Minor League Cuts

A quick note as I head out the door for more jury duty. The first cuts from minor league camp occurred today.

Zack Grimmett
John Hinson
Jeremiah Meiners
Daniel Meszaros

We wish all of these players the best of luck.

Tweet of the Day

John Hinson ‏@johnhinson4

Things typically get easier the more you do them.. But that's certainly not the case when it comes to a cold tub #ST

Tweet of the Day

John Hinson ‏@johnhinson4

I can't listen to classic rock without thinkin about baseball. It's like they were made for each other

Tweet of the Day

John Hinson ‏@johnhinson4

Heard birds chirping for the first time in a while this morning. This can only mean one thing.. Baseball is just around the corner!

Astros Minor League Depth - Second Base

Over the next few weeks as we approach Spring Training, I'll be looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position. Today, we look at the second basemen in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

Delino DeShields - April 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows second basemen in the organization ranked from high to low in terms of OBP. I have noted their current age, the last level at which they played and, if they spent significant time at multiple positions, that information is included as well. I did not include Jimmy Paredes since he has since been moved to the outfield.

Leading the list is none other than Delino DeShields. Not only did DeShields have one of the best OBP in the Astros organization, he also raised his slugging percentage by over 100 points over the prior season while stealing 101 bases. And he just turned 20 in August.

Austin Elkins and Brian Blasik each had strong debut years while 18-year old Juan Santana showed much promise in his first season in the States after putting up an impressive first year with the DSL in 2011. Ruben Sosa spent more time as a DH than as a second baseman in his second season in the organization, but I think that has probably as much to do with finding playing time as anything else. He showed fairly strong on-base skills but little in the way of power.

Jose Martinez didn't fare well in his transition to Oklahoma City for the final 23 games of the season and that brought down his .304/.362/.464 line from his first 107 games at Corpus. He had a successful campaign in the Venezuelan winter league which is a very competitive league, though, so look for him to catch up to the AAA level this season. He is another player whose potential should not be discounted due to his age as injuries, coupled with a family tragedy, sidetracked his career prior to 2012.

Enrique Hernandez, also known as Kiké, had an interesting season. 2012 was his first season to be 100% healthy and to get regular playing time since an ankle injury sidetracked him. The combination agreed with him as he recaptured the promise that he had shown in his 2010 Tri-City season, leading to a late season promotion from Lancaster to Corpus Christi. Kiké will need to balance the aggressiveness he showed in 2012 with the more patient approach he showed at the plate in 2011 when he had a .341 OBP. Hernandez showed that balance this winter as he played in the Puerto Rican winter league, hitting .320/.379/.469 in 39 games.

Two other players to keep an eye on in 2013 are John Hinson (Lexington) and Brandon Wikoff (Corpus Christi) each of whom had injury-shortened seasons in 2012. Hinson was used primarily as a third baseman before his injury, but he played second base in 2011. Wikoff has played wherever needed and profiles as a solid utility infielder.

Monday: First Base
Coming Wednesday: Shortstop

Happy Birthday - 9/13

2B John Hinson (24)
Born in North Carolina and drafted out of Clemson in the 13th round in 2011, Hinson quickly made his mark in his first season at Tri-City. In 2011, the lefty hit .284/.348/.389 in 48 games for the ValleyCats before being sidelined by an injury in early August that put him on the DL for the rest of the season. In the 2012 season, Hinson hit .339/.350/.508 in 15 games for Lexington before once again being sidelined for the season.

Several former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Wade Miller (36)
Drafted by Houston in the 20th round in 1996, Miller pitched for the Astros from 1999 to 2004 with a record of 58-39, a 3.87 ERA and a 1.309 WHIP over 127 games (123 starts). Miller pitched in one game of the 2001 NLDS with a 2.57 ERA and 1.000 WHIP and earned a no-decision. He became a free agent in December 2004 and subsequently pitched for the Red Sox and the Cubs. In 2009, he played for the Blue Jays' AAA affiliate but was never able to mount a comeback after his final major league game in April 2007.

SS/2B Mike Fischlin (57)
Originally drafted by the Yankees in the seventh round in 1975, Fischlin came to Houston in a June 1977 trade with New York. In 57 games for the Astros in 1977, 1978 and 1980, he hit a rather inauspicious .127/.168/.137. He was eventually sent packing to Cleveland in April of 1981.

1B Jim Obradovich (died March 3, 2012 at age 62)
Drafted by the Twins in 1967, Obradovich signed as a free agent with Houston in 1977 and eventually played in just 10 games for the Astros in 1978, hitting .176/.222/.294. According to Baseball-Reference, one of the highlights of his brief major league career was hitting a triple and driving in a run off of future Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.

RHP Billy Smith (58)
A 14th round pick for the Astros in 1977, Smith pitched in 10 games for the Astros in 1981 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.113 WHIP.

RHP Nelson Cruz (40) - (No, not THAT Nelson Cruz)
Cruz came to Houston in a December 2000 trade with the Tigers and subsequently pitched in 109 games for the Astros in 2001 and 2002. He had a 5-9 record with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. He was traded to the Rockies in December 2002.

Tweet of the Day

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier

3 Musketeers, 3 Man Wolfpack, 3 Stooges, 3 Amigos. Whatever you wanna call us, ‪#ClubRehab‬ ‪#hinspiece‬ @KyleHallock5

Roster Moves - 6/1

Lexington
RHP Luis Ordosgoitti was placed on the 7-day DL.
2B John Hinson was activated from the 7-day DL.

Apparently, John Hinson had an injury while running the bases and was pulled from the game. I would hate to see him back on the DL a day after coming off, particularly with the terrific night he had last night.

Roster Moves

Lexington
2B John Hinson placed on the 7-day disabled list.
1B Jesse Wierzbicki assigned from extended spring training to Lexington.

Minor League Schedule and Results

SATURDAY'S GAMES

Lexington at Kannapolis at 6:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (4-1, 1.62) and RHP Kevin Vance (2-1, 4.02)

Corpus Christi at Midland at 7:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ross Seaton (2-3, 3.65) and RHP Sonny Gray (1-2, 4.54)
Available on MiLB.tv

Oklahoma City at Reno at 8:35 CST
Probable Pitchers: LHP Dallas Keuchel (4-2, 2.09) and RHP Joe Martinez (0-3, 5.82)
Available on MiLB.tv

Lancaster at Inland Empire at 9:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ruben Alaniz (3-1, 3.83) and RHP Baudelio Lopez (1-0, 7.23)

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

Midland over Corpus Christi 6-5
Jarred Cosart got the start pitching just 5.1 innings in which he gave up four runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts. He will need to start pitching deeper in to games if he wants a permanent callup to Oklahoma City. Kevin Chapman allowed another two runs in relief and was charged with the loss. The Hooks made it a game by scoring two in the eighth and two in the ninth but ultimately fell one run short. Jonathan Singleton had two hits and an RBI, Kody Hinze provided a clutch two RBI single, and Brandon Barnes doubled. T.J. Steele was 0x4 with four strikeouts. (Austin Wates wasn't in the lineup after being hit by a pitch and removed from the game on Thursday.)

Reno over Oklahoma City 2-1
Aneury Rodriguez (L, 1-4) got the loss despite only giving up two runs on five hits as the Redhawks bats fell silent, only managing six hits for the night. Xavier Cedeno continues to be terrific in relief; on Friday, he pitched 1.2 innings with no hits, no walks and four strikeouts to preserve his still perfect 0.00 ERA after 14 appearances. Landon Powell provided the only run via home run, and Scott Moore and Brett Wallace each had two hits for the night.

Lancaster over Inland Empire 5-3
The Jethawks have used Jorge de Leon as the fifth starter for the last couple times through the rotation while Zach Grimmett has been moved to the bullpen. The two paired up in Friday's win as de Leon pitched four innings giving up three runs on two hits and two walks, while Zach Grimmett (W, 2-3) pitching 3.1 innings giving up no runs on two hits and two walks. Andrew Robinson and Kirk Clark took it the rest of the way, with Clark recording his fifth save of the season. Rene Garcia was the only starter not to record a hit as the Jethawks recorded 13 hits for the night. George Springer was back in the lineup looking no worse for wear from being hit by a pitch earlier this week as he went 2x5 with a stolen base and scored twice. Also with two hit nights were Adam Bailey, Domingo Santana (2 RBI), Ben Heath (RBI) and Kike Hernandez (RBI). Lancaster has now won four straight, are two games over .500 and are tied for first place in their division.

GAME OF THE DAY
Lexington over Kannapolis 7-3

What went right: Ordosgoitti and Quevedo provided a good one-two punch from the pitching mound and Brandon Meredith kicked it into overdrive.

The still 19-year old Luis Ordosgoitti settled in nicely after allowing two runs in the first as he pitched four innings before handing it over to Carlos Quevedo (W, 2-1) who pitched a terrific four innings and got a much deserved win. Quevedo is proving himself to be an extremely valuable long relief pitcher, probably the most underappreciated position in all of baseball. John Hinson had a terrific night at the plate, but it was Brandon Meredith's 4x5, two RBI performance that was particularly good to see as he's struggled to get his batting average up since coming to Lexington. Delino DeShields stole his 25th bag of the season.

Luis Ordosgoitte - 4IP 6H 2R 3BB 3SO
Carlos Quevedo - 4IP 3H 1R 0BB 6SO
Murilo Gouvea - 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2SO

Delino DeShields -1x5 2RBI 2SO SB
John Hinson - 2x6 2-2B 3RBI 2SO R
Brandon Meredith - 4x5 2B 2RBI
Roberto Pena - 2x5 R
Chris Epps - 1x2 3BB 2R

What went wrong: I'm hard pressed to find anything other than a wild pitch by Quevedo which hardly seems worth mentioning so I won't.

PITCHER OF THE DAY
I'm sending the Pitcher of the Day love to long reliever Carlos Quevedo.

PLAYER OF THE DAY
It's a tie. Brandon Meredith (4x5) and John Hinson (3 RBI) share the honors.

Roster Moves - 4/24

LANCASTER
RHP David Martinez has been placed on the 7-day disabled list.  According to Franklin Leon (one of the Jethawks regulars), Martinez has a blister on his hand so we can hope that the DL stay will be short.
LHP Brad Dydalewicz has been assigned to Lancaster from extended spring training (we already knew this based on a tweet from Brad, but it is now official)

LEXINGTON
LHP Scott Zuloaga has been placed on the temporary inactive list.
2B John Hinson has been assigned to Lexington from extended spring training.
OF Chris Epps has been assigned to Lexington from extended spring training.

An Interview with 2B John Hinson

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, John Hinson was a 13^th round draft pick out of Clemson in 2011.  In his final year at Clemson, he had a .331/.388/.514/.902 batting line which was actually down slightly from his .351 BA and 1.012 OPS from the prior year.  In his first professional season with Tri-City in 2011, the lefty-hitting second baseman hit .284/.348/.389/.737 in 43 games with nine doubles, one triple and two home runs.

Now for the questions …

WTH:  You were drafted by the Phillies in the 40th round in 2007 and again by the Phillies in the 13th round in 2010, and finally signed with the Astros who also drafted you in the 13th round in 2011.  Why didn't you sign with the Phillies earlier?  What was the difference this time?

JH:  There's nothing really like sitting and waiting for the phone to ring on draft day. Each year that I was selected in the draft was special. Both years that I was taken by the Phillies I felt that playing the following year at Clemson University was the best option for me at the time. When I was selected by the Astros this past year I felt the timing was right, to move into pro ball, and was just thankful the Astros organization was giving me this opportunity.

WTH:  You played primarily at 3B at Clemson, but you played 2B exclusively at Tri-City.  Are you comfortable with that change?  How have you adjusted?

JH:  Last summer I played for Cotuit in the Cape Cod league where I played exclusively 2B, and while at Clemson I always played some 2B and spent plenty of time over there in practice to find comfort there; so 2B isn't a foreign position for me. I loved playing second for Tri-City and really enjoyed my time there.

WTH:  Can you tell me a little about the adjustment process from aluminum bats to the new BBCOR-approved bats to wooden bats?  How did you handle the transition?

JH:  I think the biggest part about both transitions was just trusting myself with the bat. Everyone knew that the BBCOR bats were going to change the dynamic of the college game so most programs were ready for that. The BBCOR bats were a good stepping stone to wood bats and I think it's a good direction for the college game to be headed. Being able to play up in the Cape with a wood bat all last summer was really the biggest help for me in being able to make that transition from aluminum to wood a little easier. Being able to face that caliber of pitching for two months with a wood bat was awesome and really helped my transition.

WTH:  You sat out the 2009 season at Clemson due to a back injury.  What was the nature of that injury?  Also, I believe that you were injured in August in Tri-City but I never saw anything about the type of injury.  Could you tell me about that?

JH:  In 2009 I had surgery on my lower back in order to shave down a bulged disc which ended up putting me out for the 2009 season. Thankfully I have absolutely no lingering symptoms, or even tightness what-so-ever. I'm really lucky to have recovered as well as I did. In August, I had a collision at first base in a close play where the pitcher came across the baseline. I landed awkwardly and ended up fracturing my wrist. I guess I'm just lucky when it comes to recovery because throughout this recovery, like in 2009, I've come back quickly and have no lasting symptoms.

WTH:  You got married last April in the morning and then played a game for Clemson that night.  Can you tell me a little about that and how married life works when you're in the minor leagues?  Also, did you ever get to go on a honeymoon?

JH:  Man, that weekend was crazy! We left after our Friday night game at Clemson and drove to Columbia to be married and sealed in the temple early Saturday morning. So as you can imagine Saturday was a super long day and at the same time the best day of my life. After we tied the knot we took pictures and hung out with family and friends for a bit, until we had to hit the road and make it back in time for the second game of our series against Maryland. Aileen and I have been married for almost a year now and it been absolutely amazing. She's a redheaded pistol, perfect for the situation we are in with me being gone most of the year. Being on the road so much is tough on married life but she's such a fighter it works out great. If you ever get the chance you should meet her!  [In reference to a honeymoon] Yeah we took a couple trips this offseason.  Since we didn't get the traditional honeymoon experience or reception, we plan to go on a honeymoon every fall to make up for it. 

WTH:  You were drafted along with Clemson teammate Chris Epps in the same year and both went on to play at Tri-City.  Did that help your transition into a professional career? [h/t to Bryan Trostel (@btrostelsc) of Astros County for the question]

JH:  Chris wasn't just my teammate, but also my roommate all through college (until of course I married Aileen). So yeah, knowing that he would be playing for the same organization made the transition a fun one. Epps has always been the funny guy so anytime you have a guy like that around it makes things better.

WTH: At Tri-City, you hit LHP's even better than RHP's which is not that common in left-handed batters. Were you generally successful against LHP's in college?

JH:  My first couple of years in college there were a lot of times were left-handed hitters wouldn't get the opportunity to face LHP’s. It really wasn't until later in my career in college that I was able to rack up AB's against LHP's. I remember watching an interview with Chase Utley where he talked about his mental approach against lefties and how he was able to be successful with it; I took what he spoke about and it happened to work for me too.

WTH:  The more I look at the individual players on the 2011 Tri-City team, the more excited I get for the future of the Astros.  It seems as though that team is particularly close-knit and driven.  Can you give me any insight about that team and any individuals (position players or pitchers) that really stood out for work ethic, raw talent, etc.?

JH:  You're right - there were a lot of guys that were naturally self-motivated on that team; and tons of talent to go along with it. Bubby Williams is a guy that stands out in my mind that really worked hard day in and day out. Collectively though, our team showed up ready to get better every day. I think the fact that most of the guys in Tri-City had played college ball helped set that foundation.

WTH:  What has been the biggest surprise for you about life in the minor leagues?

JH:  Spanish. There are tons of talented players who are predominately Spanish speakers. I’d have to say hearing Spanish on the field would be the newest thing for me. It's fun being able to play and learn parts of a foreign language at the same time.

Thanks for your time John!

Tweet of the Day

@HinPiece John Hinson

I love my job

Tweet of the Day

@HinPiece John Hinson

Bout to put this workout on the evenin news

Tweet of the Day

@HinPieceJohn Hinson

The strong keep gettin stronger

Tweet of the Day

@HinPiece John Hinson

So sore I think I'm legally disabled

Happy Birthday - 9/13

IF John Hinson (23)
Born in North Carolina and drafted out of Clemson in the 13th round in 2011, Hinson quickly made his mark in his first season at Tri-City. The lefty hit .284 with a .348 OBP and a .389 SLG in 48 games for the Valley Cats before being sidelined by an injury in early August that put him on the DL for the rest of the season.

Several former Astros with birthdays today:

RHP Wade Miller (35)
Drafted by Houston in the 20th round in 1996
Played for Houston from 1999 to 2004
Record of 58-39 with a 3.87 ERA 1.309 WHIP
2.57 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in one NLDS game in 2001 earning a no decision

SS Mike Fischlin (56)
Played for Houston in 1977, 1978 and 1980

1B Jim Obradovich (62)
Played for Houston in 1978

RHP Billy Smith (57)
Played for Houston in 1981

RHP Nelson Cruz (39) - (No, not THAT Nelson Cruz)
Played for Houston in 2001 and 2002

Roster Moves - 8/14/11

TCV
IF John Hinson placed on the 7-Day DL retroactive to 8/11/11

LHP Thomas Shirley assigned to TCV from GCL