https://www.baseballamerica.com/min...rospects/?amphtml=1&__twitter_impression=true Would love for somebody with access to post details. My takeaway is that Myles Straw might be a better prospect than I thought. Elite speed, arm, and strike zone discipline is a pretty good combination of skills. Doesn’t take a huge stretch to see him becoming as valuable as Ender Inciarte, Lorenzo Cain, or Billy Hamilton.
Sorry if it's been posted before, but I thought this was a good article on Straw: http://www.lifestylesports101.com/houston-astros-exclusive-interview-myles-straw/ Definitely looking forward to seeing him play in ST
Slappy hitters with zero power are always gonna get a sideways glance as prospects. But if he can keep getting on base to go with great speed and plus defense, he could be a player.
That’s one thing a fangraphs article pointed out. Straw doesn’t have “zero power”. His line drive rates are high. He hits the ball hard, just not in the air. A swing/approach adjustment could unlock a new ceiling for him. Or, he could continue to be what he is and still end up as a very good bench player. That’s a great floor/ceiling combo you don’t usually see in prospects outside an org’s Top 10.
2 HR is 1232 PA is pretty damn close to zero power. If scouts thought he had power to unlock to go with all of his other tools, we would be hearing much, much more about him.
No, 2 HR in 1232 PA is pretty damn close to zero HR, not zero power. If a RHH ONLY hits line drives to the opposite field, he will have very few HR regardless of how much power he has or how hard he hits the ball. Straw isn’t getting on base with grounders. He’s getting on base with hard hit opposite field line drive singles (and walks). He’s doing that intentionally because his speed allows him to be a very productive singles hitter, and a single with a steal is as good as a double and much better than a fly out. If the org determines he can change his swing to get more loft, and change his approach to use the whole field, both without sacrificing hard contact, then it significantly increases his value. I’m not expecting Straw to come out and hit 20 HR this season. But if he can make an adjustment to get to 10 HR and avoid being neutralized by the shift, a Lorenzo Cain ceiling becomes a lot more realistic, and that’s a star player.
And Ensberg once finished in the top 5 in the MVP race. Also, Chris Holt battled with Tim Redding for most frustrating pitcher.
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2018/...unce-minor-league-managers-and-staff-for-2018 I see the coaches have been announced. Does anybody have the inside track on why all the turnover and what prompted it?
That would appear to be correct. The Chris Holt that pitched for the Astros doesn't appear to be involved in baseball at all. Also from that, that Chris Holt was an a-hole.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/top-100-mlb-prospects-2018/#sRkkKCvdRKIEUKB2.97 10. Whitley 15. Tucker 62. Alvarez 76. Bukauskas Nothing too surprising regarding Astros prospects.
There are 4 former Astros prospects on the list: RHP Franklin Perez (Tigers) RHP Albert Abreu (Yankees) OF Brett Phillips (Brewers) RHP Jorge Guzman (Marlins) Pretty crazy to think about the amount of talent Houston has traded away.