Sunday, May 2, 2021

Meet the Asheville Tourists

In part three of our Meet the Team series, we head to Western North Carolina. Let's meet the Asheville Tourists!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Asheville Tourists, formerly of the Class A South Atlantic League, will be moving up one level to Class A Advanced following the realignment of Minor League Baseball. The Tourists will begin their third stint as a Houston Astros minor league affiliate on Tuesday when they host the Brooklyn Cyclones. Before the 2021 season, the Tourists were the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, a distinction they had held since 1994. Before entering into that association, they were an Astros affiliate from 1982 to 1993 and they also spent the 1967 season as an Astros farm club in the Carolina League. 

Asheville plays in High-A East, which is a mishmash of teams from various minor leagues on the East Coast. The league consists of six South Atlantic League clubs (Asheville, Hickory, Greensboro, Greenville, Rome, and Jersey Shore, formerly Lakewood), three New York-Penn League teams (Hudson Valley, Aberdeen, and Brooklyn), two Carolina League clubs (Winston-Salem and Wilmington), and Bowling Green, coming in from the Midwest League.

The Tourists will play in the South division along with the Rome Braves (Atlanta), Hickory Crawdads (Rangers), Greenville Drive (Red Sox), Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox), Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates), and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays). The North division consists of the Hudson Valley Renegades (now a Yankees affiliate), Wilmington Blue Rocks (now a Nationals affiliate, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets), Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles), and the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies).

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is the largest city in Western North Carolina. I've heard that it is a really beautiful place and it has compelled me to look up flights and drive times. It is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest private residence in the United States, owned by the Vanderbilt family. 

The Tourists play at McCormick Field, the third-oldest active ballpark in the minors. It was featured in the film Bull Durham. McCormick Field also boasts a reputation as being a hitter's park, though that bias is not nearly as extreme as Lancaster.

COACHING STAFF

Nate Shaver returns to manage the Astros' Class A Advanced affiliate. Now the question is... did he stay put by remaining at this level or did he move up since Fayetteville moved down a level?

Manager: Nate Shaver
Pitching Coach: Eric Nielsen
Hitting Coach: René Rojas
Development Coach: Kyle Brennan
Athletic Trainer: Brandon Zumbach
Strength Coach: Zach Reding

ROSTER

Freudis Nova, a million-dollar international free agent signing a few years back, moves up to the next rung on the ladder. He's had some mixed reports during his time at the alternate site and the instructional league, but he is also 20 years old. A solid season from him should at least quell the uncertainty a little. Korey Lee, the Astros' 2019 first-rounder, gets his first full-season assignment here. Colin Barber, who has drawn some rave reviews down in the alternate site, will also get his first shot for a full season with the Tourists. 

Asheville's pitching contingent doesn't have the sexy names, but it looks to be a group of dependable guys. Felipe Tejada and Blair Henley are two to watch, and Baseball America tagged Jimmy Endersby, an undrafted free agent signing last year, as their sleeper prospect.

Italics - player bats/throws left-handed
Bold - player is a switch hitter

Pitchers
José Bravo - International free agent (Mexico), 2016; Bravo pitched at all four full-season affiliates for the Astros in 2019. The bulk of his appearances came with Quad Cities.
Tyler Brown - 3rd round, 2020 draft (Vanderbilt); making pro debut
Riley Cabral - 31st round, 2018 draft (Memphis); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Chandler Casey - 26th round, 2019 draft (Lubbock Christian); GCL Astros
Yeremi Ceballos - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; pitched for four different teams in 2019, mainly with Tri-City and Fayetteville
Danny Cody - 17th round, 2019 draft (Baldwin Wallace); Quad Cities/Tri-City/GCL
Devin Conn - 19th round, 2018 draft (Nova Southeastern); Quad Cities. with one appearance for Fayetteville
Jimmy Endersby - Undrafted free agent (Concordia-Irvine); making pro debut
R.J. Freure - 6th round, 2018 draft (Pittsburgh); Quad Cities
Layne Henderson - 30th round, 2018 draft (Azusa Pacific); Corpus/Quad Cities
Blair Henley - 7th round, 2019 draft (Texas); Tri-City, with one appearance in the GCL
Juan Pablo Lopez - International free agent (Mexico), 2016; Tri-City, with one appearance for Quad Cities
Cole McDonald - 15th round, 2019 draft (Iowa); Tri-City, with one appearance in the GCL
Jose Alberto Rivera - Rule 5 draft selection by Angels returned to Astros in 2021. Originally signed by the Astros as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016. Pitched for Quad Cities in 2019.
Matt Ruppenthal - 17th round, 2017 draft (Vanderbilt); Quad Cities
Kyle Serrano - 10th round, 2017 draft (Tennessee); Tri-City, with two appearances in the GCL
Felipe Tejada - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Quad Cities

Catchers
Alex Holderbach - 16th round, 2018 draft (Eastern Kentucky); Quad Cities
Tyler Krabbe - 19th round, 2019 draft (Montevallo); GCL Astros
Korey Lee - 1st round, 2019 draft (Cal); Tri-City

Infielders
A.J. Lee - 34th round, 2019 draft (Maryland); Quad Cities/Tri-City
Freudis Nova - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Quad Cities
Luis Santana - Acquired via trade along with Ross Adolph and Scott Manea from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Corpus Christi/Tri-City
Enmanuel Valdez - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2015; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Outfielders
Wilyer Abreu - International free agent (Venezuela), 2017; Quad Cities/Tri-City
Colin Barber - 4th round, 2019 draft (Pleasant Valley HS, Chico, California); GCL in 2019, Chicago Deep Dish (City of Champions Cup) in 2020
Alex McKenna - 4th round, 2018 draft (Cal Poly); Quad Cities in 2019, Tully Monsters (City of Champions Cup) in 2020
Ramiro Rodriguez - International free agent (Panama), 2015; Corpus/Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Scott Schreiber - 9th round, 2018 draft (Nebraska); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
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Meet the Corpus Christi Hooks

Part two of the Meet the Team series takes us down to South Texas. Let's get to know the 2021 Corpus Christi Hooks!

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

The Hooks have been an Astros affiliate since its inception in 2005. 2020 would have been the 15th anniversary of their inaugural season, but again, unless you have been living off the grid, there was no Minor League Baseball season. During the (still) ongoing pandemic, Whataburger Field has served as the Astros' Alternate Site.

Following the MiLB realignment, Corpus was placed in the AA Central League, which is essentially a continuation of the Texas League. (Why didn't they just retain the league names?) This ten-team league consists of the eight teams that comprised the Texas League, with San Antonio and Wichita moving down from what used to be the AAA Pacific Coast League. Wichita makes its return to minor league baseball with the Wind Surge. The last franchise in that city now does business as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. 

Corpus Christi will play in the South division, which consists of all Texas clubs just like the old Texas League, alongside Amarillo (now a D-Backs affiliate), Frisco (Rangers), Midland (A's), and San Antonio (back with the Padres). The North division is, well, the Texas League's North division (Arkansas, NW Arkansas, Springfield, Tulsa) with Wichita added in.

As Corpus Christi is the birthplace of Whataburger, the Hooks have decided to commemorate the beloved burger chain's Coastal Bend roots. You have probably seen the apparel collection, complete with their twist on the iconic orange W logo. Every Wednesday, they will take the field as the "Corpus Christi Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits," with jerseys that evoke the table tents that you get with every Whataburger order. 

@cchooks

Get your 🔥 merch at cchooks.com/shop ##whataburger ##MLB ##milb ##baseball ##fyp ##astros ##fastfood ##greenscreen

♬ Pumpkins - Clutch

Corpus opens its 2021 season Tuesday as they host the San Antonio Missions.

SOCIAL MEDIA/TEAM-RELATED ACCOUNTS

Official website: cchooks.com
Twitter: @cchooks
Instagram: cchooks
Michael Coffin, radio play-by-play, Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting: @CoffinMJC

COACHING STAFF

2014 Astro Gregorio Petit will finally get his first managerial opportunity. He was originally slated to take over as Hooks manager in 2020 and then you know what happened next.

Pitching Coach: Graham Johnson
Hitting Coach: Rafael Peña
Athletic Trainer: Nate Stewart
Strength Coach: Mike Myers

ROSTER

Corpus Christi has served as a landing spot for many top Astros prospects to start and this year is no different. Hunter Brown appears to be on the fast track as he's skipping both A levels to begin his first full professional season with the Hooks. The man to watch, however, is Pedro León, the highly-touted Cuban outfielder who will be making his professional debut as an infielder. León has received significant hype in advance, but now it's time for him to deliver.

Italics - player bats/pitches left-handed
Bold - player is a switch-hitter

Pitchers
Jonathan Bermúdez - 23rd round, 2018 draft (Southeastern); played with Quad Cities and Corpus Christi in 2019
Hunter Brown - 5th round, 2019 draft (Wayne State); Tri-City
Willy Collado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2016; Corpus/Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Brett Daniels - 17th round, 2018 draft (North Carolina); Corpus/Quad Cities
Tommy DeJuneas - Acquired via trade from Cleveland for James Hoyt, 2018; Corpus/Fayetteville
Chad Donato - 11th round, 2016 draft (West Virginia); Corpus/Fayetteville
J.P. France - 14th round, 2018 draft (Mississippi State); Fayetteville
Nick Hernandez - 8th round, 2016 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville
Michael Horrell - 30th round, 2019 draft (Campbell); Tri-City
Parker Mushinski - 7th round, 2017 draft (Texas Tech); Fayetteville, with rehab appearances in Tri-City and the Gulf Coast League
Hunter Peck - Undrafted free agent, 2020 (Georgia Gwinnett)
Joe Record - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Twins, 2020; Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers (Twins)
César Rosado - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2014; Fayetteville

Catchers
Scott Manea - Acquired via trade along with Ross Adolph and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville
C.J. Stubbs - 10th round, 2019 draft (Southern Cal); Quad Cities/Tri-City

Infielders
Norel González - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Villa Clara (Cuban National Series)
David Hensley - 26th round, 2018 draft (San Diego State); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Grae Kessinger - 2nd round, 2019 draft (Ole Miss); Quad Cities/Tri-City
Pedro León - International free agent (Cuba), 2021; last played in 2018-19 for Mayabeque (Cuban National Series)
J.J. Matijevic - 2nd round, 2017 draft (Arizona); Corpus/Fayetteville
Michael Wielansky - 18th round, 2018 draft (College of Wooster); Quad Cities

Outfielders
Ross Adolph - Acquired via trade along with Scott Manea and Luis Santana from Mets for J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek, 2019; Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Marty Costes - 22nd round, 2018 draft (Maryland); Fayetteville/Quad Cities
Corey Julks - 8th round, 2017 draft (Houston); Corpus/Fayetteville
Chandler Taylor - 10th round, 2018 draft (Alabama); Fayetteville
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Saturday, May 1, 2021

Meet the Sugar Land Skeeters

As Jayne is on her sabbatical, it looks like I will be assuming the responsibility of operating What the Heck, Bobby?

I recently made the decision to step away from my own blog for the time being, so that process is very much up in the air. I might just recap according to who's playing. Since Triple-A and Double-A have Wednesdays off, I'll start the posts on Thursday, add to them, and post on Wednesday.

The Class A clubs have Mondays off, so I'll utilize that same method starting on Tuesday and then adding to them until they're ready to post on Monday. So, I'll have at least two posts a week and probably a Farm Report at the end of the month. Seems manageable, especially since I had a recap post every single day.

Well, without further ado, let's meet the Houston Astros minor league affiliates! First up is the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Established in 2012 in the independent Atlantic League, the Sugar Land Skeeters won two championships during its tenure as an independent league club in 2016 and 2018. Now, with the realignment of Minor League Baseball, the Skeeters will continue operations as the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate after the Astros purchased a majority ownership stake in the club back in November.

Sugar Land begins its journey as an affiliated club as members of the Triple-A West league, which consists of nine teams that were formerly in the Pacific Coast League; they are the one outlier, considering that they joined from the independent ranks. The Skeeters will play in AAA West's East division along with El Paso, Albuquerque, Round Rock, and Oklahoma City. The West teams are Las Vegas, Sacramento, Reno, Tacoma, and Salt Lake. 

Sugar Land opens its season with 12 games on the road. They will open up with six in Albuquerque on Thursday and they'll head to Round Rock next Thursday, May 13.

Personally, I am excited that there will be a minor league baseball team close to home. I loved Corpus and I hope to head down there again soon, but the thought of not having to drive four hours is quite appealing to me. Plus, most of my family lives down in Sugar Land, so I can foresee a few gatherings of the cousins at Constellation Field in the future...

The Skeeters have played at Constellation Field since its inception. The stadium's most prominent feature is its Texas-shaped video board that forms the batter's eye.

Also, a friend of mine recently got hired on as a scorekeeper for the Skeeters. He went for an opening on the Astros in that regard but didn't get that position. But, he tried again for Sugar Land and got it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website: https://www.milb.com/sugar-land
Twitter: @SL_Skeeters
Instagram: sugarlandskeeters

You can also find the various other social media platforms that they utilize on their official website, but for brevity's sake, I only listed the apps that I (and I'm sure most of you) use most often.

And now... the 2021 Sugar Land Skeeters! This roster is preliminary and subject to change.

COACHING STAFF

Press Release

Manager: Mickey Storey
Pitching Coach: Erick Abreu
Hitting Coach: Ben Rosenthal
Development Coach: Sean Connole
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Hazael Wessin
Athletic Trainers: John Gregorich, A.J. Smith

Erick Abreu moves up to Triple-A after spending 2019 as the pitching coach at Quad Cities. He was supposed to return to Quad Cities in 2020, but as you know... there was no Minor League season.

ROSTER

Italics - bats/throws left-handed
Bold - switch-hitter

Pitchers

It's an advanced group of mainly college guys, and they are essentially the same guys you've read about on here for the last three years. Tyler Ivey, Brett Conine, and Shawn Dubin could see some time in Houston this summer. 

Ronel Blanco and Jojanse Torres are a couple of Dominicans with fireballs who are still learning to harness their pitches. 

Austin Hansen and Colin McKee have shown that they can rack up some serious strikeout numbers as they've climbed the ladder. This is an aggressive assignment for Hansen, who carved up both Class A levels in 2019 and will be skipping Corpus to start 2021.

Ronel Blanco - International free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016; Blanco played in Corpus and Round Rock in 2019 and he also made four rehab appearances with Tri-City.
Brett Conine - 11th round, 2018 draft (Cal State Fullerton); Quad Cities/Fayetteville/Corpus
Shawn Dubin - 13th round, 2018 draft (Georgetown College); Quad Cities/Fayetteville
Riley Ferrell - Returned to Astros by the Marlins during the 2019 season after being selected in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. Originally drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 2015 draft (TCU). Ferrell played for five different teams in the Marlins and Astros systems in 2019.
Ralph Garza Jr. - 26th round, 2015 draft (Oklahoma); Round Rock
Austin Hansen - 8th round, 2018 draft (Oklahoma); Quad Cities/Fayetteville
Ryan Hartman - 9th round, 2016 draft (Tennessee Wesleyan); Round Rock
Tyler Ivey - 3rd round, 2017 draft (Grayson County College); Corpus Christi, with rehab appearances in Fayetteville and the Gulf Coast League
Seth Martinez - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Athletics, 2020; Stockton/Midland
Colin McKee - 18th round, 2016 draft (Mercyhurst); Corpus/Round Rock
Nivaldo Rodríguez - International free agent (Venezuela), 2016; Houston/Alternate Site in 2020
Kit Scheetz - Undrafted free agent (Virginia Tech), 2017; Round Rock/Corpus, with two rehab appearances in the GCL
Jojanse Torres - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2018; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Catchers
Michael Papierski - 9th round, 2017 draft (LSU); Fayetteville
Lorenzo Quintana - International free agent (Cuba), 2018; Round Rock/Corpus
Colton Shaver - 39th round, 2017 draft (BYU); Fayetteville/Corpus
Garrett Stubbs - 8th round, 2015 draft (Southern Cal); 14 games with Houston in 2020

Infielders

Taylor Jones is probably making his way back to the Houston area to join the Skeeters as he was optioned to the Alternate Site on April 30. Miguelangel Sierra is skipping Corpus.

Alex De Goti - 15th round, 2016 draft (Barry); Round Rock, appeared in two games with Houston earlier this season
C.J. Hinojosa - Minor league free agent signing, 2021; Biloxi (Brewers) in 2019, played in the Constellation Energy League with the Lightning Sloths in 2020
Miguelangel Sierra - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Fayetteville
Abraham Toro - 5th round, 2016 draft (Seminole State College); 33 games with Houston in 2020

Outfielders

Bryan De La Cruz is the longest-tenured member of the Astros organization; he originally signed with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. I think I started writing for WTHB in 2013.

As this is his seventh season in the system, De La Cruz will be eligible for Minor League free agency following this season.

Ronnie Dawson - 2nd round, 2016 draft (Ohio State); Round Rock/Corpus, appeared in three games with Houston this season
Bryan De La Cruz - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2013; Fayetteville/Corpus
Jake Meyers - 13th round, 2017 draft (Nebraska); Corpus/Fayetteville
Jose Siri - Minor league free agent signing, 2020; Louisville/Chattanooga (Reds) in 2019, Giants Alternate Site in 2020
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Friday, March 12, 2021

See You Later

A year ago tomorrow, my life changed in ways that I never anticipated. My first 22,936 days on this planet had not prepared me for the next 365. Don’t get me wrong. I completely understand that I have been so much luckier than so many others, but luck is relative. I live alone and I have always enjoyed that. But more than enough of anything can be too much. I have struggled with depression and anxiety as so many of you have. Mix in more than a little heretofore uncharacteristic anger and bitterness toward the callousness of those whose selfish self-interest trumped simple basic human decency and respect for humanity, and the result became toxic at times.

In survival mode, one has a tendency to dwell on getting through the here and now rather than on those things we’ve missed out on. But there were so many things that went by the wayside. My sweet friend Buca’s wedding, my great-niece’s high school graduation, a long-planned (and much needed) home renovation, a family trip to Vienna and Budapest, an entire summer of carefully planned minor league trips (hell, an entire minor league season!), the Olympic games (I watch the games like the obsessively demented crazy person that I am), and an EPIC 3-week+ late summer road trip that was going to take me through 12 states (!) with the highlight being Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I also missed saying goodbye to my lovely Aunt Elaine, the last of her generation, lost more to ignorance and negligence than to the virus.

It hasn’t been all bad, though. The weekly Zoom happy hours with my family have brought me closer to them, particularly my adult nieces who are all funny, caring, wonderful women (and all are fierce as hell!). I learned that meditation is legit. I reconnected with several friends who I hadn’t talked to in far too long. And I started research for a book on the draft that I’d been thinking about for several years since I suddenly had enough time to dive into what had before seemed like an unrealistically formidable process.

Looking forward to spending time indoors and unmasked with my sister over the holidays (after each of us strictly self-quarantined for two weeks) kept me going. The hugs alone were life-affirming. But then came the insurrection and I went into a very dark place. The worst moment for me over the last year came less than a month ago when, after 11 months of relative isolation, I lost cell service on top of losing power during a lethal winter storm. I couldn’t call anyone. I couldn’t text anyone. I’ve never felt so alone and isolated in my entire life and I hope to hell I never feel that way again.

The slow roll-out of the vaccine in Houston and the (in my opinion) terrible communication regarding signup didn’t help my mood. I was tracking how long it would take to vaccinate 80% of the adult population of Harris County as an approximation of herd immunity and, based on the rates from a month ago, it would take around 16 months (it has gotten much better, but Texas still lags all but 2 or 3 states). Intellectually, I knew that I would get the vaccine far sooner than that, but my anxiety levels soared with all the “what-if’s.” Friends and family suggested I seek out the vaccine in a different county or state, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. What could be more “white privilegey” than taking someone else’s spot in line just because I could?

But on February 24th, the fog finally lifted. An angel by the name of Erin who I have never met and who I only know from Twitter seemed to understand my angst regarding the vaccine and she made it her goal in life to make sure I got the shot. I woke up to an urgent DM from Erin about a supply from CVS that would be going fast. I texted the link to my sister first and then, hands literally shaking, I was able to sign up and got my confirmation. My sister’s signup was not as seamless. For whatever reason, she had to put in random zip codes until one finally took. But it did take and suddenly there really was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve thought a lot about my life and what is truly important to me. I keep coming back to something that a friend my age once said to me. Over an occasional lunch, we would often discuss our love of travel and any future plans. At one particular lunch, I asked where his next trip would be and he said that he was getting pickier about where he would go because as he put it, “At my age, I know that I only have so many trips left in me.”

That off-hand comment from six or seven years ago has made me look at things differently, from how many trips I have left in me to take to how many books I have left in me to read and other such things. I’ll be 64 in a couple of months. Realistically, based on family history, I have maybe 20 to 25 years left on this beautiful orb. It could be far less if things go sideways. And I just lost one of those years. It’s gone. I can’t get it back. And I didn’t check one single item off my bucket list during that year.

2021 is going to be about me. It’s going to be about my family. It’s going to be about hopping in the car and exploring new places or re-visiting old favorites. It’s going to be about reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. It’s going to be about getting long-delayed work on my house done. It’s going to be about reading purely for pleasure, taking photos for pleasure and watching baseball for pleasure.

What it’s not going to be is unnecessary stress. After a year of focusing on keeping myself alive and not killing anyone else, I’ve never felt a greater desire to be unencumbered. I will work on my book at my own pace and when I want to and not put arbitrary deadlines on myself. And, to address the elephant in the room, I won’t be writing regularly on the blog in 2021. I don’t know if I’ll write at all this year, but I suspect I will at some point. I just don’t want to feel like I have to.

So it’s time for this old bird to leave the nest while I still can. I may and probably will swoop in from time to time this season, but it will only be because I want to, not because I feel I need to. I hope that my co-conspirator Dustin will continue to contribute his excellent recaps, but that is and has always been totally up to him. He has been such a terrific partner over the years and I want him to do what makes him happy too.

I can’t wait to go to Corpus Christi and catch a few Hooks games with some of the wonderful friends I’ve made without spending 8+ hours at the ballpark for early work, batting practice and interviews and games. I won’t miss spending 5 or 6 hours back at the hotel going through my photos and uploading them or spending several days transcribing my interview notes before writing them up. This has been the most fun I’ve ever had in my life, but eliminating that admittedly self-imposed pressure for a little while sounds like heaven. I’ll see you guys in the stands in Corpus or Sugar Land or Houston or wherever else I find myself.

We will see what 2022 brings (and how the CBA negotiations go), but I will mostly be on hiatus in 2021. Consider this a “see you later” and not a “goodbye.” Stay safe, stay sane and start living life again as soon as you are able.

And one last thing to remind us all that change is the one thing in life that is certain ...

George Springer, Me, Rafy Valenzuela
August 2012 - Lancaster, CA

I'm going to miss you, George!
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Thursday, February 18, 2021

2021 MiLB Schedule Reveal (plus quick refresher on new MiLB structure)

Yes, I'm still here. As long as there's baseball to talk about, Jayne and I will still be here. We hope that we can give you something to take your minds off the chaos that has run riot on society over the last year or so. The 2021 Minor League schedule is now out, but first, I want to put out a quick refresher on the changes that have come to Minor League Baseball.

In case you missed it, Minor League Baseball as we know it has been radically changed forever. The domestic short-season leagues are no longer affiliated with MLB clubs, and its member clubs have dispersed between the old Rookie leagues that have now been repurposed into summer leagues for college players and existing independent leagues that are now considered "MLB Partner Leagues," which means that these independent leagues are technically no longer independent from the Major League Baseball purview. The only "Rookie-level" minor league teams will be based out of the spring training and Dominican complexes.

All 30 MLB teams will have four affiliate clubs. For the Houston Astros, their organization ladder is as follows:

AAA: Sugar Land Skeeters (Triple-A West, East Division) 
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A Central, South Division; which is essentially the Texas League with two Pacific Coast League teams joining the league) 
Class A Advanced: Asheville Tourists (High-A East, South Division)
Class A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Low-A East, Central Division)
And then you have the complex leagues, which won't change.

Now, on to the schedule. All series will be six games in length, with Monday designated as an off-day for everyone for travel and safety purposes. 

AAA Opening Day is scheduled for April 8, with Sugar Land traveling to Reno. They will then head to Sacramento for six games before returning to Sugar Land for their home opener on April 22 against Salt Lake. AAA will have a 142-game season that finishes on September 21.

Double-A and both Class A leagues will have a 120-game season that starts May 4 and ends September 19. Corpus Christi welcomes San Antonio to Whataburger Field to kick off the 2021 season, while Asheville hosts the Brooklyn Cyclones. Fayetteville will begin their 2021 season on the road against the Carolina Mudcats.

Click each team's name to view their schedule.

As the season gets closer, I'll try to put out a "Know the Team" series to get everyone familiar with each affiliate. And of course, all dates are subject to change.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020

2020 Rule 5 Draft

 2020 Rule 5 Draft Primer and Eligible Players

Post Draft Update ...

[Update: Five players had their contracts selected by the Astros in advance of the Rule 5 Draft which will be held on Thursday, December 10th. See the list below for updated availability.]

Here is a primer based on my understanding of how the Rule 5 draft works and a list of current draft eligible players. I am including additional information below regarding my best guess on what players will be considered for protection.

Forrest Whitley - May 2019

Freudis Nova - July 2019
Photo by Jayne Hansen


RULE 5

The Rule 5 draft (no, it's not the Rule V draft; please stop calling it that!) was updated somewhat prior to 2016's draft in two ways: it eliminated the lower of two minor league phases of the draft and it increased the compensation payment to teams for players who are lost through the draft. Here is the text of Rule 5 with the Eligibility Rules highlighted in Blue.
Rule 5
ANNUAL SELECTION OF PLAYERS
(a) MEETINGS. A selection meeting shall be held each year at such time and place as the Commissioner shall designate and shall be known as the Rule 5 Selection Meeting. At the Rule 5 Selection Meeting, Major League Clubs may claim the contracts of players who are on Minor League Reserve Lists (filed pursuant to Rule 2) and who are subject to selection as set forth in this Rule 5. If any Major League or Minor League Club shall fail to file Minor League Reserve Lists in accordance with Major League Rule 2, its players on Minor League Reserve Lists shall be subject to selection under this Rule 5 without any restrictions. The Commissioner shall decide all procedural questions that may arise during the Rule 5 Selection Meeting.
(b) METHOD AND PRIORITY OF SELECTIONS. Selections under this Rule 5 shall be made in two separate phases: the Major League phase and the Class AAA phase. A player selected in one of these phases must be placed on the Major League Club’s Reserve List in the same classification of the phase in which the player was selected. Within each phase, only players from a Reserve List of a lower classification Club are eligible for selection. Within each phase, selections shall be made according to the following order and conditions:
(1) Major League Clubs shall select in reverse order of their winning percentages at the close of the preceding championship season, without regard to standings within any Division or League and without regard to post-season results. If two or more Clubs had an identical percentage of games won at the close of the preceding championship season, the selection order of those Clubs shall be determined by the percentage of games won in the next prior championship season, with any remaining ties resolved by continuing to examine the tied Clubs’ respective championship season winning percentages in each preceding prior year, until the tie is broken.
(2) As called in the above order of priority in a phase, each Major League Club shall have a right to select one player subject to selection under this Rule 5. If a Club does not exercise its right of selection when called, or if its right of selection in that phase has ceased because its Reserve List(s) for the classification covered by the phase has reached the allowable limit under Rule 2, the next Club in order shall be called. When a round has been completed, the process of selection shall be repeated until all Major League Clubs have no further right of selection in that phase. A Club
having announced its selection in proper order cannot later cancel the selection.
(3) In any year in which one or more new members have been admitted to a Major League for operations in the next championship season, each such new member may select player contracts under this Rule 5. The procedures and regulations governing such selections shall be as agreed upon by the Major League Clubs.
(4) Any Major League Club may authorize (in writing or by electronic communication) any employee, the Commissioner, or an employee of the Commissioner’s Office to announce its selection or selections at the meeting. Such authorized selections shall be as binding and effective as if announced by a Major League Club official.
(c) PLAYERS SUBJECT TO SELECTION. All players on the Minor League Reserve Lists of Major League and Minor League Clubs, except players on the Voluntarily Retired, Disqualified or Ineligible Lists, shall be subject to selection by other Major League Clubs at the Rule 5 Selection Meeting in accordance with the following:
(1) A player without previous Major or Minor League service who signs with a Major League or independent Minor League Club shall be subject to selection based on the following:
(A) if 18 years of age or under on the June 5 immediately preceding the player’s signing, the player shall be subject to selection at the fifth Rule 5 Selection Meeting that follows the signing date of the player’s first Major or Minor League contract, unless Rule 5(c)(1)(C) applies;
(B) if 19 years of age or over on the June 5 immediately preceding the player’s signing, the player shall be subject to selection at the fourth Selection Meeting that follows the signing date of the player’s first Major or Minor League contract, unless Rule 5(c)(1)(C) applies;
(C) if the signing date of a player’s first Major or Minor League contract is between
(i) the conclusion of the championship season for the Major or Minor League Club to which the player is assigned on such contract and
(ii) the next Rule 5 Selection Meeting,
then the player shall be deemed to have signed after the next Rule 5 Selection Meeting, for purposes of this Rule 5(c)(1).
(2) A player who is re-signed by a Club within one year from the date the Club released the player shall be subject to draft at the Rule 5 Selection Meeting following the date of the latest contract with that Club.
(3) A player who has been subject to draft at a Rule 5 Selection Meeting shall be subject to draft at any subsequent Rule 5 Selection Meeting if the player is on a Minor League Reserve List (filed pursuant to Rule 2 (Player Limits and Reserve Lists)) at the time of the Rule 5 Selection Meeting.
(4) A player
(A) whose contract has been assigned outright by a Major League Club to a Minor League Club,
(B) who has been signed as a free agent to a Minor League Uniform Player Contract for services in the following year and is otherwise subject to selection pursuant to Rule 5(c)(1) or Rule 5(c)(2), or
(C) who has been released unconditionally from a Minor League roster and is otherwise subject to selection pursuant to Rule 5(c)(1) or Rule 5(c)(2), shall be subject to selection at any subsequent Rule 5 Selection Meeting if the player is on a Minor League Reserve List (filed pursuant to Rule 2 (Player Limits and Reserve Lists)) at the time of the Rule 5 Selection Meeting.
(5) A Major League or independent Minor League Club may designate any player on one of its Minor League Reserve Lists to be subject to selection who otherwise would not be selectable under this Rule 5.
(d) CONSIDERATION, PAYMENT, AND RESPONSIBILITY. The consideration for a selection under this Rule 5 shall be as follows:
(1) $100,000, if the selected player is placed on a Major League Reserve List;
(2) $24,000, if the selected player is placed on a Class AAA Reserve List;
In addition to the compensation set forth in this paragraph, an independent Minor League Club shall be reimbursed by a selecting Major League Club for all compensation (including salary, bonuses and benefits) that it has paid to a selected player if the player is selected at the first selection meeting following the first year of the player’s initial Minor League Uniform Player Contract. Payment of the consideration due the selectee Club shall be made in the same manner as provided in Rule 12 Transfer Agreements) regarding other assignments of player contracts. The selector Major League Club must assume all responsibility for the player’s physical condition and for the player’s reporting.
(e) PLAYER-MANAGERS. A Player-Manager shall be subject to selection if the player would otherwise be selectable under Rule 5(c) (Players Subject to Selection). However, a player-manager shall be subject to selection as a player only and the player-manager selected may reject such selection by giving written or electronic notification of such rejection to the Commissioner within 30 days from the date that the player-manager receives notification of such selection from the Commissioner. A player-manager contract that has been executed within 30 days before the close of the season shall not be changed to a player contract during the season following execution of such player-manager contract unless the Commissioner approves such a change in writing.
(f) COVERING UP. No agreement shall be made for the purpose or with the effect of covering up a player from selection. If the Commissioner shall be of opinion that any such agreement has been made, the Commissioner may impose a fine upon each party to such an agreement.
RULE 5 ELIGIBILITY

The highlighted passage above regarding Rule 5 eligibility is somewhat cumbersome. What it means in English is that this year's eligible players basically include: 1) any player who signed prior to the end of the 2016 season; and 2) players who signed after the end of the 2016 season and prior to the end of the 2017 season who were 19 years old or older when they signed. That means most 2017 drafted college players are eligible, but high school players (and some community college players) drafted in 2017 may not be eligible until next year. For the international free agents, one needs to know when the player signed his first professional agreement and his age at signing to make the determination. There is an exception based on players who signed during the off-season, but otherwise, that is the basic gist of it.

MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE OF THE RULE 5 DRAFT

The first phase of the Rule 5 draft is the major league phase. In order to protect an eligible player from being drafted in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft, he must be on the major league club's 40-man roster prior to November 20th (if that falls on a business day). Players on the 40-man roster at that deadline are considered "protected."

Obviously not all of a team's best players can be protected on the 40-man roster. That is where the AAA Reserve List helps. If a player from the AAA Reserve List is drafted in the Rule 5 draft, that player must remain on the drafting team's 25-man major league roster for the full season or he will have to be put through waivers. If claimed, the new team will be subject to the same conditions regarding that player. If not claimed, the player will be offered back to the team from which he was drafted.

The cost of drafting a player in the major league phase of the draft is now $100,000. If the player is offered back to the team from which he was drafted, the original team must pay $50,000 back to the drafting team. If the original team declines, the player will be put on waivers.

Last season 1B Taylor Jones, RHP Cristian Javier, RHP Enoli Paredes and RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez were added to the 40-man roster by the Astros in advance of the deadline. The front office made the determination that these players were the most likely players to be taken in the Rule 5 draft. The front office took a calculated risk by not adding other players such as OF Ronnie Dawson and SS Jonathan Arauz (who were both in the Astros Top 30 at the time) to the 40-man roster, but only included them on the AAA Reserve List. They made a determination as to which players, if drafted, were more likely to "stick" on a major league roster for a full season and had mixed success in that one of the three unprotected players claimed in last year's Rule 5 draft (RHP Brandon Bailey) was returned to the team, but two other players were lost. The rules for sticking with a team changed in 2020 due to the pandemic-shortened season, but RHP Yohan Ramirez (Seattle) and SS Jonathan Arauz (Boston) ultimately stuck.

Since players taken in the Rule 5 draft have to remain on the drafting team's 25-man roster for the full season, pitchers are taken much more frequently than position players simply because it's fairly easy to use a pitcher sparingly out of the bullpen. Position players can't be tucked away quite so neatly if they struggle. It all comes down to another team's ability to find room on their 25-man roster for a full season. It's simply not that easy to do and that's why so very few players are drafted in the Rule 5 draft and stick with a team.

It's also the case that often minor league fans overvalue prospects. We may think much more highly of a player than the other teams' front offices do. When all is said and done, the Astros front office will take some risks in leaving players unprotected, but it will be a highly educated guess based on many factors, including future needs.

MINOR LEAGUE PHASE OF THE RULE 5 DRAFT

There is now only one minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, reduced from two phases in earlier years. The players on the 40-man roster and the AAA reserve list aren't eligible to be taken in the minor league phase of the draft. To my knowledge the AAA reserve list is still set at 38 players so, in essence, you are protecting your top 78 players from the minor league phase. (As far as I know, AAA Reserve Lists are not made public so we are left to guess who the Astros will be shielding from the minor league phase of the draft.)

In the AAA Phase of the draft, a player who is on the AA Reserve List or lower can be drafted for inclusion on the drafting team's AAA Reserve list for a cost of $24,000. The kicker on the minor league phase of the draft is that the drafted player basically becomes that team's property. There is no requirement to offer the player back if he doesn't work out. He can be traded, released, etc. at a team's discretion.

ASTROS 2020 RULE 5 ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

According to my records, the following are those players who will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December if they are left unprotected. I am grouping them into two categories, those who ended the 2019 season at High A or above and those who ended the 2019 season at Low A or below. Players who are first year eligible have been #'d. Players who are currently on the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Prospect List (as of 11/10) have their ranking noted.

This is going to be a tough one. There are NINE players from the Astros Top 30 available and currently only four openings on the 40-man roster (as of 11/10). Regardless of any issues that Forrest Whitley has had, at number 1 in the prospect pecking order, he's pretty much a lock for one of those spaces. And, although Freudis Nova hasn't played above Low A, I'm not sure that the Astros are going to want to expose their number 2 prospect either. Beyond that, you have a number of pitching prospects that other teams will be taking a hard look at. Personally, Jairo Solis would have the edge for me even though he hasn't pitched above Low A; he is a special talent and will be two years removed from TJ surgery. But  Jose Alberto Rivera, Tyler Ivey and Peter Solomon will all be attractive targets as well. From a position player standpoint, Ronnie Dawson (#29) is probably as ready for prime time as he's going to get. And there are certainly other players on this list who aren't currently on the Top 30 prospect list that could help another team out immediately. In particular, Alex DeGoti, Collin McKee and Ralph Garza stand out for me. But, unfortunately, all of this conjecture is based on the 2019 season since there was no actual minor league season in 2020.

I think this may very well be an unusually active Rule 5 draft as well. With smaller draft classes likely to become the norm and payrolls being squeezed by the pandemic, teams are going to be looking for bargains. It will not be surprising if the Astros lose a number of players unless they are able to find a bit more wiggle room on the roster.

Players Ending 2019 at High A or above

Position Players
#1B Jake Adams
2B/3B Enmanuel Valdez

Pitchers
LHP/OF Carmen Benedetti (was converting to pitcher in 2019)
#RHP Tyler Ivey #12 - Contract selected
RHP Carson LaRue
#RHP Peter Solomon #27 (TJ surgery in 2019) - Contract selected
RHP Jojanse Torres #15 - Not eligible this year due to a signing irregularity
#RHP Forrest Whitley #1 - Contract selected

Players ending 2019 at Low A or lower

Position Players
#IF Freudis Nova #2 - Contract selected
IF Yeuris Ramirez
#SS Luis Santana #19
IF Ronaldo Urdaneta 

Pitchers
#RHP Kyle Serrano
#RHP Jairo Solis #8 (TJ surgery in 2018) - Contract selected
RHP Edgardo Sandoval
RHP Felipe Tejada

#First year eligibility for Rule 5 Draft

In addition to the above, the following players are now minor league free agents as of the conclusion of the major league season and they can explore free agency.

Minor League Free Agents
C Oscar Campos
C Carlos Canelon
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