An Embarrassment of Riches

From Saturday through Tuesday, the Fresno Grizzlies made themselves at home in Round Rock, Texas, sweeping the Express and putting on a show of dominant starting pitching. And when I made the following statement during my trip to see the Grizzlies (in what we all hope will be their new digs next season), I was only being slightly hyperbolic.

Bold statement: You could take this @FresnoGrizzlies team as is, make it the 31st major league team and they would be in the playoff hunt.

— Jayne Hansen (@JayneWTHB) June 19, 2018

Let's leave to the side for a moment that 3B J.D. Davis (.362/.425/.568 in 46 games), OF Derek Fisher (.286/.408/.540 in 17 games) and a newly rejuvenated 1B A.J. Reed (.267/.378/.551 in 68 games) who is walking more and striking out less all have at least some MLB experience and should only improve at the higher level with their next opportunities. Also leave to the side that OF Kyle Tucker, the Astros #2 prospect (.306/.375/.506 in 66 games) is in the groove with a 10-game hitting streak and OF Myles Straw, another top prospect, is hitting .435/.480/.565 with 6 stolen bases in his first five games after being promoted to the level (and leads all affiliated teams with 40 steals). Let's just put all of that to the side for a moment and just talk starting pitching.

Brock Dykxhoorn - June 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

So far in June, the Grizzlies starting pitchers are a combined 11-2 in 18 starts with a 1.61 ERA and a 0.949 WHIP. RHP Trent Thornton (1.71 ERA/0.762 WHIP in June) tossed 7.2 no-hit innings on Saturday (ending with one hit over eight innings) and was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for last week. RHP Cy Sneed (1.33 ERA/0.836 WHIP in June) threw the first 9-inning complete game and shut-out of his career on Thursday (with six no-hit innings to start it). RHP Josh James (0.95 ERA/0.789 WHIP in June) and RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (1.74 ERA/0.532 WHIP in June) have both dominated since their May promotions to Fresno. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (1.93 ERA/1.571 WHIP in June, including three innings of a suspended game on the 3rd) and RHP Mike Hauschild (2.16 ERA/1.500 WHIP in June) round out the group with five wins in the five completed games they've pitched in thus far this month. My "bold statement" was based in large part on this great work from the rotation.

But this brings me to the next topic of discussion. The Grizzlies rotation is stacked with MLB-ready and near-ready starters. In AA, you have five top-30 prospect starters chomping at the bit to get to AAA (RHP Forrest Whitley, LHP Cionel Perez, RHP Jorge Alcala, RHP Corbin Martin and LHP Framber Valdez). RHP Brady Rodgers is on a rehab assignment and will soon be ready to rejoin the Grizzlies. And that doesn't even touch on RHP Francis Martes and RHP David Paulino who are currently on the DL. Phew!! That's a lot of moving parts. Obviously, there are way too few roster spots moving forward to stash all of these starting pitchers. Don't be surprised to see several of them leave the Astros fold by the end of July via trade. Others will be given the opportunity to work out of the bullpen (as has been the case with LHP Kent Emanuel who started the Grizzlies season in the rotation but was moved to the bullpen in early May). And one or more may very well be lost to the Rule 5 draft in December.

This is what they call "an embarrassment of riches." Honestly, I'm glad that I'm not the one who has to sort this all out. I wish each and every one of these players the best of luck as they battle to break through the logjam and achieve their dreams.

Astros Minor League Depth - Right-Handed Starters, Part 2

In looking at the Astros MiLB depth, I covered those right-handed starting pitchers who finished the season at Advanced A or higher here. Now let's look at those righties who finished the season at Quad Cities or one of the short season or rookie levels. I've included a few pitchers on this list who may have relieved more than started in 2013, but who I believe are still in the mix as potential starters, such as Daniel Minor and Troy Scribner as well as Joe Musgrove who was coming off an injury. I have sorted the pitchers by WHIP, low to high.

First let's look at the 2013 draftees. Naturally, Mark Appel as the first round pick has gotten most of the attention, but Tri-City's Kyle Westwood (13th round) and Andrew Thurman (second round) had excellent freshman seasons as well. Thurman led this trio with a healthy strikeout rate (9.8 per nine innings) and was also much more of a flyball pitcher than the other two; his GO/AO ratio of 0.69 was lower than all but one of the 25 pitchers on the list. Conversely, Appel had the highest groundball rate out of the entire group, with a 2.24 GO/AO ratio, although his groundball rate was somewhat lower after his promotion to Quad Cities. Westwood had a particularly good season, leading the list in ERA and WHIP and sporting an impressively low walk rate. Batters hit .173 against him.

Andrew Thurman - July 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Troy Scribner, signed as a non-drafted free agent last season, also impressed in his time at three levels, culminating with Tri-City. In addition to a sub-1.000 WHIP and solid ERA, he had the highest strikeout rate in the system for anyone pitching a minimum of 50 innings (tied with reliever Travis Ballew). He held batters to a .193 average.

2012 draftees Lance McCullers (first round compensation pick) and Daniel Minor (ninth round) both plied their wares in Quad Cities for the season. McCullers had a very solid first full season and stretched his innings out to 104+ before being shut down for the season after his August 15th start. His walk rate was high, but so was his strikeout rate (10.1 per nine innings). Minor started out in a tandem rotation and ended the season starting in his last three appearances, but was used extensively out of the bullpen in between. He may ultimately be headed to the bullpen since he fared better in relief, going 7-1 with a 2.44 ERA, 1.333 WHIP and a 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings in that role.

Lance McCullers - April 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Adrian Houser (second round) and Brandon Culbreth (eighth round) represent the 2011 Astros draft class. Houser had a strong season for Tri-City and I am extremely encouraged by the fact that he managed to halve his walk rate from the prior year. Culbreth has an incomplete. He did not appear between July 18th and August 28th. Both pitchers are 21, with Houser hitting that milestone on Sunday.

Three other 2011 draft picks acquired in trades by the Astros had tough seasons. Kevin Comer had an up and down season and fared better in relief at Tri-City, allowing only a .216 batting average in that role. Joe Musgrove got a late start to the season due to injury and his overall numbers aren't great, but he was coming on very strong at the end of the season. In 18 innings pitched in August for the GCL, he was 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.255 WHIP, walking only two batters and striking out 17. Chris Devenski started the season well (3.91 ERA and 1.263 WHIP in 6 appearances in Lancaster in April) and ended it reasonably well (3.60 ERA and 1.367 WHIP in five starts in Quad Cities in August), but he was largely ineffective in between. It is my sincere hope that Devenski, who threw a no-hitter to end his 2012 season in Lexington, will be back on track in 2014.

In looking at the Latin non-drafted free agents, there are several interesting players, but Michael Feliz stands out from the rest. The 20-year old Dominican (who just turned 20 in September) was dominant in 14 games (10 starts) at Tri-City. A sub-2.00 ERA, a sub-1.000 WHIP and 78 strikeouts to 13 walks in 69 innings at short season A before his 20th birthday? What's not to like? And prospect experts took note, with Feliz landing on several recent top Astros prospect lists.

Michael Feliz - July 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Of those who made it as far as Greeneville, Jandel Gustave is definitely the most interesting of the bunch. He's been known to touch 100 and was just included in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook as the 27th best prospect in the Astros system. Luis Ordosgoitti is another pitcher with an incomplete. After being shelved for most of the season, he only saw limited action in Greeneville in August. Edison Frias started the season at Tri-City but spent the majority at Greeneville before returning to Tri-City for his final start. Both Frias and teammate Frederick Tiburcio had good seasons with Greeneville, but both turned 23 after the season ended and should be expected to do well at that level. Jose Montero spent most of his season with the GCL Astros and actually did better in his limited time at Greeneville after the promotion. Francis Ramirez also played the bulk of his season in the GCL before a late season promotion to Greeneville. He did not fare as well as Montero did after his promotion.

Three of the young Latin players from this list ended their season in the GCL. Gerardo Juarez spent the majority of his season with the Dominican Summer League and his excellent numbers merited a late season promotion to the GCL. Agapito Barrios, who only turned 20 in November, was in his second season in the GCL. David Paulino did not play in the Houston farm system in 2013. He was obtained after the season ended as the PTBNL in the Jose Veras trade. He excelled in limited action for the GCL Detroit team. He last pitched in mid-July and was reported to have subsequently undergone Tommy John Surgery.

Harold Arauz (18), Elieser Hernandez (18), Rayderson Chevalier (19) and Juan Hernandez (21) were at the core of a very talented rotation for the Dominican Summer League Astros in 2013. All were in their second years as professionals and all impressed, but I am most intrigued by the Panamanian Arauz and Elieser Hernandez, a Venezuelan. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the four make the jump stateside in 2014 and I will be watching the transition closely.

Astros Minor League Depth - Right-Handed Starters, Part 1

[4/13/14 UPDATE: Alex Gillingham is no longer with the organization.]

As we continue to look at the depth in the Astros minor league system, let's move to right-handed starting pitchers. Due to the sheer number of pitchers involved, I will be breaking this up into two posts. This one will address those who finished their seasons at Advanced A Lancaster or above. I did not include any pitchers who made their major league debuts in 2013, such as Jarred Cosart and David Martinez. I did include Matt Heidenreich because I still consider him to be a starter despite his extensive use out of the bullpen in 2013.




I have ranked the pitchers by WHIP, from low to high. Topping the list is 2010 eighth round draft pick Jake Buchanan. The minor league pitcher of the year in 2011, Buchanan was unable to duplicate that success in 2012. Fast forward to 2013 and Buchanan was extremely effective once again as he split his time between Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City. He had one of the highest groundball rates out of this group and had the lowest BB/9 rate, a very stingy 1.25 walks per nine innings. His ERA was also the lowest out of the group.

Asher Wojciechowski was another real success story from the 2013 season. Wojo picked right up where he left off in Corpus Christi in 2012 after being acquired in the big July 2012 10-player trade with the Blue Jays. The former first round 2010 draft pick started the season back in Corpus and dominated at the level, leading to his promotion in early May to AAA Oklahoma City. Hitters only managed a .223 batting average against him, the best mark for this group. Wojo also had the lowest groundball rate of the group with a 0.66 GO/AO rate, a rate that was lower than he has had in past seasons.

Vincent Velasquez spent the vast majority of his season at Quad Cities, landing in Lancaster for his final three starts. Velasquez, a second round 2010 draft pick, appears to be fully back from the Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the 2011 season. He pitched 124+ innings in 2013. Velasquez was a close second to Wojo in batting average against, with hitters managing only .225 against him and he leads this group in SO/9, getting 10.25 strikeouts per nine innings.

Vincent Velasquez - April 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Bobby Doran, yet another 2010 draft pick (fourth round), seems to always fly under the radar. He doesn't have the flashiest stuff out of the group, but he is a big (6'6" 235#), healthy innings-eater who rarely has a really bad outing and manages to keep his team in the game. His 11-2 record is reflective of that.

The last of this group to have been drafted in 2010 is Mike Foltynewicz, another first rounder. Folty started the season in Lancaster, but was promoted to AA Corpus Christi in early May. He barely trailed Wojo and Velasquez in terms of batting average against with hitters putting up a .226 mark against him and his strikeout rate was rather healthy as he managed to strike out 8.6 batters per nine innings. The one area upon which Folty will need to improve is his walk rate. He had the highest walk rate of the group at 4.6 per nine innings. But at only 22 in October, he has plenty of time to make those adjustments.

The 2011 draft class is represented in this group by Kyle Smith, Nick Tropeano and Alex Gillingham. Smith, obtained from the Royals in the Justin Maxwell trade, excelled in the Advanced A Carolina League before the trade and had mixed results in Advanced A Lancaster in five appearances afterwards. Smith struggled at times, but one of his appearances just happened to be a complete game two-hit shutout. Tropeano had a solid, albeit unremarkable season, with uneven results at times as he tried to adjust to the Texas League. Tropeano and Smith both managed more than eight strike outs per nine innings over the season. Gillingham, who came from the Rockies in the Wilton Lopez trade in December 2012 gets an incomplete. After only three appearances, he was shelved for the season. I had looked forward to seeing what he could do in Lancaster with his historically high groundball rate.

Three 2012 draft picks made it to Advanced A in only their second year pitching professionally -- Brady Rodgers, Aaron West and Mike Hauschild. Rodgers and West spent the full season at Lancaster and put up numbers that are fairly typical for the hitter-friendly venue, while Hauschild was promoted there from Quad Cities in mid-July and (aside from one very tough outing) adjusted well to the level. Hauschild and Rodgers have two of the highest groundball rates from this group and West has one of the lowest. West and Rodgers both had low walk rates and West, with his 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings, had one of the best strikeout to walk ratios in the Astros system.

Brady Rodgers - September 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

R.J. Alaniz, a non-drafted free agent who signed in 2009, was young for the AA level, having only turned 22 in June and his youth showed at times. For whatever reason, Alaniz fared better as a reliever than as a starter out of the tandem, putting up a 3.51 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP in that role. Matt Heidenreich, obtained in the July 2012 White Sox trade for Brett Myers, struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in 2013, but a healthy Heidenreich excelled in the Arizona Fall League where he was 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.095 WHIP. Ross Seaton, drafted in 2008, did not fare well in Oklahoma City in 2013 and ended up back at AA Corpus Christi for nine games before being recalled to Oklahoma City to end the season. He had more success in his final three appearances in OKC than in his earlier stint. Hopefully, he can build on those later outings when he presumably starts the 2014 season back in Oklahoma City.

Astros Minor League Depth - Starting LHP

As Spring Training approaches, I've been looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position. Today, we look at the left-handed starting pitchers in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012.

The embedded chart shows the pitchers ranged from low to high in terms of WHIP. I have noted their current age and the last level at which they played. I am not including Dallas Keuchel as he spent a significant portion of 2012 at the major league level.

One thing stands out for me when looking at this list. Only three pitchers (Wes Musick, Brett Oberholtzer and Luis Cruz) pitched for the Houston organization before 2012. Cruz is the only one who played in the system before 2011. Except for Edwin Villarroel, a 17-year old NDFA signed from Venezuela prior to the season, the rest were either drafted in 2012 or traded for in 2012. It's easy to see why GM Jeff Luhnow was aggressively pursuing left-handed starters in deadline trades last year.

Brian Holmes, a 13th round draft pick in 2012, is easily one of my favorites from the 2012 draft. He held hitters to a .165 batting average and flirted with no-hitters a couple of times during the short season. At the other end of the list is Joe Bircher, the Astros 2012 10th round pick. Bircher had an uneven freshman season, but I look for him to be more consistent in 2013.

The Astros super-sized their lefty ranks by trading little lefty Wandy Rodriguez for Rudy Owens (6'3" 230#) and Colton Cain (6'3" 255#) in July. Cain struggled somewhat at Lancaster after the trade, but he only turns 22 today so he has time to work that out. Owens, on the other hand, did well in his time at Oklahoma City after the trade and will be headed to Spring Training to challenge Erik Bedard for a job with the big club.

Another pitcher who will be headed to Spring Training to challenge Bedard is Brett Oberholtzer. I am higher on Oberholtzer than some of the other bloggers. He finished the season at Oklahoma City very strongly; he's a workhorse who pitched the second most innings in the Astros minor league system (37 more innings than Bedard in 2012); and he is highly motivated.

David Rollins (Blue Jays trade) and Blair Walters (Brett Myers trade) were also obtained in 2012 deadline deals. Rollins only made six starts for Lexington after the trade but handled the transition well. Walters struggled after his in-season promotion to High A for the White Sox and then for Houston. Look for him to start the season back at Lancaster.

Luis Cruz, one of the longest tenured Astros farm hands, was drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2008. He just turned 22 in September. Edwin Villarroel caught my eye with what he was able to accomplish at only 17 even before Luhnow mentioned that Villarroel stood out in Luhnow's recent visit to the Dominican Republic. Luhnow was impressed by Villarroel's "stuff" but was equally impressed by the command he showed at such a young age.

Wes Musick started the season at Lancaster, stopped at Corpus Christi briefly and ended up in Oklahoma City where he last pitched June 19th before injury derailed his season. Kyle Hallock, the Astros 10th round pick in 2011, also had his season cut short as he had surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He had an excellent freshman season in 2011. I will be eager to see what he can do in 2013 when he is once again healthy.

Coming Wednesday: LH Relief Pitchers

Astros Minor League Depth - Starting RHP Pt. 2

As Spring Training approaches, I've been looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position. Because of the sheer number of pitchers in the organization, I really needed to break them down into groups. Today, we look at the right-handed starting pitchers in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012 playing on short season clubs.

Lance McCullers - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows the pitchers ranged from low to high in terms of WHIP. I have noted their current age and the last level at which they played.

2012 college draft picks Aaron West, Daniel Minor and Brady Rodgers had simply outstanding first seasons in the organization, as did NDFA Lance Day.

Astros supplemental first rounder, Lance McCullers, was kept on a strict pitch count, but was nonetheless impressive in his limited time. The Blue Jays supplemental first rounder from 2011, Kevin Comer, came to the organization very late in the season as the PTBNL in the 10-player July trade. Adrian Houser, the Astros second rounder from 2011 showed definite improvement over his freshman season.

Samil de los Santos in his second season and Elieser Hernandez in his first both had good seasons for the DSL Astros. Agapito Barrios and Edison Frias both made the transition from the DSL in their first season to the GCL in their second quite nicely, although Barrios needs to work on his control (8 hit batters and 11 wild pitches for the short season).

Both Raul Rivera and Vincent Velasquez missed the 2011 season completely due to injury which makes their 2012 results that much more impressive.

Michael Feliz' ERA and WHIP for the GCL Astros was practically microscopic before his promotion to Greeneville. Feliz, who only turned 19 in September, will likely start the season back at Greeneville.

Juri Perez had fantastic numbers at Tri-City, and made five appearances (three starts) for Lexington. I look for him to start the season with Quad Cities.

There are two other pitchers that I will be keeping an eye on in 2013 that were with the Greeneville squad in 2012. Francis Ramirez had a fairly average season, but his strikeout rate was worthy of notice. Unfortunately, his walk rate caught my notice too, but not the good kind of notice. The other is Joe Musgrove, another 2011 first round supplemental pick by the Blue Jays who came to the Astros organization in the July trade. Musgrove was limited to only 17 innings coming off an injury in 2012. I assume that Musgrove will still be groomed to be a starter, at least for now, but that isn't necessarily a given.

I'm not making many predictions as to where these players will be playing in 2013, but most of those who played at Tri-City will probably go to full season A at Quad Cities. Most of the others will likely play at some level of short season ball after spending time in extended spring training.

Monday: Starting RHP in Full Season Clubs
Coming on Wednesday: Right-Handed Relief Pitchers at AA and AAA

Astros Minor League Depth - Starting RHP Pt. 1

As Spring Training approaches, I've been looking at the Astros minor league depth, position by position. Because of the sheer number of pitchers in the organization, I really needed to break them down into groups. Today, we look at the right-handed starting pitchers in the organization who had the best seasons in 2012 and played on full season clubs.

Ross Seaton - June 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The embedded chart shows the pitchers ranged from low to high in terms of WHIP. I have noted their current age and the last level at which they played. I am including Edgar Gonzalez as he was taken off of the 40-man roster and will likely start the season with AAA. His stats are a combination of his minor league and Mexican League numbers.

Asher Wojciechowski, obtained in the Blue Jays 10-player trade in July, and Matt Heidenreich, obtained in the Brett Myers trade, both started their seasons with the Hi-A affiliate of their respective organizations. Heidenreich had already been promoted to AA at the time of his trade, but Wojo was only promoted when he came into the Houston organization. Their stats on the above chart include their time at the lower level, but they both had great success in their somewhat limited time at AA Corpus Christi. Look for both to start the season at AA.

Ross Seaton had the break-through season that I had been waiting for, and he generally got stronger as the season progressed. Seeing him pitch the first week of June and again during the first week of September was like seeing two different pitchers. I would like to see him start the season at AAA and, frankly, I believe that will be the case.

Bobby Doran started the season at Hi-A Lancaster, but pitched 10 starts at AA Corpus where he definitely held his own. He is an innings-eater who pitches to contact. He should start the season at AA where he can refine his command and build on his 2012 success.

Jarred Cosart and Jose Cisnero both had great seasons at Corpus leading to their September promotions to AAA. Cosart adapted better than Cisnero to the level, but I think that both need more time at AAA before making their major league debuts. Although he came a long way in 2012, Cosart still needs to fine-tune his command and his mental approach to the game. I think working with Roger Clemens will help him with both immensely. Cisnero's walk rate ticked up and his strikeout rate ticked down at AAA, but I think that will correct itself given more time and experience at the level.

At the lower levels, you have David Martinez, whose numbers may not look all that impressive until you consider that he is the only one on this list who pitched the entire season in the very tough environs of the California League. Nick Tropeano started the season at Lexington, but spent his second half at Lancaster as well. His ERA and WHIP were slightly higher at the Hangar, but he more than held his own after the promotion. I believe Tropeano will start the season at AA. It will be difficult for Martinez to get a promotion to start the season, though, simply because the upper levels are starting to get crowded with talent. However, I can see him being one of the first to be promoted if someone struggles or is injured. Alternatively, he may be moved to the bullpen.

Mike Foltynewicz, of course, dominated the Sally League in many categories and won the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. Personally, I would like to see him skip Lancaster and go straight to Corpus Christi, but the Astros are going to have to do some juggling to find room for all of the pitchers that need to see action at AA and AAA. Finally, Chris Devenski didn't see as much time as a starter as these other pitchers, having pitched out of the bullpen for a substantial part of the season before he came over in the Myers trade. That is the only reason I can see him starting the season at Quad Cities instead of Lancaster, but I think he will be promoted quickly if he can sustain the success he showed after the trade. Much may depend on his Spring Training performance.

There are many more pitchers to keep an eye on in 2013, including Kyle Weiland and Paul Clemens. Weiland is still rehabbing and trying to get his strength back from his surgery last spring. Clemens struggled at AAA most of the season, but was successful in his final seven starts back at AA Corpus. He was too highly regarded a prospect coming in to the 2012 season to simply give up on him. He is another pitcher who I think would benefit from working with Clemens.

Another couple of pitchers that I will be watching closely are Tyson Perez and R.J. Alaniz. Perez got promoted in 2012 from extended Spring Training directly to Lancaster after making only 13 starts in rookie league Greeneville in his first season in 2011. His season numbers weren't great, but he got stronger as the season progressed and he was extremely good in the post-season. And R.J. Alaniz was having a solid season before his year ended early due to injury. I believe that both will repeat at Lancaster.

Coming Tuesday: Right-handed starters in short season leagues

The Futurists - OKC Starting Pitchers

Over at The Futurists blog, I look at how the Oklahoma City pitching staff stacks up so far.  I think you'll be happy with what you'll see!

WTH 25-Man Roster

There is no winner this week in the WTH 25-Man Roster as we were only trying to whittle down our choices for Starting Pitchers.  Top vote getters included Jared Cosart, Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer, Adrian Houser and Vincent Velasquez.  Also receiving votes were Tommy Shirley, Tanner Bushue, Ruben Alaniz, Luis Cruz, Edison Frias, Christoper Lee, Zachary Grimmett and Brandt Walker.  All of these pitchers will join our runners-up from the previous rounds of voting and will make up the pool from which we will chose our final three starting pitchers.  (For more information on the WTH 25-Man Roster, go here.)

Coming Monday - We will vote for our third Starting Pitcher.

WTH 25-Man Roster - Starting Pitchers (Narrowing Down our Choices)

As posted over the weekend, CF George Springer convincingly won the tenth spot on the WTH roster.  Also receiving votes were Austin Wates, Emilio King, Teoscar Hernandez, Jay Austin and Brandon Barnes.

This week we're not going to vote for a final spot on the roster, but we're going to narrow down some of our choices for Starting Pitcher.  There are quite a few pitchers who haven't been included in a poll yet because they didn't pitch enough innings last season to qualify or they were on the DL all season.  I would like to give some of those players a chance to compete with some of the others that received votes in earlier rounds.  For example, Vincent Velasquez (DL), Adrian Houser (min. IP) and Jared Cosart will be included in this list.  We'll put the high vote getters from this list up against the runners-up from prior votes (Nick Tropeano and Kyle Hallock for example).

I know it sounds confusing because it is!  All you really need to know is this.  Vote up to five times for those pitchers you would like to see make it to the next round for a final vote.  With all that said, here are the 2011 stats for the players.  Look them over and vote.