I can't believe they have Ovando at 20, especially behind Kvasnicka. At least Ovando is 17. Kvasnicka hasn't hit or fielded very well and is 23. Jordan Scott at 11 is surprising. Scott has J.B. Shuck written all over him if he doesn't develop some power. Another guy that I think would be better off if he played 2B.
No wonder he turned down the job in the Astros FO. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/hots...an-diego-padres-best-farm-system-baseball-mlb
Astros organization preview, Top 20 Prospects By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 02/08/12 10:46 AM EST The future success of every Major League team lies largely in its Minor League pipeline. With that in mind, MLB.com is looking at each team's farm system, from the Top 20 prospects to those who are under the radar. There's a new sheriff in town, and most people thought that meant a completely new rule of law. Jeff Luhnow, the new general manager of the Houston Astros, was going to bring in a whole different way of doing things to the organization. While there has been some shifting -- the Astros will be using more analytics, for one thing -- there hasn't been quite the drastic change in philosophy. "Philosophically, we found out we're not as different as we thought we were," assistant general manager of scouting Bobby Heck said. "It's still about evaluating players and profiling players. There's some new twists to it, but it's not apples and oranges by any means." Heck, who's been in charge of the Astros' amateur scouting since October 2007 and officially became an assistant general manager in 2008, points out, for instance, that the Astros had used some forms of statistical analysis in the past, but now there will be a more advanced application. It's also worth noting, he says, where each organization is in terms of evaluating how they go after players, particularly in the Draft. The Cardinals went after more college players for a reason. So did the Astros, for that matter. "We were building from the floor up, brick by brick," Heck said of Houston drafting high school talent up front the past few Drafts. "They were taking players because they wanted to maintain the run they were on in the big leagues." The Cardinals had also varied their approach, both in terms of who they drafted and in being aggressive internationally. Luhnow should bring the same thinking to the Astros. So far it's been a good fit, with Heck already having a relationship with Luhnow from their travels on the amateur scouting circuit over the past eight years. "Coming from his background of scouting and player development, and as long as I've been at ballparks with [Luhnow], the dialogue was easy to jump into," Heck said. "He has a familiarity with the players out there, so especially with us picking No. 1, Jeff will be a sounding board." Top 20 Prospects The Astros' system received a big influx of talent last summer, particularly from trades. Five of this year's top 10 came via the Trade Deadline deals that sent Hunter Pence to Philadelphia and Michael Bourn to Atlanta. All are preparing for their first Spring Training with their new organization and the Astros can't wait to have them in the fold for a full season, even though they didn't exactly struggle when entering new surroundings for the first time post-trade. "I think we're excited about that," Heck said. "They all came aboard and hit the ground running. They all pretty much had success. The period of adjustment was short-lived." The Pence deal brought in the "elite-level" prospects in Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart, with further-from-the-bigs Domingo Santana and reliever Josh Zeid as well. All are in the Top 20, as well as Paul Clemens and Brett Oberholtzer, the arms that came from Atlanta in return for Bourn. They're not thought of as big-time prospects by some, but they are just about ready to contribute. "[Former GM] Ed [Wade] did a good job of creating a good mix in what we got back," Heck said. "As much as Oberholtzer or Clemens weren't the meaty or sexy names, they're close. We'll have a chance to see them this year. If not, then next year." Add in George Springer, the Astros' top Draft pick in 2011, and six of the top 10 this year were not on the list a year ago. That has Heck and company thrilled about the future. Where a once fairly barren system stood, there is the makings of both quality and quantity. "Take that group and surround those players with the last four Drafts and some international signings." Heck said. "We're getting big-bodied athletic starting pitchers and toolsy athletes that have a strong offensive profile. It was nice to start lining up multiples at positions." Under the Radar RJ Alaniz, RHP: Alaniz went to high school in an area in Texas that was hit hard by the H1N1 epidemic, so many of his games were cancelled his senior year and he was virtually impossible to be seen by scouts. The Astros tried to sign him out of their own backyard, and when he went to pitch in programs like East Cobb, other teams became interested. The Astros won out and feel pretty good about the non-drafted free agent's future. Coming out of high school he threw about 90 mph, and now he's up to 97 mph with a plus changeup. He throws from a lower slot and it should be an interesting challenge for him to develop his slider in Class A Advanced Lancaster in 2012. Roberto Pena, C: Pena and Delino DeShields Jr. were among the youngest players in the South Atlantic League in 2011. A 10th-rounder in 2010 from the Puerto Rico high school ranks, Pena is an advanced defensive backstop. He has very good catch-and-throw skills, which enabled him to throw out 39 percent of would-be basestealers last year. He has good hands, is agile behind the plate and pitchers seem to like throwing to him. The Astros feel he'll eventually develop enough of a bat, at least power-wise, to be a regular. He'll be back in the South Atlantic League this year and is young enough for that not to be a real step backward. Predictions Hitter of the Year Singleton: All he's done is hit, particularly after the trade to Houston, and he has a .333/.405/.512 line post-deal to show for it. In 2012, he'll show that was not a byproduct of being in the California League. Expect Singleton to move up to Double-A, hit for average and show more of his developing power in game situations. Pitcher of the Year Cosart: There's a chance that any number of the pitchers from both of last season's deadline deals could see time in the big leagues, but with Oberholtzer and Clemens perhaps a step ahead, Cosart gets the nod as he'll figure out the Texas League, earn a promotion and land in Houston for a September callup. Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com and writes a blog, B3. Follow @JonathanMayoB3 on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
having assets like the rockets is nice but we need to see some actual players produced with star potential....the next Berkman, Pence, Oswalt for the organization
I get the feeling that JD Martinez is the next Astros star. I don't exactly know why yet and I might be proven wrong this season. I got this sense watching him last season that he's going to be very good and the #3 or 4 hitter in the lineup for the next decade.
I hope you're right. But I see him as more of a #6 hitter.. Think Nick Markakis (with a little less speed). Certainly a solid MLB player, but never a star. He might make an All-Star game or two with a strong first half.. But noone is going to label him a 'star.' That said my projection could be a little overly ambition for JD. I would be damn pleased if his career follows Nick Markakis' stat lines.
http://www.astroscounty.com/2012/02/prospects-to-watch-in-2012.html Kvasnicka and Meyer could be an intriguing position battle at 3rd in Lancaster. Will be interesting to see who will make up the rotation in Lexington. Hope Jio Mier shows some improvement.
Just bought Baseball America's Prospect Handbook today. I'll divulge the details on the Astros across a few posts. But first, I'll do the TL;DR version for those who don't want everything. No surprise as to who topped the list. Top 30 Prospects 30. Chris Wallace 29. Jack Armstrong 28. Rhiner Cruz 27. Vincent Velasquez 26. Jose Cisnero 25. Mike Kvasnicka 24. Tanner Bushue 23. Jio Mier 22. Jorge De Leon 21. Dallas Keuchel 20. Marwin Gonzalez 19. Juan Abreu 18. Austin Wates 17. J.B. Shuck 16. Ross Seaton 15. Ruben "R.J." Alaniz 14. Ariel Ovando 13. Jake Buchanan 12. Nick Tropeano 11. Adrian Houser 10. Telvin Nash 9. Mike Foltynewicz 8. Delino DeShields Jr. 7. Brett Oberholtzer 6. Domingo Santana 5. Paul Clemens 4. Jonathan Villar 3. George Springer 2. Jarred Cosart 1. Jonathan Singleton Surprisingly, the Astros were ranked 17th. Still 10th out of the 16 NL clubs, but that sounds encouraging enough. Worst organizational winning percentage (I know, it doesn't matter that much, but probably reflects on how bad the system's been in terms of development and depth) Top 30 breakdown: 21 homegrown, 9 acquired Of the homegrown, 9 were from college, 3 were international signings, and 1 was an undrafted free agent. Of the talent acquired, I'll let you guess who they were. And the other two guys? From the Rule 5 draft. I'll leave that to you too. Out of the 2007-10 drafts, none received higher than a C+ (08). Of course, the 2007 Draft will probably go down as one of the worst ever in professional sports. Three notables from that draft that made it onto other teams' Top 30 lists: Derek Dietrich (3rd-round, first selection) is #13 for the Rays. Brett Eibner (4th-round) is ranked 12th in the Royals' system. Chad Bettis (8th round) is the #3 prospect for the Rockies. 4 guys from Baseball America also contributed their personal Top 50 lists. Here's where they put Astros prospects... Jim Callis- Singleton at #32 J.J. Cooper- Jarred Cosart at #43 Will Lingo- Cosart at 42, George Springer at 43, and Singleton at 48 John Manuel- Cosart at 50, Singleton at 32 Best Tools
Things I Forgot Kyle Weiland was #22 for the Red Sox. Anthony Gose is #2 for the Blue Jays. George Springer's bonus was $734,000 over slot, which was $1,791,000. Adrian Houser got the slot recommendation, $530,100. Jack Armstrong got double the slot recommendation, which was $335,700. Chris Lee signed for $215,000, which was $1,000 under slot. Nick Tropeano signed for the slot recommendation, $155,700. Top 20 from every Minor League From the book: Jordan Lyles was #9 in the Pacific Coast League. Brett Oberholtzer was the #19 prospect in the Southern League. J.D. Martinez was #20 in the Texas League. Jonathan Singleton was #5 in the California League and #7 in the Florida State League. Jose Altuve was #15 in the California League. Domingo Santana was #18 in the South Atlantic League. Jordan Scott was #19 in the Appalachian League.
Before I get struck down and get told to stop, I'd like to thank the people at Baseball America for their tireless work in compiling all the data that went into this book and the scouts that provided the data that went into this book. I absolutely do not intend to use the Prospect Handbook for copyright infringement. And if you believe that I am, I will stop immediately and I will apologize profusely. Projected 2015 Lineup Catcher- Jason Castro First Base- Jonathan Singleton Second Base- Delino DeShields Jr. Third Base- Jimmy Paredes Shortstop- Jonathan Villar Left Field- J.D. Martinez Center Field- George Springer Right Field- Domingo Santana No. 1 Starter- Bud Norris No. 2 Starter- Jarred Cosart No. 3 Starter- Wandy Rodriguez No. 4 Starter- Jordan Lyles No. 5 Starter- Paul Clemens Closer- Mark Melancon OK, they didn't take into account Lowrie/Weiland for Melancon. So... I suppose we substitute Juan Abreu for Melancon as closer? Top 2012 Rookie (and a for this): J.B. Shuck Breakout Prospect: Nick Tropeano Sleeper: David Martinez The facepalm was out of the fact that... I guess someone had to be named. By the way, here's a positional breakdown of the Top 30: 15 RHPs (12 starters, 3 relievers) 3 CFs (Springer, Shuck, and Wates) 3 shortstops (Villar, Marwin Gonzalez, and Jio Mier) 2 RFs (Santana and Ovando) 2 1Bs (Singleton and Nash) 2 LHPs (Oberholtzer and Keuchel) 1 3B (Kvasnicka), 1 2B (DeShields), and 1 C (Chris Wallace) Draft Analysis The Astros shelled out $5.5 million in bonuses during the 2011 Draft. All Springer here. Best Pure Hitter: Best Power Hitter: Fastest Runner: Best Defensive Player: Best Fastball: Best Secondary Pitch: Best Pro Debut: Best Athlete: Most Intriguing Background: Closest to the Majors: Best Late-Round Pick: The One Who Got Away: Assessment
Astros 2010 supplemental 1st rounder Mike Kvasnicka moving back to catcher. He's helping out catching pens in big lg camp.
i think the vast majority was happy with gose for wallace at the time, but damn that continues to sting. thanks for posting all that. a fun/depressing read. i'm digging the springer pick, whether he pans out or not. says i must spread some rep around before giving you more.
At the time Gose was a lot like Villar in that he was playing younger than his competition, but we still judged him based on his stats. Add that to the fact that we needed a 1B, and it made a lot of sense. Now, we have Singelton and Nash looking like the future at 1B/DH, Wallace struggling mightily, Lee at 1B blocking him from what is likely his last chance to prove himself, and Gose hitting his stride and looking like a potential star.
Good move. Let's hope he can stick defensively at catcher, because his bat was nowhere near a corner infield or outfield spot.
Alright, here are the Top 30 prospects, with analysis. Before I delve into this, let me explain Baseball America's grading system. The scale is from 20 to 80, with 20 being the low end, and 80 being outstanding. This is paraphrased from the book. They also categorize prospects according to "risk," that is, how close they are to achieving a "realistic ceiling." This scale is divided into "Safe," "Low," "Medium," "High," and "Extreme," with Safe being guys who are pretty much at or near their potential, and Extreme being players that are either in Rookie ball, have yet to play, or have an injury history. So, without further ado, here is your Astros Top 30. I'll shorten the reports a bit since they tend to get a bit lengthy. Part 1: Prospects 30-26 30. Chris Wallace, C DOB: 4/27/88 Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 205 Drafted: Houston, 16th round, 2010 Grade: 40, Medium 29. Jack Armstrong, RHP DOB: 12/14/89 Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height: 6'7" Weight: 200 Drafted: Vanderbilt, 3rd Round, 2011 Grade: 50, Extreme 28. Rhiner Cruz, RHP DOB: 11/1/86 Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 205 Signed: Dominican Republic, 2003, by the Tigers Grade: 45, High 27. Vincent Velasquez, RHP DOB: 6/7/92 Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height: 6'3" Weight: 185 Drafted: Garey HS (Pomona, California), 2nd round, 2010 Grade: 50, Extreme 26. Jose Cisnero, RHP DOB: 4/11/89 Bats/Throws: Right/Right Height: 6'3" Weight: 185 Signed: Dominican Republic, 2007 Grade: 50, High
