Happy Birthday - 3/1

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Hector Roa (19)
After hitting .250/.289/.423 with 11 doubles, three triples and seven home runs in his second professional season for the Dominican Summer League team in 2013, Roa was promoted to the Gulf Coast League Astros for his final six games of the season. Roa was born and raised in the U.S., but according to this post, he moved to the Dominican Republic to train prior to his signing in 2012.

2B Parker Hipp (23)
Signed by Houston as a non-drafted free agent out of New Mexico State in 2013, Hipp got off to a bit of a slow start in his first professional season, hitting .159/.280/.190 in 24 games for the Greeneville team.

Tweets of the Day

Los cowboys tan feo feo
— Hector Roaa Jr. (@PapiJunee_) December 30, 2013

I love when the cowboys lose
— brandon meredith (@bmeezytrain) December 30, 2013

Obviously it's not a Romo jinx it's a cowboy tradition
— Parker Hipp (@SkipHipp6) December 30, 2013

Cowboys lol
— Jake Buchanan (@JakeBuck33) December 30, 2013

Tweet of the Day

I sometimes understand quarterback slides, but in about 90% of them it just looks feminine
— Parker Hipp (@SkipHipp6) November 17, 2013

Tweet of the Day

Astros pride pic.twitter.com/UnwM2zbNmR
— Parker Hipp (@SkipHipp6) October 31, 2013

Tweet of the Day

Parker Hipp ‏@SkipHipp6
Long summer for the Gstros but I had a great time with all my teammates playing the game we love. Wouldn't trade it for the world #blessed

Tweet of the Day

Parker Hipp ‏@SkipHipp6
Appy league playoffs berth #Gstros

Tweet of the Day

Parker Hipp ‏@SkipHipp6
Off to work on a Saturday #grinding

Foto Friday - Greeneville Astros Edition

I haven't had a chance to finish transcribing my interviews from last weekend in Greeneville yet so let me share a few of my favorite photos from the trip in the interim. More photos from my visit can be found here (but be forewarned that I haven't finished weeding through them yet and I haven't even started labeling them). Photos from previous trips can be found here. And if you're really, really bored, here are a few vacation photos from my trip to Vermont.

Cristian Moronta

Ryan Connolly

Gonzalo Sanudo

Juan Santana and Parker Hipp

Jandel Gustave 

 

Ariel Ovando and Company

Juan Santana

Photos by Jayne Hansen

 All Rights Reserved*

*The players featured in these photos are hereby granted permission to use these photos for personal use. All other uses require permission and acknowledgment.

Random Observations on my Greeneville Trip

It will take me a while to transcribe the interviews from my Greeneville trip so let me leave you with a few random observations to tide you over.

As I noted last year, Pioneer Park is simply beautiful. Located on the campus of Tusculum College, the park is first class all the way. One of my favorite things about the park are the concourse banners commemorating the MLB debut of players who have gone through Greeneville. Here you see the banners for Sammy Gervacio, Jose Altuve, Brandon Barnes and, if you look closely, the last one is for Izzy Hinojosa, the groundskeeper who made his Houston debut last September.

Josh Bonifay runs a tight ship in his first year as Manager. Everything is organized and everyone seems to know what is expected of them. There is virtually no wasted time or effort. Most of these players are only starting their careers and need that structure. With that said, the players also seemed relaxed and loose during practices. I liked the field dynamic that I was seeing.

One player who impressed me both on and off the field was Gonzalo Sanudo, the right-handed pitcher from Tabasco, Mexico, who came to the Astros in the Mike Kvasnicka trade. His command was impeccable the night I saw him and he easily worked around two hits over his two innings as he struck out six. And the sound his fastball made when he hit the catcher's glove was music to my ears. Off the field, he is a character with personality plus. His reaction as Kevin Ferguson came into the dugout before the game wearing a bright orange cap (on a day when the uniform called for dark caps) was priceless.

I was also very impressed by Jandel Gustave's and Chris Lee's work on the mound, and I loved watching Juan Santana, a Dominican infielder who won't turn 19 until later this week, who plays with joyful abandon. Santana's easy smile has earned him the nickname Smiley, according to Bonifay. I think it's appropriate that he currently wears Jose Altuve's number 27 because he is destined to be a fan favorite much like Altuve.

Now for a few VERY random observations. Chase McDonald is HUGE. Could there be a better cheer for someone named Parker Hipp than Hip Hip Hooray? Brett Phillips is another larger than life personality, very funny and charismatic. Here he does a deadpan imitation of Hitting Coach Cesar Cedeno.

And finally, I loved watching Tanner Mathis' great range playing centerfield and I enjoyed talking with him about our mutual college experiences in Mississippi, but the best thing about Mathis is his walk-up ritual. The toe dig, bootie wiggle, side kick and bat toe tap is repeated throughout every game. I particularly enjoyed one ardent female fan who "Wooooo'd" for every bootie wiggle. Highly entertaining.



I would like to thank Josh Bonifay for his time and generosity. I really enjoyed talking with him about his team. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious. And having met his lovely wife Tiffany as well, I can only say this. He done good!

Let me leave you with one of my favorite images from the weekend -- Angel Ibanez engaging in a deep discussion with one of his fans.