Is it me or does it seem like Carlos Correa only hits doubles? Maybe it's just the recaps I have happened to read so far, but it seems like he always gets one or two hits and they are always doubles.
Actually, it just happens to be his last 3 hits (over the last 2 days). The only hits he had before yesterday were singles.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Mitch Lambson is being sent to Lexington and Quezada is coming back to Greeneville.Best of luck to Mitch</p>— Appy Astros (@AppyAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/AppyAstros/status/218771494598230016" data-datetime="2012-06-29T18:22:43+00:00">June 29, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>A couple more moves - Corpus OF Austin Wates activated from the DL. OKC RHP Jose Valdez placed on the DL.</p>— Jayne (@whattheheck57) <a href="https://twitter.com/whattheheck57/status/218770093465804801" data-datetime="2012-06-29T18:17:09+00:00">June 29, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613626.html Delino DeShields took the #2 spot on this week's Prospect Hot sheet from Baseball America.
Brady Rogers pitched 5.2 IP yesterday giving up 1 ER with 7 K's. His ERA in 2 starts(9.2IP) is 0.93. He's also only allowed 1BB to 13K's in those 9.2IP. It's early with this guy too but I can see how Luhnow expects him to be on a fast track. Looks like he has similarities as a right-handed Dallas Keuchel which should translate in the Majors.
Friday Stories OKC tries to sweep a road series. Timely hitting for Corpus sends them on their way to a win. Heartbreak in Lancaster. Lexington tried a comeback too. Did it work? Tri-City on a roll! Greeneville and Danville had their own rendition of Astros/Braves Game 4 in 2005. Recap Nothing really to report as OKC was blanked by Iowa 7-0 in their series finale. Well, at least the Redhawks took 2 of 3 in this one. They were held to 5 hits in this one, with Jimmy Paredes going 2-3 with a triple. Paul Clemens threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. Speaking of Paredes.... he, Mike Hessman, and Landon Powell were named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team. They will take on the International League All-Stars in the Triple-A All Star Game, which will be held on July 11 in Buffalo. The first series of the 2nd half for Corpus was a rewind of the opening series of the season, as they topped NW Arkansas 3-1. Andy Simunic went 2-4 with an RBI double and an RBI single. Jair Fernandez had an RBI single in the 8th. Jose Cisnero closed the book on an excellent month of June as he allowed a run on 8 hits in 6 innings, walking 2 and striking out 5. Henry Villar followed him up with a 1-2-3 7th and a 1-2-3 8th, striking out 2. And Jason Stoffel finished out his 12th save of the season, allowing a hit and striking out 2 in the 9th. Lancaster fell 8-7 to Rancho Cucamonga in a back-and-forth tilt. Rafael Valenzuela went 2-5 with a solo homer (2) in the 7th to make it an 8-7 game; unfortunately, the Jethawks couldn't get the tying run across. He was one of 3 Jethawks to have 2 hits; Chris Epps and George Springer also had 2 of their own. Epps added an RBI, and all three of them scored 2 runs. Domingo Santana, Telvin Nash, Jonathan Meyer, and Enrique Hernandez also drove in a run. David Martinez went 6 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits (3-run homer) and struck out 3. Pat Urckfitz got the loss as he allowed 3 runs (all unearned) on only 1 hit (a double) in the 7th. He did, however, have a 1-2-3 8th inning. Garrett Gould was scheduled to start this one for Rancho, but was scratched. I wonder why. Lexington returned home and promptly dropped their series opener with Asheville 4-3. Justin Gominsky had a 2-run double in the 4th and Jordan Scott had an RBI double in the 7th. Zach Johnson went 3-4 with 2 doubles and scored a run. Carlos Quevedo got a spot start, presumably for the promoted Nick Tropeano. He went 2 1/3, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits (solo homer). Tom Shirley made his Legends debut, going 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 1. And lastly, Gabriel Garcia finished with 3 1/3 perfect innings, striking out 2. For the 2nd straight night, Tri-City took down Connecticut 5-2. The ValleyCats are now on a 6-game winning streak. In his professional debut, Tyler Heineman got the start at catcher and went 2-2 out of the 8 spot. RBIs were provided by Andrew Aplin (2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 SB (6)), Emilio King (1-4, 2B), and Jesse Wierzbicki (2-3). Aplin also scored on a passed ball in the 1st, and right after that, Austin Elkins scored on a wild pitch. Brady Rodgers earned his first win as a pro, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits and striking out 7. John Neely, Travis Ballew (1.1 IP each, Neely 4 H and 2 Ks, Ballew 2 with 3 Ks) Kenny Long, and Blake Ford finished it off. In the longest game in Greeneville Astros history, they lost 6-2 in 17 innings to the Danville Braves. There was no scoring until the 9th, when both teams put 1 up in their half of the inning. Christian Garcia went wild, allowing Carlos Franco to score. Brian Blasik responded with an RBI single to tie the game. In the 16th, Aris Alcantara tripled to lead off the inning, then scored on Felix Marte's RBI single. In the bottom half, Ariel Ovando re-tied the game with a sac fly scoring Jose Monzon. And then, the Appy Astros lost this one in the absolute worst possible way in the 17th. Tanner Bushue got two quick groundouts. Then... Jean Carlos Batista's 1st of 2 errors in the inning opened the floodgates. The first one allowed Carlos Franco to reach, and Franco would later steal 2nd. Bushue intentionally walked Alcantara, then Trent Moses poked a single through the right side of the infield scoring Franco. Blake Brown walked to load the bases, then Bushue uncorked a wild one to score Alcantara. Batista's 2nd error of the inning resulted in the final 2 Braves runs. Greeneville used 7 pitchers in this game. Adrian Houser had a very nice start, but that felt like an eternity ago. He threw 6 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 8. Christian Garcia got the last out of the 8th for Scott Zuloaga and allowed the go-ahead run in the 9th without allowing a hit. He walked 3 and struck out 1. Mike Dimock went 3 innings, allowing a hit and striking out 3. Zach Dando allowed the 2nd go-ahead run in the 16th, going 4 innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and fanning 6. Bushue allowed all 4 runs (all unearned) in the 17th and walked 3. The GCLstros romped the Nationals 8-2 as 6 guys drove in a run for the win. Carlos Correa went 2-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI. Darwin Rivera also doubled twice with an RBI. Yonathan Mejia, Juan Santana, Alfredo Gonzalez, and Ydarqui Marte also drove in a run. Brett Phillips went 2-5 with 2 triples. Chia-Jen Lo went 2 innings, allowing a hit, walking 2 and striking out 2. Enderson Franco picked up the slack and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings, striking out 2. Rodney Quintero got the win , allowing a hit, walking 1 and striking out 3. The Academy blew a 4-1 lead late and lost 5-4 to the Rays. Pedro Coa went 2-4 with a solo homer (1) in the 5th. They scored all 4 in the 5th. Frederick Serrano went 1-3 with an RBI. The other 2 runs were not driven in. Samil De Los Santos allowed 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking 1 and striking out 6. Frangy Colon allowed 3 runs in the 7th to get the loss.
Friday's Game Scores Paul Clemens: 34 Jose Cisnero: 55 David Martinez: 41 Carlos Quevedo: 31 Brady Rodgers: 56 Adrian Houser: 74 Chia-Jen Lo: 54 (Enderson Franco: 49) Samil De Los Santos: 61 Three Stars 3. Andrew Aplin, CF, Tri-City 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (6) 7 walks, 1 strikeout. In the early going, he leads the NY-Penn League in batting average, on-base percentage, and stolen bases. He is 10th in slugging, and 2nd in OPS. I might be getting ahead of myself, but he could be a candidate to skip Lexington if he keeps this up. 2. Carlos Correa, SS, and Brett Phillips, CF, GCL Astros Correa: 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R Phillips: 2-5, 2 3B, 2 R Well, they did combine to go 0-7 with 3 strikeouts today. But they're still teens. They'll get the hang of it. 1. Adrian Houser, P, Greeneville 6 IP, 3 H, 8 K, 74 GS Only one thing to say... Too bad his offense decided to support him with 1 hit. Honorable Mentions Brady Rodgers, P, Tri-City: With Nick Tropeano on his way up, there's an open spot in the Lexington rotation. I'd like to see Carlos Quevedo move up as a reliever. Hmm.... a couple more starts like that should do the trick. Andy Simunic, 3B, Corpus Christi: A nice game for him. But he's probably keeping that 3B job in Corpus warm for Jonathan Meyer or Matt Duffy. Jason Stoffel, P, Corpus Christi: Don't know about you, but I'd rather see him get some run in Houston's bullpen... Goat None of the runs he gave up was earned, but Tanner Bushue is just lost right now. Jean Carlos Batista also blew it with some pretty bad defense.
Maybe Brandon Barnes is a late bloomer. It's not likely but at this point I'm ready to see anybody except Schafer in center. This lineup needs some new blood. Not saying he's a future HOFer, i just think he's earned a look.
I kind of wrote off following Tri-City as the affiliate with the least interesting prospects, but man I was wrong. Those guys are kicking ass right now, pretty much the only team in the system dominating on both sides of the ball. I know its still really early for that team, but they are actually producing in games. The Ruiz/McCullers/Correa trio are pretty much in glorified training camp down in the GCL league. Andrew Aplin (CF) - 5th rounder this year Batting .455/.545/.545 in 33 AB's. Leads the league in runs and stolen bases. Jobduan Morales (C) - acquired from FL this year for chump change Batting .333/.371/.606 in 33 AB's. Dan Gulbransen (OF) - 16th round this year Batting .344/.488/.595 in 32 AB's. Austin Elkins (IF) - 19th round this year. Batting .391/.417/.522 in 46 AB's. Vincent Velasquez - 2nd rounder in 2010 2-0 with a 1.76 era in 3 starts/15.1 innings. 16K's, 3 BB Brady Rodgers - 3rd rounder this year 1-0 with a 0.93 era in 2 starts/9.1 innings. 13K's, 1 BB Aaron West - 17th round this year 1-0 with a 0.00 era in 2 starts/8.0 innings. 7K's, 1 BB Travis Ballew - 23rd round this year 2-0 with a 1.13 era in 4 appearances. 11 K's, 1 BB These guys don't have the name-recognition of the big trio, but this group could significantly boost the depth of the system. I could see many of them being high C to B level prospects in a year or two.
Saturday Stories Oh, you thought the wheels fell off for OKC? It was so bad that J.B. Shuck had to pitch. Corpus with a show of force against NW Arkansas. Lancaster jumps out to 8-2 lead; has to... ...to get the win. Lexington couldn't get it done, either. Delino DeShields continues to make that stolen base record unreachable in Lexington. Another position player was called on to pitch here. Tri-City with an emphatic... After the longest game in their history, Greeneville explodes! Recap You thought the wheels fell off for OKC? Well, it went a little like this. The Redhawks led Memphis 5-0 after 4, then were promptly undressed 20-6. Yes, over the final 5 innings, the Redbirds outscored the Redhawks 20-1. Well, how was that possible? One Mike Hessman error in the 5th more or less set the events of the inning (and the rest of the game) in motion. Offensively, Hessman (24) and Brandon Barnes (3, 10 season) hit solo shots. Angel Sanchez and Jimmy Paredes also had RBIs. Brian Bass went 4 2/3 innings, allowing 6 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3. The bullpen was a disaster. In his first pitching appearance since his junior year at Ohio State (in which he made 11 starts), J.B. Shuck pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Corpus got contributions from everyone as they whipped NW Arkansas 13-7. For all the production, only Jose Martinez homered. His 9th of the year was a 3-run homer in the 7th for the Hooks' final runs. He finished with 5 RBI. Everyone had an RBI except for Jair Fernandez. Jonathan Singleton went 0-4 with a hat trick to drop his average to .261. Here's to, hopefully, a better July. Jonathan Villar, Andy Simunic, Martinez, and Drew Locke each had 2 hits. Austin Wates went 3-5 with an RBI in his 2nd game off the DL. Bobby Doran had a bare minimum quality start, allowing 6 hits and striking out 4. Lancaster jumped out to an 8-2 lead over Rancho Cucamonga after the 3rd inning, then they had to cling to an 8-7 win as the Quakes chipped away at the lead. Grant Hogue went 4-4 with a triple, an RBI, 2 steals (4), and 3 runs scored. George Springer, Domingo Santana (his 50th of the year), and Alex Todd each had an RBI. Santana's current 7-game hitting streak has brought his average to .293. He also had an outfield assist in this game, cutting down Leon Landry at 2nd base. Zach Grimmett went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs (all on 3 homers) on 8 hits (2 solos and a 2-run shot), walking 2 and striking out 3. Kirk Clark allowed 3 runs across the 7th and 8th innings to make it an 8-7 game, but Andrew Robinson finished it with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out 2 to get his 5th save of the season. Robinson has been locked in since his disastrous start to the season. After posting an ERA over 14 in April, he knocked that down to 3.38 in May, and finished off an excellent June, with a 2.40 ERA. Asheville teed off Nathan Pettus for 7 in the 7th to completely flip the momentum. Lexington would go on to lose 13-8. Matt Duffy went 3-5 with a double and 3 RBI. Honestly, there's not really much point keeping him in Lexington any longer. Delino DeShields went 0-4 with an RBI and 2 Ks, but he also had 3 steals (57). Brandon Meredith hit a consolation solo homer (6) in the 8th. Justin Gominsky had 2 doubles and an RBI. Ruben Sosa went 2-4 with 2 RBI. Mike Foltynewicz suffered his first loss since Opening Day, as he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 6 innings, walking 2 and striking out 4. Pettus got tagged with all 7 Tourists runs in the 7th (6 earned). Mitch Lambson, in his Lexington debut, went 4 up and 4 down with 2 strikeouts. Dayan Diaz struck out the only man he faced, and Luis Alvarez, normally a catcher, walked 1 and struck out 1 in the 9th. Tri-City closed the door on an excellent series, battering Connecticut 14-5 to get the sweep. Austin Elkins went 3-4 with 2 runs scored from the leadoff spot. Andrew Aplin was 1-2 with an RBI single, a sac fly, 2 runs scored, and a steal (7). Joe Sclafani was 2-4 with a 2-run single. The big hits of the night belonged to Jobduan Morales, whose grand slam in the 4th (2) completely put the ValleyCats in the driver's seat. Not to be outdone, Dan Gulbransen went 3-3 with a 2-run single, a double, and a 3-run homer (1st as a pro). That was more than enough for Vince Velasquez, who allowed a run on 6 hits in 6 innings, walking 2 and striking out 7. The only negatives from his outing was that he uncorked 2 wild pitches and was called for a balk. One night after losing a tough 17-inning marathon, Greeneville deemed extra innings to be unnecessary as they took 2 of 3 from Danville with authority, winning 13-4. Ariel Ovando went 3-5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, but he didn't have the best night on the team. It was a true show of power here, as the Appy Astros were paced by homers from Jose Monzon (1, 3-run homer in the 2nd), Mike Martinez (2, 2-run in the 3rd), and Jean Carlos Batista (1, solo in the 3rd). Ernesto Genoves went 3-5 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Angel Ibanez went 2-4 with an RBI and scored twice. Richard Rodriguez had a nice outing, going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 9. The GCLstros topped the Nationals 3-2, as Franny Polanco's RBI single in the 7th proved to be the difference. He finished 3-3 with another RBI single in the 5th. Darwin Rivera led off the bottom of the 2nd with a homer, his 1st of the season. Wallace Gonzalez went 2-3 with a double and a triple. Carlos Correa went 0-4 with a strikeout. Raul Rivera allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 1st. Michael Feliz pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits (solo homer) and striking out 3. Erick Gonzalez recorded his 3rd save. Feliz might be only 18, but the Astros got an absolute steal. In 2010, this kid was supposed to be an Oakland A until he got busted for a positive test. The Astros swooped in and signed him, and he could get a taste of Greeneville at some point this season. The Academy walked off 3-2 winners against the Indians, as Arturo Michelena delivered the winning single. Mesac Laguna had a sac fly in the 7th that tied the game at 2. Cristian Murillo scored on a balk in the 6th. Jarico Reynoso went 2-3 with a triple. Randy Cesar was 3-4, and Frederick Serrano went 2-4 with a double. Juan Hernandez went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 1. Javier Saucedo threw 4 scoreless for the win, allowing 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2.
With another month of the season complete, we flip the calendar to July. Here's how the Astros minor league affiliates stand. OKC, at 46-31, is a half-game behind Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League American Southern division. Corpus is 6-2 in the 2nd half and 43-35 overall. In the 2nd half, they are in 2nd place in the Texas League South, 1 game behind San Antonio. If the Texas League didn't use the half format, the Hooks would be tied for the lead with Frisco, who won the 1st half. Lancaster in the 2nd half is 3-7, in a 3-way tie for 3rd with Inland Empire and Rancho Cucamonga. The Jethawks are currently 5 behind Lake Elsinore. Overall, they are at .500, with 40 wins and 40 losses. They would be 4 games behind Lake Elsinore and High Desert (who won the 1st half). Lexington is 3-7 in the 2nd half, tied with Savannah for last in the South Atlantic League's Southern division. The Legends are currently 5 behind Rome, who, despite their 8-2 start to the 2nd half, is still the worst team in the entire league, with a 26-54 record. Overall, the Legends are 42-37, which would put them in 4th, 8.5 behind Asheville. Tri-City, at 10-3, is leading the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division, 2 ahead of Vermont. The ValleyCats are currently riding an 8-game winning streak. I've never understood why there's one 6-team division and 2 4-team divisions in the league. Greeneville, at 8-4, is tied with Elizabethton for the lead in the Appalachian League's West division. They are 2 ahead of Johnson City. Impressive start for the Appy Astros, as they've faced the defending champions (Johnson City) and the co-leaders of the East (Danville and Princeton) and won all 3 of those series. They also took 2 of 3 from Kingsport, who is in last place in the West. The GCLstros, at 6-5, are 1 game behind the Cardinals in the GCL East. Once again, there's 2 4-team divisions and a 6-team division here. The Academy is 9-15, in 7th place in the Boca Chica Northwest division, 10.5 behind the Mariners. Looking Ahead After getting an Andrew Jackson hung on them last night, OKC and Memphis will be back at it again at 6:05. Armando Galarraga will get the start against Tyler Lyons. Corpus Christi will be looking for the sweep of NW Arkansas at 6:05. Jarred Cosart will start for the Hooks; the Naturals will counter with Sugar Ray Marimon. Yes, his name really is Sugar Ray. Nick Tropeano will make his first start as a Lancaster Jethawk tonight as they open up a series on the road with Modesto at 6:05 Pacific. TBA will oppose him. Lexington's game with Asheville has literally just started. Luis Cruz is going up against Dan Winkler. Coming off an impressive home sweep, Tri-City hits the road for a getaway series in Lowell. Aaron West will start against Raynel Velette at 5:05 Eastern. After a nice 1st homestand, Greeneville is on the road to open a series against Kingsport at 5 Eastern. Francis Ramirez will take on Akeel Morris. GCLstros and DSLStros are off today.
What I'm really liking about him is he seems to be an impact player. He goes 0-4, but manages to swipe 3 bags? Awesome. He had a completely opposite game today -- he went 3-4 with a walk, but was caught stealing twice.
Was it here that I read some updated top prospects lists would be released tomorrow? Excited to see if DDJ cracks the top 100...
Nick Tropeano allowed an unearned run in 8 innings, allowing 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 9 against Modesto. He's looking for the complete game now. George Springer just hit his 16th homer of the season to put Lancaster up 3-1 in the 9th. More to come...
Yep. Baseball America is supposed to post their mid-season top 100 sometime this week and John Sickels's top 120 goes up tomorrow morning. I don't think DDJ cracks the top 100 lists yet, but an honorable mention nod would be a nice acknowledgement.
