His arm is adequate enough to go back to center field if 2B doesn't work out. Considering the career his dad had, he could follow his path as an everyday 2B and sneak in a few starts in the outfield every now and then.
Let's play a game. In this game, we guess where everyone ends up. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-in-reply-to="210350597189271552"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/whattheheck57">whattheheck57</a> I think we might find out tomorrow. I'm not for sure though.</p>— Adrian Houser (@AdrianHouser12) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdrianHouser12/status/210384141420724225" data-datetime="2012-06-06T14:54:22+00:00">June 6, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Houser? Has to be Tri-City Ovando? I'd like to see him in Tri-City, but expect him in Greenville. My guesses for the two prominent names off the top of my head.
Correa will be ahead of Springer. I'm confident he will be a Top 20 prospect. Too close to call between Singleton and Correa for the top spot. I could see McCullers sliding into the 5 spot. With the signing deadline moved forward, everyone should get a chance at short season ball.
Yeah, I see 1-5 as Correa-Singleton-Springer-Cosart-McCullers. It's nice to have some balance in our system. Elite position prospects on the left of the infield in Correa, right side with Singleton, and in the outfield with Springer. Our pitching depth is ok with guys who will make the majors as back of the rotation/relievers, but lacking the premium arms with front end of rotation potential. Hopefully, Cosart and and Folty take the next step, and McCullers can add to that. I'd really like them to sign Virant, probably over one of the other high school position players if it came to that, just to add to the arms side of things. Though, since he went in the 11th rounder, he's not going to be the priority.
Uh... I guess he's trying to get back into game shape. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Well, this is interesting. Armando Galarraga has been assigned to the Lexington Legends and according to Keith Elkins will be starting today</p>— Jayne (@whattheheck57) <a href="https://twitter.com/whattheheck57/status/210469028337168384" data-datetime="2012-06-06T20:31:41+00:00">June 6, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wednesday Stories Corpus.... The Almost-Perfect One finally made his debut after being in limbo since signing. Recap Corpus only allowed Midland to score in 1 inning. Unfortunately, they allowed 6 runs in the top of the 7th on their way to a 6-3 loss in the series opener. Jose Cisnero was pretty darn good in the first 6 innings, but then he ran into trouble as he allowed 3 straight singles to load the bases. Josh Zeid came in to relieve Cisnero and the situation promptly went FUBAR, as he hit Josh Horton and walked Michael Spina to bring in 2 of Cisnero's runners, and after recording the 1st out of the inning, he served up a grand slam to Dusty Coleman, resulting in the last Cisnero runner to score. Zeid was tagged for 3 of his own, so he technically allowed all 6 runs to score. The Hooks actually scored first when Jonathan Villar scored on a wild pitch in the 6th. Villar added a sac fly in the 7th. Austin Wates came up gimpy on a single and left the game in the 5th. Jake Goebbert shifted from left to center and Jordan Kreke came in to play left field. In Wates' leadoff spot, Kreke finished 2-3. He and Kody Hinze had 2 hits apiece, and Adam Bailey had the lone extra-base hit with a double in the 7th. Jair Fernandez sent him home with a single. As for Jose Cisnero, he had to settle for a bare minimum quality start (all runs inherited), allowing 5 hits and walking 1. But he did send the crowd home somewhat happy by striking out 10, which gave them tacos. Zeid... ugh. Lancaster fell to San Jose 11-5, as the Giants whipped Bobby Doran in his 2 innings of work. He allowed 6 runs on 7 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and fanned 1. Chris Epps made his Lancaster debut in left field and went 2-4 with 2 runs scored. He's up because Domingo Santana was placed on the DL after he tweaked his right hamstring. He missed part of April because of his left hamstring. Ben Orloff went 1-5 with an RBI. Telvin Nash went deep in the 6th for his 16th homer of the season. You can guess what he did the other 3 times he was at the plate. Rene Garcia went 2-4 with an RBI single and an RBI double. Lexington only scored in 1 inning in their game with Lakewood, but they put 4 on the board in the 2nd off Colin Kleven on their way to a 4-1 victory. Delino DeShields went 2-4 and cleared the bases with a triple, while Roberto Pena went 2-4 with an RBI single. Armando Galarraga made his season debut after getting back into shape in Kissimmee. So, he most likely started off with the Legends in order to get himself back into actual game situations. And he was alright. In 4 innings, he allowed a run on 4 hits and walked 2. Jonas Dufek, who was originally scheduled to start, got the win in relief, as he threw 5 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and fanning 7. However... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Come up to the club house after a good win.. Steak and lobster waiting on us compliments of gallaraga awesome.. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523legends">#legends</a></p>— brandon meredith (@bmeezytrain) <a href="https://twitter.com/bmeezytrain/status/210548281619648513" data-datetime="2012-06-07T01:46:36+00:00">June 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> And since the (U.S.) short-season teams are fixing to open up shop in a couple of weeks, there will be some real chaos in the minors as far as roster assignments go. Will be a very wild ride coming up. The Academy swept the Cardinals and held them to 2 hits in a 6-4 win. Tomas De La Cruz went 3-4 with 3 RBI, coming on an RBI single and a 2-run double. Brian Pena went 1-3 and drew a bases-loaded walk in the 4th. Jean Carlos Cortorreal also had an RBI single in the 4th. Luis Reynoso was 1-3 and scored twice. Geronimo Franzua, who got the start, only got 1 out as he walked 4 and allowed 2 runs (1 earned and inherited). Samil De Los Santos allowed one of Franzua's runners to score, but he was tremendous after that. In 5 2/3 innings of relief, he allowed 1 hit and struck out 7. Game Scores Jose Cisnero: 57 Armando Galarraga: 48 Bobby Doran: 18 Three Stars 3. Tomas De La Cruz, RF, DSL Astros 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI A returnee, he's come hot out of the gate. 2. Delino DeShields, 2B, Lexington 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI He had a 58 point jump in OPS from April to May. Might not sound like a big jump, but it probably means that he's tapping into his power a bit. At the same time, his on-base percentage held steady. So he could be in the .800s OPS-wise towards the end of this month. 1. Jonas Dufek, P, Lexington W, 5 IP, 3 H, 7 K I'm sure he didn't mind coming out of the pen for this one. For giggles, his game score would have been 68 if he had been the starter. And capping off a night like this with surf and turf? Winning. Honorable Mention Samil De Los Santos, P, DSL Astros: Would have had a game score of 74 had he started. Wish I knew more. Goat Josh Zeid isn't very good. Looking Ahead OKC kicks off 4 with New Orleans at 7:05. Paul Clemens gets the start against J.D. Martin. Corpus and Midland will play the 2nd of 4 games at 7:05, with Brett Oberholtzer taking the hill against Murphy Smith. Lancaster concludes their series with San Jose at 7 Pacific. Tyson Perez will start, and opposing him will be Taylor Rogers. Lexington will also be wrapping up their current series as they play Lakewood at 7:05 Eastern. Nick Tropeano will take the hill. His counterpart for Lakewood will be Lino Martinez. The DSLstros will welcome the Royals to their complex. First pitch, as always, will be 10:30 AM Eastern.
Thursday Stories OKC continues to be on a roll. Kody Hinze with a big night. Remember how those used to be so commonplace last year? I don't know what it is, but Lancaster's offense hasn't shown very many signs of slowing down as of late. Nick Tropeano being Nick Tropeano. Recap OKC opened up their series with New Orleans by taking this game 9-5. This win is the 14th straight at home for the Redhawks, tying a franchise record. A 7-run 4th inning did the trick. Big night for Scott Moore at the plate, as he went 4-4 with a solo homer (7) in the 1st, and 4 RBI. Jimmy Paredes went 2-4 with a double, an RBI single, and scored twice. Landon Powell, Brad Snyder, and Mike Hessman also chipped in 1 RBI apiece. Paul Clemens was meh, but was acceptable, given the gratuitous offensive support he received. In 5 innings, he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. The bullpen (Jonnathan Aristil, Adalberto Flores, and Jose Valdez) threw 3 innings of 1-run ball (scored off Valdez). Corpus Christi rebounded to take down Midland 6-3 behind the bat of Kody Hinze, who went deep twice (6). Brandon Wikoff went 3-4 with a double and added an RBI single in the 2nd. Jose Martinez went 2-4 and doubled home Wikoff one batter later. Jonathan Villar went 0-2, but walked and scored twice. He stole 3rd in the 4th inning (24) and scored on the subsequent error. After the Rockhounds scored 3 unanswered to pull within 1, Hinze answered with a 2-run shot in the 7th for his 2nd of the night. Brett Oberholtzer turned in a solid start, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings, walking 4 and striking out 8. Jason Stoffel finished it off for his 8th save of the season. Lancaster is still fighting for that 1st half division championship and they're still very much alive, as they topped San Jose 11-6. Erik Castro went 3-4 with 4 RBI and scored twice. Chris Epps launched his first homer as a Jethawk, a solo homer (3 overall) in the 5th. He also walked with the bases loaded, one of 2 that he drew. Telvin Nash went 2-5 with 3 RBI. You can take a guess as to what he did in the other at-bats. He's now struck out in 23 straight games. Ben Heath and Grant Hogue both went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. George Springer went 1-1, drew 3 walks, and scored 3 times. Tyson Perez allowed 5 runs on 11 hits in 5 innings, walking 2 and fanning 3. Andrew Robinson threw 3 scoreless, allowing a hit, a walk, and struck out 7. Jason Chowning allowed a run on 2 hits in the 9th, walked 1, and struck out 2. Lexington took 2 out of 3 from Lakewood as they won 4-1 for the second straight night. Matt Duffy went 2-4 with a double, and Roberto Pena doubled as well. Brandon Meredith went deep in the 2nd for his 1st homer of the season to give the Legends a 1-0 lead. Drew Muren and Delino DeShields had sac flies, and DeShields also had an RBI single. Nick Tropeano turned in another good performance, as he allowed a run on 5 hits in 6 innings, walking 3 and striking out 6. Carlos Quevedo shut the door for his 2nd save. The Academy couldn't get much going as they lost to the Royals 5-1. They were held to 3 hits, with Frederick Serrano getting 2 of them. Yoel Silfa had the other hit and the only RBI, coming on a single in the 8th. Luis Abad pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4. Frangy Colon threw 4 2/3 scoreless, allowing 1 hit, walking 4, and striking out 4. Game Scores Nick Tropeano: 61 Brett Oberholtzer: 56 Luis Abad: 42 Paul Clemens: 36 Tyson Perez: 26 Three Stars 3. Andrew Robinson, P, Lancaster Hold (4), 3 IP, H, BB, 7 K Feels a bit weird for me to select the excellent relief effort over the offensive show of force. But then again, this is Lancaster, and throwing 3 shutout innings of relief is no easy task in The Hangar. 2. Kody Hinze, 1B, Corpus Christi 2-4, 2 HR (6), 3 RBI Remember how he'd hit a homer in just about every other game last year? 1. Scott Moore, 3B, Oklahoma City 4-4, 2B, HR (7), 4 RBI A triple shy of the cycle, maybe he's trying to make a late push to be the one promoted? Honorable Mentions Erik Castro, 1B/DH, Lancaster: He's definitely put himself in consideration to be promoted once the roster overhaul kicks off. Chris Epps, LF, Lancaster: Hope he can stay up there for a bit. Telvin Nash, 1B/DH, Lancaster: Holy crap, he had a game in which he didn't drive himself in. And he had more than 1 RBI in a game. George Springer, CF, Lancaster: 3 walks in 1 game= I like. Brandon Wikoff, 2B, Corpus Christi: I feel that if it wasn't for his injury, he'd be in OKC. Angel Sanchez has been playing well as of late, but anyone else is better than him, right? Jimmy Paredes, 2B, Oklahoma City: Maybe Paredes is the one getting the call? Goat DSL Astros only got 3 hits against the Royals. Looking Ahead OKC and New Orleans are back at again at 7:05. Aneury Rodriguez will be the starter; he'll go up against Alex Sanabia. Interesting... after this series, both teams will play again in New Orleans. Jake Buchanan's turned it around a bit as of late. He will get the start for Corpus Christi in game 3 of their series with Midland at 7:05. He'll be opposed by Sonny Gray, Oakland's 1st round pick in 2011 (18th overall). Lancaster kicks off their roadtrip with a weekend series against Inland Empire at 7:05 Pacific. TBD will match up against the 66ers, who will send Ryan Crowley to the mound. Lexington starts the 2nd leg of their roadtrip in Greensboro, where the Legends will be facing off against the Grasshoppers for the weekend. Mike Foltynewicz, who got roughed up by Greensboro on Opening Night, will look for a little payback as he gets the start. He'll be opposed by TBD, but I presume that it's Charlile Lowell. Greensboro, the defending South Atlantic League champions, leads the Northern division, but their offense has been nonexistent as of late. They've scored 10 runs in the first 6 games this month, 8 of which came in a win against Savannah on Sunday. The other 5 games? They've scored a total of 2 runs and have been shut out in 3 of them. The DSLstros are underway against the Royals.
What's the word on Chase Davidson? Assuming he is at extended spring training? Dude absolutely raked last year.
This is Baseball America's Top 30 Prospects list from the beginning of the season. Well, we're coming off the Draft, and the class is signing (or is considering signing) their deals to play for the Astros. Let's change up the list to reflect the new signees, current player performance, and guys that will probably play short-season ball. You can change this up however you see fit, this list is just my opinion and conjecture. Original Top 30 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 New Top 30 30. Jodbuan Morales 29. Dallas Keuchel 28. Jonathan Meyer 27. Vincent Velasquez 26. Jose Cisnero 25. Matt Duffy 24. Bobby Doran 23. Jose Martinez 22. Jason Stoffel 21. Hunter Virant (if he signs) 20. Adrian Houser 19. Ariel Ovando 18. Jimmy Paredes 17. Austin Wates 16. Telvin Nash 15. Brett Oberholtzer 14. Jiovanni Mier 13. R.J. Alaniz 12. Paul Clemens 11. Rio Ruiz (if he signs) 10. Jonathan Villar 9. Nick Tropeano 8. Lance McCullers (if he signs) 7. Mike Foltynewicz 6. Delino DeShields 5. Domingo Santana 4. Jarred Cosart 3. George Springer 2. Carlos Correa 1. Jonathan Singleton
