Season Recap: Infielders

Lets go around the diamond and look at how the infielders did in 2012 for the G-Stros.


I will start with the 2012 MVP Brian Blasik.  The Non Drafted Free Agent out of the University of Dayton had a very impressive 2012.  He appeared in 48 games at second and also put in five appearances at third and one in left field.  At second, he showed a sure glove.  He made just four errors in 212 chances for a fielding percentage of .981.

At the plate, Blasik stayed among the league leaders in average for the season and finished with a solid .318 average.  Had he not suffered an injured hand in August, he might have appeared in just about every game.  Still he batted in 55 of the G-Stros 68 games.  He only hit one home run but had 18 extra base hits out of the 69 hits collected.  He also started taking more walks as the season progressed.  He is a very aggressive hitter as well.  With Blasik's solid glove, solid bat, versatility in the field and his age; I would not be surprised to see him at high A next year. Definitely a great sign by the Astros' scouting department.

Jean Batista was another solid performer in 2012 for the G-Stros.  In the field, he played 26 games at first, 11 at second and 10 at short.  He was new to first base when the season began and made some early errors but acclimated to the position well.  He made three errors at first in 226 chances (.987 fielding %).  In the middle infield, he struggled more defensively.  He made two errors at second in 54 chances (.964 fielding %) and made five errors at short in 71 chances (.930 fielding %).  I would have like to have seen him at third some.  However, he did play four games there after his promotion to TriCities with less than stellar results.

Batista is a hitter.  Twenty seven of his 69 hits in Greeneville went for extra bases (19 doubles, two triples and six HR).  He left Greeneville with a .321/.345/.531 slash line in 51 games. Batista hit well in TriCities in a small sample size as well.

Batista lost a year of development due to age related issues surrounding his signing.  These are chronicled in the documentary Pelotero. Batista appears to be working hard to make up for lost time and will likely be in full season ball next year.  I expect you will continue to see him playing multiple positions as a means of finding ways to get his bat in the line up. 

Carlos Correa came to Greeneville late in the season and let it be known he was worthy of the first overall draft pick.  He was solid in the field making some tough plays in the hole look easy.  He did make one error in the 43 chances he has at short (.977 fielding %).  He was equally impressive at the plate where he hit .371/.450/600 over 11 games.  His baseball IQ impressed several of the folks I talked to about him. Barring an injury, I expect to see him in Quad Cities next season.

Rio Ruiz also got a late call up.  In nine games at third, he made just one error in 20 chances (.950 fielding %).  He received an AB in 15 games. he showed descent pop with five of his 11 hits going for extra bases.  Yet, overall, his numbers dropped after his promotion.  As always, caution should be used in making projections from short season numbers.  I think we will get a good look at Ruiz next spring in Quad Cities.

Michael Martinez played 42 games at first. He played a solid first base, making just two errors.  The 22 year old from Florida International batted in 48 games.  He hit a solid .277 for the season. He finished strong with a .292 average for August with a equally strong .391 OBP.  His power dropped as the year went on but his strike outs did too.  He fanned just eight times in August (72 AB) after striking out 18 times in July (62 AB). He walked 11 times in August after walking 11 times in June & July combined.  Solid production from the 36th round draft choice.

Angel Ibanez showed improvement over the season.  He played 53 games at third and added in four appearances at first and a cameo in left for one game.  At third, he made 11 errors in 118 chances (.907 fielding %).  There is no game log for errors so I can't verify this but my memory is that most of those were in the first part of the season.   At the plate, Ibanez didn't show much pop but he did handle the bat fairly well. He hit .264 over 60 games.  

Jimmy Howick made his pro debut in Lexington this year after missing all of 2011 after being drafted in the 21st round.  After starting the season in Lexington, he was brought down to Greeneville where he played a great deal of short to start the season.  He played 39 games at short, and five games at second this season. He made seven errors at short in 149 chances for a .953 fielding percentage.  At the plate, he got off to a descent start with a .278 average in 10 games in June but fell off from there.  He finished with a .121 August in 11 games that brought his season average down to .201.

Jose Fernandez also moved down from Lexington to Greeneville during the season. He played in eight games at short, two games at second and one game at first.  The sample sizes are really too small to know what to make of Fernandez at the plate but he appeared to struggle making contact.  He won't turn 20 until next May, so he is still very young.

On a side note,Josh Magee, who was released early in the season has walked on at Alabama and is listed on their roster as a wide receiver.  He is #88 and has not made a catch yet.