I saw on the GCL site that they have their season starting on 6/28 (although no actual schedule is posted). They also show Houston as having 2 teams (Orange and Blue). There are probably around 50 guys in the US complex right now so it makes sense for them to field 2 teams, especially since they’ll probably add another ~25 next month via the draft and UDFA signings.
No, he REALLY knows his stuff well when it comes to the Astros. He was one of 3 people in the organization that controlled the draft and minor league evaluations with the Astros. I will ask him if he has taken up the bottle though.
My "guess" is that he can air it out when he doesn't have to worry where it lands.... but Straw also has some Tim Redding to him.... he has great speed, he supposedly has great velocity on his throwing arm and he is supposedly a really good fielder...... yet as soon as the National Anthem is sung he shrivels up back into his shell. I still remember Redding sitting 97-99 in the minors, on a reliable gun.... and he puts on the Astros jersey and sits 90-92 mph.
Technically, MLB.com and Baseball America have always rated Straw's arm as above average to plus. MLB.com has him at a 60 grade in 2018.
Yeah, I don't care what fantastical grade somebody makes up for his arm. If it can't play on the field, and anyone who's watched him this year knows it obviously can't, it doesn't matter.
Also was timed at 87mph from the mound as a junior in high school. Article about him says he was at 92mph in college, I wouldn't say he has a noodle arm like Johnny Damon. I will say his speed doesn't show up as much as he was hyped up to be. He's been timed at 6.25 in the 60yd dash which is definitely elite, but it doesn't play as fast.
http://www.astrosfuture.com/2021/06/astros-milb-jonathan-bermudez-is-making-his-case-in-2021/ Notes: Lefty Low 90s fastball Big sweeping slider Good changeup. “my mentality is to strikeout every hitter if I can.” “I’ve just been trying to get ahead of hitters and trying to throw a lot of strikes.” That sounds like a left-handed Urquidy, though I expect the low 90s is probably a tick or two less than Urquidy's.
If the Astros add a 2nd GCL team, then their minor league system didn't contract at all. I'm here for it.
Good to hear he works in the 90s. I heard from someone else who watched him pitch recently that he was in the upper 80s, which was disconcerting.
Astros Future has really improved its content over time. It used to be awful but over the last year or so there’s been some good info. Bermudez being able to get AA hitters to strikeout at that rate is evidence his stuff is playing up. But I want to see him sustain this level of success (or close to it) over 50+ innings and after facing teams multiple times, as well as later in the season when hitters have gotten into a better rhythm. Low 90s heat probably limits his realistic best case outcome to a MoR SP but that still is a very valuable prospect.
Yep. I think it may be a short term play to give them a year or two to work through their international signees. Otherwise, they could intend to eventually do away with their DSL team and bring all signees stateside right away to get access to better resources. But simply having a 2nd GCL team as a replacement for their Low-A/Rookie level short season teams also makes a lot of sense. Even with a permanent 20 round draft, they will be adding ~40 prospects a year between the draft, UDFA signings, and international signings moving up from the DSL. Couple that with a dozen or so players per year who will need a 2nd year of complex development or guys working on significant developmental changes (or rehabbing), and there should be a steady 50-60 player supply to the GCL each year.
When I hear low 90s for a prospect, my mind interprets that as 90-92 early in the games and fading to the upper 80s. Hard to make it to the majors as a starter like that. Though, it could work as a low leverage inning eating reliever (if the Astros would use one) or more if his velo plays up in shorter stints.
I think Keuchel was always primarily a sinker baller with GB%> 50% throughout his career in the minors while Bermudez seems to generate extremely few grounders and thus is likely working almost entirely around the top of the zone with a four-seam fastball when he's not throwing one of his secondary pitches. I would guess it's easier to get away with sub-standard velo as a sinker baller like Keuchel as you don't really care about generating whiffs compared to someone working up in the zone with a four-seam fastball. Either way though you need excellent command when throwing that softly without giving up a bunch of homers.
Probably similar as Keuchel threw low 90s and faded to upper 80s early in his career. Keuchel is one of the very few soft tossers that made it to majors as a soft tosser, but that was nearly a decade ago (league velocity is up over a tick since then), and the Astros were losing 100 games a season. I'm not sure a Keuchel clone would get the time to develop as a starter in the majors way the game is played today.
I can't really think of any good MLB starters in the 89-91 mph range who are primarily four-seam outside of like Greinke who's truly one of a kind. Maybe Mike Fiers? lol.
