Gulf Coast League: 2015 Season in Review

With a lowly .317 win percentage (19-41) for their 60-game season, the Astros rookie level Gulf Coast League Astros team had a pretty forgettable season. Keep in mind, however, that the GCL is generally populated with the youngest, rawest players that the Astros field domestically. Let's dig a little deeper and look at the team performance within the league and some of the individual standouts.

Edgardo Sandoval - June 2015

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Green

Note all rankings are out of 16 total teams

GCL ASTROS TEAM BATTING
Batting average: .200 (16th)
On-base percentage: .287 (16th)
Slugging percentage: .262 (16th)
Doubles: 63 (15th)
Triples: 10 (14th)
Home runs: 10 (T12th)
Walks: 201 (6th)
Strikeouts: 511 (2nd)
Stolen bases: 60 (T11th)

I think one can easily see what went wrong with this team. A .200 team batting average? Ouch.

GCL ASTROS TEAM PITCHING
ERA: 3.83 (12th)
WHIP: 1.408 (13th)
Walks: 216 (5th)
Strikeouts: 376 (16th)

That may not look a whole lot better than the team batting, but overall there were more standout performances among the pitchers than among the hitters.

GCL ASTROS BATTING LEADERS (minimum 40 games for BA, OBP and SLG)
Batting Average: Bryan de la Cruz (.242)
On-Base Percentage: Bryan de la Cruz (.313)
Slugging Percentage: Wander Franco (.341)
Doubles: Wander Franco (11 - T9th in the league)
Triples: Kyle Tucker and Joan Mauricio (tied with 2)
Home Runs: Wander Franco (3)
RBI: Wander Franco (26 - T6th in the league)
Stolen Bases: Daz Cameron (13 - T10th in the league)
Walks: Connor MacDonald (20)
Runs: Wander Franco (23)

Only one name appears with any frequency, that of 18-year old 1B Wander Franco. He finished the season hitting .236/.296/.351 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 32 RBI including his seven-game stint with Quad Cities at the end of the season. Rising stars Daz Cameron and Kyle Tucker hit much better after their promotions to Greeneville.

GCL ASTROS TEAM PITCHING LEADERS (minimum 30IP for ERA and WHIP)
ERA: Moreno Polanco (0.60)
WHIP: Moreno Polanco (0.967)
Strikeouts: Enrique Chavez (40 in 48.2)
Saves: Lachlan Madden (3)

RHP Moreno Polanco (21)
Polanco led the way with his 0.60 ERA and 0.967 WHIP in the 30 innings he pitched for the team prior to his August 1st promotion to Greeneville.

LHP Starlyng Sanchez (21)
Sanchez had a solid tenure out of the bullpen for the GCL team (3.60 ERA and 0.800 WHIP) prior to his late July promotion to Greeneville where he had mixed results.

RHP Edgardo Sandoval (19)
Sandoval spent the bulk of the season with the GCL, putting up a 2.45 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP in 33 innings (9 games/5 starts) prior to his mid-August promotion to Greeneville where he was instrumental in that team's playoff run. He ended the season with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.041 WHIP in 49 innings.

Other pitchers of note include 20-year old Diogenes Almengo (2.78 ERA and 1.103 WHIP) and RHP Lachlan Madden (2.00 ERA and 1.111 WHIP) prior to their promotions to Greeneville, as well as RHP Juan Robles (1.80 ERA and 1.067 WHIP) and RHP Hector Perez (1.16 ERA and 1.114 WHIP) who were written up in the DSL Season Review. RHP Enrique Chavez received a late callup to High A Lancaster to help out and acquitted himself nicely at the (much) higher level; he ended the season with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.309 WHIP between the DSL, GCL and Lancaster.

Previous Season Reviews:
Dominican Summer League

Gulf Coast League Season Recap

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be looking at some of the standout players from each of the Astros minor league teams. Last week I looked at the offensive standouts and the pitching standouts on the Astros Dominican Summer League teams. Today, let's look at the Gulf Coast League Astros.

The team finished with a 28-32 record (.467 win percentage). As a team they ranked within the league as follows:

GCL Team Batting
.254 BA - 5th out of 16 teams
.337 OBP - 6th
.354 SLG - 6th

They were also first in strikeouts (ouch!) with 490 and second in stolen bases with 91.

GCL Team Pitching
3.90 ERA - 11th
1.425 WHIP - 13th
497 SO - 2nd
227 BB - 4th

Below I am indicating the player's current age with his birthday in parentheses. I am also including information as to how many years the player has been playing and whether or not this is his first season playing in the U.S. Any players who were promoted to Greeneville or above prior to the end of the season will be addressed in the season recap for that team.

CATCHERS

Brian Pena - 20 (6/14); 3rd season/1st in U.S.
The Dominican-born Pena only played in 17 games in the GCL, hitting .260/.315/.300 and catching 29% of would-be base stealers.

Ruben Castro - 18 (7/10); 1st season
Castro was drafted in the 19th round out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. In 20 games, the lefty hit .241/.349/.259. He only caught in seven games (22% caught stealing rate) and served as the DH in the remainder of the games.

Marlon Avea - 21 (8/31); 4th season/1st in U.S.
Avea, from Nicaragua, has been a plus defender throughout his career and his first stint in the U.S. was no different; he put up nice defensive numbers and caught 41% of base runners in the 15 games in which he caught. In 21 total games, he hit .279/.383/.353.

INFIELDERS

2B Frankeny Fernandez - 17 (12/7); 1st season
Fernandez played his first 50 games in the DSL, hitting .320/.435/.440 before being promoted to the GCL where he hit .250/.329/.294 in 19 games. In total, he hit 13 doubles, four triples and one home run and stole 35 bases. His defensive numbers were somewhat below average, but since he's not even 18 yet, I'm not too worried! Fernandez is from the Dominican Republic.

2B/SS/3B Arturo Michelena - 19 (10/15); 3rd season; 1st in U.S.
This young Venezuelan, however, put up plus defense at second base (average +/- at third and short). In 45 games, he hit .235/.320/.301.

SS Joan Mauricio - 17 (10/22); 1st season
Maurcio started his season in his home country of the Dominican Republic, playing his first 43 games with the DSL and hitting .275/.376/.444. However, the lefty only hit .127/.271/.211 in his 22 games with the GCL and his defense is still a bit rough. Maurcio hit nine doubles, ten triples and one home run for the season.

SS Osvaldo Duarte - 18 (1/18); 1st season
Also from the Dominican Republic, Duarte was having a great season at the plate before he was placed on the 60-day DL in late July. In 15 games in the DSL, he hit .270/.325/.378. After his promotion to the GCL, he hit .280/.341/.347 in 20 games. For the season, he hit seven doubles and three triples while collecting 19 RBI and 16 stolen bases in his 35 games. On paper, his defense at short was somewhat below average.

1B/DH Dexture McCall - 20 (1/29); 1st season
McCall was drafted by Houston in the 31st round this year. In 50 games with the GCL, he hit .258/.338/.343 and was starting to heat up in August when he hit .280/.386/.400. For the season he hit eight doubles, two triples and one home run with 29 RBI. He exhibited plus defensive skills at first base.

2B Will Dupont, who was obtained in a trade from the Blue Jays, only played in six games for the GCL Astros before being placed on the 60-day DL. Dupont was a 16th round pick in 2012, will be 21 in December and is in his third professional season.

OUTFIELDERS

Luis Payano - 18 (5/12); 2nd season/1st in U.S.
Payano was the only notable outfielder from the team who wasn't promoted. In 42 games with the GCL, Payano hit .257/.314/.434 (.284/.326/.494 in August). His defensive numbers skewed above average.

LEFTY PITCHERS

Yhoan Acosta - 19 (6/17); 2nd season/1st in U.S.
Acosta actually performed better after his promotion to the GCL (3.00 ERA and 1.333 WHIP in 8 games/3 starts) than he did with the DSL (5.29 ERA and 1.647 WHIP in 8 games/7 starts). He struck out exactly one batter per inning pitched (67 in 67 innings) while walking only 22. He is from the Dominican Republic.

Kyle Gehrs - 23 (6/10); 1st season
Gehrs, a non-drafted free agent out of Central Missouri, had an unremarkable season, but was coming on strong in August with a 0.90 ERA and a 1.100 WHIP in seven games (10IP).

Cristhopher Santamaria - 18 (6/19); 2nd season; 1st in U.S.
The Panamanian-born Santamaria put up excellent numbers in his first six games (five starts) in the DSL (2.20 ERA and 0.942 WHIP) before his promotion to the GCL. In 10 games (five starts) in the GCL, he had a 4.91 ERA and a 1.485 WHIP. Over a total of 61.2 innings pitched, he walked 11 batters while striking out 55.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Francis Martes - 18 (11/24); 2nd season; 1st in U.S.
Martes came to the Astros from the Marlins in the Cosart et. al. trade and only pitched in four games (three starts) for the GCL Astros in which he had a 0.82 ERA and a 0.727 WHIP. He is from the Dominican Republic.

John Gatlin - 23 (12/14); 1st season
Gatlin is a work in progress. A non-drafted free agent out of Ole Miss, he is being converted to a pitcher. For the season, he had a 1.29 ERA and a 1.643 WHIP in 13 games. In August, he had a 2.00 ERA and a 1.444 WHIP in eight games and walked four batters while striking out 11.

Justin Ferrell - 20 (4/21); 1st season
Ferrell was drafted by Houston in the 36th round this year. In 12 games (five starts), he had a 3.67 ERA and a 1.311 WHIP. He walked 12 batters while striking out 39 in 34.1 innings.

Joselo Pinales - 19 (11/16); 2nd season; 1st in U.S.
Pinales started his season with the DSL team, starting four games with a 4.43 ERA and a 0.934 WHIP. He walked four batters and struck out 14 in 20.1 innings. After his promotion to the GCL, he had a 4.66 ERA and a 1.422 WHIP in 13 games (four starts) and walked 18 batters while striking out 24 in 38.2 innings pitched.

Later this week, we'll take a look at the Rookie League Greeneville Astros team.

The Gulf Coast League Astros Season In Review

The GCL team is the only Astros affiliate that didn't compile a winning season in 2013, and one of only two teams (along with the DSL) that didn't make it to the post-season. But that doesn't mean that there was no good news to be had even though most of the good news centered around individual performances.

2012 Win Percentage - .475
2013 Win Percentage - .450

2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 227 - 240 = (13)
2013 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 272 - 289 = (17)

2012 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.45 & 1.387
2013 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.95 & 1.383

2012 Team Batting Line - .244/.307/.342
2013 Team Batting Line - .246/.321/.355

As you can see, there were no really dramatic changes one way or the other. The GCL team ranked 13th out of 16 teams in ERA and 14th in WHIP. They were second in walks allowed and fifth in strikeouts. In the offensive categories, the team ranked in the top five in slugging percentage, triples and home runs; and in the top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, doubles and stolen bases. They were 11th out of 16 in striking out and 14th in drawing walks. Again, nothing really outstanding or dramatic one way or the other. So let's focus on those individual performances.

First, let's look at the pitching. 19-year old RHP Agapito Barrios is the only pitcher who appears in the top 15 in the league in ERA (3.44) and WHIP (1.433). There are several other pitchers on the team whose numbers are superior to those, but they did not pitch enough innings to qualify as league leaders. A number of those were rehabbing pitchers such as LHP Brian Holmes (10.1IP 0.00 ERA 0.484 WHIP) and RHP Luis Ordosgoitti (15.2IP 1.15 ERA 0.766 WHIP). And a number were either promoted quickly like LHP Kevin Ferguson (11IP 0.82 ERA 0.818 WHIP) and RHP Justin Hess (8.2IP 1.04 ERA 0.808 WHIP) or extremely limited such as LHP Kent Emanuel (9IP 0.00 ERA 0.889 WHIP).

Of those who pitched a minimum of 20 innings in the GCL, two pitchers stood out. 22-year old RHP Troy Scribner pitched in eight games (two starts) in the GCL, going 3-2 with a 1.26 ERA and an 0.663 WHIP before being promoted to Greeneville and then to Tri-City. Over the three venues, he was 4-4 with a 2.55 ERA and a 0.962 WHIP. He struck out 78 batters while walking 14 over 53 innings. His 13.2 SO/9 is one of the best rates in the Astros organization. The other pitcher who stands out is Ambiorix de Leon. In five games (three starts), the 22-year old had a 2.82 ERA and a 1.209 WHIP.

In looking at the offensive side of the coin, 1B Yonathan Mejia was the closest thing to a star on the GCL team. The switch-hitter who will turn 21 later this week, ranked fifth in the league in batting average (.324), ninth in slugging percentage (.437), first in doubles and was tied for fifth in RBI. For players spending the bulk of the 2013 season in the GCL, Mejia led the team in batting average and was second in on-base percentage with a .356 mark (followed closely by Jose Solano and C Jacob Nottingham). He was promoted to Tri-City for the last three games of the season.

For those spending most or all of the season with the GCL, lefty-hitting CF Jason Martin, who just turned 18 on September 5th, led the team in OBP (.357). He was tied for fifth in walks in the league and was in the top 15 in triples and in the top 20 in stolen bases. 2B/3B Jose Solano was tied for first in the league with six home runs and was tied for 10th in RBI. On the team, he was first in slugging percentage and second in batting average for those who played a significant amount of the season with the GCL. The 21-year old was promoted to Greeneville for the final seven games of the season.

Others of note are Jean Batista who spent time rehabbing with the GCL and was tied for second in the league in triples despite playing in only 24 games there. 3B Tyler White (.365/.474/.556 in 18 games) and C Brett Booth (.308/.431/.462 in 16 games) both graduated from the GCL quickly, but had great offensive numbers in their limited time at the level. Both will turn 23 in October.

For my earlier look at the DSL season in review, go here.

A Look at the GCL Astros

Yesterday, I took a little bit more of an in-depth look at the DSL Astros team. Today, let's see how the GCL Astros team is doing. Coming in to today, the GCL team is 14-12 with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.316 WHIP, a cumulative batting line of .249/.324/.366 and a run differential of +2. Their team pitching stats put them in the middle of the pack vis-à-vis the league and their offensive stats are overall slightly above average.

However, one cannot really make much out of the GCL team record, team ERA/WHIP or team batting statistics because the GCL is generally a catch-all, with Latin NDFA's in their first year or two in the States playing alongside older players who are rehabbing injuries, as well as the youngest, most inexperienced players from the recent draft and other new draftees just getting their feet wet before they head to the next level. The most you can really do is to look at some of the individual players and how they are doing. So, let's do that.

3B Tyler White is still among the leaders in the Gulf Coast League despite having been promoted to the Greeneville Astros around a week ago. Tyler's .365/.474/.556 batting line (18 games) has him ranked 4th/2nd/4th in those respective categories. In addition, C Brett Booth was among the team leaders in these categories before his reported promotion to Tri-City today with his .308/.431/.462 batting line over 16 games.

Of those remaining on the team, there are a few standouts. Other than the rehabbing Jean Batista (who hasn't played since 7/11), 1B Yonathan Mejia leads the way as far as batting average. His .311 mark over 25 games is enough to rank him in 21st place in the league as well. In addition, he ranks sixth in the league in hits (28) and is tied for 6th with eight doubles. Mejia's .433 slugging percentage ranks at 19th in the league, although his teammate 2B Jose Solano actually has a higher mark at .436, but does not have the requisite number of at bats to qualify. Solano is however tied for second in the league with four home runs and for 15th in RBI with 14. Solano has played in 17 games entering today.

C Jacob Nottingham leads the way with a .384 OBP (ranking him 20th in the league) and 13 walks (tied for seventh in the league, along with his teammate OF Jason Martin) in 19 games. Martin is also tied for third in the league with 18 runs scored in his 25 games. OF Javaris Reynolds is tied for fourth in the league with his eight stolen bases in 21 games.

RHP Troy Scribner is leading the league in ERA (1.14), WHIP (0.676) and strikeouts (36) in his seven appearances (23.2IP). He has only walked two to go with the 36 strikeouts. RHP Agapito Barrios is ninth in the league in ERA (2.42) and 14th in WHIP (1.119) and LHP Ambiorix de Leon is 14th and 20th respectively with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.209 WHIP.

LHP Kevin Ferguson has appeared in six games (8IP) with a 1.12 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP. RHP Juan Santos has appeared in eight games (11IP) with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.909 WHIP. RHP Chris Munnelly just received a promotion to Greeneville after putting up a 2.35 ERA and a 1.435 WHIP in seven appearances (7.2IP). Austin Nicely has only made one appearance since signing but did not allow a run.

The GCL Astros are currently ranked in third place (out of four team) in their division and are two and a half games behind.

Roster Moves - 7/10

GCL Astros
OF Kelvin Vizcaino was released.
OF Edwin Gomez was assigned to the GCL.
RHP Jose Valdez was assigned to the GCL for a rehab assignment.

Tri-City, Greeneville and GCL Rosters

TRI-CITY

PITCHERS
Ballew, Travis
Bircher, Joseph*
Cotton, Jamaine
Holmes, Brian*
Long, Kenneth*
Meiners, Jeremiah*
Minaya, Juan
Neely, John
Perez, Juri
Propst, James
Rodgers, Brady
Shirley, Thomas*
Velasquez, Vincent
West, Aaron

CATCHERS
Cokinos, M.P.
Morales, Jobduan#

INFIELDERS
Davidson, Chase*
Dineen, Ryan*
Elkins, Austin#
Johnson, Neiko
Sclafani, Joe#

OUTFIELDERS
Aplin, Andrew*
Gulbransen, Dan*
McKinney, Jarrod

GREENEVILLE

PITCHERS
Bushue, Tanner
Dando, Zachary
Dimock, Michael
Garcia, Christian
Hardoin, Zachary*
Hauschild, Mike
Houser, Adrian
Jankowski, Jordan
Lambson, Mitchell*
Lee, Chris*
Minor, Daniel
Ramirez, Francis
Rodriguez, Richard
Tiburcio, Frederick
Zuloaga, Scott*

CATCHERS
Genoves, Ernesto
Gingras, Ricky*
Moronta, Cristian

INFIELDERS
Batista, Jean#
Blasik, Brian
Ibanez, Angel*
Magee, Joshua
Martinez, Michael
Sosa, Ruben#

OUTFIELDERS
Joyce, Terrell
Monzon, Jose
Ovando, Ariel*
Toney, D'Andre
Wik, Marc*

GULF COAST LEAGUE

PITCHERS
Abreu, Alan
Barrios, Agapito
Batista, Ricardo*
Culbreth, Brandon
De Leon, Ambiorix*
Dennison, Steve
Feliz, Michael
Franco, Enderson
Frias, Edison
Gonzalez, Erick
Guduan, Reymin*
Gustave, Jandel
Mojica, Juan
Montero, Jose
Quintero, Rodney
Walter, Andrew

CATCHERS
Diaz, Kenny
Gonzalez, Alfredo
Polanco, Franny

INFIELDERS
Correa, Carlos
Fernandez, Jose
Martone, Luca#
Mejia, Yonathan#
Redinger, Kyle
Rivera, Darwin
Solano, Jose

OUTFIELDERS
De La Rosa, Luis#
Gonzalez, Wallace
Hernandez, Teoscar
Marte, Ydarqui
Phillips, Brett*
Reynolds, Javaris*
Vizcaino, Kelvin

*Left hand pitcher or hitter
#Switch hitter