Wallace/Johnson/Towles are putting up great numbers at AAA. Drives me crazy these guys can't have near the production in the majors up to this point.
That's my biggest fear of our prospects, that they excel in the minors but can't do the same in the majors for some reason and become relegated as AAAA type players. Granted, Towles and Johnson weren't really top prospects at any time and Wallace' time as a top prospect wasn't lengthy. I just hope most of our current prospects don't just master the minors and become mediocre in the big leagues.
The Astros will be sending the following players to the Arizona Fall League. Pitchers: - Chris Hicks - Jason Stoffel - Josh Zeid - Dallas Keuchel Hitters: - Kody Hinze - Jay Austin - A catcher (hearing that it will be Jason Castro) - Jacob Goebbert
Bushue and folty haven't shown any consistency and their stats at low-a suck. They're not great prospects right now. Cosart is the one very solid pitching prospect in the system. Clemens, Obie, and Sosa have a lot of question marks.
Wallace needs to work with whomever taught jd to swing for power. JD looks great right now and if Wallace adds that component to his game he'd be an above average/ just below elite 1b
Both make top ten prospect lists, so experts disagree with your opinion. If you are saying that the Astros can not depend on them to contribute at all to the MLB club next year, I think that there would be strong agreement with your opinion.
Cosart has question marks. Despite Cosart's great stuff, his K rate this year is 6.2/9, and he hasn't dominated statistically.
Eh, the system as a whole was pretty ****ty before this season's trades. I think them making the top ten lists is reflective of that fact. They indeed are talented/high-ceiling players, but they've pretty much done nothing in the minors so far. Oh yea, I didn't say he was an A+ "can't miss" prospect or anything to that effect. He's got question marks, but he's still a A-/B+ prospect who is pitching well but not spectacularly. He is, though, on a whole other level than any of our other pitching prospects.
I wouldn't dismiss Foltynewicz quite yet. He's had a mediocre season but is 19 at A ball, that is a big step in his first full season of pro-ball. He had really improved his command and SO numbers over the season until his last couple starts. The guy has a plus fastball with good breaking stuff, not saying he is up there with Cosart or even Clemens but way to early to give up on a guy with his type of stuff. Even with the infusion of talent, Foltyz should be in the Stros top 10 unless Wandy brings back some SERIOUS talent this offseason and even then he should sneak in.
One guy a lot of us forget about but could be turning the corner is... GregRajan Greg Rajan He is only 21...22 this month.
One guy who should be in the top 10, or at the very least, #11 or #12, is Nick Tropeano. A lot of my posts are all wishful thinking, but I think he's got the stuff and the mentality to succeed at Lancaster.
OKC managed a single, solitary hit from Anderson Hernandez in a 1-0 loss to New Orleans. Tough luck doesn't begin to describe Xavier Cedeno's night. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 5 innings, walking 1 and striking out 6. I guess they thought that maybe, just maybe, Cedeno had more upside than simply being a LOOGY. Alas, Ross Seaton could only watch in horror as his bullpen had an epic fail, ruining his stellar outing. Corpus allowed 4 runs in the 8th to Frisco, turning a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 loss. Arcenio Leon and Henry Villar joined forces in the meltdown, in which Villar served up a grand slam to Renny Osuna. T.J. Steele had a 2-run homer in the 7th, his 11th. Kody Hinze and David Flores drove in 1 each. Seaton went 7 innings, allowing 2 runs (both on a 2-run homer) on 4 hits, striking out 7. Lancaster took game 1 of a doubleheader with Visalia, winning 3-2. Austin Wates, Jonathan Singleton, and Erik Castro had RBIs. Andrew Robinson tossed a 7-inning complete game, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and fanning 7. Lexington had the night off. They will wrap up their season with a 5-game series against Savannah beginning tomorrow night. Tri-City's bats came out in full force in their best offensive performance of the season, a 16-1 undressing of Aberdeen. George Springer doubled twice, had 2 RBI, and scored 3 times. Jordan Scott also had 2 RBI, as did Rafael Valenzuela, who went 4-6. Zach Johnson had 3 RBI. Miles Hamblin went solo in the 2nd for his 3rd homer. Chris Epps added some salt with a solo homer, his 2nd with Tri-City and 6th on the season. He also finished with 2 RBI. Lost in the offensive outburst was Nick Tropeano having another dominant outing. He tossed 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 7. Tonight was Nick Tropeano's 12th start. He now sports a 3-2 record and owns a 2.36 ERA. In 53 1/3 innings, he's allowed 42 hits (1 homer), 18 runs (14 earned), walked 21, and struck out 63. Opponents are hitting a measly .212 off him. In his last 10 starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA.
Judging minor league players - that you've seen at most once or twice on highlights - based on their stat lines is something something.
Thursday games first. OKC's game on Thursday was cancelled. Paul Clemens was blasted in his OKC debut, allowing 8 runs on 4 hits (grand slam), walking 6 and striking out 6 in 4 2/3 as OKC was pounded 12-1 by New Orleans. Koby Clemens scored the only run. Brandon Wikoff also came on, drawing a walk and striking out at the plate. Jake Buchanan was solid in his Corpus debut against Frisco on Thursday, allowing 1 run on 6 hits in 7 innings, walking 1 and striking out 2, but that run tied the game at 1 and Dan Meszaros failed, allowing 3 more runs in a 4-1 loss. As for Friday, the Hooks lost 3-1. Kody Hinze had the only RBI. Erick Abreu allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits in 8 innings, striking out 7. Lancaster took down Visalia 6-4. 4 Jethawks drove in 1 run apiece. Robby Dnovan allowed 2 runs on 4 hits in 8 innings, walking 1 amd striking out 8. Jose Cisnero shut out Lake Elsinore for 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 3, and striking out 10. He left with a 1-0 lead, but his efforts were wasted as Mike Ness allowed 1 in the 8th and 9th innings, leading to a 2-1 Lancaster loss. Lexington committed 5 errors in a 6-5 loss to Savannah. Domingo Santana went 2-4 with 3 RBI. Emilio King and Ben Orloff drove in 1 apiece. Mike Foltynewicz allowed 4 runs on 7 hits (solo homer) in 5 innings, walking 2 and striking out 5. Murilo Gouvea allowed 2 unearned runs, one of which was the go-ahead run in the 9th. In 4 innings, he allowed 4 hits and fanned 2. The Legends rebounded to down the Sand Gnats 7-3, as Orloff went 2-4 and drove in 2. Santana, Telvin Nash, and Bryce Lane drove in 1 each. Luis Cruz allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits in 5, walking 4 and striking out 5. Tri-City fell 5-3 to Aberdeen. Bubby Williams had a solo homer, his 6th. Jacke Healey had the other RBI. Jamaine Cotton allowed 4 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings, walking 1 and striking out 2. 3 of the 4 runs he allowed came in the 5th without getting anyone out. George Springer was 0-3. The ValleyCats got a solo homer from Miles Hamblin in the 9th (his 5th) to tie the game at 4. They walked off 5-4 losers. Healey drove in 2, and Miguel Arrendell drove in 1. Luis Ordosgoitti made his debut, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in 3 innings, walking 2 and striking out 2. Mitchell Lambson allowed the winning run. In 2 1/3, he allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 4.
Season's over. I guess the only thing left is to see how the fall and winter leagues shake up. The highlight was Dallas Keuchel getting a win in OKC's finale, going 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits, walking 1 and fanning 4 in a 4-3 victory over New Orleans. Adam Bailey went 4-4 with a solo homer and 2 RBI as Corpus was put out of their misery 12-3 by San Antonio. Bailey finishes his season with 24 homers and 95 RBI, spread across Lexington, Lancaster, and Corpus. Ross Seaton also started, and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in 6, walking 1 and striking out 5. Josh Zeid and Pat Urckfitz got shelled. Andrew Robinson was smashed by Lake Elsinore, as the Storm took him deep 4 times in 2 1/3. He allowed 8 runs on 8 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4 as Lancaster was throttled 11-2. Lexington capped off their year with a doubleheader sweep of Savannah, winning 2-1 in game 1 and 3-2 in game 2. Alex Sogard pitched 3 perfect innings in relief for the win in game 1, striking out 4. In game 2, Ruben Alaniz tossed 5 scoreless, scattering 5 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3 for the win. Tri-City finished on Sunday, and Kyle Hallock ended his season on a rather down note, allowing 6 runs on 5 hits (1 homer), walking 1 and striking out 3 in 2 1/3 in an 11-7 loss to Vermont.
Here are the statistical leaders from the full season teams, courtesy of What the Heck, Bobby? http://whattheheckbobby.blogspot.com/2011/09/hitting-category-winners-of-2011-full.html
