Getting to Know Tri-City IF AJ Lee

Middle infielder AJ Lee, drafted by the Astros in the 34th round out of the University of Maryland in 2019, got off to a great start to his professional career, hitting .286/.432/.371 during June. He has since come down to earth slightly and is currently slashing .250/.370/.381 with five doubles, two home runs and 10 stolen bases in his first 25 games. That OBP and stolen base total currently represent the team lead for the short season A Tri-City squad.

AJ Lee - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ozney Guillen, Tri-City ValleyCats manager, has been impressed during the early going with Lee's approach to the game, "The confidence that he has is awesome and I think he's taken really well to everything we do here. He's done a really good job of being able to implement that into his game. He's driving the ball a lot more than he used to in college so that's always a plus. He's awesome to work with. Always wants to learn. Always want to push forward. The good thing is that he knows he's a 34th rounder and he's not fighting against it. He's just going along with the current and getting better and just trying to do everything the right way."

I also found Lee to be very relaxed in his approach to the game. Of his early success, he said, "I think the biggest thing for me is just playing the game that I've always been playing, getting on base a lot, stealing some bases, spraying the field, not trying to do too much. I think just staying (within) what I can control and what I do has helped me a lot so far. So I'm just going to keep sticking with it and see what happens."

Asked what a scout might say about him, Lee said, "I think they would say that my strengths are (that) I have a pretty high baseball IQ; I'm pretty versatile on defense; I can spray the ball around the yard; and I can use my legs a little bit with the speed. The weaknesses are probably the power. The power's definitely not the best. I mean there's a little bit there, but it's not something that jumps off the page to you. I think the biggest thing for me is just having a high knowledge of the game and understanding situations and just having that good baseball IQ and being able to use it."

AJ Lee - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The one thing that Lee is working on in order to set himself apart is his consistency on the field, "There's been glimpses where I'm really good and there's times when I'm really bad. So just trying to find a consistent spot and stay there, something that works for me everyday and just puts me in a more consistent spot to be successful. Again, not trying to do too much, but just trying to find what works for me on a night in and night out basis."

In a change of subject, I had to ask Lee about his twitter handle "Squish Lee." Yeah that was a nickname I got in 2017 from a couple of the older guys on my Maryland team. It's just based off an old TV show we used to watch. I said I wanted to be like a character and they just changed my name up. His name was Smash so they just started calling me Squish because I'm a lot smaller than him. It kind of just stuck and it seems to be following me," said Lee.

Lee learned much more in his time at the University of Maryland than just baseball. "It was good. I had an amazing four years there. Had an amazing staff there. It was definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. I wouldn't trade those four years for anything. I definitely grew as a baseball player, as a man. They taught me a lot of things there that I'm going to carry with me throughout my entire life. It's helping me on the field and off the field. I can't thank them enough for all they've done for me there, Rob Vaughn and the staff there. It was a great four years and I was glad I was able to experience it, especially with them."

Lee called his draft experience "very, very relaxed." He told me, "When I got the call that I'd been drafted, I was eating Chipotle with my girlfriend in my apartment back in Maryland. We were just hanging around. I was actually in the middle of my food when I got the call. My parents didn't know or anything. I was shocked so I called them. I think they were more excited than I was. I didn't really know how to react right away. Then I went to see my grandparents to tell them the news. Spent the next couple of days before I left just seeing people in my family before I left, just to see them one last time before I was gone for a couple months. It was really relaxed. It wasn't any pressure at all." He had been in contact with the Astros in the weeks leading up to the draft so it didn't come as a complete surprise. "But again, it was no pressure on me. I was going to be happy either way it went so I just tried not to pay too much attention to it and not put too much pressure on myself," said Lee.

Of his experience as a pro thus far, Lee said, "I would say the biggest surprise is just the culture thing. Not necessarily within the Astros organization culture-wise, but the culture of stepping into a new locker room with a bunch of guys that you don't really know. You've got guys speaking different languages. So at first it was a little bit of a shock to me, but I adjusted pretty quickly. I'm starting to learn some Spanish so I can talk to these guys a little more. It's been a fun ride so far. I'm just excited to continue and keep it going."

Off field, I didn't get much out of Lee about his interests, but he enjoys spending time with his friends and his girlfriend (who conveniently lives in New York and has been able to visit Lee in the Troy, New York location of the ValleyCats).

But I did find out a little about his major (Family Science) and what Plan B would have been had he not been drafted by the Astros. If he hadn't been picked up, he said, "Honestly, I wanted to work with underprivileged kids, like inner-city kids, just give them a resource that maybe they don't have just to try to get them higher education, get them involved in sports or something like that."

It was refreshing to talk with a player who doesn't let himself be defined by the game of baseball. He is working hard and enjoying the ride, but ultimately, he seems to know that his success in life is not solely dependent upon baseball. His ability to sit back and enjoy the game without putting undue pressure on himself, his ability to play hard and smart and still have fun, could ultimately be just the right formula to help a 34th rounder stand out from the crowd. But just because he doesn't take things too seriously doesn't mean that he doesn't care ...

He played 183 games as a Terp

In his last, @AJ_Lee02 went 4-for-5 and homered in his last at bat

He was greeted by every person in the dugout

He deserved it. He earned it. pic.twitter.com/LeoUV7PzCw

— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) May 25, 2019

Thank you for your time, AJ, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.

Other Recent Interviews:
Peyton Battenfield
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

Getting to Know Astros/Tri-City RHP Peyton Battenfield

RHP Peyton Battenfield, drafted this year out of Oklahoma State University in the 9th round, has gotten off to a remarkable start in his professional career. Granted it is still a fairly small sample size, but his 1.00 ERA and 0.778 WHIP in his first six appearances (6 BB:19 K in 18 IP) for Tri-City is arguably the best start of any of the Astros 2019 drafted players thus far. He has held batters to a very stingy .131 batting average.

Peyton Battenfield - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

When I spoke with Battenfield last week in Tri-City, he attributed his fast start to pitch command. "Commanding all my pitches. I'm taking all the data that we get with each one of my pitches and I try to improve on my secondary pitches every week. Just being able to throw a lot of strikes, get ahead in counts, I think that's been really beneficial."

Battenfield throws a low 90's fastball that tops out at 94 or 95, a curveball, changeup and a cutter/slider that is a work in progress. Of that last pitch, Battenfield said, "We haven't really figured out a name for it yet because that's the pitch I'm working on right now the most, just trying to get consistent movement with that pitch." He's also working on the curveball to generate a harder pitch with more movement, and he cites his changeup as his best offspeed pitch currently due to the consistency and movement of that pitch. His fastball doesn't have downward movement on it as is often the case with taller pitchers like the 6'4" Battenfield. "My fastball fights gravity. Most of the time if a ball has a low spin rate, it will drop. Mine actually fights gravity and will stay up," said Battenfield.

As to other things he's working on, he told me, "I'm always working on commanding the ball, throwing it right where I want it to go." Of his delivery, Battenfield said, "(There are) always areas to improve, always a way to be more efficient to throw harder, throw better quality strikes more consistently. But I feel comfortable right now with what I'm doing."

Tri-City Pitching Coach John Kovalik had high praise for Battenfield, "The great thing about Peyton is that we've seen a lot of growth in him as a pitcher since he's been here, but also (he's) just an extremely high character player. Really, really high character. Extremely professional. Handles his business the right way. And I think that's a big reason why he gets the results that he does on the field is because he knows how to show up to the park everyday and get it done. Just an overall good human being. He's been an absolute pleasure to work with. He's got some really, really good stuff already so with him, it's more just refining how he uses it. But overall, he's been really receptive to everything I've thrown at him and, like I said, just an overall pleasure to work with."

Asked what a scout might say about him, he said, "Hopefully they would think that I'm aggressive. I attack the zone. I'm not scared of anything. It doesn't matter the situation I come in. I'm prepared to take whatever situation it is and do the best that I can. Things I need to improve on is definitely my slider. I still throw it in games. I was getting swing and miss on it, but I'm still not getting the right movement that I want on it. Hopefully they just see that I'm aggressive and attack hitters."

Tri-City Manager Ozney Guillen echoed that scouting report in his assessment of Battenfield, "He's more polished. He went to a good college, a big time D1 so he's used to the pressure. The good thing is that he's not scared to pitch. A lot of times, you see guys that get drafted and they come here and that's kind of the problem is that they're a little scared of the environment or just suddenly out of their comfort zone but he's done very well and I think he'll keep moving on up very quickly."

Battenfield didn't play much during his freshman year in college, but his role expanded the next two years, "My sophomore year, I got a bigger role as a guy who was coming out of the 'pen more consistently. I had the same role this past year. I was the guy that they would go to if we were in trouble or if we needed long relief. I was anywhere from a long relief to short relief to closer, just anywhere they needed me." Battenfield showed marked improvement in his junior year, something he attributes to changing his arm slot. "My ball moves completely different (with a higher arm slot). My velo went up. My secondary pitches were sharper. That helped out a lot with getting people out," said Battenfield. Although he was almost exclusively a relief pitcher in college, the Astros have already had him start two games out of his six appearances.

Peyton's brother Blake was drafted in 2017, also out of Oklahoma State University and is currently pitching for the White Sox AA affiliate in Birmingham. The two brothers high school and college careers overlapped a bit, giving them the experience of playing on the same teams together, "I got to play in my freshman season with him. I sat out most of that season for when they'd go on road trips, but at the end of the year, I made the travel roster so I got to play with him and win a Big 12 championship as an eight-seed in a Big 12 tournament. So that was really fun because I got to win a state championship with him in high school and then, my freshman year, I got to win a Big 12 tournament championship. That's something cool to (share) with your older brother." (The Battenfield brothers have two younger sisters as well.)

Having a brother who has traveled the minor league road before you can come in handy and that is not necessarily limited to brotherly advice, "It wasn't necessarily advice about how this process works or anything. It was more (that) this last summer, I got to travel down and see him and talk to him about throwing different pitches in different counts and just the TrackMan data that we get, how it helped him out, helped him figure out where he needed to pitch in certain spots to be the most effective. I think that I definitely got some help on (that). And just seeing how, throughout the last two years, how it's gone for him whenever he's lived in different spots, how his days work. That way I was a little prepared for it instead of coming in blind. It wasn't necessarily one little thing. It was just like combined over the last few years."

Despite knowing what to expect, Battenfield was still a little surprised by how laid-back minor league life feels compared to college, "In college, I feel like you went to class and then after class, you went to baseball, and then baseball went until dinnertime and then you went to dinner and then you went and studied and you went back to your room and you fell asleep and you repeated the same thing the next day. So here, since it's my job, I don't have to be here until 1:00 or 2:00 most days. I get to sleep in and if I don't get to sleep in, I get up and run some errands and do some things. There's definitely not as much stuff to do even though I'm here for 8-10 hours a day. It's just different."

Off the field, Battenfield looks forward to spending time with his fiancé Grace (who based on his Instagram feed is drop-dead gorgeous, by the way). And he has a little bit of a unique hobby, "I like building things. I've actually built two guns. That's kind of an expensive hobby that I have. I do enjoy doing that. It's something me and my cousin do back home because we like to go out to some land and target shoot. I actually really enjoy being able to sit down for a little bit and just basically close my mind off and just worry about building something." Another somewhat surprising fact about the blonde-haired Battenfield is that he is of Cherokee heritage.

But none of that really gives you much insight into his personality. After watching him for three days on and off the field, I was most impressed by what a great teammate and person he is. He was always upbeat and quick with a smile. He was the first to cheerfully volunteer to help out the pitching coach with something or form a line to high-five some kids during pre-game activities. During the game, he would dance to the music, join in on Y-M-C-A or instigate rally caps in the dugout. In short, I think he will be making a lot of fans during his baseball journey.

Y-M-C-A

Rally Caps

Thank you for your time, Peyton, and best of luck as your season continues to unfold.

Other Recent Interviews:
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

Getting to Know Tri-City's Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

I got to The Joe in Troy, New York earlier in the day than usual last week. They were having a kid's baseball camp and I knew that a few of the Tri-City ValleyCats players would be participating so I swung by to take a look. Two of the players I was set to interview had volunteered to help with the camp and looked as though they were having a very good time. I asked them about their experience in this video interview.

Juan Pablo Lopez - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Franny Cobos - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Franny Cobos signed with the Astros in August 2017 and pitched his first season with the Dominican Summer League in 2018 where he had an 0.60 ERA and a 1.080 WHIP in 14 games (45 IP). In his first season stateside, the 18-year old Cuban has a 0.57 ERA and a 1.149 WHIP in his first five appearances of the season. According to Tri-City Manager Ozney Guillen, Cobos's international experience with Team Cuba has really helped him succeed despite his young age.

Franny Cobos - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

ValleyCats Pitching Coach John Kovalik expanded on the subject of Cobos, "He's an impressive kid. He really is. He's very, very mature and extremely intelligent which helps him on the baseball field. Getting away from the mental acuity that he has, he's got very good body awareness so he can make adjustments and learn new movements really, really quickly which is something that is special about him."

According to Kovalik, Cobos has made huge strides in learning English since they first met in the Dominican Republic in February. "Seeing how far he's come with that has been really awesome. He's such a fun person to be around everyday. He keeps things light. You always know what you're going to get with him. You always know that he's going to bring some energy every day. He's just another guy who's awesome to work with. I think something that's special about him is that he makes learning English and becoming accustomed to life over here in the United States just as much of a priority as he does with his craft on the field."

LHP Juan Pablo Lopez first signed with the Astros out of Mexico during the July 2nd international signing period in 2016. In his first six appearances with Tri-City this season, the tall 20-year old lefty has a 3.96 ERA and a 1.280 WHIP in 25 innings (9 BB:24 K). Kovalik minces no words when describing Lopez, "He's big, he's left-handed and he throws hard. Right there you have kind of a recipe for success."

Juan Pablo Lopez - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Kovalik continued, "He's got a very, very solid foundation. Working on cleaning up his delivery a little bit. Just getting him to be a little more consistent with his pitches. But as far as overall stuff goes, he's got as good stuff as anybody here. Like I said, he's left-handed and he throws hard so you can't teach that. He's an extremely hard worker. He's a beast in the weight room too. He really enjoys that. He's physically in incredible shape which allows him to go deep into outings and maintain his velocity deep into outings which is a huge thing. An all around pleasure to work with. Another guy who's really just open to new ideas. Anything you throw at him to help him get better, he's so open to it. And he's the kind of person that he takes it and he runs with it. He focuses and he works and works and works on that one thing until he's mastered it. I think that's why he's improved so much in such a short amount of time."

Now, on to the interview!

Getting to Know Astros/ValleyCats OF Alex McKenna

After being drafted by the Astros in the 4th round this past June out of Cal Poly, OF Alex McKenna quickly got to work with the short season A Tri-City ValleyCats and has been one of their most consistent performers this summer. In his first 30 professional games, he is hitting .315/.409./.519 with five doubles, one triple, five home runs and six stolen bases. I had the opportunity to sit down with McKenna last month at "The Joe" (Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York) in an attempt to get to know him a little better. The impression I came away with was one of an intelligent, inquisitive player, one who is very grounded and even-keeled.

Alex McKenna - July 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Asked about his draft experience, McKenna told me that he had "no idea" that the Astros were seriously considering him. "I didn't talk to a single Astros scout or person in the office the entire year so it was definitely a surprise when my name was called. It was cool. Not what I was expecting, but when you get drafted by the defending World Champs, there's definitely worse situations. I was excited."

In his brief time as a professional, McKenna said his biggest accomplishment may very well be "just getting adjusted to things as a professional." He said, "It's a little different from college obviously. Just adjusting to pitching. Adjusting to what the everyday schedule's going to be like is the biggest thing I think. Just trying to acclimate myself as much as possible to make sure that I'm getting my stuff done, day in and day out, what I've got to do to prepare for every game, for every practice."

Although McKenna is highly regarded for his offensive abilities, that is still his primary focus right now, "Offensively, I want to work on elevating the baseball more and unlocking my power because I know I have it in my body, but it's about translating it into the game. I can do it in batting practice, I can do it in settings where I'm just working on mechanics, but translating it into the game when there's consistent velocity is the biggest key for me. I've seen a little of it so far, but I'm trying to tap into it more as the season goes on."

The one thing I did not see much written about was McKenna's defense so I asked him to characterize his defensive capabilities. "I think I'm not the prototypical blazing fast centerfielder, but I take a lot of pride in my routes and how efficient they are. And I think that's why I'm able to play a pretty good centerfield, at least at this level right now, and I want to play that as along as I can until they tell me I can't. I've played all three positions. I've played left, right and center and I'm comfortable at all three, but I would love to play centerfield and stay there as long as I can. I'm still working on some things out there as far as getting rid of the ball quicker, I'm trying to get my arm a little bit stronger, just the basic stuff. But going out there right now, I feel very confident in my ability to play defense," said McKenna.

McKenna acknowledges that his hit tool is probably his best tool, but he feels that the rest of his tools are solid. "I try and make sure my game is consistent in everything I do. I don't want to be weak in anything, and I also don't want to be one-dimensional and only be able to do one thing. Working on the other tools, my other qualities I have as a baseball player, and try to get those to eventually become plus tools is my goal and that's what this organization does a good job of is player development. That's what I'm looking forward to, seeing how far I can push the envelope and see where my ability takes me."

As McKenna works to improve in all areas of his game, he embraces the information that he is given. Tri-City Manager Jason Bell has enjoyed coaching McKenna of whom he said, "It's been awesome to work with him because he is always curious to why we do what we do and why the Astros believe in what we believe in. He asks a lot of questions, moreso than most of the players, because he wants to know more and he wants to be able to apply it to his game right away with the facts on why we do things. So if it's outfield, if it's baserunning, if it's offense, hitting, whatever it is, he always is there to ask questions which I like as a coach. It challenges me more, but at the same time, it's because he wants to learn and grow as a player."

McKenna grew up a Dodgers fan so being signed by the Astros was "a little bit weird" for him. "Honestly, I like the Dodgers because they're the closest team to me. But it was a little weird, for sure, hearing everybody (remarking about me) going to the team that beat the Dodgers in the World Series. But there couldn't be a better situation, I think, for myself. My family and everyone is super happy that I ended up where I am and it's a good situation so far."

Even with the Dodgers loss, McKenna enjoyed the back-and-forth drama of the postseason as a fan of baseball, "That just goes to show how talented these guys are. When they're put in the biggest stage, everyone seems to play better than their ability. And that's what it's kind of about when you're playing in those big playoff games and some guys rise to the occasion and it's pretty cool to watch that stuff."

In the offseason, McKenna will be back home enjoying his time with family and friends, "I live in California and I'm going to be living there during the offseason so (you) definitely don't run out of stuff to do out there. This offseason for me is just going to be very baseball heavy, honestly, because I want to work out, get a little bit stronger, get a little bit faster, work on my swing, kind of work on my game. This is a big offseason. They say the first offseason is the biggest one. You can see what happens when you come back and if you can make your game a little better. So I'm really focused on that, but in the offseason, maybe I'll go camping or something with my family during the winter. That's about it. I don't have too many plans right now. I like to hang out with my family and friends."

I often end my conversation with a player by asking him, "What should I ask you that I haven't already?" It's more of a way to let the player add some random parting thought than a real question. I think McKenna was the first player to ever actually answer the question. He told me I should ask him what we could expect of him on a daily basis. He responded to his own question, "I would say that I just hope that people see that I'm a hard worker, I put in time and I don't take for granted the opportunity that I'm given. I'm going to put in 100% in this thing and see where it goes from there."

Thank you for your time, Alex, and best of luck as the season winds toward its conclusion.

Other Recent Interviews:
RHP Peter Solomon
OF Seth Beer

Checking in on Tri-City ValleyCats RHP Erasmo Pinales

Near the end of a Tri-City ValleyCats game last month, I made my way over to sit by a couple of 'Cats super fans and season ticket holders who sit directly behind home plate. Thus I found myself wedged between @VamosGatosCrew's Rob Witt (aka @1_Santa_Claus) and ValleyCats LHP Framber Valdez (since promoted to Quad Cities). Valdez is an interesting player in his own right, but his story will have to wait for another day.

Valdez was charting pitches that night and I was peeking over his shoulder to see the velocities that RHP Erasmo Pinales had put up in his 4.2 innings. The chart was full of hashmarks for 94 and 95, as well as a goodly number of 96's and 97's. On top of that, he had hashmarks under every single offspeed offering as well, indicating a robust repertoire of pitches. I was scheduled to talk with ValleyCats Pitching Coach Drew French the next day and I quickly added Pinales to the list of players to ask him about.

Erasmo Pinales - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

According to French, "(Pinales) features six pitches that all are of major league average or better quality pitches. Clearly for him, it's not about (adding) a pitch or anything like that. It's about how consistent can I be with my delivery and my work day in and day out, not just the day that I pitch. How consistent emotionally can I be day in and day out so that the day that I pitch is my easiest day. When those things line up for him, he's been really, really good."

French continued, "Making this jump is different from Greeneville to here. The quality of player on the opposing team is not near as high (at Greeneville). You have more college guys (at Tri-City) that have a little more skill and ability. They take close pitches and they don't chase everything.

"(Pinales) is having to learn to be a professional in all aspects of his life, but he has some of the most interesting stuff in our organization. He's one that there's a lot of people watching him very closely because he's got an opportunity, I think, to really press on in the years to come and make a name for himself.

"Every pitch he throws is above 83 or 84 miles an hour. [When I mentioned that Pinales's fastball was 93 to 97 the prior night, French noted that Pinales has hit some 98's as well.] It's explosive stuff, absolutely." French went on to remark that Pinales had been fighting his command in that game, but that he did an excellent job of sequencing his pitches and making adjustments throughout the game to get him through his 4.2 innings. Although French would have liked to get Pinales to five innings to give him a change to get the win, he had to adhere to pitch count restrictions. "The rules are the rules with these guys and right now, it's more about their development and taking care of them than it is about getting them a W."

When asked about Pinales's best offspeed offering, French said, "It really varies from day to day. Yesterday, his curveball was really, really good but (his) changeup, his split, his curveball, his slider and both of his fastballs, 4-seam and 2-seam, are really, really good pitches. So I'd say yesterday was probably the curveball, but when he faces righthanders, his changeup and his slider are kind of his go to. The split he sprinkles in as he feels necessary. It's really hard to get him to use all his pitches when he has so many pitch types. That's one of the things that we have to monitor very closely with him is just to make sure that he gets the reps on everything or else he could just go five innings and throw a fastball and a slider and have a lot of success on the scoreboard, but (not) get the reps developmentally."

Having too many pitches sounds like a good problem to have. Pinales is definitely an interesting player to watch and I will be doing just that. Here are a couple of videos I took of that July 17th game showing Pinales in action.

Getting to Know Tri-City ValleyCats OF/DH Carmen Benedetti

Tri-City ValleyCats OF/DH Carmen Benedetti was literally the first player I saw when I arrived in Troy, New York on Saturday. He was by the stands, holding court with a couple of fans, when I introduced myself. I was immediately struck by his engaging personality and his quiet self-confidence. Benedetti is someone who is very comfortable in his own skin.

Carmen Benedetti - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Benedetti, the Astros 2016 12th round pick out of the University of Michigan, has had a very good start to his professional career. In 21 games for the Tri-City ValleyCats short season A club, he has hit .364/.411/.432 and is even better against his fellow southpaws (.421/.500/.526) and with runners in scoring position (.419/.455/.484).

In talking to Tri-City Manager Lamarr Rogers about Benedetti, it was once again Carmen's personality that came to the forefront in our conversation. "Carmen is a very interesting player to me. I love his ... I guess you would say ... his flow. He's never too high. He's never too low. He's in his own space. It's fun. He's very secure in who he is. He's a bright spot on this team from a personality standpoint. He's very up tempo, lively personality, a lot of fun to be around. His little mannerisms and the things that he does makes every one smile. I just think that it's an asset to him and I hope he doesn't change," said Rogers.

Rogers continued, "He's new to professional baseball, but he seems to have made the adjustment offensively. He's got some work to do defensively, but obviously he does swing a very good stick."

I would like to echo Rogers statement. I also hope that Benedetti doesn't change. With such a great personality, he is destined to become a fan favorite.

Thank you for your time, Carmen, and the best of luck as the season continues.

Tri-City ValleyCats: 2015 Season in Review

Tri-City won the Stedler Division for the fourth straight season with their 42-33 record. Unfortunately, they fell to the Staten Island Yankees in the Semifinals and did not advance to the League Championship series. As usual, Tri-City saw quite a few of the first year draftees as well as some talented free agents. Let's take a look at the team performance within the league and some of the individual standouts.

Dexture McCall - August 2014

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Green

Note all rankings are out of 14 total teams

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS TEAM BATTING
Batting average: .261 (2nd)
On-base percentage: .345 (1st)
Slugging percentage: .367 (2nd)
Doubles: 128 (T4th)
Triples: 14 (13th)
Home runs: 38 (2nd)
Walks: 297 (1st)
Strikeouts: 569 (6th)
Stolen bases: 78 (4th)

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS TEAM PITCHING
ERA: 3.79 (10th)
WHIP: 1.318 (9th)
Walks: 211 (11th)
Strikeouts: 635 (1st)

The offense was extremely strong on this team, but the pitching was somewhat uneven. Let's look at some of the team standouts.

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS BATTING LEADERS (minimum 40 games for BA, OBP and SLG)
Batting Average: Bobby Wernes (.346 - 1st in the league)
On-Base Percentage: Bobby Wernes (.434 - 1st in the league)
Slugging Percentage: Aaron Mizell (.423 - 7th in the league)
Doubles: Brooks Marlow and Pat Porter (tied with 15)
Triples: Aaron Mizell (7 - T1st in the league)
Home Runs: Brooks Marlow (6 - T6th in the league)
RBI: Dexture McCall (37 - T6th in the league)
Stolen Bases: Johnny Sewald (31 - 1st in the league)
Walks: Johnny Sewald (46 - T1st in the league)
Runs: Johnny Sewald (57 - 1st in the league)

3B Bobby Wernes (21)
Wernes, the 2015 30th round pick, won the New York-Penn League batting title in his first professional season. In 53 games, he hit .346/.434/.388 with eight doubles, 29 RBI and three stolen bases. He walked 27 times and struck out 27 times.

OF Johnny Sewald (21)
A 14th rounder out of Arizona State, Sewald broke a couple of single season records for Tri-City this season (for runs scored and stolen bases) and ended the season hitting .289/.413/.341 in 70 games.

OF Aaron Mizell (21)
Mizell, the Astros 33rd pick, started his first season with Greeneville but was promoted to Tri-City after only 20 games. For the season, he hit a combined .263/.330/.421 with 14 doubles, a very impressive eight triples, four home runs, 36 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

1B Dexture McCall (21)
McCall is another later round pick (31st round in 2014) who performed quite well for Tri-City this season, hitting .295/.376/.400 with nine doubles, four home runs and 37 RBI in 59 games.

Also of note are a duo who split their time between Tri-City and Quad Cities: OF Drew Ferguson (.328/.418/.586 in 17 games for Tri-City) and 1B Bryan Muniz (.292/.387/.443 in 29 games for Tri-City). Hector Roa slugged .444 in 27 games at the level as well.

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS PITCHING LEADERS (minimum 30IP for ERA and WHIP)
ERA: Scott Weathersby (2.48 in 32.2IP)
WHIP: Scott Weathersby (1.133)
Strikeouts: Harold Arauz (52)
Saves: Jacob Dorris (6 - T8th in the league)

RHP Scott Weathersby (23)
Weathersby, a 10th round pick, was only given a couple of starts in his 12 appearances for the season, but averaged almost three innings per appearance. He ended the season with a 2.48 ERA, 1.133 WHIP and six walks to 39 strikeouts in his 32.2 innings.

RHP Chris Murphy (22)
Murphy actually had better numbers than Weathersby, but fell just shy of my 30 inning minimum since he started the season with Greeneville. The 24th rounder ended the season with a combined 2.25 ERA and 1.062 WHIP in 48 innings (14 games/6 starts). He walked seven batters and struck out 40.

Jacob Dorris (22)
Dorris, a NDFA out of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, started the season at Greeneville and ended it in Quad Cities, but it was in Tri-City that Dorris earned six of his seven season saves. Dorris had a 1.80 ERA and a 0.700 WHIP in 10 innings with Tri-City and a combined 0.98 ERA and a 0.759 WHIP in his 27.2 innings pitched at the three levels.

Also of particular note were RHP Elieser Hernandez with a 1.31 ERA and a 0.726 WHIP in 20.2 innings prior to his mid-July promotion to Quad Cities; and LHP Steve Naemark with a 1.54 ERA and a 0.857 WHIP in 11.2 innings at the level.

Previous Season Reviews:
Dominican Summer League Astros
Gulf Coast League Astros
Greeneville Astros

Tri-City ValleyCats Season Recap

In my ongoing season reviews of the various Astros minor league teams, today we'll look at the Tri-City ValleyCats.

The team finished with a 48-28 record (.632 win percentage), won their division and advanced to the New York-Penn League Finals where they fell 2-1 to State College. As a team they ranked within the league as follows:

Tri-City Team Batting
.262 BA - 3rd out of 14 teams
.341 OBP - 2nd
.388 SLG - 2nd

They also led the league in walks and placed second in doubles and home runs.

Tri-City Team Pitching
3.42 ERA - 5th
1.225 WHIP - 5th
628 SO - 4th
205 BB - 10th

Below I am indicating the player's current age as well as information as to how many years the player has been playing. Any players who were promoted to Quad Cities or above prior to the end of the season will be addressed in the season recap for that team.

Although this team did lose some excellent bats to promotion (A.J. Reed, J.D. Davis, Ryan Bottger), there were still a number of very good offensive players who remained.

CATCHERS

Jamie Ritchie - 21; 1st season
The 13th round 2014 draft pick only appeared in 27 of his 47 games as catcher as he was often used as the DH. Ritchie put up a .331/.455/.465 batting line and collected 12 doubles, two triples, a home run and 24 RBI, but it was his 29 walks to 26 strikeouts that really stood out. He was somewhat above average defensively, but will need to improve on the 24% caught stealing rate to fit in with some of the best rates in the system.

Alfredo Gonzalez - 22; 5th (in system since 2009, but did not play in 2010)
Gonzalez, on the other hand, had a very good year defensively overall and threw out 45% of would-be base stealers in his 44 games behind the dish. In a total of 46 games, he hit .246/.348/.369, walked 15 times while striking out 24 times, and had five stolen bases (and was caught stealing five times as well). In August, Gonzalez hit .271/.386/.438.

INFIELDERS

3B Nick Tanielu - 22; 1st season
Tanielu, the 14th round draft pick in 2014, had an excellent debut season. In 62 games, he hit .300/.353/.425 with 16 doubles, two triples, three home runs and a team-leading 40 RBI. On paper, his defense skews slightly below average.

SS Mott Hyde - 22; 1st season
The 26th round draft pick from 2014 had a solid freshman season, both defensively and offensively. In 70 games, he hit .254/.331/.389 with 18 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 31 RBI.

2B Alex Hernandez - 22; 1st season
Hernandez may not have had the most impressive batting line out of the group of 2014 draftees who played on the Tri-City team with his .210/.337/.278 line over 56 games, but the 40th round pick showed very good plate discipline (27 walks to 33 strikeouts) and plus defensive abilities.

1B/C Ricky Gingras - 23; 3rd season
Gingras was drafted by Houston in the 18th round in 2012 as a catcher, but in his third season, he spent more of his time at first base than behind the plate, and he excelled defensively in his new role. The lefty hit .252/.309/.361 with seven doubles and three home runs in 46 games.

IF Kristian Trompiz - 18; 2nd season (1st in U.S.)
Trompiz played in 19 games with the Gulf Coast League, 30 with Greeneville and ended up at Tri-City for the final three regular season games. Over those three venues, the young Venezuelan hit .285/.360/.400 with 16 doubles, a home run and 22 RBI. His defense shows some promise, but is currently a work in progress.

IF Juan Santana - 20; 4th season
The Dominican-born Santana split his season between Greeneville (21 games) and Tri-City (27 games), hitting .302/.330/.402 with 12 doubles and two home runs. In being converted from playing solely at second base, he has had some defensive struggles at the other positions. Santana last played on August 24th and it is my understanding that off-field issues ended his season early.

OUTFIELDERS

Derek Fisher - 21; 1st season
The first round 2014 draft pick had a very nice season at the plate, as the lefty hit .303/.378/.408 with four doubles, three triples, two home runs and 18 RBI in 42 games. He also had very good success on the base paths as he stole 17 bases while getting caught only four times. His defensive numbers skew above average. In the post-season, Fisher hit .375/.474/.625 in five games.

Jason Martin - 19; 2nd season
Martin, the 8th round 2013 draft pick, also had success in the post-season as the lefty hit .353/.421/.412 in five games. He split his regular season between Greeneville and Tri-City, hitting .274/.363/.414 in his 42 games at Greeneville prior to his promotion. For the season, Martin hit .257/.338/.384 with 14 doubles, seven triples, a home run and 23 RBI in 63 games. He walked 31 times while striking out 43 times and stole 13 bases and was caught stealing nine times. Martin has shown plus defensive abilities.

Terrell Joyce - 22; 3nd season
After a sub-par season at the plate in 2013, Joyce rebounded and put up some excellent power numbers in 2014. The 12th round 2012 draft pick hit .231/.309/.495 with 13 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 53 games. In August, he hit .256/.365/.610. Defensively, he is difficult to characterize as his defensive numbers are a bit of a mixed bag.

LEFTY PITCHERS

Bryan Radziewski - 22; 1st season
The Astros ninth round pick in 2014, Radziewski had a 2-0 record with one save, a 3.04 ERA and a 1.162 WHIP in 15 appearances (one start). He walked 13 batters and struck out 29 in 26.2 innings. He did not allow a run in his final six appearances.

Zach Davis - 22; 1st season
Davis, the 25th round 2014 draft pick, did not fare nearly so well after his promotion to Tri-City as he did prior to the move. In 13 bullpen appearances in Greeneville, he had a 2-0 record with four saves, a 2.04 ERA and a 1.132 WHIP. He finished the season with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.377 WHIP in 20.1 innings. He walked only six batters and struck out 26.

Junior Garcia - 18; 2nd season (1st in U.S.)
Garcia spent the majority of his season with the Gulf Coast League Astros and only appeared with Tri-City at the end of the season, pitching two almost perfect innings. In a total of 13 games (eight starts), Garcia had a 2.89 ERA and a 1.534 WHIP. That WHIP is admittedly on the high side, but since Garcia will only be turning 19 on October 1st, he may be an interesting player to watch if he can start missing a few more bats. In 43.2 innings, he walked 19 batters and struck out 28. He is from the Dominican Republic.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Joe Musgrove - 21; 4th season
Musgrove, a Blue Jays first round pick who came to the Astros system in the July 2012 mega-trade with that team, had a breakout season this year showing what he can do when completely healthy. In 15 games (13 starts), he was 7-1 with a 2.81 ERA and a 0.961 WHIP. In 77 innings of work, he walked 10 batters while striking out 67. In the post-season, he was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 0.769 WHIP in two starts (nine hits, one walk and 15 strikeouts in 13 innings). Musgrove was just named a Short Season A All-Star by Baseball America today.

Austin Chrismon - 21; 2nd season
The 26th round 2013 draft pick had a solid season at Tri-City. In his 16 games (13 starts), he was 6-3 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.171 WHIP, walking 15 batters and striking out 49 over 68.1 innings.

Robert Kahana - 21; 1st season
Kahana split his season between Greeneville and Tri-City and ended with a combined 3.58 ERA and a 1.212 WHIP in 14 games (eight starts). He walked 12 batters and struck out 37 in 50.1 innings of work.

Francis Ramirez - 22; 6th season
Ramirez had a solid, if unremarkable season, in 2014 (3.62 ERA and 1.329 WHIP), but ended it on a high note with a 1.74 ERA and a 1.065 WHIP in his final six appearances (three starts) in August.

There were several strong relievers from the 2014 draft class as well. In particular, Derick Velazquez (20; 7th round) had an excellent inaugural season: 2-1 with 4 saves, a 1.57 ERA and a 0.870 WHIP in 18 appearances. He walked two while striking out 24 in 23 innings. Also, Ryan Thompson (22; 23rd round) had a great season, converting 12 saves in 23 appearances and ending with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.274 WHIP. Brandon McNitt (22; 27th round) did have three starts, but was more effective in his nine relief outings, putting up a 1.25 ERA and a 0.877 WHIP.

Vince Wheeland (22; 24th round) had a tough start to his season, but finished it off well with a 1.15 ERA and a 0.833 WHIP in his final five appearances in August. Daniel Mengden (21; 4th round) didn't see a lot of action between the GCL and Tri-City, but his one walk to 17 strikeouts over 11 innings was impressive.

Angel Heredia, 22, is in his third season as a pitcher and split his season between Greeneville and Tri-City, with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.096 WHIP in 20 appearances. And last, but not least, Chris Munnelly, 23, in his second season with the organization, went 2-0 with 4 saves, a 3.38 ERA and a 1.200 WHIP in 15 bullpen appearances. He walked 8 batters and struck out 31 in 26.2 innings.

[UPDATE] I'm not sure how I managed to do this, but I inadvertently left off 2014 NDFA Aaron Vaughn, 22, who had a terrific first pro season out of the bullpen. In 22 appearances combined between the GCL (7 games), Quad Cities (1 game) and Tri-City (14 games), Vaughn had a 1.69 ERA and a 0.938 WHIP. He walked six batters and struck out 23 in 26.2 innings of work.

Next up will be the Quad Cities team.

Earlier season reviews ~
Dominican Summer League offensive standouts
Dominican Summer League Pitching Standouts
Gulf Coast League Astros
Rookie League Greeneville Astros

Tweet of the Day

Handshakes and High Fives! We'll see you in the Championship! #VamosGatos #UnoMas pic.twitter.com/L9ly0qCiH3
— Tri-City ValleyCats (@ValleyCats) September 5, 2014

Bonus Tweet of the Day

BALLGAME! 'CATS WIN! Final score from Connecticut is 3-2! #ValleyCats take a 1-0 series lead coming home! #VamosGatos #UnoMas
— Tri-City ValleyCats (@ValleyCats) September 4, 2014

Tweet of the Day

Stedler Division Champs! #VamosGatos pic.twitter.com/PVwqstCiYZ
— Austin Chrismon (@Hey_Mr_Chrismon) August 29, 2014

An Interview with Tri-City RHP Derick Velazquez

Since being drafted by the Astros in the 7th round in 2014 out of California State University Fresno, RHP Derick Velazquez has been one of the key relief pitchers for the Tri-City bullpen. In his first 12 games, he has three saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 0955 WHIP. He has walked only two batters while striking out 17 in his 14.2 innings of work.

Tri-City Manager Ed Romero told me, "Velazquez is a very interesting guy. He has a very good arm. Hard throwing guy. He's just got to get used to the professional every day grind that these guys go through. He's got good size." Romero sees potential in Velazquez as he's a pitcher with "good stuff" who throws strikes.

As fate would have it, I wasn't able to see Velazquez pitch during my recent visit to Tri-City since he had been shut down for a couple of weeks for undisclosed reasons, but he is now back in the bullpen and, if his effectiveness is any indication, fully healthy. I was, however, able to talk with him briefly in an attempt to get to know him just a little bit better.

Derick Velazquez - July 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Of his college experience, Velazquez told me, "I went to Merced Junior College out of high school. I wasn't highly recruited. I didn't get any offers, actually, so I went to junior college and did good. I was a two-way player there. I pitched, went 11-0 and hit. I got drafted after that year in the 15th round by the Orioles. And it just didn't work out so I made it to Fresno State, played there two years, didn't play as well as I wanted to, but I'm just glad I got to impress a professional team and keep playing after college." When I pointed out that he must have played pretty well to merit being picked in one of the higher rounds, he simply noted "I was happy I went that high."

He knew that the Astros had some interest in him, but he hadn't been in contact with the area scout very much. The day of the draft, "My adviser let me know that I could possibly get picked by the Astros coming up soon, and then it happened, so I was happy."

What has been the biggest surprise for Velazquez in playing professional baseball? "It's not a surprise because I knew coming in that everybody in the lineup was going to be good, but probably just how athletic everybody is and everybody knows how to play. They come from all over the world, just the best players from the whole world. It makes me learn that I can't take anybody easily. You have to play hard [against everybody]."

Since I didn't get the opportunity to see him pitch, I asked him what I could expect to see when I did get that opportunity. He responded, "I do a lot of closing so later in the games, just hopefully get a lot of ground balls. I'm not a big strikeout guy so hopefully get a lot of ground balls, a quick inning and just close out some ballgames."

I asked Velazquez what he felt like he had accomplished thus far during his season. "I changed my delivery in college a lot and it wasn't as comfortable as it used to be before I got there so here I've worked a lot with the pitching coach and the coordinators and gotten back to the way I used to be when I was the most comfortable. Just learning how to pitch to these pro guys and just getting better every day."

In answer as to what he needs to work on improving, he told me, "Probably just more consistency, throwing strikes with all of my pitches because you can't come in with just one pitch. You've got to at least have two. I'm working on my changeup a lot right now and being able to throw it low in the zone for strikes and just getting people off balance and stuff like that. Just refining my pitches."

What pitches does Velazquez have in his arsenal? "I throw a 4-seam fastball and a 2-seam. I'd say 2-seam is my favorite pitch and then I throw a changeup and a slider, but right now it's more of a cutter because I'm trying to work on getting it back to where it used to be." His fastball sits in the low 90's and he'll hit 95 occasionally. He's working on slowing down his low 80's change up, "trying to get it a little slower with the same arm speed. It's getting there."

Which hitters on the Tri-City team would he least like to face in the batter's box? "Probably A.J. [Reed, who had recently been promoted to Quad Cities] and I'd say [Nick] Tanielu. I see him stroke balls pretty hard. [Jamie] Ritchie also. Ritchie and [Ryan] Bottger [also promoted to Quad Cities]. Those guys are just always putting the ball in play solid and are hard to get out so those would probably be the guys."

Whose pitch would he like to have in his arsenal? "Probably [Troy] Scribner's curveball. He just freezes guys and that's why he's leading the league in strikeouts. It's a good pitch. That's what I'd like to have."

He also pointed to Scribner as a player he enjoys watching, "He knows what he's doing. He commands his pitches. I'd say he's one guy I'm surprised he's still here. Especially with the numbers he's putting up." Scribner was promoted a few days after this interview. Velazquez also likes to watch Francis Ramirez pitch, "He's a big body and that's the way I feel like I can be, and he's fun to watch. He's a big power pitcher." Velazquez told me that he will be focusing on putting on weight and building up his legs in the off-season to start filling out what might be characterized as a thin, but projectable frame."

Who on the team makes him laugh? "Probably my roommate Ryan Thompson. He knows when to be serious and then he knows when to just goof around and keep it free and stuff like that. I'm glad he's my roommate. It's fun at home. It keeps things fun."

I asked Velazquez to tell me something about himself that people might not know. He responded, "I'm very quiet. I don't go up to people and have a conversation. I'm kind of in the back of a crowd. Once I get to know people, then I'll be talkative, but I'm very quiet. I was an only child growing up. I didn't have siblings [to be] hanging around with so I keep to myself a lot."

If he couldn't play baseball, "I'd be a pilot. My mom was a flight attendant so I've been around airports since I was little and I always loved watching planes take off. I want to be a pilot after baseball. That's my second love."

I asked Velazquez if he had any final words about the Tri-City team. He said, "It's a good team. It's discouraging that we have so many good guys that are starting to move up. Hopefully guys can just step up and we can keep winning and hopefully win the whole thing again." The 'Cats lost that night, but then went on a five-game winning streak and have won seven of their last ten. So it appears that "the guys" are indeed stepping up, including this quiet young man who lets his pitching speak for him.

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

Thank you for your time, Derick. I look forward to seeing you in the playoffs and, hopefully, the finals. Best of luck!

A Video Interview with Tri-City's Francis Ramirez and Alfredo Gonzalez

On my recent trip to Tri-City, I was in my last day of the trip and had concluded all of my interviews, had taken all of my photos except for that night's game and was ready to sit back and relax for a few minutes in the media room at "The Joe." The door opened and in walked Media Director Chris Chenes accompanied by a petite ball of energy by the name of Doris Gonzalez.

I had heard about Doris (in glowing terms) from Assistant Director of Player Development Allen Rowin two years ago when I interviewed him about the Astros Dominican Academy. Doris is in charge of helping the Latin players learn English and refine their language skills as a part of acclimating them into playing in the U.S. (among other things).

Doris knew that I had done a video interview with Danry Vasquez and Teoscar Hernandez when I was in Lancaster in May. Danry was eager to do the interview, but Teoscar required a little coaxing. The result was a combined interview which helped Teoscar feel more comfortable speaking with me (by the way, his English was quite good).

Doris saw that as an opportunity. She would like all of her students to be able to handle interviews and saw me as a willing partner. We briefly discussed the language skills of the Latin players on the Tri-City team and quickly settled on RHP Francis Ramirez and C Alfredo "Fredo" Gonzalez and before you know it, I was back in the clubhouse with my video recorder at the ready.

I'm really looking forward to working with Doris again and determining which players are ready for the big time a simple blog interview. Even if the questions and answers aren't exactly hard-hitting, it will help me (and my readers) get to know some of these players a little better.

First, a little background on the two. Francis Ramirez, 22, has been with the Astros since signing as an international free agent in November 2008. He is from the Dominican Republic. Fredo Gonzalez, also 22, signed with the Astros out of Venezuela in July 2008. Fredo actually stood out for me in watching the players during workouts. He is very strong and deceptively agile. His catching skills this season have been very good as well, throwing out 50% of would-be base stealers.

Without further ado, here is a brief interview with the two. Note that the sound isn't very good ... turn the volume up to high for the best results.

Random Observations from my Tri-City Trip

My recent trip to Tri-City was more challenging than usual as far as getting to know the players. My first day at the ballpark saw no BP because the team had arrived home from a road trip shortly before dawn and were, frankly, walking zombies most of the afternoon. Rain cut early work short on my second day (and canceled BP completely) so there wasn't much of a chance for observation on that day either. Finally on the third day, I was able to observe early work and BP and get just a tiny sense of some of the player's personalities.

Overall the Tri-City team is on the quiet side. There are a few outgoing personalities such as Alex Hernandez ...

And the Latin players always seem to enjoy themselves ...

Ariel Ovando and Juan Santana

And I was told that pitchers Jay Gause and Ryan Thompson are on the colorful side, but I didn't get the chance to talk with them.

The 'Cats lost the first two games while I was in Troy and it looked as though they were pressing at the plate. The recent loss of the bats of A.J. Reed and Ryan Bottger seemed to have impacted the line-up in that they were trying to do too much at the plate instead of just being themselves as hitters. By the third game, they appeared more relaxed and they made it back to the win column where they have stayed for four straight games.

I always forget how imposing a figure Joe Musgrove is. Listed as 6'5" and 230 pounds, he is the very definition of a big-bodied pitcher.

Except for heavy rain one afternoon, the weather was fantastic (I'm not used to wearing a jacket in the evenings in summer). It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the troops (ballpark staff) assemble when rain is in the offing. And let's just say that Media Relations Manager Chris Chenes showed some moves, leaping into action at the first sign of rain with catlike reflexes. That tarp went down fast!

The evening after the rain was cool and damp and by the end of the game a fog settled on the field.

Jordan Mills

I was surprised by the crowd mid-week. The 'Cats staff does a fantastic job with bringing in the casual fan with promotions to supplement the diehards chanting "Vamos Gatos" at a high decibel reading.

Diehard Fan Robert Witt with Derek Fisher

There's always one guy to whom I blurt out something inadvertently and inappropriately. Aaron Vaughn was my recipient this time. Those eyes!

Thank you to Chris and Sam for your help and hospitality. It was great seeing and talking to Brendon as well. Thanks also to the ValleyCats and Astros fans who always give me a warm welcome and a kind word.

I will be posting some interviews from my trip this week and next and am also planning a post about my visit to Cooperstown during induction weekend with advice for those who may be interested in going next year when Biggio will (!) be inducted (he'd better be!). In the meantime, keep your eye on the ball.

Raul Rivera

I have uploaded WAAAAAYYYYYY too many photos as usual and have not weeded them out or labeled them yet, but if you're game, you can go here. As usual, the players and coaches are free to use these photos for personal uses. All other uses require permission and acknowledgement.

The Tri-City ValleyCats Season in Review

Tri-City led their division most of the season, but a late season five-game skid coupled with a Lowell five-game win streak turned the tables. Fortunately, Tri-City won three of their last four while Lowell had a four-game losing streak and the ValleyCats ended up on top of the standings in the Stedler Division. They went on to make short work of Aberdeen, shutting them out in both games of the series to advance to the New York-Penn League Championship series. After losing game one of the LCS to State College in extra innings, they came back and took the final two to earn the NYPL crown. Here is how their 2013 season compared to the 2012 campaign.

2012 Win Percentage - .671
2013 Win Percentage - .579

2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 414 - 251 = 163
2013 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 324 - 267 = 57

2012 Team ERA & WHIP - 2.75 & 1.170
2013 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.01 & 1.139

2012 Team Batting Line - .271/.355/.391
2013 Team Batting Line - .246/.322/.345

As you can see, the pitching was quite good in 2013 and was very comparable to 2012. This year's staff was first in WHIP and sixth in ERA while last year's crew ranked fourth and second respectively in those areas (out of 14 teams). The 'Cats were ranked second in strikeouts (fourth in 2012) and dead last in walks (12th in 2012). Let's look at some of the individuals who contributed to those terrific numbers.

RHP Michael Feliz was, without question, the pitching star of this team. In 14 games (10 starts), he was 4-2 with a league leading 1.96 ERA and a 0.957 WHIP (second in the league). He ranked third in the league in strikeouts. Feliz fanned 78 batters while issuing 13 walks in 69 innings pitched. He will turn 20 at the end of this month.

21-year old LHP Evan Grills had a bit of a breakout season this year. In 16 games (8 starts), he went 7-1 (tied for first in the league in wins) with a 3.34 ERA (19th in the league) and a 1.258 WHIP (17th). Interestingly enough, Grills had some fairly dramatic splits between starting and relieving. In eight starts, he was 5-1 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. In eight relief appearances, he was 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA and a 0.987 WHIP.

There are so many pitchers who stood out for Tri-City that I am going to simply summarize them below ranked by number of innings pitched.

RHP Kyle Westwood (22) - 44.2IP 11G/8GS 0.81ERA 0.761WHIP
*RHP Zach Morton (23) - 32.2IP 9G/4GS 1.93ERA 0.735WHIP
LHP Chris Cotton (22) - 31IP 8G/6GS 1.74ERA 1.097WHIP
*RHP Andrew Walter (22) - 25.1IP 14G 2.49ERA 0.750WHIP
*RHP Richard Rodriguez (23) - 21IP 16G 1.29ERA 0.952WHIP
LHP Albert Minnis (21) - 14IP 14G 2.57ERA 1.143WHIP
*RHP Patrick Christensen (22) - 14IP 14G 3.86ERA 1.143WHIP

*Morton was promoted to Quad Cities where he made eight appearances (one start). His combined numbers are a 1.75 ERA and an 0.877 WHIP in 51.1 innings pitched.

*Walter was promoted to Quad Cities where he made six appearances. His combined numbers are a 1.66 ERA and an 0.711 WHIP in 38 innings pitched.

*Rodriguez started the season and ended the season with Quad Cities and did not fare as well at that venue as he did at Tri-City. In 44.1 innings combined (30 appearances), he had a 4.47 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP.

*Christensen was promoted to Quad Cities where he made nine appearances. His combined numbers are a 2.57 ERA and 1.000 WHIP over 28 innings pitched.

Tyler Brunnemann did well at Tri-City in limited action after his promotion there (0.90 ERA and 0.500 WHIP in 10 innings) as did Gonzalo Sanudo (0.00 ERA and 0.308 WHIP in 13 innings). Sanudo was fourth in the league in saves (with eight) despite only pitching in nine games in the NYPL.

In the postseason, the staff compiled a 1.34 ERA and a 0.851 WHIP with Feliz, Chris Munnelly (who I discussed in my Greeneville review), Sanudo, Westwood, Grills and Brunnemann all pitching very well. In particular, Westwood contributed two wins in the postseason with a 0.692 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP and Sanudo converted saves in all four of the postseason wins.

PHEW!!! A lot of guys pitched really, really well for the 'Cats.

Now, let's look at the offense. Batting average ranked fifth in the league, on-base percentage was third and slugging was sixth (all out of 14 teams). Not bad at all, but their 2012 counterparts ranked first in all of those categories so they had some big shoes to fill. The team struck out fewer times than anyone else in the league. They ranked second in walks and home runs, in the middle of the pack in stolen bases and triples and toward the bottom of the league in doubles.

Many of Tri-Cities' best hitters didn't spend much time there. OF Dan Gulbransen (.397/.426/.638) was promoted after only 15 games there. Likewise, C Luis Alvarez (.303/.395/.485) played in only 12 games at Tri-City. 22-year old 3B Tyler White ended his season at Tri-City, hitting .286/.362/.384 with 25 RBI in 28 games. 2B Tony Kemp (21) spent the bulk of his season at Tri-City, hitting .282/.355/.362 in 48 games. He was tied for 10th in the league in stolen bases despite having played his final 27 games at Quad Cities.

Of those who spent the entire season at Tri-City, no one stands out quite as much as 21-year old 1B Conrad Gregor. Gregor ranked second in walks, third in hits (tie), sixth in on-base percentage, 10th in batting average, 10th in RBI (tie) and 13th in runs scored (tie). He hit .289/.379/.385 with twelve doubles, one triple, four home runs, 35 RBI (tied for team lead). He walked 37 times to 43 strikeouts in 317 plate appearances.

Others who ranked at the top of the New York-Penn League were 21-year old CF James Ramsay (top 10 in runs, triples and walks), 22-year old SS Chan Moon (top 10 in triples and top 20 in stolen bases), 23-year old DH/1B Mike Martinez (third in home runs, top 10 in RBI, top 20 in slugging percentage), and 21-year old OF D'Andre Toney (top 20 in stolen bases). Martinez and Toney will start the 2014 season on the restricted list.

And one final note for faithful reader John. Vamos Gatos!!!

Seasons in Review for Other Astros Minor League Teams
DSL Season in Review
GCL Season in Review
Greeneville Season in Review

Tweet of the Day

Tri-City ValleyCats ‏@ValleyCats
It's here, VIDEO: 2013 @nypennleague Champions, game highlights & celebration! http://youtu.be/XUnc_Jsa3Nc