2023 Astros Minor League Thread

Oof. We said over and over all he needed to do was stay healthy. Guess that was too much to ask.

 

Forrest Whitley I think pointed to his Shoulder.

His delivery, without using his legs, most of his power is overusing his Arm and Shoulder.

 

I was under a rock, because I had no idea Dezenzo got called up. Nice!

Mysteriously, no Drew Gilbert again in the lineup.

 

That just happened. Dezenzo is entering an extremely big opportunity. If he’s able to replicate anywhere near what he did in Asheville, it’s on.

 

Dezenzo was tied for 6th in the minors in wRC+ when he was promoted, 90% better than the average hitter. He struck out 11 times in his first 6 games, but had only two multi-strikeout games in the 25 games since, a 15% strikeout rate during that time period. His .494 BABIP was driven by a 30% LD rate and no pop ups. He didn't really elevate the ball much, just a 26% FB%, which is probably why he only hit 4 HRs. He's got the profile of a player who walks quite a bit and hits the ball hard and low. I'm not sure I can think of similar players in the majors.

Its been an interesting change in profile for Dezenzo, who was a pretty prototypical big power with contact concerns prospect. Hopefully he can continue his newfound contact ability while tapping back into the raw power he has. It's a little hard to believe that he fell to the 12th round. Kiley McDaniel listed him and Clifford as players who rose to a 45 this season, which is roughly the tier right below a top 100 prospect. A good showing at AA could put him on the list.

This trade deadline will be interesting. The 2022 draft class has had some standouts early successes. The defending World Series Champion Astros are currently not leading the division, and are unlikely to be in a comfortable lead by the trade deadline, but they almost certainly will be in the playoff picture. The owner led offseason has been a disaster. They have a new GM who wasn't involved in acquiring any of the prospects, although much of the staff is the same. I'm not sure what to expect.

 

Some not great swings at fastballs there.

 

Gordon has a 3.03 FIP and a 23% K-BB for May. Each of Kouba, Gordon, and Arrighetti have a K-BB of at least 22% in May.

 

A generous comparison would be early Yandy Diaz. low angle hard contact, high walk rates, decent K rates. He's just now in year 7 really tapping into the power.

 

He is likely to strike out quite a bit more than Yandy Diaz. I am maybe wondering if he can be like Dansby Swanson prior to 2020 with less defense.

With a positive angle adjustment he could be JD Martinez.

 

I wonder if the shift rules might mean a player like Dezenzo is now more viable without having to adjust to hit more balls in air.

 

In college he hardly hit the ball on the ground. It's possible whatever changes he made to cut his K rate affected his batted ball profile. Here's the write-up from Tieran's Draft List noting Dezenzo's batted ball data. I bolded the relevant section, but the rest is worth reading. Top 500 Draft Prospects

 

Maybe Dezenzo is just gonna hit .400 irrespective of the level of play. I wouldn’t mind.

 

Trade Older Players for Younger Prospects.

RP Josh Fields for LF Yordan Alvarez

CF Myles Straw for C Yainer Diaz and RP Phil Maton

 

…

 

Didn't Wagner just come back from an injury?

As for Whitley being hurt..

 

He did kind of hit like Yandy after that first week, but I think Yandy's hit tool is probably a grade better. Ultimately, I suspect he'll probably have some strikeout concerns in the majors, but I also suspect he'll tap back into more power. JD Davis who can kinda play 2nd seems like an achievable outcome and a pretty solid player. His breakout has been a welcome occurrence for a system that is pretty thin on infield depth.

Good find. I figured that he would have had to elevate more if he hit 19 HRs in college. It's a little strange that this profile has changed in one of the more flyball friendly home parks in the minors, but it's hard to argue with the results.