknamed Dr. Death by teammate Nolan Ryan, Danny Darwin spent 21 seasons in the major leagues, playing for eight different teams.  For his career, he had a 3.84 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP.  Dr. Death was with Houston from 1986 to 1990, during which time he had a 47-35 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP.  His most successful season was 1990 when he led the National League in ERA, WHIP and BB/9.

From Wikipedia:

It was a source of debate amongst Astros players and fans over who would win in a fight, Ryan or Darwin. Though Astros pitcher Bob Knepper attempted to set up a fight between the two during spring training in 1988, manager Hal Lanier stopped it before it could commence. Many experts, including Astros shortstop Rafael Ramirez, felt that Darwin would win because he "looked like someone no man would want to mess with."

LHP Skip Guinn (70)
Guinn first came to Houston in April 1969 from the Expos. In 32 games for the Astros in 1969 and 1971, he was 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.863 WHIP.

Happy Birthday - 10/25

Happy Birthday to ~

3B Bobby Borchering (23)
A first round draft pick by Arizona in 2009, Borchering came to the Astros organization, along with Marc Krauss, in the July 2012 trade that sent Chris Johnson to the Diamondbacks. Borchering split his season between Greeneville and Quad Cities where he hit a combined .217/.321/.365 with 11 doubles, one triple and seven home runs in 65 games.

Former Astros celebrating birthdays today ~

RHP Danny "Dr. Death" Darwin a.k.a. The Bonham Bullet (58)
Darwin came to Houston in an August 1986 trade with the Brewers. Nicknamed Dr. Death by teammate Nolan Ryan, Danny Darwin spent 21 seasons in the major leagues, playing for eight different teams.  For his career, he had a 3.84 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP.  Dr. Death was with Houston from 1986 to 1990, during which time he had a 47-35 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP.  His most successful season was 1990 when he led the National League in ERA, WHIP and BB/9.

From Wikipedia:

It was a source of debate amongst Astros players and fans over who would win in a fight, Ryan or Darwin. Though Astros pitcher Bob Knepper attempted to set up a fight between the two during spring training in 1988, manager Hal Lanier stopped it before it could commence. Many experts, including Astros shortstop Rafael Ramirez, felt that Darwin would win because he "looked like someone no man would want to mess with."

LHP Skip Guinn (69)
Guinn first came to Houston in April 1969 from the Expos. In 32 games for the Astros in 1969 and 1971, he was 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.863 WHIP.

Roster Moves

[UPDATED TO ADD]
Houston/Oklahoma City
RHP Jarred Cosart called up to Houston (MLB debut scheduled for Friday)
OF Jimmy Paredes re-assigned to Oklahoma City

Corpus Christi
RHP Chia-Jen Lo assigned from Quad Cities to Corpus Christi

Lancaster
RHP Mike Hauschild assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
LHP Kyle Hallock assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster
RHP Tyson Perez placed on the 7-day DL (retroactive to 7/9)

Quad Cities
RHP Mark Appel assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities
3B Bobby Borchering assigned from Greeneville to Quad Cities
OF Teoscar Hernandez placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to 7/08
RHP Chris Devenski assigned from Lancaster to Quad Cities
C Luis Alvarez assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities

Astros Minor League Depth - Third Base

Over the next few weeks as we approach Spring Training, I'll be looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position. Today, we look at the third basemen in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

Rio Ruiz - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows third basemen in the organization ranked from high to low in terms of OPS. I have noted their current age, the last level at which they played and, if they spent significant time at multiple positions, that information is included as well. I am including Brandon Laird's 2012 minor league numbers since he was removed from the 40-man roster and will likely start the season at AAA in 2013.

With the arrival of Matt Dominguez in the Carlos Lee trade last season, some of the pressure has been taken off in shoring up a position which I would argue is still the worst in the Astros system in terms of depth. The acquisitions of Bobby Borchering and Brandon Laird also helped give the Astros some breathing room at the top of the system. Borchering is still a work in progress since he struggled in his promotion to AA this season and in the Arizona Fall League this past fall, but at only 22, he has time.

Matt Duffy leads the list out of all the third basemen in OPS. As I had hoped, he turned some of his doubles power from 2011 into home run power in 2012. He's just been an all-around solid hitter since being drafted in 2011. Despite a fairly average walk rate, he has kept his OBP high in an unconventional way -- he was hit by pitches 41 times in 2012. If Duffy can keep hitting and showing that power stroke, he should be able to move quickly through the ranks, but he will have to keep proving that he can handle the position defensively.

I'll be honest. I'm not sure what to make of Jonathan Meyer. He is considered a good defender, but in his second year with Lancaster, his power numbers declined slightly and he drew significantly fewer walks. Meyer only recently turned 22 so he is definitely still young enough to make some adjustments and get to the next level developmentally, but I think 2013 will be crucial for him.

Andy Simunic is a symbol of the third base depth problem. Simunic did a terrific job in giving the Astros an option in playing third base for them and he defended at that position very capably, but he really doesn't profile as a third baseman. He profiles as the middle infielder he was drafted as. He had a very good season with Corpus, but he doesn't bring the power expected from a corner infielder.

Another symbol of the depth problem is Darwin Rivera. He had a great season with the bat for the GCL, but it was a step backward for him as he played at Greeneville the prior season and did not do well. If he shows he can hit more advanced pitching, there may be hope for him as a DH, but his poor fielding at third base to date makes it unlikely that he will stick at that position.

Which brings me to Rio Ruiz, the Astros fourth round draft pick from 2012. In my opinion, Ruiz is the real deal. He will be a good defender, a great hitter and a natural leader. He won't turn 19 until May, but I think he will move very rapidly through the system.

As a final note, there are players who did not play extensively (if at all) at third base in the 2012 season who may see some time at third base if the need arises, particularly 1B/DH Erik Castro and 2B John Hinson.

Monday: First Base
Tuesday: Second Base
Wednesday: Shortstop

Happy Birthday - 10/25

3B Bobby Borchering (22)
A first round draft pick by Arizona in 2009, Borchering came to the Astros organization, along with Marc Krauss, in the July 2012 trade that sent Chris Johnson to the Diamondbacks. He hit very well for the Arizona's Hi-A affiliate, but started off slow in his transition to AA for Arizona and then for Houston. His combined line for the season was .236/.303/.453 with 28 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs. He is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League and is hitting .120/.185/.280 in seven games.

Former Astros with birthdays today

RHP Danny "Dr. Death" Darwin a.k.a. The Bonham Bullet (57)
Darwin came to Houston in an August 1986 trade with the Brewers. Nicknamed Dr. Death by teammate Nolan Ryan, Danny Darwin spent 21 seasons in the major leagues, playing for eight different teams.  For his career, he had a 3.84 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP.  Dr. Death was with Houston from 1986 to 1990, during which time he had a 47-35 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP.  His most successful season was 1990 when he led the National League in ERA, WHIP and BB/9.

From Wikipedia:

It was a source of debate amongst Astros players and fans over who would win in a fight, Ryan or Darwin. Though Astros pitcher Bob Knepper attempted to set up a fight between the two during spring training in 1988, manager Hal Lanier stopped it before it could commence. Many experts, including Astros shortstop Rafael Ramirez, felt that Darwin would win because he "looked like someone no man would want to mess with."

LHP Skip Guinn (68)
Guinn first came to Houston in April 1969 for the Expos. In 32 games for the Astros in 1969 and 1971, he was 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.863 WHIP.

Tweet of the Day

Bobby Borchering ‏@borchville

Off-season regiment so far. Breakfast. Workout. Lunch. Pool. Shop. Dinner. Chill. Sleep. #roughlifesyle #milbproblems 

Minor League Recaps

Thursday's Games

DSL Astros over DSL Dodgers 10-3
Really? Wow! Elieser Hernandez pitched one perfect inning followed by a very unperfect inning from Geronimo Franzua (three runs on three hits). Javier Saucedo then took the biggest chunk (one hit in five innings) and got a W for his trouble. Angel Heredia earned his second save with two perfect frames to close it out. Down 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Astros put up a couple of big innings to come from behind. Home runs from Johan Tomas de la Cruz and Marlon Avea, a triple from Jean Carlos Cortorreal and a double from Mesac Laguna helped power the offense.

GCL Astros at GCL Marlins - suspended in the middle of the fourth inning
Kyle Hallock got his second rehab start, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. Jandel Gustave pitched one inning, allowing only a walk before the game was suspended. Teoscar Hernandez got the only Astro hit, a single in the fourth.

Bristol over Greeneville 3-2
Michael Feliz got the loss as one bad inning derailed an otherwise good outing. Feliz pitched four and a third and gave up three runs on two hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Unfortunately, one of the two hits was a triple after he had walked the bases loaded. Ouch. Christian Garcia and Jordan Jankowski provided effective relief, but Greeneville never scored after the third inning. Carlos Correa drove in one run with a triple and Ariel Ovando drove in the other with a double. Ovando was two-for-four as was Michael Martinez.

Tri-City over Brooklyn 4-2
Lance Day earned his fifth win with a five and a third inning outing in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits. Euris Quezada, Scott Zuloaga, Jamaine Cotton and Blake Ford provided scoreless relief with Ford earning his 14th save of the season. Tri-City led from the fifth inning on largely on the strength of an Emilio King two-run home run. Jean Batista had a strong debut for Tri-City going two-for-three with a steal. Dan Gulbransen drove in the other two runs with sac flies.

Rome over Lexington 5-0
Luis Ordosgoitti gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits over five and a third innings and went to 5-5 for the season. Mitch Lambson and Dayan Diaz shut the door, but Lexington never got anything going as they only managed three hits off the Rome staff with Chan Moon getting two of those, including a double. Justin Gominsky was one-for-two and walked twice.)

High Desert over Lancaster 4-3
Nick Tropeano gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Chia-Jen Lo and Kenny Long kept the scored tied through their appearances, but Andrew Robinson got the hard luck loss as he allowed one unearned run to score in the top of the ninth to break the tie. Telvin Nash hit his 25th home run and Jio Mier appears to be back in good form as he went two-for-three with a double.

Corpus Christi over Arkansas 5-1
An excellent start from Bobby Doran as he allowed only one run via the long ball on three hits over seven innings followed by two innings of scoreless ball from Jake Buchanan. The Hooks led early and never let up. Drew Locke set the tone early with a two-run inside the park home run in the first inning. Bobby Borchering was two-for-three with a double, a triple and two RBI, and Ben Orloff was two-for-three with a double.

Fresno over Oklahoma City 5-1
Despite a decent start from Rudy Owens (two runs on five hits over five and two-thirds), he was charged with the loss as the Redhawks never got much going offensively. Brian Sanches pitched a perfect one and a third and was followed by Garrett Mock's three runs on three hits. Oklahoma City was held to four singles and a Jimmy Paredes double. The lone run of the game came as Matt Downs scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth.

Player of the Day: Bobby Borchering gets the nod for a double, triple, walk, run and two RBI.

Pitcher of the Day: Big Bobby Doran, come on down!