Former Astros in Independent/International Leagues (2018)

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

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

Jio Mier - April 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

JAPAN CENTRAL LEAGUE

Yakult Swallows
OF Nori Aoki (2017 Astros)

JAPAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

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

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

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

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

KOREAN BASEBALL ORGANIZATION

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

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

MEXICAN LEAGUE

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

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

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

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

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

Saraperos de Saltillo
LHP Raul Valdes (Astros 2014)

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

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

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

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

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

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

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

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

Long Island Ducks
LHP Ashur Tolliver (2017 Astros system)

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

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

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

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CAN-AM LEAGUE

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

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

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

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

FRONTIER LEAGUE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Birthday - 2/14

Happy Birthday to ~

Bullpen Coach Craig Bjornson (46)
Bjornson will return to the Astros as Bullpen Coach in 2015, a position he held previously in 2012 and 2014.

Two former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

RHP Paul Clemens (27)
Originally drafted by Atlanta out of a community college in North Carolina in the seventh round in 2008, this South Carolina native came to Houston in the Michael Bourn trade in 2011. In 48 games (five starts) for Houston in 2013 and 2014, Clemens had a 5.51 ERA and a 1.520 WHIP. Clemens signed with the Phillies as a free agent in November 2014.

IF Larry Milbourne (64)
Drafted from the Cardinals in the 1973 Rule 5 draft, Milbourne played in 244 games for Houston from 1974 to 1976, hitting .245/.297/.282.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, May 26, 2014

Oklahoma City 6, Memphis 4

W- Paul Clemens (3-0)
L- Kurt Heyes (0-1, 2-3 season)
S- Jason Stoffel (5)

OKC home runs: Jon Singleton (13, 2-run in 3rd), Kiké Hernandez (3, 4 season; 2-run in 5th)

The word of the day is dozen. The RedHawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead as they wrapped up their Big 12 Tournament roadtrip on a winning note. Their 7-5 record on the roadtrip is the first time that they've finished with a winning record on the Big 12 Tournament roadtrip since 2010. It got a little too close for comfort late, though.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Erik Castro, who missed out on the party. Gregorio Petit opened the scoring in the 2nd with an RBI single. Singleton's 2-run blast in the 3rd gave him a baker's dozen of home runs. Ronald Torreyes went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 4th, and Kiké Hernandez's 2-run homer in the 5th extended his hitting streak to a dozen games. Singleton and Austin Wates also had 2 hits apiece; Wates had a double and a steal (12).

Paul Clemens started it off with 5 shutout innings; he allowed 3 hits and struck out 3. Alex White followed that up with 2 scoreless, allowing a hit and striking out 1. Josh Zeid had a tough time; he got 2 outs in the 8th, but not before the Redbirds got 4 runs (1 earned; 2 inherited runners charged to him) off of him. He allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Kevin Chapman got the final out of the 8th and the first 2 of the 9th, allowing 2 hits and walking 3. Jason Stoffel entered with 2 runners on and 2 outs; he shut the door.

Two weeks after playing their last home game before embarking on this roadtrip, the RedHawks are finally home, and they've got the place to themselves. Well, actually, they're beginning a 4-game series with Omaha starting tonight at 7:05. Nick Tropeano will face Brett Tomko in the opener.

Northwest Arkansas 5, Corpus Christi 3

W- Sam Selman (3-3)
L- Michael Dimock (1-2)
S- Andrew Triggs (3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks ended up dropping 2 of 3 to the Naturals as Michael Dimock was tagged for a pair of runs in the 5th.

The offense was powered by Matt Duffy, who went 4-5 and is now on a 7-game hitting streak. He put the Hooks on the board in the 2nd with an RBI single (down 2-1) and came home on a double from Preston Tucker which tied the game at 2. Duffy would go on to add an RBI double in the 7th, while Tucker finished 2-5. Delino DeShields was 1-5 with a steal (18). Joe Sclafani started a game in the outfield for the first time as a pro (not sure if he did it in Australia this past winter). He was in left field and went 1-4 with a double and is now on a modest 4-game hitting streak. Sclafani has a hit in 12 of his last 13 games.

Jordan Jankowski pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 4. Dimock pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits. The last time Dimock allowed a run was May 2, so this outing put an end to a nice scoreless run for him. Pat Urckfits allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and struck out 2 in 2.1 innings.

The Hooks are back home, and for this homestand, they'll be welcoming the Arkansas teams to Corpus Christi. First up is 3 with the Travelers. Tommy Shirley will face Drew Rucinski in the opener; first pitch is at 7:10.

Lancaster 6, Inland Empire 5

W- Dan Minor (4-1)
L- Jairo Diaz (2-3)

Lancaster home runs: Dan Gulbransen (2, grand slam in 6th)

Under the watchful eyes of Jayne and Astros Social Media Director Amanda Rykoff (well, she was there for the weekend, not sure if she saw this game), the JetHawks ran off 6 unanswered to take this game, and take 3 of 4 in this Memorial Day series.

It looked rather dire as they were down 5-0, but that changed in a hurry in the 6th inning. Carlos Correa led off the inning with a single, and Rio Ruiz brought him home with a double to put them on the board, down 5-1. An error and a single later, the bases were loaded for Dan Gulbransen, who came through in a huge way as he belted the game-tying grand slam. The JetHawks completed the comeback in the 8th as Roberto Peña hit a single to send Danry Vásquez home with the eventual game-winning run. It was great night for Vásquez as he finished 4-4 with 2 runs scored.

Gonzalo Sañudo went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (all on a 2-run homer and a 3-run homer) on 7 hits and struck out 2. J.D. Osborne threw 1.1 scoreless, walking 3 and striking out 1. Dan Minor went 2.2 scoreless and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2.

The JetHawks will now have a brief getaway from The Hangar as they're in Lake Elsinore for 3 games starting tonight at 6:05 Pacific. Kyle Westwood will take on Joe Ross in the series opener.

Burlington 7, Quad Cities 5 in 10 innings

W- Alan Busenitz (1-3)
L- Tyler Brunnemann (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits jumped out to a 5-0 lead through 3.5 innings, but the Bees stung them for 7 unanswered, which culminated in a walk-off 2-run home run in the first extra frame.

The game started off swimmingly for the Bandits as they put up 4 in the 1st on an RBI double from Brett Phillips, who scored on an RBI single from Conrad Gregor. Later in the inning, Ronnie Mitchell added a 2-run single. Jon Kemmer went 2-4 and led off the 4th with a double. He would score on a Chan-Jong Moon fielder's choice. Brett Phillips and Brian Holberton finished with 2 hits apiece.

Adrian Houser allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 4. Kevin Comer pitched 3 innings and the only ding on his line was a solo homer from Eric Aguilera in the 8th. He allowed 2 other hits and struck out 4. Andrew Walter allowed a run (on a sac fly) and a hit in the 9th. Tyler Brunnemann walked off with the loss after he gave up the 2-run homer to Mike Fish with 1 out in the 10th.

QC will look to avoid the sweep as Andrew Thurman and Chris Lee will take on Clint Sharp at 6:30.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Danry Vásquez, LF, Lancaster

4-4, 2 R

2.

Matt Duffy, 3B, Corpus Christi

4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

1.

Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City

2-5, 2-R HR (13), 2 R

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Kevin Comer, RHP, Quad Cities
3 IP, 3 H (solo HR), ER, 4 K

2.

Dan Minor, RHP, Lancaster
2.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K
0.00 ERA in May

1.

#471425789 / gettyimages.com

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, May 5, 2014


Oklahoma City 5, Omaha 1

W- Mike Foltynewicz (3-1)
L- Ramon Troncoso (1-2)
S- Paul Clemens (1)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks earned the split thanks to a couple of big 2-out hits and a combined 1-hitter from the pitching staff.

The story of the day would have to be Mike Foltynewicz. Let's just say that things got a little, uh.... testy on Twitter a couple of nights ago and leave it at that. The real story was his performance on the mound yesterday afternoon. He threw 6 innings and allowed 1 hit, a solo homer to Melky Mesa in the 3rd. The Storm Chasers only got 3 baserunners on him: Mesa's homer, and 2 walks (in the 1st and 4th). Foltynewicz struck out a career-high 12, including the final 6 batters he faced. He struck out everyone in Omaha's lineup except for Matt Fields. Paul Clemens tagged in for 3 perfect innings, striking out 1 to close it out. Together, they retired the final 16 Omaha batters, and 20 of the final 21.

Robbie Grossman led off the 3rd inning with a single. He would advance to 2nd on a sac bunt from Ronald Torreyes, and Jon Singleton got on via an intentional walk soon after. They would both advance on a Domingo Santana groundout. A Gregorio Petit walk loaded the bases, and then Kiké Hernandez laced a 1-1 pitch down the right field line to open the scoring. Andy Simunic would follow up with an RBI single to give the RedHawks a 3-0 lead.

Grossman drew a walk to begin the 7th and would come all the way around to score on a Torreyes double. Torreyes moved to 3rd on Jon Singleton's groundout and wound up scoring the final run of the afternoon on a wild pitch from Donnie Joseph. He added another double in the top of the 9th. Torreyes, Hernandez, and Simunic all had 2-hit days, while Grossman scored twice.

The RedHawks are headed home to kick off a 4-game series with Memphis. Jake Buchanan will get the start against Tim Cooney in the opener. First pitch is at 7:05.


Corpus Christi 6, San Antonio 3

W- Tommy Shirley (3-2)
L- John Hussey (1-1)
S- Jorge De Leon (2)

CC home runs: Marc Wik (1, 2-run in 6th)

The Hooks took a 2-1 lead in the 4-game set as the bullpen effectively backed up the reigning Pitcher of the Month, Tommy Shirley, who was alright himself. Also, in his first game outside of the Appalachian League, Marc Wik stole the show. Three safeties topped the field goal.

Shirley threw 5.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 3. Both runs came in the form of back-to-back homers from Kyle Gaedele (the grandnephew of Eddie Gaedel, the shortest baseball player ever) and Lee Orr (who's from Louise, the town after El Campo when you head south on 59) in the 3rd. All 3 hits that Shirley allowed went for extra-bases; Austin Hedges doubled off of him. He wasn't at his sharpest, but he was still effective enough.

Travis Ballew was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and got the final 2 outs of the 6th without incident. He did serve up a home run to Yeison Asencio to begin the 7th, but shook that off to retire the side, striking out 2. Pat Urckfitz worked around a single and an error to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1. Jorge De Leon finished it up with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out Gaedele to end it.

The Hooks got deuces in 3 innings. Joe Sclafani started things off by reaching on an error in the 1st, advanced to 3rd on another error, and scored the first run of the game on an Andrew Aplin force out. Later in the inning, Jio Mier added an RBI single. After Mier grounded out to begin the 4th, the catchers reached; Tyler Heineman walked and advanced to 3rd on a René Garcia double. Heineman scored on Marc Wik's groundout, and Sclafani brought Garcia home with a single. Wik would go on to deposit a 2-run homer onto the berm in left field in the 6th for the Hooks' final 2 runs. That was his first homer since August 21, 2012, when he was playing with Greeneville. Nolan Fontana and Preston Tucker had 2 hits apiece. Aplin was the only member of the starting 9+1 to not have a hit, but he did get an RBI on the force out in the 1st.

In the series finale, it appears that the tandem system will be back online, according to the Hooks' game notes from yesterday. Matt Heidenreich and Brady Rodgers will take on Josh Geer at 7:10.


Lake Elsinore 7, Lancaster 4

W- Joe Ross (3-2)
L- Lance McCullers (1-2)
S- Brandon Alger (1)

The JetHawks clawed their way back from an early 6-0 hole, but some missed opportunities prevented them from completing the comeback; they went 0-13 with runners in scoring position.

Lance McCullers only lasted 1.2 innings in this one, as he gave up 6 runs (5 earned) on 4 hits and walked 3. This was his first outing this season in which he failed to record a strikeout. Juan Minaya did an excellent job of picking McCullers up; he followed with 4.1 no-hit innings, walking 1 and striking out 7. Jamaine Cotton threw the final 2 innings and gave up a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1.

After a lull in the 3rd in which neither team scored, the JetHawks went on a little 4-0 run over the second third of the game. They got on the board with a pair in the 2nd; after Teoscar Hernandez beat out a bunt single, he scored on a Carlos Correa triple. Correa wound up scoring on a sac fly from Dan Gulbransen. Danry Vasquez led off the 5th with a double and would score 2 groundouts later. Hernandez and Correa led off the 6th with singles. They'd advance to 2nd and 3rd on a Rio Ruiz groundout, which really had some potential. However, all that came of that situation was a Gulbransen groundout that scored Hernandez. Correa finished 3-4, while Hernandez was 2-4 with 2 runs scored; he's on a 4-game hitting streak, and he's posted multiple hits in 3 of those 4. Danry Vasquez finished 2-4 with a run scored; both of his hits were doubles, and it was his 2nd straight 2-hit night.

Forgot to mention this, but this is a battle for 1st in the California League South. With the loss, Lancaster is now 2 games behind Lake Elsinore. Game 2 features another intriguing pitching matchup, as Josh Hader will face off against Zach Eflin. First pitch is at 6:05 Pacific.

Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 2

W- Brandon Bixler (2-1)
L- Chris Lee (0-1)
S- Hudson Boyd (5)

QC home runs: Chase McDonald (1, solo in 5th)

The River Bandits dropped the opener and were condemned to a 3rd straight loss as their bats were held in check. They only had 4 hits in this game; one of them was a solo homer by Chase McDonald (1) in the 5th. Brett Phillips led off the 6th by reaching on an error, and after advancing station-to-station, he would score on a Conrad Gregor fielder's choice. That run actually tied the game. However, the Kernels broke the tie with a 3-run top of the 8th.

Andrew Thurman went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Chris Lee was saddled with the loss; he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and walked 3 in 3 innings of work. Andrew Walter threw a scoreless 9th despite facing a bases-loaded situation. He allowed a pair of singles, walked 1, and struck out 2 in the frame.

The middle game of this series will be a morning/early afternoon game. Will there be a little OKC Matinee Magic in store for Quad Cities? Jandel Gustave will face Josue Montañez at 11 A.M.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster

3-4, 3B, RBI, R

2.

I spy Batman.

Enrique Hernandez, Utility, Oklahoma City

2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

1.

Marc Wik, OF, Corpus Christi

1-4, 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI; season debut

Honorable Mentions: Ronald Torreyes, Andy Simunic, Teoscar Hernandez, Danry Vasquez, Preston Tucker

Three Stars: Pitchers


3.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Juan Minaya, RHP, Lancaster 
4.1 IP, BB, 7 K

1 (tie). OKC 1-hitter, led by Studmuffin himself.

Mike Foltynewicz, RHP

W (3-2), 6 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 12 K

#471425789 / gettyimages.com

Paul Clemens, RHP

Save (1), 3 IP, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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

Oklahoma City 8, New Orleans 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corpus Christi 7, Springfield 6 in 11 innings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lancaster 4, San Jose 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lansing 5. Quad Cities 4

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

QC home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

Three Stars

3.

Jack Mayfield, 2B, Quad Cities

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

2.

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

Max Stassi, C, Oklahoma City

2-4, 3-R HR (1)

1.

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

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

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

Happy Birthday - 2/14

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Paul Clemens (26)
Originally drafted by Atlanta out of a community college in North Carolina in the seventh round in 2008, this South Carolina native came to Houston in the Michael Bourn trade in 2011. After one start in Oklahoma City in April, Clemens made his major league debut on April 9, 2013. In 35 appearances (five starts) in Houston, he was 4-7 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.473 WHIP.

Bullpen Coach Craig Bjornson (45)
After spending one season as a roving minor league pitching instructor for the Astros in 2013, Bjornson will return to the Astros as Bullpen Coach in 2013, a position he first held in 2012.

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

IF Larry Milbourne (63)
Drafted from the Cardinals in the 1973 Rule 5 draft, Milbourne played in 244 games for Houston from 1974 to 1976, hitting .245/.297/.282.

It Was a Very Big Year For ...

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

A couple weeks ago, I wrote this piece about a few position players for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR. This is something I heard time and again in my recent conversations with John Manuel of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and others. With the Astros depth increasing, players will need to step up to keep up. For some, it may be a matter of staying healthy. For some, it will be recapturing earlier promise. For some, it will be taking that next step developmentally. Today, let's look at a few pitchers whose ultimate fate in the organization may be either helped or hindered by the year they have.

RHP Paul Clemens
Going into the 2012 season, Paul Clemens was ranked as the number 5 prospect in the Astros system by Baseball America. Coming into the 2013 season, he is ranked at number 27. What happened? Clemens struggled in 20 starts at AAA Oklahoma City (6.73 ERA and 1.741 WHIP) before being demoted to Corpus Christi at the end of the season. Clemens has a great deal of talent and I don't think the 25-year old will be going anywhere even if he  has another subpar year in 2013. However, after seeing him pitch extremely effectively out of the bullpen in Kissimmee during Spring Training, I am convinced that he may eventually get moved in that direction unless he can start showing a more consistent and effective approach in his starts at the higher level.

UPDATE: Clemens made one appearance in Oklahoma City before making his major league debut on April 9th. He was used out of the bullpen with mixed results until struggles in July sent him back to Oklahoma City for a few games. When he got back to Houston, he was used as a starter in his final five appearances compiling a 3.71 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP in those games. As a reliever in Houston, his overall ERA was 6.32 with a 1.447 WHIP. When you back out his six appearances in July (when he was less than effective), that is lowered substantially to a 4.46 ERA and a 1.264 WHIP. None of those numbers are overwhelming one way or the other, but overall it was a decent season for a rookie. One thing I like about Clemens is that he always pitches like he's totally po'd at the world. Somehow, it works for him. Overall, though, I'm still a bit baffled by Clemens and I'm not sure where things will ultimately shake out for him, so I think it is safe to say that 2014 will be another big year for Paul.

RHP Josh Zeid
Josh Zeid is one of those guys that you cannot help but pull for. He is extremely nice and genuine, and he was probably one of the best teammates and biggest cheerleaders on the Hooks team last season. He also has excellent "stuff." What he doesn't have is consistency, but it is my sincerest belief that Zeid's lack of consistency is 99% mental. He needs to master the mental part of the game to get to the next level.

UPDATE: What a difference a season makes! After a solid season with Oklahoma City in which Zeid had a 3.50 ERA and a 1.443 WHIP, he was promoted to Houston where he made his major league debut on July 30th. After a couple of dicey outings early on, Zeid settled in very nicely and allowed only five earned runs in his last 18 appearances (and only one in his last nine outings) to end up with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.373 WHIP after the promotion. More importantly, he wasn't quite as prone to the BIG inning as he had been in 2012 and lowered his batting average allowed from .263 in 2012 to .238 in 2013. I would still like to see him cut back on his walks, but overall it was a good major league debut. When I posited my theory about Zeid's issues being primarily mental, a source told me that I was on to something and that he had seen a huge change in Zeid after his 2012 off-season marriage in that he seemed more relaxed and focused.

LHP Kyle Hallock
Hallock, the 10th round pick in 2011, had a very good freshman season with Tri-City that year but was largely ineffective in his seven appearances at Lexington. He ultimately had surgery to clean out loose bodies in his pitching elbow and was healthy enough to make five rehab appearances at the end of the season. If Hallock proves to be healthy and can recreate his excellent 2011 numbers, the 24-year old could open some eyes this season.

UPDATE: Hallock had a bit of an odd season and was moved five times among four levels. Overall, he did very well early in the season, but suffered in the latter couple of months. I'm only speculating, but I wonder if he was suffering from arm fatigue later in the season since his innings went from 30+ in 2012 (due to the surgery) to 96+ in 2013. Early in the season, Hallock pitched extremely well in Oklahoma City in nine appearances (3.72 ERA and 1.293 WHIP) and he pitched the first five innings of a combined no-hitter in Lancaster in May. But in 12 appearances in July and August at Lancaster and Corpus Christi, he had a whopping 13.35 ERA and a 2.629 WHIP. Whether this was due to fatigue or injury, I don't know, but the vast difference in the halves of the season seem to suggest something of the sort.

RHP Tanner Bushue
Drafted in the second round in 2009, Bushue took a giant step backward in his development in 2012 as he struggled badly at Lexington at the start of the season and was subsequently sent back to extended Spring Training. He ended up back in Greeneville where he made 16 appearances, all but one out of the bullpen, and ended with a 5.65 ERA, a 1.849 WHIP and 10.7 SO/9 at the level. He finished the season very strongly, however, with a 0.57 ERA, 0.894 WHIP and 13.2 SO/9 in August in seven long relief outings. There is still time for Bushue to get back on track as he will only be 22 in June, but coming into his fifth season in the system, he has a lot to prove and he will need to do so quickly and emphatically.

UPDATE: Bushue started off the season well in Tri-City, but did not dominate as he should have playing A-level ball in his fifth professional season. He ended the season with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.082 WHIP in 13 games (seven starts). In a footnote to a story about the Tri-City playoffs, the Albany Times Union reported that Bushue was retiring. And thus appears to end the professional career of the Astros second round pick from 2009 at the ripe old age of 22.

LHP Chris Lee
There are two reasons that the fourth round 2011 pick is probably not in danger of being released if he doesn't have a good season. He won't turn 21 until August and he's a lefty. Lefties always get extra looks. But with the infusion of left-handed pitching into the system by Jeff Luhnow and another draft imminent, he could find himself stuck back in Greeneville for his third season. If he can't find his way out of Greeneville and competing effectively at a higher level by the end of the season, all bets are off. Lee only pitched eight and two-thirds innings in five games in 2012 and had very poor results. He was never officially placed on the disabled list, but did not pitch again after July 26th.

UPDATE: This is my favorite story of the five pitchers profiled. Yes, he was back at Greeneville, but he dominated there. There is no reason to believe that he won't get a shot to play for full season Quad Cities in 2014. And if he pitches anything like he did this season, he should be successful. In 11 games (10 starts), he had a 3.10 ERA and a 1.095 WHIP. I had the opportunity to watch him pitch when I was in Greeneville and I can tell you that he really is an exciting player to watch. He is officially on my radar screen now. My interview with Lee (with copious quotes from Manager Josh Bonifay about Lee) can be found here.

Undoubtedly, 2013 will prove to be a BIG YEAR for many players in the Astros organization. These are just a few that I'm keeping my eye on.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday's Games

Greeneville Astros 6, Pulaski Mariners 5
Greeneville broke their losing skid on Saturday at four games. Jordan Mills (4-1) threw the first five innings and tallied the win, giving up two runs on three hits, walking one and K-ing three. Austin Chrismon earned his first ever save after throwing the final four frames. Chrismon had to work for it, allowing three runs, including a homer in the ninth, four hits, two walks as he struck out four. Angel Ibanez was the only Astro with more than one hit in the game, batting two-for-three with a double, two runs scored, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout. Brian Holberton batted one-for-three with a pair of RBI, a double and a walk.

GCL Pirates 2, GCL Astros 3

This game was tied in the sixth and the Astros went on to win it in the bottom of the ninth after Jose Fernandez (2X4 R 2B) and Ydarqui Marte (1X2 2B 2RBI BB) hit back-to-back doubles. Marte's was good for the win, in walk off fashion, at home. Luis Ordosgoitti started on the hill for the Astros and through five only allowed a hit, walking a pair and striking out three. Matt Heidenreich picked up his first blown save after allowing two runs that tied the game in the sixth. Zachary Dando (1-1) pitched the final two frames and left with the win, not giving up a hit, walking one and striking out two. Jose Solano (1X3 RBI BB SO) knocked in the first run of the game in the third with an RBI single, his 28th RBI of the season.

DSL Astros 5, DSL Rays 3

The DSL Astros scored three runs in the fourth and pulled away for what would be a win a Saturday. Four Rays errors on the night and two in the fourth inning would help them. Harold Arauz (4-0) tossed the first six innings and earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits as he struck out three. Angel Heredia collected his 12th save after working the final two frames. Heredia recorded a run, three hits and four Ks, retiring the final five in order. Kristian Trompiz was the only player with multiple hits, batting two-for-five and Alexander Melendez (1X3 R 2B 2RBI BB) recorded the only Astros extra base hit of the game and stole second and third base in the three-run fourth. [Note from Jayne: The DSL team held on until a week left to play in the season before being eliminated from playoff contention and are poised to put up a winning record for the season, a far cry from their 22-47 record in 2012. Well done!!!]

Tri-City ValleyCats 6, Staten Island Yankees 3

Tri-City had the lead the entire game and their four runs in the seventh was just icing on the cake of their third win in a row. No ValleyCat had more than one hit and only one recorded and extra base hit on Saturday. To start the seventh inning, three of the first four batters drew walks, loading the bases. Tyler White (1X4 R 2RBI) then hit a single, bringing two runs home. The final two runs of the inning scored on a fielding error and wild pitch. Troy Scribner (1-1) threw five and a third, coming on for the last out of the third, and tallied the win. Scribner allowed a run on four hits, walked one and struck out eight along the way. Tyler Brunnemann was awarded his first save after taking over for the last two outs of the game. Charles Basford began the inning, but quickly gave up two runs before Brunnemann entered to retire the final two batters in order.

Burlington Bees 6, Quad Cities River Bandits 4

Quad Cities moved to five losses in a row after this game on Saturday. Joe Bircher (3-3) was on the hill for the first five frames and would take the loss after giving up five runs, 10 hits and a walk during his shift. Carlos Correa was on fire at the plate as the only River Bandit with multiple hits. Correa hit three-for-three in the game with two doubles, an RBI, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base.

High Desert Mavericks 13, Lancaster JetHawks 9

13 proved to be very unlucky for Lancaster on Saturday, representing the runs scored against them in the loss. Even after a six-run eighth inning, Lancaster was still short five runs for the tie. Jesse Wierzbicki (1X5 R HR 3RBI SO) and Dan Gulbransen (1X5 R HR RBISO) were part of the offense in the eighth, hitting back-to-back home runs for the first three ticks of their run in the inning. MP Cokinos (2X5 R 2RBI) added a couple RBI to his total in the eighth with an RBI single. Carlos Perdomo went three-for-three in the game, scoring two runs and drawing a walk. Brady Rodgers started and collected the loss after five and two-thirds innings on the bump. Rodgers was charged with six runs (5 ER) on 12 hits, two walks while he struck out seven.

Corpus Christi Hooks 3, Arkansas Travelers 9

The Hooks allowed all nine runs through the first three innings and spent the rest of the game trying to catch up. After a single in the fourth, Hooks pitchers didn't allow any more hits or walks in the game, although four Arkansas batters reached after being hit by pitches in that time. Kyle Hallock (0-3) picked up the loss after working the first two frames. Hallock allowed seven runs on seven hits (2HR), walked two and struck out one. Kiké Hernandez went three-for-four batting with two runs scored, two doubles and a walk. Raoul Torrez (2X4 2RBI BB SO), Domingo Santana (2X2 2B BB) and Drew Muren (2X4 R SO) all had two hits in the game.

Albuquerque Isotopes 1, Oklahoma City RedHawks 5

After allowing an unearned run in the first, the RedHawks went on to shutout Albuquerque for the rest of the game, picking up their third win in a row. Giving up just a pair of singles in the fourth and ninth innings after that. Starter Paul Clemens (3-1) picked up the win, going six and two-thirds, allowing the unearned run, two hits, walking three and striking out six. Brandon Laird (2X4 R), Jimmy Paredes (2X3 RBB SO) and Che-Hsuan Lin (2X4 R SO) all had two hits in the game and scored runs, but Carlos Perez led the offensive charge, batting two-for-three with a run scored, a double, two RBI and one strikeout.   

Player of the Day: Three players, Carlos Correa, Carlos Perdomo and Kiké Hernandez share the crown today. All three were on fire yesterday at the plate and perhaps more impressive, between the three—not one strikeout.

Pitcher of the Day: Paul Clemens pitched well Saturday and is taking the honor today because of it. Austin Chrismon also gets a mention for his first career save, a four inning affair. [Note from Jayne: I'm giving Luis Ordosgoitti an honorable mention in his rehab start with the GCL. I've always been a fan of Ordosgoitti and I'm happy to see him healthy and pitching well again.]

Roster Moves

I missed this Baseball America transaction post from over the weekend. Apparently, Kyle Weiland is NOT a figment of our imagination:

Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Murilo Gouvea, RHP Chia-Jen Lo, RHP Kyle Weiland, LHP Sergio Escalona, LHP Kenny Long, C Max Stassi, 3B Andy Simunic, 3B Brandon Wikoff, OF Grant Hogue, OF Telvin Nash

In addition, RHP Edgar Gonzalez was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays and 2B/LF Ruben Sosa was assigned to Oklahoma City.

Rumors have been floating about Paul Clemens coming to Houston, but nothing official has been announced by the team.

UPDATES:

• RHP Paul Clemens is indeed headed to Seattle to join the team as RHP Josh Fields goes on the DL with forearm tightness.
• RHP Ross Seaton is being sent to Oklahoma City from Corpus Christi.
• RHP Carlos Quevedo is being sent to Corpus Christi from Lancaster.
• RHP Michael Dimock is headed from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities.
• According to Daniel Makarewicz (who covers the Quad Cities team), RHP Jordan Jankowski is being sent from Quad Cities back to Extended Spring Training.
• LHP Tommy Shirley activated from the temporary inactive list for Lancaster.

This is Going to be a Very Big Year For ...

A couple weeks ago, I wrote this piece about a few position players for whom THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR. This is something I heard time and again in my recent conversations with John Manuel of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and others. With the Astros depth increasing, players will need to step up to keep up. For some, it may be a matter of staying healthy. For some, it will be recapturing earlier promise. For some, it will be taking that next step developmentally. Today, let's look at a few pitchers whose ultimate fate in the organization may be either helped or hindered by the year they have.

RHP Paul Clemens
Going into the 2012 season, Paul Clemens was ranked as the number 5 prospect in the Astros system by Baseball America. Coming into the 2013 season, he is ranked at number 27. What happened? Clemens struggled in 20 starts at AAA Oklahoma City (6.73 ERA and 1.741 WHIP) before being demoted to Corpus Christi at the end of the season. Clemens has a great deal of talent and I don't think the 25-year old will be going anywhere even if he  has another subpar year in 2013. However, after seeing him pitch extremely effectively out of the bullpen in Kissimmee during Spring Training, I am convinced that he may eventually get moved in that direction unless he can start showing a more consistent and effective approach in his starts at the higher level.

RHP Josh Zeid
Josh Zeid is one of those guys that you cannot help but pull for. He is extremely nice and genuine, and he was probably one of the best teammates and biggest cheerleaders on the Hooks team last season. He also has excellent "stuff." What he doesn't have is consistency, but it is my sincerest belief that Zeid's lack of consistency is 99% mental. He needs to master the mental part of the game to get to the next level.

LHP Kyle Hallock
Hallock, the 10th round pick in 2011, had a very good freshman season with Tri-City that year but was largely ineffective in his seven appearances at Lexington. He ultimately had surgery to clean out loose bodies in his pitching elbow and was healthy enough to make five rehab appearances at the end of the season. If Hallock proves to be healthy and can recreate his excellent 2011 numbers, the 24-year old could open some eyes this season.

RHP Tanner Bushue
Drafted in the second round in 2009, Bushue took a giant step backward in his development in 2012 as he struggled badly at Lexington at the start of the season and was subsequently sent back to extended Spring Training. He ended up back in Greeneville where he made 16 appearances, all but one out of the bullpen, and ended with a 5.65 ERA, a 1.849 WHIP and 10.7 SO/9 at the level. He finished the season very strongly, however, with a 0.57 ERA, 0.894 WHIP and 13.2 SO/9 in August in seven long relief outings. There is still time for Bushue to get back on track as he will only be 22 in June, but coming into his fifth season in the system, he has a lot to prove and he will need to do so quickly and emphatically.

LHP Christopher Lee
There are two reasons that the fourth round 2011 pick is probably not in danger of being released if he doesn't have a good season. He won't turn 21 until August and he's a lefty. Lefties always get extra looks. But with the infusion of left-handed pitching into the system by Jeff Luhnow and another draft imminent, he could find himself stuck back in Greeneville for his third season. If he can't find his way out of Greeneville and competing effectively at a higher level by the end of the season, all bets are off. Lee only pitched eight and two-thirds innings in five games in 2012 and had very poor results. He was never officially placed on the disabled list, but did not pitch again after July 26th.

Undoubtedly, 2013 will prove to be a BIG YEAR for many players in the Astros organization. These are just a few that I'm keeping my eye on.

Spring Training Update With Some Personal Observations

The story of this win over the Nationals was pitching. The pitching looked quite good overall. Humber allowed only one hit and one walk in four scoreless innings. Dallas Keuchel cruised through two innings before a leadoff double and a fielding error ended his day in his third inning of work. And Paul Clemens? Wow! More about him later. Both of the Martinez brothers looked good at the plate with Fernando winning the day as he went 2-for-2 with a double and scored a run. Chris Carter also doubled and Jason Castro drove in two with a well-timed, well-placed single.

I was at yesterday's game and I had the opportunity to sit next to a scout. I started by sneaking peaks at his radar gun and I can tell you that Humber was sitting 90-91 on his fastball and hitting 94 in spots. Then I finally had the temerity to actually say something to the scout which, in retrospect, probably seemed somewhat naughty as I alluded to the size of his gun. Thankfully, he didn't take the comment the wrong way (or maybe he did) and we struck up a conversation that lasted through the last several innings.

The scout doesn't work for the Astros so I felt that his assessments were fairly honest. He started out by saying that he had been surprised thus far by what he'd seen of the Astros offense and noted that he thought that the key for the Astros would be to get enough pitching out of the staff to keep the team in games, allowing the offense to get the team a few more wins than people may expect from the Astros.

The scout liked Humber but observed that he was relying too heavily on a fastball/changeup repertoire and needed to get his breaking ball across for strikes. He really liked Dallas Keuchel and said that he reminded him of Wandy Rodriguez in that he wouldn't blow anyone away but he mixed his pitches well, located well and kept the hitters off-balance. When Keuchel struck out the Nationals Corey Brown in the sixth, there was a murmur of appreciation from the scouts around me for the curveball that put him away.

But the real eye-opener for me was Paul Clemens. I missed the first batter as Clemens allowed a single, but I  was back in place in time to see Clemens strike out the next three. When I sat down the scout asked me, "Is that your closer?" I responded in the negative and then asked what Clemens was hitting on the radar gun. The scout responded 96-97. I looked at him to make sure that he wasn't kidding me and he said, "That's why I asked if he was your closer." Clemens then proceeded to sit about 94 on his fastball, hitting a couple of notches higher than that on occasion and then followed up with a 78-79 changeup. The final hitter was so off-balance that he struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt. It was a very impressive performance.

I talked to Bo Porter after the game about Clemens and he said, "Clemens was outstanding. He's a starter by trade, but you get (to) Spring Training and there's only so many guys that can start the game so he's found himself coming out of the bullpen and he's done a tremendous job this entire spring."

I've written previously about the crowd of starting pitchers that will be jockeying for position at AA and AAA after Spring Training and the relative lack of experienced bullpen arms at those levels. After a very tough season for Clemens in 2012, he may have found a way to fulfill his earlier promise as a late-inning bullpen option. It will be interesting to see how things shake out for him.

Spring Training Record: 6-5-2

Spring Training Game 13 Results: Astrose, 4, Nationals 2
Game 13 Minor League Standouts: Paul Clemens

Spring Training Game 14:
Braves at Astros at 12:05 CST (Radio and CSN)
Robert Ford is out for a couple of games and Milo Hamilton is taking over in the radio booth. Apparently, Milo got pranked into wishing "Hugh Jazz" a happy 36th birthday during Thursday's broadcast. Sigh.

SPRING TRAINING RESULTS
Spring Training Game 1 Results: Astros 8, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 2 Results: Astros 7, Mets 7
Spring Training Game 3 Results: Cardinals 10, Astros 2
Spring Training Game 4 Results: Rays 7, Astros (SS) 2 in six innings
Spring Training Game 5 Results: Astros (SS) 9, Detroit 4
Spring Training Game 6 Results: Astros 10, Blue Jays 1
Spring Training Game 7 Results: Astros 7, Yankees 6
Spring Training Game 8 Results: Astros 8, Cardinals 8
Spring Training Game 9 Results: Astros 6, Braves 5
Spring Training Game 10 Results: Pirates 8, Astros 6
Spring Training Game 11 Results: Tigers 8, Astros 5
Spring Training Game 12 Results: Nationals 7, Astros 1

Happy Birthday - 2/14

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Paul Clemens (25)
Originally drafted by Atlanta out of a community college in North Carolina in the seventh round in 2008, this South Carolina native came to Houston in the Michael Bourn trade in 2011. In 20 starts with AAA Oklahoma City to start the 2012 season, he was 8-8 with a 6.73 ERA and a 1.741 WHIP. He ended the season back at AA Corpus Christi where he was 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.248 WHIP in seven starts.

Happy Birthday to Craig Bjornson, roving pitching instructor for the Astros, who turns 44 today.

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

IF Larry Milbourne (62)
Drafted from the Cardinals in the 1973 Rule 5 draft, Milbourne played in 244 games for Houston from 1974 to 1976, hitting .245/.297/.282.

Corpus Christi Hooks Season Recap

So far we have looked at the seasons for the DSL Astros, the GCL Astros, the Greeneville Astros, the Lexington Legends, and the Oklahoma City Redhawks. Now let's take a look at the AA Corpus Christi Hooks. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.

2011 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 50-90/.357
2012 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 81-59/.579

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 605 - 761 = (156)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 736 - 628 = 108

2011 Team ERA & WHIP: 5.01 & 1.460
2012 Team ERA & WHIP: 4.07 & 1.332

2011 Team Batting Line: .258/.320/.388
2012 Team Batting Line: .268/.342/.410

This team not only won 31 more games than last season, they also had a 264-run swing in their run differential and made their first post-season appearance since 2006. I knew they would be a better team than last season, but Wow! In the Texas League, Corpus ranked first (out of eight teams) in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, hits, doubles and RBI.

Let's look at just a few of the outstanding position players for the Corpus team.

1B Jon Singleton finished the regular season hitting .284/.396/.497 with 27 doubles, four triples and 21 home runs. He was second in the league in walks and runs, and in the top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs and RBI.

The triumverate of 2B Jose Martinez, OF Austin Wates and OF Jake Goebbert tied for fourth in the league in batting average. Martinez' .304/.362/.464 was good enough to land him in the top 10 in the league in SLG and OPS, and although he was at Oklahoma City for the final 23 games of the season, he was still in the top 10 in runs and RBI. Wates was tenth in the league in OBP with a batting line of .304/.375/.429. Goebbert quietly went about hitting fourth in the league in OBP, sixth in OPS and eighth in SLG as he hit .304/.399/.473 with 23 doubles, six triples and nine home runs. 3B Andy Simunic (.297/.349/.345) also ranked in the top 10 in batting average.

I will look at CF George Springer and 2B Kike Hernandez when I look at the Lancaster team since they played the majority of the season there, and we'll see how their stats stacked up in the California League.

Other players of note include SS Ben Orloff who only played in 39 games for the Hooks after playing the bulk of the season in Lancaster. He hit .295/.360/.352 at Corpus and .288/.362/.316 at Lancaster. And OF Drew Locke, playing in 68 games for the Hooks after a June pick-up, hit .295/.347/.456 and, it should be noted, provided the fans with a little extra excitement as he hit grand slams in back-to-back games.

As far as pitchers go, there were several very good pitchers for Corpus Christi who were promoted to Oklahoma City (Jarred Cosart, Jose Cisnero and Brett Oberholtzer) and I looked at their seasons in conjunction with the Oklahoma City season recap. However, one other starter at Corpus who came into his own this season was RHP Ross Seaton. Seaton was young for the Texas League last season. It showed at times and he repeated the level. In 25 starts for the Hooks this season, he was 8-8 with a 4.07 ERA (11th in the league among qualified pitchers) and a 1.274 WHIP (tied for 6th) and was also 7th in strikeouts. He dipped a toe in with four starts at Oklahoma City and was 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP in those starts.

The relief corps was dominated by the one-two punch of LHP Kevin Chapman and RHP Jason Stoffel who pitched many an eighth and ninth innings for the Hooks with great results. Chapman was 6-3 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.397 WHIP in 49 appearances while Stoffel was 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA, a 0.982 WHIP and a league-leading 27 saves in 56 appearances.

In limited time for the Hooks, newcomers RHP Asher Wojciechowski and RHP Matt Heidenreich had good results. Wojciechowski was 2-2 in eight starts with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.008 WHIP while Heidenreich was 3-1 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.340 WHIP in eight games (seven starts). RHP Paul Clemens also fared well in his return to Corpus, after struggling in Oklahoma City this season, as he went 3-2 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.248 WHIP in seven starts to end the season. I will look at RHP Bobby Doran in conjunction with the Lancaster recap.

Although the playoffs were disappointing, LHP Rob Rasmussen's performance was outstanding as he pitched seven shutout innings with a 1.143 WHIP.

I will look at the final two teams, Lancaster and Tri-City, when they finish post-season play.

Minor League Schedule and Results

SATURDAY'S GAMES

DSL Astros at DSL Mariners at 9:30 a.m. CST

Rome at Lexington at 6:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Greg Ross (0-3, 5.93) and LHP Evan Grills (1-0, 3.75)*
Available on MiLB.tv

*MiLB is still showing Evan Grills to start, but I asked him about it yesterday and he said it was doubtful since he had pitched in the 14-inning affair on Thursday. He only pitched to one batter, though, so who knows.

Corpus Christi at Springfield at 6:08 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Jake Buchanan (2-4, 5.22) and RHP Trevor Rosenthal (4-4, 2.72)

Iowa at Oklahoma City at 7:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: TBD and RHP Aneury Rodriguez (2-5, 6.15)
Available on MiLB.tv

Rancho Cucamonga at Lancaster at 9:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Brandon Martinez (1-1, 3.43) and RHP Tyson Perez (3-1, 3.90)

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

Lexington over Rome 4-1
Nick Tropeano (W, 4-3) pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts before giving way to Dayan Diaz who pitched 2.1 innings. Diaz was cruising along through two outs in the eighth when he apparently forgot how to pitch and walked three consecutive batters. Exit Diaz. Enter Jason Chowning. Bases loaded? Meh. Not a problem as Chowning gets a quick ground out, retires the side in the ninth and records his tenth save. All in a day's work, ma'am. John Hinson got the start at 2B as Delino DeShields took the night off and made the most of it, going three-for-four with two RBIs, a stolen base and a run scored. Justin Gominsky was two-for-four with an RBI and Roberto Pena had two hits on the night as well.

Corpus Christi over Arkansas 3-1
Brett Oberholtzer (W, 3-3) allowed one unearned run on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts over six innings as Corpus Christi swept the series against Arkansas. Oberholtzer has shown what he can do with several good starts. Now he needs to start showing some consistency. But I digress. Henry Villar and Josh Zeid (S, 1) took it the rest of the way with scoreless relief. Jon Singleton hit his 11th home run of the season; he has hit six home runs in his last eight games. Austin Wates was three-for-three with an RBI and a walk.

Oklahoma City over Nashville 5-3
Oklahoma City took the lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back as they too swept the opposing team. Paul Clemens (W, 6-4) has now won four of his last five games. In seven innings, he gave up one run (a solo home run) on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Juan Abreu was perfect in relief before giving way to Adalberto Flores who gave up two runs on three hits in the ninth. Except for a solo home run by Brian Bixler, most of the scoring came via small ball, smart baserunning and taking advantage of mistakes. Brad Snyder went two-for-three with a walk, RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

GAME OF THE DAY
Lancaster over Visalia 15-4

What went right: Great starting pitching and some insane offensive performances.

I am definitely sensing a theme here as Lancaster swept Visalia and got back to a tie for second place in their division. Bobby Doran (W, 5-3) had another fine start and lowered his ERA to 3.31 with the effort. Brad Dydalewicz gave up three runs in relief followed by a scoreless 1.1 innings from Brian Streilein. But the pitching staff had a lot of leeway as Lancaster scored 11 runs in the fifth inning as 14 batters came to the plate. Erik Castro and Kike Hernandez both had monster nights with ten RBIs between them. Castro hit his 9th home run of the season, a three run shot and Hernandez hit an RBI single, an RBI double and an RBI triple.

Bobby Doran - 6IP 5H 1R 2BB 3SO
Brad Dydalewicz - 1.2IP 6H 3R 1BB 2SO
Brian Streilein - 1.1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1SO

George Springer - 1x5 BB SO 3R
Erik Castro - 3x5 HR 6RBI BB SO 3R
Kike Hernandez - 3x5 2B 3B 4RBI 2R
Alex Todd - 2x5 RBI SO R
Rene Garcia - 2x5 2RBI R
Grant Hogue - 3x5 RBI SO 2R

What went wrong: Telvin Nash had an 0-fer, but he still managed to get two walks.

PITCHERS OF THE DAY
I'm going to do something different today. In a rare confluence of events, all four of the Astros minor league starting pitchers got wins last night on strong performances. So my pitchers of the day are Nick Tropeano, Brett Oberholtzer, Paul Clemens and Bobby Doran. I'm sure they won't mind sharing.

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Erik Castro and Kike Hernandez can share this one as well. Between them, they were six-for-ten with three walks, a double, a triple, a home run, ten RBIs and five runs scored.

Minor League Schedule and Results

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Hagerstown at Lexington at 12:35 CST
Probable Pitchers: TBD
Available on MiLB.tv

Frisco at Corpus Christi at 1:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Justin Grimm (6-1, 1.60) and RHP Jarred Cosart (1-2, 2.84)
Available on MiLB.tv

Tucson at Oklahoma City at 2:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Josh Geer (2-3, 8.65) and RHP Aneury Rodriguez (1-3, 4.97)
Available on MiLB.tv

Lancaster - Off Day

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Hagerstown over Lexington 7-5
The 19-year old RHP Luis Ordosgoitti got his second start for Lexington, pitching four innings and giving up three runs while recording six strikeouts (all swinging). Evan Grills gave up two runs in 3.1 innings of long relief and Jason Chowning's ERA finally includes a number other than zero as he gave up two solo home runs in 1.2 innings of relief and was charged with the loss. Chan Moon was 2x4 with an RBI; Mike Kvasnicka hit a solo home run (his third of the season); and Zach Johnson added two more RBI's to his already gaudy total (he leads the South Atlantic League with 37 in 33 games). Lexington falls back below .500 with the loss.

Frisco over Corpus Christi 2-1 in 12 innings
Jack Buchanan pitched a very strong 7.2 innings giving up 6 hits and one run via a solo home run while walking two and striking out one. He was followed by Wes Musick who walked two and didn't record an out. Josh Zeid, Kevin Chapman and Jason Stoffel all provided scoreless relief. Alex Sogard pitched the 12th inning and was pegged with the loss. Again, Corpus wasn't able to get many hits (seven over 12 innings). No one had more than one hit and only Brandon Barnes and Jair Fernandez managed to get extra base hits (doubles). Jose Martinez walked twice. T.J. Steele was 0x4 with a strikeout and is now hitting .136; he is, however, reportedly batting .500 against the dugout water cooler.

Oklahoma City over Tucson 6-5
After a simply dreadful outing last time around, Paul Clemens (W, 3-3) came back and pitched a gem, going seven innings with three hits, no runs, no walks and six strikeouts. But that great start almost went for nothing as Mickey Storey and Enerio del Rosario combined to allow five runs in the eighth inning. Jose Valdez pitched a hitless ninth for his seventh save. Mike Hessman was 2x4 with a home run; Jimmy Paredes was 2x4 with two RBI's; and Fernando Martinez and Landon Powell both had two-hit nights as well.

GAME OF THE DAY
Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 8-4

What went right: A walk off grand slam by Domingo Santana

Jorge de Leon got his second start of the season while Zach Grimmett worked in relief. Since Grimmett has been the least effective of the regular starters at Lancaster, I wonder if this move to the bullpen may be permanent. Brian Streilein and Kirk Clark decided to make things a little interesting in the eighth inning allowing Lake Elsinore to tie things up, but Domingo Santana came to the rescue in the bottom of the ninth hitting a walk-off grand slam to get Clark the win. Erik Castro also had a terrific night at the plate, going 3x4 with two doubles and two RBI's. He has quietly put together a very nice season for himself and is currently hitting .333. The win puts Lancaster back to just one game below .500.

Jorge de Leon - 3IP 3H 0R 1BB 3SO
Zachary Grimmett - 3IP 6H 2R 1BB
Brian Streilein - 1.1IP 2H 2R 1SO
Kirk Clark (BS, 2)(W, 2-1) - 1.2IP 1H

Ben Orloff - 2x4 BB 2R
Domingo Santana - 1x5 HR 5RBI 2SO R
Erik Castro - 2x4 2-2B 2RBI SO
Kike Hernandez - 2x4 SO
Rene Garcia - 2x4 2-2B R

What went wrong: George Springer was hit by a pitch on the hand and then, as a baserunner, was hit in the back by an errant throw. According to Jason Schwartz's recap on MiLB.com, Springer was then taken out as a precaution. Let's hope that's the case and that Springer won't miss any more time than today's scheduled day off.


PITCHER OF THE DAY
Paul Clemens gets the nod for a great comeback outing.

PLAYER OF THE DAY
A walk-off grand slam and five RBI's? Domingo Santana, come on down!

Roster Moves - 4/28

OKC
RHP Paul Clemens was activated from the DL.
RHP Adalberto Flores was assigned from CC to OKC.
LHP Brett Oberholtzer was assigned from CC to OKC.

CC
RHP Josh Zeid was activated from the DL.'
LHP Alex Sogard was assigned from LAN to CC.

The corresponding move for activating Jordan Lyles from OKC to Houston will have to be made today.

Roster Moves

CC/OKC
RHP Ross Seaton was assigned from CC to OKC.

Seaton was sent to OKC to make a spot start in place of Paul Clemens who was recently put on the DL with back spasms.  I do not expect Seaton to remain at AAA beyond the necessary recovery time for Clemens.

Roster Moves - 4/18

OKC
OF Brad Snyder was activated from the 7-day DL.
RHP Paul Clemens was placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to 4/16.

Happy Birthday - 2/14

RHP Paul Clemens (24)
Originally drafted by Atlanta out of a community college in North Carolina in the 7th round in 2008, this South Carolina native came to Houston in the Michael Bourn trade in 2011.  In 20 starts in the Atlanta minor league system in 2011, Clemens was 6-5 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP.  After the trade, he was 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA and a 1.141 WHIP at Corpus Christi before getting one not-so-good start at OKC at the end of the season.

Astros Bullpen Coach Craig Bjornson (43)
Pitched in the Houston minor league system from 1991 to 1993

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

IF Larry Milbourne (61)
Played in 244 games for Houston from 1974 to 1976

WTH 25-Man Roster

The 17th player selected to the What the Heck 25-Man Roster was RHP Paul Clemens.  Also receiving votes were Luis Ordosgoitti, Nick Tropeano, Vincent Velasquez, Tommy Shirley, Kyle Hallock, Adrian Houser, Tanner Bushue, Ross Seaton and Brandt Walker.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go  here.)

Coming Monday - Let's pick our 5th infielder.