WTHB Under-the-Radar Roster: Pitchers

I have woefully neglected my WTHB Under-the-Radar Roster. It's been two months since I checked in with them! Let's take a look at their progress ... pitchers today and position players tomorrow (I hope).

STARTING PITCHERS:

RHP Chris Devenski

7-4 with 2 saves in 22 games (15 starts) for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks
2.80 ERA and 1.244 WHIP in 109.1 IP (31 BB:92 SO)

The bad news is that Devenski had a terrible July, allowing over twice as many earned runs across in that one month as he had in the rest of the months combined! The good news is that he has been largely back on track in August. The best news is that his dominant performances earlier in the season led to his inclusion on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Astros prospect list where he is currently ranked as Number 18.

LHP Evan Grills - 7-day DL

3-5 in 13 games (9 starts) for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks
7.20 ERA and 1.667 WHIP in 45.0 IP (16 BB:36 SO)

Grills briefly came off the DL to pitch one inning on July 3rd and was promptly placed back on the disabled list where he remains. His numbers at The Hangar, Lancaster's home ballpark, were simply awful -- a 10.72 ERA and a 2.162 WHIP as compared to a 3.63 ERA and a 1.119 WHIP on the road. Let's hope that the road Grills shows up when he is activated from the DL.

LHP Bryan Radziewski 7-day DL

5-6 with 2 saves in 5 games (3 starts) for the Low A Quad Cities River Bandits and 18 games (14 starts) for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks (promoted on 5/8)
3.48 ERA and 1.264 WHIP in 106 IP (41 BB:97 SO)

Radziewski has adjusted to Lancaster reasonably well and has a respectable 3.86 ERA and a 1.357 WHIP with the JetHawks. He has also fared better on the road where he is 3-3 with a 2.26 ERA and a 1.190 WHIP in 59.2 innings. He was just placed on the DL retroactive to 8-23

RHP Troy Scribner

2-5 in 25 games (12 starts) for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks
5.55 ERA and 1.511 WHIP in 94 IP (53 BB:104 SO)

Scribner has lacked consistency this season but, other than a tough outing last week against Inland Empire, has been showing more progress on that front over his last several outings.

RHP Kyle Westwood

9-6 with 3 saves in 23 games (16 starts) for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks
4.58 ERA and 1.421 WHIP in 114 IP (23 BB:59 SO)

Westwood hasn't been able to really break out this season and his high batting average allowed is going to be a problem for him if he can't manage to miss more bats going forward.

STARTING RESERVES:

RHP Mike Hauschild

11-4 with 1 save in 10 games (8 starts) for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks and 12 games (12 starts) for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies (promoted 6/14)
3.33 ERA and 1.216 WHIP in 121.2 IP (28 BB:97 SO)

Hauschild has been a true success story this season. He currently leads the Astros minor leagues in innings pitched and has had an excellent month of August in Fresno, going 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.013 WHIP in four starts.

Mike Hauschild - May 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

LHP Brian Holmes 7-day DL

7-7 with 1 save in 7 games (4 starts) for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks and 15 games (14 starts) for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks (promoted 5/18)
4.35 ERA and 1.399 WHIP in 99.1 IP (38 BB:113 SO)

Holmes has struggled of late and was put on the DL 8-16.

BULLPEN:

RHP Tyler Brunnemann

4-1 with 5 saves in 38 appearances for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks and 2 appearances for the Corpus Christi Hooks (promoted 8-20)
3.71 ERA and 1.302 WHIP in 63 IP (24 BB:71 SO)

Allowing only one run in his final 9 appearances for Lancaster likely led to Brunnemann's recent promotion to Corpus Christi.

RHP Jordan Jankowski

8-3 with 3 saves in 50 appearances for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies
3.54 ERA and 1.464 WHIP in 56 IP (31 BB:69 SO)

Jankowski has had a particularly good August thus far, going 3-0 with 2 saves in 8 appearances. During that span, he has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.808 WHIP, walking 3 and striking out 15 in 8.2 innings of work. He has not allowed a home run this season.

Jordan Jankowski - May 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

LHP Mitch Lambson - Traded to the Braves 7/6

2-1 in 11 appearances for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks and 13 appearances for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies (promoted 5/23)
2.60 ERA and 1.125 WHIP in 34.2 IP (9 BB:30 SO)

RHP Tyson Perez

1-3 with 6 saves in 3 appearances for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks and 39 appearances for the AAA Fresno Grizzles (promoted 4/21)
2.45 ERA and 0.986 WHIP in 47.2 IP (13 BB:34 SO)

Perez has not allowed an earned run in his last 9 appearances.

RHP Eric Peterson

6-4 with 6 saves in 31 appearances for the Low A Quad Cities River Bandits
2.91 ERA and 1.365 WHIP in 55.2 IP (22 BB:69 SO)

Peterson has had a very nice August with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.900 WHIP in his six appearances.

LHP Tommy Shirley - 7-day DL

3-1 in 11 games (7 starts) for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies
3.07 ERA and 1.049 WHIP in 41 IP (11 BB:37 SO)

I originally listed Shirley as a reliever on this roster because he has been used as both a starter and a reliever; however, his last three appearances were in a starting capacity. Unfortunately, those three outings were followed by a stint on the DL. He has not pitched since May 29th.

RHP Ryan Thompson

4-2 with 5 saves in 38 appearances for the Low A Quad Cities River Bandits and 1 appearance for the High A Lancaster JetHawks (promoted 8-25)
2.89 ERA and 1.089 WHIP in 56 IP (15 BB:55 SO)

Thompson had a 1.31 ERA and a 0.823 WHIP in 15 appearances for Quad Cities in July and August prior to his promotion.

BULLPEN RESERVES:

LHP Albert Minnis

3-4 with 2 saves in 6 appearances for the Low A Quad Cities River Bandits and 27 appearances for the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks (promoted first of May)
3.78 ERA and 1.376 WHIP in 52.1 IP (18 BB:46 SO)

Minnis bounced back from a very bad June to put up respectable numbers in July and August. He is the exception to the rule in that his home splits at the Hangar are actually better than his road splits.

RHP Daniel Minor - Released
0-1 in 7 appearances for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks
3.48 ERA and 1.355 WHIP in 10.1 IP (7 BB:8 SO)

Minor was the victim of the depth of the Astros minor league system. There simply weren't enough innings to go around (particularly when the starting rotation was performing well), and Minor found himself to be the odd man out.

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For background information on these players and more information regarding their selection, see my prior posts on Pitchers and Position Players.

Astros Minor League Snapshot: Pitching Standouts

Checking in on the Astros minor league pitching standouts for the season to date (ERA 3.00 or under and WHIP under 1.200):

STARTERS
RHP Chris Devenski: 0.53 ERA  0.882 WHIP  34IP
RHP Lance McCullers: 0.62 ERA  0.897 WHIP  29IP
RHP Daniel Mengden: 1.07 ERA  1.010 WHIP 33.2IP
RHP Joe Musgrove: 1.30 ERA  1.010 WHIP 34.2IP
LHP Bryan Radziewski: 1.41 ERA  0.969 WHIP 32IP
LHP Brian Holmes: 2.37 ERA  0.923 WHIP 30.1IP
RHP Austin Chrismon: 2.65 ERA  1.147 WHIP 34IP

RELIEVERS (minimum 15IP)
RHP Keegan Yuhl: 0.93 ERA  0.879 WHIP 19.1IP
RHP Ryan Thompson: 1.40 ERA  0.983 WHIP 19.1IP
RHP Travis Ballew: 1.47 ERA  0.927 WHIP 18.1IP
LHP Chris Cotton: 1.54 ERA  1.071 WHIP 23.1IP
RHP Jandel Gustave: 2.25 ERA  1.062 WHIP 16.1IP
RHP Richard Rodriguez: 2.25 ERA  0.893 WHIP 28IP
RHP Tyson Perez: 2.50 ERA  0.778 WHIP 18IP
LHP Albert Minnis: 3.00 ERA  0.867 WHIP 15IP

Also of note: LHP Reymin Guduan joined the Quad Cities team late and doesn't have enough innings to qualify for this list, but he has done extremely well in his first five outings: 0.82 ERA and 0.818 WHIP in 11 innings.

WTHB's Under-the-Radar Roster: Pitching Staff

One of the things that I have enjoyed most in conjunction with writing this blog is looking for the under-the-radar guys. Anybody can write about Carlos Correa and Mark Appel because there is so much information out there about them. I like to dig deeper in order to find a few players who aren't necessarily on the tip of the average fan's tongue, but who are interesting nonetheless.

So, over the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to come up with an "Under-the-Radar" roster. My self-imposed rules were that the player could not be on any of the top prospect lists noted here nor could they be on the 40-man roster nor could they be a draft pick from the top 5 rounds. And the final rule was that each player had to have been assigned to one of the full season team rosters. (I hope to establish another roster when the short season teams break camp.) The plan is to check in on them periodically to see how they are doing as a group for the season.

Today, let's look at the pitchers. I went back and forth a lot on establishing my rotation and my bullpen, but ultimately, I came up with five starters, seven bullpen pitchers and four reserves to take over in the event of a prolonged DL list stint (or a call-up to the big leagues!).

Troy Scribner - April 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

First the Starting Pitchers (alphabetically):

RHP Chris Devenski (24)

Drafted in the 25th round in 2011 out of Cal State Fullerton

High strikeout guy with a fastball that can hit the mid 90's and a major league changeup

LHP Evan Grills (22)

Drafted in the 10th round in 2010 out of Sinclair High School in Whitby, Ontario

Exceptional walk rate, high groundball rate and controls the running game

LHP Bryan Radziewski (23)

Drafted in the 9th round in 2014 out of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida

Ability to miss a lot of bats with an excellent slider and a fastball with developing velocity

RHP Troy Scribner (23)

Signed as a NDFA in June 2013 out of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut

Excellent command and high strikeout rate; uses the strike zone to his advantage; highly motivated

RHP Kyle Westwood (24)

Drafted in the 13th round in 2013 out of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida

A innings-eater workhorse with an excellent walk rate, high groundball rate and off-the-charts competitiveness

Starting Reserves:

RHP Mike Hauschild (25)

Drafted in the 33rd round in 2012 out of the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio

LHP Brian Holmes (24)

Drafted n the 13th Round in 2012 out of Wake University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Aaron West, Keegan Yuhl and Edison Frias also received serious consideration. (I almost added Edison Frias because of his tremendous start, but he wasn't on my original list so it felt like cheating to add him. But keep an eye on him!)

The Bullpen (alphabetically):

RHP Tyler Brunnemann (23)

Drafted in the 40th round in 2013 out of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas

Off-the-charts intangibles and work ethic with a funky delivery that deceives and distracts the hitter

RHP Jordan Jankowski (25)

Drafted in the 34th round in 2012 out of Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina

Ability to relieve, start, handle long relief; completely dominates when he is on

LHP Mitch Lambson (24)

Drafted in the 19th round in 2011 out of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona

Good command to both sides of the plate and hides the ball well; stingy walk rate and very good at stranding runners

RHP Tyson Perez (25)

Drafted in the 17th round in 2011 out of Fresno City College in Fresno, California

Bullpen leader with (excuse the vernacular) a brass pair

RHP Eric Peterson (22)

Drafted in the 37th round in 2014 out of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina

Intriguing start to his career in 2014; low walk rate, good curveball and a lot of upside

LHP Tommy Shirley (26)

Drafted in the 9th round in 2010 out of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio

Deceptive delivery and funky movement with high strikeouts and the ability to miss bats; can also start

RHP Ryan Thompson (22)

Drafted in the 23rd round in 2014 out of Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina

Deceptive delivery with a high groundball rate; equally effective against lefties and excellent at stranding runners

Bullpen Reserves:

LHP Albert Minnis (23)

Drafted in the 25th round in 2013 out of Wichita State in Wichita, Kansas

RHP Daniel Minor (24)

Drafted in the 9th round in 2012 out of Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

I also considered Travis Ballew, who I expect to have a comeback season; Jason Stoffel, who is currently on the DL; and Jonas Dufek, who has not yet been activated from the DL.

Later this week (I hope), I'll introduce the position players for the Under-the-Radar Roster.

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.

Piggybacking Pitchers

Twitter was, well, all a-twitter with the news today that Jeff Luhnow is going to institute a piggyback/tandem pitching protocol for his minor leaguers to start the season. I could have told you that two months ago. As a matter of fact, I did! If you're interested in reading how this will work, here it is as explained by Jeff Luhnow himself!

Composition of the Astros System: Pitchers

As I confessed yesterday, I really enjoy looking at the minutiae of what makes up a team. Yesterday I looked at Position Players. Today, let's look at Pitchers. All information includes both major league players and minor league players in the Astros system as of the end of the 2012 season. I may be missing one or two players but the underlying data should be pretty darned accurate.

ASTROS PITCHERS (150)

PLACE OF BIRTH
83 - United States (25 states)*
39 - Dominican Republic
10 - Venezuela
5 - Panama
4 - Puerto Rico
2 - Colombia
1 - Brazil
1 - El Salvador
1 - Mexico
1 - Nicaragua
1 - Canada (Ontario)
1 - Taiwan
1 - Virgin Islands

*U.S. Breakdown
18 - Texas
11 - California
9 - Florida
6 - Arizona
4 - Oklahoma
4 - South Carolina
3 - Illinois
3 - North Carolina
3 - New York
2 each - Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania
1 each - Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington

WHEN/HOW SIGNED
The dates may be off on an occasional winter signing or a Latin free agent who did not play until the following year, but this should still serve to give you a general idea.

• 2002 - Latin American Free Agent (1)
• 2005 - Latin American Free Agents (4)
• 2006 - Latin American Free Agents (3); Drafted (2 college)
• 2007 - Latin American Free Agents (4); Rule 5 (1)
• 2008 - Drafted (7 - 5 high school, 1 community college & 1 college); Latin American Free Agents (6); Pacific Rim Free Agent (1); U.S. Non-Drafted Free Agent (1); Free Agent (1)
• 2009 - Latin American Free Agents (7); Drafted (3 - 2 high school & 1 college); U.S. Non-Drafted Free Agent (2); Free Agent (1); Trade (1); Waiver Claim (1)
• 2010 - Drafted (12 - 6 college, 4 high school & 2 community college); Latin American Free Agents (10); Trades (2); Free Agents (2); Rule 5 (1)
• 2011 - Drafted (13 - 7 college, 4 community college & 2 high school); Trades (8); Latin American Free Agents (7); U.S. Non-Drafted Free Agents (3); Free Agents (2); Waiver Claim (1); Rule 5 (1)
• 2012 - Drafted (14 - 11 college, 2 community college & 1 high school); Trades (13); Latin American Free Agents (7); Free Agents (4); Waiver Claims (2); U.S. Non-drafted Free Agents (2)

Totals
28 - Drafted out of College
14 - Drafted out of High School
9 - Drafted out of Community College
49 - Latin American Free Agents
1 - Pacific Rim Free Agents
8 - U.S. Non-Drafted Free Agents
24 - Trades
10 - Free Agents
4 - Waiver Claims
3 - Rule 5

DRAFT PICKS BY ROUND
In addition to those players drafted by the Astros, there have been numerous players added to the system that were drafted by other teams. For example, in addition to 13 top five round picks (including supplemental picks) drafted by the Astros, there are an additional 12 players who were first five round picks by other teams that are now in the system. Here is the breakdown by round. (As a reminder, this is for pitchers only).

6 - 1st round
6 - 2nd round
5 - 3rd round
6 - 4th round
2 - 5th round
1 - 6th round
3 - 7th round
5 - 8th round
5 - 9th round
4 - 10th round
1 - 11th round
1 - 12th round
1 - 13th round
3 - 15th round
1 - 16th round
2 - 17th round
1 - 18th round
1 - 19th round
1 - 22nd round
1 - 23rd round
1 - 24th round
2 - 25th round
1 - 27th round
2 - 28th round
1 - 29th round
1 - 30th round
2 - 31st round
2 - 32nd round
1 - 33rd round
1 - 34th round
2 - 37th round
2 - 38th round
1 - 39th round

"HANDEDNESS"
111 - Right-handed pitchers
39 - Left-handed pitchers

Up next - Composite of position players and pitchers

WTH 25-Man Roster - Pitcher Update

And now let's check in on the pitchers from the WTH 25-man roster. [Note - The What the Heck 25-man roster was compiled through reader votes throughout the off-season.]



Fernando Abad was our lefty reliever. He has since gotten promoted to Houston and is now on the DL. Jason Chowning was promoted from Lexington to Lancaster. Alex Sogard was promoted from Lancaster to Corpus Christi. And Chris Hicks was activated from the DL at Corpus and promoted to Oklahoma City.

Jason Chowning leads the WTH roster with a very impressive 13 SO/9. Chowning and former teammate Dayan Diaz both still sport sub-1.00 ERAs. Chowning and Chris Hicks also have sub-1.000 WHIPs although Hicks' is based on far fewer appearances. And finally, Chowning leads this roster with 10 saves and is tied in number of appearances with Juan Abreu at 20.

Of the starting pitchers, Paul Clemens leads the crew in wins with six. Nick Tropeano leads the WTH Roster in ERA and WHIP. Mike Foltynewicz, who was not voted to be on the WTH Roster, actually has more wins than Clemens with seven and a lower ERA than Tropeano (2.14). Dallas Keuchel leads the crew in innings pitched (75.1).

WTH 25-Man Roster - Pitching Update

It's been a while since we checked in on the pitchers from the WTH 25-man roster. Let's see how they're doing. [Note - The What the Heck 25-man roster was compiled through reader votes throughout the off-season.]



Note that since Jack Armstrong is out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Jason Chowning will take his place on the roster as the runner up in voting for that position. Jason has had an excellent start and has one of the highest SO/9 in the entire Astros minor league system (behind only Kevin Chapman for pitchers with at least 15 innings).

Our collective staff has slipped a bit since we last checked in on them, but are still performing better than the system average. The WTH pitchers have a 3.59 ERA and a 1.330 WHIP with 8.0 SO/9 (as compared to 4.68 ERA, 1.431 WHIP and 7.8 SO/9 for the system as a whole). Our starting pitchers are 10-11. Jason Chowning and Fernando Abad (minor league numbers only) have yet to give up an earned run. Jason Chowning also leads the staff in saves.

The only other pitcher not on the WTH roster with a 0.00 ERA is Xavier Cedeno. The most impressive starting pitcher missing from our roster is Lexington's Mike Foltynewicz (4-1, 1.60 ERA and 1.220WHIP). The most impressive relief pitchers missing from our roster are Lancaster's Kirk Clark (1-1, 1.74 ERA, 0.968 WHIP, 2 saves in 10 games); Corpus Christi's Jason Stoffel (0-1, 2.13 ERA, 0.868 WHIP, 2 saves in 10 games); and Oklahoma City's Jose Valdez (0-0, 2.84 ERA, 1.105 WHIP, 5 saves in 13 games).

Tomorrow we'll check in on our WTH Roster position players and see how they're doing.

WTH Roster - Pitching Update

Now that we're two weeks into the minor league season, let's check in on the pitchers from the WTH 25-man roster and see how they've done so far. [Note - The What the Heck 25-man roster was compiled through reader votes throughout the off-season.]



Congratulations! You picked a great pitching staff. The WTH pitchers have a 2.86 ERA and a 1.124 WHIP with 8.3 SO/9; our starting pitchers are 4-1; and Fernando Abad and Dayan Diaz have been perfect in relief.  Despite Juan Abreu's continued command issues, he somehow has two saves already.  Alex Sogard started out slowly but was terrific in his last two appearances.  Unfortunately, Chris Hicks had one terrific outing followed by a terrible outing followed by a trip to the DL.

Other pitchers who are not on the WTH roster who are currently sporting a 0.00 ERA are Sergio Perez, Jose Valdez, Kirk Clark, Jose Cisnero, Jason Chowning and Xavier Cedeno.  There are also a total of 16 pitchers on the minor league clubs with a WHIP of 1.200 or under.

Quite a number of pitchers are having very strong starts to the season, but the Oklahoma City staff is really a cut above the rest.  Their staff ERA is 2.27 with a WHIP of 1.181.  I would love to see that dominance continue.

Tomorrow we'll check in on our WTH Roster position players and see how they're doing.

Pitching Category Winners - Full Season Teams

Leaders in all categories through end of season

Wins
Dallas Keuchel (CC,OKC) - 10

Losses
Robert Donovan (LAN) - 14

Highest Win Percentage (min. 15 starts)
Andy Van Hekken (OKC) - .600

Lowest Starter ERA (min. 15 starts)
Andy Van Hekken (OKC) - 3.40

Lowest ERA in Relief (min. 30 appearances)
David Carpenter (CC,OKC) - 1.91

Appearances
Ross Wolf (OKC) - 56

Games Started
Ross Seaton (CC) - 28

Complete Games
Andrew Robinson (LAN,CC) - 1
Dallas Keuchel (CC,OKC) - 1
Jake Buchanan (LAN,CC) - 1
Robert Donovan (LAN) - 1

Shutouts
Dallas Keuchel (CC,OKC) - 1
Jake Buchanan (LAN,CC) - 1

Saves
Kirk Clark (LAN) - 19

Innings Pitched
Jake Buchanan (LAN,CC) - 165.2

Hits Allowed
Carlos Quevedo (LEX) - 193

Runs Allowed
Ross Seaton (CC) - 103

Earned Runs Allowed
Robert Donovan (LAN) - 96

Homeruns Allowed
Andrew Robinson (LAN,CC) - 22
Zach Grimmett (LAN) - 22
Carlos Quevedo (LEX) - 22
Luis Cruz (LEX,LAN) - 22
Erick Abreu (OKC,CC) - 22

Walks Allowed
Jose Cisnero (LAN) - 75

Strikeouts
Jose Cisnero (LAN) - 152

Hit Batters
Sergio Perez (OKC) - 10

Wild Pitches
Jose Cisnero (LAN) - 16

Batters Faced
Jake Buchanan (LAN,CC) - 694

Lowest Starter WHIP (min. 15 starts)
Jake Buchanan (LAN,CC) - 1.201

Lowest WHIP in Relief (min. 30 appearances)
Sammy Gervacio (CC,OKC) - 1.071

Highest Starter Strikeout to Walk Ratio (min. 15 starts)
Carlos Quevedo (LEX) - 5.79

Highest Strikeout to Walk Ratio in Relief (min. 30 appearances)
Fernando Abad (OKC) - 5.50

Lowest Starter Batting Average Against (min. 15 starts)
Jose Cisnero (LAN) - .246

Lowest Batting Average Against in Relief (min. 30 appearances)
Wesley Wright (OKC) - .111

Pitching Category Winners - Short Season & Rookie Teams

Leaders in all categories through end of season

Wins
Dayan Diaz (TCV) - 7

Losses
Mitchell Lambson (TCV) - 6

Win Percentage (min. of 10 starts)
Jamaine Cotton (GRN,TCV) - .750

Lowest Starter ERA (min. of 10 starts)
Reymin Guduan (DSL) - 2.17

Lowest ERA in Relief (min. of 20 appearances)
Ryan Cole (TCV) - 2.33

Appearances
Scott Zuloaga (GRN) - 24

Games Started
Reymin Guduan (DSL) - 13
Kyle Hallock (TCV) - 13
Agapito Barrios (DSL) - 13
Tyson Perez (GRN) - 13
Christopher Lee (GRN) - 13

Complete Games
Jonas Dufek (TCV) - 1

Saves
Ryan Cole (TCV) - 10

Innings Pitched
Kyle Hallock (TCV) - 61.2

Hits Allowed
Jamaine Cotton (GRN,TCV) - 71

Runs Allowed
Tyson Perez (GRN) - 37

Earned Runs Allowed
Tyson Perez (GRN) - 31

Homeruns Allowed
Tyson Perez (GRN) - 10

Walks Allowed
Reymin Guduan (DSL) - 42

Strikeouts
Dayan Diaz (TCV) - 70

Hit Batters
Rodney Quintero (GRN) - 13

Wild Pitches
Jandel Gustave (DSL) - 21

Batters Faced
Kyle Hallock (TCV) - 263

Lowest Starter WHIP (min. of 10 starts)
Nick Tropeano (TCV) - 1.181

Lowest WHIP in Relief (min. of 20 appearances)
Travis Blankenship (TCV) - 1.067

Highest Starter Strikeout to Walk Ratio (min. of 10 starts)
Luis Ordosgoitti (GRN,GCL,TCV) - 4.90

Highest Strikeout to Walk Ratio in Relief (min. of 20 appearances)
Matison Smith (GRN) - 5.00

Lowest Starter Batting Average Against (min. of 10 starts)
Luis Abad (DSL) - .191

Lowest Batting Average Against in Relief (min. of 20 appearances)
Travis Blankenship (TCV) - .209

2011 Draft How Did They Do? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season

2010 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/27:

2009 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/22 unless noted otherwise

2008 Draft Where Are They Now? Pitchers Edition

Stats are for full season through 8/17