Astros Farm Report: 3-19

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Jacob Dorris - April 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

3-22: RHP Joe Smith (34)
3-23: OF Patrick Mathis (22)
3-23: LHP Julio Robaina (17)
3-24: RHP Jacob Dorris (25)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

Another quiet week on the transaction front ...

With the the latest reassignments to the minor league camp, there are currently 33 32 (with A.J. Reed optioned today) players with the big league camp, including the rehabbing Jandel Gustave and Brady Rodgers and the lone remaining non-roster invitee, C Tim Federowicz.

You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

SPRING TRAINING MINOR LEAGUE STANDOUTS

Minor league pitchers aren't getting many innings in Spring Training as the season opener gets closer, but most of those who have can be proud! In the last week, Jacob Dorris provided two scoreless outings and Nick Hernandez, Chris Nunn and Brendan McCurry each put up zeroes in their individual outings as well. And Rogelio Armenteros converted a 3-inning save opportunity on Friday, allowing one hit, one walk and no runs while striking out five.

As far as position players go, the same trio keeps rising to the top week after week: Kyle Tucker (4-for-8 for the last week: 4G 3RBI 2R SO), Jon Kemmer (3-for-7 for the last week: 4G 2B R SO) and Jack Mayfield (3-for-7 for the last week: 4G RBI SO). For the spring, they are:

Tucker: .410/.429/.795 in 17 games
Mayfield: .333/.400/.556 in 18 games
Kemmer: .320/.433/.600 in 16 games

And, although they haven't gotten a ton of at-bats this spring, a couple of other minor leaguers made their marks this week -- Alex DeGoti with a 2-run home run on Tuesday and Anibal Sierra with a grand slam on Saturday.

In case you were wondering, I've just been featuring players who have yet to make their MLB debut in these "Spring Training Standouts" posts, but I'm sure you're aware that there is a major league battle to see who will start the season at first base for the Astros as they await the return of Yuli Gurriel from his DL stint and suspension. Through Sunday's game, here are how the three contenders are faring:

J.D. Davis: 16G .333/.378/.619 3-2B 3HR 3BB:11SO
A.J. Reed: 19G .298/.365/.511 4-2B 2HR 4BB:15SO (optioned today)
Tyler White: 17G .242/.378/.515 3-2B 2HR 7BB:9SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Unfortunately, the first thing I saw on twitter when I woke up this morning was this ...

Oh, fantastic. https://t.co/rF1vpIP7o5 pic.twitter.com/gI7uQvnyE9

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 19, 2018

I'll save my full-blown soapbox for another day, but the cost of giving each minor league player in the Astros system an extra $1000 per month from early March through early September would cost approximately $1,440,000 per year. I know that isn't cheap, but it's less than the signing bonus for one top prospect and would make a huge difference in the lives of 240 minor league players, many of whom signed for a pittance. Paying players an hourly wage may not make sense due to the nature of the business, but increasing their pay to a fair salaried wage does. I honestly wish the Astros would do that, not because they have to or because it's the law, but because it's the right thing to do. Here is the full story.

That, on top of the ridiculous extra inning and other rules for the minors, makes me like this Commish less and less. And, since mound visits in which a "injury or potential injury to the pitcher" isn't counted as a visit, I'm anticipating a lot of soccer-type "injuries" to occur. (As someone who has done extensive acting over my lifetime, I will be happy to sign up as the Astros injury acting coach for a small fee.)

via GIPHY

I forgot to post this last week. And I'm happy to add this story to the mix. Yes, we're coming to take your jobs, boys! One note on the second story -- Tiedemann is replacing the retiring Keith Elkins. Elkins was my contact with the Lexington Legends in my very first credentialed minor league trip. He made it an incredible experience for me and certainly contributed to my confidence going forward. I will always have a special place in my heart for Keith.

Saturday night was the ring ceremony for the Midwest League Champion Quad Cities River Bandits. Steve Batterson has the story. Troy Sieber showed us his ring and I drooled.

MWL Champ 💍 pic.twitter.com/by1K1knvcA

— Troy Sieber (@Tsieb22) March 18, 2018

MiLB with stories on Kyle Tucker and one of my favorite catching prospects, Chuckie Robinson.

In case you missed it, here is my Astros Consensus Top 32 Prospect Rankings, incorporating rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs.

Also, in case you missed it, I've been rolling out a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field
Right Field
Left Field
Catchers
Utility Players
Left-Handed Pitchers
Right-Handed Relievers - Coming this week

Astros Farm Report: 3/6

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Carson LaRue - July 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

3-6: RHP Carson LaRue (22)
3-8: RHP Josh James (25)
3-10: RHP Elian Rodriguez (21)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

3/5/18: According to Jake Kaplan, LHP Anthony Gose has been placed on outright waivers
2/28/18: RHP Jherson Pereira signed out of Venezuela; he was 21 in January

In addition, I somehow missed a few international signings from the end of last season. It's a mixed bag as far as the information I could find, but here you go!

9/22/17: LHP Julio Robaina, originally from Cuba, signed for $220,000; he will be 17 later this month and is reported to throw in the low 90's with a developing curve
8/30/17: SS Hector Leon signed out of Venezuela; he turned 17 in February
8/24/17: RHP Franny Cobos, a converted pitcher out of Cuba, signed for $125,000; he turned 17 in February
8/23/17: RHP Jeremy Molero signed out of Venezuela; he was 18 in November
8/21/17: IF Rolando Espinosa, originally from Cuba, signed for $175,000; he turned 17 in January
8/18/17: LHP Daniel Bello signed out of the Dominican Republic; he was 21 in January
8/14/17: C Jonarkys Lopez signed out of Venezuela; he will be 17 on 8/13
8/9/17: SS Jose Mendoza signed out of Venezuela; he will be 17 on June 19th (click on link for a short, artsy video of Mendoza)
7/20/17: SS Sebastian Grullon signed out of the Dominican Republic for $150,000; he will not be 17 until July 19th

For those of you keeping track, that now makes 14 Cuban players in the Astros system. They are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the Astros future.

You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

SPRING TRAINING MINOR LEAGUE STANDOUTS

After a dozen Spring Training games, the Astros are 8-3-1 and there are several minor league standouts in big league camp.

Cionel Perez - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Although several position players have done well, Jack Mayfield and Kyle Tucker have gotten the most playing time and have made the most of it. In nine games, Mayfield has hit .294/.368/.706 with a double, two home runs, four RBI and two walks to three strikeouts while Tucker has compiled a .381/.381/.857 line in eight games, with a double, three home runs, eight RBI and zero walks to five strikeouts.

Tucker's swing isn't always as pretty as Ted Williams, though ...

Ugly check swings run in the family Brian

— Preston Tucker (@PrestonTucker20) March 6, 2018

Aside from RHP Rogelio Armenteros, who made an early impression with the Astros front office and has currently pitched five innings over two games with a 1.80 ERA and 0.800 WHIP, a few other MiLB pitchers have more than held their own in multiple appearances. LHP Cionel Perez has allowed only one unearned run in three appearances and has held hitters to a .143 batting average. RHP Brendan McCurry's four appearances include a win and a save; he has allowed no runs and has a 0.857 WHIP. RHP Trent Thornton has pitched in three games and has a 1.42 ERA and 1.105 WHIP. And, although LHP Framber Valdez has an identical ERA to Thornton (1.42), he has flirted with disaster at times and has allowed a .304 batting average.


NEWS AND LINKS

MiLB finished their position player farm system rankings last week. Here are the bottom 10 systems, the middle 10 systems and the top 10 systems. The Astros are ranked at #15 which feels fair to me since the Astros traded a number of position player prospects this past season and, although, I feel that there is a lot of talent in the system, much of it is still very raw. But most importantly, the Astros are ranked more highly than the Rangers (#20)!

MiLB also started their pitcher farm system rankings this week. Here are the bottom 10 systems and the middle 10 systems. The top 10 systems will presumably be posted tomorrow and will include the Astros. I don't know where the Astros will rank, but a ranking in the top 10 also feels fair to me. The Astros pitching depth in their farm system is, IMHO, definitely ahead of the position players in that many of the better pitchers in the system are further along in their development.

In case you missed it, I finalized my Astros Consensus Top 32 Prospect Rankings last week, incorporating rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs.

Also, in case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field
Right Field
Left Field
Catchers
Utility Players - Coming this week

Astros Farm Report: 2/26

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Corey Julks - MiLB Headshot

2-26: C Mike Papierski (26)
2-26: RHP Fabricio Reina (18)
2-26: RHP Hector Rondon (30)
2-26: RHP Oscar Severino (20)
2-27: OF Corey Julks (22)
2-27: RHP Felipe Tejada (20)
3-1: LHP Tim Hardy (22)
3-1: C Lorenzo Quintana (28)
3-3: RHP Angel Macuare (18)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

2-26: C Lorenzo Quintana assigned to Buies Creek (Cuban signed by the Astros last fall)
2-21: RHP Forrest Whitley (Corpus) suspended 50 games for a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program

Can confirm @Buster_ESPN report. Forrest Whitley suspended for 50 games. Source tells me Whitley was at an out of state college baseball game as a fan after his season was over and was given an unknown stimulant by a friend in order to help keep him awake on his long drive home.

— Chuck Miketinac (@MaxSportsSA) February 21, 2018

I'm disappointed with Whitley because he is super smart and this was a NOT super smart move, but I feel certain that he will learn from the experience and work even harder to overcome the negative stigma. (In other words, he's a good kid. Give him a break. If he does it again, feel free to rip him a new one!)

Plus a couple more free agents (who were Astros last season) have signed with other teams this past week: OF Cameron Maybin (Marlins) and LHP Francisco Liriano (Tigers). Those who remain free agents are:

RHP Tyler Clippard - ended the 2017 season with the Astros
C Eduardo de Oleo - ended the 2017 season with the Fresno Grizzlies
RHP David Martinez - ended the 2017 season with the Fresno Grizzlies
OF Rico Noel - ended the 2017 season with the Fresno Grizzlies

You can check the cumulative Astros offseason transaction list here to see if you've missed any of the posted moves this offseason.

SPRING TRAINING MINOR LEAGUE STANDOUTS

Who were the minor league standouts in the first weekend of Spring Training games? I'm glad you asked ...

RHP Rogelio Armenteros

Pitching prospect Rogelio Armenteros struck out the first batter of the game with a Bugs Bunny changeup and just picked off 12-year veteran Howie Kendrick. Nice start.

— Hunter Atkins (@HunterAtkins35) February 23, 2018

Rogelio Armenteros striking out his first ST batter on three pitches. This changeup was fillllthy. pic.twitter.com/PYb0WhodFU

— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) February 23, 2018

"I always joke, 'You can't make the team on the first day,' but he tried to challenge that a little bit by punching everybody out."#Astros manager A.J. Hinch on @astros' No. 12 prospect Rogelio Armenteros: https://t.co/MKm3nNi37e pic.twitter.com/JCn0BGWIbw

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 24, 2018

2B Ryne Birk

Astros Minor Leaguer @RynoBirk flew in Thursday, practiced for first time in Minor League camp on Friday and delivered three knocks for Astros against Braves on Saturday.@AggieBaseball pic.twitter.com/Bd275vMGCK

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) February 24, 2018

NEWS AND LINKS

MiLB has started up a farm system ranking based on position players and started with the bottom 10 systems (which, of course, does not include the Astros!).

MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs both released their top prospect lists last week. I will be updating my Astros consensus top prospect list shortly.

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field
Right Field
Left Field
Catchers - Coming this week (I hope)

OK, Baseball, now that the Olympics are over, you have my full attention. But I do plan to live in the afterglow of this epic win for a little while longer ...

Embed from Getty Images

Astros Spring Training: Who are the Winners?

Although there are still three games left in the Astros Grapefruit league season, followed by two Exhibition Games back in Houston prior to the official start of the season, we can already declare several Spring Training winners.

Joe Musgrove - June 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Joe Musgrove
Although Musgrove wasn't a total lock to break camp with the Astros, his chances were still very good. All he had to do was give the Astros a reason to say "yes." He did that in spades with a fine Spring. In six starts, he is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.045 WHIP, allowing six walks to 15 strikeouts in 22 innings of work.

RHP Brad Peacock
On the other side of the coin, Peacock was working against long odds to make the Opening Day 25-man roster. The journeyman pitcher was the beneficiary of Collin McHugh's arm troubles (and the fact that he has no options left). His Spring was less than stellar, but his 4.91 ERA and 1.364 WHIP in eight appearances (three starts) was enough to give him a leg up as the long man. He'll have to make an impression quickly, though, since McHugh will likely make it back to Houston sooner rather than later.

RHP Michael Feliz
Nobody is really talking about Feliz right now which is actually a good thing. That means he's doing his job. Because of his strong Spring (2.61 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, .211 AVG in 9 appearances), he was never mentioned as being on the bubble and became an early lock.

RHP Jandel Gustave and RHP James Hoyt
Although one of these pitchers is going to be the odd man out come Opening Day, they have each been able to establish themselves as solid bullpen options. No matter which of these players gets sent to Fresno to start the season, he will know that his name will be the first one called when the need arises. Although Gustave's Spring numbers have been better overall (2.08 ERA, 0.808 WHIP, .107 AVG), Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports that Hoyt (3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .281 AVG) may have a leg up because of his ability to get lefties out (since there is a dearth of lefties in the Astros bullpen).

J.D. Davis - April 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

3B J.D. Davis and OF Derek Fisher
Although neither Davis nor Fisher will be in Houston on Opening Day, they each impressed the front office enough to be included in the contingent that will participate in the Minute Maid Park Exhibition games later this week. Davis (.341/.404/.463 in 23 games) and Fisher (.294/.405/.471 with 10 stolen bases in 23 games) are officially on A.J. Hinch's radar and that should prove to be a good thing for them moving forward.

3B Colin Moran and 1B A.J. Reed
It was a long shot for either of these players to make the Opening Day roster, but they both established themselves as viable alternatives (and potential trade pieces?) with their strong Springs. Moran hit .389/.439/.611 in 19 games before being re-assigned to minor league camp while Reed compiled a .306/.444/.667 batting line in 21 games.

RHP Mike Hauschild
Since being picked up from the Astros by the Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft this past December, Hauschild has been vying for a rotation spot with that team. In seven appearances (three starts), he has a 3.12 ERA, a 1.154 WHIP and a .234 AVG. He could very well break camp with the Rangers and, even if he doesn't, he has managed to establish that he can hang with the big boys.

Spring Training Leaders: 3/20

Checking in on the Spring Training stats for a few of the Astros who aren't a lock* to make the opening day roster ...

Framber Valdez - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Let's take a look at the pitchers first. Of those pitchers having thrown a minimum of five innings so far this season, these are your leaders:

LHP Framber Valdez
4G 5.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP 2BB 5SO .176AVG

RHP James Hoyt
5G 5.0IP 1.80ERA 1.200WHIP 3BB 4SO .176AVG

RHP Joe Musgrove
4G/4ST 12.0IP 2.25ERA 1.083WHIP 4BB 9SO .209AVG

RHP Jandel Gustave
7G 6.2IP 2.70ERA 1.050WHIP 4BB 7SO .136AVG

RHP Michael Feliz
7G 8.2IP 3.12ERA 0.808WHIP 1BB 6SO .200AVG

RHP David Paulino (reported 3/19 that Paulino will start season on DL)
3G 7.0IP 3.86ERA 1.143WHIP 1BB 4SO .250AVG

News came out yesterday that Paulino has a bone bruise on his pitching elbow and will start the season on the DL. Joe Musgrove is continuing to make a good case for a starting spot on the opening day roster, particularly with Collin McHugh lagging behind in readiness. And righties Jandel Gustave, James Hoyt and Michael Feliz are jockeying for position with strong springs as the Astros determine their bullpen needs.

With Tony Sipp the only bullpen lefty likely to make the opening day roster, Framber Valdez's stock has been rising. He is an older prospect with no experience at AA or AAA and it is highly unlikely that he will get a shot at the opening day roster. However, with strong results at the upper levels of the system this season, he could very well be someone to watch for in the not-so-distant future.

A.J. Reed - May 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

And now for the position players who are leading the pack (minimum 20 AB) ...

3B Colin Moran
33AB .394/.432/.636 2-2B 2HR 10RBI

OF Alejandro Garcia
23AB .348/.423/.348 2RBI 1SB:2CS

3B Reid Brignac
32AB .344/.400/.563 2-2B 1-3B 1HR 8RBI

3B J.D. Davis
30AB .333/.417/.400 2-2B 5RBI

1B A.J. Reed
35AB .315/.415/.686 1-2B 4HR 11RBI

2B/LF Tony Kemp (reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday)
35AB .286/.306/.343 2-2B 3RBI 1SB:2CS

OF Derek Fisher
26AB .269/.394/.385 3-2B 7RBI 7SB

OF Jon Kemmer
23AB .261/.452/.435 1-2B 1HR 4RBI

1B Tyler White
36AB .250/.308/.333 1HR 2RBI

Some of these players have fallen off a bit since last week's review, but Reid Brignac has gone 7-for-15 in his last seven games and A.J. Reed and Colin Moran have been holding fairly steady. Because of the current crop of MLB talent, it will be tough for these players to earn an opening day roster spot. With good minor league seasons, though, Reed and Moran will likely force the issue and will either be invited back to Houston or included in a trade to nab that elusive ace starting pitcher that so many are clamoring for.

*It's highly likely that some of these players will be on the opening day roster, but since those on this list who are on the 40-man roster all have options remaining, they will be the easiest to send to AAA to start the season.

Spring Training Leaders: 3/11/17

Checking in on the Spring Training stats for a few of the Astros who aren't a lock* to make the opening day roster ...

One caveat: Spring Training stats, especially early on are somewhat meaningless. Pitchers are working on specific pitches, tweaking their delivery and simply getting their arms back up to speed. Hitters are working on their timing in the box, tweaking their stances/load and are looking for specific pitches/locations they want to work on either hitting to the opposite field, laying off of altogether or the like. Don't make too much out of bad ST stats. But the flip side of that is that a young player who does particularly well in ST against much older and more experienced competition will put himself on the radar of the front office and the MLB coaching staff as did Tyler White in 2016. So ST stats are mostly meaningless, but not completely.

Jandel Gustave - June 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Let's take a look at the pitchers first.

Obviously, these are all small itty-bitty teeny-weeny sample sizes but there are a few Astros pitchers who have not allowed a hit or a run so far, including RHP Dayan Diaz (1.0IP), RHP James Hoyt (2.0IP), LHP Albert Minnis (1.0IP) and RHP Trent Thornton (0.2IP).

However, of those pitchers having thrown a minimum of four innings so far this season, these are your early leaders:

RHP Jandel Gustave
4G 4.0IP 0.00ERA 0.500WHIP 1BB 5SO .083AVG

LHP Framber Valdez
3G 4.0IP 0.00ERA 0.750WHIP 1BB 4SO .154AVG

RHP Joe Musgrove
3G/3ST 8.0IP 1.13ERA 1.000WHIP 2BB 7SO .214AVG

RHP Michael Feliz
4G 5.1IP 3.38ERA 0.750WHIP 0BB 4SO .222AVG

RHP David Paulino
3G 7.0IP 3.86ERA 1.143WHIP 1BB 4SO .250AVG

Colin Moran - September 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

And now for the position players who are leading the pack early on (minimum 12 AB) ...

3B Colin Moran
16AB .438/.526/.875 1-2B 2HR

OF Alejandro Garcia
14AB .429/.500/.429

3B J.D. Davis
13AB .385/.529/.462 1-2B

OF Derek Fisher
12AB .333/.529/.500 2-2B 5SB

2B/LF Tony Kemp
21AB .333/.364/.381 1-2B

1B A.J. Reed
22AB .318/.400/.773 1-2B 3HR

*It's highly likely that some of these players will be on the opening day roster, but since those on this list who are on the 40-man roster all have options remaining, they will be the easiest to send to AAA to start the season.

Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

The Astros announced more Spring Training cuts yesterday (see yesterday's post for those and other minor league roster moves). Although some of these players have technically been assigned to minor league camp, they will continue to play with the major league club as needed.

Time to check in on how all the minor leaguers have fared in their time playing with the big league club. (Unfortunately, boxscores for the games on the backfields during Spring Training aren't available so this is really the only info readily available.) The following includes all stats to date with those players who had at-bats or innings in the past week in bold.

POSITION PLAYERS
SS Carlos Correa - 14x41 7R 2B 2HR 5RBI 2BB 10SO 2SB (.341/.372/.512)
C Max Stassi - 6x16 4R 2B HR 5RBI 3BB 2SO (.375/.450/.688)
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x14 5R 5BB 2SO 2SB
OF Domingo Santana - 0x10 RBI 6SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x9 2R RBI 2BB 4SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x9 2R BB 2SO CS
IF Joe Sclafani - 4x9 6R RBI
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
OF Preston Tucker - 0x8 2BB 3SO
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 2x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x7 R 2B RBI
OF Brett Phillips - 2x6 R HR 2RBI 2SO
C Roberto Pena - 0x5
OF Teoscar Hernandez - 1x3 2B SO
2B Tony Kemp - 1x3 SO
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x2 2SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x2
OF Leo Heras - 1x1 2R 2B
3B J.D. Davis - 0x1
C Luis Flores - 0x1
SS Jio Mier - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

PITCHERS
RHP James Hoyt - 7G 8.1IP 0.00ERA 0.960WHIP 5BB 11SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 5G 16.2IP 1.08ERA 0.960WHIP 4BB 13SO
RHP Mark Appel - 3G 7.0IP 2.57ERA 1.143WHIP 3BB 5SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 3G 3.1IP 2.70ERA 1.200WHIP 3BB 2SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP BB SO
LHP Chris Lee - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP 2SO
RHP Lance McCullers - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP SO
LHP Tommy Shirley - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP

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

The 2015 Houston Farm System Handbook is available on Amazon and can be read on kindle, iPad, most other tablets, laptop, desktop and smart phones. Time's a wastin'! Get yours now!

Rule 5 Astros in Spring Training

As you probably recall, the Astros lost three players in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in December. These players will need to stay on the drafting team's 25-man roster for the entire 2015 season or they will otherwise have to be offered back to the Astros. Let's check in with the trio and see how they have fared so far in Spring Training.

LHP David Rollins/Seattle Mariners
In seven games (8.1 innings pitched), Rollins has done extremely well, going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a 0.625 WHIP. He has walked zero batters and struck out seven.

RHP Jandel Gustave/Kansas City Royals
In five games (7.1 innings pitched), Gustave is 1-0 and has converted one of two save opportunities. He has a 3.68 ERA, 1.227 WHIP and has walked three batters while striking out six. [UPDATE: Gustave was placed on waivers today by the Royals. This post from MLB Trade Rumors explains the process, but in a nutshell, if another team doesn't claim his Rule 5 rights, he will be offered back to the Astros.]

OF Delino DeShields/Texas Rangers
DeShields has appeared in 11 games for the Rangers, hitting .185/.214/.333 with two doubles, one triple, one RBI, one walk, and five strikeouts. He has stolen one base and has been caught stealing twice.

Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

The Astros announced today that minor leaguers RHP Mark Appel and OF Andrew Aplin will be reassigned to minor league camp, a move that was not unexpected. Time to check in on how all the minor leaguers have fared in their time playing with the big league club. (Unfortunately, boxscores for the games on the backfields during Spring Training aren't available so this is really the only info readily available.) The following includes all stats to date with those players who appeared in the past week in bold.

POSITION PLAYERS
SS Carlos Correa - 8x30 4R HR 3RBI 2BB 8SO SB (.267/.313/.367)
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x14 5R 5BB 2SO 2SB
C Max Stassi - 5x13 4R 2B HR 3RBI 3BB 2SO (.385/.471/.692)
OF Domingo Santana - 0x10 RBI 6SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x9 2R RBI 2BB 4SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x9 2R BB 2SO CS
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
IF Joe Sclafani - 3x8 4R
OF Preston Tucker - 0x8 2BB 3SO
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 2x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x5 R 2B BB
C Roberto Pena - 0x5
OF Brett Phillips - 2x4 R HR 2RBI 2SO
OF Teoscar Hernandez - 1x2 2B SB
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x2 2SO
3B J.D. Davis - 0x1
2B Tony Kemp - 1x1
C Luis Flores - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x1
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

PITCHERS
RHP James Hoyt - 5G 6.0IP 0.00ERA 0.500WHIP BB 7SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 4G 12.0IP 0.75ERA 1.000WHIP 4BB 9SO
RHP Mark Appel - 3G 7.0IP 2.57ERA 1.143WHIP 3BB 5SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 3G 3.1IP 2.70ERA 1.200WHIP 3BB 2SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP BB SO
LHP Chris Lee - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 0.000WHIP 2SO
RHP Lance McCullers - 1G 1.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP SO

Astros Minor Leaguers in Spring Training

Today the Astros announced more cuts from the big league camp as RHP Michael Feliz, IF Ronald Torreyes and RHP Vince Velasquez were optioned and RHP Brady Rodgers was re-assigned to minor league camp.

Let's check in and see how the Astros minor leaguers have fared to date while playing with the big league club:

Position Players
SS Carlos Correa - 4x16 R RBI 2BB 4SO
OF Andrew Aplin - 1x11 4R 5BB SO 2SB
OF Domingo Santana - 0x5 RBI 5SO
C Max Stassi - 4x10 3R HR 2RBI 2BB SO
IF Ronald Torreyes - 0x8 RBI BB 2SO
IF Nolan Fontana - 1x7 R RBI BB 3SO
3B Colin Moran - 4x7 R BB SO CS
IF Joe Sclafani - 3x7 4R
1B/3B Matt Duffy - 1x7 R HR RBI 2BB SB
C Tyler Heineman - 1x3 R 2B
C Roberto Pena - 0x3
OF Brett Phillips - 2x3 R HR 2RBI SO
OF Jason Martin - 0x2
OF Derek Fisher - 0x1 SO
C Luis Flores - 0x1
1B Telvin Nash - 0x1 SO
OF Ruben Sosa - 0x1
OF Preston Tucker - 0x1 2BB
SS Mott Hyde - 0x0 CS

Pitchers
RHP James Hoyt - 3G 3.2IP 0.00ERA 0.545WHIP BB 2SO
RHP Brady Rodgers - 3G 3.1IP 16.20ERA 2.700WHIP 3BB SO
RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 3G 9.0IP 0.00ERA 1.000WHIP 3BB 7SO
LHP Luis Cruz - 2G 3.2IP 2.45ERA 1.090WHIP 2BB 4SO
RHP Michael Feliz - 2G 3.0IP 0.00ERA 0.667WHIP BB 3SO
RHP Jordan Jankowski - 2G 2.0IP 22.50ERA 3.000WHIP BB 4SO
RHP Jason Stoffel - 2G 2.1IP 3.86ERA 0.857WHIP BB SO
RHP Mark Appel - 1G 2.0IP 4.50ERA 1.500WHIP 2SO
LHP Kent Emanuel - 1G 0.1IP 27.00ERA 6.000WHIP SO
RHP Tyson Perez - 1G 1.0IP BB SO

Spring Training Starts for Astros Minor Leaguers

It's only the first day of camp for the vast majority of Astros minor leaguers, but a few have already gotten some time playing on the major league squad. After the first five games, here are the best starts* by those in the system who have not yet made their major league debut:

RHP James Hoyt, obtained this offseason along with Evan Gattis in a trade with Atlanta, has made two appearances for a total of three innings and has allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out one. RHP Michael Feliz (2IP H BB SO), RHP Asher Wojciechowski (2IP H BB) and RHP Tyson Perez (1IP BB SO) have also not allowed any runs.

At the plate, 3B Colin Moran (3x6 R SO R CS) and SS Carlos Correa (3x7 R RBI 2SO) have seen the most game action. Andrew Aplin (1x4 2R BB SB) has the distinction of collecting the only stolen base thus far. Tyler Heineman's (1x2) lone hit was a double and Matt Duffy's (1x3) lone hit was a solo home run. Brett Phillips (1x2) and Nolan Fontana (1x4) each collected an RBI in their limited action and Joe Sclafani (1x2) has already scored two runs in his short time.

*itty-bitty teeny-tiny sample size

Astros Spring Training Non-Roster Invitees

On Tuesday, the Astros announced that 17 non-roster players have been invited to Spring Training. They are:

RHP Mark Appel
LHP Darin Downs
RHP Jordan Jankowski
RHP Brady Rodgers
RHP Jason Stoffel

C Luis Flores
C Tyler Heineman
C Roberto Pena

IF Carlos Correa
IF Matt Duffy
IF Nolan Fontana
IF Dan Johnson
IF Colin Moran
IF Gregorio Petit
IF Joe Sclafani

OF Andrew Aplin
OF Preston Tucker

Of those who haven't made their major league debuts yet, Preston Tucker, Matt Duffy and Jason Stoffel are, in my opinion, the closest to being ready with Brady Rodgers, Jordan Jankowski, Andrew Aplin, Joe Sclafani and Tyler Heineman not far behind. I don't think that Appel and Correa will be given legitimate consideration out of Spring Training this year, but I also wouldn't be surprised if either of them forced the issue. Of the others, Fontana missed a lot of time last season due to injury; Colin Moran is still very young; Pena could be inserted in a lineup today defensively, but needs more work on the bat; and Flores (about whom I know little) is behind a logjam of catchers already on the 40-man roster.

Foto Friday - Spring Training Edition

I finally got through my Spring Training photos, weeded them out and got most of them tagged. You can find all of them here. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites ~

Chris Lee

Mike Foltynewicz

Joe Musgrove

David Martinez and Lance McCullers

Blaine Sims

Jon Singleton

Rio Ruiz

Photos by Jayne Hansen

 All Rights Reserved*

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

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 25

Houston Astros 9, New York Mets 6

2014 Grapefruit League record: 10-15

W- Mark Appel (1-0)
L- Gonzalez Germen (1-2)
S- Anthony Bass (2)

Astros home runs: None.

The Astros concluded their time in Florida with a victory on the strength of a 7-run 7th. Mark Appel made his long-awaited debut in an Astros uniform, pitching a scoreless 7th for the victory. It won't be long before he makes his Astros debut for real.

Starting Pitcher: Scott Feldman

Feldman pitched into the 6th in what should be his final tune-up before Opening Day. He was taken deep for a 2-run shot by Anthony Recker in the 5th and gave up 1 more run in the 6th. Feldman did not issue any walks and struck out 6.

Final line: 5.2 IP, 6 H (2-R homer), 3 ER, 6 K

Bullpen

Brad Peacock only faced one batter; he got the out to end the 6th.

Mark Appel pitched the 7th and worked around a leadoff single to retire the side, striking out 2.

Kevin Chapman got 2 outs (1 via strikeout) in the 8th, but also gave up 3 runs (1 inherited) in the process. Anthony Bass got the final out of the inning with a strikeout, and closed it out by striking out the side in the 9th.

Best stat of the night: Zero walks!!!

Offense

Carlos Corporán led the way with 2 hits. He and Chris Carter scored 2 runs apiece. So... there's an unlikely source of runs scored. The Astros had been shut out for 2/3 of the game until stretch time. I guess that's what they needed to get themselves going.

3 walks loaded the bases in the 7th. At that time, Jose Altuve was the lone casualty of the inning, as he was called out on strikes. Carlos Corporan worked a full count, then stroked a 2-run double to put the Astros on the board, down 3-2. They'd take the lead on another 2-run double from L.J. Hoes, and a 3rd consecutive double from Matt Dominguez brought Hoes home. Marwin Gonzalez continued the assault with an RBI single, and Preston Tucker chipped in with an RBI single of his own to finish off the big inning.

In the 8th, Carter scored on a wild pitch, and Hoes added a sac fly for the Astros' final run of the night.

Three Stars

3.

Anthony Bass, RHP
Save (2), 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 K

2.

Mark Appel, RHP
IP, H, 2 K

1.

Carlos Corporán, C
2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Next Up

With the Grapefruit League portion of this preseason complete, the Astros are headed back to Texas to play some exhibition games with the Dallas Rangers in San Antonio. The first game will be Friday at 7:05 in the Alamodome.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 24

Houston Astros 7, Atlanta Braves 5

2014 Grapefruit League record: 9-15

W- Jason Stoffel (1-0)

L- David Hale (0-3)

S- Ross Seaton (1)

Astros home runs: None.

Down 4-0 after the 1st, the Astros finished the game on a 7-1 run at Disney World. 

Starting Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel

Keuchel served up a pair of home runs in the 1st inning to Chris Johnson (3-run) and Justin Upton (solo). That 4-run 1st wound up becoming the only inning in which he allowed a run. He also drew a walk at the plate! And scored on a wild pitch!!!

Final line: 4 IP, 5 H (2 homers), 4 ER (all on the home runs), 2 BB, 7 K

Bullpen

Jason Stoffel was the first man out for the Astros, and although he gave up a game-tyine homer to Freddie Freeman in the 5th, he still turned in a good outing, striking out 2 in his 1.2 innings. He bowed out with 2 outs in the 6th, and on came Kevin Chapman, who struck out Jason Heyward to end the inning.

That would be the only out that Chapman would record, as he walked B.J. Upton and allowed a single to Ernesto Mejia. 

Andrew Robinson was summoned to escape a runners on the corners with no outs situation. He did just that, punching out Chris Johnson, getting Justin Upton to pop out, and Tyler Pastornicky to ground out. Robinson struck out Steven Lerud to begin the 8th and left after allowing a double to Ramiro Peña. 

Raúl Valdés was next, and he finished the 8th by striking out our old pal Jordan Schafer, and getting Phil Gosselin to ground out. 

Ross Seaton allowed a single to Derrick Mitchell to lead off the 9th, but he wound up shutting the door, striking out Edward Salcedo to end it. 

Offense

The Astros pounded out 13 hits, with Dexter Fowler leading the charge with a 3-4 night. Robbie Grossman, Jose Altuve, and L.J. Hoes had 2 apiece. 

Down 4-0, they put up 3 in the 4th, thanks to an RBI single from Fowler...

Keuchel trotted home on a wild pitch,




and then Grossman hammered an RBI triple to bring the Astros to within 1.

Another wild pitch allowed Altuve to score the tying run in the 5th,



and Chris Carter scored the go-ahead run as Jonathan Villar sacrificed himself. After the Braves tied it at 5 in the bottom of the 5th, Fowler broke the tie by scoring on a Jason Castro force out. Castro made it to 2nd, thanks to an error on the play. And finally, Carter hit a sac fly in the 9th to bring home Andrew Aplin, who entered as a pinch-runner for Castro.

Three Stars

3.

Robbie Grossman, OF
2-5, RBI 3B in 4th

2.

Jose Altuve, 2B
2-5, R, and this web gem:

1.

Dexter Fowler, OF
3-4, RBI, 2 R, BB

Next Up

Astros are off today and play their final Grapefruit League game tomorrow night.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 25, 2014

Astros Spring Training Roster Moves

The news came this morning that the Astros were releasing IF Cesar Izturis, optioning RHP Josh Zeid to Oklahoma City and re-assigning OF Adron Chambers and C Rene Garcia to minor league camp. If the Astros start the season with 13 pitchers, as has been much discussed, the following list (minus DL candidates and minus Carlos Perez, who is not expected to break camp with the team) may be your opening day roster.

However, I still firmly believe that Jeff Luhnow and Company are looking under every rock for further options, particularly at first base. One never knows with this group. I certainly didn't expect to see Zeid optioned, but since he has options remaining and Harrell doesn't, I can understand the reasoning.

With that said, these are the players who remain in big league camp.

PITCHERS
RHP Matt Albers
RHP Anthony Bass
LHP Kevin Chapman
RHP Jarred Cosart
RHP Jesse Crain (probable DL stint)
RHP Scott Feldman
RHP Josh Fields
RHP Lucas Harrell
LHP Dallas Keuchel
RHP Peter Moylan (probable DL stint)
LHP Brett Oberholtzer
RHP Brad Peacock
RHP Chad Qualls
LHP Raul Valdes
RHP Alex White (probable DL stint)
RHP Jerome Williams
RHP Asher Wojciechowski (probable DL stint)

CATCHERS
Jason Castro
Carlos Corporan
Carlos Perez

INFIELDERS
Jose Altuve
Chris Carter
Matt Dominguez
Marwin Gonzalez
Jesus Guzman
Marc Kraus (IF/OF)
Jonathan Villar

OUTFIELDERS
Dexter Fowler
Robbie Grossman
L.J. Hoes

Astros Spring Training Video from the Back Fields

OK, so I kinda got a little carried away with taking video at Spring Training. It was probably a good thing that I forgot to recharge my battery the last day and couldn't take as much. But since I went crazy anyway, I decided "What the Heck" (Bobby?) and proceeded to upload virtually all of it on my YouTube channel so you can look at any of the videos that interest you.

There were a few that I found particularly interesting. First of all, I was intrigued by Jack Armstrong (who converted from pitcher to first baseman) and was interested to see how he looked in the batter's box. I have a couple BP videos and two from a simulated game. After striking out his first time against RHP David Martinez, he got a single the second time around:




Lefty Luis Cruz gave up a home run to 1B Chase McDonald in a simulated game on Field 5 before settling down into a very dominant performance:



Other pitchers appearing on Field 5 that day included RHP Lance McCullers:



RHP Vincent Velasquez:



and RHP Michael Feliz, among others. There was a lot of talent on display on Field 5 that day! I also have video of Aaron West and Albert Minnis pitching in simulated games on Field 5 the following day (it was definitely the place to be).



I caught (pun intended) Max Stassi, Ryan McCurdy and Roberto Pena (shown here) participating in catching drills:



There are numerous batting practice videos posted (Andrew Aplin, Matt Duffy, Leo Heras, Jason Martin and others), including this one that shows OF Ydarqui Marte get nailed by Cesar Cedeno as he tosses BP:



I also very belatedly uploaded some video I took in Greeneville in August and Lancaster in September which I admittedly kind of forgot about. There is video of hard throwing RHP Jandel Gustave here and here and here. I also caught RHP Austin Chrismon recording strikeouts here and here. There is also video of LHP Jordan Mills here, LHP Kevin Ferguson here, LHP Chris Lee here, RHP Gonzalo Sanudo here and OF Tanner Mathis here. The Lancaster video shows RHP Travis Ballew recording the final out of Game 1 of the playoffs from last season.

Happy Viewing!

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 23

St. Louis Cardinals 6, Houston Astros 3

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-15

W- Joe Kelly (2-1)

L- Jerome Williams (0-1)

S- Trevor Rosenthal (2)

Astros home runs: None.

Again, the Cardinals stormed out of the gate and mauled an Astros starter in the process. 

Starting Pitcherr: Jerome Williams

Let's just say that Williams had some difficulty in keeping the ball in the park and leave it at that.

Final line: L (0-1), 4 IP, 9 H (3 home runs), 6 ER, 2 K

Bullpen

Astros relievers were solid once again as they combined for 4 scoreless innings to finish off the game. Anthony Bass allowed a hit and struck out 1 in 1.2 innings, Raúl Valdés allowed a hit and struck out 1 in 0.2 innings (final out of the 6th and first out of the 7th), and Jorge De Leon retired all 5 Cardinals that he faced, striking out 2 in 1.2 innings. 

Offense

The Astros only managed 3 hits, but still put up 3 runs. Alas, the early hole proved to be too deep to dig out.

They didn't have a hit until the 6th, when Jonathan Villar led off with a triple. They didn't have to wait very long for their 2nd hit (and first run, for that matter), when Robbie Grossman legged out an infield single to bring Villar home. Grossman would later score on a wild pitch from Jorge Rondon/Matt Dominguez walk. 

Adron Chambers walked to lead off the 7th and would score on a double from Jesús Guzmán. 

Three Stars

3.

Jesús Guzmán, 1B/OF
1-2, RBI 2B in 7th

2.

Jonathan Villar, SS
1-3, 3B, R, and a really good defensive play

1.

Bullpen: Anthony Bass (1.2 IP, H, K), Raúl Valdés (0.2 IP, H, K), Jorge De Leon (1.2 IP, 2 K)
Combined: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Next Up

The Astros head to the Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World to take on the Braves at 6:05 Eastern. Dallas Keuchel will match up against David Hale. 

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 22

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Houston Astros 2

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-14

W- Michael Wacha (3-0)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (0-2)
S- Seth Maness (1)

Astros home runs: Jose Altuve (1, solo in 7th)

The Cards jumped all over Brett Oberholtzer in the first third of the game, but the Astros held the Cards scoreless for the final 6 innings.

Starting Pitcher: Brett Oberholtzer

The Cardinals jumped all over him out of the gate as they got 4 in the 1st. But Obie picked himself up and allowed 1 run over his final 4 frames. Yes, his ERA is 11, but it's only Spring Training. It's only Spring Training.

Final line: L (0-2), 5 IP, 8 H (solo homer), 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Bullpen

The relievers threw 4 scoreless to close it out; 4 relievers, 1 inning each.

Chad Qualls went 1-2-3 in the 6th, striking out 1; Matt Albers also threw a 1-2-3 7th. Josh Fields allowed a hit and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Ross Seaton struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Offense

Marc Krauss put the Astros on the board in the 4th with a sac fly.



Dexter Fowler, who scored on the play, had 2 of the Astros' 5 hits. In percentage terms, he had 40% of the Astros' hits. Jose Altuve had 20% in the form of this solo home run, which came in the 7th:




Marwin González and Robbie Grossman also had a hit. No one drew a walk. On the other hand, they struck out 9 times. Considering the Astros' propensity to strike out last year, this certainly concerns me, even in spring.

Three Stars

3.

Dexter Fowler, CF
2-4, R

2.

Jose Altuve, 2B
1-3, solo HR (1) in 7th

1.

Bullpen: Ross Seaton, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and Josh Fields
Combined: 4 IP, H, 3 K

Next Up

The Astros will travel to Jupiter to take on the Cardinals at their place. Jerome Williams will be on the mound, and he will be opposed by Joe Kelly. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Astros Spring Training Roster Moves

The news came this morning that OF J.D. Martinez has been released by the Astros, LHP Darin Downs has been optioned to Oklahoma City and infielders Japhet Amador and Gregorio Petit have been re-assigned to minor league camp.

Of the 34 players remaining in big league camp, four will almost certainly start the season on the DL: RHP Alex White, RHP Jesse Crain, Asher Wojciechowski and RHP Peter Moylan (who is looking at possible TJ surgery according to reports from yesterday). That brings us to 30 players, two of whom (Catchers Rene Garcia and Carlos Perez) are destined for the minors, barring any unforeseen injuries.

That brings us effectively down to 28 players. If the Astros break camp with 13 pitchers, they will need to cut one from the list of healthy pitchers. I think it likely that the odd man out will come out of this group: Harrell, Keuchel, Valdes and Williams. I am assuming that either Keuchel or Valdes will make the team to give the Astros a third lefty option, but I find it unlikely that both will.

And they will need to cut two position players. Since Adron Chambers and Cesar Izturis aren't currently on the 40-man roster, they are probably the most likely victims as far as position players go unless the Astros decide to part company with Jesus Guzman who has not had a great spring. The one possible monkeywrench in this scenario is that the Astros are reported to still be looking at first base options.

PITCHERS
RHP Matt Albers
RHP Anthony Bass
LHP Kevin Chapman
RHP Jarred Cosart
RHP Jesse Crain (probable DL stint)
RHP Scott Feldman
RHP Josh Fields
RHP Lucas Harrell
LHP Dallas Keuchel
RHP Peter Moylan (probable DL stint)
LHP Brett Oberholtzer
RHP Brad Peacock
RHP Chad Qualls
LHP Raul Valdes
RHP Alex White (probable DL stint)
RHP Jerome Williams
RHP Asher Wojciechowski (probable DL stint)
RHP Josh Zeid

CATCHERS
Jason Castro
Carlos Corporan
Rene Garcia
Carlos Perez

INFIELDERS
Jose Altuve
Chris Carter
Matt Dominguez
Marwin Gonzalez
Jesus Guzman
Cesar Izturis
Marc Kraus (IF/OF)
Jonathan Villar

OUTFIELDERS
Adron Chambers
Dexter Fowler
Robbie Grossman
L.J. Hoes