Appy Astros

Austin to Miss Most of Spring Training

2012-03-02T16:35:00.004-05:00

Zachary Levine is reporting that Jay Austin suffered a broken hand and will miss about four weeks while it heals. Since minor league camp opens this weekend and opening games for full season teams are set for April 5th, he will miss most if not all of minor league spring training and hence opening day. This is a set back for Austin who showed promise in 11 games during the Arizona Fall League.

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros Outfield

2012-03-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Heading into the outfield to wrap up our position players in our What to Watch For series. Notice that there are only three names listed from before 2009. Again the years they played in Greeneville, highest level and age on opening day will be in parenthesis. Outfielders: Jay Austin (2008 - High A - 21) -Starting his 5th pro season at 21 years of age, Austin's status isn't that different from

Former G-Stro Patton Working To Make O's Pen

2012-02-27T16:24:00.000-05:00

Former 2004 Greeneville Astro, Troy Patton is in the Baltimore Orioles spring training working on making the team out of spring training for the first time in his career. Roch Kubatko of MASN details his resume from last season: Patton is out of options, so the Orioles will have to pass him through waivers if they want to send him down. He earned Showalter's trust last season and went 2-1

Former G-Stro Esteban Gonzalez Now A Manager

2012-02-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

In 2005, Esteban Gonzalez played third base for the Greeneville Astros. He played in 26 games and hit .183 as Koby Clemens back up that year. His paying career was over but not his career in baseball. In 2010, he became the manager of the Venezuela Summer League affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. In two seasons, he has compiled a 66-56 record as a manager. In 2010, Voice of America

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros Third Basemen

2012-02-27T09:56:00.002-05:00

In our trip around the diamond, we are over to the hot corner. Let's see what questions we will be watching for as the 2012 full season begins and I am sitting here waiting for short season ball in June. Of the bat, let's not forget that two former G-Stros 3rd basemen are covered in other projections. Clemens was in the first base What to Watch For and Ebert Rosario will be covered in the

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros Shortstops

2012-02-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

Working around the horn, we land at shortstop. The only former G-Stro shorstop on the 40 man roster is Jorge DeLeon who is now been converted to a relief pitcher. Here is my look at what I will be watching while waiting for the short season to begin.Shortstop Jio Mier - (2009- 21 - Hi A) - He evenly divided the 2011 season between Lexington & Lancaster (57 games each). Will the new approach he

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros Secondbaseman

2012-02-23T12:45:00.000-05:00

In our continuing series of what we will be looking for from former Greeneville Astros. Moving around the diamond to second, let's see what we will be watching for as full season ball begins. The year(s) they played in Greeneville and their age on opening day will be in parenthesis. Second Base Jose Altuve (2008,09 - 21) What a year for Jose! Jumping from high A to MLB. Getting almost

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros First Basemen

2012-02-22T10:17:00.001-05:00

There are more former G-Stros at first than there were last year but the majority are a bit long in the tooth for the levels they were at last year. Here is what I am watching for from them this year. First Base Koby Clemens - (2005 - 25- AAA) - Signed a minor league free agent deal with the Blue Jays. Where will he land when spring training breaks? Las Vegas (AAA) or New Hampshire (AA)?

Towles Battles for Back Up Spot with Twins

2012-02-22T09:30:00.004-05:00

Former G-Stro catcher J R Towles is currently in Twins camp battling for a back up spot on the major league roster. Here is what the Star Tribune said about his chances of beating out Drew Butera for the 3rd catcher spot. The Twins did sign J.R. Towles as a free agent. Towles, 28, hit .184 with 54 games with Houston last season and has a .187 average over five seasons of spot play for the

What To Watch For In 2012 - Former G-Stros Catchers

2012-02-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

As I often say, for those of us who live in short season towns, spring training is just a tease. Our seasons don't begin until the middle of June. So to keep me occupied until then, here are some of the questions I am going to be looking for from former Greeneville Astros to answer in full season ball. I will be listing them by position. Included in the player's write up is year(s) they

Lynchburg coming to the Appy?

2012-02-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

Last week it was announced that the Atlanta Braves have reached a tentative deal to purchase the Lynchburg Hillcats. When and if they purchase the team, they plan to move the team to Wilmington, North Carolina. The whole deal is contingent upon Wilmington and the Braves reaching an agreement on building a new stadium complex. Another part of the deal is that the Braves have given the Hillcat's

New Uni's for old G-Stros

2012-02-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

As spring training approaches, it looks like most teams have wrapped up their signing of minor league free agents. Baseball America has a great database tool this year to help keep up with where players have signed. Here are players who used to be G-Stros and where they have signed for 2012. Jimmy Barthmaier - Nationals (re-signed) Koby Clemens - Blue Jays Victor Garate - Brewers Juan

Releases Hit Home

2012-01-30T12:08:00.001-05:00

With spring training on the horizon, I am always excited to see the season start. However, one of the things that comes at this time of the year is the last few releases. In the last round of releases, there were four former G-Stros who were released. The players whose time in the Astros organization ended were: Kellen Kiilsgaard - The 30th round pick for 2010 played for Greeneville after

Age in the Appy and Making the Show

2012-01-26T12:05:00.000-05:00

I did some research over the last few days looking at those who make it to the big leagues from the Appy and the age at which they made their Appy League debut. The results were interesting. In this post, we will look at the number by year, the number by age, the number by affiliate, and the number by position player vs. pitcher. Year to YearI looked at 2004 - 2009 rosters. Here are the

Jose and the Very Long Season

2012-01-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

Zachary Levine did a great job of highlighting the marathon season Jose Altuve has had in 2011. Let's look a little closer at the three seasons: Minor Leagues: He started off 2011 in Lancaster (A+, Cal League). There he had 213 at bats in 52 games. He hit .408 during that stretch with 13 doubles, seven triples and five home runs. He walked 19 times and struck out 26. Then he moved up to

Garate Signs with Brewers

2012-01-06T08:08:00.000-05:00

Baseball America has released it's latest transactions and from it we learn that former G-Stros Victor Garate (2005) has signed a minor league free agent deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. This makes the 5th organization for the left handed pitcher. It is expected he will have an invite to spring training but this hasn't been confirmed.

Quote: Sig Mejdal

2012-01-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

Found an interesting interview with Sig Mejdal, the Houston Astros new Director of Decision Sciences. The interview was from 2006 about his role in the book Fantasyland. Apparently, he consulted with the author, Sam Walker on his fantasy team. Mejdal was working with the Cardinals when the book came out and was interviewed by TheCardinalNation.com. Here is the money question and answer from

2012 Coaching Staff Named + Updates on Past Coaches

2012-01-03T22:43:00.002-05:00

The Astros released their assignment of the minor league staff for the 2012 season. Greeneville's staff is getting a great deal of attention thanks to the addition of former Astros all star Cesar Cedano as hitting coach. Cedano is returning to the Appy league 43 years after he made his pro debut for the Covington Astros in 1968. Also returning to the Appy League is last year's manager Omar

Barnes Enjoying Playing in the Outback

2011-12-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

Brandon Barnes is playing ball this winter in Australia for the Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League. He has had very good games lately. It all started on Wednesday when he went 3 for 5 with two doubles. Then Thursday, he went 3 for 5 with a double and two home runs. The big hit being a three run homer in the top of the 9th to win the game. Then Friday , he again went 3 for 5 but with

Altuve Wraps Up Good Season In LVBP

2011-12-30T16:29:00.002-05:00

I saw on twitter earlier today that Jose Altuve was not going to be playing for Magallanes during the round robin playoffs in Venezuela. By the way it look like he will be placed on the roster by Elvis Andrus. Altuve had a very good off season in the LVBP. He finished tied for second with an average of .339, despite fading a bit down the stretch. He only hit .211 for his final 10 games. He

Five 2004 G-Stros on the Move this Off Season

2011-12-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

This is a busy time of the year and if you are a baseball player, off season can often mean moving time. Here are some moves I have tweeted about but you might not have seen so I will put them all in one place for your convenience. We will start with today's news: J. R. Towles (2004) has signed a minor league deal with the Twins. He has been invited to spring training. Juan Gutierrez (2004)

New GM and the Short Season

2011-12-08T08:49:00.001-05:00

When I saw early this morning that the Astros had hired Jeff Luhnow to be their new GM, I was excited. His player development experience with the Cardinals is his main calling card. I have seen the rise in the Johnson City Cardinals over the last few years. Maybe we can get a glimpse of what to expect by looking at the progress of the Cardinal short season teams. The Cardinals and Astros both

Jay Austin Rebounds in AFL

2011-11-19T08:14:00.001-05:00

Jay Austin, may have just ended the most significant season of his career. The 2011 Arizona Fall League. One year ago, Austin had finished the Arizona Fall League with a paltry .156 and a .425 OPS in 12 games (52 AB). Granted he was 20 at the time but that was still less than impressive. Then he started the 2011 season where he had ended 2010, in Lancaster. His numbers were about the same but

Former G-Stros Released

2011-11-17T15:01:00.001-05:00

Baseball America's minor league transactions released today showed the end of Astros careers for several former G-Stros. Those whose releases were made public today include: Garrett Bullock - Non drafted free agent out of Wake Forrest. Played in Greeneville in 09, 10. Joan Belliard - Right handed reliever from the Dominican Republic pitched in Greeneville in 09. Mark Jones- 22nd round pick in

Baseball American Ranks 3 Former G-Stros in Top 10

2011-11-17T14:50:00.001-05:00

Baseball America released their Top 10 Astros prospects for 2011 today. While those prospects acquired in trades make up over half of the list, former G-Stros still appear on the list. They represent three of the four players on the list drafted by the Astros. Number eight on the list is Delino DeShields Jr.. He was also mentioned as the fastest base runner in the system. Number nine on the

Summary of Progress Reports

2011-11-16T10:26:00.001-05:00

Here is the summary of the year by year account of the progress of the players still in affiliated ball with links to the year's write up. This numbers do not reflect any releases since the season ended. Active Players in Affiliated Ball in 2011 2004 - 24% (9 out of 37) 2005 - 20% (7 out of 35) Tim Pupura's first draft as GM 2006 - 19% (6 out of 31) 2007 - 13% (5 out of 38) 2008 - 58% (22 out

2010 Greeneville Astros Progress Reports

2011-11-16T07:58:00.001-05:00

This wraps up the progress reports of former G-Stros for this off season. It's only been a year but lets look at the progress made by the 2010 G-Stros. Thirty nine players spent time in Greeneville playing in 2010. Twenty six of those players were playing affiliated ball in 2011 for 66%. Let's look at how high they climbed. They are listed by the highest level they appeared in and the

Both Rookies of the Year have Appy Ties

2011-11-14T16:46:00.001-05:00

Both Jeremy Hellickson and Craig Kimbrell started their pro careers in the Appy League. Hellickson, appeared in four games for the Princeton Devil Rays in 2005 as an 18 year old. He never came to Greeneville or faced the G-Stros. Kimbrell, appeared in 12 games for the Danville Braves in 2008. He faced Greeneville twice both securing saves in one run wins. Back on June 21st, 2008, he came

Liga Paralela - The Minor Leagues in Venezuela

2011-11-10T16:58:00.001-05:00

In Venezuela, there isn’t just the LVBP season going on . There is also the Liga Paralela, the Venezuelan minor leagues. Here is an update on the former G-Stros who are playing minor league winter ball. MAGALLANES Frederico Hernandez – Has started five games and is hitting .227 in 22 at bats. He has played 1st base in most of his games. Ernesto Genoves – Has played in four games

Interview: Nine Innings with Jordan Scott

2011-11-08T16:53:00.001-05:00