Astros Farm Report: 6/11

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

Congratulations to Randy Cesar, who now has the longest hit streak in Hooks history at 28 games! Randy doubled in tonight's game to set the record.

Relive how Randy's put together the longest hit streak in @MiLB this season. #ReelFun pic.twitter.com/K2upgjHAWR

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) June 7, 2018

After breaking the record, Randy is still on a roll with an active streak of 32 games.

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

6/11: RHP Ernesto Jaquez (19)
6/13: RHP Leovanny Rodriguez (22)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

6/10: LHP Reymin Guduan (Fresno) recalled to Houston
6/10: RHP Jacob Dorris (Fresno) released (signed as a NDFA in June 2015)
6/10: RHP Andrew Thome (Fresno) activated from the DL
6/8: C Tim Federowicz designated for assignment
6/8: C Luis Barajas (DSL) released
6/8: 2B Jeury Castillo assigned to GCL from DSL
6/7: RHP Forrest Whitley (Corpus Christi) activated from the restricted list
6/7: OF Alejandro Garcia (Fresno) released (Cuban player signed in July 2015)
6/6: RHP Akeem Bostick (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL (placed on DL 5/12)
6/6: LHP Sean Stutzman (Corpus Christi) released (NDFA signed in June 2016)
6/6: 3B/1B/LF J.D. Davis optioned to Fresno
6/5: OF Chas McCormick assigned to Corpus Christi from Buies Creek
6/4: SS Jonathan Arauz assigned to Buies Creek from Quad Cities
6/4: 1B Jake Adams assigned to Buies Creek from Quad Cities
6/4: 2B Alfredo Angarita assigned to Quad Cities from Buies Creek

ASTROS MILB DISABLED LIST

6/7: RHP Carlos Sierra (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
6/1: LHP Yeremi Ceballos (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
6/1: RHP Carlos Quintero (DSL) placed on the 60-day DL
6/1: RHP Dariel Aquino (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5/29: RHP Matt Ramsey (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL
5/27: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5/26: RHP David Paulino (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL (retroactive to the 25th)
5/16: LF Yordan Alvarez (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5/8: RHP Kevin Hill (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5/4: RHP Francis Martes (Fresno) placed on the 7-day DL
5/3+/-: RHP Gerardo Bojorquez had TJ surgery per Instagram post
5/2+/-: OF Patrick Mathis out for approx. 6 weeks per Instagram post
4/26: RHP J.B. Bukauskas (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
4/5: RHP Ryan Thompson assigned to Fresno (starting the season on the 7-day DL); according to Instagram Ryan has had surgery, but I don't know whether or not it was TJ
4/5: RHP Edgardo Sandoval (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
4/5: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Quad Cities (starting the season on the 7-day DL)
4/5: RHP Ángel Heredia (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
4/5: RHP Nick Hernandez (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL (Tommy John)
4/5: RHP Jose Luis Hernández (Buies Creek) placed on the 7-day DL

I will be keeping track of all the releases, retirements, trades and signings for the 2018 season here.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Good luck to all the STUDS still on the board today!! Never lose sight of your dreams even if it has to be a different route than the draft. Stay ready for that opportunity and when it comes, run with it!! You never know what can happen in one year #MLBDraft

— Kit Scheetz (@kit_scheetz) June 6, 2018

ASTROS MILB STANDINGS
Up and down arrows represent increase/decrease in win percentage over the prior week.

FRESNO (Pacific Coast League)

🠉1st 38-25 .603 -.-GB W1

CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League)

🠉2nd 37-25 .597 2.0GB W1

BUIES CREEK (Carolina League)

🠋2nd 34-28 .548 1.5GB L1

QUAD CITIES (Midwest League)

🠋 3rd 34-29 .540 3.0GB W2

DSL ASTROS (Dominican Summer League Northwest)
T7th 1-6 .143 5.0GB L5

TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League)
Season starts 6/15/18

GCL ASTROS (Gulf Coast League)
Season starts 6/18/18

ASTROS MILB TEAM STATS (FULL SEASON TEAMS)

FRESNO

Batting (through 63 games)
.292 BA: 2nd (out of 16 teams)
.374 OBP: 1st
.471 SLG: 3rd
.845 OPS: 3rd
128 2B: 3rd
25 3B: 3rd
70 HR: 4th
272 BB: 2nd
464 K: 14th
37 SB: Tied for 11th

Pitching (through 63 games)
4.24 ERA: 5th
1.31 WHIP: 4th
59 HR: 7th
210 BB: 11th
596 K: 1st

CORPUS CHRISTI

Batting (through 62 games)
.295 BA: 1st (out of 8 teams)
.366 OBP: Tied for 1st
.438 SLG: Tied for 2nd
.804 OPS: 1st
124 2B: 2nd
19 3B: 3rd
49 HR: 4th
218 BB: 2nd
472 K: 6th
90 SB: 1st

Pitching (through 62 games)
3.82 ERA: 2nd
1.39 WHIP: Tied for 2nd
41 HR: 7th
228 BB: 1st
549 K: 1st

BUIES CREEK

Batting (through 62 games)
.241 BA: Tied for 7th (out of 10 teams)
.319 OBP: 8th
.366 SLG: 7th
.686 OPS: 7th
102 2B: Tied for 3rd
16 3B: Tied for 2nd
38 HR: 7th
217 BB: 5th
505 K: 5th
86 SB: 1st

Pitching (through 62 games)
3.40 ERA: 1st
1.18 WHIP: 1st
41 HR: 5th
263 BB: 1st
608 K: 1st

QUAD CITIES

Batting (through 63 games)
.251 BA: 7th (out of 16 teams)
.338 OBP: Tied for 4th
.393 SLG: 3rd
.731 OPS: 4th
109 2B: Tied for 5th
23 3B: Tied for 1st
45 HR: Tied for 5th
236 BB: 6th
508 K: 11th
54 SB: Tied for 7th

Pitching (through 63 games)
3.16 ERA: 1st
1.31 WHIP: 3rd
26 HR: 16th
256 BB: 2nd
658 K: 1st

PLAYER TO WATCH:

Here is what I wrote about RHP Heitor Tokar in the offseason:

Although it is highly unlikely that I will get the opportunity to see Tokar until 2019 at the very earliest, I can't wait! Tokar, who only turned 17 in October, signed out of Brazil in July for $300,000. Baseball America had him as the #50 overall top prospect in the 2017 international class and called him an "enormous pitcher with a heavy build," an apt descriptor for a 6'7" (6'6" per Baseball-Reference) 250# pitcher (and that was when he was still 16!). Oz Ocampo of the Astros projects Tokar as a power starter with a fastball that is currently in the high 80's to low 90's, a solid changeup and two breaking pitches (curveball and slider) that he can throw for strikes. He is also said to have a nice repeatable delivery and advanced pitchability for his age. I expect him to start his season in the Dominican Summer League more due to his age than anything else.

As I surmised, Tokar started his season with the Dominican Summer League where he was given the Opening Day starter nod. In his first two professional appearances, Tokar has a 0.00 ERA, 0,240 WHIP and one walk to five strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work. And my irrational exuberance for this player continues unabated.

NEWS AND LINKS

Dustin has pulled together all of the social media info for the new draft picks here.

And Astros County does his usual great job looking at the Astros 2018 draft picks here, here and here.

Jake Kaplan also looks at the Astros first 10 rounds (paywall).

And in the off-chance that you missed it, Christian Boutwell looks at the Astros family connections in the draft.

Fresno RHP Josh James, my featured player from last week's Farm Report, has received some (well-deserved) attention from MiLB.com.

Sam Levitt talks with Hooks 1B Taylor Jones about some of his off-the-field interests.

As a follow-up to my former Astros feature on Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz last week, FanGraphs looks at what has been working for Folty this season.

"Do we only care about little girls until we want to win baseball games?" Read this to see why many of us who were victims of childhood sexual abuse were extremely upset by those scoffing at our concerns over a potential draft pick.

And in case you missed any of these, here are my recent interviews:

OF Chas McCormick (Buies Creek, since promoted to Corpus Christi)
OF J.J. Matijevic (Buies Creek)
RHP Brandon Bielak (Buies Creek)
LHP Brett Adcock (Buies Creek)
SS Alex De Goti (Corpus Christi)
1B Taylor Jones (Corpus Christi)
RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (Corpus Christi, since promoted to Fresno)

FORMER ASTRO UPDATE:

Jacob Nottingham - July 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

C Jacob Nottingham, originally drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2013 out of Redlands HS in Redland, CA, was traded to Oakland (along with Daniel Mengden) in July 2015 for Scott Kazmir. Oakland then traded Nottingham to Milwaukee for Khris Davis in February 2016. Nottingham received a brief 3-game promotion to the majors in April, but has spent the bulk of his season playing for the AAA Colorado Sky Sox where he has slashed .330/.400/.585 with seven doubles, one triple and five home runs in 26 games.

Fresno Grizzlies: Early Season Results

We are now 20 games in to the Fresno Grizzlies season. Let's see where things stand!

The Grizzlies (aka Tacos) are currently 9-11 and in third place in the PCL Pacific Northern Division, two games behind Tacoma (SEA) and Reno (ARI) and one and a half games in front of the last place Sacramento (SF) team. Their current run differential is -11.

Here's how the Grizzlies rank in the 16-team AAA Pacific Coast League in select categories:

OFFENSE
4th in Batting Average: .279
2nd in On-Base Percentage: .351
4th in Slugging Percentage: .429
5th in On-Base Plus Slugging: .781
T15th in Doubles: 25
T3rd in Triples: 8
T5th in Home Runs: 20
T3rd in Walks: 74
8th in Strikeouts: 143
T10th in Stolen Bases: 11

PITCHING
16th in ERA: 5.71
16th in WHIP: 1.74
16th in Home Runs Allowed: 10
1st in Walks: 87
12th in Strikeouts: 140
T7th in Saves: 5

I think it's pretty clear where this team is having problems right now. The offense shakes out well, but the starting pitching has struggled mightily with one notable exception.   Let's look at the individual players who have had the most success early on.

Derek Fisher & Teoscar Hernandez - April 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE OFFENSIVE LEADERS (in select categories)

OF Preston Tucker
.369 AVG (11th)
13 RBI (T19th)

OF Teoscar Hernandez
.571 SLG (16th)
3 3B (T1st)
4 HR (T9th)
15 RBI (T10th)

IF Tyler White
15 R (T4th)

1B A.J. Reed
14 R (T13th)
3 HR (T19th)
15 RBI (T10th)
13 BB (13th)

OF Derek Fisher
13 R (T20th)
4 HR (T9th)
10BB (T12th)

3B Colin Moran
3 HR (T19th)
16 RBI (T5th)

IF/OF Tony Kemp
4 SB (T12th)

Brady Rodgers - May 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS (in select categories)

RHP Brady Rodgers
1.10 ERA (3rd)
0.92 WHIP (3rd)

Yep, after Brady it's mostly crickets as far as starting pitching goes, at least so far. Francis Martes has a respectable ERA of 2.92, but after allowing 15 hits and 12 walks over only 12.1 innings, his WHIP has ballooned up to 2.19. Of course there's still plenty of time for these pitchers to settle in and turn their seasons around.

The good news is that there are a few relief pitchers who have really contributed. In particular, Jordan Jankowski (who sometimes starts out slowly) has been solid out of the 'pen and has already collected two saves to go with his 1.00 ERA. And Kevin Comer, who started the season in Corpus Christi, has not allowed a run, earned or otherwise, in his four appearances since being promoted to Fresno. Similarly, James Hoyt allowed no runs over five appearances before being recalled to Houston last week.

From Monday: Quad Cities River Bandits
From Tuesday: Buies Creek Astros
From Wednesday: Corpus Christi Hooks

Corpus Christi Hooks: Early Season Results

We are now 18 games in to the Corpus Christi Hooks season. Let's see where things stand!

The Hooks are currently 11-7 and in first place in the Texas League South Division, two games in front of a second place tie between Frisco (TEX) and San Antonio (SD). Their current run differential is -7.

Here's how the Hooks rank in the 8-team AA Texas League in select categories:

OFFENSE
8th in Batting Average: .237
3rd in On-Base Percentage: .331
7th in Slugging Percentage: .361
6th in On-Base Plus Slugging: .692
T4th in Doubles: 30
T7th in Triples: 1
T3rd in Home Runs: 15
T1st in Walks: 79
4th in Strikeouts: 149
1st in Stolen Bases: 21

PITCHING
8th in ERA: 4.26
5th in WHIP: 1.37
T4th in Home Runs Allowed: 13
6th in Walks: 58
4th in Strikeouts: 155
T2nd in Saves: 6

If you look purely at Team Batting Average and Team ERA, you're probably wondering how this team is in first place. The fact of the matter is that some players have struggled early, particularly on the pitching side, but good performances from key players have been enough to carry the team ... for now. They will need to start showing more consistency or I'm afraid they may have trouble hanging on to that first place standing.  Let's look at the individual contributions that have helped them to their current first place standings.

Drew Ferguson - June 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE OFFENSIVE LEADERS (in select categories)

OF Drew Ferguson
.308 AVG (13th)
.383 OBP (14th)
15 R (T1st)
5 2B (T13th)
8 BB (T17th)
5 SB (T2nd)

1B Jon Singleton
.420 OBP (T3rd)
4 2B (T18th)
10 RBI (T15th)
21 BB (1st)

IF Antonio Nunez
.380 OBP (15th)

3B J.D. Davis
.472 SLG (15th)
.818 OPS (20th)
9 R (T20th)
4 HR (2nd)
11 RBI (T10th)
9 BB (T12th)

OF Alejandro Garcia
.471 SLG (16th)
10 R (T14th)
5 2B (T13th)
3 HR (T3rd)
11 RBI (T10th)

IF Jack Mayfield
.455 SLG (18th)
5 2B (T13th)
2 HR (T12th)

OF Ramon Laureano
14 R (T3rd)
2 HR (T12th)
12 RBI (T6th)
5 SB (T2nd)

Although Davis is the only Hooks player who currently ranks in the Top 20 in OPS, there are four additional Corpus players who ranked from 21st to 27th in that metric: Alejandro Garcia (21st), Drew Ferguson (22nd), Jack Mayfield (25th) and Jon Singleton (27th).

Rogelio Armenteros - June 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS (in select categories)

RHP Rogelio Armenteros
0.61 ERA (3rd)
0.75 WHIP (2nd)
22 SO (4th)

LHP Kent Emanuel
18 SO (T13th)

RHP Dean Deetz is just shy of having enough innings to qualify as a league leader, but he would certainly rank highly with a 0.66 ERA and a 0.51 WHIP!!! RHP Josh James has also had a good start with his 2.08 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, but doesn't qualify right now. RHP Michael Freeman (0.93 ERA) and RHP Riley Ferrell (1.29 ERA and 1.29 WHIP) have been steady in the bullpen.

From Monday: Quad Cities River Bandits
From Tuesday: Buies Creek Astros

Buies Creek Astros: Early Season Results

We are now 18 games in to the Buies Creek Astros season. Let's see where things stand!

The BC Astros are currently 12-6 and in first place in the Carolina League Southern Division, three games in front of a second place tie between Myrtle Beach (CHC) and the Carolina Mudcats (MIL). Their current run differential is +16.

Here's how the BC Astros rank in the 10-team High A Carolina League in select categories:

OFFENSE
5th in Batting Average: .255
5th in On-Base Percentage: .327
5th in Slugging Percentage: .378
5th in On-Base Plus Slugging: .706
3rd in Doubles: 30
3rd in Triples: 8
T6th in Home Runs: 9
T4th in Walks: 60
1st in Strikeouts: 167
3rd in Stolen Bases: 21

PITCHING
5th in ERA: 3.67
2nd in WHIP: 1.24
T6th in Home Runs Allowed: 11
T2nd in Walks: 62
1st in Strikeouts: 187
1st in Saves: 10

The offense has been mostly in the middle of the pack with a high strikeout rate, but that has been overcome by some eye-popping starting pitching. Let's look at the individual contributions that have helped them to their current first place standings.

Ryne Birk - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE OFFENSIVE LEADERS (in select categories)

OF Myles Straw
.311 BA (18th)
.386 OBP (11th)
14 R (2nd)
12 RBI (T5th)
8 BB (T14th)

2B Ryne Birk
.310 BA (19th)
.369 OBP (19th)
.517 SLG (10th)
.886 OPS (15th)
11R (T13th)
3 3B (T1st)
12 RBI (T5th)

OF Kyle Tucker
.554 SLG (6th)
.910 OPS (9th)
12 R (T5th)
6 2B (T2nd)
3 HR (T5th)
17 RBI (2nd)

OF Jason Martin
12 R (T5th)

C Eduardo de Oleo
3 HR (T5th)

1B Dex McCall
10 BB (T6th)

This is a speedy crew as well, with Kyle Tucker (6), Myles Straw (4), Osvaldo Duarte (3) and Jason Martin (3) all residing in the top 20 in the league in that category.

Alex Winkelman - May 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS (in select categories)

RHP Franklin Perez
0.00 ERA (T1st)
0.42 WHIP (2nd)

LHP Alex Winkelman
0.00 ERA (T1st)
0.35 WHIP (1st)
21 SO (T8th)

RHP Akeem Bostick
1.86 ERA (12th)
0.83 WHIP (6th)

From Monday: Quad Cities River Bandits

Quad Cities River Bandits: Early Season Results

We are now 17 games in to the Quad Cities River Bandits season. Let's see where things stand!

The Banditos are currently 9-8 and in a 3-way tie for second place (along with Cedar Rapids-MIN and Wisconsin-MIL), two games behind the Kane County Cougars, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate. Only four games separate the first place team and the last place team in the eight-team division. Thanks to a recent offensive onslaught, the Quad Cities crew are sporting a +22 run differential.

Here's how Quad Cities ranks in the 16-team Low A Midwest League in select categories:

OFFENSE
4th in Batting Average: .250
3rd in On-Base Percentage: .322
1st in Slugging Percentage: .448
1st in On-Base Plus Slugging: .770
T4th in Doubles: 28
T5th in Triples: 6
1st in Home Runs: 24
5th in Walks: 56
13th in Strikeouts: 139
5th in Stolen Bases: 17

PITCHING
5th in ERA: 3.00
2nd in WHIP: 1.080
T3rd in Home Runs Allowed: 20
T13th in Walks: 46
T8th in Strikeouts: 153
16th in Hit Batters: 2

As you can see, the River Bandits have had a good balance of offense and pitching. Let's look at the individual contributions that have led to their early success.

Alex De Goti - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE OFFENSIVE LEADERS (in select categories)

IF Alex De Goti
.322 BA (18th)
.437 OBP (9th)
.945 OPS (14th)
11 R (T11th)
12 BB (T2nd)

C Jake Rogers
.521 SLG (20th)

OF Ronnie Dawson
10 R (T13th)
4SB (T11th)

1B Spencer Johnson
.571 SLG (T10th)
12 RBI (T6th)

OF Stephen Wrenn
9 BB (T12th)
5SB (T4th)

OF Daz Cameron
9 RBI (T17th)
5 SB (T4th)

Also, there are five players on the team that are tied for 10th in the league with three home runs each: Marcos Almonte, Rodrigo Ayarza, Daz Cameron, Spencer Johnson, and Stephen Wrenn.

Ryan Hartman - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

TOP 20 LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS (in select categories)

RHP Carson LaRue
1.20 ERA (6th)
0.87 WHIP (11th)

LHP Ryan Hartman
1.29 ERA (7th)
0.79 WHIP (7th)

LHP Brett Adcock
1.32 ERA (9th)
0.95 WHIP (16th)
22 SO (T4th)

RHP Hector Perez
20 SO (T11th)

Tomorrow (I hope): Buies Creek