How does the DSL compare to the short season leagues in the US? Is it possible Payano starts in TriCity or Greenville instead?
Jiovani Mier is starting to hit AA pitching. Nolan Fontana has a freakish BB% so it may obscure someone like Mier who just is really good at taking walks. I don't see Mier as anything more than a possible backup at the moment at MLB level, but don't see him getting jumped by Fontana to AAA.
Ovando went to Greeneville for his first season, but was also several months older. I'd guess GCL, though DSL was expected.
Friday Stories A streak is over. Another streak continues, though. Oklahoma City and Omaha was postponed A rough end to the month for the OKC area, weather-wise. Torrential rains caused the postponement, and Asher Wojciechowski's mother also tweeted that there were tornadoes in the area (see previous page), presumably after getting in touch with Asher himself. A make-up date for this game is TBA. The Redhawks will now hit the road, starting off with a 4-game set in Albuquerque. Brett Oberholtzer will start the opener, and he'll be opposed by Aaron Laffey. First pitch is at 7:05 Mountain. Arkansas 5, Corpus Christi 3 The Travelers scored 2 in the bottom of the 8th to take the opener. Bobby Doran pitched 5 solid innings as he allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and fanned 4. Nick Tropeano did not tag in; instead, Andrew Robinson was the first man out, and he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and walked 1 in 1 1/3. Pat Urckfitz took the loss, as he gave up the 2 go-ahead runs in the 8th. In 1 2/3 innings, he allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. George Springer ripped 2 doubles in his 4 at-bats last night, and Drew Muren was 3-4 with a double and a run scored. Jonathan Meyer hit a sac fly in the 6th, Max Stassi hit an RBI single in the 7th, and he would score on an error that allowed Domingo Santana to reach. Santana was credited with an RBI. Mike Foltynewicz and David Martinez will be tonight's pairing for the Hooks. Their opponent will be Michael Roth. First pitch is at 7:10. Visalia 12, Lancaster 10 The Jethawks saw their 9-game winning streak snapped after a wild affair at the Hangar. Visalia put up 8 in the 4th and Lancaster answered with 5 in the bottom of the inning. However, the Rawhide scraped an insurance run across in the 9th..... the Jethawks stranded runners on the corners to end the game. All of the Jethawks' runs were scored in the first 4 innings. Everyone had a hit except for Telvin Nash, who went 0-3 with a hat trick. He at least walked twice, though. Brandon Meredith started it off with a 3-run shot (5) in the 1st. That was his only hit of the evening; he also walked twice and scored twice. One of those walks came with the bases loaded in the 4th. Preston Tucker extended his hit streak to 15 games with a 2-run single in the 4th. The hit gave him a Minors-leading 52 RBI for the season and moved him into a tie for the longest hit streak of the season with Matt Duffy, who ran off a 15-game streak of his own earlier this season. In addition to his hit streak, Tucker is now on a 6-game RBI streak, and he's driven in a run in 9 of his last 10 contests. Speaking of Duffy, he went 3-5 with a double, 2 runs scored, and led off the 4th with a solo shot (9). He had a strong finish to May after sputtering a bit to begin the month. Andrew Aplin also had a 3-hit night, hitting an RBI double in the 3rd. This snapped a 4-game RBI-less streak (in which he relinquished the club RBI lead to Tucker). Chris Epps finished 2-5 with an RBI double in the 2nd. Tyler Heineman was also 2-5, hitting an RBI single in the 4th. Joe Sclafani went 2-3 with a double, 2 walks, and 3 runs scored. This was his 3rd straight 2-hit performance and 2nd straight 2-walk night. Delino DeShields was 1-6 with a run scored. Blair Walters went 3 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned, 1 inherited) on 5 hits (2 homers). He left the game after getting hit by a line drive on his left elbow (his pitching arm). However, Jason Schwartz tweeted that he looked OK getting off the field. Consider him day-to-day. Jonas Dufek came on and could only get 1 out in the 4th. Dufek, who's actually been pretty reliable this season, bore the brunt of the Rawhide's 8-run 4th, as he was blasted for 6 runs (3 inherited) on 5 hits. He walked 1. T.J. Geith finally got the Jethawks out of the inning, but not before allowing Dufek's runners to score and one of his own. He had a less eventful 5th, working around a single to retire the side. Geith allowed 3 hits and struck out 2 in 1 1/3. Aaron West, who turns 23 today, had a solid piggyback outing, allowing a run on 3 hits and fanning 6 in 4 innings. I think he's starting to come around. Behind that 4.72 ERA is a 2.24 FIP and a 2.73 SIERA. His opponent BABIP is starting to come down, although it's still at .392. West's 25.3% K rate is above the Cali League average of 21.4% and his walk rate this season (3.4% Cali League average: 9%) is actually slightly lower than his walk rate at Tri-City, which was 3.7%. His numbers are due for some serious corrections, in a positive light, of course. Chris Devenski and Brady Rodgers will take the hill for the Jethawks tonight. Their counterpart for Visalia will be Robert Coe. First pitch is at 7 Pacific. Quad Cities 6, Beloit 3 in 14 innings The River Bandits took the series opener as they busted out for 5 in the 14th, breaking a 1-1 tie that had stood since the 3rd inning. The Snappers got 2 back in the bottom of the 14th, but John Neely shut the door. QC got their run courtesy of a Carlos Correa RBI single, and Beloit got theirs on a Ryan Matthews homer to lead off their half of the inning. Correa finished 3-6, adding a double and a run scored. He was the only Bandit with a multi-hit game. He's now flirting with a .300 average, as his triple slash line now reads .292/.404/.422. Suddenly, nobody's "concerned" anymore. Jonathan Singleton broke the tie in emphatic fashion, drilling a 2-run homer (3) to right center. The River Bandits weren't done, though. Jordan Scott, who came on as a defensive replacement in the 13th, smacked a 2-run double for more insurance, and Teoscar Hernandez capped it off with an RBI single. Jordan Jankowski had a fine outing, with Matthews' homer in the 3rd being the lone blemish on his line. The other hit he allowed was a single to Dayton Alexander, which also came in the 3rd. Jankowski walked 2 and struck out 4 to cap off a fine May. Cam Lamb tagged in and threw 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and fanning 2. Gerardo Sanchez (I suppose he's not going by Gera anymore) followed that up with 4 scoreless of his own. He allowed a hit and struck out 6, finishing up his outing with 4 straight strikeouts. Mitch Lambson struck out the side in order in the 13th, then ran into a little bit of trouble in the 14th. He got 1 out, but it was on a sac fly. John Neely came out for damage control, and he succeeded, but not before walking the first guy he faced and allowing a single that scored one of Lambson's runners. He finally secured the win by forcing Dayton Alexander to ground into a double play. Brian Holmes did not pitch last night. He's scheduled to start Wednesday, when the River Bandits open up a series in Cedar Rapids. Looking at Quad Cities' game notes for last night, the tandem system looks like it's either been put on hold, or it's been ended. If it's over, I guess they're making the transition to a 6-man rotation, or something along those lines. Tonight, in game 2 of this series, Jamaine Cotton will take on Michael Ynoa at 7 PM.
Just kidding. Don't trust the MiLB.com roster. Some of those guys will be on the GCL roster once they open up play in a couple of weeks. This is a link to an Instagram picture from Kristian Trompiz, a Venezuelan SS who's also a member of the Astros' 2012 international class. He signed for $320,000 on July 2. Payano's in center field and leading off. Here's their lineup: 1. Luis Payano, CF 2. Arturo Michelena, 2B 3. Randy Cesar, 3B 4. Marlon Avea, C 5. Hector Roa, 1B 6. Victor Tavarez, DH 7. Brauly Mejia, RF 8. Kristian Trompiz, SS 9. Jarico Reynoso, LF Starting pitcher: Elieser Hernandez, RHP
Here is a list of 2012 draftees outside of the first ten rounds of the draft who are doing well: #10 Joe Bircher LHP, Tri-City 2012, Quad-City 2013 #13 Brian Holmes LHP, Tri-City 2012, Quad-City 2013 #14 Joe Sclafani SS, Tri-City 2012, Lancaster 2013 #17 Aaron West RHP, Tri-City 2012, Lancaster 2013 #22 Kenny Long LHP, Tri-City 2012, Lancaster 2013 #23 Travis Ballew RHP, Tri-City 2012, Lancaster 2013 #30 John Neely RHP, Tri-City 2012, Quad-City 2013 #31 MP Cokinos C, Tri-City 2012, Lancaster 2013 #33 Mike Hauschild RHP, Greeneville 2012, Quad-City 2013 #34 Jordan Jankowski RHP, Greneville 2012, Quad-City 2013 #37 Michael Dimock RHP, Greneville 2012, Lancaster 2013 Astros 2012 Draft Any pick after the 10th round or so is usually for organization depth at the lower levels with very few actually making it to The Show.
I have a Three Stars for May coming up... but, for now, I'd like to devote a little bit of time to The Academy. This was my postseason writeup for the DSL Astros last year. De Los Santos should probably be with the GCL club once they start play. Another guy who could make the jump stateside could be Pedro Coa, a catcher from Venezuela who threw out 60% of potential base stealers last season. Mesac Laguna, a Nicaraguan outfielder, led them in homers last season, but at 21, he's not much of a prospect at this point. Luis Reynoso held his own as a 17-year-old and showed good on-base skills. I imagine that he gets some run with the GCL team this season. He was the big international acquisition for the Astros in 2011, signing for $700,000. Just checked the GCL roster and these guys above were just added to their roster. To Joe Joe: The DSL roster has been updated. As for the 2013 DSL Astros... here are five guys to watch, in my opinion. Harold Arauz, RHP: Signed in 2011 for $300,000 out of Panama. He's got projection with a 6'4", 185 frame. His fastball was in the mid-80s when he first signed, and he had some feel for his off-speed stuff too. Luis Payano, CF: The big signing from 2012, he netted $500,000. He trained alongside Manuel Margot, a CF who signed with the Red Sox for $800,000 in 2011. Margot took the DSL by storm last season, stood out in instructional league last fall, and rode that momentum to the #20 spot in the Red Sox system this year. Payano's game shows some similarities to Margot. He runs well and has some pop. He's a tools guy who might need some seasoning before becoming a finished product. Kristian Trompiz, SS: The Astros got him for $320,000 out of Venezuela last July 2. He's a glove-first player at the moment and has a good chance to stay at shortstop, but some believe that 2B is a better fit. Edwin Villarroel, LHP: 4 days older than Arauz (He was born on May 25, 1995, Arauz, May 29), he led the club in innings pitched (68) and ERA (2.25), although he walked more than he struck out (24 BB, 22 K). There's almost no information on him. He probably wasn't very highly regarded, so he didn't sign for much. However, he could make his way into the prospect conversation with another good year. Jeff Luhnow visited the Dominican before the season, accoriding to WTHB, Villarroel was a kid that stood out. Junior Garcia, LHP: Garcia was the first major signing under Oz Ocampo, signing for $200,000. Before he signed, his fastball velocity went up a tick. His curveball is his primary off-speed offering, and it shows promise. New Faces RHP Robert Corniel (born 6/23/95) LHP Junior Garcia (born 10/1/95) RHP Gerardo Juarez (born 9/10/92); I'm betting this guy was caught with a false identity or was suspended for drugs. RHP Erasmo Pinales (born 11/25/94) RHP Joselo Pinales (born 11/16/94); signed in November for $70,000 RHP Moreno Polanco (born 7/22/94) LHP Cristhopher Santamaria (born 6/19/96); youngest on the roster C Jesus Bermejo (born 4/8/94) C Oliver Toribio (born 6/7/96); a tweet from the DPL to me says that he signed for $33,000. SS Dariel Aquino (born 1/30/96) SS Jean Estrella (born 4/16/96); signed for $115,000 1B Victor Tavarez (born 2/7/95); signed around the same time as Payano SS Kristian Trompiz (born 12/295); I think I've told you enough about him. CF Luis Payano (born 5/12/96); He's the one I'll be watching intently.
One interesting thing about Correa is that he is absolutely killing it in the clutch. With runners on and with runners in scoring position he has been nails all season, even when he was in a hitting funk. Now that he has come around his clutch stats still stick out. With runners on he has a line of .418/.547/1.173 ... with RISP .436/.557/1.175 Before yall complain about sample size, those categories are composed of 67 and 55 plate appearances respectively. About 1/3 of his total plate appearances. Yes its early in the season , and I wouldn't say anything if those slash lines were only slightly higher than his season averages. However, the fact that they dwarf his season stats and that he has been consistent in raking in these situations all season makes me think that there is something to his ability to raise his game in clutch situations or has "it". I'm not expecting Correa to keep up such a huge split between his numbers with bases empty and with runners on, but this trend so far is certainly intriguing and bodes watching in the future.
Now, as promised. The Three Stars for each team in the month of May. Monthly stats are listed first. Three Stars: May Oklahoma City Brett Wallace not eligible. Again, he's gotta do what he's doing in OKC at the major league level. Most of the hitters have really hit the wall this month. 3. Jason Stoffel, P May: 12 appearances (all relief), 1-0, 1.65 ERA, 16.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 13 K, 0.81 WHIP, .127 opponent average Season (between Corpus and OKC): 19 appearances (all relief), 1-0, 1.52 ERA, 23.2 IP, 16 H (1 home run, in Corpus), 6 R (4 ER), 6 BB, 20 K, 0.95 WHIP, .186 opponent average I'd much rather see him (or Josh Zeid) in Houston than Hector Ambriz. Great groundball rate could play in an Astros pitching staff that leads the league in double plays. 2. Jarred Cosart, P May: 5 starts, 2-2, 2.67 ERA, 27 IP, 21 H (1 HR), 8 ER, 18 BB, 28 K, 1.67 WHIP, .212 opponent average Season: 11 appearances (10 starts), 5-2, 2.65 ERA, 54.1 IP, 40 H (2 HR), 17 R (16 ER), 29 BB, 57 K, 1.27 WHIP, .201 opponent average Other than the walks, which I hope he can at least tone down, Cosart's line is what we've expected from him ever since he came over in the Hunter Pence deal. He's got overpowering stuff. He keeps it down and that results in weak contact. If he had like 15-20 walks instead of 29 at this point, he'd be stating a very strong case for Houston, regardless of Super Two status. 1. Brett Oberholtzer, P May: 5 starts, 2-2, 2.42 ERA, 26 IP, 18 H (2 HR), 8 R (7 ER), 9 BB, 27 K, 1.04 WHIP, .198 opponent average Season: 9 starts, 3-4, 4.57 ERA, 43.1 IP, 42 H (6 HR), 28 R (22 ER), 13 BB, 38 K, 1.27 WHIP, .253 average After getting pounded in April, Obie rebounded in a strong May. Interestingly, he's been much better on the road than at home. However, in his last home outing, he allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 9 over 5 2/3 shutout innings on May 10 against Tacoma. He got a cup of coffee with the Astros, but he might be hard-pressed to return, as Jose Cisnero and Paul Clemens have probably nailed down their spots in Houston. Corpus Christi Here we have two guys trying to beat the Lancaster stigma and two guys doing what they've been doing all season. 3 (tie). Jonathan Meyer, 3B, and Erik Castro, 1B Meyer's May: .321/.364/.481, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 18 R, 9 BB, 15 K, SB (CS), .846 OPS Meyer's season: .251/.293/.366, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 23 R, 13 BB, 35 K, .660 OPS Now, the current line doesn't look very attractive, but considering how Meyer started off, he's been on fire. He's always had the glove, but his bat has lagged greatly. I don't expect David Wright numbers, but a .775 OPS would really do wonders for his prospect status. Castro's May: .360/.424/.607, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 21 R, 10 BB, 20 K, CS, 1.031 OPS Castro's season: .296/.371/.474, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 26 R, 18 BB, 42 K, SB (2 CS), .844 OPS As we all know, Lancaster numbers are a mirage. Castro could be a possible in-house DH option for the short term. 2. George Springer, CF May: 26 games, .303/.415/.596, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 23 R, 17 BB, 34 K, 12 SB (2 CS) 1.011 OPS Season: .300/.412/.621, 16 HR, 41 RBI, 42 R, 32 BB, 66 K, 16 SB (4 CS), 1.033 OPS Currently on a 7-game hitting streak, Springer's threatening to have a 40-40 season regardless of where he finishes the season. Everyone's desperate to see him in an Astros jersey... I just can't see him in Houston until after the All-Star break. Patience is a virtue. 1. Jake Buchanan, P May: 6 appearances (4 starts), 4-0, 0.00 ERA (this is not a typo), 27.2 IP, 16 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 19 K, 0.66 WHIP, .174 opponent average Season: 13 appearances (9 starts), 6-0, 0.77 ERA (leads minors), 58.1 IP, 36 H (2 HR), 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 35 K, 0.69 WHIP (leads minors), .181 opponent average What Buchanan has done this season has just been mind-blowing. He's never been highly touted, but he's made the most of what he's got. I see him as a right-handed version of Dallas Keuchel. Lancaster Everyone on offense is having a great season. So it'll be pretty hard to pick position players. But... that's the Lancaster Effect. 3. Brady Rodgers, P May: 7 appearances (4 starts), 3-0, 1 save, 2.73 ERA, 29.2 IP, 24 H (1 HR), 12 R (9 ER), 7 BB, 22 K, 1.06 WHIP, .222 opponent average Season: 13 appearances (7 starts), 4-1, 1 save, 3.52 ERA, 53.2 IP, 57 H (4 HR), 24 R (21 ER), 12 BB, 46 K, 1.30 WHIP, .277 opponent average Rodgers started off a little slow, but he's really come on this month. It's not easy pitching in the California League, but Rodgers has the mentality for it. I've believed that he could move quickly thanks to his pitchability, and he could see time in Corpus before season's end. 2. Tyler Heineman, C May: .354/.449/.537, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 20 R, 12 BB, 9 K, SB, .986 OPS Season: .339/.434/.488, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 25 R, 16 BB, 12 K, SB, .921 OPS Heineman also sports a 43% caught stealing rate. This sudden power surge was rather unexpected. Also, catcher now looks like a position of pretty good depth in the system, with Carlos Perez, Max Stassi, Heineman, M.P. Cokinos, and Roberto Peña all having fine seasons. 1. Preston Tucker, OF May: .342/.400/.553, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 27 R, 13 BB, 18 K, SB, .993 OPS Season: .314/.378/.524, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 45 R, 23 BB, 35 K, 2 SB, .902 OPS I don't think there's anyone hotter at the plate than Tucker right now. 15-game hit streak to close out the month has given him the Minor League RBI lead. It's gotta be that SEC pedigree.... Apologies to: Andrew Aplin, Travis Ballew, Delino DeShields Quad Cities 3. Lance McCullers, P May: 7 appearances (4 starts), 1-2, 1.88 ERA, 24 IP, 16 H, 8 R (5 ER), 14 BB, 26 K, 1.25 WHIP, .195 opponent average Season: 12 appearances (7 starts), 1-4, 1.90 ERA, 42.2 IP, 35 H, 18 R (9 ER), 21 BB, 45 K, 1.33 WHIP, .229 opponent average Not sure if Jarred Cosart. Seriously though, McCullers has been as good as advertised. Once he harnesses his stuff, he could put up some sick strikeout numbers. 2. Carlos Correa, SS May: .349/.423/.442, 6 2B, 3B, 18 RBI, 14 R, 11 BB, 12 K, 4 SB (CS), .865 OPS Season: .292/.404/.422, 3 HR, 32 RBI, 29 R, 26 BB, 35 K, 5 SB (2 CS), .826 OPS I'm sorry, I've said it loads of times... but I'll say it again. The weather has gotten better, and so has Correa. He's primed to break out this summer. 1. Jordan Jankowski, P May: 7 appearances (4 starts), 2-0, 1 save, 2.15 ERA, 29.1 IP, 20 H (4 HR), 7 ER, 4 BB, 32 K, 0.82 WHIP, .189 opponent average Season: 12 appearances (7 starts), 2-0, 2 saves, 2.61 ERA, 48.1 IP, 42 H (6 HR), 14 ER, 9 BB, 42 K, 1.06 WHIP, .233 opponent average Jankowski has emerged as a surprise in the Quad Cities rotation. I'd say that alongside McCullers and Vince Velasquez, he's probably been one of their top starters. With the caveat that he's old for the league (just turned 24). He put up some sick strikeout numbers with his slider in Greeneville; the May he had could be a sign of some big things for him. He's taken well to starting again.
Rio Ruiz hits a 2-run homer (3) to put Quad Cities on the board in Beloit. They're down 4-2 in the 4th.
Anyway... where do the Astros affiliates stand, now that the calendar has turned to June? OKC is currently 30-23, leading the Pacific Coast League's American Southern division. They have a 1 game lead over Round Rock, who is 30-25. The Redhawks are currently on a 3-game winning streak. Corpus is the Texas League's best team, at 33-21. They lead the South by 1 over Frisco. Lancaster had their 9-game winning streak snapped, but they lead the California League South with a 33-21 record, 4.5 games ahead of Inland Empire. They are 1 game behind San Jose for the league's best record. Quad Cities, at 30-23, sits in 3rd place in the Midwest League's Western division. They are 4 behind Cedar Rapids, and are currently battling Beloit for 2nd. The Snappers and River Bandits each have 23 losses, but Beloit has won 31. The Academy has just started.
Guy at the Jethawks game. Dat sky <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Jethawks game! <a href="http://t.co/tjqFKMjzEA" title="http://twitter.com/116Joshua/status/341023957555765248/photo/1">twitter.com/116Joshua/stat…</a></p>— Joshua Descisciolo (@116Joshua) <a href="https://twitter.com/116Joshua/status/341023957555765248">June 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Preston Tucker's at it again. A 2-run homer (11) in the 4th gives Lancaster the lead, extends his hit streak to 16, and pushes his Minor League-leading RBI total to 54. Lancaster leads Visalia 5-3 heading into the 5th.
Apparently, not many. Joe Sclafani, who's manning short in Fontana's abscence, is walking at about the same rate as Fontana has been before his injury. Sclafani's also striking out at a much lower rate.
