11-15 in this system is pretty stout, according to the BA Prospect Handbook. 11. Domingo Santana 12. Jonathan Villar 13. Vince Velasquez 14. Asher Wojciechowski 15. Jose Cisnero Cisnero has probably exhausted his prospect status by being in Houston, so I would say that Vasquez could likely be 15th.
That is without consideration of the draft (and this minor league season to date). I think 15th is the right area. Mayo's list will update shortly, and be our first indication (I'm guessing he comes in at 14 between Woj & Ruiz).
How weird is it that they they just had an Astros closer named Jose V? BTW, Valverde gave us the pick that landed Folty (and Kvasnicka). Good omen?
Get to know Danry Vasquez: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eiRM4cV6YhU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> A few game videos of him: 2012 New York-Penn League All-Star Game: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lqkO45qM5ZE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> With Connecticut Tigers, vs. Aberdeen on August 18, 2012: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QmcWvlZgsG0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> May 2, vs. Cedar Rapids: Two big plays late. Double play from left field. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q6NkS2l7Xjo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Walk-off single. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nHOxuaxfFHA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Sounds about right to me. At first sight, I view him being in the same ballpark as Ruiz as a prospect. Both have pedigree, are 19 in Midwest League, and have put up similar numbers this year. I'd give Ruiz the edge due to defensive and positional value, but they're probably close. Ruiz would probably slot at or near the back end of the top 10, so I could see Vasquez in the low-teens.
One has gotta think that Ruiz upside is higher than Danry Vasquez. I would not be surprised if Danry land closer to 20 or even somewhere between 20 and 30. http://houston.astros.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2013/index.jsp?c_id=hou#list=hou 11. Jonathan Villar 12. Vincent Velasquez 13. Asher Wojciechowski 14. Rio Ruiz 15. Preston Tucker 16. Nick Tropeano 17. Andrew Thurman 18. Brad Peacock 19. Carlos Perez 20. Max Stassi
This really shows the difference in depth of a top rated farm compared to a depleted one. I think he will fall in the late teens... after being a top 5 guy on a thin farm. A few of our "prospects" should lose that stats though in the next calender year.
hopefully either Verlander or Cabrera. I've had my eyes on those guys for a while now seriously, though, decent trade. Veras clearly isn't in our long term plans, and Danry Vasquez has enough potential to make it interesting. Bud should command more, obviously
Ben Verlander was just drafted. He's not eligible to be the PTBNL, obviously. Ramon Cabrera would just add to our catcher backlog, and isn't really better than what he have at AA/AAA.
interesting. This could explain why the player hasn't been named yet. Luhnow and company are probably scrambling now that they've learned there are other "Verlanders" and "Cabreras".
Breaking down the Jose Veras trade In a trade that nets them reliever Jose Veras, the Tigers get some bullpen depth, perhaps a replacement closer for them, while giving up two long-range prospects who weren't among their most valuable assets. The Astros, meanwhile, convert a one-year free agent signing into some more lottery tickets for their increasingly tumescent farm system. Prior to 2013, Veras pitched for three teams in the last three years, averaging just over a half a win of value over replacement level per year, under 2 rWAR total and just 1 fWAR total in 186 innings over that span. (The discrepancy is largely from his 2010 season with the Marlins, where he benefited from a very low .241 BABIP that shows up in his rWAR figure but not in his fWAR.) He's a solid middle reliever who's having a peak year where his stuff isn't substantially different, but he's throwing a few more strikes, especially early in the count. Whether that's a permanent change or a temporary blip is anyone's guess, and he could just as easily maintain that performance for the next two months -- giving Detroit 20-odd quality innings in leveraged situations -- as he could revert to his old form and walk 10 or 11 guys in that span and make Tiger fans nutty. The Tigers also get Veras' option for 2014 at $3.25 million with a $150K buyout, so it's a little more than a pure rental but gives them the potential to walk away if Veras falls off or gets injured -- and they didn't give up any top prospects to get him. Any time you can flip a fungible reliever for a prospect, even a fringy one, it's a good day for a rebuilding club like Houston -- even more so since they picked Veras up off the scrap heap, cleaned him up a bit, and sold him as soon as he had that new closer smell. Danry Vasquez was the No. 5 prospect in the Tigers' system coming into the year, although he's slid from that spot since then; he's a left fielder who hasn't gotten much stronger since signing and hasn't translated a good swing into any kind of power, while he's also been futile against lefties this year in just 88 at bats. He has a solid approach at the plate, and I like how his hands work, but in three years since he entered pro ball he hasn't filled out much at all. He's a lottery ticket for Houston, a guy with everyday upside if the strength ever comes, but a low-probability prospect until then. They're also getting a second player as a PTBNL, reportedly another good flier for the Astros along similar lines, which will make this a very good return for two months of Veras plus an option year, especially since a closer is a needless luxury for a team en route to 100 losses. This also removes one reliever with ninth-inning experience from the trade market, which probably leaves Kevin Gregg as the main Proven Closer who's definitely available in trade -- a fact that should encourage the Phillies, Twins, and perhaps the Rangers to explore the markets for their own closers in the next 48 hours.
That's interesting. I wonder who the PTBNL later might be? Good to hear rumors that it's at prospect along the lines of Vasquez. And it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a 2012 draftee. With the change in the draft's signing deadline in the new CBA, it's no longer necessary to have to trade last year's draftees as PTBNLs. I would suspect the Astros have their choice among a small group of prospects.
