With the state of the current bullpen, I hope the Astros go the Chris Sale route with Foltynewicz. Have him pitch in the bullpen this season and then let him start next year or until he gets his off speed pitches under control.
Tuesday Stories OKC tandems on hiatus. Let's play 2 in Davenport! Wait... never mind. Lance McCullers untouchable. Recap Oklahoma City 2, Round Rock 0 The Redhawks took the 2nd game behind an outstanding pitching effort; Mike Foltynewicz and 3 relievers collaborated on a 4-hit shutout. Gregorio Petit's 2-run homer in the 1st was all the scoring. For a while, it was OKC's only hit. The other 2 came on singles from Ronald Torreyes in the 6th and Max Stassi in the 7th. Mike Foltynewicz pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3. Rhiner Cruz threw 2 scoreless and allowed 2 hits while striking out 3. Chia-Jen Lo struck out 2 over 2 perfect frames, and Josh Zeid finished it with a 1-2-3 9th. Jake Buchanan will face Ryan Feierabend in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05. The tandem system in OKC is currently on hiatus. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Luhnow said OKC going with six-man rotation now that Seaton and Harrell out. Will go back to tandem starters later.</p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/461263248843493376">April 29, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>OKC rotation: Owens, Foltynewicz, Buchanan, Tropeano, Martinez and Doran.</p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/461266403413082113">April 29, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Midland 9, Corpus Christi 8 The Hooks coughed up a 7-1 lead and wound up walking off with the loss after the RockHounds put up 4 in the bottom of the 9th. 7 of the 8 Corpus runs came in the 2nd inning. After Midland opened the scoring in the 1st, Tyler Heineman began the assault by clearing the bases with a double. Chris Epps then clubbed a 3-run homer (2), and Matt Duffy added an RBI double. Andrew Aplin went 2-5 with an RBI single in the 9th, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Matt Duffy and M.P. Cokinos both finished 2-4, and everyone in the lineup scored a run except for Joe Sclafani, who was 0-2 with 3 walks. Corpus pitchers were all over the place as they issued 12 walks and struck out 6. Matt Heidenreich, who got the start, allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on a force out and a sac fly, a hit, walked 6, and struck out 2 in 4.2 innings of work. Jordan Jankowski went 1.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Travis Ballew was the only Hooks pitcher with a scoreless outing, as he allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1 over 2 innings. Jorge De Leon blew it. Tom Shirley will take on Drew Granier in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 11:00 A.M. Lancaster 5, High Desert 3 The JetHawks struck out 17 batters, which tied a team record set back in 1997, when they were a Mariners affiliate. They snapped a 3-game losing streak as Lance McCullers rendered the High Desert offense useless. Jason Schwartz mentioned that there was apparently a players-only meeting leading up to the game. McCullers tossed 5 shutout innings and allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 10. This was the first time in his pro career that he's struck out 10. Kyle Smith almost finished it off, as he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 7 in 3.2 innings. Jamaine Cotton got the final out. Brandon Meredith went 3-4; he singled to lead off the bottom of the 4th and scored the first run of the night on Dan Gulbransen's double. Gulbransen would score on a Carlos Perdomo sac fly, and Ruben Sosa added an RBI single to wrap up the scoring in the 4th. Perdomo, who went 2-3, scored on a force out in the 6th, and Meredith hit a solo shot (5) in the 8th. Jake Rodriguez finished 2-4 with a run scored. Josh Hader and Chris Devenski will face Dylan Unsworth in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific. Quad Cities and Clinton was rained out The cause was wet grounds. The River Bandits and LumberKings will now play 2 doubleheaders in 2 days. Kent Emanuel (game 1) and Jandel Gustave (game 2) will be the starters. First pitch for game 1 is scheduled for 6:00.
Just gonna say this again, I really don't like the tandem system for big time prospects. The fringey guys OK, we need to look at as many arms as possible, but not with the blue chippers. Some guys need to be set in an MLB style rotation, tandem the other guys. We want McCullers and Folty to be starters, how in hell will we know how they are actually faring if they are never expected to go more than 4 or 5 innings, on a pitching cycle that isn't MLB compatible either.
The Astros simply have too many starting pitcher prospects in the high minors. The tandem pitching scheme allows the Astros to get 8 starters their IPs as compared to the more standard 5 man starter rotation. Tandems also means more competition among the starting pitching I suspect that Luhnow sees the increased competition is major part of player development. The blue chip pitching prospects (MILB top 100 prospects) will likely get extended looks in the MLB. The near prospects will have to fight among themselves to get their chance at a cup of coffee. My bet is that one of these near prospects will separate from the crowd, get their chance at the brass ring and stick. Like Dallas Keuchel.
boy the pitching staff at Lancaster is doing exceptionally well this year. wonder if the updated scouting profiles still project McCullers for the pen or now have him firmly as a starter.
I don't think the Astros will pigeon-hole him into one or the other. I actually used to like it when young guys got their MLB careers started out of the pen, regardless of their projection, and then transitioned to starting once they adjusted to big-league life, and got accustomed/or had success (as long as they weren't over-used like Elarton was). But if I had to bet, I'd say unless he's got a plus 3rd pitch, he's going to have more success as a back of the bullpen guy vs. a starter (which isn't a "bad" thing to have from a high round pick... Lidge and Wagner were both brought up as starters too).
Lancaster with the run of the mill 1 hit shutout....with 7 walks allowed. Hader went 4 innings in the game, allowing the hit, and 5 of the walks, with only one strikeout. Not pretty, but effective.
So, one month down. Where do the Astros' affiliates stand in their leagues? With a 14-12 record, OKC is tied at the top with Nashville in the Pacific Coast League's American Northern division. Corpus is also 14-12, but they're in 3rd place in the Texas League South, 3 behind Frisco. At 16-11, Lancaster is leading the California League South along with Lake Elsinore. And finally, the Quad Cities River Bandits are 11-13. They're tied for 5th in the Midwest League's Western division.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Looks like Kent Emanuel is headed to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JetHawks&src=hash">#JetHawks</a>. Tweeted earlier that he was on way to CA. Brian Holmes also in town.</p>— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_L_Smith/statuses/461920708755353601">May 1, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wait what <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>My guess is that Velasquez or Smith going to AA. Just a guess though. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JetHawks&src=hash">#JetHawks</a></p>— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_L_Smith/statuses/461921233345323008">May 1, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Here are my Three Stars for each team in the month of April. These are players currently on the roster. So no George Springer. Oklahoma City Springer would've been #1. 3. Rudy Owens, RHP 2-0, save, 3.95 ERA 7 appearances (4 starts), 27.1 IP, 24 H (2 HR), 13 R (12 ER), 2 BB, 26 K, 0.95 WHIP, .233 opponent average Owens, outside of 2 rough outings, has arguably been the RedHawks' most consistent starter. The 2 walks came on Opening Day. 2. Ronald Torreyes, 2B/SS 26 games, .314/.353/.427, HR, 14 RBI, 15 R, 4 BB, 4 K, CS Torreyes has converted on almost all of his opportunities with runners in scoring position. He hit .458/.458/.625 with RISP in the first month. That's how he's 4th on the team in RBI despite hitting 9th for the first 2-3 weeks of the year. 1. Jon Singleton, 1B 26 games, .293/.398/.646, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 23 R, 18 BB, 31 K, CS Well, coming off a wreck of a 2013 season, this was the perfect opening paragraph to a response to that wreck of a 2013 season. The 26.3% K rate is probably a rate I would expect for him in the Majors. It's a little too high, but workable. What I do like is his 15.3% walk rate. What I really like is the 9 homers. This guy was one of the more highly-touted prospects in all of baseball. So this really shouldn't be a surprise. Honorable Mentions: Domingo Santana, Jason Stoffel, Max Stassi, Gregorio Petit, Austin Wates, Nick Tropeano Corpus Christi 3. Luis Cruz, LHP 2-2, 1.69 ERA 6 appearances (4 starts), 26.2 IP, 20 H (2 HR), 6 R (5 ER), 6 BB, 20 K, .202 opponent average Cruz is picking up where he left off when he finished the year in Corpus. At this point, it could be a race between him, Brady Rodgers, and Tommy Shirley to see who gets the midseason call to OKC. 2. Preston Tucker, OF 26 games, .295/.357/.552, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 18 R, 8 BB, 16 K, SB (2 CS) Would it be totally outrageous to picture him in Houston by August? 1. Tom Shirley, LHP 2-2, save, 1.27 ERA 6 appearances (4 starts), 28.1 IP, 16 H (1 HR), 6 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 34 K, 0.78 WHIP, .180 opponent average Shirley has definitely got to be the surprise of the system so far. It looks like the injury problems that had sidetracked his career are a memory now. He struck out 6 for the 4th straight outing last night and hasn't allowed more than 5 hits in an appearance yet. Honorable Mentions: Andrew Aplin, Brady Rodgers, Andrew Robinson, Jio Mier Lancaster 3. Carlos Correa, SS 20 games, .300/.366/.463, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 13 R, 9 BB, 15 K, 4 SB (1 CS) Not nasty numbers, but still a pretty darn good first month for 2012's #1. Hoping there's nothing more to the injury. A huge month could likely land him in Corpus. 2. Kyle Smith, RHP 4-0, 2.60 ERA 7 appearances (3 starts), 27.2 IP, 18 H (3 HR), 12 BB, 31 K, 1.08 WHIP, .178 opponent average I doubt Smith's stay in Lancaster will be too long. He did his time. Lance McCullers, RHP 1-1, 2 saves, 2.51 ERA 28.2 IP, 21 H (2 HR), 8 ER, 12 BB, 33 K, 1.15 WHIP, .204 opponent average Is McCullers setting himself up to take the fast track? 1. Vince Velasquez, RHP 4-0, 3.13 ERA 6 appearances (3 starts), 23 IP, 15 H (3 HR), 8 ER, 8 BB, 26 K, 1.00 WHIP, .192 opponent average Yeah, he got roughed up his last time out. But.... so far, so good. He hasn't missed a beat. With 2 new pitchers coming to Lancaster, is he on his way up? Josh Hader, LHP 1-0, 2.93 ERA 7 appearances (4 starts), 27.2 IP, 19 H (2 HR), 10 R (9 ER), 10 BB, 36 K, 1.07 WHIP, .200 opponent average The bouts of wildness have largely been few and far between, even though he did issue 5 walks last night. Have the Astros solved The Hangar with this pitching staff? The JetHawks have guys who get groundouts in bunches (Kyle Westwood, Mike Hauschild, McCullers), guys who have good command (Smith, Westwood can fall under this category), and guys who can rack up serious strikeouts (Velasquez, Hader, McCullers). Honorable Mentions: Carlos Perdomo, Tony Kemp, Mitch Lambson, Rio Ruiz Quad Cities 3. Brett Phillips, CF 23 games, .301/.394/.446, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 11 R, 14 BB, 17 K, 2 SB (6 CS) Phillips' offense looks like it's starting to arrive. He's got the ingredients to be an effective leadoff hitter; hopefully he'll continue to refine his baserunning. 2. Tyler Brunnemann, RHP 0-0, 0.61 ERA 7 appearances (all relief), 14.2 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 14 K, 0.61 WHIP, .140 opponent average This guy lasted 39 rounds. Decision scientists strike again??? 1. Gonzalo Sanudo, RHP 3-0, 0.50 ERA 5 appearances (2 starts), 18 IP, 12 H, ER, 2 BB, 14 K, 0.78 WHIP, .182 opponent average The Astros gave up Mike Kvasnicka for this guy? Those 2 walks could be the only ones that he's issued until July. Honorable Mentions: Conrad Gregor, Chan-Jong Moon, Jon Kemmer, Evan Grills, Kent Emanuel
Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith): #JetHawks announce expected moves: Smith to AA, Emanuel up from Quad Cities. No surprise on either one. Steve Batterson (@sbatt79): #qctimes @QCRiverBandits moves: P Kent Emanuel to Lancaster, OF Jon Kemmer to extended spring; OF Ronnie Mitchell, P Edision Frias to QC
John Sickel's commented during a chat session on a few Astros prospects after posting his Top 150 today. Top 150: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2014/5/1/5640414/top-150-prospects-for-2014-baseball-john-sickels Additional Comments - Josh Hader: "Hader was a local find for the Orioles, drafted in the 19th round in 2012 out of high school in Millersville, Maryland. An under-developed lefty when drafted, he signed for just $40,000 but immediately established himself as a huge bargain. The Astros spied him and picked him up in the Bud Norris trade last summer. Hader has gained size and strength since signing, boosting his fastball from 84-87 in high school to 88- 94 in pro ball. His changeup is ahead of his slider and curveball at this point, but he’s deceptive and he’s made a huge amount of progress. He still needs to sharpen up his command, but he’s got a shot at being a mid-rotation starter if he refines his breaking pitches and control further. Even if that doesn’t work out, his ability to cross-up lefties could be useful in the pen. Hader could be a mid-rotation starter at the upside. Grade B- with more possible." "If he continues pitching well at Lancaster he's a lock for 150 in July, could get into 100 (or maybe even higher) by end of season." Domingo Santana: "No change from this based on OKC performance." "Although it may look weaker on the surface, Domingo Santana’s 2013 season was just as good as his 2012 season when league context is considered. His wRC+ was 137, exactly the same as it was in ’12. He had no problems demonstrating his power against Double-A pitching, and the variance in batting average and OBP was mainly a result of the difference between hitting in Lancaster and hitting in Corpus Christi. Scouting reports remain the same too: he has terrific raw power but is an aggressive hitter who could have OBP troubles against good pitching. He throws well and should be a solid defender in right field who runs well enough to play center in an emergency. Santana has been around awhile but is still only 21 years old. There’s a lot of risk here but the upside and youth are good enough for me to move him up to a Grade B." Teoscar Hernandez: "Teoscar Hernandez (awesome name) was signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. Although listed still at 6-2, 180, he looks stockier than that in person, closer to 200, although he’s quite athletic and has above-average speed. He is a very aggressive hitter who will crush early-count elevated fastballs and launch tape-measure home runs, but has problems with pitches low in the strike zone; breaking balls can give him fits. He runs and throws well and looks like a very good right fielder, but I don’t think his instincts are good enough for long-term usage in center. His upside his quite high, but he needs to figure out those breaking pitches and get more consistent with his swing, which falls apart at times. Grade C+." Preston Tucker: "Drafted in the seventh round from the University of Florida in 2012, Tucker made noise with his bat in college, in the New York-Penn League, in the California League, and then in the Texas League. At the pro levels he’s lost about 20 points of production with the advancement to each level, going from 165 wRC+ to 140 to 127, granted a 127 is just fine at Corpus Christi and the Texas League isn’t quite the hitter’s circuit that it used to be. Tucker isn’t the toolsiest guy in the world, fitting best in a corner outfield spot due to lack of speed although he does have a good arm. He controls the strike zone reasonably well, and I like the fact that he combines some power with a low whiff rate. I don’t see him as a star, but his hitting skills could make him a solid role player. Grade C+."
Chris Lee threw 4 no-hit, scoreless innings in game 2 of Quad Cities' doubleheader against Clinton, but he issued 6 walks and struck out 3. The River Bandits lead 1-0 in the 5th.
