Meet the Corpus Christi Hooks

Part two of the Meet the Team series takes us down to South Texas. Let's get to know the 2021 Corpus Christi Hooks!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Hooks have been an Astros affiliate since its inception in 2005. 2020 would have been the 15th anniversary of their inaugural season, but again, unless you have been living off the grid, there was no Minor League Baseball season. During the (still) ongoing pandemic, Whataburger Field has served as the Astros' Alternate Site.

Following the MiLB realignment, Corpus was placed in the AA Central League, which is essentially a continuation of the Texas League. (Why didn't they just retain the league names?) This ten-team league consists of the eight teams that comprised the Texas League, with San Antonio and Wichita moving down from what used to be the AAA Pacific Coast League. Wichita makes its return to minor league baseball with the Wind Surge. The last franchise in that city now does business as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. 

Corpus Christi will play in the South division, which consists of all Texas clubs just like the old Texas League, alongside Amarillo (now a D-Backs affiliate), Frisco (Rangers), Midland (A's), and San Antonio (back with the Padres). The North division is, well, the Texas League's North division (Arkansas, NW Arkansas, Springfield, Tulsa) with Wichita added in.

As Corpus Christi is the birthplace of Whataburger, the Hooks have decided to commemorate the beloved burger chain's Coastal Bend roots. You have probably seen the apparel collection, complete with their twist on the iconic orange W logo. Every Wednesday, they will take the field as the "Corpus Christi Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits," with jerseys that evoke the table tents that you get with every Whataburger order. 

@cchooks

Get your 🔥 merch at cchooks.com/shop ##whataburger ##MLB ##milb ##baseball ##fyp ##astros ##fastfood ##greenscreen

♬ Pumpkins - Clutch

Corpus opens its 2021 season Tuesday as they host the San Antonio Missions.

SOCIAL MEDIA/TEAM-RELATED ACCOUNTS

Official website: cchooks.com

Twitter: @cchooks

Instagram: cchooks

Michael Coffin, radio play-by-play, Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting: @CoffinMJC

COACHING STAFF

2014 Astro Gregorio Petit will finally get his first managerial opportunity. He was originally slated to take over as Hooks manager in 2020 and then you know what happened next.

Manager: Gregorio Petit

Pitching Coach: Graham Johnson

Hitting Coach: Rafael Peña

Athletic Trainer: Nate Stewart

Strength Coach: Mike Myers

ROSTER

Corpus Christi has served as a landing spot for many top Astros prospects to start and this year is no different. Hunter Brown appears to be on the fast track as he's skipping both A levels to begin his first full professional season with the Hooks. The man to watch, however, is Pedro León, the highly-touted Cuban outfielder who will be making his professional debut as an infielder. León has received significant hype in advance, but now it's time for him to deliver.

Italics - player bats/pitches left-handed

Bold - player is a switch-hitter

Pitchers

Jonathan Bermúdez - 23rd round, 2018 draft (Southeastern); played with Quad Cities and Corpus Christi in 2019

Hunter Brown - 5th round, 2019 draft (Wayne State); Tri-City

Willy Collado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Corpus/Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Brett Daniels - 17th round, 2018 draft (North Carolina); Corpus/Quad Cities

Tommy DeJuneas - Acquired via trade from Cleveland for James Hoyt, 2018; Corpus/Fayetteville

Chad Donato - 11th round, 2016 draft (West Virginia); Corpus/Fayetteville

J.P. France - 14th round, 2018 draft (Mississippi State); Fayetteville

Nick Hernandez - 8th round, 2016 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville

Michael Horrell - 30th round, 2019 draft (Campbell); Tri-City

Parker Mushinski - 7th round, 2017 draft (Texas Tech); Fayetteville, with rehab appearances in Tri-City and the Gulf Coast League

Hunter Peck - Undrafted free agent, 2020 (Georgia Gwinnett)

Joe Record - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Twins, 2020; Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers (Twins)

César Rosado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Fayetteville

Catchers

Scott Manea - Acquired via trade along with Ross Adolph and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville

C.J. Stubbs - 10th round, 2019 draft (Southern Cal); Quad Cities/Tri-City

Infielders

Norel González - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Villa Clara (Cuban National Series)

David Hensley - 26th round, 2018 draft (San Diego State); Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Grae Kessinger - 2nd round, 2019 draft (Ole Miss); Quad Cities/Tri-City

Pedro León - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Mayabeque (Cuban National Series)

J.J. Matijevic - 2nd round, 2017 draft (Arizona); Corpus/Fayetteville

Michael Wielansky - 18th round, 2018 draft (College of Wooster); Quad Cities

Outfielders

Ross Adolph - Acquired via trade along with Scott Manea and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Marty Costes - 22nd round, 2018 draft (Maryland); Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Corey Julks - 8th round, 2017 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville

Chandler Taylor - 10th round, 2018 draft (Alabama); Fayetteville

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, June 30, 2019

Round Rock 7, Omaha 6

W- Brandon Bielak (2-3, 5-3 season)
L- Arnaldo Hernandez (1-6)
S- Felipe Paulino (3)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker (24, grand slam in 1st), A.J. Reed (12, solo in 7th)

The E-Train started off with a bang and then had to stave off a late rally to get the win on Sunday.

Brandon Bielak turned in a bare minimum quality start, allowing seven hits (two-run homer) and walking four. Kit Scheetz was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed a solo homer, walked one, and struck out two in two innings. Felipe Paulino allowed two hits, one of which was a two-run homer, and struck out one in the 9th.

Kyle Tucker put the Express on the board with a grand slam in the 1st inning. A.J. Reed hit an RBI single in the 4th and then homered to lead off the 7th inning. Alex De Goti added an RBI single later in the 7th. Reed finished 3-4 on the night.

Framber Valdez will face Zach Lovvorn in game three of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Amarillo 11, Corpus Christi 6

W- Ronald Bolaños (2-2)
L- Carson LaRue (1-4)

CC home runs: Bryan de la Cruz (1, 5 season; solo in 1st), Osvaldo Duarte (10, solo in 5th), Abraham Toro (13, solo in 7th)

The Hooks scored first, but the Sod Poodles went off and buried them with five in the 4th to take a 9-2 lead.

Carson LaRue was roughed up in his 3.2 innings and I'll leave it at that. Carlos Sanabria got the final out of the 4th and two outs in the 5th, all via strikeout; he allowed two runs (one earned), a hit, and walked three in the process. Colin McKee walked one and struck out one in 1.1 innings, and Riley Ferrell allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless. Ferrell was making his first appearance since being returned to the organization from the Marlins, who selected him in the Rule 5 draft in the offseason.

Bryan de la Cruz led off the game with a homer and Ronnie Dawson scored on a wild pitch later in the 1st. Osvaldo Duarte led off the 5th with a homer and Abraham Toro launched a solo shot in the 7th. De La Cruz went 3-5 on the evening and also smacked a two-run double in the 8th.

The Hooks will start a three-game series in Frisco at 7:05. Brandon Bailey will face Edgar Arredondo.

Fayetteville 8, Myrtle Beach 4

W- Jojanse Torres (1-0, 4-0 season)
L- Brian Glowicki (0-1)
S- Jacob Billingsley (2)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (6, solo in 2nd), Jake Adams (12, grand slam in 7th)

One swing of the bat swung the momentum of this game in Fayetteville's favor.

J.P. France went five innings and allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked one, and struck out four. Jojanse Torres and Jacob Billingsley pitched two innings apiece with varying results. Torres didn't have his best stuff as he allowed three runs on three hits (two-run homer) and walked three. Billingsley struck out three in a perfect outing to earn the save.

The Woodpeckers got on the board first in the 1st thanks to a pair of sac flies from Corey Julks and Jake Adams. Jonathan Arauz led off the 2nd with a homer.

Chandler Taylor thought that he had a grand slam in the 5th and apparently the ball looked to have landed in fair territory, but it was ruled foul, he struck out, he wasn't happy, and his night ended early after he was... ordered to leave the game.

Fayetteville got their slam in the 7th when Adams sent one out onto the berm in left field. Scott Manea capped off the evening with a sac fly in the 8th.

I don't have pun for this one, just watch this video of @Jakeadams23 hitting our 9⃣th grand slam this season.

Because it's awesome. pic.twitter.com/sxUG8G63qv

— 🐦 Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) July 1, 2019

Miguelangel Sierra and Jeremy Peña finished with two hits apiece on the evening.

The Woodpeckers will start a three-game series in Salem at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Clinton was suspended

Due to rain. Currently, it's a 0-0 ballgame with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

Brett Daniels allowed three hits, walked five, and struck out seven over 5.2 shutout innings. Layne Henderson got the final out of the 6th with a groundball and then struck out the first two men he faced in the 7th.

Alex McKenna's single is currently Quad Cities' only hit in this game.

This game will be completed today at 5:00 and then the regularly scheduled game, which will last nine innings, will follow. Matt Ruppenthal was originally slated to face Albert Guerrero in the regularly scheduled game.

Tri-City 5, Aberdeen 3

W- Hansel Paulino (2-1)
L- Ryan Conroy (1-2)
S- Julio Robaina (1, 2 season)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats pounded out a season-high 14 hits to take the series.

Grae Kessinger opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 3rd and he came around to score on Zach Biermann's double. Aberdeen took the lead with a two-run double in the top of the 5th but Tri-City took control with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 5th on an Andrés Santana RBI infield single and a double from Kessinger. Luis Santana singled in the 6th and an error on the play allowed A.J. Lee to score. A.J. Lee finished 3-3, stealing a base and scoring three times. Luis Santana went 3-4, while Andrés Santana and Kessinger had two hits apiece.

Cole McDonald, Manny Ramirez, Hansel Paulino all pitched two innings. McDonald, in his Tri-City debut, allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out three. Ramirez allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, walked three, and struck out two. Paulino struck out four in a perfect outing, and Julio Robaina allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out four over the final three innings to earn the save.

Jayson Schroeder will start the first of a three-game series in Staten Island. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Bryan de la Cruz, OF, Corpus Christi

3-5, 2B, solo HR (1, 5 season), 3 RBI

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Grae Kessinger, SS, and A.J. Lee, SS, Tri-City

Kessinger: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Lee: 3-3, 3 R, SB (7)

Julio Robaina's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Hansel Paulino, RHP, and Julio Robaina, LHP, Tri-City

Paulino: W (2-1), 2 IP, 4 K

Robaina: Save (1, 2 season), 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K

Jake Adams, 1B, Fayetteville

Grand Slam (12), 5 RBI

J.P. France, RHP, and Jacob Billingsley, RHP, Fayetteville

France: 5 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 4 K

Billingsley: Save (2), 2 IP, 3 K

Kyle Tucker, OF, and A.J. Reed, 1B, Round Rock

Tucker: 1-2, Grand Slam (24), 2 R, SB (19)

Reed: 3-4, solo HR (12), 2 RBI

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 29, 2019

Omaha 3, Round Rock 2

W- Jake Kalish (5-4)
L- Ryan Hartman (5-3)
S- Richard Lovelady (4)

RR home runs: Jack Mayfield (11, solo in 4th)

A three-run 1st from the Storm Chasers held up in the end.

Ryan Hartman pitched seven innings and allowed those three runs on six hits, walked three, and struck out five. Brendan McCurry allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one over the final two innings.

Alex De Goti put Round Rock on the board with a sac fly in the 3rd and Jack Mayfield launched a homer to lead off the 4th. Chas McCormick finished 2-3.

Brandon Bielak will start game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:05.

Amarillo 8, Corpus Christi 6

W- Nick Margevicius (1-0)
L- Enoli Paredes (1-2, 4-3 season)
S- Jean Cosme (1)

CC home runs: J.J. Matijevic 2 (4, 6 season; solo in 3rd, solo in 9th), Seth Beer (7, 16 season; solo in 4th)

The Hooks' attempt to erase a 7-2 deficit ultimately fell short.

J.J. Matijevic led off the 3rd with a homer and Seth Beer did the same in the 4th. They got three in the 8th as Abraham Toro ripped an RBI double. He moved to third on Beer's single and scored on a single from Granden Goetzman. Beer wound up scoring thanks to a couple of wild pitches. Matijevic whacked his second home run of the night to lead off the 9th. He, along with Beer and Goetzman, finished with two hits on the night.

Enoli Paredes went 4.1 innings and allowed five runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on six hits (two-run homer), walked one, and struck out four. Justin Ferrell got the final two outs of the 5th, one via strikeout, but not before Amarillo got a single off of him that resulted in two runs getting charged to Paredes. Ferrell also issued a couple of walks. Yohan Ramirez allowed three runs on five hits (two-run homer) and struck out four in three innings.

Brandon Bailey takes on Ronald Bolaños in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05.

Myrtle Beach 6, Fayetteville 4

W- Alexander Vargas (2-2)
L- Austin Hansen (1-1, 5-2 season)
S- Garrett Kelly (2)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (5, 2-run in 6th)

The Woodpeckers outhit the Pelicans 10-6 but lost in the column that matters most. Also, a five-run 3rd inning for Myrtle Beach held up.

Jake Adams ripped an RBI double in the 1st to open the scoring and Enmanuel Valdez hit an RBI single to bring in Jonathan Arauz in the 2nd. Arauz, who just came off the IL, whacked a two-run homer in the 6th. Adams (2 2B, RBI, R), Arauz (2-R HR, 2 R), Valdez (RBI single, SB), and Corey Julks (R, SB) all had two hits on the evening.

Austin Hansen went five innings and allowed five runs on six hits, one of which was a grand slam, walked three, and struck out five. Nivaldo Rodríguez did not allow a hit over the last four innings but the Pelicans got a run off of him with a sac fly. Nivaldo walked three and struck out two during his stint on the mound.

Fayetteville will look to avoid the sweep and snap a five-game losing streak in the series finale. J.P. France will go against Javier Assad at 6:00 Eastern.

Clinton 7, Quad Cities 2

W- Tyler Mitzel (5-3)
L- R.J. Freure (4-3)
S- Tyler Jones (1)

QC home runs: None.

The LumberKings scored four in the 6th to put this game away.

Oscar Campos went 2-5 with an RBI single in the 3rd. Austin Dennis was 3-5 and hit an RBI single in the 4th. Trey Dawson finished 2-3 and drew a walk.

R.J. Freure allowed three runs on five hits (two solo homers), walked four, and struck out seven in five innings. Hunter Martin bore the brunt of Clinton's assault in the 6th as he allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and struck out three in 1.2 innings. Riley Cabral walked two in 1.1 scoreless innings of work.

Brett Daniels takes on Tanner Andrews in game two of this series. First pitch is at 2:00.

Tri-City 4, Aberdeen 3 (10 innings)

W- Shea Barry (1-0)
L- Marlon Constante (0-1)

TC home runs: C.J. Stubbs (3, solo in 4th)

The ValleyCats snapped a five-game losing streak by walking off with the victory on Saturday.

Hunter Brown pitched 2.2 innings and an inherited runner scored and was charged to him when the man on third scored while the trailing runner was caught in a rundown in the 3rd inning. He walked three and struck out one. Derek West was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he allowed two runs of his own on two hits, walked one, and struck out one in 2.1 innings. Peyton Battenfield followed by striking out five in three perfect innings, and Shea Barry earned his first win as a pro as he walked two and struck out one over two scoreless.

Zach Biermann opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 1st inning. C.J. Stubbs smacked a solo homer in the 4th. E.P. Reese tied the game with a sac fly in the 9th. Deury Carrasco came on to pinch-run for Luis Santana in the 10th and he scored the winning run on Grae Kessinger's single. Kessinger finished 4-5 on the evening and Stubbs went 3-4, finishing a double shy of the cycle.

Manny Ramirez will start the series finale. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros and GCL Marlins was suspended

Due to rain. This game will be completed on July 4. Blair Henley, making his professional debut, allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out four in 2.2 innings.

The Palm Beach 'Stros were supposed to play the Nationals today but that game got postponed as well.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Dodgers Bautista 2

W- Carlos Calderón (2-0)
L- Jeremi Rodriguez (1-1)
S- Reimy Beltre (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dominican 'Stros got a run in the 7th to edge out the Dodgers Bautista team.

Freddy Guilamo ripped an RBI double in the 3rd and scored on an error after Ayendy Ortiz stole second. Ortiz ended up getting thrown out at third. Andrés Monzón put the Astros back in front with a sac fly in the 7th.

These two teams will play again on Monday.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jaime Melendez, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Reimy Beltre, RHP, DSL Astros: Save (1), 2 IP, 3 K; perfect outing

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Peyton Battenfield, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, 5 K; perfect outing

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Grae Kessinger, SS, and C.J. Stubbs, C/OF, Tri-City

Kessinger: 4-5, 2B, walk-off RBI single, R

Stubbs: 3-4, 3B, solo HR (3); finished double shy of cycle

Jake Adams, 1B, and Jonathan Arauz, IF, Fayetteville

Adams: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

Arauz: 2-4, 2-R HR (5), 2 R

Nivaldo Rodríguez, RHP, Fayetteville

4 IP, ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Austin Dennis, UTIL, Quad Cities

3-5, RBI

J.J. Matijevic, 1B, and Seth Beer, 1B/OF, Corpus Christi

Matijevic: 2-4, 2 solo HR (4, 6 season)

Beer: 2-4, solo HR (7, 16 season), 2 R

2019 Astros Draft Picks/Undrafted Free Agents on Social Media

Welcome to the Houston Astros 2019 Draft class! What the Heck, Bobby? would like to wish you nothing but the best in your endeavors as you begin your own personal journeys to Minute Maid Park.

This page contains the Twitter (or Instagram) accounts of the 2019 draft class and will be updated as the Draft progresses. Accounts for non-drafted free agents will also be included here. In the event that they are not on Twitter, their Instagram accounts (if they have one) will be listed instead. If you find a player on social media that we may have missed, please leave a note in the comments.

The Astros Player Twitter list will be updated as each player officially signs. Those who have signed are shown in bold.

Round 1, Pick 32: Korey Lee, C, Cal - @koreyleeeeee
Round 2, Pick 68: Grae Kessinger, SS, Ole Miss - @Swagulater15
Round 3, Pick 106: Jordan Brewer, CF, Michigan - @B_R_5_5_Z_Y
Round 4, Pick 136: Colin Barber, CF, Pleasant Valley High School (Chico, California) -  on Instagram @barber9_ (Private account); committed to Oregon
Round 5, Pick 166: Hunter Brown, RHP, Wayne State - @xhunterbrownx
Round 6, Pick 196: Matthew Barefoot, CF, Campbell - @Mattfoot8
Round 7, Pick 226: Blair Henley, RHP, Texas - @blairhenley17
Round 8, Pick 256: Luis Guerrero, CF, Miami-Dade College; commited to South Florida
Round 9, Pick 286: Peyton Battenfield, RHP, Oklahoma State - @PBattenfield; has not tweeted since 2015
Round 10, Pick 316: C.J. Stubbs, C, Southern Cal - @cj_stubbs1
Round 11, Pick 346: Ryan Gusto, RHP, Florida Southwestern State College - @ryangusto11; has not tweeted since 2017, committed to Western Kentucky
Round 12, Pick 376: Garrett Gayle, RHP, Rice - @GarrettGayle37 (Private account)
Round 13, Pick 406: Kevin Holcomb, RHP, Glendale College (California); committed to UCLA
Round 14, Pick 436: Derek West, RHP, Pittsburgh - @DWestPitt
Round 15, Pick 466: Cole McDonald, RHP, Iowa - @mcdonald_cole
Round 16, Pick 496: Dexter Jordan, 2B, Pearl River Community College - @dexjordan20 (signed according to Baseball America)
Round 17, Pick 526: Danny Cody, RHP, Baldwin Wallace - @DannyCody13 (Private account)
Round 18, Pick 556: Justin Campbell, RHP, Simi Valley High School (Simi Valley, California) - @juhjuh162710; committed to Tulane
Round 19, Pick 586: Tyler Krabbe, C, Montevallo - @Tkrabbe22 (signed according to Baseball America)
Round 20, Pick 616: Alex Palmer, RHP, Stephen F. Austin - @Theliontails (Private account)
Round 21, Pick 646: Davis Vainer, RHP, Alabama - @the_bald_buddha
Round 22, Pick 676: Shea Barry, RHP, UC Santa Barbara - @smbarry7
Round 23, Pick 706: Zach Biermann, 1B, Coastal Carolina - @ZBiermann45
Round 24: Pick 736: Preston Pavlica, CF, Grand Canyon - @CallMePav
Round 25, Pick 766: E.P. Reese, CF, Winston-Salem State - @epreese_iv
Round 26, Pick 796: Chandler Casey, RHP, Lubbock Christian - @chandler24_SL
Round 27, Pick 826: Kevin Dickey, LHP, Seminole State (Oklahoma) - @15kevindickey; committed to Texas Tech
Round 28, Pick 856: Bryan Arias, 2B, Texas-San Antonio - @TheBryanArias
Round 29, Pick 886: Whit Drennan, LHP, Rollins College - @WhitDrennan
Round 30, Pick 916: Michael Horrell, RHP, Campbell - @mhorrell106
Round 31, Pick 946: Peyton Plumlee, RHP, Mississippi State - @Peytonplum1
Round 32, Pick 976: Oscar Carvajal, RHP, Fresno State - @OscarOskie
Round 33, Pick 1006: Bryan Martinez, LHP, Connors State College - @BryanMa50247503 (Private account)
Round 34, Pick 1036: A.J. Lee, SS, Maryland - @AJ_Lee02
Round 35, Pick 1066: James Nix, RF, College of Central Florida - @jamesnix40; committed to South Carolina
Round 36, Pick 1096: Chandler Murphy, RHP, Liberty High School (Peoria, Arizona) - @chandler2233; committed to Arizona
Round 37, Pick 1126: Max Dias, 3B, Porter High School (Porter, Texas) - @MDD_5; committed to New Orleans
Round 38, Pick 1156: J.C. Correa, SS, Lamar - @Jc_Correa1
Round 39, Pick 1186: Brock Rudy, C, Northgate High School (Walnut Creek, California) - @rudy17_brock; committed to Utah
Round 40, Pick 1216: Dillon Plew, 1B, Washington State - @LilPlewy22

Undrafted Free Agents

In the past, there were several players who had apparently signed with the Astros and had received congratulatory messages from old coaches/family/teammates/etc., but they never actually appeared in a game in the organization. We will withhold UDFA social media information until they have appeared on the roster of an Astros minor league affiliate.