Astros Prospects

I think it would be a good idea.

Since Sale has been mentioned, and the Law quote makes it sound as if he believes there is strong interest by the Astros, I've been watching some video. I certainly am not qualified to make judgments, and even if I was, there isn't enough information in videos.

That having been said, the guy just has a violent, powerful looking swing. It isn't really at all the same with respect to any of the details, but the way he throws himself into it, the first thing that came to mind was Bagwell.

The following were both yanked from a Mets blog:

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KnEZBqhMQP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KnEZBqhMQP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

<object width="400" height="265"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11034292&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11034292&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="265"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11034292">Josh Sale, RF</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1971730">Jason A. Churchill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>


And the fact that he's a high school kid... if he isn't juicing or something stupid like that, to my untrained eye he really looks the part of a power hitter, more so than some much older players who do hit with good power. That is, at least from where I'm sitting. In fact, I can't remember seeing any pre-draft video of someone swinging a bat and saying, "Wow!" like I did watching him.

 

I think that would be a good idea. I've followed baseball since the early 90s and this is the first time I've ever been this interested in the draft.

 

I really do hope we make him the 8th pick and not hope that he drops to 19th. I really dont want to see them make the justin smoak mistake again where they pass on talent like that. Draft Sale, pay him and plug him into first base get him used to the position and let him develop his defense on top of that hard swing. I hope all this talk about zach cox is a smoke screen. I really think there is no doubt in my mind that Anthony Rendon is the 3rd Baseman of the future for the Astros in the 2011 Draft. Even if baltimore gets the 1st pick, I don't think they would draft Rendon considering that they have Josh Bell coming up soon and another one of their top prospects is also a third baseman.

 

Castro is 2-2 with a BB and 2B so far tonight.

 

When he wasn't in the lineup a couple of days ago, I thought for sure they were moving him up to AA. He's hitting .364 in 220 AB. You would think they would find space for him at Corpus. If not, hell...move him to RR and see if he can hit .300 there. It makes no sense for him to spend any more time in A ball.

 

The FO may be waiting until after the draft, when TriCity and Greenville start up shortly thereafter to move him up as some players from last year's draft move up as well. I'd definitely like to see him in Corpus when I'm done there at the end of the month.

 

Part of the problem was that Lyles was shaky with his control all night and gave up two homeruns. Lyles also had some shaky defense behind him that led to the extra runs, as he was on the hook for two earned runs. He is definitely struggling with control that last few games but is still doing a good job of hanging in the game. For a 19 year old in AA, Lyles is definitely holding his own.

 

There is not really room for him in Corpus, unless you are ready to give up on Steele, Shuck, Gaston or Clemens based on a third of a season at AA. Move him up to A+ and let him get exposed to more advanced pitching. Next year he'll be 23 in AA and a stones throw away from the bigs.

 

I think it would benefit him more to play at RR than at Lancaster.

 

Why? Hitting against a bunch of has-beens and never will bes?

That's basically what AAA is... unless you need to give a guy a little seasoning right before he's about to go to the majors (like Castro or Strausberg).

 

Of the people in the same draft class as J.D. Martinez, only two people that aren't pitchers are above his level:

Brandon Wikoff at Lancaster
and
Barry Butera at Corpus

And both of those appear to be a result of organizational depth issues. I don't think either is where they are because they are being fast-tracked to the majors. (Additionally there are 4 pitchers, David Berner, Dallas Keuchel, Mike Modica, and Michael Schurz at Lancaster, and all four were guys with significant major program D1 college experience.)

I would bet that at best, Martinez ends the year at High A. There is such a thing as being too conservative, but there also is such a thing as being too aggressive. Not promoting someone straight to AAA after one season in a short season league and half a season in regular A ball isn't taking things too slow.

 

I totally disagree. You're saying that the pitching in AAA is not as good as the pithing in AA or A+? Has-beens and never will bes? I've been around baseball a long time and never heard anyone refer to the highest level of the farm system in this manner. I'll leave it at that.

 

That's the thing... AAA is not what it used to be. Its no longer where the best prospects play. Now more than ever.

 

Especially in the Astros farm system .

 

This is simply not true. This is MLB's top 50 preseason minor league prospects from January of this year. Roughly half the list is either at AAA or spent significant time there in the last couple of years.

1. Jason Heyward - Majors; Spent the end of last year at AAA
2. Stephen Strasburg - Majors; Just called up from half a season at AAA
3. Mike Stanton - At AA
4. Buster Posey - At AAA since the middle of last year
5. Brian Matusz - At AA
6. Desmond Jennings - At AAA since the middle of last year
7. Neftali Feliz - At AAA
8. Pedro Alvarez - At AAA
9. Justin Smoak - Majors; 300+ AB's at AAA over the last two years
10. Madison Bumgarner - At AAA
11. Carlos Santana - At AAA
12. Alcides Escobar - Majors; 40+ AB's at AAA last year
13. Wade Davis - Majors; 200+ IP at AAA in the last two years
14. Domonic Brown - At AA
15. Dustin Ackley - At AA
16. Brett Wallace - At AAA all last year and this year
17. Kyle Drabek - At AA
18. Martin Perez - At AA
19. Jesus Montero - At AAA
20. Jeremy Hellickson - At AAA since the middle of last year
21. Jarrod Parker - At AA
22. Starlin Castro - At AA
23. Christian Friedrich - At AA
24. Tim Beckham - At High A
25. Logan Morrison - At AAA
26. Brett Lawrie - At AA
27. Ryan Westmoreland - At Low A
28. Casey Kelly - At High A
29. Aaron Hicks - At A
30. Yonder Alonso - At AAA
31. Jason Castro - At AAA
32. Mike Moustakas - At AA
33. Wil Myers - At A
34. Julio Teheran - At High A
35. Michael Taylor - At AAA
36. Dee Gordon - At AA
37. Chris Carter - At AAA
38. Austin Jackson - Majors; At AAA all last year
39. Tanner Scheppers - At AAA
40. Drew Storen - Majors; briefly at AAA
41. Aaron Crow - At AA
42. Jacob Turner - At A
43. Mike Montgomery - At AA
44. Jhoulys Chacin - At AAA
45. Jose Iglesias - At AA
46. Michael Brantley - At AAA
47. Phillippe Aumont - At AA
48. Juan Francisco - At AAA
49. Ethan Martin - At High A
50. Jaff Decker - At A