Jose Fleury turned in another fine start for Corpus: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 6 K The one run came on a solo homer.
Alejandro Nunez hit his 4th home run of the season for Asheville. He hit 4 home runs in 104 games last season; he matches that total in his 19th game this season. A 20-year-old infielder from Cuba, Nunez has gotten off to a hot start, although much of that can be attributed to the Asheville effect. Matthew Linskey allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out four over three scoreless innings. Linskey was acquired from the D-Backs in the offseason for Grae Kessinger.
hmmm.....I do it all the time when I pop in and out of here. Which one of these bum prospects do you want me to bash? Most of these guys aren't going to make it. If you bash all of them you will be right 98% of the time.
Andrew Taylor was placed on the 7-day IL in Asheville on Thursday. RHP Cole McDonald retired yesterday. McDonald was the Astros' 15th-round pick out of Iowa in 2019. He split time between Corpus and Sugar Land last season, with 20 appearances for each team. He went 3-0 with a save and a 5.44 ERA in 40 appearances totaling 44.2 IP. The Astros also signed RHP Tyler Ras yesterday. Ras was a 14th-round pick of the Rockies out of Alabama in 2021 and made it to High-A before being released in 2023. He spent 2024 in independent ball, playing for two different leagues.
The FCL Astros opened their season with a 10-3 win over the Nationals. German Ramirez went 2-4 with 5 RBI; he hit a three-run homer in the 5th and added a two-run single in the 6th. Yosweld Vasquez and Juan Sierra also went deep. Hector Salas went 2-3 with a double, scored three runs, and stole two bases. David Landeta got the start and he allowed a run on a groundout, a hit, walked one, and struck out 5 in three innings. Javier Perez walked one and struck out four in two innings to get the win, and Luis Aguilar pitched the final 4 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits (solo homer) and striking out four.
Drew Brutcher and Justin Trimble finished with three hits apiece in Fayetteville's 10-5 win over Delmarva. Trimble, who also stole two bases, cleared the bases with a double in a 5-run 5th and Brutcher had an RBI single and scored twice. Rafael Gonzalez allowed a run on three hits and struck out four in 4.1 innings to get the win.
Derek True and Yeriel Santos combined on a three-hit shutout for Asheville as they won 6-0 in Greenville. Walker Janek hit a two-run triple and scored twice. True: 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K Santos: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K
I think Max Holy has now replaced Franny Cobos as a guy I want to succeed in the minors just from name only.
For some reason every time I saw the name Roilan Machandy it got stuck in my head. I had mixed feelings when he was released. Roilan Machandy. Max Holy is a 70 grade name.
Caden Powell hit a two-run homer in the early going for Fayetteville, giving him five on the season. Now fielding, on the other hand... he has 9 errors in 27 games. Obviously, errors are an unreliable way to gauge one's defensive prowess, especially at Class A, but at the very least, it suggests that Powell needs work on that part of his game.
Of the 12 hitters in Houston’s farm with the lowest k rate (min 50 pa), 6 of them are on the Fayetteville roster. Jancel Villarroel has probably raised his stock more than any other prospect over the first month of the season. He’s walking nearly as much as he’s striking out, and while he’s only hit 1 HR, he is on pace for 40+ doubles on the season. My post last week comping him to Altuve was half joking, but a ceiling of replicating Altuve’s 2012 production is on the table. Undrafted free agent signings Drew Brutcher and Lucas Spence have shown well, but at 22 and 23 years old, they’ll have to get to AA before we can get excited about them. I am getting a little more hopeful about Walker Janek and Chase Jaworsky. I think Janek’s health has played a big part in his early season lack of power, and Jaworsky is doing fine considering his age. Neither is having the breakout we’d hoped for, but I don’t think either of their stock has fallen just yet. I really like what Alimber Santa and Alex Santos have shown in the early going in AA this season. At this rate I don’t think either would make thru the next Rule 5 without getting taken. Once Cam Smith graduates, I’m comfortable labeling Brice Matthews as the clear #1 prospect in the system. While I wish he was the 4th or 5th best, he’s shown well enough this season that he still looks like a viable everyday player with a lot of upside. At 23 he should be given the full year before we cement him as a player with crippling strikeout issues.
It was around this time last year where we saw the first round of significant promotions in the minors. There doesn’t seem to be many obvious candidates, but here’s the trickle up that would make sense to me: From A to High A: C Jancel Villarroel, SS Caden Powell, OF Lucas Spence From High A to AA: C Garret Guillemette, IF Alejandro Nunez, OF Joseph Sullivan There aren’t any clear promotion candidates on the position player side in AA, so the openings would likely come from guys getting released; OF Logan Cerny and C Ryan Wrobleski are candidates to be cut loose, and OF Jose Gonzalez could easily be sent back down to High A (or even A ball).
The FCL team was the only affiliate in action today and they scored two in the 8th and two more in the 9th to beat the Marlins 8-7. Juan Sierra went 2-5 with a two-run double and German Ramirez hit a two-run triple in the 9th that proved to be the game-winner.
Mayer will probably have to toss 40+ good innings in Asheville to earn another promotion, but if he’s able to get to AA this season he could really see his stock explode. He has excellent stuff and there’s not much limit to his ceiling. Jake Bloss only threw 17 innings in Asheville last season before getting bumped up to Corpus so it’s possible Mayer could get up pretty quickly.
Holy small sample size; those early season numbers are kind of nuts. In 8.1ip, Santos is running a 36.7% K-BB%. 25% is considered elite. That's in a level- repeat year after running a 9.0% K-BB% at AA last year. Santa's numbers look good but there's obvious regression on the table. He's got a 1.02 ERA in 17.2ip but the underlying metrics aren't nearly as rosy. He's got a solid 19.7% K-BB% but his BABIP is .267 (down from .309), his LOB rate is an insane 88.2% (up from 44.0%), his GB% is an unsustainable 68.2% (up from 39.4%), and he's allowed zero HR. He's been lucky and/or the recipient of incredible defense. Almost certainly his stat line will look very different at the end of the year.
Santos has always had huge upside and there were signs he’d turned a corner when he dominated the AFL last fall, leading that league in k’s. Then he didn’t look great in ST and started the year hurt. But now he is back and looking really really good. Hopefully he stays healthy and shows that AFL stint was legit. He’s just 23 and should have some development left. I still think he is likely to end up in relief but could be a closer, and there’s a chance he could be a playoff-caliber SP if he reaches his ceiling. Of course with any pitcher and him especially given his recent history, staying healthy will be a big part of any value he has.
Yeah Houston came into this season with 10+ guys in their system with legit plus power/speed combos, and so far it seems like most are busting. This is probably the end of the line for Whitaker, Fisher, and Cerny, with Leon, Cole, and Corona all with not much leash left.
