2012 Astros Minor League Thread

I'll definitely check it out once I get my money in order. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Thanks Bima! First off, I'd like to apologize for not being very prompt in my response. I've been on the road all day and just got back to Houston.

Earlier in the thread, I made a top 30 list that was based off of Baseball America's Top 30 that was released in their Prospect Handbook. Admittedly, I just threw names in without giving much thought to anything. But, I'll go ahead and give it a shot.

Top 30, For Real

30. Wallace Gonzalez- This one seems like a pick out of left field, but it's not often that you hear a 6'5", 240 guy as possibly having five-tool potential. Gonzalez was being recruited to play tight end.

Minor League Ball

29. J.B. Shuck- A very pedestrian season so far for Shuck. Great speed, but doesn't know how to use it. Power is next to non-existent. Great plate discipline is pretty much neutralized because he isn't very aggressive on the bases. He is what he is: a reserve OF in the Majors.

28. Brett Phillips- Just starting out. An excellent athlete. Reminds me of Javaris Reynolds, who the Astros picked in the 7th round last year. But Phillips is probably a little more refined offensively.

27. Mike Kvasnicka- Crucify me for this if you want, but Kvasnicka has come around in a big way after that nightmare start he had to kick off the season. He's showing some power for the first time since turning pro. His struggles last season (according to club officials) were attributed to him trying to make the adjustments in order to play 3B. Also, he was trying to get acclimated to switch-hitting, which he started when he turned pro. The problem here is that Kvasnicka is being shuffled around everywhere and hasn't had the opportunity to settle at a position. He's also got a .256 BABIP this season. The South Atlantic League average BABIP is .312. He looks like an overdraft, but he isn't as bad as everyone's making him out to be.

26. Dallas Keuchel- Congratulations on reaching the bigs. He doesn't have the stuff; he just knows how to pitch. And he does that pretty well.

25. Jobduan Morales- Acquired from the Marlins in a trade sending Justin Ruggiano over there. Yeah, a catcher in short-season ball might be the Astros' best prospect at the position. He's a switch-hitting catcher that might have some offensive upside. A bit raw on defense, as well, as he was a converted infielder.

24. Vincent Velasquez- Underrating him since I haven't seen him in a while. Glad to see he's progressing nicely from Tommy John surgery. Injury history is a concern, as he didn't pitch his junior year of high school because of a stress fracture and a strained ligament in his elbow. I imagine he'll be on a pretty strict pitch count, even in Tri-City.

23. Bobby Doran- Has the potential to be this year's Jake Buchanan. Last year in Lancaster, he was just mauled. This time around he looks much more composed and has done a complete 180. He's certainly forcing the issue over who should be promoted to Corpus.

22. Matt Duffy- He's probably the top 3B in the system. Yeah, that's the state of 3rd base in the Houston Astros organization. He was probably Tri-City's most consistent hitter last year. He flashed some nice gap power despite hitting only 2 homers. Now the power has definitely arrived this season. He could hold his own in Corpus, where there really isn't anyone blocking him. Jonathan Meyer, who is a level ahead, is a slick fielder, and is hitting relatively well, but he's got a relatively empty average.

21. Jose Cisnero- Just threw a complete game 2-hitter. Excellent strikeout numbers, spotty command. "Spotty" is putting it very nicely at times. Mediocre off-speed stuff. I think he's glad that he isn't in Lancaster anymore.

20. Jason Stoffel- Stoffel looks like he could be worth a look in September. Corpus' primary closer touches 95-96 and is trying to perfect a breaking ball. It was a power curve at Arizona, and it's turned (or is turning) into a slider that he throws in the 80s. The knock on him was his regression in command, but he has improved in that area so far this season. At 0.89, he's the only Corpus pitcher with a WHIP under 1.

19. Telvin Nash- He's looking like a Three True Outcomes guy right now. And right now, he's only getting two outcomes. It's nice that he'll take a walk every now and then, but he'd probably have to walk at least 3 times a game to offset his exponentially rising strikeout rate. No doubt that he'll crush balls to oblivion. The problem is that he just wants to swing for the fences every. freaking. time. he comes up. At this rate, he'll probably eclipse 200 strikeouts with a month in hand.

18. D'Andre Toney- Showed five-tool potential in complex-league Rookie ball. At 5'10", 170, he looks like a guy with explosive athleticism, and is deceptively strong too. 7-18 on stolen bases means that he has some work to do on his jumps and pickoff evasion.

17. Ross Seaton- Finally, some consistency. He's been rushed in his career, and the results have been pretty messy. Can you believe he was part of the same draft class as Jordan Lyles? Finished strong last season, and he's definitely feeling comfortable repeating a level for the first time ever. His last time out, he actually set a new season high with 7 strikeouts. He's not a strikeout pitcher to begin with, but his K rate is pretty bad.

16. Austin Wates- If he were a middle infielder, he'd be a bit higher on this list and would have nowhere to go, as Jose Altuve and Jed Lowrie have pretty much entrenched themselves. I think he can stick in center field. He doesn't have a cannon, but his arm is adequate enough for center. The black J.B. Shuck. (Did I do that correctly?)

15. Ariel Ovando- Repeating Greeneville. That's alright with me. The biggest objective for him is to stay healthy, as he missed quite a bit of time with various problems. Very raw. Too hard to project his ETA right now. As the big-money bonus baby, I hope he's aware of the huge expectations that have been heaped on him. Hopefully he gets some run in Tri-City, too.

14. R.J. Alaniz- Well, he couldn't escape the Lancaster Effect forever, right? Otherwise, he's proven that you can have success pitching in such an extreme offensive environment. Hard thrower (there are reports of him getting up to 97), with a potential plus pitch in his changeup and a curve that was thought to be the best in the system. His curveball hasn't been as sharp this season. As with Foltynewicz, he could do a little better with the K rate. Controls his fastball pretty well, too.

13. Jio Mier- He turned it around in a big way before getting hurt. I hope it wasn't a fluke. We saw what Mier can be truly capable of in his debut in Greeneville. He's not as flashy as Villar or DeShields, but he's probably put himself back into the discussion with a renaissance season.

12. Adrian Houser- Him starting off in Greeneville was a bit surprising to me. The potential is certainly there, with a nice sinking fastball and a hard curve. His fastball touched 95 last year; I wonder if he added some MPH to it. Spotty command, but what 19-year-old pitcher doesn't have spotty command?

11. Nick Tropeano- I'd like to see him get some run in Corpus soon. Best changeup in the system is aided by a fastball that picked up some velocity since he arrived on the scene. Slider is average at the moment. He should still move fairly quickly through the system. Excellent command. Mowing down Low-A hitters, but to sustain his sucess, his slider needs to show progress. Weird: He's given up 72 hits in 74.1 innings of work for a .254 average against him. His BABIP is .348. His 2.23 FIP is a full run lower than his 3.27 ERA.

10. Brett Oberholtzer- Been a pretty uneven season. He'd follow up a gem (or at least a solid start) with a couple of stinkers. He is the top left-handed starter in a system that has next to none. Signing Virant would be a much-needed boost.

9. Paul Clemens- At this point of the season, I thought he'd be in Houston by now. He went down with back spasms and really has not looked the same since. If he was touching 96-97 in the spring, he's probably down in the low 90s up to 94 right now, due to his back.

8. Mike Foltynewicz- Stuff wise, he's probably 2nd or 3rd in the system. The only area of concern is his low strikeout total, especially at a level he's repeating.

7. Delino DeShields- He struggled mightily in his first full season, but it's still WAY too early to write him off. Plenty of factors contributed to his struggles last season. His potential peeked through at times in 2011 and is starting to reveal itself this season. DeShields has already blown away his stolen base total from last year, and he could flirt with 100, but I think he'll pan out in the 85-90 range. With his speed, he should beat out plenty of infield hits. I love the way he's changed his approach this season. Simply put, he's become much more threatening because his plus-plus speed is on base more often. He's got decent pop, and he might be a 15-20 homer guy in the future.

6. Jarred Cosart- Still a very high-upside guy. Unfortunately, the results have not come this season. Toss in his 1-game suspension for insubordinate conduct, and his stock has been hurting quite a bit. May have raised some questions with his attitude, as well. His tweet can also be interpreted as him having much to prove to the Astros, and to himself as well. A .331 BABIP probably means that he's giving up some cheap hits. A guy with his stuff can do much better than a 7.25 K/9.

OremLK (aka OremLK) brought up a very interesting question regarding Cosart a few nights ago on the Crawfish Boxes.

Quoted comment found here

A very well-thought out response

5. Domingo Santana- The PTBNL might turn out to be the best player out of the Astros' recent forays into the Phillies' system. Oddly enough, his home/away splits have been pretty even, for the most part. Next to Telvin Nash, his power is by far the best in the organization. Free swinger. However, when he gets all of the ball, a home run is just about certain. He did get slowed up by an injury in April, but has been raking ever since. Santana is 19 (turns 20 on August 5) and probably needs the entire year in Lancaster. I'd give him a couple of weeks in Corpus to finish off the year.

4. Jonathan Villar- Holy crap, did he ever get off to a bad start. I'm thinking that Carlos Correa's arrival might have turned the light on for him. Villar was known to coast through games last season... but with a talent like Correa coming in, yeah, those days are probably over. He's hitting .267 at the moment; that would be the high end of his average, where I expect him to be around .270. After scuffling to open the year, he looks like he's starting to put everything together.

3. George Springer- Yes, it's the California League. Has mashed at home, while being a little more pedestrian on the road. Springer might have the most aggressive approach in the entire system. All of his tools have been on display this season. Most notably, his defense. He'll win Gold Gloves in this league. Too bad it's an all-flash award. On the other hand, he can make the flashy play, and he can probably do it consistently down the line.

2. Carlos Correa- I'll put him at #1 when he destroys the GCL and the Appalachian League. He's got all the ingredients to become a superstar, and maybe even a HOFer.

1. Jonathan Singleton- Was the #1 entering this season, and his offensive performance has pretty much justified why he's the top prospect. Despite 1B not really being a big defensive position, he has the potential to be a competent defender there. His stock is holding steady, despite being currently mired in a pretty bad slump this month.

Where would the unsigned picks rank in this list?

Lance McCullers would probably come in as a top-5 guy. Obviously, there are the conflicting reports of his ultimate ceiling, whether he's a frontline starter or a dominating closer. If he turns out to be Billy Wagner, then I'd take that any day.

Rio Ruiz would instantly be the top 3B prospect and would probably be in the 9-13 range.

Hunter Virant will be the top lefty in the system and I'd slot him in the 15-20 range.

Fontana was being touted as the top defensive SS in the 2012 Draft, and also gets on base at an impressive clip. One of the hallmarks of statistical analysis permeating the baseball establishment. I'll slot him in around #12-15.

I really hope Hinojosa signs, but he's probably a fallback in case Ruiz doesn't. He'd probably fit somewhere in the top 20.

Some other guys to watch for:

These are mainly lower-level guys. Most are currently on the GCL roster.

Reymin Guduan, P, GCL Astros: Jeff Luhnow made a journey to the Dominican Republic in the offseason and noted Guduan as an "impressive" arm.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Happy V-Day.Impressive arm...LHP Reymin Guduan.Was up to 97 in fall. <a href="http://t.co/ivTiCuBZ" title="http://twitter.com/jluhnow/status/169439004968763393/photo/1">twitter.com/jluhnow/status…</a></p>&mdash; Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/jluhnow/status/169439004968763393" data-datetime="2012-02-14T15:13:02+00:00">February 14, 2012</a></blockquote>
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Terrell Joyce, LF, Greeneville: 11 homers in 42 games in the JUCO ranks. I'm really liking his power potential.

Chan-Jong Moon, SS, Lexington: Signed for $350K out of South Korea in 2009, his glove was considered a better tool than his bat. Now, in a small sample size, it looks like his bat is coming around, as he's showing a bit of pop. Also he's quite a character in the Legends clubhouse. He took Brandon Meredith and Jordan Scott out for Korean food a couple of weeks ago.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Going to get Korean food forMy first time with @<a href="https://twitter.com/JTScott1">JTScott1</a> and moon... Pray for me</p>&mdash; brandon meredith (@bmeezytrain) <a href="https://twitter.com/bmeezytrain/status/209429651406340098" data-datetime="2012-06-03T23:41:34+00:00">June 3, 2012</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Moon cooking our meal... <a href="http://t.co/lkk41uyV" title="http://twitter.com/bmeezytrain/status/209438082498441216/photo/1">twitter.com/bmeezytrain/st…</a></p>&mdash; brandon meredith (@bmeezytrain) <a href="https://twitter.com/bmeezytrain/status/209438082498441216" data-datetime="2012-06-04T00:15:05+00:00">June 4, 2012</a></blockquote>
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Teoscar Hernandez, OF, GCL Astros: Led the Academy in almost every statistical category last year. Now, he's making his U.S. debut, where I think he'll get most of the time in RF for the GCLstros.

Jose Montero, P, GCL Astros: Had a great debut as a 17-year-old in the Domincan Summer League, then lost all of last year to an injury.

Brady Rodgers, P, Tri-City: I expect him to move pretty quickly through the system. Another guy that knows how to pitch, and how to pitch effectively.

Juan Santana, SS, GCL Astros: One year in the Academy was apparently enough for the Astros to realize that they might have something in Santana. Judging from his numbers, he has a pretty advanced approach at the plate for a teen (16 most of last year). He'll be 17 for almost the entire season. Bat seems to be ahead of glove right now for Santana.

Michael Feliz, P, GCL Astros: Originally signed by Oakland for $800K, he had to sit out 50 games for a violation of the substance abuse policy, and the contract was voided. The Astros swooped in and signed him for 50% off. Held his own during his first go-round in the GCL as a 17-year-old. I expect him to make the jump to Greeneville at some point this season. Although that's a little too hopeful.

Ernesto Genoves, C, Greeneville: Genoves repeating Greeneville was definitely a surprise. I thought that he made enough strides offensively to advance.

Luis Reynoso, SS, DSL Astros: He was the big-money international signing of 2011, as he got a $700K bonus. Plus-potential defense, great athlete.

Baseball America:

Arturo Michelena, SS, DSL Astros: Venezuelan igned for $220K, he's been playing 2B in deference to Reynoso. Defense is ahead of bat for right now.

Harold Arauz, P, DSL Astros: Panama native signed for $300K after being showcased in the Dominican Prospect League. Projectable, athletic RHP.

DPL:

Jose Fernandez, SS, Lexington: Not to be confused with the Marlins pitcher of the same name, he's currently in Lexington right now, but I would imagine that he goes down to one of the short-season clubs to get regular playing time. Skipped the Academy altogether in 2009, and then-assistant GM Ricky Bennett touted him as a 10-12 homer player once he's fully developed.

http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Minor-League-Notebook-Youngsters-tending-farm-1701627.php

 

Please disregard the time stamp on my Top 30 post. I started writing that at 9 last night and kept copying and pasting what I wrote so the post submission window wouldn't expire and I probably would've had to restart everything.

Saturday Stories

Astros 2, Rangers 1.

Some very nice pitching performances in the system last night.

Recap

Round Rock Express fans, have fun with that last-place team of yours. After all, you wanted to hitch your wagon to a team that won all the time. OKC took the first two out of 3 with an 8-5 victory. A 5-run 5th was enough to withstand a late 9th-inning rally in which the Express scored 3 in the bottom of the inning. 5 guys had 2 hits apiece, led by Crash Hessman, who had a 2-run homer (19) in the 5th. One batter later, Brad Snyder followed up by going solo for his 10th of the year. Landon Powell only had 1 hit in the game, but it turned out to be his 5th homer of the season in the 8th inning. Jimmy Paredes, Angel Sanchez (2 hits each), and Scott Moore (0-3) drove in 1 each. Mr. Almost-Perfect, Armando Galarraga, threw 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (both on a 2-run homer) on 3 hits and struck out 1. Aneury Rodriguez followed up with 3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and striking out 2. Juan Abreu was knocked around in the 9th as he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), but he had enough about himself to finish off the game.

Corpus took out Frisco 5-0 on the strength of the best pitching performance in the Astros system this season, as Jose Cisnero went the distance and tossed a 2-hitter. It took him 118 pitches to complete the game, and he walked 2 and fanned 6. Kody Hinze started off the scoring with a 2-run homer (8) in the top of the 4th. Jonathan Villar went 2-5 with an RBI single and stole his 30th base of the season. Andy Simunic was 3-4 and rounded it out with an RBI single in the 9th, took 3rd on an error, and came home to score on a wild pitch. Continuing his rehab assignment, Carlos Lee was 2-4.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Even the Rangers minor league games are annoying to watch. Carlos Lee just needs to sit on all the Frisco players.</p>&mdash; Jayne (@whattheheck57) <a href="https://twitter.com/whattheheck57/status/214177884137467904" data-datetime="2012-06-17T02:09:21+00:00">June 17, 2012</a></blockquote>
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In their final game before the California League All-Star break, Lancaster topped Inland Empire 5-3. Chris Epps has taken full advantage of his new offensive environment, as he went 2-3 with a 2-run homer (3; 5 season) in the 4th. George Springer was 2-5 and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 3rd for the first run of the game. He also ripped a 2-run double to deep center in the 6th, but paid for his greediness by getting thrown out at 3rd. Bobby Doran turned in another fine start for the Jethawks in his 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 2 runs (1 inherited) on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 3. Jose Trinidad allowed one of Doran's runners to score and one run of his own in trying to finish out the 8th. Andrew Robinson shut the door for his 4th save of the season.

Lexington defeated Asheville 4-1 behind Jonas Dufek's best start of the season. He allowed a run (solo homer) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7 in 7 innings of work. Evan Grills and Dayan Diaz put the finishing touches on this one. The Legends scored 2 in the 6th to take the lead. Mike Kvasnicka, who finished 2-4, had an RBI single, and Brandon Meredith (1-4) had an RBI groundout. On his birthday, Zach Johnson went 2-4 and came through with a 2-run single in the 7th. Delino DeShields went 0-2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

The Academy was shut out by the Athletics, losing by a TD. They were held to 5 hits in the game; Brauly Mejia had 2 of them. Johan Arias went 3 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walking 5 and striking out 2.

Game Scores

Armando Galarraga: 54
Jose Cisnero: 87
Bobby Doran: 65
Jonas Dufek: 72
Johan Arias: 48

Three Stars

3.



Zach Johnson, 1B, Lexington
2-4, 2 RBI

Happy (belated) Birthday to you. He might be viewed as an organizational guy, but he gets the job done. I'd like to see him on his way up too.

2.



Jonas Dufek, P, Lexington
W, 7 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 72 Game Score

He outdid Mr. Almost-Perfect in relief a week ago, and now, he fired off his best performance of the year. Is settling in nicely after being pretty uneven to start the season.

1.



Jose Cisnero, P, Corpus Christi
W, CG, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 87 Game Score

After a tough May, Cisnero has just owned the Texas League this month. He might have middling off-speed stuff, but his fastball is as nasty as they come. Was still at 94-95 in the 9th. He now has the best performance by an Astros Minor League pitcher this season.

Honorable Mentions

Chris Epps, LF, Lancaster: Probably loves his new home park. He's not too bad on the road either. He might have cemented his spot in Lancaster now that Grant Hogue is on the DL.

George Springer, CF, Lancaster: Would you expect anything less?

Evan Grills and Dayan Diaz, Lexington: Jason Chowning has moved on, but Grills has taken his spot in a dominant Legends bullpen. Diaz needs to be on his way up at some point.

Goat

Well, the Academy was held to 5 hits in a shutout loss. Someone had to be the goat...

Looking Ahead

OKC and Round Rock wrap up their series at 7:05 tonight, with Paul Clemens matching up against our old friend Roy Oswalt.

Corpus and Frisco will finish up at 6. Brett Oberholtzer draws former Aggie Barret Loux. At 11-0, Loux has won all but 1 of his 12 starts.

Lancaster is enjoying their All-Star break right now. The California League All-Stars will be traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to face off against the Carolina League All-Stars on June 19. George Springer and Bobby Doran will be representing the Jethawks.

As part of the festivities, Springer will also be taking part in the home run derby. He'll go up against Stockton's Miles Head, Visalia's Chris Owings, Rancho Cucamonga's C.J. Retherford, Winston-Salem's Michael Earley and Brady Shoemaker, Carolina's Jeremie Tice, and Lynchburg's Chris Garcia.

Lexington and Asheville will finish off their series in a matter of minutes at 1:35 Eastern. Nick Tropeano will match up against Tyler Anderson, the 20th pick in 2011, and the #7 prospect in the Rockies' system. After that... they'll be on an All-Star break as well. The game will be held in Charleston on June 19.

 

Jose Cisnero makes the front page of MiLB.com

 

Nick Tropeano loses no-hitter in 6th and has been a bit off command-wise, but he has just worked out of a 2nd and 3rd jam to keep Asheville scoreless. No score heading into the bottom of the 6th in Lexington.

http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/wlxg

 

Sunday Stories

OKC matches up against a former Astro.

Late start for Corpus, late finish.

Nick Tropeano's control abandoned him, but Lexington got some timely hitting.

Recap

OKC had to settle for a split as they fell 4-2 to Round Rock. Scott Moore went 1-3 with an RBI single in the 3rd, and Angel Sanchez was 3-4 with an RBI single in the 6th. Paul Clemens allowed 4 runs on 13 hits (solo homer) and struck out 4 in 6 innings of work. Enerio Del Rosario finished the game, allowing a hit and striking out 1 in 2 scoreless innings.

Corpus and Frisco had a late start, as rain delayed the first pitch for 1:41. And they had a late finish, as well. The Hooks dragged it on even longer as they got plenty of insurance in the 11th, as they ran off 9 in the top half to turn a 5-5 game into a 14-5 romp. Well, all 9 Hooks runs came off position players, but it's whatever. Everyone had at least 1 hit in this one. The 11th was fueled by a 3-run homer from Kody Hinze (9, his 3rd straight game with a homer) and 2 2-run homers from Jair Fernandez (2) and Jonathan Villar (5). Fernandez was one of 4 players with 3 hits apiece. He was 3-6 with the homer, an RBI single, and scored 3 times. Drew Muren also went 3-6, with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Adam Bailey was 3-5 with a double. And lastly, Jose Martinez was 3-7 with 3 RBI singles. Villar added an RBI double to go along with his homer. All 3 homers in the 11th came with 2 outs. Andy Simunic and Jonathan Singleton drove in 1 each.

Pitching-wise, Brett Oberholtzer allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on only 2 hits (solo homer) in 6 innings, walking 1 and striking out 5. Fernandez and Martinez had RBI singles in the top of the 9th that gave the Hooks a 5-3 lead, but Jason Stoffel was unable to finish it off, blowing his first save of the season. Erick Abreu pitched 2 scoreless for the win, allowing a hit and walking 2.

Lexington earned a split in their final game before the SAL All-Star break, as they topped Asheville 2-0. The Legends finally broke through with 2 in the bottom of the 8th. Brandon Meredith led off the 8th with a triple and came home on Justin Gominsky's RBI single. Chan-Jong Moon sent Gominsky home on a long, long double. Gominsky also had himself an outfield assist, as he threw out Ryan Casteel at home to end the 7th. Casteel and Asheville manager Joe Mikulik ended up getting the heave-ho after throwing simultaneous tantrums.

Remember this?

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Nick Tropeano threw 7 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 7, but he also issued 5 walks in the process. Murilo Gouvea got the win by pitching a scoreless 8th, allowing a hit and striking out 2. And finally, Dayan Diaz finished it off with his 8th save of the season.

Game Scores

Paul Clemens: 34
Brett Oberholtzer: 64
Nick Tropeano: 73

Three Stars

3.



Justin Gominsky, CF, Lexington
1-3, RBI, outfield assist

Came up with some real clutch plays late. First, the throw home that preserved a scoreless game in the 7th, and then the base hit that put the Legends on the board in the 8th.

2.



Lexington's Pitchers

Nick Tropeano: 7 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 7 K
Murilo Gouvea: W, IP, H, 2 K
Dayan Diaz: S (8)

Legends pitching has been damn good this year. All three of these guys should be moving on up soon.

1.



Corpus Christi Hooks
W 14-5 @ Frisco
14 R, 19 H, 3 HR

Well, there you go. What a way to get the victory.

Honorable Mentions

Chan-Jong Moon, SS, Lexington: So, he missed tying the game by a couple of feet on Saturday, but no matter. He provided the insurance for the Legends in this game.

Angel Sanchez, SS, Oklahoma City: He's still hanging around?

Drew Muren, CF, Corpus Christi: He's pulling out all the stops to try and stick around once Austin Wates comes off the DL.

Goat



And for the first time this season, Jason Stoffel couldn't close the deal. Oh well, all was forgiven when Corpus blew the game wide open in the 11th.

Random



Maybe it's just me, but Jair Fernandez looks like a darker Wilton Lopez.

Looking Ahead

OKC is on the road for tomorrow, and they'll be kicking off a series with Nashville beginning Tuesday night at 7:05 Eastern. Wes Musick will face off against Claudio Vargas that evening.

Corpus is looking to haul ass out of Frisco ASAP, as they're set to kick off a series in San Antonio beginning at 7:05. Jake Buchanan will get the start for the Hooks; opposing him will be Andrew Cashner, I believe.

Lancaster and Lexington are on their All-Star breaks.

Short-season ball will be kicking off, as the Tri-City Valleycats will be in Burlington, Vermont, to square off against the Vermont Lake Monsters.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Vincent Velasquez will make his first start since 2010 in the @<a href="https://twitter.com/ValleyCats">ValleyCats</a> season opener tomorrow <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523astros">#astros</a></p>&mdash; Brooks Parker (@Subber10) <a href="https://twitter.com/Subber10/status/214550780034813952" data-datetime="2012-06-18T02:51:06+00:00">June 18, 2012</a></blockquote>
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Velasquez will be opposed by Deyvi Jimenez. First pitch will be at 7:05 Eastern.

A certain #1 overall pick will make his much-anticipated debut for the GCL Astros, as they will host the Cardinals in Kissimmee at noon Eastern time.

The Academy will host the A's at 10:30 AM Eastern.

 

1. He's on the outside of my Top 30. Control issues are plaguing him. Hopefully he can iron them out, because with his stuff, I think he's a possible closer candidate in 2013 or 2014.

2. Mier's progressing in his rehab. I haven't seen a timetable in a while, but I think he'll be good to go by July.

 

GCL Astros lineup today

Brett Phillips, CF
Carlos Correa, SS
Teoscar Hernandez, RF
Yonathan Mejia, 1B
Darwin Rivera, 3B
Juan Santana, 2B
Alfredo Gonzalez, C
Kelvin Vizcaino, LF
Ydarqui Marte, DH

Starter: Michael Feliz