Astros Farm Report: 1/13/20

After a long (and much needed) hiatus, WTHB is back to catch you up on the off-season Astros minor league happenings ...

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

Here are the offseason roster moves for the Astros minor league players.

1/9: RHP Peyton Battenfield (Tri-City) and OF Cal Stevenson (Fayetteville) traded to the Rays for RHP Austin Pruitt
Notes: Battenfield was drafted by Houston in the 9th round in 2019 out of Oklahoma State University and had an excellent first pro season. Here is my interview with him from July.  Cal Stevenson came to the Astros, along with Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini, as a part of the 7/31/19 trade with the Blue Jays that sent Derek Fisher to Toronto. Here's hoping that his family didn't invest a lot in Astros gear after the trade.
1/9: RHP Dean Deetz designated for assignment
12/12: RHP Brandon Bailey (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft
12/12: RHP Yohan Ramirez (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft
12/12: SS Jonathan Arauz (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft
12/5: CF Jake Marisnick (Houston) traded to the Mets for LHP Blake Taylor and OF Kenedy Corona (assigned to Tri-City) - see below for more
11/20: RHP Cristian Javier (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: 1B Taylor Jones (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (Fayetteville) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: RHP Enoli Paredes (Corpus Christi) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/4: LHP Kent Emanuel (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster (Emanuel was due to become a MiLB FA)
11/4: OF Granden Goetzman (Corpus Christi) elected minor league free agency
11/4: RHP Erasmo Pinales (Corpus Christi) elected minor league free agency
10/16: RHP Chanderson Perez signed (18 year old Dominican)

RULE 5 DRAFT NOTES

A little about the players taken in the Rule 5 Draft.

RHP Brandon Bailey (Baltimore): Bailey had a very solid season with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks in 2019 (3.30 ERA/1.219 WHIP in 22 games/17 starts). Bailey came to the Astros in the November 2017 trade with Oakland that sent Ramon Laureano to that team. Bailey allowed 41 walks while striking out 103 in 92.2 innings of work. He has solid command and is expected to take on a swing man/middle relief role. In my opinion, Bailey showed enough polish and pitch development in 2019 that he is the most likely of the three taken to stick with his new team.

RHP Yohan Ramirez (Seattle): Ramirez is a real wild card (in more than one meaning of the word wild). Ramirez has an electric arm with a fastball that touches the upper 90's and a plus curveball, but his control is still very much a work in progress. In 106 innings pitched between High A Fayetteville and AA Corpus Christi in 2019 (3.99 ERA/1.302 WHIP), Ramirez allowed 74 walks while striking out 158. There was also the matter of 17 wild pitches and 15 hit batters. He is the ultimate high risk, high reward pick up. It will be difficult for him to stick with a team without showing a lot of progress on control and command, but if he is able to harness his talent, watch out! Ramirez is, in my opinion, the least likely of the three to stick.

SS Jonathan Arauz (Boston): Arauz falls somewhere in between the other two in his ability to stick with a new team (again, in my opinion). Arauz's bat has lagged his solid defense over his career, but he mostly held his own in 2019 between High A Fayetteville and AA Corpus Christi, hitting a combined .249/.319/.388 with 22 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs in 115 games. Arauz will be helped by the expansion of the MLB rosters to 26 and could conceivably earn his keep as a utility infielder, helping him to stick on the roster until his bat catches up to the major league level.

FEATURED PLAYERS

This week, let's look at the two players who came to the Astros from the Mets in the December Marisnick trade.

LHP Blake Taylor: Taylor was drafted by the Pirates in the second round in 2013 and was traded to the Mets a year later. Tommy John surgery and recovery sidelined him from late 2015 to late 2016. For the next two years, Taylor was a starter who failed to break through, but a move to the bullpen in 2019 suited him and he put together the most successful season of his career to date (2.16 ERA/1.095 WHIP in 40 appearances, converting 10 of 11 save opportunities). He spent approximately half of the season at High A, half at AA (1.85 ERA/0.949 WHIP) and finished the season by facing and retiring one batter at AAA. Taylor built on his 2019 success with seven appearances in the Arizona Fall League (2.00 ERA/0.778 WHIP). Taylor becomes one of only seven lefty pitchers in the Astros system who finished the 2019 season at AA or higher. Baseball America describes him as having a "mid-90's fastball and a high spin rate on his breaking ball." He turned 24 in August.

OF Kenedy Carona: Corona, a 19-year old Venezuelan (20 in March), has only one professional season under his belt at this point, but it was a very successful season in which he progressed from the DSL to the GCL to four games at short season A to end the year. In 63 games, he hit .301/.398/.470 with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 29 RBI. He also snagged 19 bases (five caught stealing) and walked (29 times) almost as much as he struck out (36 times). He can play all the outfield positions and his defensive numbers stack up nicely against most of his outfield competition in the system. Baseball America describes Corona as athletic with "the ability to play the outfield with some polish at a young age."

2019-2020 FALL AND WINTER BALL

All of the regular seasons are complete except for the Australian Baseball League (where Chuckie Robinson has been playing as recently as over this past weekend). In addition, a few Astros minor leaguers have been playing in the postseason in their respective leagues. Their most recent postseason stats are shown below.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

1B J.J. Matijevic: 27 G | .255/.315/.412
SS Jeremy Pena: 24 G | .183/.248/.290
C Colton Shaver: 18 G | .175/.294/.333
RHP Cody Deason: 6 G | 8.0 IP | 6.75 ERA/2.13 WHIP
RHP Carlos Sanabria: 8 G | 9.0 IP | 9.00 ERA/1.89 WHIP
LHP Blake Taylor: 7 G | 9.0 IP | 2.00 ERA/0.78 WHIP
RHP Jojanse Torres: 7 G | 8.0 IP | 3.38 ERA/1.50 WHIP
RHP Forrest Whitley: 6 G | 25.0 IP | 2.88 ERA/1.24 WHIP

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE

C Chuckie Robinson: 21 G | .227/.301/.440

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

OF Bryan de la Cruz: 10 G | .294/.278/.471
RHP Rogelio Armenteros: 5 G | 19.0 IP | 2.37 ERA/1.16 WHIP
RHP Ronel Blanco: 1 G | 0.2 IP | 27.00 ERA/3.00 WHIP
RHP Willy Collado: 3 G | 2.1 IP | 0.00 ERA/0.43 WHIP
RHP Francis Martes: 3 G | 5.2 IP | 7.94 ERA/1.41 WHIP
RHP Leovanny Rodriguez: 16 G | 16.1 IP | 2.76 ERA/0.86 WHIP
(Postseason: 4 G | 3.0 IP | 0.00 ERA/1.33 WHIP)
RHP Cesar Rosado: 1 G | 0.1 IP | 27.00 ERA/3.00 WHIP
LHP Framber Valdez: 5 G | 23.2 IP | 2.28 ERA/1.14 WHIP

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

C Lorenzo Quintana: 42 G | .278/.339/.405
C Cesar Salazar: 15 G | .222/.276/.370
RHP Jose Bravo: 6 G | 20.0 IP | 5.85 ERA/1.75 WHIP
RHP Humberto Castellanos: 13 G | 9.1 IP | 5.79 ERA/1.82 WHIP
RHP Lupe Chavez: 7 G | 17.1 IP | 4.67 ERA/1.38 WHIP
RHP Ralph Garza: 13 G | 15.0 IP | 2.40 ERA/1.00 WHIP
LHP Juan Pablo Lopez: 15 G | 13.2 IP | 0.66 ERA/1.24 WHIP

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE

C Ruben Castro: 11 G | .000/.333/.000
LHP Jonathan Bermudez: 4 G | 3.2 IP | 0.00 ERA/2.00 WHIP
(Postseason: 3 G | 2.1 IP | 3.86 ERA/1.29 WHIP)
RHP Layne Henderson: 11 G | 7.2 IP | 3 saves | 7.04 ERA/2.48 WHIP
RHP Felipe Tejada: 9 G | 6.0 IP | 1.50 ERA/1.33 WHIP
(Postseason: 1 G | 1.0 IP | 0.00 ERA/0.00 WHIP)

2019 FINAL SEASON STANDINGS

AAA ROUND ROCK (Pacific Coast League/American Southern Division)
Division Winner
Won over Iowa in Semifinals 3-2
Lost to Sacramento in LCS 0-3

1st 84-56 .600 -.-GB L1

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

4th 66-73 .475 7.0GB L3

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)
2nd half Division Winner
Won over Down East in the Semifinals 3-2
Lost to Wilmington in LCS 2-3

3rd 72-67 .518 15.0GB W2

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)
1st half Division Winner
Lost to Cedar Rapids in MWL Quarterfinals 1-2

2nd 79-57 .581 0.5GB W1

SHORT SEASON A TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League/Stedler Division)
4th 32-42 .432 9.0GB W3

ROOKIE LEVEL GULF COAST LEAGUE (East Division)
4th 25-26 .490 3.5GB W1

ROOKIE LEVEL DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE (Northwest Division)
2nd 38-31 .551 2.5GB W2

INTERVIEWS

The following links are to the interviews I conducted during the 2019 season. Here is a full list of links to all of the interviews I've done since December 2011.

Colin McKee
Enoli Paredes and Cristian Javier
Cesar Salazar
Brett Daniels
Felipe Tejada
AJ Lee
Peyton Battenfield
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez
Austin Hansen
Jake Adams
Nivaldo Rodriguez and Enmanuel Valdez
Colton Shaver
Brett Conine
Bryan Abreu and Ronel Blanco
Granden Goetzman
Osvaldo Duarte and Jose Urquidy
Stephen Wrenn

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Montana 2009

Astros Farm Report: 1/29

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Dex McCall - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-29: 1B Dex McCall (24)
1-30: RHP Dariel Aquino (22)
1-31: SS Juan Pineda (20)
2-2: RHP Brad Peacock (30)
2-2: OF Ramiro Rodriguez (20)
2-3: LHP Javier Navas (20)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

These are the only recent posted transactions, aside from the non-roster invitees which are covered below.

Jon Singleton - April 2017

Photos by Jayne Hansen

1-23: 1B Jon Singleton suspended 100 games for a third positive test for a drug of abuse
1-23: RHP Dean Deetz suspended 80 games for a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug
1-22: LHP Buddy Boshers claimed off waivers from Minnesota

Boshers is being added to the mix (along with Tony Sipp and Rule 5 Draft pickup Anthony Gose) as a possible lefty reliever. Drafted by the Angels in the fourth round in 2008, Boshers has pitched in 100 major league games, compiling a 4.54 ERA and 1.274 WHIP. In 2016, lefties slashed .241/.267/.293 against him; in 2017, they hit .224/.258/.397 against him.

I would like to add a personal word about the suspension of Dean Deetz. I've had the opportunity to talk to and observe Deetz several times over the last three seasons and I have come to admire his humility and his professionalism. Following the suspension, Deetz released the statement below and he has given me no reason to doubt him. I'm sure many of you will think that I'm just being naive, but I'm going to go with my gut here. Other players have been just as adamant that they didn't know how the same banned substance Deetz tested positive for got into their system. Again, I may be naive, but I'm going to give Deetz the benefit of a doubt.

"Let me say first and foremost that I have never knowingly taken a performance enhancing substance of any kind," Deetz said in a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association. "I come from a small town, and know how fortunate I am to call myself a professional baseball player. I would never jeopardize that opportunity, or betray those who have supported me along the way, by trying to cheat in order to gain an advantage. As I explained to the arbitrator in my appeal, I have no idea how I could possibly have tested positive and although I am disappointed with the outcome, I will abide by his decision."

Several additional players were extended non-roster invitations to Spring Training this week. The complete list is here. One interesting invitee is 3B Randy Cesar. As I wrote in my post last week on third base depth, Cesar has been pretty steady at third base the last couple of seasons, but he has yet to play above High A going in to his seventh season in the system. It appears that the Astros intend to be aggressive with him in order to determine what his ceiling may be before he is lost to minor league free agency. All of the other invitees have played at AA or higher, although OF Myles Straw only played in 13 games with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks at the end of the season.

You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

The winter leagues are all but over with only the Australian Baseball League postseason and Caribbean Series left to play. The final updates for the ABL regular season and LBPRC are below.  For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1. The Caribbean Series will start on Friday; information on the series can be found here.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Since Rodrigo Ayarza's team was in dead last at the end of the regular season, he will not be playing in the postseason. But Ayarza is sure to have left a good impression on his Australian hosts with a very solid season. In his final four games, he was 5-for-18 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 40G .292/.324/.476 11-2B 1-3B 6HR 15RBI 8BB:34SO 6SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The stats below carry over from last week as neither Ruben Castro nor Carlos Sierra appeared in the final regular season games. Castro had only one plate appearance in the postseason, going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter and Sierra did not appear in postseason play. The Cangrejeros de Santurce lost 0-3 to the Criollos de Caguas.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 5G 3.1IP 5.40 ERA 3.900 WHIP 1SO:7BB
C Ruben Castro - 5G .500/.545/.600 1-2B 1RBI 1BB:3SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Kyle Glaser at Baseball America has this great article about players who take the opportunity to play in Korea and Japan. [Insider only]

Connor MacDonald - August 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Former Astro Connor MacDonald, a first baseman who signed with the Astros in 2012 as the first signing out of Australia in 20 years, was released by the Astros during the 2017 season but is getting a second chance with the Pirates as a pitcher. We at WTHB wish Connor all the best!

The Greeneville Reds, formerly the  Greeneville Astros, unveiled their logo this week. (I will miss visiting beautiful Pioneer Park at Tusculum College.).

Prospect ranking season continues with Kyle Tucker ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #5 outfield prospect. Last week, they had Forrest Whitley as second on their list of right-handed pitching prospects, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

And over the weekend, MLB Pipeline came out with their Top 100 overall prospect list and it included RHP Forrest Whitley (#9), OF Kyle Tucker (#17) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76). In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#39) and RHP Albert Abreu (#74) were also ranked. Notably missing from MLB Pipeline's list was Yordan Alvarez who was ranked #62 by Baseball America. Jonathan Mayo breaks down the Top 100 for you.

As a reminder, here is Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect Rankings list which came out last week, with RHP Forrest Whitley (#10), OF Kyle Tucker (#15), 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez (#62) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76) all earning a nod. In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#35), RHP Albert Abreu (#77), OF Brett Phillips (#80) and RHP Jorge Guzman (#87) were also ranked. BA included tool rankings for all 100 here.

Baseball America also posted an article about breakout prospects for 2018 who didn't quite make the Top 100 and included the Astros Freudis Nova.

When MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season prospect list, Baseball America releases their 2018 Prospect Handbook and FanGraphs weighs in with their Top Prospect list, I'll do a consensus prospect list. In the meantime ...

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen

Center Field - Coming this week

Astros Farm Report: 1/22

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Carlos Sanabria - July 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-22: RHP Mike Hauschild (28)
1-22: 1B Angel Tejeda (21)
1-24: C/1B Jose Carrillo (20)
1-24: RHP Carlos Sanabria (21)
1-25: RHP Bryan Solano (20)
1-27: LHP Antonio Pujols (20)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

There haven't been any posted moves since the big Garrit Cole trade last week. You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Coming into the final week of the regular season, Rodrigo Ayarza has continued to impress with a solid season. On Sunday, Ayarza went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored two runs, punctuating a 4-game series in which he was 5-for-18 with five runs scored, two doubles; he walked once and struck out four times. The ABL regular season will conclude on Saturday.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 36G .293/.329/.493 10-2B 1-3B 6HR 13RBI 8BB:31SO 5SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Ruben Castro - August 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ruben Castro appeared in four games since my last post, two as the starting catcher, one as a defensive replacement and one as a pinch hitter, going 4-for-9 with a run, one walk to three strikeouts and four stolen bases allowed. Carlos Sierra appeared twice over the past week. In his first appearance on Thursday, he allowed two hits and a walk without recording an out (none of his bequeathed runners scored or it could have been worse for him!) and on Sunday, he pitched one inning of relief, allowing one hit, one walk and no runs. The LBPRC will end its abbreviated regular season on Tuesday with postseason play starting on Wednesday.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 5G 3.1IP 5.40 ERA 3.900 WHIP 1SO:7BB
C Ruben Castro - 5G .500/.545/.600 1-2B 1RBI 1BB:3SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs weighs in on the Gerrit Cole trade.

MiLB.com looks at the reality of minor league free agency.

Travel headaches in the Pacific Coast League, a league that stretches more than 2000 miles from the Pacific.

A history of some of minor league baseball's oldest team names.

The Astros front office released the 2018 minor league coaching staff on Friday. There are a couple of notable departures with 2017 Corpus Christi Hooks Pitching Coach Dave Borkowski leaving for the Dodgers AA staff and Hooks 2017 Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis joining former Fresno Manager Tony DeFrancesco on the Mets AAA roster. Notably returning to the Astros fold is Josh Bonifay who will be the minor league Fielding Coordinator after spending one season with the Rangers. In addition, there are several Manager promotions, including Rodney Linares from AA to AAA, Omar Lopez from Low A to AA and Morgan Ensberg from short season A to High A. One final note: Assistant Pitching Coordinator Chris Holt is this Chris Holt and not that Chris Holt.

It is prospect ranking season and more are starting to come out. MLB Pipeline is currently rolling out their Top 10 by position. They have Forrest Whitley as second on their list of right-handed pitching prospects, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

And Baseball America came out with their official Astros Top 10 list, after giving us a sneak peak in the run up to the Gerrit Cole trade. The scouting reports are insider only. [Note: If you're interested in prospects, college players, draft rankings, international rankings, etc., a BA subscription is your best friend!]

And just this morning, Baseball America came out with their Top 100 Prospect Rankings, with RHP Forrest Whitley (#10), OF Kyle Tucker (#15), 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez (#62) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76) all making the list. In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#35), RHP Albert Abreu (#77), OF Brett Phillips (#80) and RHP Jorge Guzman (#87) were also ranked. BA included tool rankings for all 100 here.

When MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season prospect list, Baseball America releases their 2018 Prospect Handbook and FanGraphs weighs in with their Top Prospect list, I'll do a consensus prospect list. In the meantime ...

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen - Coming this week

Astros Farm Report: 1/15

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Yoanys Quiala - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-15: RHP Yoanys Quiala (24)
1-17: OF Kyle Tucker (21)
1-18: SS Osvaldo Duarte (22)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

I certainly don't need to inform my readers about the big weekend trade with Pittsburgh to obtain RHP Garrit Cole in exchange for RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Michael Feliz, 3B Colin Moran and OF Jason Martin. Baseball America has a very good post on what the Astros gained and what they lost from a talent perspective. And J.J. Cooper of BA weighs in with some additional thoughts on Moran. MLB Pipeline has updated their 2017 postseason prospect rankings to remove Moran (#5) and Martin (#15). RHP Jairo Solis has been slotted in at #21 and OF Ronnie Dawson has been added at #30.

19-year old Joe Musgrove - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

What these various pundits don't weigh in on is what else the Astros fans are losing. If you are on twitter, you might have seen many tweets of praise for Joe Musgrove ...

Hey, @pirates, in Joe Musgrove you’re getting one of the all-time good dudes. Here’s a column I wrote on him last season. https://t.co/ClcQV03G4g

— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) January 14, 2018

Was with Joe Musgrove in Corpus Christi on caravan all day Thursday. One of my favorite guys in my time with the #Astros; great pitcher & great person. Wish him nothing but the best in Pittsburgh.

— Robert Ford (@raford3) January 14, 2018

Best of luck to @musgrove23Stros, pictured here with @ABREG_1 toward the end of FanFest yesterday. Joe is a talented pitcher and a heck of a human. Hope he has great success with the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/r9CEs3cv7e

— Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) January 14, 2018

@musgrove23Stros UR one of the best people to play for @astros. Thank u for doing everything asked and more. I will always root for you. Best wishes to @DianeMusgrove

— Bill Brown (@BrownieTw) January 14, 2018

Thank you @musgrove23Stros for all you did for Kingwood after the flood.

— Mike Fast (@fastballs) January 14, 2018

Pennsylvania gained a good one. Bring a little San Diego to the great state, @musgrove23Stros 🤙

— Derek Fisher (@defish21) January 14, 2018

Any fan who has ever had the opportunity to interact with Joe from the low minors all the way up to Houston will know what a special person he is, generous with his time and his heart. I first interviewed Joe when he was only 19 and I immediately fell in love with him. He was sweet and charming ... a gentle giant like my father. Every time I spoke with him from that point forward just cemented my impression of him as a really special person. He and his wonderful family will be missed. Best of luck to Joe, Michael, Colin and Jason as they continue their baseball journeys!

Thanks for the memories H-Town. Waddup Steel City! pic.twitter.com/upXWFVTuUJ

— Joe Musgrove (@ItsbuccnJoe59) January 14, 2018

One additional note ... as of 1/14, the Astros 40-man roster stands at 38 with the addition of Cole and the subtraction of Musgrove, Feliz and Moran. I do not think it was a coincidence that Astros General Manager Luhnow's trade allows him much more flexibility to identify and patch holes where the team sees them as the season approaches. Had he given up top prospects not on the 40-man roster, Luhnow would still have had his hands tied with a full roster and much less room to maneuver.

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

MiLB.com is currently down for maintenance. Therefore, I cannot currently access the specifics of Ayarza's last four games, but it appears that he continues to have a good amount of success with the Bite. The ABL regular season will conclude on January 27th.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 32G .295/.331/.508 8-2B 6HR 13RBI 7BB:27SO 5SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Again, I can't access the boxscores for detailed information at this time, but Sierra lowered his ERA over three points in one appearance and Castro had his first and only at-bat (so far) of his winter campaign resulting in an RBI double.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 3G 2.1IP 7.71 ERA 3.429 WHIP 1SO:5BB
C Ruben Castro - 1G 1.000/1.000/2.000 1-2B 1RBI

NEWS AND LINKS

Baseball America gave us an early look at the Top 10 Astros prospect list as the Gerrit Cole trade loomed. Colin Moran's #9 ranking and (according to J.J. Cooper) Jason Martin's #19 ranking look to be in the upcoming BA Prospect Handbook as their press deadline came and went last week. Also according to Cooper, an Astros prospect will be gracing the cover. I will assume that player to be Forrest Whitley since they have him ranked as the top Astros prospect.

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen - coming this week

Astros Farm Report: 1/8

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Antonio Nunez - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-10: IF Antonio Nunez (25)
1-11: 3B Randy Cesar (23)
1-11: RHP Carlos Quintero (18)
1-12: SS/3B Freudis Nova (18)
1-13: RHP Andrew Thome (25)
1-14: 2B/3B Jeury Castillo (18)
1-14: SS Yorbin Ceuta (18)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

It's been all quiet on the transaction front since the end of December purge. The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Rodrigo Ayarza started out the weekend with a nice 4-for-10 in the first two games, but was 0-fer in the next two. Overall, he was 4-for-19 with a run and a stolen base, and one walk to three strikeouts. The ABL regular season will conclude on January 27th.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 28G .283/.325/.504 7-2B 6HR 11RBI 7BB:24SO 4SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The Puerto Rican winter league started up an abbreviated schedule of games this past weekend. Although Ruben Castro is listed on the Santurce roster, only Carlos Sierra has played to date. Sierra's first outing on Friday consisted of 1.1 innings of relief in which he allowed two hits and one walk with one of two inherited runners scoring. His second appearance on Sunday did not go well at all. After walking three straight batters, Sierra recorded his only out of the inning on a strikeout before issuing another walk with bases loaded after which he was lifted from the game. It could have been worse; only one of the three runners he left behind were allowed to score.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 2G 1.2IP 10.80 ERA 4.200 WHIP 1SO:5BB
C Ruben Castro

NEWS AND LINKS

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. My first post on shortstops in the system is here. Look for a post on second basemen in the system up next.

Top baseball execs like Forrest Whitley (no big surprise since they kept trying to trade for him last season!).

And speaking of trades, Jonathan Mayo sees three former Astros as breakout candidates in 2018.

Baseball Prospectus has some love for J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin with a shoutout to Joe Perez.

According to MiLB via the Fayetteville Observor, the Astros new stadium being built in Fayetteville, North Carolina is already benefiting the community.

And last but certainly not least, Astros farmhand Jack Mayfield's son Jackson says "Put me in coach! ... OK, maybe after my nap."

I told him he’s a bandwagon fan because the Astros just won the World Series but Jackson insists he’s not that he’s been a true fan! @astros @MLB #Houston #astros pic.twitter.com/drj2Mm9y3i

— Jack Mayfield (@jackmayfield8) January 7, 2018

Astros Farm Report: 1/1

Happy New Year!!! Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Dallas Keuchel - Spring Training 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-1: LHP Dallas Keuchel (30)
1-2: RHP Juan Corniel (22)
1-3: RHP Hansel Paulino (22)
1-4: RHP Valente Bellozo (18)
1-7: RHP Brendan McCurry (26)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

In case you missed it, quite a few Astros minor leaguers were released last week and I did a write up with some general observations about them. Since that was posted, a few more players got their pink slips as well.

12-29: OF Renaigel Martis (DSL Orange) released
12-29: RHP Renny Ugarte (DSL Blue) released
12-29: OF Luis Coronel (DSL Blue) released
12-22: C Freddy Chirino (DSL Blue) released
12-22: RHP Jonger Ochoa (DSL Blue) released
12-22: 2B Samir Caraballo (DSL Blue/Orange) released
12-22: 1B Michael Garcia (DSL Orange) released
12-22: RHP Jesus Bernaez (DSL Orange) released

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE (AFL) - SEASON OVER

The Mesa Solar Sox ended their fall campaign with a 16-13-1 record to lead the East, but ultimately fell 8-2 to the West in the Arizona Fall League Championship game on 11/18.

RHP Dean Deetz - 8G 4.91 ERA/1.182 WHIP 11.0IP 4BB:23SO
RHP Riley Ferrell - 9G 4.66 ERA/1.552 WHIP 9.2IP 9BB:7SO
RHP Brendan McCurry - 5G 4.05 ERA/1.350 WHIP 6.2IP 3BB:5SO (last played 10/30)
LHP Framber Valdez - 6G/6ST 3.20 ERA/1.627 WHIP 19.2IP 8BB:14SO
1B Yordan Alvarez - 4G .313/.353/.438 3B 1BB:6SO (last played 10/14)
3B/2B Nick Tanielu - 2G .000/.000/.000 (last played 10/16)
OF Kyle Tucker - 22G .214/.305/.310 6-2B 3B 9RBI 9BB:22SO 2SB:0CS

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP) - SEASON OVER

18-year old Venezuelan OF prospect Wilyer Abreu had the opportunity to play in the final two games of the season for Zulia. Although he didn't have much to show for those two games, it is a testament to his talent that he was given that opportunity after playing in only 34 games at the pro level in his first season in 2017.

In years past, the Liga Paralela (the Venezuelan version of the minor league) featured many Astros minor leaguers, but due to the current economic issues in Venezuela, the league was roughly cut in half and very few Astros players participated this year.

Aguilas de Zulia
OF Wilyer Abreu - 2G .143/.143/.143 1RBI 0BB:1SO
SS Kristian Trompiz - 10G .227/.320/.227 3BB:4SO (last played 10/28)
RHP Elieser Hernandez - 5G/5ST 2.11 ERA/0.844 WHIP 21.1IP 6BB:22SO (last played 11/6 - picked up by the Rays in the Rule 5 draft)

Bravos de Margarita
2B Alfredo Angarita - 29G .304/.396/.337 2B 3B 8RBI 13BB:27SO 4SB:3CS (last played 11/26)

Leones del Caracas
RHP Diosward Gonzalez - 2G 6.75 ERA/2.251 WHIP 1.1IP 2BB:0SO (last played 10/19 - released 12-20)
RHP Yoanys Quiala - 4G/2ST 7.45 ERA/1.448 WHIP 9.2IP 5BB:8SO (last played 10/31)
C Gabriel Bracamonte - 3G .125/.125/.125 0BB:2O (last played 10/28)

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LMP) - SEASON OVER

Caneros de los Mochis

RHP Akeem Bostick - 11G/11ST 3.43 ERA/1.357 WHIP 42IP 19BB:47SO (returned to the U.S. week of 12/17)
OF Drew Ferguson - 9G .094/.147/.125 2BB:12SO

Naranjeros de Hermosillo
RHP Jacob Dorris - 8G 8.64 ERA/2.280 WHIP 8.1IP 10BB:2SO (last played 12/7)

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Rodrigo Ayarza - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Rodrigo Ayarza is the only Astro currently playing and he had a great weekend down under, going 7-for-17 with three home runs, a double, three RBI and a stolen base. He scored five runs in the four games and struck out once (no walks).

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 24G .298/.340/.564 7-2B 6HR 11RBI 6BB:21SO 3SB:1CS

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM) - SEASON OVER

Gigantes del Cibao
LHP Reymin Guduan - 5G 4.50 ERA/2.500 WHIP 2.0IP 2BB:1SO (last played 12/12)

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The LBPRC has set January 6 as their target date to begin play.

Puerto Rico! 🇵🇷⚾ A todos los boricuas les recordamos que todas las entradas generales de la Temporada Regular de la LBPRC serán libre de costo. Invita a tu gente y apoyen a sus equipos desde el 6 de enero del 2018. pic.twitter.com/gqZb3EUR6c

— LBPRC (@LBPRC) December 3, 2017

NEWS AND LINKS

A post Tommy John surgery update on Astros RHP Brady Rodgers.

EXCELLENT proposition from Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com on how to raise minor league wages with little to no pain for the major league clubs.

"Sorry, wrong number!" Unique minor league team names lead to confusion.

This story on the Trenton Thunder bat dogs was originally posted in September, but I missed it and it's too cute not to share.

Congratulations to Astros C Anthony Hermelyn and former Astro Austin Kerns on earning their degrees!

Congrats to these three former Sooners who have returned home and earned their degree from OU. A great accomplishment that you should be very proud of. #OUrHome @anthonyhermelyn @AustinKerns @BlakeRogers23 pic.twitter.com/ihHhB7x08W

— Skip Johnson (@CoachJohnsonOU) December 16, 2017

And one final non-baseball link for my fellow chocoholics out there. I made this super easy recipe for a Christmas dessert and it was sinfully good!!!

Astros Farm Report: 12/20

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Ray Henderson - July 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

12-20: 3B/C Abraham Toro-Hernandez (21)
12-21: LHP Yeremi Ceballos (19)
12-22: LHP Denilson Lugo (20)
12-22: 3B Richard Slenker (23)
12-22: RHP Jairo Solis (18)
12-23: 1B Jake Adams (22)
12-26: LHP Noel Pinto (22)
12-27: C Ray Henderson (22)
12-28: RHP Corbin Martin (22)
12-28: 2B Enmanuel Valdez (19)
12-29: RHP Yulian Frontado (20)
12-30: 2B Kyle Davis (22)
12-30: RHP Nick Hernandez (23)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

In case you missed it, I did a write up last week about the outcome of the Rule 5 Draft. The only other move I've seen is that RHP Ryan Deemes was released on Monday according to his twitter. Deemes was a 36th round pick in 2015 out of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana who had terrific early success for the Astros in 2015 and 2016 before an injury derailed his 2017 season in early May. On a personal note, I really enjoyed getting to know Ryan a little bit and getting "ma'am"ed by him in that Louisiana accent of his. We at WTHB wish him the best of luck!!

Ryan Deemes - June 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE (AFL) - SEASON OVER

The Mesa Solar Sox ended their fall campaign with a 16-13-1 record to lead the East, but ultimately fell 8-2 to the West in the Arizona Fall League Championship game on 11/18.

RHP Dean Deetz - 8G 4.91 ERA/1.182 WHIP 11.0IP 4BB:23SO
RHP Riley Ferrell - 9G 4.66 ERA/1.552 WHIP 9.2IP 9BB:7SO
RHP Brendan McCurry - 5G 4.05 ERA/1.350 WHIP 6.2IP 3BB:5SO (last played 10/30)
LHP Framber Valdez - 6G/6ST 3.20 ERA/1.627 WHIP 19.2IP 8BB:14SO
1B Yordan Alvarez - 4G .313/.353/.438 3B 1BB:6SO (last played 10/14)
3B/2B Nick Tanielu - 2G .000/.000/.000 (last played 10/16)
OF Kyle Tucker - 22G .214/.305/.310 6-2B 3B 9RBI 9BB:22SO 2SB:0CS

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP)

No active Astros players played over the last week.

Other Astros minor leaguers may be and likely are still with the teams and working out with them even if they aren't getting any playing time. In years past, the Liga Paralela (the Venezuelan version of the minor league) featured many Astros minor leaguers, but due to the current economic issues in Venezuela, the league was roughly cut in half and very few Astros players are participating this year.

Aguilas de Zulia
SS Kristian Trompiz - 10G .227/.320/.227 3BB:4SO (last played 10/28)
RHP Elieser Hernandez - 5G/5ST 2.11 ERA/0.844 WHIP 21.1IP 6BB:22SO (last played 11/6)

Bravos de Margarita
2B Alfredo Angarita - 29G .304/.396/.337 2B 3B 8RBI 13BB:27SO 4SB:3CS (last played 11/26)

Leones del Caracas
RHP Diosward Gonzalez - 2G 6.75 ERA/2.251 WHIP 1.1IP 2BB:0SO (last played 10/19)
RHP Yoanys Quiala - 4G/2ST 7.45 ERA/1.448 WHIP 9.2IP 5BB:8SO (last played 10/31)
C Gabriel Bracamonte - 3G .125/.125/.125 0BB:2O (last played 10/28)

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LMP)

Akeem Bostick - April 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Akeem Bostick's last start on Thursday of last week was, unfortunately, not his best. Lead-off home runs in both the first and second innings, a couple walks and an error blew up his modest ERA for his winter campaign, and also led to his ouster in the second inning of his final game prior to returning to the States. But, overall, Bostick had a very strong season with Los Mochis and now he can enjoy his five minutes of offseason.

Drew Ferguson has continued to scuffle since my last post, going 1-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts in his last three games.

Caneros de los Mochis
RHP Akeem Bostick - 11G/11ST 3.43 ERA/1.357 WHIP 42IP 19BB:47SO (returned to the U.S. week of 12/17)
OF Drew Ferguson - 8G .100/.156/.133 2BB:11SO

Naranjeros de Hermosillo
RHP Jacob Dorris - 8G 8.64 ERA/2.280 WHIP 8.1IP 10BB:2SO (last played 12/7)

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Rodrigo Ayarza - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Utility switch-hitter Rodrigo Ayarza had a nice weekend's worth of games this past weekend. He was 4-for-13 with three RBI via a three-run home, and he scored three times, stole a base and walked twice while striking out three times in four games.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 20G .273/.325/.468 6-2B 3HR 8RBI 6BB:20SO 2SB:1CS

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM)

There has been no Astros-related action in the LIDOM since my last post.

Gigantes del Cibao
LHP Reymin Guduan - 5G 4.50 ERA/2.500 WHIP 2.0IP 2BB:1SO (last played 12/12)

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The LBPRC has set January 6 as their target date to begin play.

Puerto Rico! 🇵🇷⚾ A todos los boricuas les recordamos que todas las entradas generales de la Temporada Regular de la LBPRC serán libre de costo. Invita a tu gente y apoyen a sus equipos desde el 6 de enero del 2018. pic.twitter.com/gqZb3EUR6c

— LBPRC (@LBPRC) December 3, 2017

NEWS AND LINKS

The Astros aren't the only team giving a post-Harvey community a lift.

"Prove them wrong. Always take the high road but prove them wrong." Watch out guys, we're taking over!

We're taking over, Part II ... case in point. h/t to Astros County