Astros Minor League Player Releases

Another round of Astros minor league players were cut this morning:

LHP Joe Bircher
C Ernesto Genoves
RHP Gera Sanchez
IF Jesse Wierzbicki
IF Brandon Wikoff

I had just updated Bircher's profile for his birthday write-up next week:

Drafted in the 10th round in 2012 out of Bradley University, Bircher started the season with the Quad Cities team and ended it there, but spent a large chunk in between rehabbing in Florida. Over a total of 18 games (14 starts) between Quad Cities and the GCL, he had a 3.81 ERA and a 1.308 WHIP. Bircher thrived in the post-season. In two starts, he was 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA and a 1.100 WHIP.

Genoves was one of only three players left in the organization who had played in the Astros Venezuelan Academy before it was closed, the other two being Jose Altuve and David Martinez. Genoves showed early promise at the plate, but definitely struggled in Tri-City in 2013.

Wikoff was the 5th round pick in 2009. Used mostly as a utility infielder, Wikoff missed the 2013 season due to injuries he received in an automobile accident during Spring Training last year. He will be 26 in April.

Wierzbicki was the 24th round pick in 2011. The 25-year old started the season in Quad Cities and ended it in Lancaster, hitting a combined .259/.357/.384 with 25 doubles, two triples and eight home runs.

Sanchez was signed in 2012 as a non-drafted free agent. He also started the season in Quad Cities and ended it in Lancaster where he put up a 1.69 ERA and a 1.219 WHIP in six bullpen appearances. For the season, he was 4-2 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.401 WHIP.

Bonus Tweet of the Day

Tri-City ValleyCats ‏@ValleyCats
If you didn't know already, @ValleyCats SS @cjmoon91 is really good at Gangnam style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwCVctg4ps … #MascotMania



Great job from Brendon Phillips and the rest of the Tri-City team on this one!!! Ernesto Genoves and Luis Alvarez are Moon's back-up dancers. Also, look for brief cameos from Matt Appel and Chris Chenes.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Monday's Games

Oklahoma City - All-Star Break

Corpus Christi over Midland 4-1
Bobby Doran (6IP 7H 1R 1BB 1SO) got the start and allowed the one run on a solo homer on his way to his eighth win of the season. Doran was supported by his 'pen as Chia-Jen Lo (1.1IP), Pat Urckfitz (1IP 1BB 1SO) and Jorge de Leon (0.2IP 1H) provided scoreless relief. The Hooks recorded one run in the first on a Max Stassi home run, his sixth of the season, added two more in the third on a Stassi sac fly and a Preston Tucker single, and the final run in the fifth as Drew Muren (2x3 2B 2R SB) stole second and then motored around to score on a throwing error.

Modesto over Lancaster 12-7
This was a hard way to end playing 26 straight games (check back for more on this later this morning). After getting six innings from David Rollins (4H 3R 3BB 5SO) and one and two-thirds from Jonas Dufek, Lancaster was leading 7-3 with two outs in the top of the eighth when Travis Ballew came in to the game. He allowed one run to score on a wild pitch and two more came across on a home run. The ninth went even worse. Four runs scored as Ballew issued three singles, a double and hit a batter. Michael Dimock came in with one on and no outs and two more runners made it across the plate before he stopped the bleeding. The 7-3 lead was now a 12-7 deficit. Five of the 'Hawks seven runs scored via the long ball, with Telvin Nash (2x4) hitting a two-run homer in the second and M.P. Cokinos driving in three in the fifth. Brandon Meredith went two-for-four with a double, walk and a run; Chris Epps was two-for-four and scored two runs; and Nolan Fontana had an 0-fer but walked twice and stole a base.

Dayton over Quad Cities 5-1
Colton Cain pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five. Juan Minaya did not fare quite as well as he allowed five runs (three earned) in only two-thirds of an inning and was charged with the loss. Juri Perez followed with a scoreless one and a third innings. The Bandits only managed one run on six hits, only one of which was for extra bases. Jesse Wierzbicki went two-for-three with a double, walk and run. Rio Ruiz was two-for-four and stole a base.

Tri-City over Batavia 8-4
Kevin Comer (3.1IP 4H 3R 2BB 4SO) and Charles Basford (1IP 2H 1R 1SO) got things started, but Evan Grills (2H 1BB 2SO) brought it on home for the win with four and a third scoreless innings. Tri-City got on the board in the second inning with a two-run home run from Jon Kemmer, immediately followed by Thomas Lindauer's first professional home run. After falling behind, The ValleyCats regained the lead in the seventh as Ernesto Genoves (3x5 2B 4RBI) cleared the bases with a double (that he unsuccessfully tried to stretch to a triple), and they added two insurance runs in the ninth on RBI singles from James Ramsay (2x4 R SB) and Genoves. Tony Kemp was two-for-four with a walk and scored a run. It was Tri-City's sixth win in a row.

Greeneville over Elizabethton 3-1
Greeneville made it five in a row and took first place in their division in the process. Jandel Gustave got his second win, pitching five innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. He was followed by scoreless relief from Gerardo Ramirez, J.D. Osborne and Gonzalo Sanudo. Osborne has not allowed a run in his eight appearances. Greeneville only managed six hits, but they walked 10 times, with Brian Holberton and Juan Santana (1x2 2R) drawing two each. Tyler White was three-for-four with a walk and an RBI, and Tanner Mathis was one-for-four with a walk and an RBI.

GCL Astros over GCL Pirates 9-4
Ambiorix de Leon allowed three runs over three innings before giving way to Troy Scribner (1H 6SO) who earned the win with three scoreless innings. Raul Rivera allowed one unearned run in his inning of work and Jorge Perez pitched the final two hitless innings. Brett Booth was the man of the hour, driving in one in the first with a single, two in the third with a triple and drawing a bases loaded hit by pitch in the seventh for his fourth RBI of the day. Jose Solano drove in three as well with a solo home run and an RBI single. Alex Gonzalez (2x5 2R), Jacob Nottingham (1x3 2BB RBI 3R), and Yonathan Mejia (2x5 R) all had good outings at the plate as well.

DSL Rays over DSL Astros 6-3
Edwin Villarroel (1.2IP), Gerardo Juarez (5IP) and Rauldison Rodriguez (0.2IP) were each charged with two runs in their outings. The Astros didn't score until the eighth inning when Jean Estrella drove in Alexander Melendez (2x4) with a sac fly and Arturo Michelina plated two with an RBI triple.

Player of the Day: Ernesto Genoves gets a little WTHB love today for his three-for-five, four RBI game. Honorable mention goes to Brett Booth who had four RBI as well.

Pitcher of the Day: The very least I can do for Colton Cain, who pitched a beauty on Monday and didn't come away with the win, is to give him WTHB honors. In Cain's last 10 outings, he has a 2.18 ERA and a 1.113 WHIP.

Happy Birthday - 6/4

C Ernesto Genoves (22)
A non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela, who first played in the Astros Venezuelan Academy in 2008, Genoves had a bit of an off year in 2012 after putting up solid numbers in 2011. In 48 games with the Greeneville Astros last season, he hit .235/.310/.407 with 13 doubles and five home runs. Over the winter, Genoves played in the Liga Paralela in Venezuela, hitting .270/.368/.430 in 40 games.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Arnold Earley (died September 29, 1999 at 66)
Earley came to Houston in a trade with the Cubs in 1967 and only pitched 1.1 innings for the Astros with less than desirable results. His best season was in 1964 for Boston when he had a 2.68 ERA and a 1.371 WHIP over 25 appearances.

C Scott Servais (46)
Servais was drafted by Houston in the third round in 1988 and played for Houston from 1991 to 1995 and again in 2001. In 295 games for Houston, he hit .225/.284/.357.

OF/1B Darin Erstad (39)
Originally drafted by the Angels in the first round in 1985, Erstad came to Houston as a free agent at the end of his career. In 247 games for the Astros in 2008 and 2009, he hit .252/.297/.353. In his time with the Angels, he was a two time All-Star, three time Gold Glove winner and one time winner of the Silver Slugger. He got his World Series ring with the Angels in 2002. Erstad is currently head coach of his alma mater, the University of Nebraska.

C Rick Wilkins (46)
Ironically, Wilkins came to Houston from the Cubs in a trade for Scott Servais with whom he shares a birthday to the year. He spent parts of the 1995 and 1996 seasons with Houston before being traded to the Giants for C Kirt Manwaring. Wilkins hit .218/.339/.333 in 99 games.

C Tony Pena (56)
Pena only played in nine games for Houston in 1997 at the end of his career. In 18 major league seasons, playing for Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston, Cleveland, the White Sox and Houston, he made five All-Star appearances and won four Gold Gloves. Pena recently managed the 2013 World Baseball Classic Dominican Republic team to a perfect record as they won the tournament.

Astros Minor League Depth - Catcher

As Spring Training approaches, I've been looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position.  Today, we look at the catchers in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

Carlos Perez and Roberto Pena

Lancaster - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows catchers in the organization ranked from high to low in terms of OBP. I have noted their current age and the last level at which they played.

One thing strikes me immediately when looking at this list -- youth. Except for Ben Heath and Chris Wallace who are each 24 years old, the rest of these players range from 20 to 22.

Tyler Heineman leads the list in his first year with the organization. The 2012 eighth round draft pick also leads this list in batting average and OPS. He was the New York-Penn League batting champion for 2012 as well. But Heineman isn't just a good hitter. He's also a great defensive catcher and had one of the top caught stealing percentages in the Astros minor league system at 41%. M. P. Cokinos would certainly have gotten much more attention for his offensive output had he not been playing alongside Heineman.

Another catcher who has everyone excited since he came into the system as a part of the 10-player Houston-Toronto trade in July is Carlos Perez. Much like Heineman, he looks to be the complete package offensively and defensively and boasted a 47% caught stealing rate at Lancaster (34% overall).

Also relatively new to the organization is Jobduan Morales who came to the Astros organization in the Justin Ruggiano trade with Miami. Morales' bat was valuable enough that he frequently appeared as a DH when he wasn't used behind the dish. That was true of his winter season in Puerto Rico as well.

Max Stassi just came in to the Astros organization this week as a part of the Jed Lowrie/Fernando Rodriguez trade with Oakland. He ranks in the middle of the pack with his on-base skills. It is his power potential that sets him apart from the rest of the group as he hit 18 doubles and 15 home runs on the way to a .468 slugging percentage. In 2012, he had a 24% caught stealing rate.

There are a couple players on this list whose playing time was very limited and many might question their inclusion. Luis Alvarez didn't see a great deal of playing time during the season, but put up some very good numbers. He followed up with an outstanding winter season with the Liga Paralela in Venezuela. That is enough to keep me interested in Alvarez. Pedro Coa was one of the few offensive bright spots on the DSL team in 2012. That, coupled with a 60% caught stealing rate, has me looking forward to seeing what he will do in 2013.

Heath and Rene Garcia were both having good years when injuries shortened their seasons. Roberto Pena was promoted to Lancaster largely due to injuries putting a strain on the catching staff throughout the system. Pena is widely regarded as a premium defensive catcher, but he struggled offensively after the promotion. I think the 20-year old will start to catch up with the more advanced pitching in the coming season if he is given regular playing time.

Chris Wallace had an uneven season offensively, but overall hit extremely well in the second half of the season. What he needs to focus on most, though, are base runners. He only managed a 12% caught stealing rate in 2012.

Ernesto Genoves' offensive output fell off from the prior season, but reports (from Appy Astros) are that he became much more solid defensively. I'm still intrigued by Genoves' potential, but he is going to have to show me that he is capable of getting to the next level developmentally in the coming season.

Tuesday: Lefty Starters
Wednesday: Lefty Relievers

Roster Moves - 6/14

In addition to the announced short season rosters which you can find here, the following moves were also made effective 6/14:

Oklahoma City
2B Jordan Kreke was assigned to Oklahoma City from Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi
1B Carlos Lee was sent on rehab assignment to Corpus Christi.
3B Andrew Simunic was assigned to Corpus Christi from Oklahoma City.

Lancaster
OF Emilio King was assigned to Tri-City from Lancaster.
RHP Ruben Alaniz was activated from the temporary inactive list.

Greeneville
C Ernesto Genoves was assigned from Lexington to Greeneville.

Also, the following change will be made effective 6/15:

Lexington
OF Jay Austin will be assigned to Lexington.

Happy Birthday - 6/4

C Ernesto Genoves (21)
I'm going to be lazy and reprint what I had written earlier about Genoves as one of my players to watch, particularly since he's currently languishing in Extended Spring Training as far as I know.

This 20-year old from Venezuela played in Greeneville in 2011 and really made great strides at the plate. His batting average of .280 only went up a couple of points from his prior season, but his slugging percentage went from .333 with the GCL in 2010 to .464 with Greeneville in 2011. According to Seedlings to Stars, Genoves "makes solid contact" with a "decent approach and some gap power." He faded toward the end of the season and he strikes out more than I would like to see with 29 strikeouts to 12 walks over 38 games, but there are also some good signs within his splits as he hit .313 with runners on and .302 with RISP in 2011.

His defense is coming along as well. His caught stealing percentage went from 22% in 2010 to 31% in 2011 and his fielding percentage as a catcher went from .972 with 5 errors in 2010 to .984 with 4 errors in 2011. He had 9 passed balls, but Steve with Appy Astros indicated that Genoves made progress behind the plate throughout the season. Early in the season he tended to reach for balls with his glove instead of moving his body, but Steve indicated that Genoves definitely showed improvement in that area.

Over the winter, Genoves played in the Venezuelan winter league with the Liga Paralela, Venezuela's minor league system, hitting .299/.400/.478/.878 in 22 games. I look forward to seeing what he can do in 2012.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Arnold Earley (died September 29, 1999 at 66)
Earley came to Houston in a trade with the Cubs in 1967 and only pitched in 1.1 innings for the Astros with less than desirable results. His best season was in 1964 for Boston when he had a 2.68 ERA and a 1.371 WHIP over 25 appearances.

C Scott Servais (45)
Servais was drafted by Houston in the third round in 1988 and played for Houston from 1991 to 1995 and again in 2001. In 295 games for Houston, he hit .225/.284/.357.

OF/1B Darin Erstad (38)
Originally drafted by the Angels in the first round in 1985, Erstad came to Houston as a free agent at the end of his career. In 247 games for the Astros in 2008 and 2009, he hit .252/.297/.353. In his time with the Angels, he was a two time All-Star, three time Gold Glove winner and one time winner of the Silver Slugger. He got his World Series ring with the Angels in 2002. Erstad is currently head coach of his alma mater, the University of Nebraska.

C Rick Wilkins (45)
Ironically, Wilkins came to Houston from the Cubs in a trade for Scott Servais with whom he shares a birthday to the year. He spent parts of the 1995 and 1996 seasons with Houston before being traded to the Giants for C Kirt Manwaring. Wilkins hit .218/.339/.333 in 99 games.

C Tony Pena (55)
Pena only played in nine games for Houston in 1997 at the end of his career. In 18 major league seasons, playing for Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston, Cleveland, the White Sox and Houston, he made five All-Star appearances and won four Gold Gloves.

Non-Prospect Prospects to Watch Part 1

Since everybody and their dog has come out with a top prospect list, I thought I might as well chime in too. But I'm not going to go with the obvious. Yeah, Jarred Cosart is a stud. Jonathan Singleton is the second coming of Ryan Howard. Yada Yada. Let's look instead at a few non-prospects who have the potential to become prospects in time. We'll look at position players this week and pitchers next week.

C ERNESTO GENOVES
This 20-year old from Venezuela played in Greeneville in 2011 and really made great strides at the plate. His batting average of .280 only went up a couple of points from his prior season, but his slugging percentage went from .333 with the GCL in 2010 to .464 with Greeneville in 2011. According to Seedlings to Stars, Genoves "makes solid contact" with a "decent approach and some gap power." He faded toward the end of the season and he strikes out more than I would like to see with 29 strikeouts to 12 walks over 38 games, but there are also some good signs within his splits as he hit .313 with runners on and .302 with RISP in 2011.

His defense is coming along as well. His caught stealing percentage went from 22% in 2010 to 31% in 2011 and his fielding percentage as a catcher went from .972 with 5 errors in 2010 to .984 with 4 errors in 2011. He had 9 passed balls, but Steve with Appy Astros indicated that Genoves made progress behind the plate throughout the season. Early in the season he tended to reach for balls with his glove instead of moving his body, but Steve indicated that Genoves definitely showed improvement in that area.

Over the winter, Genoves played in the Venezuelan winter league with the Liga Paralela, Venezuela's minor league system, hitting .299/.400/.478/.878 in 22 games. I look forward to seeing what he can do in 2012.

OF TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ
It is really difficult to get much information on the prospects in the DSL, but just looking at Hernandez' stats is more than enough to get me excited about this kid.

He's listed as 6'2" 180 and will be 19 years old for the entire 2012 season. He was named MVP for the DSL team in 2011 for good reason. He hit .274/.360/.487/.847, led the team in doubles, triples and home runs and was tied for the lead in RBI's. In addition he had 16 stolen bases and 7 outfield assists to go with 5 errors over 62 games. Can you say 5-tool player? The potential is there. The right-handed hitter will need to hit better than .143 against lefties, as he did in 2011, but I'm very excited by his upside.

I asked Jeff Luhnow about this player as he was heading to the Dominican Republic last week. I received the following response, "Hernandez is a definite prospect from what I saw today." I would love to see Hernandez get brought up to the GCL this season to see what he can do.

3B MATT DUFFY
A 20th round pick in 2011, I hadn't heard much, if anything, about Duffy. Then I wrote his birthday profile a few weeks back and I got really excited looking at his numbers. His batting line was good at .298/.370./.417/.787 with 20 doubles, one triple and two home runs, but it was his consistency that struck me. He was incredibly consistent against lefties and against righties, throughout the season, road and home, day games and night games - he just kept hitting. And he was even better in the clutch, batting .342 with runners on and .352 with RISP. So, I kept looking and I found things like this assessment from The Baseball Draft Report:

"I have an irrational like of Tennessee 3B Matt Duffy (Round 20) that I can only attempt to explain in terms of relevant baseball skills by talking about his excellent defense at third and patient approach at the plate."

and this from TCVFan's Blog:

"This dude can flat out hit. He’s got a calm, level swing and he’ll use all parts of the field, with signs of power to both gaps. When he gets full extension on the ball it travels a long way. I don’t know if he’s got a swing conducive to becoming a home run hitter, but he’s got potential to be a really solid doubles guy. It feels as though he’s got a strong grasp of the strikezone, and he rarely chases bad pitches."

The reports of his defense were conflicting though. And seeing that he had 12 errors in 63 games gave me pause. But when I looked further, it appears that he had 11 errors in his 1st 31 games and 1 in his final 32 games. And TCVFan had this to say:

"Early on he wasn’t trusting his arm and rushed throws, pulling Zach off the base a lot. Everyone in the infield took about three weeks to settle in and know that they’re good enough to take their time and make accurate throws."

The only knocks I could find on him were somewhat limited range at third and lack of speed on the base paths. But if he can turn his doubles power into home run power, speed may not be that important. And with our lack of depth at third, I'll be keeping a close eye on Mr. Duffy to see how he develops.

HONORABLE MENTION

OF EMILIO KING

• Why he could have made the list - a .293/.332./.439/.772 batting line with 24 doubles, a triple and 9 home runs and reports that he has an absolute cannon for an arm
• Why he didn't make the list - 81 SO to 13 BB

SS JUAN SANTANA

• Why he could have made the list - a .274/.350/.363/.713 batting line with 28BB:22SO at 16 years old
• Why he didn't make the list - 28 errors and the fact that he just turned 17 in August

OF WALLACE GONZALEZ

• Why he could have made the list - Buzz. Baseball America thought he was the Astros best late signing and from The Baseball Draft Report: 

"Wallace Gonzalez has tools you’d never expect to see out of guy a few pounds short of Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. His raw power, plus arm, and great athleticism are major strong points."

• Why he didn't make the list - Results. 18 games isn't a big enough sample size for an 18-year old kid.