Happy Minor League Opening Day!!

Happy Minor League Opening Day!! Here's what you may have missed since the end of last season if you haven't been paying attention ...

TRANSACTIONS

First of all, Dustin has done a great job of keeping everyone up to date with all of the 2018-2019 Offseason Transactions, including all of the offseason trades, releases and other maneuvering. Of particular note is the January 2019 acquisition of three players traded from the Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek:

OF Ross Adolph (2018 12th round draft pick out of the University of Toledo) hit .276/.348/.509/.857 in his first professional season at the short season A level. Adolph has been ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #30 prospect in the Astros system and is assigned to full season A Quad Cities to start the season.

2B Luis Santana (19-year old Dominican signed in July 2016) hit .348/.446/.471/.917 in his first season domestically (third season overall) in 2018 for the rookie level Appalachian League. He is currently ranked #21 in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline and is expected to start his season in June with the short season Tri-City team.

C Scott Manea (2014 40th round draft pick out of St. John's HS, Shrewsbury, MA) hit .261/.368/.432/.800 in his first season at the full season A level in 2018 and will start the season with Advanced A Fayetteville.

TOP PROSPECTS

And speaking of MLB Pipeline, here is the pre-season Top 30 Prospect list for the Astros. In addition to the inclusion of Luis Santana and Ross Adolph to the list, there are several other players who weren't on the list at all to end the 2018 season. They are #8 RHP Bryan Abreu (who was added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft last fall), #12 RHP Peter Solomon, #13 OF Ronnie Dawson, #26 SS/2B Deury Carrasco and #28 RHP Enoli Paredes. Baseball America also included RHP Manny Ramirez (a 19-year old who ended 2018 with the short season A team) and a fully healthy RHP Brady Rodgers (May 2017 TJ surgery) in their 2019 Prospect Handbook. FanGraphs had a few more prospects on their list published last month, as they included 39 players rather than 30. Baseball Prospectus limited their list to 10 with no huge surprises emerging.

With several players poised to graduate from the list (such as current Astros players RHP Josh James and LHP Framber Valdez as well as others who are awaiting their return to Houston), there will likely be a great deal of movement on the list this season. Now that he has fully recovered from an ACL injury in late 2016 that sidelined his 2017 season, I look for 3B Nick Tanielu to be one of the first additions to the Top 30 list as he tries to build on a spectacular spring. I could also easily name 20 pitchers in the system who are on the cusp of really breaking through in a big way. There is a ton of depth in the system, but I think the pitching depth is really the greatest strength in the system right now.

OFFSEASON AND SPRING TRAINING PERFORMANCES

Here are a few players who performed particularly well in fall and winter leagues ...

Arizona Fall League
3B Abraham Toro: 19 G | .348/.463/.561/1.023 | 12 BB:12 K
OF Ronnie Dawson: 25 G | .291/.417/.468/.885 | 10 SB:3 CS
RHP Forrest Whitley: 8 G | 26 IP | 2.42 ERA | 0.96 WHIP | .189 BA | 7 BB:37 K

Dominican Winter League
RHP Rogelio Armenteros: 5 G | 23 IP | 1.17 ERA | 0.70 WHIP | .154 BA | 4 BB:22 K

Mexican Winter League
RHP Humberto Castellanos: 21 G | 22 IP | 2.86 ERA | 1.18 WHIP | .231 BA | 8 BB:15 K

Puerto Rican Winter League
RHP Colin McKee: 10 G | 10.1 IP | 0.00 ERA | 0.48 WHIP | .121 BA | 1 BB:13 K
(Converted 5 of 6 save opportunities)

Venezuelan Winter League
RHP Akeem Bostick: 8 G | 32 IP | 2.81 ERA | 1.06 WHIP | .205 BA | 10 BB:27 K

And a few Spring Training standouts ...

3B Nick Tanielu: 51 AB | .353/.411/.804/1.215
OF Myles Straw: 45 AB | .378/.417/.511/.928
3B Abraham Toro: 44 AB | .341/.396/.591/.987

RHP J.B. Bukauskas: 16 IP | 1.69 ERA | 1.13 WHIP | 9 BB:21 K
RHP Forrest Whitley: 15 IP | 3.00 ERA | 1.07 WHIP | 5 BB:17 K
RHP Corbin Martin: 16.1 IP | 3.86 ERA | 1.22 WHIP | 6 BB:16 K

ROSTERS

Dustin serves up a little history and context to go with the Opening Day rosters.

Meet the 2019 Round Rock Express

Meet the 2019 Corpus Christi Hooks

Meet the 2019 Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Meet the 2019 Quad Cities River Bandits

COACHING STAFF

Dustin also put together this great post on the minor league coaching staff for each of the Astros minor league teams in 2019. Notably absent from the 2019 staff are Rodney Linares, Josh Bonifay, Chris Holt and Morgan Ensberg. A long-time MiLB Manager in the Astros system, Linares is now the third base coach for the Rays. Bonifay, MiLB Field Coordinator for the Astros in 2018, is now the Director of Player Development for the Phillies. Chris Holt went from MiLB Pitching Coordinator for the Astros in 2018 to fill that same position for the Orioles in 2019. Ensberg managed the Buies Creek Astros to a league championship in 2018; he will now be helming the Rays AA affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. Also missing from the 2019 staff is Cesar Cedeno who has been a hitting coach in the Astros system for several years.

2018 FINAL STANDINGS

As a reminder, this is how the various Astros minor league teams finished in 2018 (including postseason results). The AAA team has moved from Fresno to Round Rock in 2019 and the Advanced A team has moved from Buies Creek into their new home in Fayetteville in 2019. They remain in the same leagues; however, the AAA team will be in a new division of the Pacific Coast League now that they are in Round Rock.

AAA FRESNO (Pacific Coast League) - Won the PCL Pacific Northern Division

1st 82-57 .590 -.-GB W1

POSTSEASON
Won the Pacific Conference Championship 3-2 over El Paso
Lost the Pacific Coast League Championship series to Memphis 3-1

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League) - Won both 1st and 2nd halves in South Division

1st 82-56 .594 -.-GB W2 (overall)
1st 39-30 .565 -.-GB W2 (second half)
1st 43-26 .623 -.-GB W5 (first half division winner)

POSTSEASON
Lost the South Division Championship Series to San Antonio 3-2
San Antonio went on to lose to Tulsa in the Texas League Championship Series 3-0

Adv A BUIES CREEK (Carolina League) - Won the 2nd half in the Southern Division

2nd 80-57 .584 3.5GB W2 (overall)
1st 43-25 .632 -.-GB W2 (second half)
2nd 37-32 .536 3.5GB L1 (first half)

POSTSEASON 🏆
Won the Southern Division Championship 3-0 over Winston-Salem
Won the one-game* League Championship Series 1-0 over Potomac 1-0

*Originally to be a five game series until Hurricane Florence crashed the party.

Low A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League) - Won the 1st half in the Western Division

1st 81-59 .579 -.-GB W5 (overall)
2nd 41-29 .586 4.0GB W5 (second half)
1st 40-30 .571 -.-GB W6 (first half division winner)

POSTSEASON
Lost the Western Division Quarterfinal 2-0 to Peoria
(Peoria went on to win the Western Division Championship series 2-0 over Cedar Rapids, but lost to Bowling Green 3-1 in the best-of-five League Championship Series.)

SSA TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League) - Won the Stedler Division
1st 42-33 .560 -.-GB L2

POSTSEASON 🏆
Won the Semi-Final Championship Series 2-0 over Mahoning Valley
Won the New York-Penn League Championship Series 2-0 over Hudson Valley

Rk GCL ASTROS (Gulf Coast League)
2nd 27-28 .491 12.5 L2

Rk DSL ASTROS (Dominican Summer League Northwest)
6th 30-41 .423 21.0GB L3

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE

Round Rock at New Orleans 7:00 CT
Amarillo at Corpus Christi 6:15 CT
Fayetteville at Potomac 6:05 CT
Quad Cities at Burlington 6:00 CT

OTHER POSTS

In case you missed these, I did a series on 20 years of the MLB draft on all 30 systems. A summary plus links to all the individual team posts can be found here. I also looked at the early results of the 2018 draft and the summary of that info can be found here.

And, finally, I combed through the rosters to find former Astros farmhands who are still playing in affiliated baseball. That post is here. I will do my annual post looking at former Astros playing in independent ball later this month.

And with that said, I think the only thing left to say is good luck to all the players out there and ...

PLAY BALL!!!

Astros Minor League Opening Day: 4/5

Everything you wanted to know about Astros MiLB Opening Day, but were afraid to ask!!! The season officially starts on Thursday, April 5th for all of the Astros full season teams.

OPENING DAY ROSTERS

Here's the breakdown of the Astros Full Season Opening Day rosters, including how/when the players were signed, where they were last season (and how they did) and a few notable players who are missing (and, in most cases, presumably on the DL to start the season).

For a bit more of a breakdown. On MiLB Opening Day, I show 233 players in the system who are NOT on the 40-man roster. This is how they break down:

140 international free agents
71 from the June Draft
8 non-drafted free agents
8 acquired in trades
5 minor league free agents
1 Rule 5 draft pick (minor league phase)

The international players are from (there are more than 140 because of trades and MiLB FA):

65 from the Dominican Republic
48 from Venezuela
12 from Cuba
9 from Panama
8 from Mexico
2 from Brazil
1 from Costa Rica

COACHING STAFF

And here is the info on the Astros 2018 minor league coaching staff.

PLAYER PROFILES

I have compiled all of the recent Beyond the Top 30 prospect profile links (over 140 Astros minor league player profiles or mini-profiles!) into one post and have pinned it to the front page for easy reference. As a reminder, I did not include profile write-ups of any players that had already made their MLB debut in those posts.

TOP PROSPECT LISTS

Also, the Consensus Top 32 Astros Prospect List is pinned to the front page. This includes rankings from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline.

ASTROS ON TWITTER/INSTAGRAM

I've updated my twitter list of Astros players. If you have any that I'm missing, let me know! I've also updated my Instagram account to follow as many of the Astros minor leaguers as I could find. Feel free to wade through all of my follows to find some of your favorites (I do have a number of former Astros in there as well.) It's a really good way to get a feel for some of the Latin players who may not be on twitter!

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

And here is the final edition of the 2017-2018 Offseason Transactions post. I plan to keep an ongoing transaction list on signings, releases and trades throughout the season and I will keep that pinned on the front page of the blog as well.

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

And, before I bring you the game info for Opening Day, I have one very important announcement. The one and only Dustin Nguyen will be back this season, bringing you THE BEST minor league recaps in the biz. Honestly, I don't know how he does it day in and day out, but he always adds little interesting tidbits here and there in addition to giving us full-blown recaps every day ... even when the short season teams start up and he has double the workload! Seriously, Dustin is the best and I am beyond happy that he will be back.

Now, without further ado ...

OPENING DAY INFORMATION

All games are on Thursday, April 5th.

FRESNO
The Grizzlies will start their season on the road in Reno at 8:35 central time with RHP Mike Hauschild on the mound for Fresno. The game will be available on MiLB.tv. Their home opener will be next Tuesday the 10th as they host Tacoma. The temperature at game time is forecast to be in the upper 50's.

CORPUS CHRISTI
The Hooks will also start their season with a long road trip to Springdale, Arkansas to face the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Game time will be at 6:25 central with LHP Framber Valdez getting the start for the Hooks. The game will be available on MiLB.tv. The home opener for the Hooks will be one week later (Thursday the 12th) and they will once again face Northwest Arkansas. Game time temperature is forecast to be in the mid to high 50's.

BUIES CREEK
The BC Astros will be traveling to Salem, Virginia to start their season with RHP Jorge Alcala the scheduled starter for the Astros. The game starts at 6:05 central and will be available on MiLB.tv. The BC Astros home opener will be on Thursday, April 12th, and will also be against the Salem Red Sox. Game time temperature is forecast to be in the mid 50's.

QUAD CITIES
The River Bandits will be the only Astros team to start the season at home as they host the Cedar Rapid Kernels. The announced starter will be LHP Patrick Sandoval. The game will start at 6:35 central and will be available on MiLB.tv. The current forecast has game time temperature around 40 degrees.

If you wish to subscribe to MiLB.tv, the information is here. Audio of all games is free by clicking on the link to the game on the team page.

2018 Astros Consensus Top 32 Prospect Rankings

All of the major prospect rankings for 2018 are now in (see separate rankings from Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and FanGraphs below). I have taken all of these rankings and compiled them into this 2018 Astros Consensus Top Prospect list.

Forrest Whitley - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The top 25 prospects were on at least three of the four rankings and the bottom seven were on two of the four rankings. The consensus rankings are, more or less, an average of the player's rankings on the list, with the exception of BP's "Next 10" which were all assigned a fixed median number (which was averaged with the other rankings) since they were not given an actual numerical ranking. Now that that's clear as mud, here is the consensus ranking list ...

CONSENSUS ASTROS TOP 32 LIST
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (on 4 of 4 ranking lists)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (4/4)
3T. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (4/4)
3T. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (4/4)
5. SS Freudis Nova (4/4)
6. RHP David Paulino (3/4)
7. RHP Jorge Alcala (3/4)
8T. RHP Hector Perez (4/4)
8T. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (4/4)
10. LHP Cionel Perez (4/4)
11. RHP Corbin Martin (4/4)
12. 3B J.D. Davis (4/4)

13. RHP Jairo Solis (4/4)

14. OF Gilberto Celestino (4/4)

15. 3B Joe Perez (3/4)

16. SS Jonathan Arauz (4/4)

17T. C Garrett Stubbs (4/4)

17T. LHP Framber Valdez (3/4)

19. OF Ronnie Dawson (3/4)

20. RHP Dean Deetz (3/4)

21. RHP Riley Ferrell (3/4)

22. OF J.J. Matijevic (4/4)

23. OF Myles Straw (4/4)

24. RHP Cristian Javier (3/4)

25. RHP Jandel Gustave (3/4)

The following players were included on only 2 of the 4 rankings used:

26. LHP Patrick Sandoval (2/4)

27. OF Carlos Machado (2/4)

28. RHP Brandon Bailey (2/4)

29. 3B/C Abraham Toro-Hernandez (2/4)

30. C Chuckie Robinson (2/4)

31. LHP Brett Adcock (2/4)

32. SS Miguelangel Sierra (2/4)

Others who were listed on only one of the four rankings: C Max Stassi (FG), C Nathan Perry (BP), OF Drew Ferguson (MLBP), LHP Reymin Guduan (FG), 1B A.J. Reed (BA), RHP Tyler Ivey (FG), RHP Elian Rodriguez (BA), RHP Nick Hernandez (FG), RHP Peter Solomon (FG), RHP Brandon Bielak (FG), IF Josh Rojas (FG), RHP Kyle Serrano (FG), 3B Randy Cesar (FG) and SS Deury Carrasco (FG).

BASEBALL PROSPECTUS - December 5, 2017
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (10th on the BP top 101 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (20th on the BP top 101 overall list)
3. RHP J.B. Bukauskas
4. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez
5. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
6. IF Jonathan Arauz
7. OF Gilberto Celestino
8. RHP David Paulino
9. 3B Colin Moran - traded to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole
10. RHP Corbin Martin

BP's Next 10 (not ranked; in alphabetical order)
3B J.D. Davis
OF Carlos Machado
SS Freudis Nova
LHP Cionel Perez
RHP Hector Perez
C Nathan Perry
LHP Patrick Sandoval
RHP Jairo Solis
OF Myles Straw
C Garrett Stubbs
Plus One
OF J.J. Matijevic

BASEBALL AMERICA - January 18, 2018 + Prospect Handbook released in early February
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (10th on the BA top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (15th on the BA top 100 overall list)
3. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (62nd on the BA top 100 overall list)
4. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (76th on the BA top 100 overall list)
5. SS Freudis Nova
6. RHP Jairo Solis
7. RHP Hector Perez
8. RHP Jorge Alcala
(3B Colin Moran was between Alcala and Paulino in Handbook; traded to Pittsburgh)
9. RHP David Paulino
10. 3B J.D. Davis
11. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
12. LHP Cionel Perez
13. LHP Framber Valdez
14. 3B Joe Perez
15. RHP Corbin Martin
16. OF Myles Straw
17. C Garrett Stubbs
(OF Jason Martin was between Stubbs and Celestino in Handbook; traded to Pittsburgh)
18. OF Gilberto Celestino
19. OF Ronnie Dawson
20. RHP Dean Deetz
21. SS Jonathan Arauz
22. 1B A.J. Reed
23. RHP Cristian Javier
24. OF J.J. Matijevic
25. RHP Riley Ferrell
26. RHP Jandel Gustave
27. RHP Elian Rodriguez
28. SS Miguelangel Sierra

Note that the above numbers were adjusted to exclude players who were traded.

MLB PIPELINE - February 23, 2018
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (9th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (17th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)
3. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (76th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)
4. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez
5. SS Freudis Nova
6. LHP Cionel Perez
7. RHP Jorge Alcala
8. RHP David Paulino
9. 3B J.D. Davis
10. RHP Corbin Martin
11. RHP Hector Perez
12. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
13. RHP Jairo Solis
14. 3B Joe Perez
15. OF Ronnie Dawson
16. LHP Framber Valdez
17. OF Drew Ferguson
18. RHP Dean Deetz
19. RHP Cristian Javier
20. RHP Riley Ferrell
21. OF Myles Straw
22. SS Jonathan Arauz
23. OF Gilberto Celestino
24. C Garrett Stubbs
25. OF J.J. Matijevic
26. RHP Jandel Gustave
27. C Chuckie Robinson
28. LHP Brett Adcock
29. 3B/C Abraham Toro-Hernandez
30. RHP Brandon Bailey

FANGRAPHS - February 23, 2018
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (8th on the FG top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (10th on the FG top 100 overall list)
3. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (44th on the FG top 100 overall list)
4. RHP J.B. Bukauskas
5. RHP Hector Perez
6. LHP Cionel Perez
7. SS Freudis Nova
8. RHP Corbin Martin
9. 3B J.D. Davis
10. OF Gilberto Celestino
11. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
12. RHP Jairo Solis
13. C Max Stassi
14. RHP Jorge Alcala
15. C Garrett Stubbs
16. SS Jonathan Arauz
17. RHP Riley Ferrell
18. RHP Brandon Bailey
19. 3B Joe Perez
20. LHP Reymin Guduan
21. RHP Dean Deetz
22. 3B/C Abraham Toro-Hernandez
23. OF Ronnie Dawson
24. OF J.J. Matijevic
25. LHP Framber Valdez
26. RHP Jandel Gustave
27. RHP Tyler Ivey
Other Prospects of Note, In Order of Preference
28. LHP Patrick Sandoval
29. RHP Cristian Javier
30. OF Carlos Machado
31. C Chuckie Robinson
32. RHP Nick Hernandez
33. RHP Peter Solomon
34. RHP Brandon Bielak
35. LHP Brett Adcock
36. SS Miguelangel Sierra
37. IF Josh Rojas
38. RHP Kyle Serrano
39. OF Myles Straw
40. 3B Randy Cesar
41. SS Deury Carrasco

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

As a reminder, these were the players who were consensus prospects in 2017. Players had to appear on at least three of the four rankings used and are in order by averaged rankings.

2017 Consensus Top Prospect List

1. RHP Francis Martes - Graduated to MLB
2. OF Kyle Tucker
3. RHP David Paulino - Missed 80 games in 2017 for failed drug test; followed by surgery in October to remove a bone spur from his elbow
4. RHP Franklin Perez - Included in the trade for Justin Verlander
5. RHP Forrest Whitley
6. OF Derek Fisher - Graduated to MLB
7. OF Teoscar Hernandez - Included in the trade for Francisco Liriano
8. OF Ramon Laureano - Traded to A's for Brandon Bailey
9. C Garrett Stubbs
10. OF Daz Cameron - Included in the trade for Justin Verlander
11. SS Miguelangel Sierra
12. 3B J.D. Davis - Has not exceeded rookie limits
13. RHP Jandel Gustave - Missed the majority of the 2017 season after undergoing TJ surgery
14. 3B Colin Moran - Included in the trade for Gerrit Cole

Additionally, these players appeared on two of the four lists and are in order of averaged rankings.

IF Yulieski Gurriel - Graduated to MLB
1B A.J. Reed - Exceeded rookie limits in 2016
OF Gilberto Celestino
SS Anibal Sierra
LHP Cionel Perez
OF Ronnie Dawson
IF Jonathan Arauz
SS Freudis Nova
C Jake Rogers - Included in trade for Justin Verlander
OF Jason Martin - Included in the trade for Gerrit Cole
1B Yordan Alvarez
RHP Brady Rodgers - Had TJ surgery in May 2017
OF Stephen Wrenn
RHP James Hoyt - Graduated to MLB

Also, check out my series on players who are Beyond the Top 30
Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field
Right Field
Left Field
Catchers
Utility Players
LHP
RHP

2018 Astros Consensus Top Prospect List

It is prospect ranking season ... time to start compiling the 2018 Astros Consensus Top Prospect list. Once everyone has weighed in, I will average the rankings from the various sources and compile a consensus list. In the meantime, these are the rankings that have come out so far.

Forrest Whitley - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

BASEBALL PROSPECTUS - December 5, 2017
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (10th on the BP top 101 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (20th on the BP top 101 overall list)
3. RHP J.B. Bukauskas
4. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez
5. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
6. IF Jonathan Arauz
7. OF Gilberto Celestino
8. RHP David Paulino
9. 3B Colin Moran - traded to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole
10. RHP Corbin Martin

BP's Next 10 (not ranked; in alphabetical order)
3B J.D. Davis
OF Carlos Machado
SS Freudis Nova
LHP Cionel Perez
RHP Hector Perez
C Nathan Perry
LHP Patrick Sandoval
RHP Jairo Solis
OF Myles Straw
C Garrett Stubbs
Plus One
OF J.J. Matijevic

BASEBALL AMERICA - January 18, 2018 + Prospect Handbook released in early February
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (10th on the BA top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (15th on the BA top 100 overall list)
3. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (62nd on the BA top 100 overall list)
4. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (76th on the BA top 100 overall list)
5. SS Freudis Nova
6. RHP Jairo Solis
7. RHP Hector Perez
8. RHP Jorge Alcala
(3B Colin Moran was between Alcala and Paulino in Handbook; traded to Pittsburgh)
9. RHP David Paulino
10. 3B J.D. Davis
11. RHP Rogelio Armenteros
12. LHP Cionel Perez
13. LHP Framber Valdez
14. 3B Joe Perez
15. RHP Corbin Martin
16. OF Myles Straw
17. C Garrett Stubbs
(OF Jason Martin was between Stubbs and Celestino in Handbook; traded to Pittsburgh)
18. OF Gilberto Celestino
19. OF Ronnie Dawson
20. RHP Dean Deetz
21. SS Jonathan Arauz
22. 1B A.J. Reed
23. RHP Cristian Javier
24. OF J.J. Matijevic
25. RHP Riley Ferrell
26. RHP Jandel Gustave
27. RHP Elian Rodriguez
28. SS Miguelangel Sierra

Note that the above numbers were adjusted to exclude players who were traded.

MLB PIPELINE - Coming out between late February and early March
Here is the 2017 postseason list.
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (9th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (17th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)
3. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (76th on the MLBP top 100 overall list)

FANGRAPHS - Release date unknown
1. RHP Forrest Whitley (8th on the FG top 100 overall list)
2. OF Kyle Tucker (10th on the FG top 100 overall list)
3. OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (44th on the FG top 100 overall list)

As a reminder, these were the players who were consensus prospects in 2017. Players had to appear on at least three of the four rankings used and are in order by averaged rankings.

2017 Consensus Top Prospect List

1. RHP Francis Martes - Graduated to MLB
2. OF Kyle Tucker
3. RHP David Paulino - Missed 80 games in 2017 for failed drug test; followed by surgery in October to remove a bone spur from his elbow
4. RHP Franklin Perez - Included in the trade for Justin Verlander
5. RHP Forrest Whitley
6. OF Derek Fisher - Graduated to MLB
7. OF Teoscar Hernandez - Included in the trade for Francisco Liriano
8. OF Ramon Laureano - Traded to A's for Brandon Bailey
9. C Garrett Stubbs
10. OF Daz Cameron - Included in the trade for Justin Verlander
11. SS Miguelangel Sierra
12. 3B J.D. Davis - Has not exceeded rookie limits
13. RHP Jandel Gustave - Missed the majority of the 2017 season after undergoing TJ surgery
14. 3B Colin Moran - Included in the trade for Gerrit Cole

Additionally, these players appeared on two of the four lists and are in order of averaged rankings.

IF Yulieski Gurriel - Graduated to MLB
1B A.J. Reed - Exceeded rookie limits in 2016
OF Gilberto Celestino
SS Anibal Sierra
LHP Cionel Perez
OF Ronnie Dawson
IF Jonathan Arauz
SS Freudis Nova
C Jake Rogers - Included in trade for Justin Verlander
OF Jason Martin - Included in the trade for Gerrit Cole
1B Yordan Alvarez
RHP Brady Rodgers - Had TJ surgery in May 2017
OF Stephen Wrenn
RHP James Hoyt - Graduated to MLB

Also, check out my series on players who are Beyond the Top 30
Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen
Third Basemen
Center Field
Right Field
Left Field
Catchers
Utility Players
LHP
RHP

Astros Farm Report: 1/29

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

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Dex McCall - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-29: 1B Dex McCall (24)
1-30: RHP Dariel Aquino (22)
1-31: SS Juan Pineda (20)
2-2: RHP Brad Peacock (30)
2-2: OF Ramiro Rodriguez (20)
2-3: LHP Javier Navas (20)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

These are the only recent posted transactions, aside from the non-roster invitees which are covered below.

Jon Singleton - April 2017

Photos by Jayne Hansen

1-23: 1B Jon Singleton suspended 100 games for a third positive test for a drug of abuse
1-23: RHP Dean Deetz suspended 80 games for a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug
1-22: LHP Buddy Boshers claimed off waivers from Minnesota

Boshers is being added to the mix (along with Tony Sipp and Rule 5 Draft pickup Anthony Gose) as a possible lefty reliever. Drafted by the Angels in the fourth round in 2008, Boshers has pitched in 100 major league games, compiling a 4.54 ERA and 1.274 WHIP. In 2016, lefties slashed .241/.267/.293 against him; in 2017, they hit .224/.258/.397 against him.

I would like to add a personal word about the suspension of Dean Deetz. I've had the opportunity to talk to and observe Deetz several times over the last three seasons and I have come to admire his humility and his professionalism. Following the suspension, Deetz released the statement below and he has given me no reason to doubt him. I'm sure many of you will think that I'm just being naive, but I'm going to go with my gut here. Other players have been just as adamant that they didn't know how the same banned substance Deetz tested positive for got into their system. Again, I may be naive, but I'm going to give Deetz the benefit of a doubt.

"Let me say first and foremost that I have never knowingly taken a performance enhancing substance of any kind," Deetz said in a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association. "I come from a small town, and know how fortunate I am to call myself a professional baseball player. I would never jeopardize that opportunity, or betray those who have supported me along the way, by trying to cheat in order to gain an advantage. As I explained to the arbitrator in my appeal, I have no idea how I could possibly have tested positive and although I am disappointed with the outcome, I will abide by his decision."

Several additional players were extended non-roster invitations to Spring Training this week. The complete list is here. One interesting invitee is 3B Randy Cesar. As I wrote in my post last week on third base depth, Cesar has been pretty steady at third base the last couple of seasons, but he has yet to play above High A going in to his seventh season in the system. It appears that the Astros intend to be aggressive with him in order to determine what his ceiling may be before he is lost to minor league free agency. All of the other invitees have played at AA or higher, although OF Myles Straw only played in 13 games with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks at the end of the season.

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

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

The winter leagues are all but over with only the Australian Baseball League postseason and Caribbean Series left to play. The final updates for the ABL regular season and LBPRC are below.  For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1. The Caribbean Series will start on Friday; information on the series can be found here.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

Since Rodrigo Ayarza's team was in dead last at the end of the regular season, he will not be playing in the postseason. But Ayarza is sure to have left a good impression on his Australian hosts with a very solid season. In his final four games, he was 5-for-18 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 40G .292/.324/.476 11-2B 1-3B 6HR 15RBI 8BB:34SO 6SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

The stats below carry over from last week as neither Ruben Castro nor Carlos Sierra appeared in the final regular season games. Castro had only one plate appearance in the postseason, going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter and Sierra did not appear in postseason play. The Cangrejeros de Santurce lost 0-3 to the Criollos de Caguas.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 5G 3.1IP 5.40 ERA 3.900 WHIP 1SO:7BB
C Ruben Castro - 5G .500/.545/.600 1-2B 1RBI 1BB:3SO

NEWS AND LINKS

Kyle Glaser at Baseball America has this great article about players who take the opportunity to play in Korea and Japan. [Insider only]

Connor MacDonald - August 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Former Astro Connor MacDonald, a first baseman who signed with the Astros in 2012 as the first signing out of Australia in 20 years, was released by the Astros during the 2017 season but is getting a second chance with the Pirates as a pitcher. We at WTHB wish Connor all the best!

The Greeneville Reds, formerly the  Greeneville Astros, unveiled their logo this week. (I will miss visiting beautiful Pioneer Park at Tusculum College.).

Prospect ranking season continues with Kyle Tucker ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #5 outfield prospect. Last week, they had Forrest Whitley as second on their list of right-handed pitching prospects, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

And over the weekend, MLB Pipeline came out with their Top 100 overall prospect list and it included RHP Forrest Whitley (#9), OF Kyle Tucker (#17) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76). In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#39) and RHP Albert Abreu (#74) were also ranked. Notably missing from MLB Pipeline's list was Yordan Alvarez who was ranked #62 by Baseball America. Jonathan Mayo breaks down the Top 100 for you.

As a reminder, here is Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect Rankings list which came out last week, with RHP Forrest Whitley (#10), OF Kyle Tucker (#15), 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez (#62) and RHP J.B. Bukauskas (#76) all earning a nod. In addition, former Astros RHP Franklin Perez (#35), RHP Albert Abreu (#77), OF Brett Phillips (#80) and RHP Jorge Guzman (#87) were also ranked. BA included tool rankings for all 100 here.

Baseball America also posted an article about breakout prospects for 2018 who didn't quite make the Top 100 and included the Astros Freudis Nova.

When MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season prospect list, Baseball America releases their 2018 Prospect Handbook and FanGraphs weighs in with their Top Prospect list, I'll do a consensus prospect list. In the meantime ...

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 - Coming this week

Beyond the Top 30: Second Basemen

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Most of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

SECOND BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Yeah, there aren't any. At least no players whose primary position in 2017 was second base. Of course, when you have an MVP at the major league level, you hope you won't need another second baseman any time soon. But just in case ....

SECOND BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Alex De Goti - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ryne Birk (L/R)

Birk doesn't have any one tool that makes you say, "Wow!" But the sum of the parts seems to work well for him. Drafted in the 13th round in 2016, Birk made it to AA Corpus Christi in mid-July in his second season as a professional. Although he hit better in his 81-game stint with Buies Creek (.274/.340/.430) than he did in 37 games with Corpus Christi (.246/.286/.429), Birk was catching up with AA pitching later in the season as he compiled a .279/.311/.512 batting line in August and September. Birk does show a little power (17 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs) with the tendency being toward his pull side, and his on-base skills are generally above average. Birk is a solid defender with an average arm and decent speed. As I said, he doesn't have one tool that really stands out, so it has been his consistency that has moved him through the system more quickly than most. Birk turned 23 in November.
Key: Consistency. Continue to provide solid defense and continue to improve against hitters at the higher levels of the system.

Jeury Castillo (L/R)
I know. I know. You're going to take one look at Castillo's first season stats in the Dominican Summer League and think I'm a lunatic for including him on this list. But first please consider that he won't turn 18 until later this week and that, when he was signed for $400,000 in July of 2016, he was lauded for his offensive potential. Castillo hit only .136/.263/.235 in his first 51 professional games with a lot of ground outs, but he is expected to make good contact with a solid line-drive approach. He hit a tiny bit better as the season progressed and I fully expect his bat to improve substantially in 2018. The good news is that his defense at second base was very solid.
Key: Work on his offensive approach, getting back to the high contact rate and approach that earned him a $400,000 bonus.

Alex De Goti (R/R)
De Goti, in his second professional season, proved himself to be arguably the best defensive second baseman in the system while his bat lagged behind somewhat when it came to his first taste of High A pitching following his late May promotion to that level. However, De Goti was starting to make those adjustments at the plate by the end of the season with improving power and on-base skills. In 109 total games at Quad Cities (34), Buies Creek (70) and five fill-in games with Fresno, De Goti hit .236/.341/.356 with 18 doubles, one triple and eight home runs. De Goti played in 50 games at second, 39 games at first and 12 games at third and, although very capable at the other positions, it was his 428 errorless innings at second base that stood out. De Goti shows good leadership skills on the field to go with soft hands, good instincts and great intangibles. Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 out of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, De Goti signed for a mere $2,000 according to Baseball America which makes him an incredible bargain. De Goti will be 23 for most of the 2018 season.
Keys: Continue to work on the bat. Although most of his power is to the pull side, he has shown a decent penchant for using the whole field and I'd like to see him hit with more authority to the opposite field. And, although De Goti did a better job of getting on base toward the end of the 2017 season, he needs to maximize his capabilities in that regard. And, lastly, he will likely need to continue working on his versatility in the field since his value as a utility player may prove to be more than that of a second baseman.

Nick Tanielu (R/R)
Tanielu missed virtually all of the 2017 season (two rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League and two appearances in the Arizona Fall League) after undergoing ACL surgery in late 2016. Primarily used as a third baseman in his first two professional seasons, Tanielu moved over to second for the majority of his games in 2016 and was very, very solid at the position. His .285/.327/.409 batting line for 2016 was inflated by his production at the very hitting-friendly confines of The Hangar in Lancaster, California for the first 35 games of that season prior to his mid-May promotion to Corpus Christi. Tanielu peaked at AA in July before tailing off at the plate for the remainder of the season. Tanielu has a compact swing and uses the entire field, although most of his home run power is limited to the pull side. His power in 2016 (24 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs) plays up better at second base than at third which is likely the reason for moving him from the hot corner for the majority of his appearances. In 304 career minor league games to date, he has hit a more than respectable .297/.343/.422. Add in some very nice intangibles and Tanielu is definitely a player worth watching.
Keys: Prove himself to be healthy. The fact that he only played in two games in the AFL makes one wonder if his comeback was a bit premature. Prove himself to be able to handle higher level pitching with consistency. And prove that he is still a reliable defender at second base post-injury. Having turned 25 in September, Tanielu will need to prove all of this fairly quickly.

Enmanuel Valdez (L/R)
Valdez, who just turned 19 in December, just completed his second season in the Astros organization after signing for $450,000 in July 2015. Valdez profiles a lot like Castillo in that he was signed for a healthy bonus based more on his hitting ability than his defensive prowess and has not yet lived up to early projections. And also like Castillo, Valdez's defensive abilities have been better than advertised. The good news is that, although Valdez's .217/.321/.395 batting line for 2017 was less than impressive, it was his first season stateside as an 18-year old and he showed improvement later in the season with his strikeout rate. Also Valdez has intriguing gap power when he gets the ball out of the infield.
Key: I would like to see Valdez make adjustments at the plate in order to turn some of those many groundouts into line drives. When he uses a line-drive approach, he appears to have much more success, particularly since he's an average runner at best and needs to elevate the ball out of the infield for the best results.

Other Second Basemen of Interest (all played fewer than 20 games at the position in 2017):
Alfredo Angarita (S/R) - The 21-year old Venezuelan hit a respectable .257/.359/.327 in 41 games split between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, ending the season on a 10-game hitting streak (.457/.525/.514) which he carried over into an excellent winter league season in Venezuela.
Ronaldo Urdaneta (S/R) - Urdaneta turned 19 in November, following his second season in the system. My note to myself after reviewing his 2017 campaign was "don't know anything about him, but bring him to the States!" In his second professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017 (after signing out of Venezuela in 2015), he hit a robust .312/.420/.427 with 35 walks to 44 strikeouts. Oh, and he stole 27 bases to eight caught stealing. I reiterate, "Bring him to the States!"
Marco Van Der Wijst (R/R) - I know even less about Van Der Wijst who reportedly signed in July 2017 for $17,500, but his on-base skills are quite impressive. In 35 games, he hit .273/.411/.394 with 23 walks to 20 strikeouts. He will be 20 in February.

Note: There will be additional second basemen of interest who I will be including in a later write-up on utility players.

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