Happy Minor League Opening Day!!

Happy Minor League Opening Day!! Here's what you may have missed since the end of last season if you haven't been paying attention ...

TRANSACTIONS

First of all, Dustin has done a great job of keeping everyone up to date with all of the 2018-2019 Offseason Transactions, including all of the offseason trades, releases and other maneuvering. Of particular note is the January 2019 acquisition of three players traded from the Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek:

OF Ross Adolph (2018 12th round draft pick out of the University of Toledo) hit .276/.348/.509/.857 in his first professional season at the short season A level. Adolph has been ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #30 prospect in the Astros system and is assigned to full season A Quad Cities to start the season.

2B Luis Santana (19-year old Dominican signed in July 2016) hit .348/.446/.471/.917 in his first season domestically (third season overall) in 2018 for the rookie level Appalachian League. He is currently ranked #21 in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline and is expected to start his season in June with the short season Tri-City team.

C Scott Manea (2014 40th round draft pick out of St. John's HS, Shrewsbury, MA) hit .261/.368/.432/.800 in his first season at the full season A level in 2018 and will start the season with Advanced A Fayetteville.

TOP PROSPECTS

And speaking of MLB Pipeline, here is the pre-season Top 30 Prospect list for the Astros. In addition to the inclusion of Luis Santana and Ross Adolph to the list, there are several other players who weren't on the list at all to end the 2018 season. They are #8 RHP Bryan Abreu (who was added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft last fall), #12 RHP Peter Solomon, #13 OF Ronnie Dawson, #26 SS/2B Deury Carrasco and #28 RHP Enoli Paredes. Baseball America also included RHP Manny Ramirez (a 19-year old who ended 2018 with the short season A team) and a fully healthy RHP Brady Rodgers (May 2017 TJ surgery) in their 2019 Prospect Handbook. FanGraphs had a few more prospects on their list published last month, as they included 39 players rather than 30. Baseball Prospectus limited their list to 10 with no huge surprises emerging.

With several players poised to graduate from the list (such as current Astros players RHP Josh James and LHP Framber Valdez as well as others who are awaiting their return to Houston), there will likely be a great deal of movement on the list this season. Now that he has fully recovered from an ACL injury in late 2016 that sidelined his 2017 season, I look for 3B Nick Tanielu to be one of the first additions to the Top 30 list as he tries to build on a spectacular spring. I could also easily name 20 pitchers in the system who are on the cusp of really breaking through in a big way. There is a ton of depth in the system, but I think the pitching depth is really the greatest strength in the system right now.

OFFSEASON AND SPRING TRAINING PERFORMANCES

Here are a few players who performed particularly well in fall and winter leagues ...

Arizona Fall League
3B Abraham Toro: 19 G | .348/.463/.561/1.023 | 12 BB:12 K
OF Ronnie Dawson: 25 G | .291/.417/.468/.885 | 10 SB:3 CS
RHP Forrest Whitley: 8 G | 26 IP | 2.42 ERA | 0.96 WHIP | .189 BA | 7 BB:37 K

Dominican Winter League
RHP Rogelio Armenteros: 5 G | 23 IP | 1.17 ERA | 0.70 WHIP | .154 BA | 4 BB:22 K

Mexican Winter League
RHP Humberto Castellanos: 21 G | 22 IP | 2.86 ERA | 1.18 WHIP | .231 BA | 8 BB:15 K

Puerto Rican Winter League
RHP Colin McKee: 10 G | 10.1 IP | 0.00 ERA | 0.48 WHIP | .121 BA | 1 BB:13 K
(Converted 5 of 6 save opportunities)

Venezuelan Winter League
RHP Akeem Bostick: 8 G | 32 IP | 2.81 ERA | 1.06 WHIP | .205 BA | 10 BB:27 K

And a few Spring Training standouts ...

3B Nick Tanielu: 51 AB | .353/.411/.804/1.215
OF Myles Straw: 45 AB | .378/.417/.511/.928
3B Abraham Toro: 44 AB | .341/.396/.591/.987

RHP J.B. Bukauskas: 16 IP | 1.69 ERA | 1.13 WHIP | 9 BB:21 K
RHP Forrest Whitley: 15 IP | 3.00 ERA | 1.07 WHIP | 5 BB:17 K
RHP Corbin Martin: 16.1 IP | 3.86 ERA | 1.22 WHIP | 6 BB:16 K

ROSTERS

Dustin serves up a little history and context to go with the Opening Day rosters.

Meet the 2019 Round Rock Express

Meet the 2019 Corpus Christi Hooks

Meet the 2019 Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Meet the 2019 Quad Cities River Bandits

COACHING STAFF

Dustin also put together this great post on the minor league coaching staff for each of the Astros minor league teams in 2019. Notably absent from the 2019 staff are Rodney Linares, Josh Bonifay, Chris Holt and Morgan Ensberg. A long-time MiLB Manager in the Astros system, Linares is now the third base coach for the Rays. Bonifay, MiLB Field Coordinator for the Astros in 2018, is now the Director of Player Development for the Phillies. Chris Holt went from MiLB Pitching Coordinator for the Astros in 2018 to fill that same position for the Orioles in 2019. Ensberg managed the Buies Creek Astros to a league championship in 2018; he will now be helming the Rays AA affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. Also missing from the 2019 staff is Cesar Cedeno who has been a hitting coach in the Astros system for several years.

2018 FINAL STANDINGS

As a reminder, this is how the various Astros minor league teams finished in 2018 (including postseason results). The AAA team has moved from Fresno to Round Rock in 2019 and the Advanced A team has moved from Buies Creek into their new home in Fayetteville in 2019. They remain in the same leagues; however, the AAA team will be in a new division of the Pacific Coast League now that they are in Round Rock.

AAA FRESNO (Pacific Coast League) - Won the PCL Pacific Northern Division

1st 82-57 .590 -.-GB W1

POSTSEASON
Won the Pacific Conference Championship 3-2 over El Paso
Lost the Pacific Coast League Championship series to Memphis 3-1

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League) - Won both 1st and 2nd halves in South Division

1st 82-56 .594 -.-GB W2 (overall)
1st 39-30 .565 -.-GB W2 (second half)
1st 43-26 .623 -.-GB W5 (first half division winner)

POSTSEASON
Lost the South Division Championship Series to San Antonio 3-2
San Antonio went on to lose to Tulsa in the Texas League Championship Series 3-0

Adv A BUIES CREEK (Carolina League) - Won the 2nd half in the Southern Division

2nd 80-57 .584 3.5GB W2 (overall)
1st 43-25 .632 -.-GB W2 (second half)
2nd 37-32 .536 3.5GB L1 (first half)

POSTSEASON 🏆
Won the Southern Division Championship 3-0 over Winston-Salem
Won the one-game* League Championship Series 1-0 over Potomac 1-0

*Originally to be a five game series until Hurricane Florence crashed the party.

Low A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League) - Won the 1st half in the Western Division

1st 81-59 .579 -.-GB W5 (overall)
2nd 41-29 .586 4.0GB W5 (second half)
1st 40-30 .571 -.-GB W6 (first half division winner)

POSTSEASON
Lost the Western Division Quarterfinal 2-0 to Peoria
(Peoria went on to win the Western Division Championship series 2-0 over Cedar Rapids, but lost to Bowling Green 3-1 in the best-of-five League Championship Series.)

SSA TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League) - Won the Stedler Division
1st 42-33 .560 -.-GB L2

POSTSEASON 🏆
Won the Semi-Final Championship Series 2-0 over Mahoning Valley
Won the New York-Penn League Championship Series 2-0 over Hudson Valley

Rk GCL ASTROS (Gulf Coast League)
2nd 27-28 .491 12.5 L2

Rk DSL ASTROS (Dominican Summer League Northwest)
6th 30-41 .423 21.0GB L3

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE

Round Rock at New Orleans 7:00 CT
Amarillo at Corpus Christi 6:15 CT
Fayetteville at Potomac 6:05 CT
Quad Cities at Burlington 6:00 CT

OTHER POSTS

In case you missed these, I did a series on 20 years of the MLB draft on all 30 systems. A summary plus links to all the individual team posts can be found here. I also looked at the early results of the 2018 draft and the summary of that info can be found here.

And, finally, I combed through the rosters to find former Astros farmhands who are still playing in affiliated baseball. That post is here. I will do my annual post looking at former Astros playing in independent ball later this month.

And with that said, I think the only thing left to say is good luck to all the players out there and ...

PLAY BALL!!!

Meet the 2019 Quad Cities River Bandits

And last but not least in WTHB's season-opening "Meet the Team" series... the Quad Cities River Bandits!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website - RiverBandits.com

Twitter - @QCRiverBandits

Instagram - @qcriverbandits

OTHER TWITTER ACCOUNTS OF NOTE

Rich Guill, team photographer - @QCBanditPhotog

Steve Batterson, sports reporter, Quad-City Times - @sbatt79

The Quad Cities is a collection of four (well, actually five) cities on the Mississippi River bordering Iowa and Illinois; Bettendorf and Davenport are the principal cities on the Iowa side, while the Illinois half of the Quad Cities consists of Rock Island and Moline.

The River Bandits play at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, located on the banks of the Mississippi. Like Whataburger Field, Modern Woodmen Park provides stunning views of a bridge. In this case, it's the Centennial Bridge, which connects Davenport and Rock Island. Quad Cities is a member of the Midwest League and they play in the Western Division with Cedar Rapids (Twins), Peoria (Cardinals), Kane County (D-Backs), Beloit (A's), Burlington (Angels), and Clinton (Marlins; formerly a Mariners affiliate).

Unfortunately, the area is susceptible to flooding, and Quad Cities' home opener, which had been scheduled for Opening Night, has been moved to Burlington, which is located further down the river.

Quad Cities' pitchers were absolutely filthy in 2018 as it seemed as though they were striking out everyone they faced. The majority of Tri-City's pitching staff, a group that struck out a little over ten per nine innings last season, is heading to Iowa and they're hoping to continue racking up the Ks.

Although not many of the pitchers on the current roster aren't quite on the prospect radar just yet, there are a few intriguing guys like Willy Collado. While Bryan Abreu commanded most of the attention last season, Collado was also excellent out of the bullpen. Could he make a leap similar to Abreu's in 2019? 

Mark Moclair was downright scary with Tri-City... when he wasn't walking everyone (9.9 BB/9), he was mowing them down to the tune of 15.8 strikeouts per nine innings. If he can tame himself a little bit while retaining his lights-out strikeout ability, he could really break out. Austin Hansen was downright unhittable in his pro debut and he could also be a breakout candidate in 2019.

Luis Garcia excelled in the River Bandits' rotation last year and he's looking to be the next in a long line of success stories from the Astros' Latin American program. 

As for the position players... Ross Adolph, one of three players that the Astros acquired from the Mets in the J.D. Davis trade, will make his full-season debut with the Banditos. We can probably also expect to see Luis Santana for a spell later this year. Andy Piñeda brings blazing speed to the table; if there's anybody in the system who is faster than Myles Straw, Piñeda might be the man. 

Jeremy Peña may be a recent draftee but he's already in the discussion of top defensive players in the organization. He has the MLB pedigree and he'll look to become more well-rounded on offense as he progresses through the system. Alex McKenna will start the season on the injured list but had a fine pro debut. Hopefully, he can pick up right where he left off. Enmanuel Valdez has shown some pop in his bat at the lower levels. As the (current) youngest player on the Quad Cities roster, however, he'll get a bit of a reprieve in terms of carrying an offense, which should give him time to refine his game at the plate.

Oldest - Scott Schreiber (October 13, 1995)
Youngest - Enmanuel Valdez (December 28, 1998)

PITCHERS

Asterisk - left-handed

Well, there aren't any left-handed pitchers on the Quad Cities roster right now.

Humberto Castellanos - International free agent (Mexico), 2015; played with Tri-City and Quad Cities in 2018

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

Brett Conine - 11th round, 2018 draft (Cal State Fullerton); Tri-City

Devin Conn - 19th round, 2018 draft (Nova Southeastern); Tri-City

Brett Daniels - 17th round, 2018 draft (North Carolina); Tri-City

Cody Deason - 5th round, 2018 draft (Arizona); Tri-City

Shawn Dubin - 13th round, 2018 draft (Georgetown [Kentucky]); Tri-City

R.J. Freure - 6th round, 2018 draft (Pittsburgh); Tri-City

Luis Garcia - International free agent (Venezuela), 2017; Tri-City/Quad Cities

Austin Hansen - 8th round, 2018 draft (Oklahoma); Tri-City

Mark Moclair - 12th round, 2018 draft (University of Tampa); Tri-City

Nivaldo Rodriguez - International free agent (Venezuela), 2016; Tri-City

Matt Ruppenthal - 17th round, 2017 draft (Vanderbilt); GCL/Tri-City

POSITION PLAYERS

Asterisk - bats left-handed

Italics - switch-hitter

Catchers

Oscar Campos - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Tri-City

Alex Holderbach - 16th round, 2018 draft (Eastern Kentucky); Tri-City

César Salazar* - 7th round, 2018 draft (Arizona); Tri-City/Quad Cities

Infielders

Trey Dawson - 15th round, 2018 draft (Kentucky); Tri-City/Quad Cities

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

Jeremy Peña - 3rd round, 2018 draft (Maine); Tri-City

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

Enmanuel Valdez* - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2015; Tri-City

Outfielders

Ross Adolph* - Acquired from Mets (along with Luis Santana and Scott Manea) via trade for J.D. Davis, 2019; Brooklyn (Mets)

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

Jonathan Lacroix* - 12th round, 2017 draft (Seminole State College); Quad Cities

Andy Piñeda* - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Tri-City/Corpus Christi

Meet the 2019 Fayetteville Woodpeckers

The Houston Astros' Carolina League affiliate has finally moved into their new home. Two years in the making... the inaugural season of Fayetteville Woodpeckers baseball!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website - fayettevillewoodpeckers.com
Twitter - @WoodpeckersNC
Instagram - @fayettevillewoodpeckers

After the Astros' Carolina League team spent the past two seasons in Buies Creek on the campus of Campbell University, Minor League Baseball makes its return to Fayetteville, North Carolina for the first time since 2000. The Cape Fear Crocs played their final season in the South Atlantic League before relocating to Lakewood, New Jersey to become the BlueClaws and a Phillies minor league affiliate.

The Woodpeckers will enter their first season in Fayetteville as the defending Carolina League Champions, which they won as the Buies Creek Astros. The brand-new Segra Stadium, which is nearly ready, will be their home ballpark. The first game at the stadium will take place on April 18, when they start a four-game series against the Carolina Mudcats.

It better be ready by then, because the builder is facing a $1,000 daily fine plus an additional $50,000 fine for each canceled home game.

Well, anyway... here is the first Fayetteville Woodpeckers (tentative) Opening Day roster!

2018 Astros first-round pick Seth Beer will start his first full professional season back where he finished his pro debut. He's expected to headline a power-packed lineup featuring Jake Adams, Colton Shaver, and Chandler Taylor, among others. Jonathan Arauz and Miguelangel Sierra should form a nice double play tandem in the middle of the infield, but which one of them will take the next step forward offensively?

The Quad Cities pitching staff that mowed down the Midwest League in 2018 will make their way down to North Carolina. Bryan Abreu will look to build upon a breakout season that saw him vault into the discussion of the Astros' top ten prospects.

PITCHERS

Asterisk - left-handed

Bryan Abreu - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2013; played with Tri-City and Quad Cities in 2018
Tommy DeJuneas - Acquired from Indians via trade for James Hoyt, 2018; Lake County (CLE)/Buies Creek
Chad Donato - 11th round, 2016 draft (West Virginia); Tri-City/Quad Cities
J.P. France - 14th round, 2018 draft (Mississippi State); Tri-City/Quad Cities
Cristian Javier - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2015; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Parker Mushinski* - 7th round, 2017 draft (Texas Tech); Quad Cities
Enoli Paredes - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Yohan Ramirez - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Leovanny Rodriguez - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2015; Quad Cities
César Rosado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Quad Cities
Carlos Sanabria - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Edgardo Sandoval - International free agent (Panama), 2014; GCL/Tri-City/Quad Cities
Peter Solomon - 4th round, 2017 draft (Notre Dame); Quad Cities/Buies Creek

POSITION PLAYERS

Asterisk - bats left-handed
Italics - switch-hitter

Catchers

Scott Manea - Acquired from Mets (along with Luis Santana and Ross Adolph) via trade for J.D. Davis, 2019; Columbia (NYM)
Michael Papierski - 9th round, 2017 draft (Louisiana State); Quad Cities

Infielders

Jake Adams - 6th round, 2017 draft (Iowa); Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Alfredo Angarita - International free agent (Venezuela), 2015; Quad Cities/Buies Creek/1 game with Fresno
Jonathan Arauz - Acquired from Phillies (along with Ken Giles) via trade for five pitchers, 2015; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Colton Shaver - 39th round, 2017 draft (Brigham Young); Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Miguelangel Sierra - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Quad Cities

Outfielders

Seth Beer* - 1st round, 2018 draft (Clemson); Tri-City/Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Bryan de la Cruz - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2013; Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Corey Julks - 8th round, 2017 draft (University of Houston); Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Jake Meyers - 13th round, 2017 draft (Nebraska); Quad Cities/Buies Creek
Chandler Taylor* - 10th round, 2018 draft (Alabama); Quad Cities

Meet the 2019 Round Rock Express

The Houston Astros have announced the rosters of their full-season affiliates. Who's heading where to start the new season? I've already touched on the coaching staffs for each team, but now it's the team and the players that will have the spotlight in this post.

First up, the Round Rock Express.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website - roundrockexpress.com

Twitter - @RRExpress

Instagram - rrexpress

In 2019, the Round Rock Express will begin their second stint as a minor league affiliate of the Houston Astros after spending much of this decade as that other team's Triple-A affiliate.

Since their inception, the Express have called Dell Diamond home. They play in the Pacific Coast League's American Southern division with New Orleans (Marlins), Oklahoma City (Dodgers), and now San Antonio (Brewers), which has moved up from the Texas League and is technically a relocated team. Stay with me for a moment.

- The Colorado Springs Sky Sox moved to San Antonio and retained the Missions name.

- The Texas League team that had been the Missions is now the Amarillo Sod Poodles. 

- The Colorado Springs franchise is now playing in the Rookie-level Pioneer League and is now known as the Rocky Mountain Vibes. I'm not making this up, I swear.

Who will begin 2019 with Round Rock, how did they end up in the Astros organization, and where were they playing in 2018?

Oldest: Brady Rodgers (born September 17, 1990)

Youngest: Forrest Whitley (September 15, 1997)

Pitchers

Asterisk - left-handed pitcher

Rogelio Armenteros - International free agent (Cuba), 2014; played with Fresno in 2018

Akeem Bostick - Acquired from Rangers via trade for Carlos Corporán, 2015; Corpus/Fresno

Dean Deetz - 11th round, 2014 draft (Northeast Oklahoma A&M); Quad Cities/Corpus/Fresno/Houston

Kent Emanuel* - 3rd round, 2013 draft (North Carolina); Fresno

Ralph Garza Jr. - 26th round, 2015 draft (Oklahoma); Corpus/Fresno

Reymin Guduan* - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2009; Fresno/Houston

Ryan Hartman* - 9th round, 2016 draft (Tennessee Wesleyan); Corpus

Corbin Martin - 2nd round, 2017 draft (Texas A&M); Buies Creek/Corpus

Brendan McCurry - Acquired from A's via trade for Jed Lowrie, 2015; Fresno

Cionel Perez* - Free agent (Cuba), 2016 - original international free agent contract was voided; Corpus/Fresno/Houston

Brady Rodgers - 3rd round, 2012 draft (Arizona State); Tri-City/Buies Creek/Fresno

Cy Sneed - Acquired from Brewers via trade for Jonathan Villar, 2015; Fresno

Forrest Whitley - 1st round, 2016 draft (Alamo Heights High School, San Antonio); Corpus

Catchers

Asterisk - bats/throws left-handed

Italics - switch hitter

Jamie Ritchie - 13th round, 2014 draft (Belmont); Corpus/Fresno

Garrett Stubbs* - 8th round, 2015 draft (USC); Fresno

Infielders

Alex De Goti - 15th round, 2016 draft (University of Tampa); Corpus/Fresno

Taylor Jones - 19th round, 2016 draft (Gonzaga); Corpus/Fresno

Jack Mayfield - Undrafted free agent, 2013 (Oklahoma); Fresno

A.J. Reed* - 2nd round, 2014 draft (Kentucky); Fresno/1 game with Houston

Nick Tanielu - 14th round, 2014 draft (Washington State); Corpus/Fresno

Outfielders

Yordan Alvarez* - Acquired from Dodgers via trade for Josh Fields, 2016; Corpus/Fresno

Drew Ferguson - 19th round, 2015 draft (Belmont), Rule 5 draft pick returned by Giants, 2018; Fresno, with a rehab stint with Tri-City

Derek Fisher* - 1st round, 2014 draft (Virginia); Fresno/Houston

Myles Straw - 12th round, 2015 draft (St. Johns River State College); Corpus/Fresno/Houston

Kyle Tucker* - 1st round, 2015 draft (Plant High School, Tampa); Fresno/Houston

2018 Astros MiLB Opening Day Roster Breakdown

Offering a little insight on the Astros opening day rosters, including where the players came from, where they were in 2017 (and how they did) and those who are considered to be top prospects going into the 2018 season ...

* = Left-handed
# = Switch-hitter

Rankings Noted per the following sources:
BA = Baseball America
BP = Baseball Prospectus
FG = FanGraphs
MLB = MLB Pipeline

FRESNO - AAA

This should be a really strong team. Except for Chris Nunn, Antonio Nunez and Kyle Tucker, all of the players on this team have had at least some experience at AAA and nine of them have had MLB experience.

PITCHERS

Rogelio Armenteros - BP #5, FG #11, BP #12, MLB #12

• Astros 9/14 Cuban signing
• 2017: 14 games in AA; 10 games in AAA (2.04 ERA/1.043 WHIP/123.2 IP combined)

*Buddy Boshers

• 1/18 waiver claim from the Twins; originally Angels 4th round 2008 (Calhoun Community College - AL)
• 2017: 38 games in MLB (4.89 ERA/1.343 WHIP/35 IP); 18G in AAA (3.68 ERA/16.36 WHIP/14.2 IP)

Jacob Dorris

• Astros 6/15 NDFA (Texas A&M Corpus Christi)
• 2017: 23 games in AA; 20 games in AAA (3.00 ERA/1.222 WHIP/72 IP combined)

*Kent Emanuel

• Astros 3rd round 2013 (UNC - Chapel Hill)
• 2017: 16 games in AA; 9 games in AAA (5.72 ERA/1.745 WHIP/116.1 IP combined)

*Reymin Guduan - FG #20

• Astros 9/09 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 22 games in MLB (7.88 ERA/2.250 WHIP/16 IP); 39 games in AAA (5.87 ERA/1.630 WHIP/46 IP)

Mike Hauschild

• Astros 33rd round 2012 (University of Dayton)
• 2017: 4 games in MLB for Rangers as Rule 5 pick (11.25 ERA/2.000 WHIP/8 IP); 18 games in AAA (4.58 ERA/1.528 WHIP/90.1 IP)

Francis Martes

• 7/14 trade with Marlins; originally signed by Marlins 12/12 (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 8 games in AAA (5.29 ERA/2.103 WHIP/32.1 IP); 32 games in MLB (5.80 ERA/1.509 WHIP/54.1 IP)

Brendan McCurry

• 11/15 trade with A's; originally A's 22nd round 2014 (Oklahoma State University)
• 2017: 35 games in AAA (4.43 ERA/1.410 WHIP/44.2 IP)

*Chris Nunn

• Astros 2017 Rule 5 Draft (minor league phase); originally Padres 24th round 2012 (Lipscomb University - TN)
• 2017: 1 game in Independent League (1.80 ERA/1.000 WHIP/5 IP); 4 games in AA (4.76 ERA/1.353 WHIP/17 IP)

David Paulino - MLB #8, BP #8, BA #10

• 9/13 PTBNL in 7/13 trade with Tigers; originally signed 9/10 by Tigers (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 6 games in MLB (6.52 ERA/1.483/29 IP) followed by suspension and DL stint

Matt Ramsey

• 12/17 Astros Free Agent signing; originally Rays 19th round 2011 (University of Tennessee)
• 2017: 48 games in AA; 5 games in AAA (5.26 ERA/1.530 WHIP/49.2 IP combined)

Cy Sneed

• 11/15 Trade with Brewers; originally Brewers 3rd round 2014 (Dallas Baptist University)
• 2017: 22 games in AA; 4 games in AAA (5.97 ERA/1.587 WHIP/114.2 IP combined)

Andrew Thome

• Astros 6/15 NDFA (University of North Dakota)
• 2017: 4 games in High A; 28 games in AA; 8 games in AAA (4.10 ERA/1.399 WHIP/59.1 IP combined)

Trent Thornton

• Astros 3rd round 2015 (UNC - Chapel Hill)
• 2017: 4 games in AA; 21 games in AAA (5.21 ERA/1.409 WHIP/131.1 IP combined)

CATCHERS

Tim Federowicz

• 12/17 Astros Free Agent signing; originally Red Sox 7th round 2008 (UNC - Chapel Hill)
• 2017: 77 games in AAA (.300/.366/.463); 13 games in MLB (.231/.286/.692)

*Garrett Stubbs - FG #15, BP #16, BA #18, MLB #24

• Astros 8th round 2015 (University of Southern California)
• 2017: 75 games in AA; 23 games in AAA (.232/.328/.321 combined)

INFIELDERS

*Tony Kemp

• Astros 5th round 2013 (Vanderbilt University)
• 2017: 118 games in AAA (.329/.375/.470); 17 games in MLB (.216/.256/.243)

Jack Mayfield

• Astros 6/13 NDFA (University of Oklahoma)
• 2017: 70 games in AA; 42 games in AAA (.283/.327/.500 combined)

Antonio Nunez

• Astros 18th round 2014 (Western Oklahoma State College)
• 2017: 114 games in AA (.223/.316/.270)

*A.J. Reed - BA #24

• Astros 2nd round draft 2014 (University of Kentucky)
• 2017: 127 games in AAA (.261/.358/.525); 2 games in MLB (.000/.000/.000)

Tyler White

• Astros 33rd round 2014 (Western Carolina University - NC)
• 2017: 111 games in AAA (.300/.371/.528); 22 games in MLB (.279/.328/.525)

OUTFIELDERS

Drew Ferguson - MLB #17

• Astros 19th round 2015 (Belmont University)
• 2017: 84 games in AA; 29 games in AAA (.275/.369/.400 combined)

Alejandro Garcia

• Astros 7/15 Cuban signing
• 2017: 42 games in AA; 50 games in AAA (.235/.278/.341 combined)

*Jon Kemmer

• Astros 21st round 2013 (Brewton-Parker College - GA)
• 2017: 87 games in AAA (.299/.399/.533)

*Kyle Tucker - BA #2, BP #2, FG #2, MLB #2

• Astros 1st round 2015 (H.B. Plant H.S. - Tampa, FL)
• 2017: 48 games in High A; 72 games in AA (.274/.346/.528)

CORPUS CHRISTI - AA

There are no real surprises to me on this team (except I did think Riley Ferrell might start his season at AAA). Lorenzo Quintana bears watching as one of the recent Cuban signings; 2018 will be his first taste of affiliated ball. Also worth watching is how Nick Tanielu bounces back in his first full season following ACL surgery. Honestly, the combination of talent and experience on this team will make it fun to watch, but don't expect all of these players to linger at AA.

PITCHERS

Akeem Bostick

• Astros 1/15 trade with Rangers; originally Rangers 2nd round 2013 (West Florence H.S. - Florence, SC)
• 2017: 4 games in High A; 18 games in AA (4.06 ERA/1.334 WHIP/99.2 IP combined)

Brock Dykxhoorn

• Astros 6th round 2014 (Central Arizona College)
• 2017: 25 games in AA (4.62 ERA/1.500 WHIP/99.1 IP)

Riley Ferrell - FG #17, MLB #20, BA #27

• Astros 3rd round 2015 (Texas Christian University)
• 2017: 2 games in High A; 36 games in AA (3.67 ERA/1.204 WHIP/54 IP combined)

Ralph Garza

• Astros 26th round 2015 (University of Oklahoma)
• 2017: 20 games in High A; 15 games in AA; 1 game in AAA (4.22 ERA/1.500 WHIP/64 IP combined)

*Ryan Hartman

• Astros 9th round 2016 (Tennessee Weslayan College)
• 2017: 9 games in Low A; 16 games in High A (3.64 ERA/1.215 WHIP/108.2 IP combined)

Kevin Hill

• Astros 25th round 2016 (University of South Alabama)
• 2017: 14 games in Low A; 10 games in High A; 2 games in AA (1.95 ERA/0.990 WHIP/64.2 IP combined)

Josh James

• Astros 34th round 2014 (Western Oklahoma State College)
• 2017: 21 games in AA (4.38 ERA/1.461 WHIP/76 IP)

*Cionel Pérez - FG #6, MLB #6, BA #13, BP #16

• Astros 12/16 Cuban signing
• 2017: 12 games in Low A; 5 games in High A; 4 games in AA (4.13 ERA/1.292 WHIP/93.2 IP combined)

Erasmo Pinales

• Astros 5/13 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 21 games in Low A; 12 games in High A (3.39 ERA/1.131 WHIP/61 IP combined)

Yoanys Quiala

• Astros 6/15 Cuban signing
• 2017: 12 games in High A; 12 games in AA (2.57 ERA/1.187 WHIP/108.2 IP combined)

*Sean Stuzman

• Astros 6/16 NDFA (Dallas Baptist University)
• 2017: 16 games in Low A; 13 games in High A; 4 games in AA (2.28 ERA/1.075 WHIP/67 IP)

*Framber Valdez - BA #14, MLB #16, FG #25

• Astros 3/15 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 13 games in High A; 12 games in AA (4.16 ERA/1.387 WHIP/110.1 IP combined)

*Alex Winkelman

• Astros 21st round 2015 (Southeast Missouri State University)
• 2017: 8 games in High A; 18 games in AA (3.21 ERA/1.370 WHIP/103.2 IP combined)

CATCHERS

Lorenzo Quintana

• Astros 10/17 Cuban signing
• 2017: Did not play

Jamie Ritchie

• Astros 13th round 2014 (Belmont University)
• 2017: 76 games in AA (.256/.382/.335)

INFIELDERS

*Ryne Birk

• Astros 13th round 2016 (Texas A&M)
• 2017: 81 games in High A; 37 games in AA (.266/.325/.430 combined)

Randy César

• Astros 7/11 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 27 games in Low A; 83 games in High A (.297/.350/.403 combined)

Alex DeGoti

• Astros 15th round 2016 (Barry University - FL)
• 2017: 34 games in Low A; 70 games in High A; 5 games in AAA (.236/.341/.356 combined)

Taylor Jones

• Astros 19th round 2016 (Gonzaga University)
• 2017: 50 games in Low A; 55 games in High A (.222/.314/.321 combined)

Arturo Michelena

• Astros 7/11 international signing (Venezuela)
• 2017: 32 games in High A; 52 games in AA (.218/.278/.262 combined)

Nick Tanielu

• Astros 14th round 2014 (Washington State University)
• 2017: DL for most of year; 2 rehab games in Rookie League (.400/.500/.600)

OUTFIELDERS

*Yordan Alvarez - BA #3, FG #3, BP #4, MLB #4

• Astros 8/16 trade with the Dodgers; originally Dodgers Cuban signing 6/16
• 2017: 32 games in Low A; 58 games in High A (.304/.379/.481)

*Carmen Benedetti

• Astros 12th round 2016 (University of Michigan)
• 2017: 69 games in Low A; 23 games in High A (.316/.421/.452 combined)

Myles Straw - BP #16, BA #17, MLB #21

• Astros 12th round 2015 (St. Johns River Community College - FL)
• 2017: 114 games in High A; 13 games in AA (.290/.405/.360 combined)

Stephen Wrenn

• Astros 6th round 2016 (University of Georgia)
• 2017: 42 games in Low A; 83 games in High A (.258/.332/.365 combined)

BUIES CREEK - HIGH A

Of particular note on this team are the three 2017 draft picks (Brandon Bielak, Corbin Martin and Patrick Mathis) who are bypassing Low A Quad Cities completely; it will be interesting to see if they are all up to the challenge. One thing that stands out is how few of these players have significant experience above Low A. There is a lot of talent on this team, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them start off a bit slowly and pick up as the season continues. On the flip side, Jorge Alcala and Hector Pérez will likely hit the ground running; if they can fine-tune their control/command, they will be promoted quickly.

PITCHERS

*Brett Adcock - MLB #28

• Astros 4th round 2016 (University of Michigan)
• 2017: 5 games in Low A; 20 games in High A (3.93 ERA/1.226 WHIP/107.2 IP combined)

Jorge Alcala - MLB #7, BA #8, FG #14

• Astros 12/14 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 6 games in Low A; 16 games in High A (3.05 ERA/1.061 WHIP/109.1 IP combined)

Brandon Bailey - FG #18, MLB #30

• Astros 11/17 trade with A's; originally A's 6th round 2016 (Gonzaga University)
• 2017: 15 games in Low A; 9 games in High A (3.26 ERA/1.088 WHIP/91 IP combined)

Jesús Balaguer

• Astros 4/17 Cuban signing
• 2017: 3 games in Rookie League; 5 games in Short Season A; 10 games in Low A (2.73 ERA/1.061 WHIP/33 IP combined)

Brandon Bielak

• Astros 11th round 2017 (University of Notre Dame)
• 2017: 2 games in Rookie League; 8 games in Short Season A (0.80 ERA/0.772 WHIP/33.2 IP combined)

Ronel Blanco

• Astros 4/16 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 22 games in Low A; 1 game in High A (3.38 ERA/1.466/88 IP combined)

Justin Ferrell

• Astros 36th round 2014 (Connors State College - OK)
• 2017: 28 games in High A (4.26 ERA/1.372 WHIP/82.1 IP)

Carson LaRue

• Astros 14th round 2016 (Cowley County Community College - KS)
• 2017: 20 games in Low A; 4 games in High A (3.60 ERA/1.133 WHIP/120 IP)

Corbin Martin - FG #8, BP #10, MLB #10, BA #16

• Astros 2nd round 2017 (Texas A&M)
• 2017: 2 games in Rookie League; 8 games in Short Season A (2.20 ERA/0.888 WHIP/32.2 IP combined)

Hector Pérez - FG #5, BA #7, MLB #11, BP #16

• Astros 7/14 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 4 games in Low A; 21 games in High A (3.44 ERA/1.453 WHIP/107.1 IP)

Abdiel Saldaña

• Astros 10/13 international signing (Panama)
• 2017: 25 games in Low A; 4 games in High A (3.39 ERA/1.362 WHIP/90.1 IP combined)

*Kit Scheetz

• Astros 6/17 NDFA signing (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
• 2017: 2 games in Rookie League; 6 games in Short Season A; 4 games in Low A (1.72 ERA/1.021 WHIP/47 IP combined)

Carlos Sierra

• Astros 1/16 Cuban signing
• 2017: 4 games in Low A; 25 games in High A (2.83 ERA/1.099 WHIP/57.1 IP combined)

CATCHERS

#Carlos Canelon

• Astros 4/14 international signing (Venezuela)
• 2017: 16 games in Short Season A; 8 games in AA (.162/.259/.203 combined)

Chuckie Robinson - MLB #27

• Astros 21st round 2016 (University of Southern Mississippi)
• 2017: 108 games in Low A (.274/.330/.463)

INFIELDERS

Osvaldo Duarte

• Astros 7/13 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 47 games in Low A; 28 games in High A (.192/.282/.308 combined)

*Josh Rojas

• Astros 26th round 2017 (University of Hawaii at Manoa)
• 2017: 52 games in Low A; 4 games in AAA (.261/.319/.478 combined)

*Troy Sieber

• Astros 24th round 2016 (St. Leo College - FL)
• 2017: 2 games at Short Season A; 55 games in Low A (.289/.403/.457 combined)

Anibal Sierra

• Astros 7/16 Cuban signing
• 2017: 9 games in Low A; 104 games in High A (.201/.271/.290 combined)

#Abraham Toro-Hernandez - FG #22, MLB #29

• Astros 5th round 2016 (Seminole State College - OK)
• 2017: 32 games in Short Season A; 37 games in Low A (.246/.364/.496 combined)

Kristian Trompiz

• Astros 7/12 international signing (Venezuela)
• 2017: 25 games in Short Season A; 40 games in Low A; 17 games in AA (.275/.340/.322 combined)

OUTFIELDERS

*Ronnie Dawson - MLB #15, BA #21, FG #23

• Astros 2nd round 2016 (The Ohio State University)
• 2017: 116 games in Low A; 13 games in High A (.278/.363/.437 combined)

*Patrick Mathis

• Astros 22nd round 2017 (University of Texas at Austin)
• 2017: 46 games in Rookie League; 3 games in Short Season A (.231/.311/.324 combined)

Chas McCormick

• Astros 21st round 2017 (Millersville University of Pennsylvania)
• 2017: 8 games in Rookie League; 39 games in Low A; 4 games in High A (.298/.355/.399 combined)

Luis Payano

• Astros 7/12 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 20 games in Short Season A; 24 games in Low A (.250/.308/.444 combined)

QUAD CITIES - LOW A

HOO-BOY! The River Bandits may be in for a tough start to their season. Between the inexperience of many of these players, the wildness of some of these pitchers and an opening day game time temperature that will be flirting with freezing, it could get ugly. The good news is that there is a ton on talent on the team ... it's just a little raw so the team should improve continuously. I don't see a lot of fast promotions on the pitching staff (by mid-May), other than maybe Cristian Javier (who I thought might start the season with Buies Creek), the more polished J.B. Bukauskas and perhaps Patrick Sandoval if he continues with last season's improvements. As far as position players, it is likely that some of the college drafted players will move more quickly than others, but it's just going to depend on who steps up.

PITCHERS

*Adam Bleday

• Astros 27th round 2017 (University of Pennsylvania)
• 2017: 9 games in Rookie League; 4 games in Short Season A (3.40 ERA/1.267 WHIP/45 IP combined)

J.B. Bukauskas - BP #3, MLB #3, BA #4, FG #4

• Astros 1st round 2017 (UNC - Chapel Hill)
• 2017: 1 game in Rookie League; 2 games in Short Season A (2.70 ERA/1.200 WHIP/10 IP combined)

Robert Corniel

• Astros 7/12 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 3 games in Short Season A; 15 games in Low A (4.15 ERA/1.471 WHIP/34.2 IP combined)

Tyler Ivey - FG #27

• Astros 3rd round 2017 (Grayson County College - TX)
• 2017: 1 game in Rookie League; 11 games in Short Season A (5.63 ERA/1.461 WHIP/38.1 IP combined)

Cristian Javier - MLB #19, BA #25

• Astros 3/15 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 4 games in Short Season A; 8 games in Low A; 2 games in High A (2.25 ERA/1.083 WHIP/60 IP combined)

Colin McKee

• Astros 18th round 2016 (Mercyhurst College - PA)
• 2017: 17 games in Short Season A (3.51 ERA/1.268 WHIP/41 IP)

*Parker Mushinski

• Astros 7th round 2017 (Texas Tech University)
• 2017: 13 games in Short Season A (3.60 ERA/1.367 WHIP/30 IP)

Yohan Ramírez

• Astros 6/16 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 17 games in Low A; 2 games in High A; 1 game in AA (4.66 ERA/1.500 WHIP/75.1 IP combined)

César Rosado

• Astros 12/14 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 2 games in Short Season A; 7 games in Low A (4.03 ERA/1.138 WHIP/29 IP)

Carlos Sanabria

• Astros 3/14 international signing (Venezuela)
• 2017: 19 games in Low A (4.46 ERA/1.512 WHIP/80.2 IP)

*Patrick Sandoval - BP #16

• Astros 11th round 2015 (Mission Viejo H.S. - Mission Viejo, CA)
• 2017: 4 games in Short Season A; 9 games in Low A; 1 game in High A (4.09 ERA/1.362 WHIP/61.2 IP combined)

Peter Solomon

• Astros 4th round 2017 (University of Notre Dame)
• 2017: 1 game in Rookie League (0.00 ERA/0.000 WHIP/1 IP) 

*Cole Watts

• Astros 31st round 2017 (Skyline Junior College - CA)
• 2017: 12 games in Rookie League (6.68 ERA/1.742 WHIP/31 IP)

CATCHERS

Gabriel Bracamonte

• Astros 3/14 international signing (Venezuela)
• 2017: 28 games in Short Season A; 12 games in Low A (.239/.301/.348 combined)

#Michael Papierski

• Astros 9th round 2017 (Louisiana State University)
• 2017: 37 games in Short Season A (.198/.377/.380)

INFIELDERS

Jake Adams

• Astros 6th round 2017 (University of Iowa)
• 2017: 48 games in Short Season A (.170/.280/.388)

Marcos Almonte

• Astros 2/14 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 84 games in Low A (.248/.276/.382)

#Jonathan Arauz - BP #6, FG #16, MLB #22, BA #23

• Astros 12/15 trade with the Phillies; originally Phillies international signing in 8/14 (Panama)
• 2017: 33 games in Short Season A; 36 games in Low A (.242/.336/.319 combined)

Cody Bohanek

• Astros 30th round 2017 (University of Illinois at Chicago)
• 2017: 47 games in Rookie League; 10 games in Low A (.246/.353/.332 combined)

Roman Garcia

• Astros 19th round 2017 (University of San Diego)
• 2017: 48 games in Rookie League (.277/.342/.457)

Adrian Tovalin

• Astros 16th round 2017 (Azusa Pacific University - CA)
• 2017: 18 in Rookie League; 36 in Short Season A (.218/.294/.396 combined)

OUTFIELDERS

Bryan de la Cruz

• Astros 9/13 international signing (Dominican Republic)
• 2017: 40 games in Short Season A; 10 games in Low A; 10 games in AA (.244/.290/.333 combined)

Corey Julks

• Astros 8th round 2017 (University of Houston)
• 2017: 32 games in Short Season A (.176/.311/.235)

*J.J. Matijevic - BP #16, FG #24, MLB #25, BA #26

• Astros 2nd round 2017 (University of Arizona)
• 2017: 53 games in Short Season A; 6 games in Low A (.228/.290/.384 combined)

Jake Meyers

• Astros 13th round 2017 (University of Nebraska at Lincoln)
• 2017: 42 games at Short Season A (.207/.289/.304)

THE MISSING

The following players didn't make the opening day rosters for the full season teams. There are others, but these are the most noteworthy.

RHP Dean Deetz (MLB #18, FG #21, BA #22) - restricted list
Ended the 2017 season in AAA

RHP Jose Luis Hernandez
On DL for all of 2017

RHP Nick Hernandez - DL?
Ended the 2017 season in AA

RHP Enoli Paredes
Went on the DL in June 2017

1B Jon Singleton - restricted list
Ended the 2017 season in AA

RHP Ryan Thompson - DL?
Ended the 2017 in AA

RHP Forrest Whitley (BA #1, BP #1, FG #1, MLB #1)  - restricted list
Ended the 2017 season in AA