Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to ...
RHP Robert Kahana (22)
Kahana was born May 16, 1993 in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and was drafted by the Astros in the 32nd round in 2014 out of the University of Kansas. He is currently at Extended Spring Training.
Corpus Christi Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (48)
Brocail was born May 16, 1967 in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, and is currently in his second season as Pitching Coach for the Corpus Christi team.
A LOOK AT THE ASTROS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
Showing posts with label Doug Brocail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doug Brocail. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Friday, May 16, 2014
Happy Birthday - 5/16
Happy Birthday to ~
RHP, Special Assistant to the GM and CC Interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (47)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
RHP, Special Assistant to the GM and CC Interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (47)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
December 28, 1994: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Derek Bell, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez, Phil Plantier and Craig Shipley to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later, Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine and Brian Williams. The Houston Astros sent Sean Fesh (minors) (May 1, 1995) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade.
December 10, 1996: Traded by the Houston Astros with Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller and cash to the Detroit Tigers for Brad Ausmus, Jose Lima, Trever Miller, C.J. Nitkowski and Daryle Ward.
December 11, 2000: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with Brad Ausmus and Nelson Cruz to the Houston Astros for Roger Cedeno, Chris Holt and Mitch Meluskey.He pitched in 151 games for Houston at the major league level in 1995, 1996, 2008 and 2009 with a 15-14 record, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.422 WHIP.
After retiring from baseball, Brocail became a special assistant to the Astros General Manager until he was asked to fill in as the Astros pitching coach when Brad Arnsberg was fired in June 2011, a position he retained for the next two seasons. After the 2013 season, Brocail was once again named as a Special Assistant to the GM and was pressed into service as the Interim Corpus Christi Hooks Pitching Coach while Gary Ruby is out on medical leave.
Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~
RHP Bob Bruce (81)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (61)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~
RHP Bob Bruce (81)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (61)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Doug Brocail Talks About Hooks LHP Tommy Shirley
On my recent trip to Corpus Christi, I talked briefly with Keith Bodie about several players and then I posed the question, "Who has been the biggest surprise for you this season?" His answer came back about a nanosecond later, "Tommy Shirley."
I was extremely impressed with what Shirley accomplished in Lancaster in 2013 and I did this phone interview with him over the off-season. When I saw Tommy at Spring Training, I told him that he was going to be on my under-the-radar prospect post that I was planning to write. Unfortunately, I still haven't written the post and it may be too late to include Shirley on that list because he isn't exactly flying under the radar anymore.
In his first eight games (six starts) for the Hooks, Shirley is 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA and a 0.929 WHIP and is among the league leaders in those categories. Hitters are only managing a .185 batting average against him. He has definitely opened some eyes.
One person who had a lot to say about Tommy was Hooks Interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail. When I was in Corpus Christi late last month, I intended to talk to Brocail about several pitchers, but we spent most of our time talking about Shirley. It was a very interesting discussion and I think the whole thing is worth sharing, so that's precisely what I'm going to do. Here are Doug Brocail's largely unedited thoughts about the lefty.
"Tommy's a little different. When you look at Tommy as a pitching [coach], the first thing you say is, 'Wow, that's ugly.' And then you start watching Tommy and all the moving parts. Tommy has really good mechanics.
"The kid's got a Bugs Bunny fastball if that makes sense. Everybody's seen the cartoon where Bugs Bunny throws the pitch in [and] right before it gets to the bat, it does the old dipsy doodle. It's one of those things where when you watch this kid pitch, he's so exciting because you don't know what you're going to see.
"We see a ton of bad swings. We see counts that favor the hitter against Tommy that are really not favorable counts because of how his ball moves. He can move it both ways with a natural fastball and that's very hard to do when you have a guy that throws across his body. Sometimes he cuts it a little short. Sometimes he gets over extension. The ball cuts. The ball runs. The ball dips. The ball dives. He has all that going for him.
"Usually I don't share this, but I made a mound visit out in Springfield and I think he was a little astonished that I was out there. He was doing really well and he'd fallen down 2-0 on the very last hitter of the game. I just walked out and said, 'Hold on. I know. I'm just out here to tell you that it's been a pleasure watching you pitch today. Now give me three strikes right down the middle.' He did. He got the strikeout. We ended up winning the game. We shook hands.
"This kid, at one point, I was convinced he was the worst fielding, worst athletic pitcher I'd ever seen. And over the last week and a half, we've been doing drills every day. Tommy doesn't hold runners. He has what I thought was one of the worst pick-off moves. I did not want him to pick off. [But after working on it only a little bit, Tommy surprised Brocail.] 'You have that?!' And he [says], 'Well, I've never done it before,' but he looks like a 20-year vet on the mound doing it.
"I'd made the comment there was no way Tommy Shirley was going to pick a guy off. Well, he picked a guy off in Springfield [and we've worked on it a little more]. He looks like Righetti out there, a little quick step off, throw over and it's a Mach-1 chest high every time to the first baseman. I said, 'Where's that been?' He says, 'Well, you guys said don't pick off.' I said, 'How long have you been doing that?' He says, 'Oh, I just started.'
"I came in the other day just to look at [Tommy's] numbers, to see where this kid has been, what he's done in the past, and I missed on Tommy. I don't like admitting that I'm wrong. Sometimes you've just got to give guys a chance and make sure that you're not holding them back on something as simple as a pick-off move.
"Tommy's got a very special arm. He gets the ball up to 94, 95. Tommy's got a very good change up. He started working on his curveball. [It was] kind of slurvish at times, inconsistent, not a very good selling point, [but he] slowed his body down and all it took was one session and Tommy's throwing first pitch strikes with it, he's putting guys away with it."
The last thing Brocail said to me about Shirley was this, "His learning curve is really, really high and he's an exciting kid to watch." Shirley is definitely on Brocail's radar screen now, and I think he will continue to open a few eyes.
Tommy Shirley - April 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen
I was extremely impressed with what Shirley accomplished in Lancaster in 2013 and I did this phone interview with him over the off-season. When I saw Tommy at Spring Training, I told him that he was going to be on my under-the-radar prospect post that I was planning to write. Unfortunately, I still haven't written the post and it may be too late to include Shirley on that list because he isn't exactly flying under the radar anymore.
In his first eight games (six starts) for the Hooks, Shirley is 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA and a 0.929 WHIP and is among the league leaders in those categories. Hitters are only managing a .185 batting average against him. He has definitely opened some eyes.
One person who had a lot to say about Tommy was Hooks Interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail. When I was in Corpus Christi late last month, I intended to talk to Brocail about several pitchers, but we spent most of our time talking about Shirley. It was a very interesting discussion and I think the whole thing is worth sharing, so that's precisely what I'm going to do. Here are Doug Brocail's largely unedited thoughts about the lefty.
Doug Brocail - April 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen
"Tommy's a little different. When you look at Tommy as a pitching [coach], the first thing you say is, 'Wow, that's ugly.' And then you start watching Tommy and all the moving parts. Tommy has really good mechanics.
"The kid's got a Bugs Bunny fastball if that makes sense. Everybody's seen the cartoon where Bugs Bunny throws the pitch in [and] right before it gets to the bat, it does the old dipsy doodle. It's one of those things where when you watch this kid pitch, he's so exciting because you don't know what you're going to see.
"We see a ton of bad swings. We see counts that favor the hitter against Tommy that are really not favorable counts because of how his ball moves. He can move it both ways with a natural fastball and that's very hard to do when you have a guy that throws across his body. Sometimes he cuts it a little short. Sometimes he gets over extension. The ball cuts. The ball runs. The ball dips. The ball dives. He has all that going for him.
"Usually I don't share this, but I made a mound visit out in Springfield and I think he was a little astonished that I was out there. He was doing really well and he'd fallen down 2-0 on the very last hitter of the game. I just walked out and said, 'Hold on. I know. I'm just out here to tell you that it's been a pleasure watching you pitch today. Now give me three strikes right down the middle.' He did. He got the strikeout. We ended up winning the game. We shook hands.
"This kid, at one point, I was convinced he was the worst fielding, worst athletic pitcher I'd ever seen. And over the last week and a half, we've been doing drills every day. Tommy doesn't hold runners. He has what I thought was one of the worst pick-off moves. I did not want him to pick off. [But after working on it only a little bit, Tommy surprised Brocail.] 'You have that?!' And he [says], 'Well, I've never done it before,' but he looks like a 20-year vet on the mound doing it.
"I'd made the comment there was no way Tommy Shirley was going to pick a guy off. Well, he picked a guy off in Springfield [and we've worked on it a little more]. He looks like Righetti out there, a little quick step off, throw over and it's a Mach-1 chest high every time to the first baseman. I said, 'Where's that been?' He says, 'Well, you guys said don't pick off.' I said, 'How long have you been doing that?' He says, 'Oh, I just started.'
"I came in the other day just to look at [Tommy's] numbers, to see where this kid has been, what he's done in the past, and I missed on Tommy. I don't like admitting that I'm wrong. Sometimes you've just got to give guys a chance and make sure that you're not holding them back on something as simple as a pick-off move.
"Tommy's got a very special arm. He gets the ball up to 94, 95. Tommy's got a very good change up. He started working on his curveball. [It was] kind of slurvish at times, inconsistent, not a very good selling point, [but he] slowed his body down and all it took was one session and Tommy's throwing first pitch strikes with it, he's putting guys away with it."
>>>>>>><<<<<<<
The last thing Brocail said to me about Shirley was this, "His learning curve is really, really high and he's an exciting kid to watch." Shirley is definitely on Brocail's radar screen now, and I think he will continue to open a few eyes.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Happy Birthday - 5/16
Happy Birthday to ~
RHP and Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (46)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
RHP and Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (46)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
December 28, 1994: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Derek Bell, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez, Phil Plantier and Craig Shipley to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later, Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine and Brian Williams. The Houston Astros sent Sean Fesh (minors) (May 1, 1995) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade.
December 10, 1996: Traded by the Houston Astros with Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller and cash to the Detroit Tigers for Brad Ausmus, Jose Lima, Trever Miller, C.J. Nitkowski and Daryle Ward.
December 11, 2000: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with Brad Ausmus and Nelson Cruz to the Houston Astros for Roger Cedeno, Chris Holt and Mitch Meluskey.He pitched in 151 games for Houston at the major league level in 1995, 1996, 2008 and 2009 with a 15-14 record, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.422 WHIP.
After retiring from baseball, Brocail became a special assistant to the Astros General Manager until he was pressed into service as the Astros pitching coach when Brad Arnsberg was fired in June 2011.
Former Astros with birthdays today ~
RHP Bob Bruce (80)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (60)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
Former Astros with birthdays today ~
RHP Bob Bruce (80)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (60)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Happy Birthday - 5/16
RHP Blake Ford (24)
Originally drafted in the 44th round out of Lamar University in 2011, the big righty (6'5" 215 lb.) pitched very effectively in relief for the Gulf Coast Astros in 2011. In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, he had a 4-3 record with eight saves, a 1.90 ERA, a 1.394 WHIP and 20 strikeouts to only six walks.
RHP and Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (45)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
Originally drafted in the 44th round out of Lamar University in 2011, the big righty (6'5" 215 lb.) pitched very effectively in relief for the Gulf Coast Astros in 2011. In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, he had a 4-3 record with eight saves, a 1.90 ERA, a 1.394 WHIP and 20 strikeouts to only six walks.
RHP and Pitching Coach Doug Brocail (45)
A first round draft pick by San Diego in 1986, Brocail was part of the Houston organization on three separate occasions as a player. The Houston trades he was a part of (from Baseball-Reference):
December 28, 1994: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Derek Bell, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez, Phil Plantier and Craig Shipley to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later, Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine andBrian Williams. The Houston Astros sent Sean Fesh (minors) (May 1, 1995) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade.
December 10, 1996: Traded by the Houston Astros with Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller and cash to the Detroit Tigersfor Brad Ausmus, Jose Lima, Trever Miller, C.J. Nitkowski and Daryle Ward.
December 11, 2000: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with Brad Ausmus and Nelson Cruz to the Houston Astros for Roger Cedeno,Chris Holt and Mitch Meluskey.He pitched in 151 games for Houston at the major league level in 1995, 1996, 2008 and 2009 with a 15-14 record, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.422 WHIP.
After retiring from baseball, Brocail became a special assistant to the Astros General Manager until he was pressed into service as the Astros pitching coach when Brad Arnsberg was fired in June 2011.
Former Astros with birthdays today ~
RHP Bob Bruce (79)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (59)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
Former Astros with birthdays today ~
RHP Bob Bruce (79)
Obtained in a trade with Detroit in December of 1961, Bruce pitched in 219 games for the Colt .45's and the Astros from 1962 to 1966. He was 42-58 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP in a mostly starting role for Houston. His best season was 1964 when he went 15-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.107 WHIP. He pitched in the final game at Colt Stadium and in the first game at the Astrodome.
RHP Rick Rhoden (59)
Rhoden was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 1971 draft and came to Houston as part of a trade with the Yankees in January 1989. Houston was the final stop in a 16 year career in the majors that saw Rhoden earn two All Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards. After retiring from baseball, he went on to have a second, very successful career in golf.
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