2015 Astros Minor League Thread

I really like our farm system.

 

I guess you have more confidence in his speed tool now lol. I always thought the same of Kyler Murray (A&M QB/former MLB prospect) before I saw a picture.

 

2014 17th round pick Ben Smith was recently diagnosed with Burkitts Leukemia Lymphoma. He is undergoing treatment at MD Anderson. GoFundMe

 

At first, I thought Kevin Walter was black.

 

His parents live in the same city as me. So weird to see Warner Robins mentioned in an article about a Texas kid who went to Coastal Carolina and drafted by the Astros

 

From today's Baseball Prospectus "What Scouts Are Saying" article:

Spoiler

 

I have seen him quite a bit and he is the best hitter in the system and I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up being the most productive player in the Astros system.

He is a little stiff, but so was Berkman. I hear about his hips and slow bat, but he maximizes what he has and can really work a count to get the pitch he wants.

He has a really strong arm and soft hands and has real power, he has hit some balls for homers and doubles that would be pop outs or weak flies off most bats.

 

So...he sounds like almost the exact opposite of what we have playing 1B in the bigs. I love it!

 

You live near Lancaster?

 

I'm growing more and more excited about Reed. I sort of roll my eyes at anyone who thinks he should be called up this season, because the jump from the minors to the majors is such a challenge. (Seriously, for perspective, go check out Chris Carter's AAA numbers.)

Still, Reed is starting to show some hitting prowess that wasn't expected back when we drafted him. I expected a lot of whiffs, but as a 2-way player I expected him to slowly adjust. It seems like he's refining his craft as a position player more quickly than expected, though. Working hitters counts is a skill in itself, but that's useless if you can't mash balls in the zone (I'm looking at you, Jon Singleton). If Reed keeps showing bat-to-ball ability, he's poised for a breakout season next year.

 

No I don't, I have been in Palmdale for business more than usual this year.

 

To be fair, Carter is #1 in the MLB in pitches seen per plate appearance. He makes the pitchers work...but he just can't make contact when it's there to hit.

Wanna guess who's last?

 

Tuve, right?

Fair enough on CC. I don't want to beat that dead horse anymore. I'm just excited to have an up and coming 1B prospect who is performing well.

 

The problem is, that part of the reason why is that he has a low contact rate.

 

Awesome, I love that area.

 

Wow. Coming off of Tommy John surgery and just days before his first professional start he is diagnosed with Leukemia. Kid has caught a couple of tough breaks.

 

Correct.

Indeed. It's truly amazing to see the pitches he misses.

 

Fastballs at 91 in the middle of the plate, swings and misses.