Haha nice. Good enough for me; I'm not trying to look a gifthorse in the mouth or anything. Sidenote: I'm really enjoying Rio Ruiz's month-by-month progression. His slash line has consistently improved each month. April: .167/.309/.288 May: .246/.329/.311 June: .258/.323/.404 Sure the entire picture doesn't look great but continual improvement the 3rd and 4th times through the league speak volumes about his ability to make adjustments. He may not have to repeat QC afterall.
Completely agree about Ruiz. With a strong second half (something in the .270/.340/.410 range), I'd be comfortable sending him to Lancaster next year. It's always fun when a prospect "figures out" a level, but once that happens it probably won't be worthwhile to send him back.
I like the direction (youth movement) the Astros are headed and this is the best place I've found to see what the prospects are doing. I've been in China the last 5 months and found this site and read it daily. Thanks Tellit.
Sunday Stories Corpus couldn't take advantage of their opponent's wildness. Quad Cities gets another dominating pitching performance. Michael Feliz makes his presence felt. Lancaster doing Lancaster things... Recap Nashville 5, Oklahoma City 3 Well, there's the answer: The Redhawks won the series 3-2. Science Guy allowed 2 in the 7th, which allowed the Sounds to break a 3-3 tie. After Jonathan Villar tripled to lead off the game, he scored on a Marwin Gonzalez sac fly to put OKC on the board. Jose Martinez went 2-4 with a solo homer (1) in the 4th. The Sounds got 3 in the bottom of the inning off Philip Humber, and then Jonathan Singleton tied it with an RBI single in the 5th. Singleton went 2-4. George Springer went 2-3 to finish his 1st AAA series with a .333 average. As I mentioned earlier, all 3 runs that were allowed by Philip Humber came in the 4th. He went 5 innings and allowed 10 hits and struck out 3. Science Guy was greeted rudely in the 7th by Caleb Gindl, who broke the tie with a solo homer. Later in the inning, Carlos Perez threw the ball away trying to pick off Khris Davis, which allowed Robinzon Diaz to score. Diaz had doubled. Science Guy went 2 innings and allowed all of that in the 7th. He had a 1-2-3 6th inning, and he walked 1 and struck out 1. Rhiner Cruz walked 2 and struck out 2 in the 8th. The Redhawks will return home to host Albuquerque in a 3-game series. Jarred Cosart will take on Aaron Laffey in the opener. First pitch is at 7:05. Tulsa 1, Corpus Christi 0 Corpus has been held to 1 run in the first 2 games of this series. The Hooks couldn't take advantage of Tyler Matzek's wildness. He issued 6 walks and threw 95 pitches (48 strikes) in 5 innings. Problem was.... they only managed 2 hits off of him and 3 total. Rene Garcia hit a double off of Matzek in the 1st. David Martinez took the loss... because THE HOOKS DIDN'T SCORE!!!!! He went 7 innings and allowed a run (on a sac fly in the 3rd) on 4 hits and struck out 5. Kyle Hallock pitched the final 2 innings, striking out 1. The Hooks will look to avoid the sweep, start July on a winning note, and get their offense, which has suddenly stalled, going again. Yes, all at the same time. Bobby Doran will take on Sean Gallagher in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05. Lancaster 17, Rancho Cucamonga 3 The Jethawks earned the series split in emphatic fashion. They had a 4-2 lead after the 5th inning and closed out the game on a 13-1 run. This was the 23rd time that Lancaster has scored at least 10 runs in a game. Everyone had at least 1 hit except for Telvin Nash, who was 0-4 wth 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and a run scored. Matt Duffy went 2-6 with a double and 2 runs scored. They got 2 in the 2nd and the 4th off a rehabbing Ted Lilly. Ryan McCurdy, who finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored, hit an RBI single in the 2nd and Delino DeShields, who was 1-4 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored, and a steal (20), hit a sac bunt that allowed Chris Epps to score. Epps, who was 2-5 with 3 runs scored, led off the 4th with a homer (10) and Nolan Fontana, who was 4-6 with 4 RBI, hit an RBI double. Epps then began the game's transformation into a laugher by kicking off the 6th with a triple. He'd score on a passed ball. Brandon Meredith finished 4-6 with 4 runs scored. After Epps scored, he hit a double. McCurdy got hit by a pitch and DeShields singled to load the bases. Fontana then hit his 2nd double of the afternoon, which brought Meredith and McCurdy home. DeShields would score on a sac fly from Andrew Aplin. The 2 runs in the 7th came on a 2-run homer from Meredith (7). And in the 8th, the Jethawks scored a touchdown. Nash and M.P. Cokinos walked, and after Matt Duffy and Epps flew out, Meredith singled to load the bases. McCurdy hit his 2nd RBI single of the day and re-loaded them in the process. Cokinos scored on a wild pitch. DeShields walked to load the bases for a 3rd time. Fontana got his 4th RBI of the day on a single. And for the 4th time in the inning, the bases were loaded. Aplin promptly cleared them with a grand slam (6), his 3rd slam of the year. Aaron West went 5 innings and allowed 2 (1 earned) on 6 hits and struck out 8. Tom Shirley finished it off, allowing a solo homer to Scott Schebler in the 8th (the only run and hit he allowed in 4 innings), walking 1, and striking out 3. The Jethawks return home to begin a 3-game series with Bakersfield. Chris Devenski and Brady Rodgers will start the opener. Their opponent is TBA. First pitch is at 7:00 Pacific. Quad Cities 4, Clinton 1 For the 2nd straight game, QC pitchers overwhelmed Clinton's hitters. The Old Man Tandem was lethal. Mike Hauschild was untouchable for 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 10. Jordan Jankowski tagged in for 3 scoreless, allowing 4 hits and fanning 4. Gerardo Sanchez allowed a consolation solo homer to Jordy Lara in the 9th. He struck out 1. Jesse Wierzbicki scored on an error in the 2nd to put the River Bandits on the board first. Brett Phillips added an RBI groundout later in the inning. Carlos Correa hit a double with 1 out in the 3rd and came around to score on a Rio Ruiz single. The River finished 2-4. Austin Elkins led off the 4th with a homer (4). Colton Cain and Jamaine Cotton will start game 3 of the series. Their counterpart for Clinton will be Matt Anderson. First pitch is at 7:00. Tri-City 6, Connecticut 2 After a rain delay, the ValleyCats went on to take 2 of 3 from the Tigers behind the bat of Dan Gulbransen and the arms of Michael Feliz and Andrew Thurman. Gulbransen has stormed out of the gate, going 2-3 with a 2-run homer (3) in the 1st to put TC on the board first. Tony Kemp finished 3-4 with a walk, a run scored, and 2 steals (7). The walk led off the 3rd. He stole 2nd, then scored on a single from Conrad Gregor. Jake Rodriguez then hit a 2-run single, and Ronnie Mitchell capped off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch. Gregor's RBI single was his only hit in 3 at-bats. He also drew a walk and scored twice. Rodriguez was 2-2 with 2 walks. Michael Feliz threw 6 innings and allowed a solo homer to Austin Green in the 3rd. He allowed 2 other hits and struck out 6. Andrew Thurman pitched the final 3 innings and allowed a run (in the 9th) on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Tri-City will hit the road for 3 games with Vermont. Randall Fant (or Kyle Westwood) will take on Jose Torres. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern. Greeneville and Burlington was postponed Doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 5:00 Eastern. Enderson Franco will take on Luis Santos in game 1, and Chris Lee will take on Torey DeShaizer in game 2. GCL Astros were off They'll host the Phillies in Kissimmee at noon Eastern. DSL Astros were off The Academy will travel to the Indians complex for a game at 10:30 AM Atlantic.
Here's where all the teams stand, as the calendar flips to July. Oklahoma City 44-39, 3rd in Pacific Coast League American Southern division, 3.5 games behind Round Rock 12-16 in June Corpus Christi 5-6 in the 2nd half; all 4 teams in the Texas League South (Corpus, Frisco, Midland, and San Antonio) are 5-6 in the 2nd half. 47-34 overall, 1st place in Texas League South, 3 games ahead of Frisco 14-13 in June Lancaster 9-2 in the 2nd half, 1st in California League South, 1 game ahead of High Desert 48-33 overall, 1st in California League South, 3 games ahead of Inland Empire 15-12 in June Quad Cities 7-3 in the 2nd half, 3rd place in the Midwest League Western division, 3 games behind Cedar Rapids 45-34 overall, 3rd place in Midwest League Western division, 5.5 games behind Cedar Rapids 15-11 in June Tri-City 11-3, 1st place in NYPL Stedler Division, 4 games ahead of Lowell The ValleyCats are currently the New York-Penn League's best team. Greeneville 5-5, 3rd place in Appalachian League West, 3.5 games behind Elizabethton GCL 5-3, 1st place in Gulf Coast League Northeast, .5 game ahead of GCL Tigers DSL 15-10, t-2nd in Dominican Summer League Boca Chica Northwest, 3 games behind DSL Red Sox
Three Stars: June Oklahoma City 3. Brad Peacock, P June: 4 starts, 2-0, 1.42 ERA, 25.1 IP, 20 H (1 HR), 8 R (4 earned), 8 BB, 19 K, 1.11 WHIP, .225 opponent average Season at AAA: 8 starts, 3-2, 3.06 ERA, 47 IP, 38 H (5 HR), 21 R (16 earned), 17 BB, 46 K, 1.17 WHIP, .222 opponent average Peacock is still an MLB pitcher. I'm not against seeing him in AAA, as he's getting his regular starts. He'll be back in Houston in the event Bud Norris or someone else in the rotation gets traded. 2. Jonathan Villar, SS June: 29 games, .312/.356/.505, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 15 R, 7 BB, 26 K, 12 SB (1 CS), .861 OPS Season: 81 games, .280/.332/.447, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 40 R, 23 BB, 85 K, 27 SB (7 CS), .779 OPS Well, we'll have to weather the storm of Jake Elmore and Ronny Cedeño (would rather have Elmore everyday) at SS in Houston until Villar is deemed ready. If he hadn't had a mediocre May, he'd probably be the Astros' starting SS by now. 1. Brett Wallace, 1B/3B/SS June: 22 games, .355/.406/.559, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 14 R, 6 BB, 29 K, SB, .965 OPS Season: 59 games, .322/.398/.554, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 36 R, 24 BB, 69 K, SB, .952 OPS The time of judgment has arrived. Corpus Christi 3. Jonathan Meyer, 3B June: 26 games, .280/.339/.510, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 12 R, 10 BB, 26 K, CS, .849 OPS Season: 77 games, .261/.309/.416, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 35 R, 23 BB, 61 K, 2 SB (2 CS), .725 OPS Meyer's found the consistency at the plate. He could put up 15 homers this season. That would be pretty nice after seeing him scuffle in Lancaster for 2 years. 2. David Martinez, P June: 7 appearances (5 starts), 2-2, 1 save, 2.35 ERA, 30.2 IP, 21 H (3 HR), 10 R (8 earned), 2 BB, 24 K, 0.76 WHIP, .193 opponent average Season: 20 appearances (12 starts), 10-2, 1 save, 2.02 ERA, 84.2 IP, 63 H (8 HR), 23 R (19 earned), 13 BB, 57 K, 0.90 WHIP, .208 opponent average Martinez's consistency has been remarkable. He'll probably get a crack at OKC in August. 1. George Springer, CF June: 22 games with Corpus, .289/.368/.482, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R, 10 BB, 30 K, 7 SB (1 CS), .850 OPS Season: 78 games, .299/.403/.580, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 59 R, 44 BB, 102 K, 24 SB (6 CS), .983 OPS Springer absolutely blitzed the Texas League on his way to OKC. He's probably a September callup, but I won't rule out the chance that he'll force the issue. Lancaster 3 (tie). Luis Cruz and David Rollins, P Cruz in June: 7 appearances (5 starts), 3-1, 1.99 ERA, 31.2 IP, 22 H, 7 ER, 7 BB, 40 K, 0.93 WHIP, .193 opponent average Cruz season: 20 appearances (11 starts), 5-4, 2 saves, 4.48 ERA, 76.1 IP, 65 H (7 HR), 38 ER, 31 BB, 91 K, 1.26 WHIP, .227 opponent average Rollins in June: 6 appearances (4 starts), 3-1, 1 save, 3.13 ERA, 23 IP, 13 H (4 HR), 8 ER, 9 BB, 28 K, 0.96 WHIP, .160 opponent average Rollins season: 19 appearances (10 starts), 7-4, 3 saves, 3.70 ERA, 75.1 IP, 59 H (7 HR), 37 R (31 earned), 24 BB, 79 K, 1.10 WHIP, .210 opponent average The top 2 left-handed pitchers in the system reside in Lancaster. Cruz cruised through this month. As we all know, the California League isn't exactly the friendliest for pitchers. A horrid May has resulted in Cruz's 4.48 ERA for the season. Otherwise, he's been electric for the Jethawks. Rollins' 3.13 ERA for the month is inflated, as he gave up 7 runs in only 1 inning on June 10. After that, he only allowed 1 run in his next 4 appearances. Rollins might not wow many people, and he's probably got the lowest upside of the haul that the Astros received from the Blue Jays, but he's posted impressive results in his career. He could have a shot at making it to Houston, even if it isn't in a starting role. 2. Preston Tucker, RF June with Lancaster: 22 games, .352/.400/.591, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 16 R, 6 BB, 10 K, SB, .991 OPS Season: 80 games, .318/.377/.528, 15 HR, 76 RBI, 61 R, 31 BB, 48 K, 3 SB, .906 OPS It's hard to believe, but Tucker didn't even have the best month for the Jethawks' position players. He's been the Jethawks' most consistent hitter all season, and now he's making a case for the fast track as he was just promoted to Corpus Christi. 1. M.P. Cokinos, C/1B/LF June: 23 games, .392/.500/.633, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 16 R, 14 BB, 7 K, 2 CS, 1.133 OPS Season: 53 games, .342/.440/.532, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 35 R, 27 BB, 16 K, 3 CS, .971 OPS Instead, that honor belongs to Cokinos. Looks like he's getting the hang of playing everyday. He'll be a fixture in the lineup going forward because that bat of his is too good to keep on the bench. Quad Cities 3. Mike Hauschild, P June: 7 appearances (4 starts), 2-1, 2.86 ERA, 28.1 IP, 31 H, 10 R (9 earned), 2 BB, 27 K, 1.17 WHIP, .274 opponent average Season: 19 appearances (11 starts), 5-1, 3.18 ERA, 76.1 IP, 76 H (1 HR), 32 R (27 earned), 16 BB, 57 K, 1.21 WHIP, .259 opponent average Like I said, the groundball is his specialty. Hauschild could definitely thrive in an environment like Lancaster. 2. Lance McCullers, P June: 6 appearances (5 starts), 3-0, 2.33 ERA, 27 IP, 18 H, 7 ER, 9 BB, 33 K, 1 WHIP, .188 opponent average Season: 18 appearances (12 starts), 4-4, 2.07 ERA, 69.2 IP, 53 H, 25 R (16 ER), 30 BB, 78 K, 1.20 WHIP, .213 opponent average McCullers hasn't allowed a home run yet this season. I think he'll fit in perfectly in Lancaster, but he'll probably get a taste of it in August. I also wouldn't be surprised if they gave him the Mike Foltynewicz treatment next year: a month and a half in Lancaster, then finish the season in Corpus. 1. Carlos Correa, SS June: 25 games, .370/.413/.510, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 19 R, 7 BB, 14 K, 2 SB (3 CS), .923 OPS Season: 65 games, .323/.408/.457, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 48 R, 33 BB, 49 K, 7 SB (5 CS), .864 OPS Not too shabby for the Midwest League's 3rd-youngest position player, wouldn't you say? #1 looks like he's tapping into his prodigious power potential. His numbers with runners on are just unreal, too. They've been unreal all year. Tri-City I would've exceeded the 15-image limit in this section, so no photos here. 3. Tony Kemp, 2B 14 games, .314/.387/.412, HR, 6 RBI, 10 R, 7 BB, 6 K, 7 SB (3 CS), .799 OPS Still room on the bandwagon of the Altuve/DeShields hybrid. Kemp just makes things happen at the plate. He's a true pest: he battles every at-bat, he draws walks, he wreaks havoc on the basepaths, and he hits. Well. Kemp won't be a home run threat, but he fits the leadoff man mold very well. 2. Michael Feliz, P 3 starts, 2-1, 1.13 ERA, 16 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R (2 earned), 3 BB, 19 K Feliz has turned out to be the star of the ValleyCats rotation in the first couple weeks of the season. Keep in mind that he's only 5 days older than Lance McCullers. I hope to see them move through the system together. Baseball America might've tabbed him as a sleeper entering the season, but I think he put himself on the map with his excellent 2012. 1. Dan Gulbransen, OF 13 games, .415/.436/.660, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 SB, 1.097 OPS Gulbransen might've had a shot at the Quad Cities roster had he not been injured during spring training. He had a hot start last year, but really tapered off. Let's see if he maintains this kind of production. Obviously, he's not hitting .415 the rest of the way. Greeneville 3. Juan Santana, 2B/SS 9 games, .306/.297/.333, 6 RBI, 2 R, 3 K, SB, .631 OPS Well, Santana is the youngest regular in the Greeneville lineup. He and Darwin Rivera both lead the club in hits after the first week and a half. Santana's game is contact-oriented. He might grow into a little power, but he probably won't post huge home run totals. 2. Frederick Tiburcio and J.D. Osborne, P Tiburcio: 3 appearances (2 starts), 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 10 IP, 3 H (1 HR), ER, 3 BB, 13 K, 0.60 WHIP, .091 opponent average Osborne: 4 relief appearances, 0-0, 3 saves, 0.00 ERA, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 1.14 WHIP, .222 opponent average Tiburcio was OK in his first try at the Appy League, but he's looked very sharp in his first 2 starts of the season. Osborne could become one of those guys who couldn't put it all together in college, but found a way to do so as a pro. 1. Jandel Gustave, P 2 starts, 1-1, 0.82 ERA, 11 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 earned), 3 BB, 12 K, 0.72 WHIP, .128 opponent average I admit I'm a bit biased in putting Gustave in the top spot over Tiburcio. Guess the 6 no-hit innings are clouding my judgment. He might be the Latin pitcher in the low minors of the system that puts himself on the radar this year. Gustave has always had a very live arm. Problem was, he had absolutely no idea as to where his 2 pitches were going. He's only walked 3 in his first 11 innings this season, so that's certainly a start, and definitely a very encouraging sign. GCL 3. Troy Scribner, P 3 appearances (1 start), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.1 IP, 5 H, unearned run, BB, 11 K, 0.74 WHIP, .179 opponent average Scribner is an NDFA from Sacred Heart. His brother, Evan, pitches in the A's system. He had a strong senior season and is breaking into pro ball as a reliever. Early returns look pretty good. By the way, his birthday is tomorrow. 2. Luis Reynoso, SS 8 games, .320/.469/.480, 5 RBI, 3 R, 6 BB, 6 K, CS, .949 OPS Reynoso, who signed for $700,000 in 2011, was probably the steadiest hitter at the Academy in an otherwise wretched year for that squad. Off to a flying start in his US debut, I think he'll be one to watch in the coming years. 1. Tyler White, 1B 8 games, .400/.486/.567, HR, 8 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 CS, 1.053 OPS At 22 and in the GCL, White is what he is: organizational depth. That doesn't mean that he isn't useful or anything; he could become a nice org. guy a la Chris Epps. (Yes, I know they play two completely different positions. But, they're both late-round college seniors who can handle the bat well.) DSL Hoping Luis Payano gets himself going.... he's currently suffering from a .231 BABIP. Strikes out a lot, but has also drawn plenty of walks. 3. Hector Roa, 1B/LF 20 games, .279/.319/.488, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R, 5 BB, 18 K, .807 OPS Roa is one of the bigger power threats in the Academy's lineup. His approach needs some work, though. He's probably a candidate to come back to America in 2014 (he was born in Washington, DC, but returned to the Dominican years before signing). 2. Edwin Villarroel, P 5 starts, 2-2, 1.54 ERA, 23.1 IP, 18 H (1 HR), 4 ER, 3 BB, 13 K, 0.90 WHIP, .225 opponent average Villarroel could certainly profile as a durable southpaw starter, as he led the Academy in innings last season and is currently 2nd in that department this year. His strikeout rate is a much more respectable 15%, compared to only 7.5% last year. He also caught Jeff Luhnow's eye in a visit to the Academy before spring training. Call it a hunch, but I think that's probably a good sign for one's future. 1. Elieser Hernandez, P 5 starts, 3-0, 0.69 ERA, 26 IP, 18 H, 4 R (2 earned), 9 BB, 23 K, 1.04 WHIP, .202 opponent average. Hernandez has been the Academy's ace. He's building a very strong case to come to America.
I'd also like to throw my hat in as someone that reads your stuff every day, tellit, but rarely posts in this thread because I'm not especially well educated on minor league stuff or the development of players, in general...but I love reading about the up and coming Astros (especially now that we actually have some). Please keep up the good work and thank you!
It is good to see Reynoso and Feliz off to good starts in rookie ball. We haven't had much success with international free agents in the past 10 years (or so), while we had incredible success the 10 year (or so) prior to that. We signed Altuve & Cisnero in 2007. As far as I know, Cisnero is our 1st success signed from the Dominican in a long time (Cesar Cedeno?), but his career is just beginning. Felipe Paulino is the only other guy I can think of (recent international signee), but he was signed in 2001 and his success came with KC, and is currently recovering from Tommy John. When you look at the higher levels in our system right now, none of the real prospects were international signings by us.
I played ball with MP Cokinos for two years. He was catching Roger Clemens bull pen sessions in the offseason at the age of 15. Kid always had a knack for having great AB's
In Quad Cities, Dan Minor was placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to June 26. Also, Chia-Jen Lo's rehab will continue in QC.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>You guys and gals rock!!!! Great job voting Carlos Correa into the All-Star Futures game!!!! <a href="http://t.co/y7vK46AE44">http://t.co/y7vK46AE44</a></p>— Jayne (@whattheheck57) <a href="https://twitter.com/whattheheck57/statuses/351766454955290625">July 1, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Nice! I don't understand why he wasn't on the roster in the first place. #1 overall pick having a good season should be an automatic lock in my book.
Nice...I spent about 30 minutes yesterday sending in vote after vote. 3 Astros in the game now, correct?
