Meet the Tri-City ValleyCats

Let's meet the 2019 Tri-City ValleyCats!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Tri-City ValleyCats are members of the New York-Penn League and play at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York. The Tri-City moniker derives from its location in New York's Capital District, which consists of Troy, Schenectady, and New York's capital city, Albany. Why ValleyCats? That's because they are located in the Hudson River Valley.

This franchise began play in 1977 as the Little Falls Mets. The club relocated to Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1989, where it remained a Mets affiliate until 2000. Before the 2001 season, the team switched its affiliation to the Houston Astros. In 2002, the club moved to Troy, where they turned into the ValleyCats.

The ValleyCats are the defending New York-Penn League champions; last year, they swept the Hudson Valley Renegades in the NYPL Championship Series to earn their third NYPL championship in franchise history.

They got swept in their first series of the season up in Vermont but they will open up the home portion of their schedule tonight against Staten Island. Sunday's game was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 25.

Now, without further ado... the 2019 Tri-City ValleyCats.

New manager Ozney Guillén is the youngest son of former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén. According to the ValleyCats' press release announcing this year's staff appointments, Guillén recently concluded his playing career, which was mainly spent in the independent leagues and Venezuela. In his first coaching job, he gets to take the reins of a team right out of the gate. He takes over for Jason Bell, who will assume a new role as Fundamentals Coordinator.

New pitching coach John Kovalik spent the last two seasons as the pitching coach at his alma mater, Slippery Rock University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania.

Sean Godfrey, the ValleyCats' new hitting coach, was drafted by the Braves in the 22nd round out of Ball State in 2014 and played in the Atlanta organization until 2016. He spent the last two seasons with the Schaumburg Flyers in the independent Frontier League.

COACHING STAFF

Manager: Ozney Guillén
Hitting Coach: Sean Godfrey
Pitching Coach: John Kovalik
Performance Coach: Jake Buffa
Athletic Trainer: Brandon Zumbach
Strength Coach: Michael Hoffman

This roster is the one that currently appears on MiLB.com. Expect to see some of the 2019 draftees to file in over the next couple of weeks. It's currently an extremely young roster, especially in the outfield, and many of these players were playing in the complex leagues last year,

Bold - player bats/pitches left-handed
Italics - player is a switch-hitter

PITCHERS

Jayson Schroeder, last year's 2nd-round pick, headlines the staff. There are plenty of intriguing arms on this staff: Valente Bellozo made 14 appearances last season and 12 of them were scoreless. Manny Ramirez has a mid-90s fastball to pair with a potential wipeout slider.

Angel Macuare signed in the same international free agent class (2016-17) as Jairo Solís and the Astros gave him the second-biggest bonus among the pitchers that they signed during that period; only Cionel Pérez got a bigger bonus. However, Macuare's progress has been a bit of a slower burn than Solís, who was poised to rise through the system before he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. Now that he's out of the complex leagues, Macuare will look to continue his own progress up the ladder.

Guadalupe Chavez was originally acquired from the Blue Jays for Scott Feldman in 2016, but he abruptly retired before the 2017 season. He returned to baseball in 2018 and was subsequently loaned out to Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. Now, Chavez has returned to the Astros system and hopefully, he has been able to resolve whatever issues he had that forced him to step away from baseball.

Valente Bellozo - International free agent, 2017 (Mexico); played with DSL Astros in 2018
Guadalupe Chavez - Acquired via trade with Blue Jays in exchange for Scott Feldman, 2016; Quintana Roo (Mexican League), but was on their reserve team
Jervic Chavez - International free agent, 2016 (Venezuela); GCL Astros
Franny Cobos - International free agent, 2017 (Cuba); DSL Astros
Luis De Paula - International free agent, 2016 (Dominican Republic); Tri-City
Miguel Figueroa - 24th round, 2018 draft (Oklahoma City University); GCL in 2018, appeared in three games for Corpus Christi prior to being assigned to Tri-City
Ernesto Jaquez - International free agent, 2017 (Dominican Republic); DSL/GCL/Tri-City, currently on IL
Angel Macuare - International free agent, 2016 (Venezuela); GCL Astros
Christian Mejías - International free agent, 2016 (Venezuela); DSL/GCL
Hansel Paulino - International free agent, 2014 (Dominican Republic); Tri-City/Quad Cities
Manny Ramírez - International free agent, 2017 (Dominican Republic); GCL/Tri-City, appeared in two games for Quad Cities prior to being assigned to Tri-City
Julio Robaina - International free agent, 2017 (Cuba); GCL Astros, appeared in two games for Quad Cities prior to being assigned to Tri-City
Jayson Schroeder - 2nd round, 2018 draft (Juanita HS, Kirkland, Washington); GCL Astros, appeared in three games (one start) for Quad Cities prior to being assigned to Tri-City

POSITION PLAYERS

2019 first-round pick Korey Lee headlines the squad. Matt Barefoot (6), C.J. Stubbs (10), Zach Biermann (23), Preston Pavlica (24), and A.J. Lee (34) are also with the team, but they haven't been officially added to the roster yet.

Deury Carrasco is a speedster and one of the most exciting athletes in the system. He's certainly capable of making some huge plays with his bat, in the field, and definitely with his feet. Yorbin Ceuta received a $1 million bonus in 2016. He's shown a discerning eye at the plate so far but he'll have to translate some of his potential into on-field results.

Joe Perez appears to have finally received a clean bill of health. A second-round pick in 2017, Perez is a third baseman/former pitcher with legit power potential, but he's fallen behind the curve a bit due to injuries. Perez will need all the at-bats he can get.

Catchers

Korey Lee - 1st round, 2019 draft (Cal); making pro debut
Juan Paulino - 27th round, 2018 draft (Western Oklahoma State College); GCL Astros
Nathan Perry - 5th round, 2017 draft (Bassett HS, Bassett, Virginia); GCL/Tri-City

Infielders

Deury Carrasco - International free agent, 2016 (Dominican Republic); GCL/Tri-City
Yorbin Ceuta - International free agent, 2016 (Venezuela); GCL Astros
Joe Perez - 2nd round, 2017 draft (Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, Florida); GCL Astros
Juan Piñeda - International free agent, 2014 (Panama); Tri-City; appeared in two games for Fayetteville prior to being assigned to Tri-City.
Yeuris Ramírez - International free agent, 2015 (Dominican Republic); GCL Astros

Outfielders

Yefri Carrillo - International free agent, 2017 (Venezuela); DSL Astros
Yimmi Cortabarria - International free agent, 2017 (Venezuela); DSL Astros
Hector Martinez - International free agent, 2014 (Dominican Republic); GCL Astros; appeared in five games for Corpus Christi prior to being assigned to Tri-City
Franklin Pinto - International free agent, 2017 (Venezuela); DSL Astros
Andrés Santana - 29th round, 2017 draft (Doral Academy, Doral, Florida); GCL/Tri-City

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, August 29, 2016

Fresno 5, Tacoma 1

W- Mike Hauschild (9-10)
L- Zach Lee (7-13)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies started off their final roadtrip of the season on a winning note.

Mike Hauschild allowed 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4 over 5 shutout innings. Albert Minnis and Jordan Jankowski both pitched 2 innings out of the Fresno bullpen. Minnis allowed Tacoma's only run on 2 hits and walked 1, while Jankowski walked 1 and struck out 4.

D.J. Fisher led off the game with a double and scored the first run of the evening on a Danny Worth double. Colin Moran followed with a single that brought in Worth. In the 2nd inning, Jon Kemmer hit an RBI single and Nolan Fontana added a sacrifice fly. Fisher hit another double in the 4th that allowed Fontana to score. Fontana led the way in the hit column on Monday, going 3-4 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Fisher (2 2B, RBI, R), Moran, and Tyler Heineman all finished with 2 hits in the game.

In game 2 of this series, César Valdez will face Sam Gaviglio. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

San Antonio 6, Corpus Christi 3

W- Seth Simmons (3-3)
L- Kent Emanuel (5-4)
S- Jake Smith (1)

CC home runs: Drew Ferguson (2, 16 season; solo in 1st)

Both teams had three innings in which they scored a run, but the difference here was a 3-run 2nd inning from the Missions.

Drew Ferguson led off the bottom of the 1st with a home run. Bobby Boyd drew a one-out walk in the 4th, stole his way to 3rd, and scored on a sac fly from Mott Hyde. Boyd tripled to lead off the 7th inning and scored on a Nick Tanielu single. With the two stolen bases, Boyd now has 37 on the season.

Kent Emanuel went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Kyle Smith was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen, and in 3 innings, he allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Jacob Dorris struck out the side in order in the 9th inning.

The Hooks will finish the regular season on the road. Cy Sneed will start the first of a 4-game series in Frisco against a rehabbing Colby Lewis. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lancaster was off

The JetHawks will begin a 3-game series with Rancho Cucamonga tonight at 6:35 Pacific.

Quad Cities 2, Wisconsin 1 in 10 innings

W- Adam Whitt (4-6)
L- Miguel Sanchez (1-1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos walked off in the first extra frame to snap their 9-game losing streak.

Bobby Wernes led off the bottom of the 1st with a double and scored the first run of the game on a single from Dex McCall. The Rattlers scored a run in the top of the 2nd to tie the game, and that was where it stood until the 10th inning. McCall was involved in both of Quad Cities' scoring plays; he led off the 10th with a single and scored the winning run on a single from Hector Roa. Wernes finished 3-4 out of the leadoff spot, while McCall, Roa, and Arturo Michelena all had 2 hits in the game.

Matt Bower went 5.1 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Sebastian Kessay allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 over 2.2 scoreless, and Adam Whitt struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings.

The River Bandits have today off. Their final home series will be 3 games against Kane County starting tomorrow at 7:00. Framber Valdez will face Emilio Vargas.

Tri-City 3, Vermont 0

W- Dustin Hunt (1-1)
L- Dakota Chalmers (5-3)
S- Abdiel Saldaña (1, 2 season)

TC home runs: None.

There was only one inning in which runs were scored, and the ValleyCats did all of it.

All three Tri-City runs came in the 3rd inning: Ronnie Dawson ripped a 2-run double, and he came around to score on a single from Taylor Jones. Carmen Benedetti finished 2-3.

Meanwhile on the mound... Carlos Sanabria, Dustin Hunt, and Abdiel Saldaña collaborated on the shutout effort. Sanabria allowed 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 6 in his 4 innings. Hunt walked 2 and struck out 2 in 2 innings, and Saldaña allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4 over the final 3 innings.

Austin Nicely will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Logan Shore at 7:05 Eastern.

Greeneville 2, Elizabethton 1

W- Ricardo Castro (3-2)
L- Clark Beeker (0-1)
S- Dariel Aquino (1, 4 season)

Greeneville home runs: Ray Henderson (3, solo in 1st)

The Appy Astros salvaged a game from this series with a strong showing on the mound.

Ray Henderson opened the scoring with a solo homer in the 1st, and after the Twins tied the game in the 4th, Jonathan Matute re-established Greeneville's advantage with an RBI single in the 4th.

Lupe Chavez and Ricardo Castro started it off with 4 strong innings apiece. Chavez allowed Elizabethton's only run on a groundout in the 4th, a hit, walked 3, and struck out 6. Castro allowed a hit, walked 3, and struck out 4. Dariel Aquino walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th to get the save.

Greeneville will finish up its season with a 3-game series in Elizabethton. Cristian Javier will face Alex Schick at 7:00 Eastern.

Monday's Stars

From top: Guadalupe Chavez, Ricardo Castro, and Dariel Aquino, RHPs, Greeneville

Chavez: 4 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Castro: W (3-2), 4 IP, H, 3 BB, 4 K

Aquino: Save (1, 4 season), IP, BB, K

From top: Carlos Sanabria, Dustin Hunt, and Abdiel Saldaña, RHPs, Tri-City

Photos of Sanabria of Saldaña were taken by Bryan Green.

Sanabria: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Hunt: W (1-1), 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

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

.@_HRoaa pic.twitter.com/gXuYlFsGVJ

— RGuill (@QCBanditPhotog) July 6, 2016

Photo by Rich Guill

Hector Roa, OF, Quad Cities

2-5, walk-off RBI single in 10th inning

Matt Bower, LHP, Quad Cities

5.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Derek Fisher, OF, Fresno

2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Fresno

W (9-10), 5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, August 19, 2016

Omaha 11, Fresno 7

W- Benino Pruneda (3-1)
L- Eury De La Rosa (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Colin Moran (9, 2-run in 3rd), Jon Kemmer (16, solo in 4th)

The Grizzlies couldn't overcome an early 7-0 deficit, and they dropped the series.

Colin Moran's 2-run homer put Fresno on the board in the 3rd inning. Jon Kemmer led off the 4th inning with a home run, and the Grizzlies got 3 more runs in the inning thanks to an RBI double from Andrew Aplin and RBI singles from D.J. Fisher and Moran. Kemmer drove in Fresno's final run with an RBI groundout in the 9th. Moran finished 2-4 on the evening.

Eury De La Rosa went 4 innings and allowed 7 runs on 10 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 2. Chris Cotton was the first man out of the Grizzlies bullpen, and he allowed 3 runs, all of which were inherited runners that were charged to him, 2 hits, and walked 1. The one hit that Aaron West allowed in his 1.1 innings was a bases-clearing double in the 6th that resulted in all of Cotton's runners coming home. Kevin Chapman allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and struck out 1 in 2 innings.

The Grizzlies are in Albuquerque tonight to begin a 4-game series with the Isotopes. David Paulino will make his AAA debut tonight. He was originally scheduled to take on Jeff Hoffman, but Hoffman was called up by the Rockies. First pitch is at 7:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi 4, Arkansas 3

W- Trent Thornton (2-1, 9-5 season)
L- Alex Klonowski (0-1)
S- Jacob Dorris (2, 12 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks had to hold off a furious 9th-inning rally from the Travs to take game 1 of this series.

Trent Thornton allowed 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5 over 6 shutout innings. Kyle Smith walked 1 and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless. Michael Freeman came on in the 9th, but he failed to record an out. He allowed 3 runs (1 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him), a hit, and walked 2. Jacob Dorris took ownership of the 9th; he allowed a hit and struck out 2; he hit the first man he faced to bring in a run, and the one hit was a two-out RBI single. Bobby Boyd ended the game by throwing out Zach Welz at the plate.

Corpus got on the board first thanks to a pair of RBI singles from James Ramsay and Tony Nuñez in the 2nd inning. Boyd ripped an RBI double in the 4th, and he scored on a Conrad Gregor groundout in the 7th inning. Boyd, Gregor, Roberto Peña, and J.D. Davis all finished 2-4.

Francis Martes will start game 2 of this series. He'll take on Jose Molina at 7:10.

Lancaster 6, Lake Elsinore 3

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (9-4)
L- Jerry Keel (2-2)
S- Ryan Deemes (6, 7 season)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks doubled up the Storm as they took the first game of the series.

Lancaster took the lead in the 3rd inning on a pair of RBI singles from Osvaldo Duarte and Bryan Muñiz. Jamie Ritchie hit an RBI single in the 5th, and Muñiz scored later in the inning when Jason Martin grounded into a force out. With the JetHawks holding on to a one-run lead in the 9th, Trent Woodward provided some crucial insurance by ripping a 2-run double.

The first five hitters in the Lancaster lineup were Myles Straw, Johnny Sewald, Duarte, Muñiz, and Ritchie, and they all finished with 2 hits and were involved in all of the JetHawks' scoring plays.

Brock Dykxhoorn went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and struck out 4. Alex Winkelman allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 over 1.2 scoreless, and Ryan Deemes got the save; he allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 2 in 2.1 innings.

In game 2 of this series, Elieser Hernandez will face Chris Huffman. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 8, Kane County 2

W- Hector Perez (2-0, 4-0 season)
L- Jose Almonte (2-4)
S- Juan Carlos Santos (3, 5 season)

QC home runs: Hector Roa (5, solo in 3rd)

The Banditos put the Cougars away with 4 runs after stretch time.

Hector Perez and Juan Carlos Santos turned in solid nights on the mound; Perez allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7 in 5.2 innings, and Santos finished it off, allowing a run on 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6 in 3.1 innings.

Hector Roa led off the 3rd inning with a home run that put Quad Cities on the scoreboard. The Banditos took control in the 5th with a couple of RBI singles from Anthony Hermelyn and Kristian Trompiz. Randy César added an RBI single in the 6th, and in that deciding 7th inning, Dex McCall smacked a 2-run double. César brought him home with an RBI double, and Stephen Wrenn provided the icing with an RBI single. Trompiz, César, and Wrenn all went 2-4.

Game 2 of this series will start at 6:00.

Aberdeen 7, Tri-City 4

W- Cody Dube (3-1)
L- Dustin Hunt (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The Ironbirds foiled the ValleyCats' bid for a sweep by jumping out to a 6-1 lead.

Rodrigo Ayarza drove in Tri-City's first run with an RBI double in the 3rd inning. In the 8th, he scored on a triple from Miguelangel Sierra. Chuckie Robinson scored on a wild pitch in the 9th, and Connor Goedert hit an RBI double. Goedert went 2-4.

Dustin Hunt went 2.2 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 3. Sean Stutzman allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits in 1.2 innings. Abdiel Saldaña was next, and he threw 3.2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and fanning 6. Howie Brey allowed a run on 2 hits and walked 1 in the 9th.

The ValleyCats will begin a 3-game series with Hudson Valley tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Austin Nicely will get the start.

Greeneville 2, Danville 0

W- Jorge Alcala (2-1, 3-2 season)
L- Joey Wentz (0-3)
S- Ricardo Castro (2)

Greeneville home runs: None.

Jorge Alcala and Ricardo Castro dominated the Braves on their way to posting a shutout for the Appy Astros. Alcala walked 1 and struck out 7 over 5 innings, and Castro brought it home, allowing 3 hits and striking out 6 in the final 4 innings.

Oscar Campos tripled to lead off the 5th inning and scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch. Reiny Beltre went 2-4 and hit an RBI single in the 6th.

Cristian Javier will start the series finale. He'll face Jeremy Walker at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 7, GCL Nationals 3

W- Gabriel Valdez (2-2)
L- Tomas Alastre (0-2)

GCL home runs: None.

The Kissimmee Stros got a solid outing from Lupe Chavez and they put the game way with an offensive surge in the middle innings.

Chavez allowed 3 hits and struck out 2 over 4 scoreless innings. Gabriel Valdez struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 5th inning. Hansel Paulino was next, and he walked 3 and struck out 2 in 2 innings. Ian Hardman allowed a run on 2 hits in the 8th, and Dariel Aquino allowed 2 runs on 4 hits in the 9th.

Joan Mauricio opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd. Andy Piñeda hit an RBI double in the 5th and came around to score on a single from Wander Franco. Mauricio singled in the 6th, and an error on the play allowed L.P. Pelletier to score. In the 7th, Piñeda scored on an error, Jose Benjamin hit into a force out that allowed Wilson Amador to score, and another error in the inning allowed Benjamin to score.

Piñeda finished 3-4 with a stolen base (15), and Mauricio went 2-3.

DSL Rays1 2, DSL Astros Blue 1

W- Luis Medina (2-2)
L- Robert Corniel (0-2)

Blue home runs: None.

The Rays got their 2 runs late to snatch the win from the Blue team.

Carlos Canelon's RBI groundout in the 6th was the Blue team's only scoring play.

Ronel Blanco allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 7 over 5 shutout innings. Juan Lopez allowed an unearned run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 3 innings, and Robert Corniel allowed a run on 2 hits and walked 1 in the 9th.

DSL Astros Orange 4, DSL Phillies2 2

W- Gerardo Bojorquez (3-5)
L- Abdallah Aris (3-1)
S- Gabriel Pirela (2)

Orange home runs: None.

The Orange team got some vital insurance runs late and were able to navigate around a potential Phillies threat in the 9th to get the win.

Yordan Alvarez opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the 1st. This was their only scoring play until the 8th, when Samir Caraballo whacked an RBI double. In the 9th, Alvarez scored on a wild pitch and Ramiro Rodriguez hit an RBI single. Ramiro and Caraballo both went 2-4.

Diosward Gonzalez went 3 innings and allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3. Jose Antonio Hernandez walked 2 in 2 innings. Gerardo Bojorquez was next, and he allowed 3 hits and struck out 1 over 3 scoreless. Nivaldo Rodriguez got 1 out in the 9th; he allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, and Gabriel Pirela walked 1 and got the final two outs of the game.

Friday's Stars

Ronel Blanco, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 K

Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno

2-4, 2-R HR (9), 3 RBI

Trent Thornton, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-1, 9-5 season), 6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Bobby Boyd, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2B, RBI, R, SB (2, 35 season)

OF assist threw out would-be tying run to end game

Hector Perez, RHP, Quad Cities

W (2-0, 4-0 season), 5.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Juan Carlos Santos, RHP, Quad Cities

Save (3, 5 season), 3.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 6 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Abdiel Saldaña, RHP, Tri-City

3.2 IP, 2 H, 6 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Jorge Alcala, RHP, Greeneville

W (2-1, 3-2 season), 5 IP, BB, 7 K

Photo from MiLB.com

Ricardo Castro, RHP, Greeneville

Save (2), 4 IP, 3 H, 6 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Guadalupe Chavez, RHP, GCL Astros

4 IP, 3 H, 2 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Andy Piñeda, OF, GCL Astros

3-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB (15)