Before then he was hitting in the mid .300s though. He hit .264 last year and is hitting .260 this year as a 20 year old in AA, so I think it's fair to assume his stock fell a bit.
He's young for the league. He doesn't strikeout much. He had a horrible May, but seems to be coming out of it.
Ok now that I look at his stats, you're right. I like how he has more BB than K's. First time I saw him I thought altuve, but the size may have factored into that lol
In his july 2 preview post this morning, John Sickels called Mauricio one of the most intriguing IFA prospects. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/7/2/4483718/international-signing-day-baseball-july-2 "Joan Mauricio, SS: From the Dominican Republic, a left-handed bat with athleticism and projectability. Unclear who he is linked to although today's Baseball America Bed Badler report indicates it may be the Houston Astros. Those three would be key targets for me if I were running a team."
His name actually is Joan. For some reason, Ben Badler typed it as "Yoan" a couple of times before today. He was in the second tier of July 2 prospects and the Astros have actually had their eye on him for a while. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mh4OApZxjko" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> sign 4 int'l. free agents today: SS/OF Osvaldo Duarte, SS/C Jonathan Matute, SS Joan Mauricio and CF Nestor Tejada</p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/352159862282665984">July 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Tag's Lines has details and reaction on <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> signing four international players. <a href="http://t.co/vbQ7OVdN7u">http://t.co/vbQ7OVdN7u</a></p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/352160760031477760">July 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
[rquoter]“Mauricio is one of the few true shortstops in this year’s international market,” said Ocampo. “Defensively, he does everything easy – smooth, silky actions, very good internal clock, quick hands and feet. Offensively, he has a pretty swing from the left side, good pitch recognition, and sneaky left-handed power which we expect to develop as he gets stronger. For us, Mauricio is one of the top 10 players in this year’s class – a true shortstop with projection and offensive upside. We’re very pleased to have him as part of the Astros organization.” “Tejada does a number of things well, but his strength is in the batter’s box,” said Ocampo. “We’ve evaluated him in a number of competitive environments – 15U IBAF tournament, MLB showcases, and even against our own Low-A pitching in Kissimmee, and he has always performed and hit in games. Nestor is a great makeup kid – intelligent, hard-working, a great teammate, and a true competitor who leaves it all on the field.” Matute is a 16-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, and has the ability to play both the catcher and shortstop position. Duarte is the oldest of the four signings, checking in at 17 years of age. “Matute’s tools are solid across the board, and he separates himself with his intelligence and aptitude for the game,” Ocampo said. “Duarte’s best tools are his bat and his plus-plus speed,” Ocampo said. “Offensively, Duarte is a line-drive hitter with a short, quick stroke. Defensively, we project Duarte as a future average ML shortstop, but he also has a good chance to be a plus defensive center fielder because of his speed.” [/rquoter] Edit: Taken from above article by Tags.
This Dominican website looks like rumors. Astros will sign Wander Franco for around $575K and Wilson Amador for $900,000. Apparently.
.268 BABIP in 2012 (Florida State League average: .306), .268 this year (Southern League average: .292)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The Astros gave Venezuela's Jonathan Matute $245,000. Listed him as a SS/C. <a href="http://t.co/RojvfxBPXg">http://t.co/RojvfxBPXg</a></p>— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenBadler/statuses/352172140851757057">July 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> $3,314,000 available. Of course, the terms of Duarte's and Tejada's deal have yet to be disclosed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> expect to sign several other international players, Luhnow said. Club didn't overspend today and is sticking to its plan. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MLB&src=hash">#MLB</a></p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/statuses/352183616022917122">July 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
SS Joan Mauricio signed for $600,000. SS/C Jonathan Matute signed for $245,000. That is fourth and sixth round slot monies from the domestic amateur respectively. Obviously this is not a draft with slot monies and very much free agency signings (with a team cap). Comparatively though it appears that the amateur draft has more bang from the buck.
It's hard to offer any critique good or bad when so little is publicity known of the players, the data, or the scouting reports. I would say that, just like in the draft, their 4.9 spending cap is a huge advantage over other teams and something they absolutely need utilize down the last dollar, whether it is through signing bonuses or trades.
I guess I don't see it that way. Money can be spent in a lot of ways. I would like the Astros to trade any unused slots. The Astros first slot is probably all that is needed for all the guys they sign. I don't know if there is a big market for the small 4th slot, but hope Astros trade it if they can't use it. If money is better spent in other areas, I don't see wasting it on international organizational prospects just because they are allotted a certain amount. Granted, I know nothing about international prospects other than what is posted or linked to here. It just seems like the top teams in pool money may have more money than they need and are bidding against themselves for the top prospects that aren't worth what they are bidding. These guys are so young that it will be tough to judge who is worth 2 million and who will bust. That said, I wouldn't mind if the Astros threw down a lot of money to get the top guy if the Astros deemed it worth the money risk. I just want them to spend the money they have on the best talent whether it be in international draft or packaged with Bud to get an extra prospect.
