Colin Barber with 3 more hits today- including a triple. He and Quincy Hamilton have absolutely been raking. I almost made the mistake of referring to Barber as a “Click guy”… but nope- he was drafted in 2019 under Luhnow (of course). If he keeps it up I think we see him enter the top 100 before seasons end.
Who homered today Justin Dirden (8, solo) Logan Cerny (10, grand slam) Yohander Martinez (1, solo) Axell De Paula (2, 2-run) Sandro Gaston (1, grand slam)
So…where does this farm system rank to date? Seems like we’re either average or maybe slightly above? Astros seem to have made it through the sanctions pretty well, have lot of good young players to be excited about. Looking forward to adding talent this summer, and obviously some promotions or trades are due as we seem to have a surplus/logjam…will be interesting to see how Click uses the farm to better the ML roster.
Their farm is about average in my view. I think they will get a boost from the draft, as they should be able to add 3-4 prospects who will fall in their org top 15. I also don’t think the deadline will be a big ding to the farm, since I don’t expect them to do anything major and a lot of their most tradable assets are guys already on the big league roster. The results from the types of prospects in the Astros’ system that most people use to rank them have been a mixed bag. From their top 5 coming into the season: Pena graduated Brown has raised his stock significantly Leon has raised his stock slightly Lee has lowered his stock significantly Whitley hasn’t pitched And beyond that has been a mixed bag. A handful of 3rd/4th tier prospects have jumped into the 2nd tier: JJ Matijevic, Jordan Brewer, Wilyer Abreu, Yainer Diaz, and Enmanuel Valdez most prominently. Colin Barber has put himself in position to be in fringe top 100 conversations. Alex Santos is having a good season. But several of their other highest ranked prospects have seen their stock dip: Whitaker, Perez, Gonzalez, Solomon, and Dubin. However, a LOT of their position player prospects who didn’t get off to great starts appear to be improving, so things could look very different by September. Right now they really only have 1 surefire elite prospect (Brown), but a good draft and a few positive developments will have this farm likely ranking as at least average by seasons end. I’m hopeful they’ll end up ranked in the 10-14 range on most offseason lists (although if they trade or promote Brown that will likely be off the table).
Urquidy has not been posted as the starter Tuesday, though he is the only MLB Starter available. Is there a Starting pitcher here in the minors who would be available and ready for his MLB debut which might be the cause of this "opening"? The only other possibilities I can think of are a bull pen start or a trade in the works.
The two SP we've heard the most about, Brown and France both pitched Sunday, so they wouldn't be available. It's sounding more and more like Beilak, an opener or a BP game. Urquidy could still start. Outside possibility of a trade in the works. At least it won't be too long before we find out. I think it depends on Urquidy's health and how deep Javier gets in his start. I'm a bit suspicious about some nagging problem with Urquidy since he's been ineffective since the postponed game.
I'm going to say odds are good that Brown fits your caveat and the farm will likely be ranked poorly. Though, Barber, Leon, Valdez, and Whitley could change that if they all have good to great second half of the seasons in AA and/or AAA.
When is Whitley due to start pitching? He’s rule 5 eligible this year, right? Or is he already in the 40? I don’t keep up with option years and 40 man roster status all that often. It tends to work itself out most of the time.
It was reported on Friday I think by our friend at the Chronicle that Whitley “should” begin a rehab assignment this week.
The DSL Blue game is currently in a delay. (Jesús) Alain Peña got the start for them and allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out 9 over four scoreless. Peña is from Reynosa, Mexico, but he's apparently spent time across the border at Pioneer High School in Sharyland, according to his Perfect Game page. Guess he wanted to take his chances at a slightly higher bonus as an IFA than taking the draft route, or he didn't really have any college aspirations. Peña hit 90 with his fastball at a Perfect Game showcase event, so there's that. The DSL Orange team's game hasn't been delayed, and Alejandro Nuñez has gotten off to a blistering start in his career. He's 2-3 right now with a run scored, so as of right now, he's 11-20 to start his pro career. Nuñez, who doesn't turn 18 until September, signed for $40,000. He left Cuba and trained at the same Dominican Republic academy that produced Juan Soto. Also, Waner Luciano has a two-run double. Obviously, he's a ways away and there's a high chance he never gets out of the complex leagues, but he's becoming a name to stash away in the very back of your mind.
Richel Del Rosario went 4-5 for the FCL Blue team, while Frank Perez hit his first homer of the season for the FCL Orange team. Valente Bellozo struck out two in a 1-2-3 1st and Jacob DeLabio followed with four strikeouts over two perfect innings for the Orange team.
Cristian Gonzalez vs. Rome: 3-4, 2B, 3-R HR (6), 6 RBI The double drove in two runs and he also has an RBI single.
