I agree with him on the first two. However, something changed this year. For whatever reason, despite having space for him, Toronto was hesitant to bring Wallace up this year. And they weren't part of the Oswalt trade - Toronto traded him straight up for a lower level prospect. One or more of these things is true: 1. Toronto really was down on Wallace and thus was willing to trade him for a lesser prospect. 2. Toronto really sees something like they like in Gose that made them willing to trade a top tier prospect for him. 3. Toronto is really stupid and traded a top tier prospect for a low-level prospect. At this point, it's unclear what Toronto's thinking was.
One thing that was leaked out, for sure, was that they were high on Gose and were apparently trying to get him all last year (according to Toronto GM). Now, whether or not they were down on Wallace at the same time remains to be seen.
Villar had another nice game at the plate last night for Lancaster, 3-5 with a double however did strikeout twice. It looks, early on, that he will be a gap hitter with excellent speed...Derek Jeter like(not comparing him to Jeter). Also JD Martinez found his stroke a bit, 2-2 with two walks...I really think if they can move Lee somehow then its Martinez's spot to lose.
BUSTED..... @alysonfooter: Houston Minor Leaguer Richard Rodriguez of the Dominican Summer League has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for Stanozolol.
Hadn't seen this posted about Yordany Ramirez...he's done as an OF'er for RR and off the 40-man and they're trying to go Brandon Backe/Chris Sampson with him... [rquoter]Ramirez restarts career on mound After 81/2 years in the minor leagues, it was becoming clear that Yordany Ramirez wasn't going to make a big splash as an outfielder. The strong-armed Class AAA center fielder was dropped from the 40-man roster on July 8, and at age 26, was hitting .223 with a .259 on-base percentage in 74 games for Round Rock. So he's starting over as a pitcher. "It came to fruition that now was the right time to take on that challenge," assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "We're not sure where it's going to take us at this point but he's willing to do it and we're going to take the time to see what he can do on the mound." The Astros haven't put a radar gun on him, but it's something they've been considering since the offseason. Ramirez has had conversations with Class A Lexington pitching coach Rick Aponte about the possibility and will report to the Legends to begin his career on the hill. It's not an unprecedented move. Both Chris Sampson and Brandon Backe began their careers as position players, while Ramirez's former teammate, Round Rock outfielder and first baseman Brian Bogusevic was selected in the first round of the 2005 draft as a pitcher. Ramirez's restart has opened up a spot for one of the top hitters in the system this year to rise within one step of the major leagues. J.B. Shuck was promoted to Round Rock after hitting .296 with a .369 on-base percentage as the leadoff hitter for Class AA Corpus Christi. The sixth-round pick from the 2008 draft, who is not on the 40-man roster, will play center field for the Express after sharing the position with the currently injured T.J. Steele in Corpus Christi.[/rquoter] I remember when we got him in the Rule V draft from the Padres. Saw some video of his defense and it was hoped that his offense would come around. Unfortunately, it never did.
I really, really wish he could've hit enough to justify a 4th/5th OF spot, was ridiculously fun to watch play CF/RF. He provided many of the (few and far between) *wow* moments in RR the past couple of years. Has a rocket arm, would be crazy if he could make the transition.
Villar had another nice game tonight, he is now 7-13 with 3 doubles since his arrival. Also JD Martinez seems to be back on track 3-3 with 3 rbis and a double so he has made the adjustment nicely. Finally, Jack Shuck had a quite evening with only 1 hit but did have 1 rbi with that and Melancon pitched another scoreless inning with a walk to pick up the extra inning win.
@TimKurkjian is anyone in baseball hotter at the plate right now than Houston's Chris Johnson? sorry if that's a repost...i just saw it this morning.
@alysonfooter: The Astros have officially signed first-rounder Delino DeShields. The Astros will hold a 3 p.m. CT press conference to announce the deal. Lots of pressers today.
I think Villar has a HUGE upside. Only 19 years old and having a good year on the offensive end at High A. His defense is shaky to say the least though. Already made 4 errors in 4 games at Lancaster. He is still very young so I think he will get better though.
The thing I think most people (this is not specifically aimed at you here) generally don't get about baseball, is that usually it takes three or four of the raw, super-athlete guys like that to get one major league regular, and maybe ten or more to get one that pans out to meet the full star-level potential that you see there. From what I've read, I agree that he does have a ton of upside. But if you get too fixated on any one individual, specifically one who is a raw "toolsy" guy, you are going to have a pretty good chance of being disappointed. Probably well in excess of a 50% chance. The same applied to Gose. High potential reward, but very high risk. Any one individual's career is like a spin of the roulette wheel. The key is just having enough different bets that every once-in-a-while, you hit on one or two.
He's almost worth the price of admission on his own right now. Yeah, he's due to come back to earth with a THUD...but it's been fun to watch while it's happening.
The Astros made the agreement from earlier in the week official Thursday, signing first-round draft pick Delino DeShields Jr. 11 days before the deadline to sign players from the 2010 draft. DeShields will join the Astros' Gulf Coast League club for a week to get acclimated and then begin playing for rookie-level Greeneville with fellow first-round pick Mike Foltynewicz, a pitcher. The speedy 17-year-old has been playing the outfield but will gradually begin a conversion to second base. The Astros selected the graduate of Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga., with the No. 8 pick in the draft, which carries a recommended slot bonus of slightly more than $2 million. Exact financial terms were not disclosed. His father, also named Delino, played 13 seasons for the Expos, Dodgers, Cardinals, Orioles and Cubs, hitting .268 and stealing 463 bases. Players have until Aug. 16 to sign or else the Astros lose their draft rights and the player must go back in a later draft. Had DeShields gone to LSU, where he had committed, he would have been able to enter the draft in June 2013 after three years of college. Third-rounder Austin Wates out of Virginia Tech and sixth-rounder Adam Plutko, a UCLA commit, are the only picks from the Astros' first 10 rounds who have not signed. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/7140831.html
A non-Stros prospect related note - http://www.talkingchop.com/2010/8/5/1607465/braves-prospect-mike-minor-to-make and who does this start take place against...our Houston Astros.
@richardjustice: Nolan Ryan told Drayton McLane wks ago the Rangers would be moving their AAA team to Round Rock if he got the team. Hello, Ok City? #hounews
