Astros Farm Report: Supersized July 4th Edition

Lots of links, a mini-soapbox, a favorite former Astro and more, but first things first ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

7-4: 3B Bobby Wernes (22)
7-6: OF Hector Martinez (18)
7-6: OF Preston Tucker (26)
7-7: RHP Diosward Gonzalez (21)
7-8: LHP Sean Stutzman (23)
7-9: RHP Edgardo Sandoval (20)
7-10: C Ruben Castro (20)

Birthday Boy Bobby Wernes - May 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MOVES

7-2: C Alfredo Gonzalez traded to the White Sox for cash
7-1: LHP Alex Winkelman to GCL for rehab assignment
6-30: RHP Reggie Johnson assigned from the GCL to Greeneville
6-30: OF Teoscar Hernandez assigned from Corpus Christi to Fresno
6-30: SS/3B Alex Bregman assigned from Corpus Christi to Fresno
6-30: IF Jack Mayfield assigned from Fresno to Corpus Christi
6-30: LHP Albert Minnis assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
6-30: RHP David Paulino placed on the Corpus Christi 7-day DL retroactive to 6-28
6-28: IF Chan-Jong Moon assigned from Fresno to Corpus Christi
6-28: LHP Chris Cotton to Tri-City on a rehab assignment
6-27: Astros signed FA RHP Manuel Gonzalez (released by Padres 6-15); assigned to the GCL 6-28
6-27: RHP Gonzalo Sanudo assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster

Also, according to Baseball America, the Astros signed the following international free agents as a part of the July international signing period:

SS Freudis Nova, Dominican Republic, #5 ranked prospect
SS Yorbin Ceuta, Venezuela, #11 ranked prospect
RHP Angel Macuare, Venezuela, #40 ranked prospect
C Nerio Rodriguez, Dominican Republic, #43 ranked prospect
SS Deurys Carrasco, Dominican Republic, #46 ranked prospect
SS Jeury Castillo, Dominican Republic
RHP Jairo Solis, Venezuela
C Jose Alvarez, Venezuela
RHP Angel Ortega, Venezuela
RHP Ronny Garcia, Dominican Republic
SS Sean Mendoza, Venezuela
OF Leonardo Gonzalez, Venezuela

And, finally, I've updated the 2016 draft list by noting the players who have yet to sign (as of 7/3) according to Baseball America. The signing deadline is July 15th.

STANDINGS

Since we last checked in on the standings, Fresno has gone 6-3 and is now above .500. In addition, they have crept somewhat closer to the division-leading Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) and now only lag behind the second place Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) by one game.

The Hooks are 4-3 in their last seven and have dropped to second place in the second half standings, one game behind Midland (Oakland). However, they are assured of a playoff berth regardless of what happens in the second half by virtue of winning the first half.

Lancaster is 5-5 since we last looked, 6-5 in the second half. They are currently in a three-way tie, along with High Desert (Rangers) and Lake Elsinore (Padres) for second place in the second half. Those three teams are one game behind Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers) and one game ahead of Inland Empire (Angels). It's shaping up to be an interesting second half race!

Like Lancaster, Quad Cities is also 5-5 since we last checked and are also in a three-way tie albeit for fourth place instead of second place in the second half. Clinton (Mariners) is currently dominating in the second half with Beloit (A's) and Wisconsin (Brewers) three games behind, and Quad Cities, Burlington (Angels) and Cedar Rapids (Twins) one game further behind. As a matter of fact, only two games separate the second place team and the eighth place team so Quad Cities will have to play markedly better than .500 in order to separate themselves from the pack.

After stumbling out of the gate, the ValleyCats are 6-4 in their last ten and are four games behind division-leading Lowell (Red Sox) and two games behind Connecticut (Tigers) and are tied with Vermont (A's).

Greeneville is 4-6 in their last 10 and trail division leaders Johnson City (Cardinals) by four games. Likewise, the Gulf Coast League Astros have started their season 4-6, but they only lag the front running Nationals by two games.

The DSL Blue team slipped to second place after going 4-4 in their last 8 games (they had only lost one game prior to that) and are now a half game behind the DSL Red Sox 1 team. The DSL Orange Astros are still in second place after going 3-4 in their last seven, but have dropped further behind the first place Red Sox 2 team. I'm sensing a theme here. The Red Sox 1 team is currently on an 11 game win streak and the Red Sox 2 team is on a 6 game win streak.

AAA Fresno 3rd 41-40 .506 4.5GB L1

AA Corpus Christi 1st 53-27 .663 0.0GB W2 (Overall)
2nd half: 2nd 6-4 .600 1.0GB W2
(Clinched playoff berth by winning first half)

A+ Lancaster 3rd 40-40 .500 8.5GB L2 (Overall)
2nd half: T2nd 6-5 .545 1.0GB L2

A- Quad Cities 8th 36-44 .450 11.5GB L2 (Overall)
2nd half: T4th 5-6 .455 4.0GB L2

SSA Tri-City T3rd 8-9 .471 4.0GB W1

Rk+ Greeneville 4th 4-7 .364 4.0GB L1

Rk- GCL 5th 4-6 .400 2.0GB W2

FRk DSL Blue 2nd 19-5 .792 0.5GB L1

FRk DSL Orange 2nd 14-10 .583 5.0GB W1

RANDOM FORMER ASTROS MINOR LEAGUER UPDATE

After being traded to the Braves in January 2015, 3B Rio Ruiz had an inconsistent season with their AA affiliate, but continued to show signs of promise with a couple of strong months interspersed with the not-so-good months. This piece from the Atlanta Journal Constitution looks at Ruiz's disappointing 2015 season and what he took from that. Apparently, the powers-that-be saw enough from Ruiz in Spring Training that they decided to promote him to AAA in 2016. Ruiz came on strong in April, then followed with a lackluster May but bounced back and has hit .302/.391/.365 since the beginning of June for AAA Gwinnett. And having just turned 22, he is around four and a half years younger than the average AAA International League position player.

NEWS AND LINKS

I've fallen behind in my reading, but here are a few articles of note you may have missed ...

Quad Cities 3B Bobby Wernes talks about his (and the team's) first half struggles.

The San Diego Union-Tribune checks in with Lancaster C Garrett Stubbs.

Greeneville 1B Chase MacDonald makes history.

Friend of the Blog Bryan Tostel brings it in this piece on minor league pay. (As Bryan notes, minor leaguers are also not paid for spring training other than a small per diem and, unless things have changed over the last year or so, they also receive no pay for fall instructional league. On top of that, they generally have to pay for their own bats and gloves, etc. And they have to pay regular clubhouse dues to the clubby for cleaning their uniforms, bringing in lunch and the like. In other words, as bad as their sub-minimum wage salary looks on the surface, it's really even much worse.)

2016 15th Round Draft pick SS Alex DeGoti has been a baseball frequent flyer since he was 10 years old.

In case you missed it, here were my June Players of the Month.

Righthanders Brady Rodgers, James Hoyt and Mike Hauschild were named to the PCL All-Star team. As a side note, Hauschild's good season has not received the notice that it deserves because it has been somewhat overshadowed by Rodgers fine season. Hauschild has been a solid, reliable workhorse since he entered the system in 2012.

And last, but certainly not least, SS/3B Alex Bregman and RHP Joe Musgrove have been selected to represent the Astros in the Futures Game.

One final note ... I really enjoyed getting to know C Alfredo Gonzalez a little bit over the last few years and it was my genuine pleasure watching him behind the plate. I know that I will miss him and so will the pitchers that he caught over the years. However, opposing runners will be happy to see him gone. I wish him nothing but the best in his new chapter with the White Sox organization.

Alfredo Gonzalez - April 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Looking at the Evan Gattis Trade

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published this article on Tuesday focusing on former Astros RHP Mike Foltynewicz and his road to recovery from a blood clot and related surgery last year. His first appearance of the spring season in a split squad game was rated a solid "Holy Cow!"

Mike Foltynewicz - March 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

That led me to wonder how all the players from that January 2015 trade with Atlanta are faring since they left the Astros fold.

RHP Mike Foltynewicz is, according to the above article, expected to be able to join the Braves as soon as mid-April. He split his 2015 season between AAA Gwinnett and Atlanta. With Gwinnett, he was 1-6 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.376 WHIP. He walked 26 and struck 63 in 56.2 innings. For the Braves, Folty was 4-6 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.627 WHIP, walking 29 and striking out 77 in 86.2 innings. Through two Spring Training appearances, Foltynewicz has a 4.76 ERA and a 0.882 WHIP in his 5.2 innings of work. He is 24.

RHP Andrew Thurman has only appeared in one Spring Training game with the big league club at this point, but he was perfect in that one inning. The former 2013 second rounder's 2015 season was a tale of two seasons. He was putting up very nice numbers in his first six appearances in High A (2.51 ERA and 1.206 WHIP in 32.2 IP), but then this happened. Thurman missed almost two months to the disabled list after the bus accident. After coming back, he put up a 5.02 ERA and a 1.413 WHIP in his final 13 appearances of the season and his Arizona Fall League Campaign was mostly forgettable. Thurman was ranked #28 in the Braves system in Baseball America's 2016 Prospect Handbook. He is also 24.

3B Rio Ruiz struggled in his first taste of AA for the Braves (.229/.331/.318 in 126 games), but this article from the Atlanta paper reports a newly focused and more mature Ruiz showed up for Spring Training this year. In six games with the big league club, he has hit .400/.455/.500. Ruiz, who turns 22 in May, was ranked #17 in the Braves system by Baseball America going in to the 2016 season.

In return for Foltynewicz, Thurman and Ruiz, the Astros obtained DH Evan Gattis and minor league right-hander James Hoyt. Gattis hit .246/.285/.463 with 20 doubles, a mind-boggling 11 triples and 27 home runs in his first season for the Astros in 2015. He is currently working his way back from an injury (sports hernia) and is not expected to be ready by opening day. Gattis is 29.

Hoyt's 3.49 ERA and 1.204 WHIP for AAA Fresno in 2015 is somewhat misleading as he was significantly stronger in the second half of the season. He built on that with an excellent showing in Venezuelan winter ball which I spoke with him about in this December 2015 interview. In eight Spring Training appearances, Hoyt is 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP. He has held hitters to a .071 batting average. He was ranked #27 in the Astros system by Baseball America going in to the 2016 season despite being much older than the average prospect at 29 years of age (see the linked interview for more on that as well).

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Nothing but 5-star reviews for the 2016 Houston Farm System Handbook!!! Get yours today.

Tweet of the Day

Nothing but love for this dude, congrats on the promotion brother! #hehadflow pic.twitter.com/MvN8KZPfSW

— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) May 14, 2015

Tweet of the Day

Tamale party at my house . Just me invited though , I'm just saying I'm having a party....
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) December 30, 2014

Tweet of the Day

Menudo during the holidays really doesn't get any better
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) December 24, 2014

The Astros Third Base Conundrum

When Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweeted out a question Monday regarding how Astros fans felt about the signing of SS Jed Lowrie to a three-year contract, I replied with a one-word response, "Underwhelmed." A friend of mine responded, "he's solid, likely declining, but front loaded contract, and not a markedly better option available than him." I don't disagree with that, but there are other factors involved in molding my opinion.

I will admit that I was somewhat put off by Jed Lowrie's response to the buttshot heard 'round the world last year. Fine, have your say and move on. But the response lingered on for over a week which I found to be a bit excessive. I'll admit that I am not a professional athlete (not even close!), but it seems to me that getting plunked on the heinie is not worthy of a daily press briefing. But I digress. (Don't I always?)

Seriously, I have no lingering issues with the aforementioned unfortunate episode. I actually like Lowrie. I had a very nice conversation with him one day about his trip to Africa. I even gave him a little advice for an upcoming trip that he and his wife were taking to Ecuador. Dang it, I'm digressing yet again.

I also do not have an issue with his play at shortstop. I think he is solid at the position and will bring some needed stability to the position, plus he will provide a solid, albeit unspectacular, bat in the lineup. I'm not wild about signing him for three years, but so long as he doesn't soil the bed linens, and assuming that there isn't a repeat of anything like this incident, the Astros should be able to trade him in a year or two if need be. So even that isn't a particular problem for me.

My problem lies with the idea that, in the event that Carlos Correa is ready for the major leagues in late 2015 (as I think will be highly likely), the Astros have stated that they will just move Lowrie on over to third base until Colin Moran or Rio Ruiz are ready to play at the hot corner on the big stage. Jed Lowrie has played precisely 83 games at third base in his major league career, the majority of those in 2008, none since 2011. Lowrie has a decent bat for a shortstop, but will not provide the offensive output you want to see from a corner outfielder. I'm not a huge fan of shoving guys into positions just to find a place for them if their talents don't dovetail well with the position.

So, let's have a little chat about third base. Matt Dominguez has been a fan favorite when it comes to his defense, but his bat has always been a question mark, and he has not necessarily given the Astros the answer to that question that they wanted. The third base job is his to lose in Spring Training. The problem is that he may very well do that if he doesn't show marked improvement with the lumber. Jeff Luhnow has alluded to Marwin Gonzalez as a possibility at third. Personally, I feel that Marwin's best use is as a utility infielder. Third is not his natural position, and he has shown himself to be a much better middle infielder.

The presumed third basemen in waiting, according to the Astros front office are Colin Moran and Rio Ruiz. Let's take Ruiz first. I think Ruiz is going to be a terrific player, but he is at least a year away, more likely two years. He needs the time, the at-bats, and the continued development at third base. He should not be rushed. He will let us know when he is ready. So, let's put Rio to the side for the time being.

Colin Moran has only played 28 games at AA. He can definitely hit, but he has not developed the power that is expected from a third baseman yet. When I saw him in Corpus at the end of the season, I was left a bit bewildered by what I saw from him. And then I read this EXCELLENT piece in Baseball Prospectus that put my thoughts into words beautifully. I'm not sure that Colin Moran is ultimately even going to be a third baseman, much less the Astros third baseman of the future. I'd love to see him prove me wrong, but in any event, I cannot see him being legitimately considered for the position in 2015.

So, apparently there are no other options at third base for the coming season? Well, yeah, there is another option. And for the life of me I can't figure out why this player gets no love from the front office. Let's take a look at Matt Duffy:

• Hit .293/.367/.468 in his four years in the organization
• Hit .302/.340/.455 in 49 games in Corpus in 2014 before his promotion
• Hit .279/.333/.448 in 87 games in Oklahoma City after his promotion
• Hit .354/.374/.469 in August (OKC) in 28 games

Matt Duffy can hit. He's always been able to hit. And he always makes the adjustments he needs to make. I have no reason to believe that he can't make the same adjustments in Houston. He can hit to all fields although his power is to the left side. He would love the Crawford Boxes. His lefty/righty splits got a little lopsided for the season (.256/.311/.383 vs. RHP and .382/.410/.649 vs. LHP), but they evened out a bit for Oklahoma City as he hit .267/.322/.419 against righthanders at the higher level. Over his career, he has had reasonably good lefty/righty splits.

Still doubtful? Let's dig a little deeper for our SABR minded friends. (Click on the name for the player's Fangraphs page.)

Matt Duffy in 2014
wOBA at AA: .361
wOBA at AAA: .343
WRC+ at AA: 128
WRC+ at AAA: 100
ISO at AA: .153
ISO at AAA: .168

Colin Moran in 2014
wOBA at A+: .340
wOBA at AA: .341
WRC+ at A+: 110
WRC+ at AA: 114
ISO at A+: .100
ISO at AA: .107

Matt Dominquez in 2014:
wOBA: .260
WRC+: 63
ISO: .115

Jed Lowrie in 2014:
wOBA: .300
WRC+: 93
ISO: .106

Duffy seems to stack up pretty well by those parameters as well. He does fall short in walk rate (4.9% for the season up to 6% at OKC) and strikeout rate (18.7%) when compared with Lowrie and Moran, but he represents an improvement over Dominguez.

So, Duffy's defense must be awful, right? Wrong. He is a solid defensive player. I specifically talked to him (and with his coach and manager) about his defense in this interview from 2013 because I had seen such an improvement from him in that area. In 2014, Duffy had a .961 fielding percentage and a 2.49 per game range factor in his 70 games played at third base (he was moved to first base for a number of games). Not quite as good as Matt Dominguez's 2014 numbers (.972 fielding percentage and a 2.53 per game range factor), but not that far off either. (The last time Lowrie played third base in 2011, he had a .948 fielding percentage and a 2.79 per game range factor.)

Competition is a good thing and I hope that Matt Duffy is given a legitimate opportunity to compete for the Astros third base job. I think he has earned that much. What he does with the opportunity is up to him, but I think he may surprise some people.

Oh, and one more thing to like about Duffy ... having been hit by pitches 41 times in one season (in 2012) shows that he knows how to take a hit by pitch.

Anywho, since one is limited to 140 characters at a time, "underwhelmed" was the best response I could come up with on short notice. With all of that said ... Welcome Back to Houston, Jed Lowrie!*

*provided that you don't block Carlos Correa for a nanosecond and don't take up residence at third base

Tweet of the Day

No better place to just relax than your grandmas house.
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) November 30, 2014

Tweet of the Day

So pumped for my boy @vjvelasquezrhp for being put on the 40 man roster! #stud
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) November 20, 2014

Tweet of the Day

Offseason officially begins! Arizona Fall League Champs. pic.twitter.com/XLkVaput0E
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) November 15, 2014

Arizona Fall League Recap

Salt River 6, Scottsdale 3

W- Jake Reed (1-0)
L- Alex Smith (0-1)
S- Enrique Burgos (1)

Salt River home runs by Astros players: None.

After Scottsdale scored their 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th, Salt River finished the game by scoring 5 unanswered.

Rio Ruiz was in the field for the first time this season; he went 0-5 with a strikeout. Andrew Aplin and Tyler Heineman appeared in the AFL for the first time this season; Aplin started in LF and went 1-5 with a run scored from the #8 spot in the order, and Heineman was behind the plate; he went 0-2 with 2 walks, a strikeout, and a run scored in the #9 spot.

Mark Appel got the start for Salt River and allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 2 over 3 scoreless frames. The one hit was a double by the Mets' Brandon Nimmo.

Appel was 94-97 in the first. Command wasn't great. Nimmo smoked a changeup to RCF for a double.
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) October 9, 2014

Stay tuned for Mr. Wallee Wright's in-depth report.

Arizona Fall League Recap

Well, I enjoyed my 3 weeks off from recapping, but the next phase has begun: the Fall and Winter leagues. I will now be reprising my role as recapper-in-chief.

Scottsdale 7, Salt River 4

W- Julian Hilario (1-0)

L- Archie Bradley (0-1)

S- Nefi Ogando (1)

Salt River home runs by Astros players: None.

The Scorpions struck for a pair of 3-run innings, which were the only crooked-numbered innings in the game. 

Rio Ruiz was the DH for Salt River and hit 2nd. He went 0-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored. 

And on the pitching side, Mitch Lambson and Tyson Perez were the final 2 Rafters hurlers of the night. Both of them pitched 2 innings. Lambson allowed a run on a solo homer from Greg Bird in the 7th. He allowed one other hit and struck out 2, while Tyson gave up 2 hits and fanned 4 over 2 scoreless.

Salt River and Scottsdale will play again at Scottsdale Stadium at 6:35 Mountain. 

Tweet of the Day

RIO RUIZ WITH THE WALK OFF BOMBBBBBAAAHHHHH!!! @ruiz_rio @JetHawks @astros #OneMoreWin #UnaMas #InDaShippp #WalkOffs pic.twitter.com/GIdz5vMhlF
— Tanner Mathis (@tgmathis12) September 14, 2014

Tweet of the Day

You got a 10 run mercy rule paisano, don't give him a high five dang 'nabbit!
— Rio Ruiz (@ruiz_rio) August 21, 2014

Tweet of the Day

Man doesn't he look happy!? Happy Birthday big guy @MAppel26 #23 pic.twitter.com/mq8AdZjXOD
— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers_41) July 16, 2014

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, June 5, 2014

Happy Draft Day!

Omaha 6, Oklahoma City 3

W- Aaron Brooks (5-1)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (1-2)
S- Spencer Patton (12)

OKC home runs: Erik Castro (2, solo in 3rd)

The RedHawks lost their 2nd consecutive 6-3 decision in the series opener.

Brett Oberholtzer went 6 innings and gave up 5 runs (4 on homers) on 8 hits (2 solos and a 2-run), walked 1, and struck out 6. Jorge De Leon allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 7th, and Kevin Chapman struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

Erik Castro got OKC on the board with a solo homer in the 3rd. Marc Krauss hit an RBI double in the 6th, and Domingo Santana smacked an RBI double in the 8th. Austin Wates (15) and Kiké Hernandez (5) had steals, and Castro was the only RedHawk with a multi-hit game, going 2-4.

Game 2 of this series will be at 7:05 and will feature David Martinez on the mound. He'll face John Lamb.

Midland 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Nate Long (6-1)
L- Mike Hauschild (1-1, 3-2 season)
S- Seth Frankoff (11)

CC home runs: Preston Tucker (14, solo in 6th)

The Hooks dropped their 4th straight, and dropped the series in the process, as they got burned by Midland's #9 hitter, Beau Taylor, who hit a pair of RBI doubles.

Delino DeShields, not hitting leadoff for the first time this season (5th), went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 1st. Preston Tucker was 1-1 with 3 walks; the 1 hit was a solo homer (14) in the 6th inning.

Mike Hauschild grinded his way through 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and struck out 5. Alex Sogard struck out 3 over 3 perfect innings.

The Hooks will look to avoid a sweep as Jordan Jankowski takes on Chris Jensen. First pitch is at 7:00.

Lancaster 16, Inland Empire 7

W- Brian Holmes (2-1)
L- Elliot Morris (1-1)

Lancaster home runs: Tony Kemp (4, solo in 1st), Teoscar Hernandez (11, solo in 1st), Dan Gulbransen (3, 3-run in 4th), Rio Ruiz (5, 3-run in 5th)

Sweep! After the 66ers scored 2 in the top of the 1st, the JetHawks scored 2 unanswered touchdowns. Everyone in the lineup had an RBI except for Conrad Gregor, who went 1-2 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. Everyone had a hit except for Jordan Scott.

The JetHawks responded to IE's 2 in the 1st by having Tony Kemp and Teoscar Hernandez hit back-to-back solo shots in the bottom of the inning. And then the floodgates opened. Dan Gulbransen cleared the bases with a triple in the 3rd, then came home on a Ruben Sosa double. Roberto Peña added an RBI single in the 4th, and then Gulbransen unleashed a 3-run shot. Rio Ruiz decided to swat a 3-run homer of his own in the 5th. Gulbransen singled in the 6th, and Scott added a run in the frame by hitting a sac fly to score Gregor. Carlos Correa, after a hat trick of walks, hit an RBI triple in the 7th and scored on Rio's groundout. Gulbransen completed the cycle by leading off the 8th with a double. Teoscar had 3 hits and 3 runs scored. Kemp, Rio, and Peña had 2 each. Correa scored 4 times, which meant that he reached base in all of his plate appearances and scored every time he reached base. He also stole a base (18), too. So did Teoscar (20) and Ruben Sosa (13).

Brian Holmes went 7 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits (2-run and solo homers), walked 2, and struck out 3. J.D. Osborne threw a scoreless 8th, but ran into some trouble in the 9th as he allowed 3 runs, 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. He left with 2 on base. Mitch Lambson got the last 2 outs without incident.

The JetHawks are on the road for the weekend; they'll be playing 4 in Visalia beginning tonight at 7:00 Pacific. Zach Morton will face Braden Shipley.

Burlington 2, Quad Cities 1

W- Trevor Foss (2-4)
L- Tyler Brunnemann (0-2)
S- Alan Busenitz (8)

QC home runs: None.

Tyler Brunnemann shot himself in the foot when he uncorked a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th, which allowed Angel Rosa to break a 1-1 tie.

Brian Holberton's RBI groundout in the 6th accounted for the only River Bandits run. Tanner Mathis and Chan-Jong Moon had 2 hits apiece.

Michael Feliz went 4 innings and got dinged by Kody Eaves to begin the bottom of the 1st. After that, though, he gave up just 2 more hits. Feliz also walked 4 and struck out 6. Chris Cotton allowed a hit and struck out 1 over 2 scoreless. Brunnemann pitched 2 innings, and that wild pitch turned out to be the difference. That run was unearned; he gave up 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

The Bandits will look to avoid the sweep tonight at 6:30. TBA will get the start for QC; he'll take on Ryan Etsell.

DSL Astros Blue 6, DSL Rays 2

W- Abdiel Saldaña (1-0)
L- Jose Disla (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team held the Rays in check as they've emerged on top in their division so far. It's a tight one... the other 5 teams are within 2 games of them in the early going.

Salvador Montaño started with 4 scoreless and allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Abdiel Saldaña followed up with 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 1. The Rays spoiled the shutout bid as they got a pair (1 earned) off of Gabriel Valdez in the final 2 innings. He allowed 4 hits and struck out 1.

Hayden Timberlake opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 2nd, which was part of a 3-run inning. Edgar Lorenzo added an RBI double, and he would score on a Nestor Tejada single. Connor MacDonald added an RBI single in the 4th, and Joan Mauricio hit an RBI groundout. Mauricio brought home the final run of the morning with an RBI single in the 8th. He also hit a triple to lead off the 3rd, but was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice. Wander Franco went 1-2 with 2 runs scored and 3 walks. It's the 4th consecutive game in which he's walked more than once, and he's now the owner of an 11:0 BB:K ratio.

They're at the Rays' complex so they can play a game there.

DSL Yankees1 16, DSL Astros Orange 15

W- Jose Pujols (1-0)
L- Juan Cuevas (0-1)
S- Rafael Ordaz (2)

Orange home runs: None.

On the other hand, the Orange team is still on the schneid. At least the Marlins are there to keep them company. You can count on the DSL to provide some downright wacky stuff. The Orange squad blew a 14-1 lead. Argggggghhhhhhhhh.....

Cristopher Luciano is turning out to be an early bright spot for the Orange offense; he finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 4-4 with 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, and reached in all 5 of his plate appearances. The Orange team opened the scoring with a pair of RBI doubles from Ihan Bernal and Luciano in the 1st. Rodrigo Ayarza hit an RBI single in the 2nd. Luciano added a 2-run single in the 3rd, and a passed ball and a wild pitch later, he'd score himself. Jesus Bermejo scored on yet another wild pitch, and Ayarza finished the 6-run inning with a 2-run single.

They got 5 more in the 4th as Bernal scored on... a wild pitch. Vicente Sanchez added a 2-run single, and then another wild pitch scored Bryan De La Cruz. Wilson Amador hit an RBI groundout for the final run of the inning. Luciano hit an RBI triple for the final Orange run of the morning.

Let's just say that it wasn't the prettiest display of pitching. The two teams combined for 12 wild pitches, a passed ball, and 22 walks. Oh, and 31 runs. All 15 Orange runs were earned. Orange pitchers, on the other hand, had 8 unearned runs. Edwin Villarroel, Adonis Peña, Michael Richez, and Juan Cuevas all had rocky outings. Let's leave it at that. Please. The one guy who didn't was in the middle of all of them. Tomas Lopez, who made his first appearance ever after injuries wiped out his first 2 seasons, threw 2.1 scoreless and allowed 1 hit while walking 2.

Both teams are at it again, this time at the Astros complex.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Rio Ruiz, 3B, Lancaster

2-5, 3-R HR (5), 4 RBI, 2 R

2. Cristopher Luciano, 1B, DSL Astros Orange: 4-4, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

1.

Dan Gulbransen, DH, Lancaster

Cycle (in 5 at-bats), 6 RBI, 2 R

Honorable Mentions: The other 7 guys in the Lancaster lineup, Rodrigo Ayarza, Preston Tucker, Delino DeShields, Erik Castro, Joan Mauricio, Tanner Mathis

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Chris "58%" Cotton, LHP, Quad Cities

2 IP, H, K

2. Salvador Montaño, LHP, DSL Astros Blue: 4 IP, 4 H, BB, 5 K

1.

Alex Sogard, LHP, Corpus Christi

3 IP, 3 K

Catching Up with Lancaster JetHawks 3B Rio Ruiz

I first talked to Astros third baseman and 2012 4th round draft pick Rio Ruiz in August 2012 when he was playing with the Greeneville Astros in his first season and I had the opportunity to watch him again last year in Quad Cities. Over the weekend, I watched Ruiz at work in the desert in High A Lancaster, California, and decided that it was time to check in with him again.

Rio Ruiz - May 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

When I brought up Ruiz' name in talking with Lancaster Manager Rodney Linares and Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson, the first reaction of each man was to break into a smile. Rio is just so charismatic and full of life that one cannot help but like him. He is also young, having just turned 20 last week and both Linares and Robinson urged against rushing Ruiz. He may not be on the fastest track, but he is nevertheless making excellent progress.

After struggling out of the gate in 2013, Ruiz has been one of the most consistent bats in the JetHawks lineup in 2014. His defense, one of the biggest concerns coming in to the season, has been coming along nicely as well. According to Linares, "He went through a stretch of maybe 20 games where he was making a highlight reel play every night." And indeed that was the case in one of the games I witnessed over the weekend as Ruiz made a beautiful leaping catch of a scorched line drive ball.

Robinson enjoys working with Ruiz and complemented him on his work ethic. He's working with Rio on getting him to open the field for himself a bit more, "Trying to get him to work middle to other way a little more because they throw him away a lot. He takes those pitches on the outside corner that he can drive in the gap." Robinson calls Rio an incredible talent and praises the way he refrains from getting overly excited about anything.

Linares says of Ruiz, "Rio has a chance to be as good as he wants to be. He's got legit bat speed. Rio has a chance to be a power hitting corner left-handed hitter. There's not a lot of those around."

Let's hear from the man himself ~





Ruiz is definitely young like many on this Lancaster team, but he has impressed me with his steady progress these last two seasons. He may not be on the same fast track as Carlos Correa, but I don't think he'll be too far behind. And I guarantee that the Houston fans will love getting to know him.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 22, 2014


New Orleans 3, Oklahoma City 2 in 10 innings

W- Grant Dayton (1-0)
L- Rhiner Cruz (1-1)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks had to settle for the split as they walked off with a loss in the series finale. The Zephyrs tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the 9th, then put up 2 in the bottom of the 10th after the RedHawks regained the lead in the top of the inning.

Andy Simunic hit an RBI single in the 4th to put the RedHawks on the board first. In the 10th, Max Stassi reached on a foce attempt that scored Robbie Grossman to put OKC on top 2-1. Grossman finished 3-5 and added a double. Kiké Hernandez singled in the 2nd to extend his hitting streak to 9.

Nick Tropeano had a strong start, as he allowed just 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8 over 6.2 shutout innings. Kevin Chapman faced 1 batter; he struck out Rob Brantly to end the 7th. In his first appearance as a member of the Houston Astros organization, Alex White threw a 1-2-3 8th inning, and it took him 9 pitches (7 strikes) to do so. New Orleans finally cracked the OKC pitchers as they got all 3 of their runs off of Rhiner Cruz. 1 of those 3 runs was earned. Rhiner pitched 1.1 innings and also allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1.

The RedHawks will now begin the final leg of their Big 12 Tournament roadtrip, as they're set to begin 4 with Memphis starting tonight at 7:05. David Martinez will face Tim Cooney in game 1.

Corpus Christi 3, Arkansas 1

W- Kyle Smith (1-2; 5-2 season)
L- Brandon Sisk (0-2)
S- Michael Dimock (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks took this one on the strength of a 3-run 7th.

Leo Heras led off the 7th by getting plunked. He advanced to 3rd on a Tyler Heineman double, and scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Nolan Fontana put Corpus on top with a 2-run single, which turned out to be the difference in this game. Matt Duffy was the only player in the starting 9+1 to have a multi-hit game; he went 2-4

Kyle Smith, after a rough introduction to the Texas League, threw his 2nd straight 1-run outing. He went 6 innings and allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. The bullpen took it from there; Pat Urckfitz allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless, and Michael Dimock worked around a 2-out single to shut the door, striking out Vance Albitz to end the game.

The Hooks will look for the sweep as they send out Brady Rodgers. He'll face Orangel Arenas at 7:10.

Bakersfield 8, Lancaster 2

W- Mike Dennhardt (1-0)
L- Kent Emanuel (1-1; 1-3 season)

Lancaster home runs: Rio Ruiz (4, solo in 3rd), Tony Kemp (3, solo in 5th)

The JetHawks dropped the series as their offense was shackled, save for the 2 solo blasts you see above. Yesterday was Rio's birthday, so that was a rather nice present for himself.

Kent Emanuel pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (all on home runs) on 7 hits (2-run and 3-run homers) and struck out 4. Tyson Perez went 2 innings and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and fanned 2. Jamaine Cotton worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 8th.

The Hawks are back home, and they'll welcome Inland Empire to The Hangar for the weekend and Monday. Lance McCullers gets the start in the opener; he'll face Mike Clevinger at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities 11, Cedar Rapids 6

W- Chris Lee (2-2)
L- Aaron Slegers (4-2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (3, 3-run in 3rd)

Well, that was fun. The River Bandits were up by as much as 10-3 after the 4th. They did get outscored 4-1 the rest of the way, but that touchdown lead provided enough cushioning for them as they took the opener of this series.

Everyone in the starting 9+1 had a hit. The top 2/3rds of the lineup had 2 hits, while the bottom third had 1. Ronnie Mitchell, who was hitting 7th, had the big hit, though: he smacked a 3-run blast (3) in the 3rd as part of a 6-run outburst. He also brought home QC's first run of the evening on a sac fly in the 2nd. Also taking place in the 3rd inning was a 2-run double from Conrad Gregor and an RBI double by Tyler White.

The Bandits were a home run shy of the cycle in the 4th, as they got an RBI double from Brett Phillips, who scored on a triple from Chan-Jong Moon, who scored on a Gregor single. And finally, in the 7th, Thomas Lindauer brought White home for the final Bandits run of the night with an RBI single.

Chris Lee went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Andrew Thurman pitched 3, and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and fanned 5. Frederick Tiburcio finished it out as he worked around a hit to do so. He struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th.

In the middle game of this series, Michael Feliz will face Ryan Eades at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Nolan Fontana, 2B/SS, Corpus Christi

Go-ahead 2-RBI single in 7th

2.

#169991352 / gettyimages.com

Conrad Gregor, 1B, Quad Cities
2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Tyler White, 3B, Quad Cities
2-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R

1. Happy birthday Rio!

Rio Ruiz, 3B, Lancaster
Solo HR (4)

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

#162314184 / gettyimages.com

Alex White, RHP, Oklahoma City
IP; organizational debut after Tommy John surgery in 2013

2.

Kyle Smith, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (1-2), 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 5 K

1.

Nick Tropeano, RHP, Oklahoma City

6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Tweet of the Day

@ruiz_rio first bday gift!! @JioMier @MorganEnsberg @RondeyLinares #HeSoCute 😍 pic.twitter.com/taNRY1TjSo
— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp6) May 22, 2014

Happy Birthday - 5/22

Happy Birthday to ~

3B Rio Ruiz (20)
Drafted by Houston in the fourth round in 2012 out of Bishop Amat High School in La Puenta, California, Ruiz got off to a great start in his first season in High A Lancaster. Through 43 games, he is hitting .298/.379/.421 with 12 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, April 17, 2014

Swept.

Colorado Springs 3, Oklahoma City 2 in 11 innings

W- Manny Corpas (1-1)
L- Darin Downs (0-1)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks took the lead in extras, only to eventually walk off with a loss in the 3rd game of this series.

Kiké Hernandez, in his AAA debut, got the start in RF and went 2-3 with a run scored, 2 walks, and a steal (1). He scored on a Jonathan Meyer single in the 7th, which tied the game at 1. Ronald Torreyes came on to pinch-hit for Andy Simunic to begin the 10th inning and promptly ripped a triple. Gregorio Petit brought him home with a sac fly to give the RedHawks a 2-1 lead. Austin Wates was 1-3 with 2 walks and 3 stolen bases (8). Max Stassi saw his 12-game hitting streak come to an end as he was 0-5 with 2 strikeouts.

Collin McHugh had a nice start; he went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 3. Nick Tropeano tagged in and allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 3.2 scoreless. Darin Downs pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 1. The game-winning run off of Downs came on a sac fly.

Bobby Doran and David Martinez will start the series finale; they'll be taking on Pedro Hernandez. First pitch is at 7:35.

Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Wilmer Font (1-0)
L- Brady Rodgers (0-1)

CC home runs: Preston Tucker (3, solo in 6th)

The Roughriders got 2 late runs and walked off with the victory in the opener.

Again, the Hooks offense was contained as the Frisco hurlers limited them to 5 hits. They did have a couple of chances, but nothing came of those. Rene Garcia scored on a Matt Duffy fielder's choice in the 5th to tie the game at 1, and Tucker, who went 2-4, gave the Hooks the lead with his blast (3) to begin the 6th. Telvin Nash, in his season debut, went 1-4 with 3 strikeouts. Leo Heras was 0-1 with a hat trick of walks, and Nolan Fontana logged his first multi-walk game of the season.

Colton Cain went 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, one of which was a solo home run from Ryan Rua in the 2nd, walked 3, and struck out 3. Pat Urckfitz threw a 1-2-3 5th, and Brady Rodgers went 3.1 and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits (all singles), walked 1, and struck out 2.

Aaron West and David Rollins will be on the mound for game 2, and their opponent will be Alec Asher. First pitch is at 7:05.

High Desert 8, Lancaster 4

W- Tyler Olson (1-1)
L- Chris Devenski (1-2)
S- Will Mathis (2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks clawed back with 3 in the bottom of the 7th to cut their deficit to 1, but the Mavericks got those 3 runs back in the 8th to take the opening game of the series.

Rio Ruiz, Brandon Meredith, and Jake Rodriguez had 2 hits apiece; Meredith walked twice, while Ruiz's sac fly in the 7th accounted for Lancaster's only RBI. 3 of the 4 JetHawks runs came on wild pitches; Ruiz scored their first run on one in the 6th. Tony Kemp drew a 1-out walk in the 7th, advanced to 2nd on a Teoscar Hernandez single, and scored on 2 consecutive wild pitches. After Carlos Correa walked, Hernandez would score on the 3rd wild pitch of the inning. Teoscar went 1-4 with a steal (7) and extended his hitting streak to 5 games.

Chris Devenski pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 5. Mitch Lambson got the final 2 outs of the 5th via strikeout. Josh Hader had his first rough outing of the year, as he gave up 5 runs (2 inherited runners scored) on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 3, and struck out 2. Juan Minaya pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed 2 of the 3 runners he inherited from Hader in the 8th to score on a 2-run single and fanned 2.

In the middle game of this series, Mike Hauschild will take on Jochi Ogando. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific. Mark Appel will not appear due to a "developmental decision," as Jason Schwartz put it. There probably isn't anything going on; it's just an extended period of rest for Appel.

South Bend 5, Quad Cities 0

W- Braden Shipley (1-0)
L- Albert Minnis (0-1)

QC home runs: None, obviously.

The River Bandits only had 5 hits as they got blanked in the series opener. Jack Mayfield, Tanner Mathis, and Chan-Jong Moon hit doubles.

Gonzalo Sañudo started off with 4 scoreless and allowed 3 hits while striking out 2. Albert Minnis gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits in the 5th. Adrian Houser went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (all in the 9th; 2 inherited runners scored) on 5 hits and struck out 3. Pat Christensen didn't allow any runs of his own in the 9th, but he did allow both of the runners he inherited from Houser to score. Christensen allowed a hit and struck out 1.

In the middle game of this series, Andrew Thurman and Chris Lee will face Blake Perry at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

InsideSoCal.com: Hagerty ready to roll with Ruiz for rest of season

Rio Ruiz, 3B, Lancaster

2-4, sac fly, R

2.

Enrique Hernandez, 2B/OF, Oklahoma City

AAA debut: 2-3, R, 2 BB, SB (1)

1.

Preston Tucker, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2B, solo HR (3)

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Collin McHugh, RHP, Oklahoma City
5 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

2.

Tabasco Hoy (Tabasco Today)

Gonzalo Sañudo, RHP, Quad Cities
4 IP, 3 H, 2 K

1.

Nick Tropeano, RHP, Oklahoma City
3.2 IP, H, 2 K