Friday, April 24, 2015

Happy Birthday - 4/24

Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Jay Gause (23)
Gause was born April 24, 1992 in Shallotte, North Carolina, and was drafted by the Astros in the 10th round in 2014 out of Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. Gause pitched for the Short Season A Tri-City ValleyCats in his first season.

Jay Gause - August 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen


Manager Tony DeFrancesco (52)
DeFrancesco was born April 24, 1963 in the Bronx, New York. 2015 will mark his fifth season managing in the Houston system and his first at the helm of Houston's new AAA affiliate Fresno Grizzlies.

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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Salt Lake 3, Fresno 2

W- Steven Hensley (1-0)
L- Kevin Chapman (1-2)

Fresno home runs: None.

Once again, Fresno got some runs late, only to see Salt Lake walk off with a win. Joe Sclafani's error allowed Alfredo Marte to score the winning run in the 9th.

They were kept off the scoreboard until the top of the 9th, when L.J. Hoes ripped an RBI double to make it a 1-run game, one of his 5 hits on the night. After Jon Singleton was intentionally walked to load the bases and Matt Duffy became a strikeout victim, Preston Tucker tied the game at 2 with an RBI single. Unfortunately, Hoes was thrown out at home trying to score the go-ahead run.

Dan Straily went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Richard Rodriguez was the first man out; he allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 2 in 3 innings of relief. Kevin Chapman was saddled with the loss; the walk-off run was unearned. He allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in 1.2 innings.

In tonight's game, Alex White takes the mound. First pitch is at 5:35 Pacific.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks are in Frisco, where they'll play 4 games. In game 1, Mark Appel will take on Jake Thompson at 7:05.

Lancaster 5, Rancho Cucamonga 3

W- Troy Scribner (1-0)
L- Scott Barlow (1-1)
S- Chris Cotton (2)

Lancaster home runs: Chase McDonald (4, 2-run in 6th)

The JetHawks only scored in 1 inning, but that was enough for them to get the win. All 5 of their runs came in the 6th inning, and their lead held up despite allowing 2 runs in the 8th.

Troy Scribner was awesome in his 5 innings; he allowed a run on a wild pitch/strikeout, walked 1, and struck out 9. The only hit he allowed was a single to Tyler Ogle to lead off the 2nd. Evan Grills tagged in for 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 3, and striking out 1. Chris Cotton closed it out, striking out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Brian Holberton kicked things off in that big 6th inning with a single. Jack Mayfield followed by reaching on an error on a force out attempt, and they both advanced a base on a Brett Phillips sac bunt. Chan-Jong Moon tied the game with an RBI single. After J.D. Davis struck out for the 2nd out, A.J. Reed put Lancaster ahead with a 2-run double. Chase McDonald delivered the haymaker in the form of a 2-run home run, his 4th of the campaign. Moon finished 2-4.

The JetHawks return to The Hangar tonight as they welcome the Modesto Nuts for a 4-game set. Blaine Sims will take on Harrison Musgrave at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities 6, Peoria 2

W- Joe Musgrove (3-0)
L- Austin Gomber (1-2)

QC home runs: Jake Nottingham (3, 2-run in 2nd), Ryan Bottger (1, solo in 4th), Jorge Martinez (2, 2-run in 5th)

The Banditos busted out the heavy artillery in this matinee as 5 of their 6 runs came off of the three home runs you see above. Alex Hernandez hit a double in the 6th for the only non-home run RBI. Kristian Trompiz finished 2-4 with a run scored; he's now on a 5-game hitting streak, and it's also the 3rd consecutive game in which he's recorded 2 hits. Mott Hyde went 0-2, but he drew 2 walks and scored 2 runs.

Joe Musgrove turned in another fine performance on the mound; he threw 5.2 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 9, which tied a career-high he set last July 16 against Aberdeen. The two relievers, Keegan Yuhl and Ryan Thompson, finished it off with 3.1 perfect frames. Yuhl struck out 1 in 1.1, and The Closer fanned 2 in 2.

Quad Cities looks for the sweep as Austin Chrismon takes on Daniel Poncedeleon at 7.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.
Chan-Jong Moon, IF, Lancaster
2-4, game-tying RBI single in 6th, R

2.
Chase McDonald, 1B/DH, Lancaster
1-4, 2-R HR (4)

1. 

L.J. Hoes, OF, Fresno
5-5, RBI 2B in 9th, R

Three Stars: Pitchers

3. 
Richard Rodriguez, RHP, Fresno
3 IP, H, BB, 2 K

2. 
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Quad Cities
W (3-0), 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 earned), BB, 9 K

1. 
Troy Scribner, RHP, Lancaster
W (1-0), 5 IP, H, ER, BB, 9 K

Honorable Mentions

- Keegan Yuhl and Ryan Thompson shut it down for Quad Cities.
- Kristian Trompiz is holding his own as the youngest regular in the River Bandits lineup.
- It's been a slow start for A.J. Reed, but he's got a hit in 6 of his last 7 games. Given his track record, expect him to really turn it on soon.
- After getting bombarded in his late-season cameo in Lancaster last season, Chris Cotton has absolutely shackled the California League so far.

WTHB's Under-the-Radar Roster: Position Players

On Tuesday, I introduced WTHB's Under-the-Radar roster, first looking at the under-the-radar pitching staff. Today, let's see what position players made the cut.

As a reminder, my self-imposed rules were that the player could not be on any of the top prospect lists noted here nor could they be on the 40-man roster nor could they be a draft pick from the top 5 rounds. And the final rule was that each player had to have been assigned to one of the full season team rosters. (I hope to establish another roster when the short season teams break camp.) The plan is to check in on them periodically to see how they are doing as a group for the season.

Ronnie Mitchell - June 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Catchers:

Tyler Heineman (23) S/R
Drafted in the 8th round in 2012 out of the University of California in Los Angeles
Switch-hitter who hits better from the left with a good offensive upside; excellent defensive skills and caught stealing rate

Signed as an international free agent in 2008
Excellent defensive skills with a very good arm; solid offensively with good plate discipline, a little pop and good speed for a catcher

Catching Reserves:

Drafted in the 6th round in 2013 out of Redlands High School, Redlands, California

Roberto Pena wasn't eligible for the roster as he was included as a top prospect in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. I also strongly considered Jamie Ritchie, but he is also being used at first base and DH. Brett Booth is another under-the-radar guy that intrigues me.

Infielders:

Drafted in the 20th round in 2011 out of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Solid defensively at both first and third and can hit for average and for power

Drafted in the 12th round in 2013 out of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina
Has some serious power potential; can hit to all fields; handles first base adeptly

3B Nick Tanielu (22) R/R
Drafted in the 14th round in 2014 out of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington
Solid hitter with developing power; has transitioned to third base well

SS/2B Mott Hyde (23) R/R
Drafted in the 26th round in 2014 out of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia
Low strikeouts, high walks and decent power; very good defensively

Signed as an international free agent in 2012
Good doubles power and plate discipline; can play third base in addition to the middle infield

IF Joe Sclafani (25 yesterday) S/R
Drafted in the 14th round in 2012 out of Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire
Better defensively in the middle infield, but can handle third base and the outfield in a pinch; hits for average with good on-base skills, a little pop and good instincts on base; low strikeouts and high walks

Infield Reserves:

Drafted in the 33rd round in 2013 out of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina

SS/2B Chan Moon (24) S/R
International free agent signed in 2009

White would likely have been on my starting roster, but he was only activated a couple of days ago. Alex Hernandez and Jack Mayfield also received consideration.

Outfield:

Drafted in the 6th round in 2011 out of San Diego State University in San Diego, California
Can hit for power with manageable strikeouts and a good walk rate; can play a solid first base in addition to the outfield

RF/LF Ronnie Mitchell (23) L/L
Drafted in the 30th round in 2013 out of Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas
Good developing power and great on-base skills; good defense with a plus arm

CF/LF Bobby Boyd (22) L/R
Drafted in the 8th round in 2014 out of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia
Good bat speed, good speed on the bases and good range in centerfield

CF/RF James Ramsay (23) L/L
Drafted in the 7th round in 2013 out of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida
Excellent defensively with great routes and a good arm; great speed that results in lots of doubles, triples and stolen bases

OF/IF Marc Wik (22) L/R
Drafted in the 21st round in 2012 out of Chabot College in Hayward, California
Super utility with good on-base skills, a little pop and a little speed; solid defensively at several positions with a strong, accurate arm

Outfield Reserves:

Drafted in the 21st round in 2013 out of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia

I also considered Sean McMullen and would have put Jason Martin on the roster in a heartbeat if he had broken camp with the full season teams.

The best part of this exercise is seeing how much depth there is in the system. There are a ton of good players in this system who do not technically qualify as top prospects!

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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Astros Minor League Recaps


Results for Monday, April 20, 2015 and Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Fresno 8, Las Vegas 4

W- Tommy Shirley (2-0)
L- Matt Bowman (0-3)

Fresno home runs: Jon Singleton (3, solo in 4th), Preston Tucker (5, 2-run in 4th)

The heart of the Grizzlies order struck terror into the extraterrestrials (OK, the humans playing for the team with the extraterrestrial mascot) as Jon Singleton, Matt Duffy, and Preston Tucker all went 3-5 with 2 runs scored.

Tucker put Fresno on the board first in the 1st with a 2-run single, and he made his way around the bases on a wild pitch and a Matt Dominguez infield single and scored on a single from Alex Presley. Singleton smacked a solo shot with 2 outs in the 4th. One batter later, Duffy doubled, and then it was Tucker's turn to go deep. L.J. Hoes drove in the final Grizzlies runs with a 2-run double in the 8th. Presley and Hoes had 2 hits apiece; everyone had a hit except for Joe Sclafani.

Tommy Shirley went 5.2 innings, and the only 2 hits he surrendered came off the bat of Dilson Herrera, who took him deep in the 5th. He walked 2 and struck out 4. Darin Downs faced one batter and retired him to end the 6th inning. Josh Fields allowed a hit and walked 2 over 2 scoreless, and James Hoyt was able to close it out, although he had to weather a storm to do so. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 9th.

Tulsa 2, Corpus Christi 1

W- Chris Anderson (3-0)
L- Travis Ballew (0-1)
S- Chris Reed (1)

CC home runs: Carlos Correa (2, solo in 6th)

Mr. Correa broke the monotony of a scoreless tie with his 2nd blast of the season, but that was the only run that the Hooks could put up on the scoreboard. Carlos had 2 of the 3 Corpus hits; the other was a single hit by Tyler White, who was making his 2015 debut. Tony Kemp also did this in the 6th inning:


Aaron West was solid, although a high pitch count forced an early exit. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 5 over 4.2 scoreless innings. Travis Ballew was the first man out, and he threw a scoreless 6th, However, the Drillers took the lead off of him as Paul Honecker hit a 2-run homer with 2 outs in the top of the 7th. He allowed one other hit and struck out 2. Jandel Gustave struck out 1 over 2 perfect frames.

Rancho Cucamonga 13, Lancaster 8

W- Victor Araujo (1-1)
L- Edison Frias (2-1)

Lancaster home runs: Chase McDonald (3, 2-run in 2nd)

The JetHawks found themselves behind the 8-ball early as Edison Frias got rocked for 6 runs in the 1st inning. Despite the rough start, the JetHawks picked themselves up off the canvas and fired back and very nearly erased a 7-run deficit. Sadly, they were buried by a 6-run 6th inning from Rancho.

Frias only got 2 outs; he allowed 5 hits (2 2-run homers) and walked 1. Tyler Brunnemann got the JetHawks out of the inning, but not before allowing a run of his own. He threw 1.1 innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 1. Brian Holmes tagged in for 3 innings; he allowed 6 runs (3 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 4. Ambiorix De Leon technically had a scoreless outing, but he did allow the 2 runners he inherited from Holmes to score. De Leon allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and fanned 2 over 3 innings.

Chase McDonald continued his outstanding start to the season as he went 3-5 with a 2-run homer (3) in the 2nd, an RBI single in the 3rd, and scored 2 runs. Brett Phillips remained on fire as he finished 2-3, ripping a 2-run triple in the 3rd. The other JetHawks run in the 3rd inning came on a Jose Fernandez single. A.J. Reed drew a walk in the 7th. He would advance to 2nd on a McDonald single, took 3rd on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball. Brian Holberton scored on a wild pitch in the 8th. J.D. Davis was 2-5 with a run scored.

Kane County 8, Quad Cities 6

W- Nick Baker (1-0)
L- Chris Lee (0-1)
S- Luis Ramirez (1)

QC home runs: D.J. Fisher (4, solo in 5th)

The Bandits were thwarted in their bid for a sweep as the Cougars doubled them up from the 5th to the 8th innings, outscoring them 6-3.

Quad Cities got on the board first with 3 in the 1st inning, as Nick Tanielu and Mott Hyde hit RBI singles, and Jake Nottingham added an RBI groundout. D.J. Fisher is putting his power on display as he led off the 5th with his 4th homer of the year. The other run in the 5th inning came on a Ryan Bottger groundout. Bobby Boyd grounded into a force out that scored Alfredo Gonzalez in the 8th.

Kevin Comer went 4.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (1 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Chris Lee tagged in for 3.2 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and striking out 4. Albert Minnis worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 1.

Monday's Three Stars: Position Players

Fresno sweep!

Jon Singleton, 1B
3-5, solo HR (3), 2 R

Matt Duffy, 3B
3-5, 2 2B, 2 R

Preston Tucker, OF
3-5, 2-R HR (5), 4 RBI, 2 R

Monday's Three Stars: Pitchers

3.
Tommy Shirley, LHP, Fresno
W (2-0), 5.2 IP, 2 H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 4 K

2. 
Aaron West, RHP, Corpus Christi
4.2 IP, 3 H, 5 K

1. 
Jandel Gustave, RHP, Corpus Christi
2 IP, K

Monday's Honorable Mentions

- Tony Kemp may have gone 0-4, but he probably pulled off the defensive play of the year in the Astros minors.
- Chase McDonald has probably been the best hitter in the Lancaster lineup in the early going.
- After a slow start, Brett Phillips has caught fire and has remained on fire for the JetHawks.

Games of April 21, 2015

Salt Lake 6, Fresno 5 in 11 innings

W- Frank Herrmann (1-0)
L- James Hoyt (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Domingo Santana (3, solo in 7th)

The Grizzlies scored 1 in the 9th to tie the game at 3 and took the lead with 2 in the top of the 11th.... only to walk off with the loss after the Bees stung them for 3 in the bottom of the inning.

Alex Presley went 3-5 and put Fresno on the board first with a 3rd-inning RBI single. Domingo's 3rd homer led off the 7th inning, and Joe Sclafani came through in the clutch with an RBI single in the top of the 9th. Domingo scored the go-ahead run on a Ronald Torreyes fielder's choice in the 11th, and Presley struck again with an RBI single. Domingo finished 4-5, while Jon Singleton went 2-6 with a double and triple.

Jake Buchanan had a bare minimum quality start, allowing 9 hits and striking out 3, Jordan Jankowski was the first man out; he allowed a hit, walked 2, and fanned 3. In his AAA debut, Tyson Perez tossed 2 perfect innings. James Hoyt couldn't close it out as Salt Lake got 3 off of him in the bottom of the 11th. 2 of those runs were earned; he allowed 4 hits and struck out 1.

Dan Straily will take on Nick Tropeano at 5:35 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 6, Tulsa 0

W- Kent Emanuel (1-0)
L- Julio Urias (1-1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks staved off a sweep as they blanked the Drillers, which was an encouraging end to a pretty tough series that saw Tulsa rally in order to get the wins in the first 2 games. They got the win by knocking around the 18-year-old phenom, Julio Urias.

Tony Kemp went 2-5 and opened up the scoring with an RBI infield single in the 3rd. Jio Mier busted the game open in the 4th by clearing the bases with a triple, and one batter later, he came home on a Roberto Peña single. Telvin Nash coaxed a bases-loaded walk in the 5th. Conrad Gregor finished 2-4 and scored on Jio's triple.

Kent Emanuel started things off with 5 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2. Mitch Lambson allowed just 1 hit and fanned 3 over 3 scoreless, and Dan Minor finished things off, working around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th.

After a day off, the Hooks travel to Frisco as they close out the month on the road.

Lancaster 7, Rancho Cucamonga 6 in 11 innings

W- Gonzalo Sañudo (1-0)
L- Randy Fontanez (1-2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

Lancaster nipped the Quakes in extras, thanks to Chase McDonald's RBI single in the top of the 11th.

A.J. Reed got things started with an RBI single in the 1st. The JetHawks got a pair of sac flies from J.D. Davis and Reed in the 3rd. Jobduan Morales added an RBI single in the 6th, and later in the inning, Chan-Jong Moon hit into a fielder's choice that scored James Ramsay. Moon hit an RBI single in the 8th. He was back at it again in the 11th as he led off with a double. He'd score on McDonald's single. Moon, Brett Phillips, and Ronnie Mitchell all finished with 3 hits, while McDonald and Davis had 2 each.

Michael Feliz got the start; he went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned), a single, walked 3, and struck out 6. Zach Morton tagged in for 4 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 7 hits and striking out 3. Frederick Tiburcio allowed a game-tying 2-run home run to Brandon Trinkwon in the bottom of the 9th. He allowed 2 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 1, and Gonzalo Sañudo allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless to get the win.

In the rubber game, Troy Scribner will take on Scott Barlow at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 4, Peoria 3

W- Eric Peterson (1-0)
L- Zach Loraine (0-2)
S- Jose Montero (3)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos took the series opener as they scored a couple in the 8th to take the lead.

Alfredo Gonzalez went 2-4 with a stolen base (1) and put Quad Cities on the board first with a 2nd-inning RBI single. Jamie Ritchie drew a bases-loaded walk in the 4th to tie the game at 2, and he struck again in the 8th with an RBI triple that tied the game again. He scored the go-ahead run one batter later, when D.J. Fisher singled. Fisher, who also stole a base (3), and Kristian Trompiz also had 2 hits apiece.

Bryan Radziewski went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6. Eric Peterson was the first man out of the bullpen; he allowed an unearned run on 3 hits and struck out 3 over 2 innings, and Jose Montero got a 2-inning save, striking out 3.

In game 2 of this series, Joe Musgrove faces Austin Gomber at 11:00 A.M.

Tuesday's Three Stars: Position Players

3.
Jio Mier, IF, Corpus Christi
Bases-clearing 3B in 4th

2. 
Chan-Jong Moon, SS, Lancaster
3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 3 SB (5)

1.
Domingo Santana, OF, Fresno
4-5, 2B, solo HR (3), 2 R

Tuesday's Five Stars: Pitchers

Can I really rank these performances objectively?

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Corpus Christi
W (1-0), 5 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K

Mitch Lambson, LHP, Corpus Christi
3 IP, H, 3 K

Dan Minor, RHP, Corpus Christi
IP, H

Tyson Perez, RHP, Fresno
AAA debut: 2 IP

Jose Montero, RHP, Quad Cities
Save (3), 2 IP, 3 K


Tuesday's Honorable Mentions

- D.J. Fisher has opened up the Midwest League slate on a tear and is putting himself
- After a 2-20 start, Kristian Trompiz looks like he's getting himself going at the plate.
- Brett Phillips status: still en fuego.
- Bryan Radziewski and his big curveball have gotten out to a fine start in Quad Cities.