Former Astros in Independent/International Leagues (2018)

There are several former Astros already playing internationally or who are slated to play with the Indy League clubs that start up between late April and mid-May. I'll update this post with any late additions I see as the independent baseball season gets closer. If you see any former Astros or former Astros farm hands that I missed, leave a note in the comments and I'll include them in my next update.

Each year MLB affiliates pick up players from independent baseball. Last year, RHP Kevin McCanna (Astros 2015 13th round pick; 2015-2016 Astros farm system) started his season with the independent Sioux City Explorers club, but was picked up by the Diamondbacks organization and 1B Conrad Gregor (Astros 2013 4th round pick; 2013-2016 Astros farm system) was picked up by the Red Sox from the New Jersey Jackals. And 3B  Bobby Wernes (Astros 2015 30th round pick; 2015-2016 Astros farm system) had signed with the Traverse City Beach Bums, but was picked up by the Rockies organization before playing a single game for the Bums. There are several players on this list that could very well make their way back into affiliated baseball ... I wish them all the best of luck!

Jio Mier - April 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

JAPAN CENTRAL LEAGUE

Yakult Swallows
OF Nori Aoki (2017 Astros)

JAPAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
1B/DH Japhet Amador (2013-2014 Astros farm system)

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
RHP Dennis Sarfate (2007 Astros)
It is Sarfate's 8th season playing in Japan.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
3B Brandon Laird (2012-2013 Astros system)

Saitama Seibu Lions
IF Kaz Matsui (2008-2010 Astros)

KOREAN BASEBALL ORGANIZATION

Doosan Bears
OF Jimmy Paredes (2010-2013 Astros system)

LG Twins
RHP Henry Sosa (2011-2012 Astros system)
Sosa is in his 7th season with the KBO.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Diablos Rojas del Mexico
RHP Gonzalo Sanudo (2013-2016 Astros farm system)
C Carlos Corporan (2011-2014 Astros)

Guerreros de Oaxaca
RHP Arcenio Leon (2005-2012 Astros farm system)

Leones de Yucatan
RHP Paul Clemens (2011-2014 Astros system)
OF Leo Heras (2013-2016 Astros farm system)
OF/2B Ruben Sosa (Astros 2011 23rd round pick; 2011-2014 Astros farm system)

Olmecas de Tabasco
RHP Cesar Valdez (2016 Astros farm system)

Pericos de Puebla
LHP Mitch Lambson (Astros 2011 19th round pick; 2011-2015 Astros farm system)
C Bernardo Heras (2016-2017 Astros farm system)

Saraperos de Saltillo
LHP Raul Valdes (Astros 2014)

Sultanes de Monterrey
RHP Edgar Gonzalez (2012-2013 Astros)

Tecolotes de los Dos Loredos
IF Anderson Hernandez (2010-2011 Astros system)

Tigres de Quintana Roo
OF Jason Bourgeois (2010-2011 Astros)

Toros de Tijuana
RHP Hector Ambriz (2012-2013 Astros)
RHP Gerardo Sanchez (2012-2013 Astros farm system)
3B Jio Mier (Astros 2009 1st round pick; 2009-2015 Astros farm system)

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

Lancaster Barnstormers
IF Rico Noel (2018 Astros farm system)
LHP Tommy Shirley (Astros 2010 9th round pick; 2010-2016 Astros farm system)

York Revolution
1B/OF Michael Burgess (2013 Astros farm system)
RHP Zac Grotz (Astros 2015 28th round pick, 2015 Astros farm system)
RHP Jay Gause (Astros 2014 10th round pick; 2014 Astros farm system)

New Britain Bees
LHP Kevin Chapman (2012-2016 Astros system)
RHP Sam Gervacio (2005-2011 Astros system)
RHP Mark Hamburger (2013 Astros farm system)
LHP Andy Van Hekken (2008-2011 Astros farm system)
IF Reid Brignac (2017 Astros farm system)

Long Island Ducks
LHP Ashur Tolliver (2017 Astros system)

Pennsylvania Road Warriors
LHP Luis Cruz (Astros 2008 9th round pick; 2008-2015 Astros farm system)
C Marlon Avea (2011-2016 Astros farm system)
OF/1B Edwin Gomez (2012-2013 Astros farm system)

Somerset Patriots
LHP Brett Oberholtzer (2011-2015 Astros system)

Sugar Land Skeeters
RHP Jared Mortensen (Astros Rule 5 draft pick in December 2016; appeared in 3 games for Fresno in April 2017)
RHP Felipe Paulino (2003-2010 Astros system)
RHP Mitch Talbot (Astros 2002 2nd round pick; 2003-2006 Astros system)
OF Luke Scott (2004-2007 Astros system)
OF Willy Taveras (2004-2006 Astros system)

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks
RHP Travis Ballew (Astros 2012 23rd round pick; 2012-2015 Astros system)
LHP Sebastian Kessay (Astros 2013 22nd round pick; 2013-2017 Astros farm system)

Gary Southshore Railcats
RHP Daniel Minor (Astros 2012 9th round pick; 2012-2105 Astros farm system)

Sioux Falls Canaries
LHP Joe Bircher ( Astros 2012 10th round pick, 2012-2013 Astros farm system)
IF Tyler Wolfe (Astros 2016 39th round pick; 2016-2017 Astros farm system)

Winnipeg Goldeyes
OF Reggie Abercrombie (2008-2009 Astros system)

Kansas City T-Bones
C Christian Correa (2015-2017 Astros system)

Sioux City Explorers
OF Jay Austin (Astros 2008 2nd round pick, 2008-2012 Astros farm system)
RHP Andrew Thurman (Astros 2013 2nd round pick, 2013-2014 Astros farm system)

Texas Airhogs
LHP Michael Freeman (Astros 2015 7th round pick; 2015-2017 Astros farm system)

CAN-AM LEAGUE

Ottawa Champions
RHP Austin Chrismon (Astros 2013 26th round pick, 2013-2015 Astros farm system)

Rockland Boulders
RHP Ryan Deemes (Astros 2015 36th round pick; 2015-2017 Astros farm system)
C Marcus Nidiffer (2010 Astros farm system)

Sussex County Miners
LHP David Rollins (2012-2014 Astros farm system)
C Martin Figueroa (Astros 2017 32nd round pick; 2017 Astros farm system)

Trois-Rivieres Aigles
RHP Chris Murphy (Astros 2015 24th round pick; 2015-2016 Astros farm system)
C Anthony Hermelyn (Astros 2015 4th round pick; 2015-2017 Astros farm system)

FRONTIER LEAGUE

Schaumberg Boomers
RHP Kyle Westwood (2013 13th round pick; 2013-2015 Astros farm system)
On the suspended list

Washington Wild Things
OF Hector Roa (2012-2016 Astros farm system)

Windy City Thunderbolts
RHP Devin Raftery (2016-2017 Astros farm system)

Evansville Otters
LHP Austin Nicely (Astros 2013 10th round pick; 2013-2016 Astros farm system)

River City Rascals
RHP Reggie Johnson (2016-2017 Astros farm system)
RHP Lucas Williams (Astros 2016 40th round draft pick; 2016-2017 Astros farm system)

Lake Erie Crushers
LHP Ben Smith (Astros 2014 17th round pick; 2016-2017 Astros farm system)
(Pro debut was delayed due to recovery from Tommy John surgery followed by a battle with Burkitt lymphoma)

Happy Birthday - 8/26

Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to ...

IF Jio Mier (25)
Mier was born August 26, 1990 in Pomona, California and was drafted by the Astros in the first round in 2009 out of Bonita High School in La Verne, California. He is currently playing for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks.

Astros Minor League Weekend Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 25, 2015 and Sunday, April 26, 2015

Welcome to the WTHB Weekend Recap! Let's play 2 in Frisco on Saturday and 2 in Davenport on Sunday!

Corpus Christi with the...

*I'm sorry for all the 2-in-one-day recaps, but I have been absolutely swamped as of late with the end-of-semester crunch. These recaps won't be what you'll normally get from me, so I apologize for that as well.

Saturday: Fresno 7, Reno 0

Jonathan Villar: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB (1)
L.J. Hoes: 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
Preston Tucker: 2-4, RBI, R
Andrew Aplin: 1-3, RBI, 2 R, BB, SB (4)

Brady Rodgers: W (1-2), 6 IP, 7 H, BB, 5 K
Richard Rodriguez: 2 IP, H, BB, K
Tyson Perez: IP, K

Sunday: Fresno 9, Reno 2

Preston Tucker: 3-R HR (7, leads organization)
Domingo Santana: 3-4, 2B, 2 HR (5; 3-run and solo)
L.J. Hoes: 2-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB

Tommy Shirley: W (3-0), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

The series continues at 6:35 Pacific. Starter for both sides have yet to be announced.

Saturday Game 1: Corpus Christi 10, Frisco 5

Colin Moran: 3-4, 2B, 5 RBI
Tyler Heineman: 2-4, 2 R
Tyler White: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Teoscar Hernandez: 0-2, 2 BB, 3 R

Josh Hader: 4 IP, 5 H (solo HR), 4 ER, BB, 5 K
Jonas Dufek: IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB (season debut)
Travis Ballew: W (1-1), 2 IP, 2 BB, K

Saturday Game 2: Corpus Christi 16, Frisco 1

Moran: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
Carlos Correa: 3-5, 2-R HR (3), 3 R
Jio Mier: 3-4, 3-R HR (1), 6 RBI, 2 R
Brandon Meredith: 2-5, RBI, 3 R

Chris Devenski: W (2-0), 6.1 IP, 3 BB, 8 K

Sunday: Corpus Christi 5, Frisco 2

Correa: 3-5, 2B, 3-R HR (4), 2 R
Roberto Peña: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R

Mike Hauschild: W (2-1), 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K
Lance McCullers: Save (1), 4 IP, 4 H, unearned run (1st run allowed this season), 9 K

The Hooks swept the Rangers' AA team in dominating fashion, outscoring them 39-10 over the 4-game set. They will be in Midland tonight as they begin the second leg of this roadtrip. Aaron West will take on Nate Long at 6:30.

Saturday: Lancaster 5, Modesto 4

A.J. Reed: 2-3, 3B, solo HR (3)
Chan-Jong Moon: 2-R HR (1)
Ronnie Mitchell: solo HR (3)
Jobduan Morales: 2-4, RBI
Jack Mayfield: 2-4

Edison Frias: 5 IP, 5 H (2-run HR), 4 R (2 earned), 6 K
Brian Holmes: W (1-1), 4 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Sunday: Modesto 10, Lancaster 3

James Ramsay: 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, R
Jack Mayfield: 2-4, 2 RBI
Brian Holberton: 1-2, 2B, RBI

Zach Morton: L (0-1), 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R (1 earned), BB, K
Michael Feliz: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, K

After an off day, the JetHawks will welcome Rancho Cucamonga to The Hangar for 3 beginning on Tuesday.

Saturday: Burlington 7, Quad Cities 2

Jamie Ritchie: 2-4, RBI
Kristian Trompiz: 2-3, solo HR (2)

Josh James: 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 5 K
Albert Minnis: 2 IP, H, 2 K

Sunday Game 1: Burlington 4, Quad Cities 2

Nick Tanielu: 2-3, RBI
Jake Nottingham: RBI groundout in 4th

Chris Lee: L (0-2), 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Eric Peterson: 2.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Albert Minnis: 0.2 IP, K

Sunday Game 2: Quad Cities 7, Burlington 6 in 12 innings

Bobby Boyd: 3-6, 2B, 2 R, SB (4)
Bryan Muniz: 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI
Alfredo Gonzalez: 2-5, 3B, RBI
Jorge Martinez: 2-4, RBI, SB (1)
Thomas Lindauer: Walk-off sacrifice fly in 12th inning

Kevin Comer: 5.2 IP, 11 H (9 singles, 1 double, 1 solo homer), 6 ER, 2 K
Keegan Yuhl: 2.1 IP, H, 4 BB, 2 K
Ryan Thompson: 3 IP, 2 H, BB
Jose Montero: W (1-0), 2 BB, K

The Bandits avoided the sweep in the doubleheader and the series by walking off with the win in game 2 of the twinbill.

Now that this series is wrapped up, the River Bandits will welcome Cedar Rapids to town beginning on Tuesday. Bryan Radziewski will take the mound in game 1, which is an 11:00 A.M. matinee.

Saturday's Three Stars: Position Players

3. Carlos Correa, SS, Corpus Christi: 3-9, 2-R HR (3), 3 R
2. Jio Mier, IF, Corpus Christi: 3-7, HR (1), 6 RBI, 2 R
1. Colin Moran, 3B, Corpus Christi: 5-8, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 2 R

Saturday's Three Stars: Pitchers

3. Brian Holmes, LHP, Lancaster: W (1-1), 4 IP, 2 H, 5 K
2. Brady Rodgers, RHP, Fresno: W (1-2), 6 IP, 7 H, BB, 5 K
1. Chris Devenski, RHP, Corpus Christi: W (2-0), 6.1 IP, 3 BB, 8 K in game 1 of doubleheader

Sunday's Three Stars: Position Players

3. Bobby Boyd, OF, Quad Cities: 3-6, 2B, 2 R, SB (4)
2. Domingo Santana, OF, Fresno: 3-4, 2B, 2 HR (5), 4 RBI
1. Carlos Correa, SS, Corpus Christi: 3-5, 2B, 3-R HR (4), 2 R

Sunday's Three Stars: Pitchers

3. Mike Hauschild, RHP, Corpus Christi: W (2-1), 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K
2. Tommy Shirley, LHP, Fresno: W (3-0), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K
1. Lance McCullers, RHP, Corpus Christi: Save (1), 4 IP, 4 H, uinearned run, 9 K

Tweet of the Day

Seeing all the fans show up for Biggio and repping the Stros just show they are some of the best fans in baseball!
— Jiovanni Mier (@JioMier) January 9, 2015

Tweets of the Day

FINALLY!!!! Huge congrats to one of my childhood idols Craig Biggio!! #HOF2015
— Brady Rodgers (@Rodger_That90) January 6, 2015

Amazing amazing amazing. Congrats Biggio!!! #HOF
— Jiovanni Mier (@JioMier) January 6, 2015

Congrats to Craig Biggio on the HOF election! One of my favorite Astros to watch growing up. Well deserved!
— Mark Appel (@MAppel26) January 6, 2015

#Astros nation couldn't be happier for Craig Biggio & his family! At the field, in the clubhouse, in the community...class act. #HOF2015
— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) January 6, 2015

BIGGIO! BIGGIO! BIGGIO!
— Tanner Mathis (@tgmathis12) January 6, 2015

Congrats to Craig Biggio on being elected into the Hall of Fame. Grew up watching him play and was lucky enough to meet him last year.
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 6, 2015

Congratulations to Craig Biggio!! Well deserved. #HOF
— Preston Tucker (@PrestonTucker25) January 6, 2015

Tweet of the Day

I'm just gonna pretend I never saw Dumb and Dumber To last night
— Jiovanni Mier (@JioMier) November 18, 2014

Happy Birthday - 8/26

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Jiovanni Mier (24)
A first round draft pick from 2009, Mier spent the first 79 games of the season with the Corpus Christi team before his promotion to AAA Oklahoma City in early July. In 117 total games between the two venues, he is hitting .218/.294/.298 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBI.

Special Assignment Coach/Former 3B Morgan Ensberg (39)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1998, Ensberg got his toes wet with the Astros in four games in 2000 and then played in 669 more games from 2002 to 2007, hitting .266/.367/.475. In his All-Star year of 2005, he hit .283/.388/.557 with 30 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 101 RBI, and won a Silver Slugger as well. He is currently a Special Assignment Coach for the Astros.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Brett Wallace (28)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), Wallace was first drafted by St. Louis as its first round pick in 2008. In 311 games for the Astros from 2010 through 2013, Wallace hit .242/.313/.391 with 52 doubles, three triples and 29 home runs. Wallace is currently playing for the Blue Jays AAA team.

RHP Geoff Geary (38)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round in 1998, Geary came to Houston (along with Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo) in the November 2007 trade that sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies. In 71 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Geary was 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP.

LHP Xavier Cedeno (28)
Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno appeared in 52 games for Houston over three seasons with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.744 WHIP. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in April of 2013.

C George Bjorkman (58)
Bjorkman was originally drafted by St. Louis in the fourth round in 1978 and came to Houston in a March 1983 trade with that team. He only played in 29 games, hitting .227/.370/.360, before being shipped off to Montreal in a March 1984 trade for Catcher Tom Wieghaus.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, May 25, 2014

Let's play 2 in Burlington, because a game needed to be finished.

Memphis 3, Oklahoma City 2

W- Scott McGregor (1-5)
L- Jake Buchanan (4-4)
S- David Aardsma (7)

OKC home runs: Kiké Hernandez (2, 3 season; solo in 4th)

The RedHawks made it a 1-run game, but they just couldn't get over the hump.

Jake Buchanan had a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER or less); he allowed 8 hits and walked 2. Bobby Doran struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings.

Kiké Hernandez put the RedHawks on the board as he hit a solo homer in the 4th. That blast extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Max Stassi reached on an error in the 7th and scored when Andy Simunic grounded into a force out.

In the final game of this long, long roadtrip for OKC, Paul Clemens will take on Kurt Heyer. First pitch is at 1:05.

Northwest Arkansas 7, Corpus Christi 4

W- J.C. Sulbaran (2-3)
L- Luis Cruz (4-5)
S- Malcom Culver (4)

CC home runs: Matt Duffy (5, 2-run in 6th)

The Naturals raced out to a 6-0 lead after the 4th as they got even in the series.

Luis Cruz went 5 innings and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (2 solos and a 2-run homer) and struck out 4. Alex Sogard was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen; he went 2 innings and allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jorge De Leon struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Hooks got on the board in the 6th thanks to a 2-run shot from Matt Duffy (5) and an RBI single from Jio Mier. The two of them had 2 hits apiece, as did Tyler Heineman and Joe Sclafani. Mier brought Duffy home with a bases-loaded walk in the 8th. Delino DeShields was 1-5 with a steal (17).

In the series finale, Jordan Jankowski will face Sam Selman at 1:05.

Lancaster 12, Inland Empire 5

W- Zach Morton (1-0, 3-1 season)
L- Mark Sappington (0-1, 1-5 season)

Lancaster home runs: Carlos Correa (4, 2-run in 8th)

The JetHawks scored in their final 5 innings as they took 2 of 3 in the series. They went on an 11-1 run from the 4th to the 8th, which proved to be the decisive stretch. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Teoscar Hernandez, who still walked twice, stole a base (15), and scored a run despite suffering through a hat trick at the plate.

They had the bases loaded with no one out in the 1st, but could only muster up a run that scored on a double play. A pair of walks reloaded the bases, but Danry Vásquez flew out to end the inning.

Vásquez, who finished 2-5, redeemed himself with an RBI double in the 4th that gave Lancaster a 2-1 lead. After the 66ers tied the game at 2 in the 5th, the Carloses (?) gave the JetHawks the lead with a couple of RBI singles in the bottom of the inning. After Roberto Peña walked to begin the 6th, he scored on a Jordan Scott triple. Scott came home on a Tony Kemp single. Peña got in on the fun with a 2-run single after stretch time. Correa went deep (4) in the 8th, and Vásquez finished it off with a 2-run single. Correa and Kemp had 3 hits each, while Scott joined Vásquez in the 2-hit club. Perdomo (6) and Scott (3) also recorded steals.

Zach Morton got his first win as a JetHawk as he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 1 over 5 innings of work. Brian Holmes pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (all in the 9th, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 2. Mitch Lambson worked around 2 hits to finish the game, striking out 1.

Gonzalo Sañudo gets the start in the series finale; he'll face TBA at 5:00 Pacific.

From May 21: Burlington 12, Quad Cities 4

W- Trevor Foss (1-1)
L- Edison Frias (1-2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (2, solo in 3rd)

Note: That was Mitchell's 2nd home run at the time.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the 9th as the Bees stung Edison Frias for a pair of 3-run homers as part of an 8-run 9th. Frias, who came on after play was resumed, got through 2 innings without incident, but he unraveled in the 9th. He got 1 out in the 9th, but gave up 8 runs on 8 hits (2 3-run homers, an RBI single, and an RBI double) and walked 1. Chris Cotton cleaned up the mess as he retired both Bees hitters he faced, striking out 1.

There wasn't much change in the River Bandits' side of the ledger; Brian Holberton ultimately finished 3-4.

Regularly Scheduled Game: Burlington 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Harrison Cooney (3-3)
L- Frederick Tiburcio (0-1)
S- Ben Carlson (3)

QC home runs: Jack Mayfield (2, solo in 2nd)

The River Bandits shot themselves in the foot in the 7th as they had an error, a couple of wild pitches, while Burlington scored 2 to take the lead.

The Bandits had 3 hits in this one; one was a solo shot from Jack Mayfield (2) that opened the scoring in the 2nd. The other 2 hits came in the form of a Thomas Lindauer single and a James Ramsay double in the 3rd. Both came with 1 out; but all they mustered up in that situation was a Chan-Jong Moon sac fly.

Evan Grills pitched 6 innings and allowed a run (on a solo homer from Eric Aguilera) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Frederick Tiburcio was tagged with both runs in the 7th; both were unearned. He pitched 2 innings and also allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 5.

In the middle game of this series, Adrian Houser will take on Ryan Etsell at 2:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

2.

Matt Duffy, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-5, 2-R HR (5), 2 R

Jio Mier, SS, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2 RBI, BB

1.

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster

3-5, RBI, 2 R

Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster

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

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Danry Vásquez, LF, Lancaster

2-5, 3 RBI

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Bobby Doran, RHP, Oklahoma City

2 IP, 2 K

2.

Zach Morton, RHP, Lancaster

W (1-0, 3-1 season), 5 IP, 6 H (solo HR), 2 ER, K; 9 groundouts, 2 flyouts

1.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Evan Grills, LHP, Quad Cities

6 IP, 6 H (solo HR), ER, BB, 2 K

Tweet of the Day

An unbelievable time at Driscoll Children's Hospital today with @JioMier!! Seeing the smiles on their faces made my day!! #ImHooked
— Brady Rodgers (@Rodgers20) April 23, 2014

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, April 13, 2014

Let's play 2 in Midland, Michigan!

Oklahoma City 4, New Orleans 3

W- Josh Zeid (2-0)
L- Chris Hatcher (0-2)

OKC home runs: Jon Singleton (4, solo in 6th), Domingo Santana (1, solo in 9th)

The RedHawks walked off with the victory as Domingo Santana played hero late. After dropping the opener, they've taken the next 2 games.

Jon Singleton and Domingo Santana had all the RBIs today. Singleton was first up; he finished a triple shy of the cycle (in 4 at-bats) and opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st, and after the Zephyrs tied the game in the top of the 6th, he untied it with a solo blast in the bottom of the inning. New Orleans took the lead with a 2-run double from Kyle Jensen in the 8th, and Chris Hatcher was on to close it out in the 9th. Santana had other ideas; he tied the game at 3 by taking Hatcher deep to begin the inning, and he had the last laugh by delivering the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. Austin Wates went 2-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base (5). Carlos Perez was 2-4, and Ruben Sosa was 2-3 with 2 steals (2).

After getting knocked around in his first appearance on the year, Nick Tropeano has settled in a bit, throwing 8 scoreless innings since then. He threw 5 shutout innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Collin McHugh went 2 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits. Jason Stoffel was victimized by the 2-run double in the 8th; he walked 1 and struck out 1. Josh Zeid got the win by throwing 2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking 2, and fanning 2.

In the series finale, David Martinez and Bobby Doran will face Bryan Evans. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 9, Springfield 1

W- Aaron West (2-0)
L- Jonathan Cornelius (0-2)

CC home runs: Preston Tucker (2, solo in 5th), Jio Mier (2, 3-run in 5th), Delino DeShields (2, solo in 8th)

The Hooks opened up this series with a bang as they battered the Cardinals with 14 hits and scored the game's first 9 runs. 5 of the starting 9 had multi-hit games, led by DeShields and Tucker, who had 3 each. Jio Mier, Leo Heras, and Andrew Aplin had 2 apiece. Aplin opened the scoring in the 1st with an RBI single that brought DeShields home. Jio reached on a fielder's choice in the 2nd, and an error allowed 2 to score on the play. Heras stole home on a double steal in the 4th. Tucker and Mier delivered the haymakers in the 5th with their blasts, and DeShields provided the cherry with his shot in the 8th.

David Rollins issued a lead-off walk and that was the end of his day.

Word is David Rollins left his #cchooks start today with an oblique injury.
— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) April 13, 2014

Jordan Jankowski came out in Rollins' stead and threw 3 scoreless, allowing only 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 2. Aaron West tagged in and got the victory with 5 scoreless. He allowed a hit and struck out 2. Travis Ballew allowed a solo homer to James Ramsey in the 9th, but that was all the Cardinals got.

In the middle game of this series, Luis Cruz and Ross Seaton will face Kurt Heyer at 7:10.

Lake Elsinore 3, Lancaster 2 in 11 innings

W- Chris Nunn (1-1)
L- Dan Minor (0-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks couldn't finish off the sweep as they were left to rue the miscues and missed opportunities in this game. They were just 2-15 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. In the process, they snapped a 7-game winning streak. 2 errors resulted in 2 unearned runs, including the tying run in the bottom of the 8th.

Down 1-0 in the 6th, Danry Vasquez hit a 2-run double that gave the JetHawks the lead. He, Rio Ruiz, Carlos Perdomo, and Tony Kemp all went 2-5.

Josh Hader went 5 innings and allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. That was Hader's first walk issued of the year. The unearned run came as Teoscar Hernandez misplayed a ball that was hit by Gabriel Quintana in the 1st. Chris Devenski pitched 4 innings and also allowed an unearned run on 3 hits and walked 1. Vasquez called off Kemp to catch a popup from Corey Adamson and dropped it. Adamson wound up coming home with the tying run. Dan Minor came on for the 10th and worked around a single and a walk to strike out 2 in a scoreless frame, but Diego Goris took him deep to begin the 11th to end the game.

The JetHawks will now travel to High Desert to open a 3-game set with the Mavericks. Mark Appel and Mike Hauschild will take the mound for Lancaster, and they'll take on TBA. First pitch will be at 7:05 Pacific.

Game 1: Quad Cities 11, Great Lakes 0

W- Andrew Thurman (1-2)
L- Luis Chirinos (1-1)

QC home runs: None.

Quad Cities ran roughshod over the Loons in the early afternoon, sealing the deal with an 8-0 assault over the final 3 innings. Everyone had a hit except for Jack Mayfield, who was 0-4 with a sac fly in the 5th. 8 of the 9 River Bandits in the lineup had at least 1 RBI, except for Chan-Jong Moon, who was 3-4 with 2 runs scored.

Brian Holberton opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd, although he got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Tanner Mathis hit an RBI single of his own in the inning, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a force out, and scored on an error as the Loons tried to pick him off. Mayfield put up the first run of the 5th with his sac fly, then they got a 2-run double from Conrad Gregor, who scored on a Tyler White double. James Ramsay hit a sac fly in the 6th, and in the 7th, Jon Kemmer added another RBI double. He would score on a Ramsay single, and Brett Phillips finished it off with an RBI single.

After a rough start to his season, Andrew Thurman got himself going with 5 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 5. Tyler Brunnemann completed the shutout; he went 2 innings and allowed 2 hits and fanned 2.

What would game 2 hold in store for Quad Cities?

Game 2: Great Lakes 5, Quad Cities 4 in 9 innings

W- Jacob Rhame (1-0)
L- Pat Christensen (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits walked off with a loss, but they still took 2 of 3 to finish with a .500 record on their first roadtrip of the year.

Chris Lee went 4.2 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Zach Morton pitched 3.1 scoreless and gave up 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Pat Christensen got a groundout from the first batter he faced, but the next 3 guys all reached on him, the culminaiton of which was a walk-off single from Kyle Farmer.

Brett Phillips was 2-4 with a bases-clearing triple in the 3rd. Conrad Gregor was also 2-4; he added an RBI single in the 6th.

The River Bandits will now head home, where they will host the West Michigan Whitecaps for 3 at Modern Woodmen Park. In the opener, Kent Emanuel and Jandel Gustave will take on Jeff Thompson at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Brett Phillips, CF, Quad Cities

Game 1: 2-4, RBI, R

Game 2: 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI

2. Hooks sink Springfield

Delino DeShields, CF, Corpus Christi

3-4, 2B, solo HR (2), 2 R

Preston Tucker, LF, Corpus Christi

3-5, solo HR (2)

Jio Mier, SS/3B, Corpus Christi

2-4, 3-R HR (2)

1 (tie). ALL THE RUNS BATTED IN!!!!!!!!!

Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City

2-4, game-tying solo HR (1) in 9th, walk-off RBI single in 10th

Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City

3-4, 2B, solo HR (4), 2 RBI

Honorable Mentions: Austin Wates, Leo Heras, Danry Vasquez, Conrad Gregor, Andrew Aplin


Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Andrew Thurman, RHP, Quad Cities

W (1-2), 5 IP, 4 H, 5 K

2.

Nick Tropeano, RHP, Oklahoma City

W (1-1), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

1.

Aaron West, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-0), 5 IP, H, 2 K

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Jankowski, Tyler Brunnemann, Josh Zeid, Josh Hader, Zach Morton, Chris Devenski

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Corpus sweep!!! And OKC and Lancaster are on the verge of one.

Oklahoma City 8, New Orleans 1

W- Paul Clemens (1-0)
L- Brian Flynn (0-1)

OKC home runs: Max Stassi (1, 3-run in 1st)

OKC did all their damage in the first 5 innings of the game by scoring all 8 of their runs in that timeframe.

Max Stassi finished 2-4 and opened the scoring with a 3-run homer (1) in the 1st inning. Japhet Amador's only hit of the night was an RBI single in the 3rd.

The top 4 in the order (Austin Wates, Gregorio Petit, George Springer, and Stassi) all had 2 hits apiece. Petit and Springer added to the RedHawks lead in the 4th with a single and groundout, respectively. And finally in the 5th, Wates grounded into a force out that Domingo Santana; on the ensuing error, Carlos Perez scored the final run. Ronald Torreyes joined them in the 2-hit club, going 2-3 with a run scored. He's really made himself a factor in the lineup despite being the #9 hitter.

Paul Clemens allowed 3 hits and struck out 6 over 5 shutout innings to get the victory. Jake Buchanan came in for 3 innings; he gave up New Orleans' lone run in the 6th, but that was all they could muster up against him. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 2. Chia-Jen Lo struck out the first 2 batters he faced in the 9th, then gave up a pair of singles, but nothing came of those as he got Juan Diaz to ground out for the final out.

In game 3, the RedHawks will send out Collin McHugh and Nick Tropeano to the mound later this morning to take on Bryan Evans. First pitch will be at 11 AM.

Corpus Christi 7, Springfield 6 in 11 innings

W- Jorge De Leon (1-0)
L- Ryan Sherriff (0-1)
S- Travis Ballew (2)

CC home runs: Jio Mier (1, go-ahead solo in 11th)

The Hooks got the sweep as they rallied in the top of the 9th to take the lead. It didn't hold up, but they scored the lone run of the extra innings to recapture the lead, and Travis Ballew made sure it did hold up.

Delino DeShields led off the game with a double, advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch from Springfield starter Kurt Heyer, and scored the first run of the day as Preston Tucker grounded into a force out. Corpus would have to wait until the 9th to get another run; by then, they were down 5-1. They didn't have to wait very long for another run, though, as they put up 5 in that 9th inning to take a 6-5 lead.

Andrew Aplin started things off in the 9th inning by drawing a walk off of Ronnie Shaban, and then a Tucker double put him at 3rd. And then the floodgates opened. They both scored on a Kiké Hernandez ground-rule double which cut the deficit to 5-3. Leo Heras then drew a walk, and M.P. Cokinos brought Hernandez home with a single to make it a 1-run game. Cokinos proceeded to steal 2nd to put runners on 2nd and 3rd again with no one out. After Tyler Heineman became the first casualty of the inning, Joe Sclafani tied it at 5 with a single, and DeShields put the Hooks on top by leaving Ryan Sherriff in the dust on a bunt single that brought Cokinos home. Hernandez (3-5) and Cokinos (2-4) joined DeShields in the multi-hit club. Aplin went 1-3 and walked 3 times. He's now on a 5-game walk streak, and in 4 of those 5, he's drawn more than 1 BB, with 3 straight 2-walk games. Aplin now has 10 walks against 4 strikeouts through the first 2 series of the season.

Aaron West was jumped for 3 runs in the 1st, which included a 2-run homer from Jonathan Rodriguez. He went 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Alex Sogard was the first man out of the bullpen and allowed a hit over 1.1 scoreless. David Rollins came on to piggyback and he did rather well. He bowed out in the 9th after walking Mike O'Neill to lead off the inning. O'Neill wound up scoring the tying run off Jorge De Leon to close up Rollins' line; he went 3+ innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned, 1 inherited) on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. De Leon did not allow any runs himself over 2 innings; he allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 2.

Jio Mier came on in the bottom of the 9th as a defensive replacement for Joe Sclafani, who had been playing 3B. He led off the 11th inning and sent the first pitch he saw from Ryan Sherriff OUTTA THERE. Perfect timing for his first homer of the season. Travis Ballew allowed a single to O'Neill to lead off the bottom of the 11th, but he slammed the door and secured the sweep by retiring the next 3 batters he faced, getting James Ramsey to pop out to Hernandez at 2B, striking out Aledmys Diaz, and getting Patrick Wisdom to fly out.

The Hooks are heading home to play at Whataburger Field for the first time this season. They will host Tulsa for 3 beginning tomorrow at 7:10. Ross Seaton and Luis Cruz will take the mound for the first Hooks home game this year. They will be opposed by Dan Winkler.

Lancaster 4, San Jose 2

W- Mitch Lambson (1-0)
L- Chris Stratton (1-1)
S- Jamaine Cotton (1)

Lancaster home runs: Brandon Meredith (2, solo in 2nd)

The Jethawks gave up 2 in the 1st, but they forced the Giants to put up 8 zeros the rest of the way to put themselves in position for a sweep.

All 4 Lancaster runs were unanswered. Brandon Meredith went 2-4 and put the JetHawks on the board in the 2nd with a solo shot (2). Jordan Scott went 2-3; he led off the 5th with a single, advanced to 2nd on a Justin Gominsky sac bunt, and scored on an error after Tony Kemp legged out an infield single. One batter later, Kemp would score on a Teoscar Hernandez triple. Meredith led off the 6th with a single, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scored on a single from Dan Gulbransen. Kemp went 3-4, while Meredith, Gulbransen, and Scott all had 2 hits each.

Kyle Smith went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on a single and a bases-loaded walk. That walk was one of 5 that he issued, and he struck out 1. Mitch Lambson allowed 2 hits over 2 scoreless to get the victory. Lance McCullers went 3 scoreless, allowing 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4. Jamaine Cotton worked around a single to get the save, throwing a scoreless 9th.

What does Josh Hader have in store after striking out 10 in his first starte of the year? He'll be backing up Chris Devenski, who will get the start against Kendry Flores as the JetHawks look to sweep the Giants out of The Hangar. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific.

Lansing 5. Quad Cities 4

W- Jimmy Cordero (1-0)
L- Andrew Walter (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits walked off with the loss in the series opener as Dickie Joe Thon delivered the game-winning RBI single for the Lugnuts in the bottom of the 9th.

Chris Lee got the start for QC and he threw 4.1 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. 58% Cotton (aka Chris Cotton) got the final 2 outs of the 5th inning after coming on for Lee. Andrew Thurman tagged in and was rudely greeted by D.J. Davis, who took him deep to lead off the 6th. Thurman allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and walked 1 while getting just 2 outs (both via strikeout) in the inning. Tyler Brunnemann came in and restored order, striking out 1 in his 2.1 perfect innings. Andrew Walter walked his first 2 batters, then a sac bunt moved the runners over to 2nd and 3rd, and the son of Dickie Thon did the rest.

Jack Mayfield went 2-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 walks and put the River Bandits on the board first in the first with an RBI double. He then scored on a balk in the 3rd. He'd score again in the 8th on a Tyler White single. Jobduan Morales was also 2-3; he hit an RBI single later in the 8th to tie the game at 4. James Ramsay went 2-5 with a run scored and 2 steals (5). The 5 steals puts Ramsay at the top of the organization in that category.

The middle game of this series has the team of Jandel Gustave and Kent Emanuel taking on Alberto Tirado at 7:05 Eastern/6:05 Central.

Three Stars

3.

Jack Mayfield, 2B, Quad Cities

2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

2.

Jio Mier, SS/3B, Corpus Christi
GW solo HR (1) in 11th inning

Max Stassi, C, Oklahoma City

2-4, 3-R HR (1)

1.

My hair tips paying off? #lookgoodplaywell MT @jluhnow: Who is dealing on farm? Paul Clemens, 8 ins, 5 hits, & 9 ks. pic.twitter.com/IQWQV4QwvF
— Cory Hepola (@CoryHepolaCSN) April 9, 2014

Paul Clemens, RHP, Oklahoma City
W (1-0), 5 IP, 3 H, 6 K

Many apologies to: Brandon Meredith, Delino DeShields, Kiké Hernandez, Lance McCullers, Tony Kemp, Tyler Brunnemann, Chris Lee, Chris Cotton, James Ramsay, the top third of the OKC batting order

Tweets of the Day

You gotta be kidding me
— Brady Rodgers (@Rodgers20) January 8, 2014

Wow .2% away for biggio. Hall of famer in my book. Great player better person.
— Jarred Cosart (@JarredCosart) January 8, 2014

.2%?!? Wow.
— Jiovanni Mier (@JioMier) January 8, 2014

74.8? Don't most people just round up these days? #BiggioHOF
— Daniel Minor (@DMinor91) January 8, 2014

How did Biggio not make it in to the hall of fame?!! That's absurd and wrong
— Tyler Heineman (@theineman13) January 8, 2014

Third time is the charm #StillProud
— Conor Biggio (@GETBIGgio10) January 8, 2014

Tweets of the Day

Wow
— Brett Phillips (@Brett_Phillips8) January 7, 2014

Wow
— Peter Moylan (@PeterMoylan) January 7, 2014

I love college football
— Jiovanni Mier (@JioMier) January 7, 2014

Wowwwwwwwwwww
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 7, 2014

Wow!! What a crazy game!
— J.D. Martinez (@JDMartinez14) January 7, 2014

This game is amazing. Everything you could hope for in a Nat'l championship Game
— Josh Zeid (@Josh_Zeid14) January 7, 2014

this is unbelievable and I don't even care who wins
— Brett Phillips (@Brett_Phillips8) January 7, 2014

Wow
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 7, 2014

What the heck is going on in this game!!!!!
— J.D. Martinez (@JDMartinez14) January 7, 2014

Yikes this is intense
— Albert Minnis (@minnis33) January 7, 2014

Wow best championship game ive seen
— Jarred Cosart (@JarredCosart) January 7, 2014

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 7, 2014

Only got one word for that game
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 7, 2014

Wooooooooow
— Tyler White (@twhite409) January 7, 2014

Jameis Winston... My god... What did u just say?
— Matt Duffy (@meduffy13) January 7, 2014

It Was a Very Big Year For ...

Back in March, I wrote a piece about a few players for whom I declared, "This is going to be a very big year." I would like to revisit what I said back in March and what ultimately happened with each of them. Last week, I looked at a few pitchers. This week it's position players. The article, in full, follows with updates.

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Over the last couple of weeks, I've talked to John Manuel of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and others about many of the players in the Astros farm system, both prospect and non-prospect alike. One phrase kept coming up time and time again. "This is going to be a big year for (fill-in-the-blank)." I found myself saying it as well.

With the Astros depth increasing, players will need to step up to keep up. For some, it may be a matter of staying healthy. For some, it will be recapturing earlier promise. For some, it will be taking that next step developmentally. Here are just a few position players for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR.

1B/DH Chase Davidson
Davidson turned 23 in January and has only played 53 games professionally to date. Davidson was originally drafted in the third round by the Astros in 2008 but did not sign; they re-drafted him in 2011 in the 41st round. In his first season, he hit .327/.417/.630 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 44 games. He also struck out 53 times. In 2012, he only appeared in nine games with Tri-City in June before disappearing off the radar for the remainder of the year. At 23, he will need to get healthy, stay healthy and move quickly through the system before time starts working against him.

UPDATE: Time is now officially working against Chase Davidson. He will be 24 in January and he has yet to advance beyond Low A. Davidson only appeared in 10 games for Quad Cities this season, the last of which was on April 23rd. Presumably, he was injured (although I don't know that for a fact). In three professional seasons, Davidson has only played in 63 games. In his 10 games this season (42 at-bats), he hit .238/.289/.381 with three doubles, one home run and five RBI. He walked twice and struck out 21 times in those 10 games. To put it bluntly, I find it increasingly difficult to find a path forward for Mr. Davidson.

SS Jonathan Villar
Yes, Villar has all of the tools but he has yet to put them all together consistently. He needs to show more focus defensively. He has a tendency to speed up the game and make mental errors in the field. Prior to breaking his hand in July, Villar's bat did show signs of coming around but he lost valuable developmental time. Villar won't turn 22 until May so he still has plenty of time to put it all together, but if he doesn't take that next step forward, he could find himself jockeying for position in the Astros depth charts.

UPDATE: Villar spent the first 91 games of the season with Oklahoma City where he definitely made inroads with the bat, hitting .277/.341/.442 with 16 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 51 RBI and 31 stolen bases. He then made his major league debut on July 22nd, and in 58 games in Houston, he hit .243/.321/.319 with nine doubles, two triples, one home run, eight RBI, 18 stolen bases and one spectacularly embarrassing baserunning move. But to his credit, he also did this. Overall, I feel as though his baserunning and his bat lived up to expectations at the major league level, but there were still signs that Villar's internal defensive clock needs adjustment. His 16 errors tied for fifth in the American League, despite playing in significantly fewer games than the other category leaders. And before you SABR-types jump on me for using errors, I looked up his UZR for the Astros and it was -8.1 which isn't exactly great either (albeit based on a relatively small sample size). With all that said, personally I thought that he looked better in the field than he did when I saw him in Corpus Christi last season. Ultimately, if he can be more consistent defensively, it will go a long way towards his realization of sustained success at the major league level.

SS Jio Mier
Speaking of which, Jio Mier could be the one to challenge Villar, but he has to stay healthy and he has to continue the progress he made last season (before  a bad hamstring injury) and later in the Arizona Fall League. He missed a large chunk of the 2012 season due to the injury, but it appeared that he was finally putting things together at the plate, hitting .292/.396/.409 at Lancaster and .297/.333/.422 in the Arizona Fall League. If Villar falters and Mier continues his progress and stays healthy, things could get interesting. Mier won't be 23 until August. Did I mention that he really needs to stay healthy?

UPDATE: Jio, Jio, Jio. What can I say? I really like Jio. I'm really rooting for him, but his bat was a definite disappointment in the 2013 season. Everyone I spoke with when I was in Corpus Christi this summer simply raved about Jio's defense and that's precisely what I saw on the field, but what I saw in the batter's box was discouraging. In 104 games, he hit .194/.293/.265 with 10 doubles and five home runs. As far as I know, he was healthy all season so his lack of production can't be blamed on that. I refuse to give up on Jio, but he is going to have to make very big strides at the plate in the coming season because, frankly, there is a great deal of talent coming up through the system looking to challenge him.

C/OF Mike Kvasnicka
I'm not even sure where to start with Kvasnicka. His development seems to have been stunted by his moves from catcher to third base back to catcher and now, apparently, to right field. Kvasnicka had a horrible start to his 2012 season, but seemed to have gotten into a groove at the plate about the time he was moved to right field. He also found his home run stroke, tripling his home run output from prior years. But the fact remains that he is 24 years old and hasn't gotten above Low A yet. He will need to come to Spring Training prepared to show that he belongs and will need to contribute immediately wherever he is placed.

UPDATE: Well, Kvasnicka did have a very big year ... for another team. Traded to the Twins for RHP Gonzalo Sanudo in March, Kvasnicka didn't make his season debut until June, reportedly due to a wrist injury, but played extremely well in 69 games for the High A Fort Myer Miracles, hitting .282/.341/.460 with 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 40 RBI. He played most of his games, by the way, in right field.

1B/DH Telvin Nash
Telvin Nash just turned 22 last month. He needs to do two things. He needs to replicate his home run power outside the hitter-friendly confines of Lancaster and he needs to cut down on the strikeouts. If Nash is promoted to AA this season, I think he will find that the more advanced pitchers will take advantage of the holes in his swing. He will have to find a way to adjust. The recent news that Nash lost 30 pounds during the offseason tells me that he is highly motivated. That is encouraging.

UPDATE: Nash gets an incomplete for the season, but the news is mostly positive. He last played on July 18th and was ultimately placed on the DL for the remainder of the season. Since he didn't advance beyond Lancaster, we still don't know whether or not his power will translate away from The Hangar. But one thing he did accomplish was cutting down on his strikeouts. Nash struck out in over 44% of his plate appearances in 2012. He cut that down to approximately 34.5% in 2013. Still a lot of strikeouts, but a huge improvement! And he improved his walk rate as well. His improved discipline at the plate didn't hamper his home run production so that is encouraging as well. In 62 games, he hit .246/.357/.500 (as compared to .224/.316/.494 in 2012) with 10 doubles, 16 home runs and 48 RBI.

Happy Birthday - 8/26

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Brett Wallace (27)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), Wallace was first drafted by St. Louis as its first round pick in 2008. Wallace started the season in Houston, but spent 60 games in Oklahoma City hitting .326/.398/.554 before being recalled to Houston. In 56 games in an Astros uniform this season, Wallace is hitting .228/.290/.451 with 11 doubles, one triple and ten home runs.

OF Justin "GoGo" Gominsky (24)
Drafted in the 11th round in 2011 out of the University of Minnesota, Justin has spent the entire season to date on the DL after having wrist surgery.

SS Jiovanni Mier (23)
A first round draft pick from 2009, Mier has struggled offensively in his first season with the Corpus Christi Hooks, hitting .191/.289/.264 over 100 games.

OF Edwin Gomez (22)
Originally a fourth round pick out of Puerto Rico by Detroit in 2009, Gomez was picked up by Houston in July 2012 after he was released by the Tigers organization. In 31 games for the Greeneville this season, he is hitting .212/.326/.301.

IF Coach/Former 3B Morgan Ensberg (38)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1998, Ensberg got his toes wet with the Astros in four games in 2000 and then played in 669 more games from 2002 to 2007, hitting .266/.367/.475. In his All-Star year of 2005, he hit .283/.388/.557 with 30 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 101 RBI, and won a Silver Slugger as well. He is currently the Infield Coach for the Lancaster JetHawks where, rumor has it, he coaches some Really Good Players.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Geoff Geary (37)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round in 1998, Geary came to Houston (along with Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo) in the November 2007 trade that sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies. In 71 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Geary was 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP.

LHP Xavier Cedeno (27)
Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno appeared in 52 games for Houston over three seasons with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.744 WHIP. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in April of this year.

C George Bjorkman (57)
Bjorkman was originally drafted by St. Louis in the fourth round in 1978 and came to Houston in a March 1983 trade with that team. He only played in 29 games, hitting .227/.370/.360, before being shipped off to Montreal in a March 1984 trade for Catcher Tom Wieghaus.

Tweet of the Day

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier
Movie Night with some of the guys to watch The Conjuring. Nothing like a bunch of guys holding onto each other

Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games (Not a good day in the minors, but at least the Astros won!!!)

Oklahoma City - Off Day

Midland over Corpus Christi 3-1
Nick Tropeano got the start and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five in his five innings of work and Bobby Doran allowed only two hits (one of them a solo home run) in his four innings. Despite the tandem allowing only six hits, they came out on the wrong side of the decision as the Hooks only put up one run via a Jon Singleton (1x4 2SO) RBI double, scoring Jio Mier (3x3 SB). George Springer was two-for-four with a double.

Stockton over Lancaster 13-7
Stockton and Lancaster tied a California League record dating back to 1962 as they combined for a total of 11 home runs in the game ... and the game wasn't even played in the hitter-friendly confines of The Hangar! Brady Rodgers got the start and saw his 15-inning scoreless streak snapped quickly. Before all was said and done, Rodgers allowed eight runs on seven hits, including four home runs, in only two and two-thirds innings. Tommy Shirley gave up the next three runs (two home runs) in his one and a third. And Chris Devenski (2H 1BB 6SO) kept things calm for two innings before giving up two runs in the seventh on a home run. Cameron Lamb was the only JetHawk pitcher who didn't allow a home run, or even a hit for that matter, in a perfect eighth for his Lancaster debut. After Matt Duffy doubled in Nolan Fontana in the first, all of the remaining JetHawks runs scored via the long ball with solo home runs from Telvin Nash, Duffy and Fontana, and a three-run home run from Delino DeShields. Andrew Aplin was two-for-five and M.P. Cokinos was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run.

Cedar Rapids over Quad Cities 14-5
On the other side of the coin, Cedar Rapids scored 14 runs without the benefit of the home run ball, knocking out 21 hits against the Quad Cities pitching staff. Starter Jordan Jankowski allowed five runs on nine hits in three innings, but it was Mitch Lambson who had a really bad day at the office. Lambson was charged with six runs on six hits while retiring zero batters in the fourth. Richard Rodriguez didn't help matters much, allowing two of Lambson's runs to score and allowing two more of his own on five hits. Juan Minaya pitched three innings in his Quad Cities debut, allowing one run on only one hit, a Byron Buxton lead-off triple. He also walked three and struck out three. Quad Cities actually led this game at one point with Rio Ruiz (2x4 2B RBI R) and Roberto Pena (2x4 2B RBI) in the middle of the action. Terrell Joyce also doubled and drove in a run. Carlos Correa contributed an RBI single.

DSL Red Sox over DSL Astros 3-2
The Astros used five pitchers in this game. Javier Lozana (3IP 4H 1BB 2SO) and Victor Mesa (3IP 3H 1R 3SO) gifted the bullpen with a 2-1 lead, but the 'pen couldn't hold it. The Astros scored their only runs in the third on a Luis Payano sac fly scoring Brian Pena and an RBI single from Jean Estrella (2x4). Arturo Michelina went two-for-four and Jarico Reynosos was one-for-three with a double and scored a run.

Player of the Day: Jio Mier gets the nod today. After a three-for-three outing on Wednesday, he is hitting .333/.476/.364 over his last 10 games.

Pitcher of the Day: I'm going to give Cameron Lamb a little WTHB love for stopping the bleeding in Lancaster, for not allowing a home run and for pitching a perfect frame in his Lancaster debut.

Roster Moves

Corpus Christi
OF Justin Maxwell assigned to Corpus Christi for rehab assignment
SS Jio Mier activated from the bereavement list
1B Zach Johnson placed on the temporary inactive list

Lancaster
RHP Cameron Lamb assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
SS Jean Batista assigned from Lancaster to Extended Spring Training

Quad Cities
RHP Juan Minaya assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities

An Interview with Astros SS Jiovanni Mier

I had interviewed Jio Mier previously, but it was an email interview and I was looking forward to meeting him in person. He was rehabbing an injury when I went to Lancaster last season and our paths had never crossed. After a successful season in Lancaster in 2012 and a terrific Arizona Fall League season, Jio struggled in his first month at AA Corpus. He has, however, shown definite signs of turning things around at the plate, hitting .265 with a .432 OBP in his last 10 games. He has also turned around his strikeout numbers as he has struck out only four times while walking 10 times during that same time period.

With Jio, it always comes back to the bat because there is no question about his defense. He is extremely exciting to watch in the field. Corpus Christi Manager Keith Bodie says of Mier, "Outstanding defensive player. I love the way he plays shortstop."

Jio Mier - May 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I talked to Jio last weekend and this is what he had to say (edited for brevity and clarity) ~

What has he accomplished and what is he working on?: "I think it's kind of been the same thing over my career. The good thing has always been my defense. I think I've been playing great defense here and kind of shown that I can play defense over the years but I think the big [question] has always been my bat. I'm just trying to be more consistent and at this time I should be more consistent. I'm kind of giving away at-bats. It's been an up-and-down thing. I'm just trying to be who I am, be as natural and athletic as I am, but that's really where I'm at right now. I just [need to] find myself again and kind of get back to the player I am and who I know how to be. When you get away from who you are, [it's] kind of hard to rebound. Your body's telling you one thing, but your mind's doing it different. So that's been a work in progress for me."

On the Arizona Fall League: "It was fun to be out there. I took the success I had last year into the fall league and that gave me a lot of confidence. The competition that was out there and the success I had kind of gave me big hope for this year and I still have that confidence. I'm trying to find it and kind of put two and two together right now. It's coming. I know it is. [On playing third base in the AFL] It was fun. Actually, I hate third base. There are a lot of infielders that say it's easier to play third, but I hate it. Coming from shortstop, it is just so different for me and with having good instincts and trying to play it over there which is all instincts. I'll leave it to Jonathan Meyer to keep that going. It was definitely an adjustment. Second base is easy but third base, that's tough."

On Corpus: "I love it here. This place is amazing. This crowd is something I've never played in front of before. Around this  league, there are great crowds. It's really fun to play here. I love this team. It's just a great group of guys."

On the great pitching on the team: "Almost every other team, I have one or two guys that I know and the first thing they [say to] me is, 'We don't want to play you guys. Your pitching is unbelievable.' You look at our starters, our tandems, and they are unbelievable. It's impressive to play defense behind them."

Is there a manager or coach who has really impacted your career?: "I don't know if you guys know this, but I've actually only played for one manager up until this year. I've always been with Rodney, every single year of my career since 2009 to 2012. I've played with him every single year, even the fall league. So I've never had a different manager [until this year] and in the beginning I had [Hitting Coach] Stubby [Clapp]. So the two of them together, they've been huge in my career. You know at times when I was really doubting myself, they always made it a point to [remind me] that I have the ability to take off, and they've always been so supportive and positive in my career. Those two guys, it's been pretty special to play [for] them. I'm kind of happy I'm not playing for Rodney this year [back in Lancaster], but he's awesome. I'm very fortunate to have been with him the last four years.

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Bodie went on to say this about Jio, "We're looking for Jio to make consistent contact and be able to use all fields to hit in and handle the bat a little bit better than he is at the present time, but we know that he's capable of doing that. You know you've got to make adjustments and that's going to be the key to Jio. If he makes the adjustments, he's going to be a very good player."

Personally, I have faith that Jio will make those adjustments much as he did last season in Lancaster, adjustments which he carried into the very tough Arizona Fall League. And once he does, watch out, because his defense is truly a thing of beauty.

Thank you for your time, Jio, and the best of luck as the season unfolds.

Tweets of the Day

Late Thursday/Early Friday somewhere between Lake Elsinore and Lancaster with legendary bus driver Andy at the helm:

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
I feel like everybody I know goes to bed early and I'm always up late

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 nope

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 oh hey man how's it going

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 just stuck in some traffic..how you doing 2 rows up

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 oh ya know just hanging out wondering what's going on and sweating cuz it's hot

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 yeah my guess is there's a standoff or a trucker had one to many cold ones and ran off the road

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 yea those are def two solid guesses

Zach Johnson ‏@ZachJohnsonMiLB
Frightening occurrence

Kenny Long ‏@Booogggie
There is a police roadblock with only one car and us on the road. So we are deciding to reverse a mile back. #AndyMakingMoves

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier
@Booogggie Annnnddddyyyyyyyyyyy

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
@ZachJohnsonMiLB Andy being ridiculous?

Zach Johnson ‏@ZachJohnsonMiLB
@JustDrewIt760 going reverse on the highway for about a mile lol

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
@ZachJohnsonMiLB wow. That's a new one