He's 17 going on 18 and he signed for over 2 million dollars... I can have expectations and follow this guy closely.
OKC was the recipient of an ass-kicking from New Orleans as they got demolished 18-5. Tommy Manzella gave the Redhawks a consolation 3-run homer in the 8th. RRS allowed 13 hits (no homers, amazingly enough) and 14 runs (9 earned) in 5 1/3. He walked 4 and fanned 2. No, he didn't get the win. Corpus led Frisco 4-1 entering the 6th, but the Roughriders scored 3 in the top of the 6th to tie the game. Then, they took the lead off a solo homer, a lead that would stand. Xavier Cedeno went 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), walked 1, and struck out 7. He got a no-decision for his efforts, as ex-Giant Brad Hennessey, who was last with the Twins organization, gave up the solo homer in the 8th to give Frisco the lead, and the win. So what did Kody Hinze do tonight after getting last night off? Not much. He hit 2 homers, that's about it. His first homer was a 2-run homer in the 1st that opened the scoring for Lancaster. He added a solo shot in the 7th for the icing. He's got 19 on the year, as he has firmly entrenched himself as the system's best power bat. David Flores had a 2-run homer of his own in the 3rd, and Jay Austin had an RBI double in the 4th and a sac fly in the 5th. Lancaster topped Inland Empire, 7-3. Zach Grimmett allowed 10 hits (1 homer) in 6 1/3, but limited the 66ers to 3 runs (2 earned) to get the victory. He had 1 K. Lexington topped Rome 4-2. Adam Bailey drove in 2. Jordan Scott scored off a throwing error by Rome catcher Christian Bethancourt, who was attempting to catch Delino DeShields stealing 2nd. DeShields ended up moving to 3rd. Mike Kvasnicka scored the final run for the Legends when Emilio King struck out on a wild pitch. King would scamper to 1st on the K. Carlos Quevedo allowed 1 run in his 7 innings to get the win. He struck out 3. Tri-City began their NYPL title defense with... a loss. They fell on Opening Night 9-3 to Vermont. 5 errors doomed the ValleyCats tonight. John Hinson tripled, and Drew Muren went 2-4 with an RBI. Brandon Meredith went 0-3, drew a walk, and scored on a wild pitch. Justin Gominsky also went 0-3, but reached base after getting plunked, and came around to score when Drew Muren singled. Muren scored when on a Meredith GIDP. 7 of the starting 9 were from this year's draft class. Juri Perez, who had a cameo in Lexington to open the season, was tonight's starter. He took the loss, going 4, allowing 3 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), walked 4, and struck out 4. Greeneville's roster has been announced... now they're counting down until Opening Day. A mere 3 days until they play game 1 against the Bristol White Sox. The Dominican Astros had today off. They'll play the Yankees' 2nd squad tomorrow.
Yes, I'd like to see Ovando live up to his price tag. I'd also like to see Ovando tear up the Appy League, move on to Tri-City, and make a cameo in Lexington before the season is over. (In my dreams.) However, it's his first year in America, and he's a 17-year-old. Kid in a new country, far from home for the first time in his life. And yes, small-town America is is mind-numbingly boring (no offense to anyone who grew up in a small town), but the temptations of big-city life (the usual suspects) are omnipresent. My coach always told me, "Don't do anything counter-productive." Typical teenager advice. He needs to choose his friends wisely, and he needs to get involved in the community. And he can learn English not just through teammates, but from the people of Greeneville. Most importantly, he has to stay away from any and all trouble. If he hits .280 with 5-7 homers, 35-40 RBI, gets on base at a .340-.350 clip, slugs in the mid-.400s, and shows good (not great) patience, that's a resounding success, even if he does spend the entire year in Greeneville. He shouldn't let the pressure of being the organization's most touted international signing in recent memory get to him. I'm just excited to finally see this kid in action. And if he kills it in Lexington, let him skip Lancaster. But that's just me with more wishful thoughts.
Oh, and Jose Altuve homered for Corpus tonight. That's his 3rd with the team, and 8th overall. Jimmy Van Ostrand also homered, a 2-run shot in the 3rd, his 6th. And another hat-trick for Jonathan Villar, who's in a 6-41 slump over his last 10. He's struck out 17 times in that stretch.
And finally, here is the roster for the Gulf Coast League team, courtesy of Farmstros: GCL Astros Roster Pitchers Francisco Baso Brandon Culbreth Steven Dennison Michael Feliz Blake Ford Enderson Franco Justin Gill Pedro Gomez Evan Grills Zachary Hardoin Krishawn Holley Adrian Houser Wilton Infante (converting from OF) Juan Mojica Francis Ramirez Frederick Tiburcio Catchers Kenny Diaz Alfredo Gonzalez Jacob Meskin Joe Witkowski Infielders Max Ayarza Jean Batista Jose Fernandez Luca Martone Yonathan Mejia Kyle Redinger Justin Shults Outfielders Chris Epps Ydarqui Marte Jarrod McKinney Javaris Reynolds Geber Suniaga Kelvin Vizcaino
Weird that they're starting Houser off in the GCL. Even Vincent Velasquez from a much weaker draft class, started in Greeneville before having TJ surgery.
ehh even with the draft class Velasquez might have been a better or more advanced prospect. Bushue (another 2nd rd hs draft pick) started off in the GCL in 2009.
OKC's 9th-inning rally against New Orleans fell short by 1 run. They had been trailing 4-1; they lost 4-3. Former Astro Chris Sampson allowed 4 hits and a run in 7 for the Zephyrs. He walked 1 and struck out 7. No one drove in a run for OKC. Seriously. Brian Bogusevic scored on a wild pitch from Sampson in the 7th. Bogusevic scored again in the 9th along with Brian Esposito on a New Orleans error. The Hairless One allowed 7 hits and 2 runs in 6 to take the loss. He walked 2 and fanned 3. Corpus let one against Frisco slip away in extras, losing 9-6 in 13. Emerson Frostad homered for the Hooks. Jimmy Paredes had an RBI triple in the 1st, scoring Brandon Wikoff. He came home on when Jose Altuve grounded out. Altuve doubled for his only hit. Jonnathan Aristil allowed 9 hits and 4 runs in 5 1/3. Kyle Greenwalt, the loser, allowed all 3 of Frisco's runs in the 13th; all of them came on a 3-run homer from Michael Bianucci. Lancaster with yet another outburst against Inland Empire. They took tonight's game 14-8. Kody Hinze had a nice game, going 2-4 with a double and scoring twice, but he didn't drive in any runs. Entering the bottom of the 2nd, the Jethawks trailed 4-0. Oh boy, that was erased in a hurry. Austin Wates started the show with a 3-run homer, and David Flores added the exclamation point with a grand slam later in the inning. Ben Heath added a 2-run homer in the 7th. Jay Austin went 3-5 with 3 RBI. Jake Buchanan probably passed on his great start to Zach Grimmett, as he got rocked again. In 3 2/3, he allowed 8 hits and 7 runs (6 earned). Michael Ness cleaned up and cleaned out the 66ers in his 3 2/3, allowing only 2 hits and fanning 8. He got the win in relief. Lexington's guys got a taste of what will be awaiting them once they get the call to Lancaster, as they defeated Rome 14-10 in 10 innings. The Legends got a TD in the top of the 1st, but missed the extra point. Rome did it in reverse, and after 2, the Braves took a 7-6 lead. Fast forward to the 8th. The Legends, who scored 1 in the 7th to make it 9-8, scored 2 to take a 10-9 lead. Rome answered in the bottom half to tie the game once again. No scoring in the 9th, then all hell broke loose in the 10th. Delino DeShields led off with a walk. Jordan Scott, attempting to sacrifice, ended up reaching on an error. Enrique Hernandez laid down a bunt, but reached 1st safely to load the bases. After Adam Bailey struck out, Mike Kvasnicka reached on another Rome error, which resulted in DeShields and Scott scoring. Tyler Burnett walked to load the bases again. Ben Orloff then grounded into a fielder's choice that sent Hernandez home. And finally, Roberto Pena doubled to score Kvasnicka. DeShields went 0-4, walked twice, and fanned. He's now hitting .202. Scott and Hernandez each scored 3 times. The 6-9 hitters (Burnett, Orloff, Pena, and Emilio King) combined to go 8-21 with 7 RBI and scored 4 times. Alex Sogard only lasted 1 1/3, allowing 7 runs (4 earned), then Murilo Gouvea was brought in for damage control. In his 3 2/3, he allowed 4 hits, an unearned run, and fanned 3. David Martinez got the win, pitching 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and striking out 3. After opening up the season with a loss, Tri-City exacted a measure of revenge on Vermont, blanking them 10-0. The ValleyCats scored from the 4th to the 8th innings. Matt Duffy had a bases-clearing double in the 7th. Drew Muren went 2-3 and scored twice. Zach Johnson went 2-4 with an RBI. And to top it off, Kellen Kiilsgaard had an RBI double and a solo homer. 3 ValleyCat pitchers combined for a 5-hitter, pitching 3 innings each. Jonas Dufek started tonight; in his 3, he allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and fanned 2. Dayan Diaz was next up. He got the win, walking 3, but didn't allow a hit and fanned 2 as well. And finally, Travis Smink got the save. In his 3, he allowed 2 hits. The Dominican Astros got whacked by the Yankees' 2nd squad 11-4 today. Yoel Silfa went 2-5 with a double and scored twice. Jandel Gustave took the loss in relief, allowing 3 runs in 2 innings.
Last night, Brandon Wikoff got the start at shortstop, as Jonathan Villar got the night off to readjust mentally. Villar has been in a 6-41 slump and has struck out 17 times over the course of that slump. Wikoff, on the other hand, is cooling down after his .400 start to the season. If Villar's slump is extended, Wikoff could be stealing at-bats from him soon. The shortstop situation in Corpus may get a little interesting soon.
Nah, they would send down Villar before letting someone steal ABs from him. Prospects like Villar need as many ABs as possible.
OKC was blanked 7-0 by New Orleans tonight. Nothing significant to report, as the Redhawks managed only 4 hits. Nelson Figueroa took the loss, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings. He walked 1 and fanned 4. Jose Valdez took the brunt, allowing 4 runs in his inning of relief, but only 1 was earned. Corpus fell to Frisco 9-8 in 12. Looks like a day off worked wonders for Jonathan Villar. Batting 2nd, he went 4-6 with an RBI and scored twice. Brandon Wikoff was in again tonight, replacing Jose Altuve. Leading off, he went 1-4, walked twice, and scored a run. Altuve came in as a substitution at DH in the 10th for Jonathan Gaston, who went 1-4 with 2 RBI. Altuve went 2-2 with an RBI. Ross Seaton allowed 2 homers to Jonathan Greene in 3 innings. One was a 2-run homer and the other a 3-run homer. Rough night for Seaton, as he allowed 7 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2. Matt Nevarez, who got the loss in the 12th, went 2 innings, allowing 2 hits, runs, walks, and 2 strikeouts. Lancaster's comeback bid against Inland Empire fell short by a score of 8-7. They had been trailing 8-2 entering the 7th, then they answered with 5 runs, but they weren't able to tie the game. Miguel Arrendell went 1-4 with 3 RBI, and Kody Hinze went 1-3, walked twice, and scored twice. Robert Donovan dropped to 2-9, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits in 1 2/3. Chris Wallace's 3-run homer in the 3rd was the difference maker for Lexington as they held off Rome 4-2. Adam Bailey went 2-4 and drove in the other run. Delino DeShields Jr. went 0-5 with a hat trick. He is currently in a 3-40 slump which has seen his average drop to .197. He's hitting .117 this month. Mike Foltynewicz allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings to get the win. He walked 1 and struck out 3. Jorge De Leon allowed a hit and struck out 1 for a 2-inning save, his 10th this season. Tri-City dropped the first series of the year, losing 6-5 to Vermont. Drew Muren, Kellen Kiilsgaard, Miles Hamblin, and Ryan McCurdy drove in a run apiece. Euris Quezada allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, and recorded 4 K's in 4 innings. He got the loss. Tonight, the ValleyCats will play their first road series against the Connecticut Tigers. The Dominican Astros lost 3-1 to the Indians. Jose Solano drove in the only run. Geronimo Franzua took the loss, allowing 1 run on 5 hits in 4 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 4.
Found this blog that was linked to Mike Tauser's Q&A session with the blogger. Steve Duer runs the Appy Astros blog, which has been up and running since last August. As the name suggests, the blog is dedicated to all things Greeneville Astros. http://appyastros.blogspot.com/ This is his most recent post, at 5:06 Central. http://appyastros.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-look-at-2011-g-stros.html
Stros are seriously getting on my bad side. I thought they had agreed to push some of their prospects when they show they'd dominated a level but not sure what they are doing with Kuechel, Hinze, Martinez and Wikoff. All these guys have excelled and are stuck behind non-prospects. Sure hope this is all about waiting after their respective all-star breaks because this is getting old REALLY quick, especially with the big club and AAA so awful.
OKC was held to 3 hits, but they edged out New Orleans 2-1 in the column that matters. Collin DeLome got one on a sac fly in the 4th scoring Anderson Hernandez, and Robinson Cancel was thrown out at 2nd on the same play. Koby Clemens had an RBI double the next inning to complete the scoring for the Redhawks. Andy Van Hekken allowed 1 run in 7 to get the win, walking 2 and fanning 6. Dallas Keuchel continues his stellar run, outside of 1 stinker on June 4 against Arkansas. He held San Antonio, the top offense in the Texas League, to 5 hits (1 homer), and 1 run, while walking 3 and fanning 5. He also chipped in an RBI single in the 4-run 4th for Corpus which spurred them on to victory. All 4 runs were scored that inning, as Jimmy Van Ostrand doubled home J.D. Martinez, then T.J. Steele was credited with an RBI on a fielder's choice scoring Jacob Goebbert, then reaching 2nd on the subsequent error. And Federico Hernandez grounded out to score Van Ostrand. Keuchel improves to 5-6 with a 2.84 ERA. Lancaster and Lexington are on their All-Star breaks. Both teams will resume play on Thursday when the Jethawks travel to Rancho Cucamonga to face the Quakes. The Legends open the 2nd half at home, as they host the Greenville Drive. Tri-City had their way against Connecticut, mauling them 11-2. Matt Duffy and Justin Gominsky each drove in 3. Drew Muren, Bubby Williams, and the Johnsons, Zach and Neiko, each drove in 1 run. Kyle Hallock got the win in his professional debut, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in 5 innings. The only blemish on his line was a 2-run homer by Connecticut catcher Zach Maggard. The Astros' Gulf Coast League team opened up their season today in Jupiter, at the Marlins' facility, where they fell 5-2 to their hosts. Yonathan Mejia, a graduate of the Astros' Dominican academy, drove in both runs in the 1st. Last year at the academy, he hit .235 with 2 homers and 27 RBI in 59 games (221 at-bats). He walked 12 times and fanned 43 times. Mejia had an OPS of .627 (.283 OBP, .344 slugging). 2011 draftees in the lineup today were: Javaris Reynolds (7), the CF, hit 9th and struck out all 3 times he was at-bat. Jarrod McKinney (31) was in left and hit 3rd, going 2-4 and scoring a run. Chris Epps (45), playing right field and was the leadoff batter. He went 0-3, walked twice, and struck out twice. 46th-rounder Justin Shults was at 1st and hit 5th, where he went 0-4 with a strikeout. UFA Joe Witkowski pinch-hit for Reynolds and struck out. 47th-rounder Zachary Hardoin pitched a scoreless inning of relief, walking 1 and striking out 2. Michael Feliz, the starter, is a 17-year-old (18 on September 28) righty who was originally signed by the Athletics for $800K, but was suspended 50 games under the drug testing policy. The Astros subsequently signed him for $400K. In 3 starts for the academy, he was 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA. In 12 2/3 innings, he allowed 9 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), 1 homer, walked 3, and struck out 13. In his US debut, he took the loss, going 5 innings, allowing 6 hits (1 homer), 4 runs, walking 1, and striking out 4. Speaking of the academy, they had a furious 9th-inning rally against the Mets' 2nd squad that fell short. Trailing 5-0, the Astros scored 4 runs before losing by the same margin. Franny Polanco cleared the bases with a double, and Mario Gonzalez went 2-4, driving in the other run. Ambiorix De Leon took the loss, allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3, walking 1 and striking out 5. And we are less than 24 hours from the much-anticipated debut of the $2.6 million dollar man, Ariel Ovando. Greeneville travels to Bristol, Virginia to face the White Sox on Opening Night for the Appalachian League. They are the last league to begin play this season. First pitch will be at 7 Eastern.
Completely agree. The only block to Kody Hinze is Jimmy Van Ostrand, who is doing alright, is 26 going on 27. A guy long past prospect status. Brandon Wikoff can play both middle infield positions and 3rd. Who's manning those positions in OKC? Exactly. J.D. Martinez's promotion to OKC was LONG overdue. And in the bizarro world of the Astros organization, their AAA rotation is older than the big club's. They could at least give us the impression that they're fast-tracking people... by the way, the Astros completely missed their opportunity to get Jake Buchanan out of Lancaster before the effects of playing in the Cali League got to him.
Quick profiles of each Greeneville Astro: http://appyastros.blogspot.com/2011/06/get-to-know-your-2011-g-stros.html?spref=tw
Am I the only one who thinks "G-Stros" is a little weird? Can't wait to see what Ovando can do. I'm also interested to see what Darwin Rivera can do at 3rd. Jose Perdomo also looks interesting...
