Moving Oswalt NOW won't be easy because other teams aren't desperate enough to part with top tier minor league talent. If he gets moved early then the front office would be looked upon on as settling for the first offer that crossed their table. Relax cause there won't be any deal until at least the second week of July...if at all.
Astros Land Two Top Dominican Arms Posted May. 22, 2010 12:34 pm by Ben Badler The international signing period doesn't open until July 2, but the Astros aren't waiting around to make an impact in the Dominican Republic. Houston added two of the top arms from the Dominican Republic this week, signing 16-year-old righthander Michael Feliz for $400,000 and 17-year-old righthander Jose Montero for $350,000. Feliz had originally agreed to terms with the A's for $800,000 in March, but Oakland voided his contract when Feliz tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol and received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball. According to scouts who have followed Feliz this year, Feliz was regularly hitting 92-93 mph with his fastball before his positive drug test, but in more recent months has been topping out at 91 mph. Beyond pure arm strength, Feliz, who is from Azua, also has a projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame with feel for a curveball and a changeup. Montero is another power arm with a projectable frame. The 6-foot-4 righthander from San Pedro de Macoris can pitch at 89-92 mph and has touched 93 for some scouts. Montero throws a slider and an occasional changeup, though his secondary stuff and feel for pitching isn't as refined as Feliz. Latin American sources have said the Yankees and Padres were among the other teams courting Montero. The Astros unveiled a new academy in the Dominican Republic earlier this month, and both Feliz and Montero figure to begin their careers there this summer in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, although Feliz will have to wait until late July or early August to pitch due to his suspension. That should give the Astros three power-armed first-year pros on their DSL pitching staff, with lefthander Edgar Ferreira (a December 2009 signing for $350,000) also expected to join them in the DSL.
Great decision making by the Astros, and this sentence is the best of the bunch. If they are committed to loading up on international prospects, that's a great way to speed up the rebuilding process. You only get so many picks in the MLB draft - but you can sign all the international players you want.
Its amazing, in the last 10 years we never heard of the Astros signing any big name Latin/South American players, and in the last 2 months there have been 3. Wade must have really gotten into Drayton's ear about how much spending on amateurs will save him in the long run.
Lyles got tagged for 6 earned over 6 innings today. A 5 run 4th did him in. Another 2 hit game for JD Martinez. A 2009 late round pick by the name of Robert Donovan went 7 innings for Lexington, giving up 0 runs, and lowering his ERA to 2.63 Mier was 0-3
I'm starting to wonder if Bud Norris needs a little time back in AAA. If so, to fill the time, they could call up Josh Banks who is having a nice little season. 2.95 era through 9 starts. WHIP is a very respectable 1.20 and he's got some major league experience. Chris Johnson is continuing to kill the ball for RR. Through 12 games, he's hitting .380 with a 1.169 OPS (3 hr, and 14 rbi)...though he has committed 5 errors.
Castro finally hit his first HR of the season. He went 1-for-3 with a BB and 2 SO. His AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS over the last 10 games: .316/.422/.421/.843 For the season: .266/.393/.323/.716 He's maintaining an excellent BB/SO: 25/20
That's one thing that really makes me think that Castro and Meir are going to pan out to be everyday major league players. They both walk a lot. They both have so so averages this year but significantly higher OBP because they draw walks. Thats something that almost not many of our recent top prospects used to have (minus berkman).
The Lexington Legends were 1 hit today. The starter gave up 0 hits, and isn't exactly Strasburg. The one guy that got a hit, also got the only walk.
Castro has been mashing for about a month now at around a .300 average. In the last 10 games it's .316 with an OBP of .422. Surely we should consider calling him up to be the everyday catcher in June.
Does lack of power in the minors translate negatively in the majors? That's what I'm worried about Castro. Not that I care for him to hit 20 HRs each year here, but whether he can catch up to major league pitching. I assume Castro has no speed given that he's a catcher, so can't pitchers just pitch him aggressively knowing he can't burn them?
Pitchers in the minors are walking Castro a ton, so he does have a good eye and the minor league pitchers are not being aggressive. Castro's high OBP likely projects well into the majors, making the 2 spot a possibility.
Power naturally grows through about age 26-27. The guy I saw him compared most with before the draft was A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski also had some pretty anemic power numbers in the minors.
Well, I don't worry about his plate discipline. But rather his lack of power and speed translating into the majors. Well, here's hoping he can slug .400+ in the majors. I think he can be called a very successful pick if he does that and keep his OBP in the .350 range.
If he keeps it up, I'm sure Castro is getting the call sometime after June 1. I believe that has something to do with when or how the clock starts ticking on his service time. I think that's why Strausberg hasn't been called up, yet.
Its exactly why Strasburg hasn't been. Castro hasn't dominated in AAA, so there could be more to why he hasn't been called up.
wait; I thought it was only steroids that could possibly cause guys to hit with more power as they advance?
Not so lucky. He went 3 innings, 3ER, 2H, 4BB, 1HR, 1WP, 4K. JD Martinez though is 3-3 with a double and homer.
