Minor League Opening Day is April 3. Where will the Astros organization be on that day? OKC will open up in Round Rock. Corpus will be on the road to start 2014, as they'll be in Tulsa. Lancaster will host Lake Elsinore at The Hangar. Quad Cities welcomes Kane County to their scenic little ballpark on the banks of the Mississippi. Short-season Opening Day is Friday, June 13. Tri-City hosts Connecticut that night. Greeneville opens on June 19, when they host Elizabethton. I would assume that the GCL season starts the day after (3rd Friday in June). And... I don't know when the Academy starts, but since the 1st Saturday of June in 2014 is the 7th, I would think that its opening day will be May 31.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I'm broadcasting LIVE right now on Mixlr. "Top 30 Prospects Special". Tune in: <a href="http://t.co/OahA3pVKUv">http://t.co/OahA3pVKUv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mixlr&src=hash">#mixlr</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23live&src=hash">#live</a></p>— Mr. Crawfish (@CrawfishBoxes) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrawfishBoxes/statuses/412011412203266048">December 15, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Will try to post a few of their observations in an upcoming post.
The TCB guys are a bit incredulous at the fact that Travis Ballew remained in Lancaster all season. Gonzalo Sanudo is definitely one to keep an eye on. Some skepticism with Chris Cotton; he has an outstanding changeup and outstanding command, but doesn't really have much else. Questions regarding Joe Musgrove's durability; he's gotten as high as 99 on his fastball, but he needs to stay healthy. GCL numbers don't look good, but his peripherals were encouraging. Their top 30, with their thoughts: 30. Adrian Houser- They're a little down on him. He hasn't really done anything to separate himself. Time still on his side. His control's good, but his command is still a little iffy. Maybe a back-of-the-rotation or middle relief option. 29. Kyle Smith- "How did they get him for Justin Maxwell?" Plus curveball should translate to higher levels. Some deception in his delivery, which lets his fastball play up. #4 starter, maybe a #3. Is he a good enough athlete to repeat his delivery? At this point, a 2-pitch pitcher (FB, CB). 28. M.P. Cokinos- Don't see him hitting for power at the higher levels, still unsure as to where he'll end up on defense. If he could catch, he'd be much higher on their list. Bat should give him a future, but they think he's AAA depth. 27. Leo Heras- 4th OF. Nice, quick bat speed, above-average runner, was playing through a shoulder injury. "Blah" prospect, but then again, the Cardinals have gotten plenty from "blah" prospects. Could handle OKC, but could probably return to Corpus for the early part of the year. 26. Josh Hader- Lots of deception in his delivery. Could be a strikeout pitcher that induces a lot of grounders. Able to hit 94-95 from a near-sidearm slot. 25. Tyler Heineman- Despite the homers, he's still more of a line-drive hitter. Could hit 8-10 homers, maybe 10-15, if given everyday time. John Jaso-type player. The book's pretty much out on him. Polished defender who can hit. #2 catcher at the MLB level. 24. Tony Kemp- Quicker version of Altuve. Plays hard, gets the most out his size. Easy fan favorite. Legit plus speed. They project him as a regular ML player. Not an All-Star-level player, but can still impact the game on many levels. 23. Andrew Aplin- Somewhat similar to Heras, good pure hitter. 4th/5th outfielder, #2 hitter. Getting rave reviews for his defense in CF. Worst case: Brandon Barnes, but he's a much better hitter than Barnes ever was. Could be a regular, but considering the state of the outfield in the Houston system... 22. Carlos Perez- Surprised that he wasn't protected, surprised that he wasn't picked in the Rule 5. Solid defender, but what will he bring to the table on offense? Similar to Heineman. His ML value will probably be linked to his defense. Could get a taste of the majors in 2014 if Max Stassi doesn't get his bat going. Probably major league-ready. 21. Brady Rodgers- Differing opinions. Long reliever? Back-of-the-rotation starter? "Blah" guy, but he's the type of guy who can provide consistency. Understands what he has, and he works with it. Slighty better RH version of Dallas Keuchel. 20. Teoscar Hernandez- Impressive tools across the board. Could be a guy who hits for average power, but contact is a question. Has legitimate upside, but wait and see. Strikeout rate is worrisome. Defense could carry him through the system if his bat doesn't come around. 19. Danry Vasquez- Can develop significant power. Domonic Brown/John Mayberry-like body type could give him that power. Polished hitter, as well. Fits the RF profile. 18. Andrew Thurman- Thought he'd be a 1st-rounder. #3, borderline #2 depending on how consistent his 3rd pitch is. They love the changeup. Curveball isn't consistent, but shows potential. Carbon copy of Nick Tropeano, but his curve is more promising than Tropeano's slider. Really close with Aaron West, Tropeano, Asher Wojciechowski. 17. Asher Wojciechowski- Blah. Pretty much at his ceiling, and is probably ready for the majors. Legitimate ML starter. Early-season dominance in Corpus seemed to inflate his stock. Still successful in OKC, but his peripherals suffered a bit there. OKC peripherals could be what to expect from him as a major leaguer. Should've gotten the call to Houston before Cosart last year. 16. Nolan Fontana- Of course, the walk rate. Don't think that he'll hit enough for the walk rate to carry him. Utilityman. Probably more value as a 2B. Sub-par bat speed. Has a load in his swing that's more typical of a power hitter, which he isn't. 15. Aaron West- Stuff has taken a step forward. Mid-rotation upside. Aside from Folty, he's probably got a top-tier fastball in the system. Threw 92-94, touched 96 when he first came in, but now at 94-96, touching 98. 3.6% walk rate, 1.4 BB/9 last season. 14. Preston Tucker- As a hitter, he's right near his ceiling. .250-.260, 20 homers, walk rate can offset that low average. If his on-base skills hold up, he can be more valuable. Allen Craig. Probably a #6/#7 hitter who plays LF. 13. Nick Tropeano- See Thurman. Good, not great command, inconsistent 3rd pitch. 12. Michael Feliz- Scary on the mound. Dynamite stuff. Apparently some whispers about whether he really is 20. Clean mechanics, big fastball, nasty slider. Possible frontline starter. He also apparently didn't have to sequence pitches in Tri-City because he was able to blow his fastball by everybody. Given his stuff, it's easy to project him as a possible closer, too. 11. Max Stassi- Breakout with the bat is probably real. Potential to be a ML regular catcher. Not an elite defender, and the injuries have cut into his development time, but the tools are there for him to be an above-average defender. 10. Rio Ruiz- All-Star potential 3B. Smooth, fluid actions at the 3B, has the potential to be a strong defender there. Could move quickly through the system. His primary competition is probably Correa. Could be a #3 hitter. Fairly polished despite how far he is from Houston. 9. Delino DeShields- Maybe he thinks his talent will be enough to get him by. Tools are there, but drive is lacking. Maybe a focus issue? However, he works hard to be what he is. Could the position change get him going? 8. Domingo Santana- Will he hit enough? Seems like a guy who's gotten by with his tools, rather than refining his skills. Gamer. Just needs to refine his skills. 7. Vince Velasquez- Quick delivery, but his athleticism should allow him to repeat it. Good command and control for a pitcher with his stuff, his lack of innings, and also considering that this was his first season with a full workload. 6. Lance McCullers- Possibly 2 70 pitches in his fastball and slider. #2/#3 starter. Still some questions, though. Namely with his control, command, and mechanics. Needs a changeup. Looks like he sat around 92-94 with his fastball, even with a limited pitch count. The velocity came in his junior year of HS. They wonder if the higher velocity came with the horrid mechanics that he had in high school, and if he sacrificed that velocity in order to clean up his mechanics. 5. Mike Foltynewicz- Better raw stuff than Mark Appel's. At his best, threw 4 above-average pitches. However, his command, velocity, and breaking stuff wavered at times. Reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner in how effortlessly he generates force on the mound. Slider seems to have passed the curveball. Ace stuff, but might not have the command to limit walks. Non-ace #1/#2 potential. 4. Jonathan Singleton- Of course, as a 1B, he's limited. More of a masher than a hitter. Can still be a middle-of-the-order bat. Just wasn't in a good place mentally when he remained in extended spring training. They saw an in-shape, motivated guy in the spring, but was a totally different person when they saw him in Nashville in June. The 2013 season was a statistical outlier across the board for him. 3. Mark Appel- Frontline starter. 4 legit pitches, smooth mechanics, great command, vastly improved his changeup from his junior season, should be the long-term #2 behind Carlos Rodon. Unfairly talked about as if he has a low ceiling. Stuff took a huge leap forward during his senior year. 2. George Springer- Pretty much a known quantity at this point. Will he hit consistently, though? His defense should be able to buoy his value. Multiple-time All-Star, could be the MVP if everything clicks. 1. Carlos Correa- Looking at him, he should be a star at the ML level, and unless something derails him, he's going to be a star. Total package. Top-5 prospect. Who's ahead of him, though? Buxton will probably be ahead of him, and Oscar Taveras and Xander Bogaerts are up there too. But who else will be ahead of him?
Surprised Hader is so low. And Preston Tucker compared to Allen Craig? Not holding my breath on that one.
Been said a bunch, but it really is astounding to seem how deep the farm is that guys like Matt Duffy and David Rollins can't even crack the top 30. It's going to be interesting to see just how active we are in the trade market moving forward.
Springer was arguably the best player in the high minors last year. His near 40-40 season has never been done in modern era minor league baseball, right? What does it take to get a 10 score and the #1 spot in the prospect list? Not knock on Correa. It is like Springer's last year was discounted as a "career year" and does not reflect his "true" talent. Methinks Springer outperformed his scouting report and that scouting report weighed down his ranking. That is as insane as the season he had last year.
Springer had an outstanding year. Correa had a better year in my opinion relative to their age. Not a knock on Springer. He is a great talent, but Correa is simply better.
If I am not mistaken the draft list is based off votes by the writers and all the readers. I agree that springer had the better year but potential and, in my opinion, the fact that he was the number one pick had some influence. And the fact that springer gets criticized for his strikeouts while there's not much to criticize about correa (too big for SS? Will he develop his power?)
People expect major league pitchers to do a better job of exposing his weaknesses. Probably won't maintain that good BA.
Fangraphs: Astros Top 10 Spoiler Next 5: Michael Feliz, Max Stassi, Delino DeShields, Andrew Thurman, Kyle Smith 10. Josh Hader 9. Rio Ruiz 8. Domingo Santana 7. Lance McCullers 6. Vince Velasquez 5. Mike Foltynewicz 4. Jonathan Singleton 3. Mark Appel 2. George Springer 1. Carlos Correa
Astros cut four from the farm According to the official minor league transactions, conveyed to Baseball America by Major League Baseball, for the period Jan. 1-8, the Astros cut four players from their farm system; 1B Mike Martinez, OF Javaris Reynolds, RHP Javier Lozano, and RHP Christian Garcia. Mike Martinez, perhaps the most noted of the four, blasted 11 homers for short-season Tri-City last season before drawing a 50-games suspension for amphetamine use. Martinez was drafted in the 36th round of the 2012 Draft out Florida International where he had hit in the three hole and posted some decent numbers in college (.393/.498/.597 in 2012, 15 HR in 2011). OF Javaris Reynolds, was drafted out of high school by the Astros in the 7th round of the 2011 June Amateur Draft. The 20-year-old outfielder played three seasons in the Gulf Coast League for the Stros and struggled at plate and in the field. RHP Javier Lozano, the 20-year-old, prospect from San Salvador, pitched in Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League last season. He posted a combined won-loss record of 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA, over 24 innings pitched. RHP Christian Garcia was drafted in the 29th round of the 2012 Draft. The 22-year-old righty spent all of his time at Greenville with the exception of two games with Tri-City.
I'm a little surprised by Rio Ruiz's Oliver 5 year projection. I thought the slow start would have impacted it much more. I would be happy if he became a 3.2 WAR player five years from now.
I was going to say it seemed like a fair, if underrated, projection for Rio in 5 years but comparing him to Matt Dominguez yea it does seem a possibly generous projection. Matt Dominguez hit .296/.354/.499 in his first full pro season at the age of 18. In his 6th pro season (this year) he compiled a 2.2 WAR. Rio Ruiz hit .260/.335/.430 this year in his first full pro season (age 19). We all know that slash line is skewed by his awful first half and awesome second half but does raise valid questions of the Oliver projection system. Remember Dominguez had an even better draft pedigree; he was the 12th overall pick in 2007. That Oliver projection WAR says Rio will be an average to slightly above average 3B by his second full big league season*. Dominguez's MILB performance did go downhill over the rest of his MILB career but I think he still offers a decent comparison for Rio. *Assuming Ruiz advances roughly one level per year.
Scout.com: Kiley McDaniel's Top 100 Spoiler 3. Carlos Correa 12. Mark Appel 47. Mike Foltynewicz 62. Lance McCullers 71. Jonathan Singleton
Fixed that for ya: Three in the top 20, not too shabby. Spoiler For those wondering, Buxton ranked ahead of Correa (2012 draft), and for the 2012 draft: Bryant>Appel>Gray>Frazier>Stewart
MLB.com Top 10 RHP http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/hou...md=20140115&content_id=66536832&vkey=news_hou #6 - Appel (2 spots behind Gray)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I wrote today's <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline">@MLBPipeline</a> summary of the 10 best 1B prospects, led by <a href="https://twitter.com/iLLJAY_SiNG">@iLLJAY_SiNG</a> of the <a href="https://twitter.com/astros">@Astros</a>: <a href="http://t.co/GXfjA8tRM3">http://t.co/GXfjA8tRM3</a> . . .</p>— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimcallisMLB/statuses/424223666839490560">January 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I know stat heads think they can tell you the future, but it's completely ridiculous to project any minor league players major league numbers, much less a 19 year old in A-Ball. Most prospects flame out to begin with. I've pretty much seen enough of of the chatter on our top 6 prospects. It's neat to get the recognition, but at this point I know everybody's feelings on Correa(stud,likely position change)Springer(great athlete,great pop,K's will kill him)Singleton (solid bat if committed) Appel(good starter,not an ace)folty/mccullers(great heat, questionable secondary pitches,probably closers). Every scouting report is basically these observations in different words. I'm more interested in peoples thoughts on Ruiz,Velasquez,Santan and Stassi.
