Astros Minor League Roster Moves/Transactions

Word came out this morning of a couple more Astros minor league player releases:

RHP Erick Gonzalez, drafted in the 15th round in 2012 out of GateWay Community College in Arizona, was 3-5 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.556 WHIP in 20 bullpen appearances with the Gulf Coast League Astros in 2013.

RHP Alan Abreu, was a non-drafted free agent out of Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, and the story of his signing was an interesting one. He only pitched in one game for the Greeneville Astros in 2013.

In addition, it was announced that Jack Armstrong, Jr., the Astros third round pick in 2011 is retiring. He recently attempted to make the switch from the mound to first base after multiple injuries derailed his pitching career.

Also, I reached out to the Astros front office to enquire about 1B/DH Chase Davidson. Although he is still showing as active on MiLB.com, he did retire over the off-season. Davidson was first drafted by the Astros in the third round in 2008, but did not sign. He was re-drafted in the 41st round in 2011. Davidson had played in only a handful of games over the last two seasons, presumably due to injuries.

Finally, in case you missed it from yesterday, Peter Moylan and the Astros have parted company. Moylan tweeted this out yesterday evening ~

The @astros and I are consciously uncoupling. It was a fun spring. All the best to the team this year.
— Peter Moylan (@PeterMoylan) March 26, 2014

I have updated my ongoing off-season transaction list with these moves.

UPDATED with a couple of major league roster moves:

OF Alex Presley was claimed off waivers from the Twins and added to the Astros 40-man roster. In order to make room for him, LHP Raul Valdes was designated for assignment.

Happy Birthday - 1/14

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Chase Davidson (24)
Drafted out of the University of Georgia in the 41st round in 2011, Davidson only played in ten games for Quad Cities in 2013, hitting .238/.289/.381. His last game was April 23rd. He has now played in only 19 total games over the last two seasons.

Three former Astros celebrate birthdays today ~

2B Derrel Thomas (63)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1969, Thomas only played in five games for Houston in 1971 in which he went hitless. He was traded to the Padres in December 1971 and went on to play a total of 15 seasons for seven different teams.

UT Dave Campbell (72)
Campbell came to Houston in an August 1973 trade with Houston and played in 44 games for the Astros from 1973 to 1974, hitting .158/.179/.237. After his playing days, Campbell became a broadcaster for the Giants, Padres, Rockies and ESPN.

LHP Danny Boone (60)
A second round pick by the Angels in 1976, Boone came to Houston in a June 1982 trade with the Padres. In 10 games for the Astros that season, he had a 3.55 ERA and a 0.868 WHIP. And, yes, he is a descendant of that Daniel Boone.

It Was a Very Big Year For ...

Back in March, I wrote a piece about a few players for whom I declared, "This is going to be a very big year." I would like to revisit what I said back in March and what ultimately happened with each of them. Last week, I looked at a few pitchers. This week it's position players. The article, in full, follows with updates.

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Over the last couple of weeks, I've talked to John Manuel of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and others about many of the players in the Astros farm system, both prospect and non-prospect alike. One phrase kept coming up time and time again. "This is going to be a big year for (fill-in-the-blank)." I found myself saying it as well.

With the Astros depth increasing, players will need to step up to keep up. For some, it may be a matter of staying healthy. For some, it will be recapturing earlier promise. For some, it will be taking that next step developmentally. Here are just a few position players for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR.

1B/DH Chase Davidson
Davidson turned 23 in January and has only played 53 games professionally to date. Davidson was originally drafted in the third round by the Astros in 2008 but did not sign; they re-drafted him in 2011 in the 41st round. In his first season, he hit .327/.417/.630 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 44 games. He also struck out 53 times. In 2012, he only appeared in nine games with Tri-City in June before disappearing off the radar for the remainder of the year. At 23, he will need to get healthy, stay healthy and move quickly through the system before time starts working against him.

UPDATE: Time is now officially working against Chase Davidson. He will be 24 in January and he has yet to advance beyond Low A. Davidson only appeared in 10 games for Quad Cities this season, the last of which was on April 23rd. Presumably, he was injured (although I don't know that for a fact). In three professional seasons, Davidson has only played in 63 games. In his 10 games this season (42 at-bats), he hit .238/.289/.381 with three doubles, one home run and five RBI. He walked twice and struck out 21 times in those 10 games. To put it bluntly, I find it increasingly difficult to find a path forward for Mr. Davidson.

SS Jonathan Villar
Yes, Villar has all of the tools but he has yet to put them all together consistently. He needs to show more focus defensively. He has a tendency to speed up the game and make mental errors in the field. Prior to breaking his hand in July, Villar's bat did show signs of coming around but he lost valuable developmental time. Villar won't turn 22 until May so he still has plenty of time to put it all together, but if he doesn't take that next step forward, he could find himself jockeying for position in the Astros depth charts.

UPDATE: Villar spent the first 91 games of the season with Oklahoma City where he definitely made inroads with the bat, hitting .277/.341/.442 with 16 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 51 RBI and 31 stolen bases. He then made his major league debut on July 22nd, and in 58 games in Houston, he hit .243/.321/.319 with nine doubles, two triples, one home run, eight RBI, 18 stolen bases and one spectacularly embarrassing baserunning move. But to his credit, he also did this. Overall, I feel as though his baserunning and his bat lived up to expectations at the major league level, but there were still signs that Villar's internal defensive clock needs adjustment. His 16 errors tied for fifth in the American League, despite playing in significantly fewer games than the other category leaders. And before you SABR-types jump on me for using errors, I looked up his UZR for the Astros and it was -8.1 which isn't exactly great either (albeit based on a relatively small sample size). With all that said, personally I thought that he looked better in the field than he did when I saw him in Corpus Christi last season. Ultimately, if he can be more consistent defensively, it will go a long way towards his realization of sustained success at the major league level.

SS Jio Mier
Speaking of which, Jio Mier could be the one to challenge Villar, but he has to stay healthy and he has to continue the progress he made last season (before  a bad hamstring injury) and later in the Arizona Fall League. He missed a large chunk of the 2012 season due to the injury, but it appeared that he was finally putting things together at the plate, hitting .292/.396/.409 at Lancaster and .297/.333/.422 in the Arizona Fall League. If Villar falters and Mier continues his progress and stays healthy, things could get interesting. Mier won't be 23 until August. Did I mention that he really needs to stay healthy?

UPDATE: Jio, Jio, Jio. What can I say? I really like Jio. I'm really rooting for him, but his bat was a definite disappointment in the 2013 season. Everyone I spoke with when I was in Corpus Christi this summer simply raved about Jio's defense and that's precisely what I saw on the field, but what I saw in the batter's box was discouraging. In 104 games, he hit .194/.293/.265 with 10 doubles and five home runs. As far as I know, he was healthy all season so his lack of production can't be blamed on that. I refuse to give up on Jio, but he is going to have to make very big strides at the plate in the coming season because, frankly, there is a great deal of talent coming up through the system looking to challenge him.

C/OF Mike Kvasnicka
I'm not even sure where to start with Kvasnicka. His development seems to have been stunted by his moves from catcher to third base back to catcher and now, apparently, to right field. Kvasnicka had a horrible start to his 2012 season, but seemed to have gotten into a groove at the plate about the time he was moved to right field. He also found his home run stroke, tripling his home run output from prior years. But the fact remains that he is 24 years old and hasn't gotten above Low A yet. He will need to come to Spring Training prepared to show that he belongs and will need to contribute immediately wherever he is placed.

UPDATE: Well, Kvasnicka did have a very big year ... for another team. Traded to the Twins for RHP Gonzalo Sanudo in March, Kvasnicka didn't make his season debut until June, reportedly due to a wrist injury, but played extremely well in 69 games for the High A Fort Myer Miracles, hitting .282/.341/.460 with 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 40 RBI. He played most of his games, by the way, in right field.

1B/DH Telvin Nash
Telvin Nash just turned 22 last month. He needs to do two things. He needs to replicate his home run power outside the hitter-friendly confines of Lancaster and he needs to cut down on the strikeouts. If Nash is promoted to AA this season, I think he will find that the more advanced pitchers will take advantage of the holes in his swing. He will have to find a way to adjust. The recent news that Nash lost 30 pounds during the offseason tells me that he is highly motivated. That is encouraging.

UPDATE: Nash gets an incomplete for the season, but the news is mostly positive. He last played on July 18th and was ultimately placed on the DL for the remainder of the season. Since he didn't advance beyond Lancaster, we still don't know whether or not his power will translate away from The Hangar. But one thing he did accomplish was cutting down on his strikeouts. Nash struck out in over 44% of his plate appearances in 2012. He cut that down to approximately 34.5% in 2013. Still a lot of strikeouts, but a huge improvement! And he improved his walk rate as well. His improved discipline at the plate didn't hamper his home run production so that is encouraging as well. In 62 games, he hit .246/.357/.500 (as compared to .224/.316/.494 in 2012) with 10 doubles, 16 home runs and 48 RBI.

Roster Moves

Since I've been travelling, it's been a few days since I've checked the transactions. Here's what I found over the last few days:

OKLAHOMA CITY
Rudy Owens placed on the 7-day DL, but effectively he is out for the season after having foot surgery yesterday

CORPUS CHRISTI
Domingo Santana activated from the DL
Austin Wates placed on the 7-day DL

LANCASTER
Tyson Perez activated from the Temporary Inactive list
Aaron West placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to 4/26

QUAD CITIES
*Colton Cain assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities
*Ariel Ovando assigned from Quad Cities to Extended Spring Training

*Note - There have been several phantom moves at Quad Cities as of late so don't read too much into these assignments back and forth to/from Extended Spring Training. The only real move so far appears to be the move from last week that sent Chase Davidson back to Extended Spring Training and brought Miles Hamblin from Extended to Quad Cities.

Roster Moves

OKLAHOMA CITY
2B Raoul Torrez assigned from Lancaster to Oklahoma City

LANCASTER
C Tyler Heineman activated from the DL
RHP Tyson Perez placed on the Temporary Inactive List

QUAD CITIES
DH Chase Davidson assigned from Quad Cities to Extended Spring Training
LHP Colton Cain assigned from Quad Cities to Extended Spring Training
3B Ryan Dineen assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities (just sent to EST 4 days prior)
C Miles Hamblin assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities

Also, Grant Hogue tweeted today that he was moving on. Hogue is a terrific individual that was well loved by teammates and fans alike. I met him on a couple of occasions and could see why. Those who are privileged to have Grant in their midst next will definitely be the richer for it.

Roster Moves

Lots of movement in the minors yesterday:

OKLAHOMA CITY
2B Ruben Sosa assigned from Oklahoma City to Extended Spring Training (EST)
3B Andy Simunic assigned from EST to Oklahoma City

LANCASTER
2B Carlos Perdomo assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
C Tyler Heineman placed on the 7-day DL (ankle)
LF Chris Epps activated from the Temporary Inactive (TI) list
RHP Alex Gillingham placed on the 7-day DL

QUAD CITIES
LHP Joe Bircher assigned from Quad Cities to EST
2B Austin Elkins assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities (had been at EST)
1B Chase Davidson activated from the TI list

Roster Moves

RHP Jordan Jankowski was assigned from Extended Spring Training back to Quad Cities.
DH Chase Davidson (Quad Cities) was placed on the Temporary Inactive List.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Monday's Games

Quad Cities over Burlington 12-2
The River Bandits put a hurtin' on Burlington early with 11 runs in the first three innings to remain undefeated for the season. So much for my theory that the QC team might struggle early in the season! Starter Joe Bircher allowed two runs on three hits in his first inning of work before settling in to shutout the Bees over the next four innings and was rewarded with the win. Vincent Velasquez faced the minimum number of batters over the last four innings while striking out six. CF Teoscar Hernandez went 4-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored; DH Chase Davidson was 3-for-5 with three RBI singles; and 1B Jesse Wierzbicki was 2-for-4 with five RBI, including an RBI double and a three-run home run. 2B Joe Sclafani contributed a two RBI double toward the effort to go with his three walks.

Lake Elsinore at Lancaster - Postponed due to dust. Really.

Jonas Dufek ‏@Jonasty41
The difference 5 minutes can make in Lancaster CA... #dusteverywhere pic.twitter.com/34TIPHkTV6


Corpus Christi over Tulsa 4-3
Down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, CF George Springer drew a bases-loaded walk to tie it and was followed with a walk-off single from DH Michael Burgess to seal the deal and get the Hooks their third straight victory. Jake Buchanan had a strong start, allowing two runs on three hits. He recorded nine ground outs and six strikeouts -- I like it! In Carlos Quevedo's first action since his promotion to Corpus, he allowed three hits (including a two-out homer) and struck out three over one and two-thirds innings. Pat Urckfitz closed it out with two and a third scoreless frames for the win. Springer was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, two walks, a run scored and a stolen base; Burgess was 3-for-5 with an RBI single; and 2B Kiké Hernandez recorded two walks, an RBI single and a stolen base. LF Austin Wates also swiped a bag. Although the Hooks only managed six hits in the game, they walked nine times including two walks each from Wates and RF Domingo Santana.

Nashville over Oklahoma City 1-0
Really great pitching from both sides as the two teams combined for only nine hits and three walks. Rudy Owens got his first start of the season and was rewarded with a loss despite allowing only one unearned run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in five innings. Jose Cisnero allowed only two hits and one walk while striking out three in the final three frames. My man 2B Jake Elmore was 2-for-4 with a double and stole a base. The only other RedHawks hits were singles from CF Robbie Grossman and LF Trevor Crowe.

Player of the Day: Teoscar Hernandez and Chase Davidson both had terrific games for Quad Cities, but I have to send a little extra love to Jesse Wierzbicki. Wierzbicki started out a little slow this season, but really busted out on Monday with his five RBI game.

Pitcher of the Day: Vincent Velasquez simply dominated in four no-hit innings. I really expect him to start moving up the prospect rankings this season.

Batting Practice Videos

I am STILL trying to catch up from my Spring Training trip. So, today I'm going to offer up some of the video I took at Spring Training. Here are a few of the hitters I saw take batting practice.

This is Going to be a Very Big Year for ...

Over the last couple of weeks, I've talked to John Manuel of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and others about many of the players in the Astros farm system, both prospect and non-prospect alike. One phrase kept coming up time and time again. "This is going to be a big year for (fill-in-the-blank)." I found myself saying it as well.

With the Astros depth increasing, players will need to step up to keep up. For some, it may be a matter of staying healthy. For some, it will be recapturing earlier promise. For some, it will be taking that next step developmentally. Here are just a few position players for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR.

1B/DH Chase Davidson
Davidson turned 23 in January and has only played 53 games professionally to date. Davidson was originally drafted in the third round by the Astros in 2008 but did not sign; they re-drafted him in 2011 in the 41st round. In his first season, he hit .327/.417/.630 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 44 games. He also struck out 53 times. In 2012, he only appeared in nine games with Tri-City in June before disappearing off the radar for the remainder of the year. At 23, he will need to get healthy, stay healthy and move quickly through the system before time starts working against him.

SS Jonathan Villar
Yes, Villar has all of the tools but he has yet to put them all together consistently. He needs to show more focus defensively. He has a tendency to speed up the game and make mental errors in the field. Prior to breaking his hand in July, Villar's bat did show signs of coming around but he lost valuable developmental time. Villar won't turn 22 until May so he still has plenty of time to put it all together, but if he doesn't take that next step forward, he could find himself jockeying for position in the Astros depth charts.

SS Jio Mier
Speaking of which, Jio Mier could be the one to challenge Villar, but he has to stay healthy and he has to continue the progress he made last season (before  a bad hamstring injury) and later in the Arizona Fall League. He missed a large chunk of the 2012 season due to the injury, but it appeared that he was finally putting things together at the plate, hitting .292/.396/.409 at Lancaster and .297/.333/.422 in the Arizona Fall League. If Villar falters and Mier continues his progress and stays healthy, things could get interesting. Mier won't be 23 until August. Did I mention that he really needs to stay healthy?

C/OF Mike Kvasnicka
I'm not even sure where to start with Kvasnicka. His development seems to have been stunted by his moves from catcher to third base back to catcher and now, apparently, to right field. Kvasnicka had a horrible start to his 2012 season, but seemed to have gotten into a groove at the plate about the time he was moved to right field. He also found his home run stroke, tripling his home run output from prior years. But the fact remains that he is 24 years old and hasn't gotten above Low A yet. He will need to come to Spring Training prepared to show that he belongs and will need to contribute immediately wherever he is placed.

1B/DH Telvin Nash
Telvin Nash just turned 22 last month. He needs to do two things. He needs to replicate his home run power outside the hitter-friendly confines of Lancaster and he needs to cut down on the strikeouts. If Nash is promoted to AA this season, I think he will find that the more advanced pitchers will take advantage of the holes in his swing. He will have to find a way to adjust. The recent news that Nash lost 30 pounds during the offseason tells me that he is highly motivated. That is encouraging.

Next week I'll look at a few pitchers for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY BIG YEAR.

Astros Minor League Depth - First Base

It's time to take a look at the Astros minor league depth, position by position, as we approach Spring Training. Today, we will look at the first basemen in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

The embedded chart shows first 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 not including players who spent time at the major league level in 2012, such as Brett Wallace.

Erik Castro, who barely leads this list over Jonathan Singleton, divided his time almost equally between 1B and DH in 2012. I would caution against those who are inclined to dismiss Castro as a prospect because of the "Lancaster effect" and the fact that he will be 25 going in to the 2013 season. He was 100% healthy in 2012 for the first time since injury sidetracked his career in 2010. I can certainly see Castro successfully moving up in the system in 2013. He may even get back to playing third base as well which would only add to his versatility and value to the organization. One key for him is to cut down on his strikeout rate.

At first glance, you may be unimpressed by Zach Johnson's .238 batting average, but look a little closer. Johnson was tied with Castro for an organization-leading 108 RBI. He got those RBI any way he could, including grounding into force outs and an organization-leading 14 sac flies, and productive outs don't exactly boost a player's batting average. His 38 doubles ranked in the organization behind only the 39 doubles hit by Brandon Barnes before his call-up to Houston. 

The only one of these players who is new to the organization is Michael Martinez, a 2012 draftee who had a solid debut season with Greeneville. Jesse Wierzbicki in his second season with the Astros and Rafael Valenzuela in his third year both had good seasons as well. Valenzuela was an integral part of the Lancaster team's late run to the playoffs and Wierzbicki was named MVP of the Tri-City team.

One surprise for me from this list was that Jean Batista actually spent more time at first base than he did at either of the middle infield positions as he has in the past. It may just be a temporary situation as players jockey for playing time, but interesting to watch in any event.

Jonathan Singleton, of course, just got popped with a 50-game suspension for testing positive for what has been widely reported as marijuana. He will be allowed to participate in Spring Training, and his suspension will start once the season begins.

One player who doesn't appear on this list who will bear watching in 2013 is Chase Davidson. He only played in a handful of games in 2012, all at DH, before sitting out the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury. When I interviewed Jeff Luhnow in November, he mentioned that he was eager to see what Davidson could do once healthy.

Tuesday: Second Base

Happy Birthday - 1/14

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Chase Davidson (23)
Drafted out of the University of Georgia in the 41st round in 2011, Davidson only played in nine games for Tri-City in 2012, hitting .156/.229/.281. His last game was June 28th. He was never officially placed on the DL, but he apparently suffered an injury. I'm hoping to see him back in action at Spring Training.

OF Jarico Reynoso (20)
A non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic, Reynoso played his first professional season with the DSL Astros this year. In 58 games, he hit .241/.324/.278 with 17 stolen bases.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

2B Derrel Thomas (62)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1969, Thomas only played in five games for Houston in 1971 in which he went hitless. He was traded to the Padres in December 1971 and went on to play a total of 15 seasons for seven different teams.

UT Dave Campbell (71)
Campbell came to Houston in an August 1973 trade with Houston and played in 44 games for the Astros from 1973 to 1974, hitting .158/.179/.237.

LHP Danny Boone (59)
A second round pick by the Angels in 1976, Boone came to Houston in a June 1982 trade with the Padres. In 10 games for the Astros that season, he had a 3.55 ERA and a 0.868 WHIP. And, yes, he is a descendant of that Daniel Boone.

WTH 25-Man Roster

The 22nd player selected for the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was DH Chase Davidson.  We had another case of "stuffing the ballot box" with Davidson, but since he was essentially tied with Telvin Nash before the ballot stuffing began, I will let the results stand.  However, just like Miss America, if for any reason Chase Davidson can't fulfill his duties, Telvin Nash will be called on to DH for him.  Also receiving votes were Kody Hinze, Matt Duffy, Jimmy VanOstrand and Tyler Burnett.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our final Relief Pitcher

Happy Birthday - 1/14

1B Chase Davidson (22)
Drafted out of the University of Georgia in the 41st round in 2011, Davidson spent all but one game of his 2011 season at Greeneville.  In 43 games with Greeneville (and one game with Tri-City), he hit .327/.417/.630/1.047 with 13 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs.  He was named as an Appy League Post-Season All-Star.

Former Astros with birthdays today

2B Derrel Thomas (61)
Played in 5 games for Houston in 1971

UT Dave Campbell (70)
Played in 44 games for Houston from 1973 to 1974

LHP Danny Boone (58)
Pitched in 10 games for the Astros in 1982 with a 3.55 ERA and a 0.868 WHIP