Happy Birthday - 3/15

Happy Birthday to ~

C Max Stassi (23)
Originally drafted by Oakland in the fourth round in 2009, Stassi came to Houston as a part of the February 2013 trade that sent Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez to the Athletics. After starting the season on the DL, Stassi joined the AA Corpus Christi team on May 2nd and played in 76 games there, hitting .277/.333/.529 with 20 doubles, a triple and 17 home runs, before being called up to make his major league debut on August 20, 2013. After only three games in Houston, this happened to end his season.

IF Jose Solano (22)
A NDFA from the Dominican Republic, Solano played the first 41 games of the season with the GCL Astros, hitting a robust .300/.349/.507 before being called up to Greeneville for his final seven appearances of the season.

IF Brian Blasik (24)
Signed as an amateur free agent out of the University of Dayton in 2012, Blasik played in 67 games for Quad Cities in 2013, hitting .209/.321/.286. In eight games in the post-season, Blasik hit .308 as the DH.

One former Astro celebrates a birthday today as well ~

RHP Wayne Granger (70)
Granger came to Houston as a free agent in February 1975 and appeared in 55 games for the Astros that season, going 2-5 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1970 for the Reds and was named the NL Reliever of the Year in 1969 and 1970.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Oklahoma City at New Orleans - Postponed

Corpus Christi over Tulsa 5-0
I will resist the urge to sing this, but my Sweet Nicky [that would be Nick Tropeano to the rest of you] appears to be back in good form as he tossed six shutout innings (3H 1BB 6SO) in his return from the DL to earn the win. Kenny Long (1.1IP 1H 2BB 1SO) continued the shutout and Andrew Robinson put an exclamation point on it with one and a third perfect frames. Robinson hasn't allowed a run since the All-Star break and has a 1.35 ERA and a 1.050 WHIP over his last 10 games. He has walked four over that span while striking out 11. The Hooks got all the runs they needed plus one in the first inning, but added on three more with long balls from Erick Castro (10) in the third, Kike Hernandez (6) in the seventh and Jonathan Meyer (11) in the eighth. Meyer and Hernandez were both two-for-four.

Lancaster over High Desert 10-2
Brady Rodger's first non-tandem start went very well as he allowed only one run on a solo homer over six innings. He gave up eight hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out five. Cameron Lamb pitched the final three innings for his first save. Lancaster scored early and often. Tyler Heineman was the only starter who didn't make it into the hit column. Too much action with the bats to recap it all so here you go ~

Lancaster JetHawks
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Nolan Fontana	SS	4	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	.281
Carlos Perdomo	3B	4	2	2	0	1	0	2	2	0	.270
Andrew Aplin	CF	5	1	1	0	0	1	2	1	2	.287
MP Cokinos	1B	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	.353
Joe Sclafani	2B	5	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.329
Matt Duffy	DH	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.306
Tyler Heineman	C	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.259
Brandon Meredith	LF	4	0	1	0	1	0	2	1	0	.260
Chris Epps	RF	5	2	3	2	0	0	1	0	0	.303
Totals		39	10	13	3	2	1	9	7	7	.291

Quad Cities over Kane County 12-5

Colton Cain allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out six in his five and one-third innings of work. Gera Sanchez (1.1IP 3H 1R 1SO), Mitch Lambson (1.1IP 1H 1SO) and Chia-Jen Lo with one perfect inning finished it off. The two through five hole hitters (Jordan Scott, Dan Gulbransen, Jesse Wierzbicki and Rio Ruiz) combined to go 10-for-24 with five doubles, one home run, one walk, one stolen base, six RBI and scored seven runs. And that doesn't even include the guy who hit his second home run and second grand slam of the season, Brian Blasik. Or Roberto Pena who also hit a home run and drove in two. Wow!

Aberdeen over Tri-City 3-1

The good news is that Kyle Westwood (5IP 1H 1BB 3SO) looked really, really, really good in his fourth appearance of the season. After seeing him work today, I will definitely be keeping a closer eye on him. He works quickly, wears high socks and throws strikes ... what's not to like? He's not a power pitcher but his command more than makes up for it. The bad news is that the bullpen, in the form of Chris Cotton and Andrew Walter, couldn't hold the very fragile 1-0 lead he gave them. The offense only managed four hits and only one extra base hit, a double from Jon Kemmer (1x2 2B 2BB). Chan Moon and D'Andre Toney each swiped a bag.

Kingsport over Greeneville 3-0 in 7 innings (Game 1)

Enderson Franco was charged with the loss as he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over three innings. He was followed by two scoreless innings from Krishawn Holley (1H 1BB 2SO) and an inning in which Ryan Connolly allowed one unearned run and struck out two. The Greeneville nine only managed two hits in the game, a Darwin Rivera single and a double from Brett Phillips; however, they did manage four walks.

Kingsport over Greeneville 4-1 in 7 innings (Game 2)
Edison Frias (5IP 6H 4R/2ER 0BB 5SO HR) took the loss and was followed by a perfect inning from Tyler Brunnemann in which he struck out two. Once again, the bats were mostly silent as the Astros only had five hits in this one. The good news is that Chase McDonald hit his first home run of the season to at least get Greeneville on the board. Cristian Moronta was two-for-two with a double.

Players of the Day: Chris Epps doesn't get nearly enough attention so let's rectify that, shall we? In addition to going three-for-five with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's game, he has hit .361/.489/.750 in his last 10 games. He's a lefty bat who has always hit lefty pitching well and this season is no exception. He is currently hitting .356/.408/.667 against lefties for the season. Chris will have to share the honors with Rio Ruiz who went three-for-four with a walk, double, home run, two RBI, and he crossed home plate three times as well. He is hitting .364/.476/.667 over his last 10 games. Honorable mention goes to Brian Blaisk for the granny.

Pitcher of the Day: Nick Tropeano makes me want to burst into song once again with his great return from the DL so I think I will. "Hey, Nicky, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind. Hey, Nicky! Hey, Nicky!" Seriously, wonderful start from Nick. I hope he builds on it.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday’s Games

DSL Astros 0, DSL Athletics 2

The DSL Astros were one-hit shutout on Saturday. Edwin Villarroel (1-1) took the loss after pitching the first five innings, allowing one run on seven hits and striking out two. Joselo Pinales followed to finish out the final three and during his time he gave up no hits, walked one and struck out a pair as another, un-earned, run scored in the seventh-the result of consecutive errors to lead off the bottom of that frame. The DSL Astros had four errors on the day and three in the seventh inning. Kristian Trompiz went one-for-four with the only hit of the day, a single in the first inning.

Burlington Bees 5, Quad Cities River Bandits 6 (9) Game 1

The River Bandits won their first match in the double dip at home Saturday. Quad Cities was behind five runs after the second inning, but steady pitching after that and Brian Blasik’s (2X4 R HR 4RBI) grand slam helped them get back to tie the game and eventually win. Daniel Minor was the first on the mound for the River Bandits and after the five runs (2ER) scored in the first two frames, he settled in to allow just one more hit in his remaining two and two thirds, finishing with six hits, a walk and a K. Juri Perez pitched next and gave up a single hit in his three-inning long shift while walking two and striking out a trio. Mitchell Lambson (4-3) closed out the final one and a third to pick up the win, striking out one with two hits allowed. In the bottom of the ninth, Teoscar Hernandez (2X5 2R HR RBI 2SO) led off with single and scored the winning run after he was followed by Carlos Correa’s (3X5 R 2B RBI SO) walk- off single. Hernandez also hit a solo-homer in the third to get Quad Cities on the board.

Burlington Bees 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 1 (8) Game 2

The second game of the day in Modern Woodmen Park went into extras too, but did not see a win for the home team. The River Bandits recorded three hits all game and scored their only run in the third, utilizing two of those hits-a Brett Phillips double and a Ruben Sosa RBI-single. The only other hit was a single by Carlos Correa to lead off the home half of the seventh frame. Lance McCullers threw the first five innings and tallied a run on six hits as he struck out six. John Neely (1-4) worked the last inning and picked up the loss, allowing the winning run on two hits. Gera Sanchez pitched the sixth and seventh, and aside from giving up two walks and a hit, struck out every other batter he faced, tying his career high of six.

Lancaster JetHawks 5, Lake Elsinore Storm 1

The JetHawks clinched the first half Saturday and secured a return to the post season with their second consecutive win on the road in Lake Elsinore. Kyle Hallock started on the mound and even though he gave up five hits and five walks through his four and two thirds, he kept them scoreless. Theron Geith entered for one out in the fifth to resolve a bases loaded situation and struck out the batter he faced to end the inning. Luis Cruz (3-4) took the hill for the next three innings, allowing the only run on two hits and a walk while striking out five and earning the win. Matt Duffy went wild at the plate on Saturday, batting three-for-four with a run scored, two doubles, two RBI and a walk. Preston Tucker (2X5 R 2SO) and Andrew Aplin (2X5 R) also had multi-hit games as well and Delino DeShields, who batted one-for-three, scored a run, walked twice and hit his sixth triple of the season.

Corpus Christi Hooks 0, Frisco Rough Riders 3

The Hooks were three-hit shutout on Saturday after winning their last four games in a row. David Martinez picked up his first loss of the season, moving his record to nine wins and one loss. Martinez tossed the first five frames for Corpus, allowing one run, three hits and struck out four. Aside from a single in the second, Martinez retired every batter he faced in order before reaching the fifth. Mike Foltynewicz followed on the hill for the next two and a third and allowed another pair of runs on three hits, walked three and K-ed two. Jonathan Singleton went nothing-for-two with a couple of walks and a strikeout and Max Stassi hit one-for-two with a walk and a double in the fifth inning.

Round Rock Express 4, Oklahoma City RedHawks 6

Oklahoma City didn’t score after the fourth inning, but by then they had already recorded a big enough crooked number for the win at home. Jarred Cosart (6-3) picked up the win after hurling the first six innings. Cosart gave up two runs on four hits (HR), walked four and struck out three. Kevin Chapman (2IP H ER 2SO) and Rhiner Cruz (.1 IP 2H ER BB HR) followed Cosart on the hill and each added another run before Josh Zeid stepped in to record the last two outs of the game and his third save of the season. Zeid faced two batters: the first lined out and the second was whiffed. Half of the RedHawks’ runs were the products of the longballs hit by Brett Wallace (1X4 R RBI HR 2SO) and Jake Elmore (2X3 2R HR 2RBI). Wallace hit a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the third and Elmore clubbed his in the fourth, scoring Robbie Grossman (1X4 R 2SO). Marc Krauss hit an RBI single in the first inning to draw first blood, scoring Elmore. Krauss finished at two-for-four with a double, RBI and a strikeout.

Player of the Day: Brian Blasik hit a big one Saturday and a grand slam always takes the honors here. Not only that, it was Blasik’s first homer of the season and the second of his minor league career. Way to make it count.

Pitcher of the Day: Two guys are splitting the honors today, Theron Geith and Josh Zeid. These two combined for just three outs of work all told on Saturday, but they stepped in and helped their teams when they needed them the most. Geith faced just one batter, but it was to end a two-out, bases-loaded jam and Zeid entered to record the last two outs of the game and secure the win for his team when things started to get too close for comfort. A very honorable mention goes out to Gera Sanchez and his six Ks in two innings as well.   

Astros Minor League Recaps for Monday's and Tuesday's Games

Monday's Games

Salt Lake City over Oklahoma City 3-2
Brad Peacock got the start and the loss as he allowed two runs (both off solo homers) on four hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over four innings. Eric Berger gave up the final run in his three innings while Josh Zeid allowed only one hit in the final inning. Jonathan Villar had a heckuva day going three-for-four with a double, a triple, a walk and he scored two runs. Brett Wallace went two-for-five with a double and drove in two. OKC drew within one run in the seventh, but fell short as they dropped their third straight game.

Corpus Christi over San Antonio 13-3
Corpus Christi got off to an early lead with a two-run home run from George Springer in the first and a Jonathan Meyer solo shot in the second. But a five-run third in which the Hooks put up four singles with two outs before Michael Burgess cranked out a three-run bomb put the game out of reach. But that didn't stop Burgess from piling on with a three-run home run in the fifth and a two-run double in the sixth. Yes, you read that right. Michael Burgess drove in eight runs, a new Hooks single game record. Jonathan Meyer was four-for-five and scored four times and Eric Castro was three-for-four with a double, walk and scored three times. Oh, yeah, and there was some pitching in there too. Carlos Quevedo got the start and gave up two runs via the long ball in his four innings and was followed by Jake Buchanan who continues to amaze with four innings of one-hit ball. Alex Sogard gave up his first earned run of the season in the ninth.

Lancaster over Stockton 6-3
Blair Walters got the start and did a Houdini impression in order to limit the damage from four walks and three errors in his four innings, but he did just that as only one unearned run scored and he struck out five in his four innings. He was followed by a perfect inning from T.J. Geith who was awarded his fourth win of the season. Tommy Shirley put in two and two-thirds allowing two runs and was followed by Travis Ballew who converted his sixth save of the season. All of the 'Hawks scoring occurred in the six-run fourth inning as they kept the line moving with four singles, two doubles (Preston Tucker and Carlos Perdomo) and a two-run home run from Brandon Meredith (2x4 2B HR). Delino DeShields also went two-for-four with an RBI single.

Quad Cities over Peoria 8-0
Jordan Jankowski (5IP 3H 3SO), Josh Fields (2IP 2H 2SO) and Brian Holmes (2IP 2H 1BB 2SO) tossed the combined shut out. Much like Lancaster, Quad Cities put up all their runs in one big inning, also the fourth. After one out, nine straight runners reached base. In total 12 batters came to the plate in the frame. The biggest knocks of the inning were a two-run single from Jobduan Morales and a two-run double from Austin Elkins. Carlos Correa was two-for-four, scored a run and stole a base; Rio Ruiz was three-for-four with an RBI double and a run scored; and Ariel Ovando was two-for-three with a walk, RBI and run scored.

Player of the Day: When you go three-for-five with a double, two home runs and eight RBI, you too can become my player of the day. Michael Burgess is king for the day.

Pitcher of the Day: Jake Buchanan got his third win and lowered his ERA to 1.04. He has not allowed a run in his last four outings.

Tuesday's Games

Oklahoma City over Salt Lake City 3-2
Asher Wojciechowski allowed one run on three hits and four walks and three strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings before giving way to Jason Stoffel who allowed the final SLC run in the seventh. Kevin Chapman and Jose Valdez took it the rest of the way with scoreless outings and Valdez was awarded the win as OKC scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single from Austin Wates. Che-Hsuan Lin was two-for-three with a triple and Jason Jaramillo had an RBI triple as well.

San Antonio over Corpus Christi 11-5
In rare hiccups from pitching tandem Bobby Doran (L, 5-1) and Nick Tropeano, the tandem allowed nine runs (seven earned) with four of the runs scoring via the long ball. Pat Urckfitz allowed two of Doran's runners to score and added on two of his own. Jorge de Leon was perfect in his inning of work while Kenny Long walked one and struck out one in the ninth. Eight of the San Antonio runs scored in the first three innings before the Hooks put up a single run. The Hooks came back with five in the middle innings, but the deficit proved to be too large. George Springer (3x5 RBI R), Erik Castro (2x4 2B RBI) and Michael Burgess (2x4 R) all had good games at the plate. Domingo Santana contributed an RBI double to the mix.

Wisconsin over Quad Cities 9-7
Jamaine Cotton got his first start, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk in five innings. Vincent Velasquez (1.2IP 5H 4R 2BB 1HR) couldn't hold the Quad Cities lead and was charged with the loss. Richard Rodriguez made his first appearance of the season, allowing one run on a hit and a walk in one and a third innings. Despite a four-run first from Wisconsin, Quad Cities took the lead with a five-spot in the second. Brian Blasik went three-for-four with a double, stole a base, and scored a run. Carlos Correa (2x5 3R) and Jesse Wierzbicki (2x4 2B BB 2RBI R) also had multi-hit games. Terrell Joyce had an RBI double, and Roberto Pena doubled as well.

Player of the Day: Brian Blasik didn't only have a good day, he is having a good season since getting called up from Extended Spring Training, and is hitting .379/.438/.483 in his last ten games.

Pitcher of the Day: Asher Wojciechowski gets the honors. Wojo is 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA and a 1.213 WHIP in his first three starts with Oklahoma City.

Roster Moves

HOUSTON
According to Brian McTaggart, RHP Jordan Lyles and LHP Dallas Keuchel are being assigned from Oklahoma City to Houston.

OKLAHOMA CITY
RHP Jason Stoffel assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
C Carlos Perez assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
OF Austin Wates activated from the DL

CORPUS CHRISTI
OF J.D. Martinez assigned to rehab at Corpus Christi
C Max Stassi assigned from Extended Spring Training to Corpus Christi
1B Zach Johnson assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
1B Rafael Valenzuela released

QUAD CITIES
3B Rio Ruiz placed on the 7-day DL (reported to be a minor back/oblique injury)
IF Brian Blasik assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities

It's a part of the process, but it's never easy. Rafy Valenzuela is one of the good guys and he will truly be missed. Thanks for the hugs, Rafy, and good luck.

Happy Birthday - 3/15

Happy Birthday to ~

2B Jose Solano (21)
A NDFA from the Dominican Republic, Solano played with the GCL Astros in 2012 after spending the two previous seasons with the DSL Astros. He only played in 24 games, though, with a .169/.246/.271 batting line.

2B Brian Blasik (23)
Signed as an amateur free agent out of the University of Dayton in 2012, Blasik spent his first professional season with the Greeneville Astros. In 55 games, he hit .318/.346/.424 with 14 doubles, three triples, one home run, six stolen bases and 43 RBI. He was named an Appy League All-Star.

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

RHP Wayne Granger (69)
Granger came to Houston as a free agent in February 1975 and appeared in 55 games for the Astros that season, going 2-5 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1970 for the Reds and was named the NL Reliever of the Year in 1969 and 1970.

Astros Minor League Depth - Second 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 second basemen in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

Delino DeShields - April 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows second basemen in the organization ranked from high to low in terms of OBP. 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 did not include Jimmy Paredes since he has since been moved to the outfield.

Leading the list is none other than Delino DeShields. Not only did DeShields have one of the best OBP in the Astros organization, he also raised his slugging percentage by over 100 points over the prior season while stealing 101 bases. And he just turned 20 in August.

Austin Elkins and Brian Blasik each had strong debut years while 18-year old Juan Santana showed much promise in his first season in the States after putting up an impressive first year with the DSL in 2011. Ruben Sosa spent more time as a DH than as a second baseman in his second season in the organization, but I think that has probably as much to do with finding playing time as anything else. He showed fairly strong on-base skills but little in the way of power.

Jose Martinez didn't fare well in his transition to Oklahoma City for the final 23 games of the season and that brought down his .304/.362/.464 line from his first 107 games at Corpus. He had a successful campaign in the Venezuelan winter league which is a very competitive league, though, so look for him to catch up to the AAA level this season. He is another player whose potential should not be discounted due to his age as injuries, coupled with a family tragedy, sidetracked his career prior to 2012.

Enrique Hernandez, also known as Kiké, had an interesting season. 2012 was his first season to be 100% healthy and to get regular playing time since an ankle injury sidetracked him. The combination agreed with him as he recaptured the promise that he had shown in his 2010 Tri-City season, leading to a late season promotion from Lancaster to Corpus Christi. Kiké will need to balance the aggressiveness he showed in 2012 with the more patient approach he showed at the plate in 2011 when he had a .341 OBP. Hernandez showed that balance this winter as he played in the Puerto Rican winter league, hitting .320/.379/.469 in 39 games.

Two other players to keep an eye on in 2013 are John Hinson (Lexington) and Brandon Wikoff (Corpus Christi) each of whom had injury-shortened seasons in 2012. Hinson was used primarily as a third baseman before his injury, but he played second base in 2011. Wikoff has played wherever needed and profiles as a solid utility infielder.

Monday: First Base
Coming Wednesday: Shortstop

An Interview with 2B Brian Blasik

Brian Blasik comes across as a quiet, unassuming, even-keeled individual. Signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent this summer, he quietly made a statement in his first season, hitting .318/.346/.424 over 55 games and being named the Greeneville Astros MVP as he ranked fifth in the league in batting average and RBI. In his college career with the University of Dayton, he made the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team three years straight and was named a Louisville Slugger All-American his senior year when he hit .343/.390/.484 with a school record 36 stolen bases.

RHP Adrian Houser, Brian's teammate, picked Brian as the Astros hitter he would least like to face in the batter's box, saying, "He's a freak; he's just so good. Guys joking around call him Baby Jesus because you hardly ever see him go a game without getting a hit. He's a solid infielder. He just plays the game how it's supposed to be played, works hard."

I interviewed Brian last month in Greeneville. Here is what he had to say [edited for brevity and clarity] ~

On why he thinks he wasn't drafted: "I was in Dayton. I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have the best arm. I don't hit the most home runs or anything like that so it's really hard for me to stand out in a see-me-one-time [way]. I think the best thing for me is you've got to see me throughout a season and see how I am. That's kind of the situation. I think I didn't get drafted because I'm not a showcase guy ... one time seeing me, 'I should draft him,' but you have to see me over the span of a season, I think. [I] played summer league ball in Coastal Plains the last two years, did pretty special in that, had a great college career and everything, so I got my chance here."

On his MVP season: "I've been doing pretty well. Just trying to do everything I've done the past years I've played baseball and not let anything get to my head or anything like that. Just play for fun really. Just see what I can do."

What is his natural position?: "I played shortstop in college mostly, and the outfield in summer ball mostly. So I've played pretty much everywhere. Been playing second base here. I'm pretty comfortable everywhere in the field really. I never really had a set position in college. [It] took me to senior year to play shortstop even. I played outfield, second base, third base, shortstop and same thing with summer ball league so I've been pretty sound in [those] positions. It helped me out a lot getting a lot of playing time in summer ball. And second base is just really the same thing as shortstop."

On coming into the organization with Dayton teammate Mike Hauschild: "It helped. Made me a little more comfortable knowing who my roommate's going to be ahead of time. That takes one stress out of the thing, knowing I'm going to room with him. Great guy. I roomed with him for four years already. We were in the same house, six people to a house, and he was one of them."

On his season accomplishments: "I think I've accomplished being able to be confident. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect really, competition level and stuff, so I was trying to be myself. That's what I feel like I've accomplished so far, accomplished showing that I can do it at this level for now at least. And in the future I think I just need to keep showing that I can do it and keep producing and keep getting jobs done and keep being sound defensively and having good at-bats and getting some more walks probably. I haven't had a lot of walks so far. That's probably the one thing I need to work on [from] a batting standpoint."

On teammate Jean Batista who was promoted to Tri-City mid-season: "He's a great guy. He swings at a lot of pitches. He had a lot of power. He hit a lot of doubles, triples and home runs. Just a great hitter all around, hits almost any pitch. That probably sums him up right there. He played mostly at first base. It was new to him and it took a couple of games to get used to it, but after that he was great at first base, played shortstop a couple of games, was fine there too."

Which teammate would he least like to face on the mound?: "Mike [Hauschild] has a lot of nasty pitches really ... lot of changeups and fastballs and breaks a decent amount of bats, [but] I'm going to say [Jordan] Jankowski because he throws a ton of sliders. I don't like sliders. I like hitting fastballs, but to be honest everyone does I guess. He throws all sliders and so I'd probably least like to face him because of that."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball?: "Probably start off giving lessons to high school kids, make some money that way and see where I could go from there, go into coaching maybe, finish up on school, maybe get into a college coaching stuation. [Baseball] has been my whole entire life. I've spent 18 years doing it already so why stop at 18 years? I've got a lot of experience in it."

What has been the biggest surprise about pro ball?: "I'm surprised at how much it's like summer ball, like the summer leagues. That's all you do is baseball. I expected that. I was expecting it to probably be more intense, I think. It's pretty relaxed. They keep you comfortable. College was really demanding. It's demanding here, but coaches yell at you all the time [in college] - it's stressful. I was surprised they keep it non-stressful for you [here]. It's a stressful sport and everything but I'm surprised how [much] less stressful it is than what I was expecting compared to school baseball."

Who on the team makes him laugh?: "Ricky Gingras makes me laugh. He's a funny guy I think. I don't think he even tries to. He just does."

What would he say to Astros fans about the future?: "From what I've heard, all the minor league teams are doing pretty well lately. [There's] a lot of good talent, especially Correa's been pretty good for us. He looks pretty solid. A lot of players here look pretty good. That's good news as the years go on."

Final words: "[I'm] having a lot of fun. Not many people get to play a game for their life, for their career, and that's kind of a nice thing to say. You think of the alternative and you could be going in to work 9 to 5 [instead of] just coming to the field to hit BP, take ground balls, throw, do a little running and lifting, play a game and then go home and do it all over again."

I didn't have the opportunity to see Brian play as he was day-to-day having been hit on the fingers in a bunt attempt. When he came back the day after I left, he picked up right where he left off, hitting .296 in the final seven games of the season. And that fits right in with how I see him going forward. Quiet, steady, dependable. Never too high. Never too low. And thankful that he was given an opportunity to show it.

Greeneville Astros Season Recap

Earlier this week, I took a look at the DSL Astros season (not so good) and the GCL Astros season (not so bad). Now let's look at the Greeneville Astros, the first of the three with a win percentage over .500 and a positive run differential. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.

2011 Win Percentage - .368
2012 Win Percentage - .529

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 326 - 419 = (93)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 339 - 297 = 42

2011 Team ERA & WHIP - 5.12 & 1.487
2012 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.80 & 1.301

2011 Team Batting Line - .252/.330/.365
2012 Team Batting Line - .262/.328/.379

The differences are dramatic with an 11-game swing in the win column and a 135 run swing in the run differential. The biggest difference, statistically, is the pitching with this year's team ranking third in the Appy League in ERA (out of 10 teams) and fourth in WHIP while last year's team was ranked ninth out of ten in both of those categories. There is definitely improvement in batting categories as well, though, as the 2012 club's BA/OBP/SLG rank third, fifth and fifth respectively as compared to the eighth, seventh and tenth rankings of last year's club.

As far as individual players go, there are several standouts.

IF Jean Batista did so well at Greeneville, hitting .321/.345/.531, that he merited a mid-August promotion to Tri-City where he is currently hitting .302/.295/.372 over ten games. Batista ranked fourth in BA and second in SLG in the Appy League, and was also second in doubles and tied for tenth in hits despite not finishing the season with Greeneville. The 20-year old switch-hitter has played about half of his games at 1B with the remainder split between 2B and SS.

2B Brian Blasik, team MVP, finished the season with a .318/.346/.424 batting line, fifth in the league in BA and RBI and tied for third in hits. The 22-year old Blasik was signed as a non-drafted free agent this year.

RF Ariel Ovando won't be 19 until September 15th which makes his .287/.350/.444 batting line even more impressive. He was in the top three or four on the team in virtually every offensive category except for stolen bases. Unfortunately, he led the team in strikeouts as well.

CF D'Andre Toney was fifth in the Appy League in runs scored and was tied for sixth in stolen bases, and he led the Greeneville team in those two categories as well as in walks. The 20-year old Toney had a .252/.351/.326 batting line.

SS Carlos Correa only played in 11 games at Greeneville, but the 17-year old did quite nicely as he hit .371/.450/.600 with three doubles, a triple and a home run. His 11 doubles with the GCL tied him for 13th in the Gulf Coast League, despite having not played there since early August. His final combined line was .258/.305/.400 with 14 doubles, two triples, three home runs and six stolen bases.

18-year old 3B Rio Ruiz didn't make the adjustment from the GCL to Greeneville as well as Correa did. He hit .271/.361/.412 in 23 games with the GCL and .220/.291/.380 in 15 games at Greeneville.

RHP Daniel Minor was an absolute standout with Greeneville, leading the league in ERA (2.75) and WHIP (1.034). The 21-year old had a SO/BB ratio of 4.80.

20-year old RHP Francis Ramirez led the team in wins and was tied for third in the league in that category. He was team leader and fifth in the league in strikeouts. His 10.0 SO/9 was good. His 4.9 BB/9 was not.

19-year old RHP Adrian Houser was 12th in the league in ERA (4.19), ninth in the league in WHIP (1.310) and was tied for tenth in the league in strikeouts.

RHP Lance McCullers was under strict pitch/innings limits so we didn't see that much out of the 18-year old top prospect. He made four starts with the GCL (11 total innings) with a 1.64 ERA, 1.091 WHIP and 9.8 SO/9. He also made four starts with Greeneville (15 total innings) with a 4.80 ERA, 1.333 WHIP and 10.2 SO/9.

RHP Jordan Jankowski, at 23-years old, was one of the greybeards on the team, but he dominated. His 14.8 SO/9 easily led the team. He compiled 53 strikeouts in 32.1 innings, only six fewer than the team leader who needed 21 additional innings to get that extra six. Jankowski also led the team in appearances.

22-year olds RHP Mike Hauschild and LHP Scott Zuloaga (prior to his promotion to Tri-City) both had successful seasons in the bullpen at Greeneville as well. Hauschild had a 1.78 ERA, 1.022 WHIP, and 11.6 SO/9 in 19 appearances. Zuloaga had a 2.13 ERA, 1.105 WHIP and 11.4 SO/9 in 10 appearances; he has not allowed a run in seven appearances with Tri-City and has a very modest 0.800 WHIP.

No more season recaps until more seasons are over starting next week. I'm hoping a few of the remaining five teams can keep us waiting a while as they pursue Championships!

Free Agent Signing

I forgot to post this yesterday, but ...

The Astros signed NDFA Brian Blasik, a SS from the University of Dayton and teammate of 33rd round draft pick RHP Mike Hauschild. This story tells us a little more about these players who have been assigned to the Greeneville Astros to start their careers together.