Meet the Asheville Tourists

In part three of our Meet the Team series, we head to Western North Carolina. Let's meet the Asheville Tourists!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Asheville Tourists, formerly of the Class A South Atlantic League, will be moving up one level to Class A Advanced following the realignment of Minor League Baseball. The Tourists will begin their third stint as a Houston Astros minor league affiliate on Tuesday when they host the Brooklyn Cyclones. Before the 2021 season, the Tourists were the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, a distinction they had held since 1994. Before entering into that association, they were an Astros affiliate from 1982 to 1993 and they also spent the 1967 season as an Astros farm club in the Carolina League. 

Asheville plays in High-A East, which is a mishmash of teams from various minor leagues on the East Coast. The league consists of six South Atlantic League clubs (Asheville, Hickory, Greensboro, Greenville, Rome, and Jersey Shore, formerly Lakewood), three New York-Penn League teams (Hudson Valley, Aberdeen, and Brooklyn), two Carolina League clubs (Winston-Salem and Wilmington), and Bowling Green, coming in from the Midwest League.

The Tourists will play in the South division along with the Rome Braves (Atlanta), Hickory Crawdads (Rangers), Greenville Drive (Red Sox), Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox), Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates), and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays). The North division consists of the Hudson Valley Renegades (now a Yankees affiliate), Wilmington Blue Rocks (now a Nationals affiliate, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets), Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles), and the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies).

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is the largest city in Western North Carolina. I've heard that it is a really beautiful place and it has compelled me to look up flights and drive times. It is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest private residence in the United States, owned by the Vanderbilt family. 

The Tourists play at McCormick Field, the third-oldest active ballpark in the minors. It was featured in the film Bull Durham. McCormick Field also boasts a reputation as being a hitter's park, though that bias is not nearly as extreme as Lancaster.

COACHING STAFF

Nate Shaver returns to manage the Astros' Class A Advanced affiliate. Now the question is... did he stay put by remaining at this level or did he move up since Fayetteville moved down a level?

Manager: Nate Shaver

Pitching Coach: Eric Nielsen

Hitting Coach: René Rojas

Development Coach: Kyle Brennan

Athletic Trainer: Brandon Zumbach

Strength Coach: Zach Reding

ROSTER

Freudis Nova, a million-dollar international free agent signing a few years back, moves up to the next rung on the ladder. He's had some mixed reports during his time at the alternate site and the instructional league, but he is also 20 years old. A solid season from him should at least quell the uncertainty a little. Korey Lee, the Astros' 2019 first-rounder, gets his first full-season assignment here. Colin Barber, who has drawn some rave reviews down in the alternate site, will also get his first shot for a full season with the Tourists. 

Asheville's pitching contingent doesn't have the sexy names, but it looks to be a group of dependable guys. Felipe Tejada and Blair Henley are two to watch, and Baseball America tagged Jimmy Endersby, an undrafted free agent signing last year, as their sleeper prospect.

Italics - player bats/throws left-handed

Bold - player is a switch hitter

Pitchers

José Bravo - International free agent (Mexico), 2016; Bravo pitched at all four full-season affiliates for the Astros in 2019. The bulk of his appearances came with Quad Cities.

Tyler Brown - 3rd round, 2020 draft (Vanderbilt); making pro debut

Riley Cabral - 31st round, 2018 draft (Memphis); Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Chandler Casey - 26th round, 2019 draft (Lubbock Christian); GCL Astros

Yeremi Ceballos - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; pitched for four different teams in 2019, mainly with Tri-City and Fayetteville

Danny Cody - 17th round, 2019 draft (Baldwin Wallace); Quad Cities/Tri-City/GCL

Devin Conn - 19th round, 2018 draft (Nova Southeastern); Quad Cities. with one appearance for Fayetteville

Jimmy Endersby - Undrafted free agent (Concordia-Irvine); making pro debut

R.J. Freure - 6th round, 2018 draft (Pittsburgh); Quad Cities

Layne Henderson - 30th round, 2018 draft (Azusa Pacific); Corpus/Quad Cities

Blair Henley - 7th round, 2019 draft (Texas); Tri-City, with one appearance in the GCL

Juan Pablo Lopez - International free agent (Mexico), 2016; Tri-City, with one appearance for Quad Cities

Cole McDonald - 15th round, 2019 draft (Iowa); Tri-City, with one appearance in the GCL

Jose Alberto Rivera - Rule 5 draft selection by Angels returned to Astros in 2021. Originally signed by the Astros as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016. Pitched for Quad Cities in 2019.

Matt Ruppenthal - 17th round, 2017 draft (Vanderbilt); Quad Cities

Kyle Serrano - 10th round, 2017 draft (Tennessee); Tri-City, with two appearances in the GCL

Felipe Tejada - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Quad Cities

Catchers

Alex Holderbach - 16th round, 2018 draft (Eastern Kentucky); Quad Cities

Tyler Krabbe - 19th round, 2019 draft (Montevallo); GCL Astros

Korey Lee - 1st round, 2019 draft (Cal); Tri-City

Infielders

A.J. Lee - 34th round, 2019 draft (Maryland); Quad Cities/Tri-City

Freudis Nova - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Quad Cities

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

Enmanuel Valdez - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2015; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Outfielders

Wilyer Abreu - International free agent (Venezuela), 2017; Quad Cities/Tri-City

Colin Barber - 4th round, 2019 draft (Pleasant Valley HS, Chico, California); GCL in 2019, Chicago Deep Dish (City of Champions Cup) in 2020

Alex McKenna - 4th round, 2018 draft (Cal Poly); Quad Cities in 2019, Tully Monsters (City of Champions Cup) in 2020

Ramiro Rodriguez - International free agent (Panama), 2015; Corpus/Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Scott Schreiber - 9th round, 2018 draft (Nebraska); Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, August 29, 2019

Let's play two in Lowell!

Round Rock 6, San Antonio 1

W- Brandon Bielak (11-4)
L- Trey Supak (1-2)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker (34, solo in 2nd)

The Express took three of four from the Missions, giving them a three-game lead heading into the final series of the regular season.

Brandon Bielak allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out six over six shutout innings. Josh James walked one and struck out three in two innings and the Missions spoiled the shutout with a solo homer off Cionel Pérez in the 9th. Cionel allowed one other hit, walked one, and struck out one.

Kyle Tucker got things started by launching a homer to lead off the 2nd. They loaded the bases with one out in the 4th and got three runs out of it: Ronnie Dawson got plunked to bring in Nick Tanielu and then Chas McCormick hit a sac fly and Myles Straw legged out an RBI bunt single. Taylor Jones ripped an RBI double in the 8th and he wound up scoring on a wild pitch. Straw, Tucker, and Tanielu all finished with two hits on the night.

Round Rock will wrap up the 2019 regular season with four games in Omaha. Rogelio Armenteros will start game one and he'll take on Jake Kalish at 7:05.

Arkansas 8, Corpus Christi 6

W- Austin Adams (1-1)
L- Tommy DeJuneas (3-7)
S- Sam Delaplane (4)

CC home runs: Colton Shaver (21, 2-run in 3rd), Jake Adams (21, 2-run in 5th)

The Hooks were eliminated from playoff contention with this loss.

Colton Shaver opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st and then he launched a two-run homer in the 3rd. Jacob Meyers hit an RBI single in the 5th but got picked off after Shaver drew a walk. Jake Adams had to settle for a two-run home run instead. Unfortunately, the Travs finished on a 5-0 run, scoring in each of the last four innings.

Shaver reached in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-2 with a couple of walks and scoring twice. Adams also finished with two hits on the night.

Brett Adcock pitched four innings and allowed three runs on four hits (two solo homers), walked one, and struck out four. Nick Hernandez was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he went two innings, allowing two runs on three hits and walking one. Tommy DeJuneas allowed a run in the 6th and failed to get an out in the 7th; he allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on three hits, walked two, and struck out two. Justin Ferrell was next; he allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and struck out one in 1.2 innings. Carlos Sanabria struck out the only man he faced for the final out of the 9th.

Corpus will conclude its season with a four-game series against Tulsa starting tonight at 6:15. Bryan Abreu gets the start in game one and he'll face Josiah Gray.

Fayetteville 5, Carolina 0

W- Cody Deason (9-6)
L- Nelson Hernandez (11-10)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

Fly On. pic.twitter.com/2VAeRDsTjm

— 🐦 Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) August 30, 2019

Three Fayetteville pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Woodpeckers clinched a Carolina League playoff berth in their first season as the Woodpeckers; they are the defending Carolina League champions, which they won as the Buies Creek Astros.

Austin Hansen allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out eight in 4.1 innings of work. Cody Deason tagged in for 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. Humberto Castellanos walked one and struck out one in the 9th to complete the shutout.

David Hensley opened the scoring by hitting a sac fly that eventually turned into a double play. He and Cal Stevenson both ripped two-run doubles in the 5th inning. Stevenson finished 3-5 on the night.

Fayetteville will conclude the regular season with a five-game set against their divisional-round opponents, the Down East Wood Ducks. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 2

W- Jonathan Bermúdez (6-3)
L- Tyler Palm (3-10)
S- Felipe Tejada (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos scored three in the 1st and that was all for them on offense. Fortunately, those three runs held up in the end and they came out on top in their penultimate road game of the 2019 regular season.

Oscar Campos and Freúdis Nova hit RBI singles and Alex Holderbach drove in the third run with a groundout. Alex McKenna finished 2-4 on the evening.

Jonathan Bermúdez allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers, one other hit, and struck out seven in six innings. Felipe Tejada finished things off with three scoreless, allowing a hit, walking three, and striking out four.

Matt Ruppenthal will take on Andrew Cabezas in Quad Cities' road finale. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tri-City

The ValleyCats split a doubleheader with Lowell, taking game one by a final of 6-3 and losing the second game 7-2.

Game 1: W 6-3

W- Edgardo Sandoval (2-3)
L- Ryan Fernandez (3-1)

TC home runs: None.

Tri-City erupted for five runs in the 6th to take control of this game.

Kyle Serrano allowed an unearned run on a bases-loaded walk, a hit, issued another walk, and struck out one in the 1st. Edgardo Sandoval went six innings and allowed two runs on three hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out eight.

Nate Perry opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st. All five of the ValleyCats' runs in that big 6th came with two outs. Luis Santana hit an RBI single and then Korey Lee and Perry drew bases-loaded walks. Joe Perez capped things off with a two-run single. Lee finished 2-2 in game one with a triple and scored twice.

Game 2: L 7-2

W- Yasel Santana (3-4)
L- Manny Ramirez (0-3)

TC home runs: Korey Lee (3, 2-run in 4th)

The Spinners went off for five in the opening inning to cruise to the win in the second game of the twinbill.

Lee's two-run shot in the 4th represented the ValleyCats' only scoring play of this game.

Yeremi Ceballos allowed a solo homer and struck out six in three innings of relief; he was the third pitcher to appear for the ValleyCats in game two.

Juan Pablo Lopez will start the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 5-0 @ Carolina

9 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 14 K

Austin Hansen: 4.1 IP, H, 3 BB, 8 K

Cody Deason: W (9-6), 3.2 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Humberto Castellanos: IP, BB, K

Cal Stevenson's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Cal Stevenson, OF, and David Hensley, IF, Fayetteville

Stevenson: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Hensley: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 3-2 @ Cedar Rapids

9 IP, 4 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 3 BB, 11 K

Jonathan Bermúdez: W (6-3), 6 IP, 3 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 7 K

Felipe Tejada: Save (1), 3 IP, H, 3 BB, 4 K

Korey Lee, C, Tri-City

2-2, 3B, RBI, 2 R in game one of doubleheader

1-2, 2-R HR (3) in game two of doubleheader

Edgardo Sandoval, RHP, Tri-City

W (2-3), 6 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 8 K in game one of doubleheader

Yeremi Ceballos, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 6 K in game two of doubleheader

Colton Shaver, 3B/C, and Jake Adams, 1B, Corpus Christi

Shaver: 2-2, 2-R HR (21), 3 RBI, 2 R

Adams: 2-4, 2-R HR (21)

Kyle Tucker, OF, Round Rock

2-4, solo HR (34), 2 R

Brandon Bielak, RHP, and Josh James, RHP, Round Rock

Bielak: W (11-4), 6 IP, 3 H, BB, 6 K

James: 2 IP, BB, 3 K in rehab appearance

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, July 14, 2019

Round Rock 10, Iowa 8 (10 innings)

W- Reymin Guduan (3-1)
L- James Norwood (3-1)

RR home runs: Derek Fisher (10, 3-run in 1st), Jack Mayfield (14, solo in 5th), Josh Rojas (15, walk-off 3-run in 10th)

The Cubs thought that they were going to steal one from the Express (doing business as the Chupacabras) when they scored three in the 9th to tie and one in the 10th to take the lead. Yeah, they thought.

Brandon Bielak pitched six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits (solo and three-run homers), walked five, and struck out two. Brendan McCurry was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed three hits and struck out one over two scoreless. Felipe Paulino couldn't get the last out of the game. He got two outs in the 9th and allowed three runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on three hits, walked one, and struck out one. Reymin Guduan allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, a double, and struck out two in 1.1 innings.

Derek Fisher launched a three-run home run in the 1st to kick things off. Jack Mayfield smacked a solo homer in the 5th. Alex De Goti hit a two-run single in the 7th and Mayfield added a sac fly to his ledger in the 8th. Drew Ferguson started the 10th in scoring position. Jamie Ritchie led off the 10th with a single and one batter later, Josh Rojas won the game by clubbing a three-run home run.

Rojas and Mayfield had three hits apiece while Fisher and Ritchie both finished with two on the night.

José Urquidy will start the opener of a four-game series with Memphis on Monday. He'll go against Genesis Cabrera at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 13, Midland 1

W- Yohan Ramirez (3-5)
L- Matt Milburn (5-6)

CC home runs: Seth Beer (21, solo in 3rd), Colton Shaver (12, 2-run in 3rd), Lorenzo Quintana (11, grand slam in 8th)

The Hooks took this series in emphatic fashion as they poured it on the Hounds early and often.

Brett Adcock pitched 3.2 innings and allowed a run on four hits, walked one, and struck out four. Yohan Ramirez was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he turned in 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out four. Nick Hernandez and Carlos Sanabria finished things off with one scoreless inning apiece. Hernandez, who just came off the IL, allowed a hit and struck out two in the 8th. Sanabria got two groundouts and a fly ball out in a 1-2-3 9th.

J.J. Matijevic ripped a two-run double in the 1st to open the scoring. Corpus blew this game open with six runs in the 3rd and all of them came with two outs. Seth Beer kept the inning alive by launching a solo homer. Lorenzo Quintana followed with a single and he scored on a single from Matijevic. Colton Shaver followed with a two-run blast and then Aníbal Sierra and Bryan de la Cruz capped off the onslaught with RBI singles.

Shaver added an RBI single to his ledger in the 7th and Quintana provided the cherry with a grand slam in the 8th inning. Beer, Quintana, and Matijevic all finished with three hits. Everyone except Sierra scored; everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Abraham Toro, who still managed to score a run.

The Hooks have Monday off. They'll welcome the Northwest Arkansas Naturals to the Coastal Bend for a three-game series starting Tuesday.

Fayetteville 3, Potomac 1

W- Brett Conine (7-4)
L- Andrew Istler (0-1)
S- César Rosado (3)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers scored two runs in the 8th to nip the Nationals.

Corey Julks opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 3rd. Jake Adams smacked an RBI double in the 8th to break the tie and he scored the final run of the game on Michael Papierski's RBI single. Papierski finished 2-4 on the evening.

Shawn Dubin went five innings and he allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out five. Brett Conine turned in 3.2 dominating innings as he allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out eight. César Rosado finished off the game with a strikeout.

Austin Hansen gets the start in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, South Bend 4

W- José Alberto Rivera (5-3)
L- Riley Thompson (5-5)
S- Devin Conn (5)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos scored five in the 4th and held off a late charge from the Cubs to even the series.

José Alberto Rivera pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out six. Luis de Paula went two innings in his Midwest League debut and he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walked two, and struck out one. Devin Conn walked two and struck out one in the 9th to get the save.

That big 4th inning gave the Banditos control of this game. Freúdis Nova put Quad Cities on the board with an RBI double. Alex Holderbach and Jonathan Lacroix drove in runs with groundouts and then Ramiro Rodríguez and Alex McKenna followed with RBI doubles. Rodríguez added an RBI single to his ledger in the 6th; he and Freúdis both finished with three hits on the day.

Felipe Tejada faces Brendan Little in the series finale. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Tri-City 6, Connecticut 4

W- Juan Pablo Lopez (2-2)
L- Chavez Fernander (2-2)
S- Yeremi Ceballos (2)

TC home runs: Korey Lee (1, 2-run in 1st)

The ValleyCats also got even in their series by holding off a rally from their opponents.

Korey Lee hit his first professional home run in the 1st inning, a two-run blast that opened the scoring. He added a sac fly to his ledger in the 5th. Tri-City got a pair of RBI singles in the 6th from E.P. Reese and Juan Paulino and Preston Pavlica hit a bloop single that drove in a run in the 7th. Everyone in the ValleyCats lineup recorded at least one hit in this game.

Valente Bellozo allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out five over 3.2 scoreless. Juan Pablo Lopez was the first man out of the ValleyCats bullpen and he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out four in 4.1 innings. Yeremi Ceballos allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out one in the 9th.

Hunter Brown takes on Marco Jimenez in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

GCL Astros 4, GCL Marlins 3 (10 innings)

W- Jherson Pereira (4-0)
L- Jesús Sanchez (0-1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach 'Stros scored all four of their runs in the final three innings of this game, which culminated with them walking off with the win.

Yimmi Cortabarria hit an RBI single in the 8th. Dexter Jordan reached on an error and José Mendoza and Sean Mendoza came home with the tying runs. Jordan tried for the walk-off Little League home run but he was thrown out at the plate. José Álvarez started the 10th in scoring position. He advanced to third on a sac bunt from Cortabarria (who reached safely) and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Álvarez and Cortabarria both had two hits on the day.

Brayan de Paula, facing his former organization, allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out seven over four scoreless innings. Diosmerky Taveras was the first man out of the GCL squad's bullpen and he allowed two runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out five. Danny Cody allowed a run on a sac fly, a hit, and walked one in 1.1 innings. Jherson Pereira got three outs despite facing two batters in the 10th, striking out one. How did that happen? Well, Álvarez picked the leadoff runner off second for the first out. Pereira hit the leadoff hitter, who proceeded to get picked off first. He wrapped up the inning with a strikeout.

Dominican Summer League All-Star Game

The American League topped the National League 5-4 in a game that was shortened by rain.

Yohander Martinez went 0-1 after entering the game to play third base in the 4th inning. Reimy Beltre needed one pitch to record the first out of the 5th.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Brayan de Paula, LHP, GCL Astros: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Corpus Christi Hooks: W 13-1 @ Midland

13 R, 18 H, E

Seth Beer: 3-5, solo HR (21), 3 R

Lorenzo Quintana: 3-5, 2B, Grand Slam (11), 3 R

J.J. Matijevic: 3-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Colton Shaver: 2-5, 2-R HR (12), 3 RBI

Brett Adcock: 3.2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 4 K

Yohan Ramirez: W (3-5), 3.1 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Josh Rojas, UTIL, Derek Fisher, OF, and Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

Rojas: 3-6, walk-off 3-R HR (15), 2 R, SB (28)

Fisher: 2-4, 2B, 3-R HR (10), 2 R

Mayfield: 3-4, 2B, solo HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 R

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 3-1 vs. Potomac

9 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 14 K

Shawn Dubin: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Brett Conine: W (7-4), 3.2 IP, H, BB, 8 K

César Rosado: Save (3), 0.1 IP, K

Ramiro Rodríguez, OF, Quad Cities

3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

José Alberto Rivera, RHP, Quad Cities

W (5-3), 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Korey Lee, C, Tri-City

2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R; first professional home run

Valente Bellozo, RHP, Tri-City

3.2 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, June 23, 2019

Fayetteville sweep!

Round Rock 8, Iowa 3

W- Cionel Pérez (1-1)
L- Colin Rea (8-2)

RR home runs: Josh Rojas (4, 12 season; solo in 1st)

The E-Train busted out for three in the 4th and three in the 5th to seize control of this one.

Josh Rojas led off the game with a homer. A.J. Reed ripped a two-run double in the 4th and he came home on Chas McCormick's sac fly. Reed drew a bases-loaded walk in the 5th and Garrett Stubbs followed with a two-run single. Jack Mayfield capped off the afternoon with an RBI single in the 8th. Nick Tanielu, Taylor Jones, and Mayfield all finished with two hits on the day.

Corbin Martin and Cionel Pérez both pitched four innings with varying results. Martin allowed three runs on six hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out five. Cionel allowed three hits and struck out four in a scoreless outing. Felipe Paulino, in his return to the Astros organization, struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Brandon Bielak will get the start in the fifth and final game of this series. First pitch is at 12:08.

Springfield 12, Corpus Christi 5

W- Roel Ramirez (2-1)
L- Yohan Ramirez (0-2, 1-4 season)

CC home runs: Colton Shaver 2 (2, 8 season; solo in 4th, 3-run in 6th), Lorenzo Quintana (5, solo in 2nd)

The Hooks, doing business as the Raspas like they usually do on Sundays, were foiled in their bid to sweep the series as the Cardinals got six in the 6th to seize control.

Yohan Ramirez went four innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits, walked four, and struck out four. J.B. Bukauskas was the first man out of the bullpen and he, unfortunately, bore the brunt of that big 6th inning from Springfield. Let's just leave it at that. Justin Ferrell threw 2.2 innings and he allowed three hits, one of which was a two-run homer, walked one, and struck out one. Tommy DeJuneas was the only Corpus pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing as he struck out the side in order in the 9th.

Both teams scored a run in the 2nd; the Raspas got theirs on a solo homer from Lorenzo Quintana. Colton Shaver launched a solo shot in the 4th and then whacked a three-run homer in the 6th. He and Osvaldo Duarte both finished 2-4 on the evening.

The Hooks have now reached their All-Star break. The 2019 Texas League All-Star Game will take place Tuesday in Tulsa. Bryan Abreu, Carlos Sanabria, Colin McKee, and Abraham Toro will represent Corpus Christi.

Corpus returns to action Thursday.

Fayetteville 3, Myrtle Beach 2

W- Austin Hansen (1-0, 5-1 season)
L- Alexander Vargas (1-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Michael Papierski (5, solo in 3rd), Marty Costes (3, 5 season; 2-run in 4th)

Two big swings of the bat and a pair of fine pitching performances carried the Woodpeckers to a sweep of their first series in the second half.

Michael Papierski smacked a solo homer in the 3rd and Marty Costes launched a two-run homer in the 4th. Papierski, Jacob Meyers, and Miguelangel Sierra all had two hits on the day.

Nivaldo Rodríguez pitched four innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Austin Hansen tagged in for the last five innings and he allowed a solo homer, walked two, and struck out six.

The Woodpeckers will begin a three-game series in Salem at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Beloit was postponed

Due to rain rendering the field unplayable. This game will be made up during Quad Cities' next trip to Beloit, which will be from July 27-29.

After a day off on Monday, the Banditos will begin a four-game series with the Burlington Bees that's split between Burlington and the Quad Cities. The first two will be in Burlington.

Vermont 7, Tri-City 6 (11 innings)

W- Jorge Martinez (1-1)
L- Luis de Paula (0-1)

TC home runs: Nathan Perry (1, solo in 6th), Zach Biermann (2, solo in 8th)

The Lake Monsters nipped the ValleyCats in extras to avoid the sweep.

Peyton Battenfield struck out four over three perfect innings. Manny Ramirez was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he got two outs in the 4th via strikeout, but he also allowed three runs on two hits and walked three. Hansel Paulino got Ramirez out of a bases-loaded predicament by getting the final out of the 4th with a strikeout. Paulino ended up going 2.1 innings and he allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, and struck out four.

Julio Robaina was next and he allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on three hits, walked two, and struck out three in two innings. Garrett Gayle allowed the runner that he inherited from Robaina to score on a sac fly that tied the game at 6 in the 9th inning. He also allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one. Luis de Paula pitched the final two innings and allowed what turned out to be the game-winning sac fly and struck out two.

Tri-City got back in the game when Korey Lee hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 4th. Luis Santana doubled to lead off the 5th and he scored the tying run on an error that allowed E.P. Reese to reach. Nathan Perry clubbed a solo homer in the 6th and Zach Biermann put the ValleyCats in front by whacking a two-run homer in the 8th. Reese (R, SB), Grae Kessinger (2B, 2 R), Korey Lee (2 RBI), and Santana (2B, R) all had two hits on the night.

After a day off, the ValleyCats will hit the road to kick off a three-game series against the Lowell Spinners.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Colton Shaver, IF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2 HR (2, 8 season), 4 RBI

Felipe Paulino's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Round Rock Express bullpen

5 IP, 3 H, 5 K

Cionel Pérez: W (1-1), 4 IP, 3 H, 4 K

Felipe Paulino: IP, K

"WOODPPECKERS"

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 3-2 @ Myrtle Beach

9 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

Nivaldo Rodríguez: 4 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Austin Hansen: W (1-0, 5-1 season), 5 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Michael Papierski, C, Fayetteville

2-5, solo HR (5)

Peyton Battenfield not pictured.

This is Korey Lee's mugshot on MiLB.com.

Peyton Battenfield, RHP, and Korey Lee, C, Tri-City

Battenfield: 3 IP, 4 K

Lee: 2-5, 2 RBI

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

2019 Astros Draft Picks/Undrafted Free Agents on Social Media

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

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

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

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

Undrafted Free Agents

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