A few silly & serious things to look for in the last 8 games

Heading into the last 8 games of the season. The G-Stros have a 24 - 36 mark. Here is what we know... they will NOT finish with the worst record in G-Stros history. That ignoble mark belongs to the 2007 G-Stros who finished 17-51.

Let's look at what could happen if they win a certain number of games.

8- Let's go out with a streak and win them all. If that happens, they pass the 2010 club (31-35) for the 3rd most wins in team history.

7 - Okay, so maybe nobody's perfect and they let one get away. They will still have the 3rd best win total along side the 2010 club.

6- That would be a solid way to wrap up the season. This would assure them that they do not finish last in the Appy West based on their two game lead over Bristol. 30 looks so much better than 29 in the win column. They would also tie the 2008 team for the 4th highest win total.

5- That would be over half the remaining games won. It would tie them with the 2005 club (29-37) for 5th most wins. It would also insure that they would not have the worst record in the league based on their three game lead over Burlington in the overall standings.

4 - Finishing .500 would keep them ahead of the the 2009 club (27 - 40) and put them in 6th best record by themselves. And let's face it loosing any more means 40 losses and 40 losses simply looks bad.

I won't even go into the impact of loosing more than half of the last eight. I am hoping they are able to pull out at least five wins.

What so you don't find this kind of score board watching fun? Fine, then let's just continue to see if:

Josh Magee can continue his torrid pace. If he gets eight more hits, he will have averaged a hit per game this season.

Ariel Ovando can finish strong. Only hitting .221 in August.

Ernesto Genoves can keep the average above .300 for the season. Currently at .303

Jordan Scott can reach higher than 5th best batting average in the Appy League.

Greeneville fans can claim their 8th straight attendance win. They are 8,000 fannies in the seats ahead with five more home games.

There is always something to look for at the ball park.

What To Watch For In 2011 - Former G-Stros Outfield

Wrapping up our what to watch for series, we go to the expanse of the outfield. Here, we have several older players who are in other organizations now and a bunch of younger guys working their way to the top. Again the years they played in Greeneville, highest level and age on opening day will be in parenthesis.

Outfielders:

Jay Austin (2008 - High A - 20) - Austin was one of the youngest players both in the California League and in the Arizona Fall League. He showed the ability to adjust pretty well to the Cal. League but struggled in the AFL. He has seen alittle big league spring training action this year and even made the highlights once with his defense. Will he repeat high A or be moved on to AA? Can he use his speed to find more ways to reach base?

Brandon Barnes (2005,06 - AAA - 24) - Barnes keeps climbing the later as many of his peers fall to the side. In 2005, he played in the shadow of Eli Iorg & Josh Flores in Greeneville. Now, he is the only one left. Will his power hold up in the higher levels? Can he cut down on strikeouts? Will he be squeezed out playing time by the crush of OF in the system at the AA level?

Bryce Lane (2010 - High A - 21) Lane had a yo yo season last year. He started in Greeneville, was sent down to Gulf Coast League only to be promoted to High A Lancaster to finish the year. There, he found his groove and hit .356 in 15 games, with an OPS of over 1.000. Where will he start the season, Lex or Lancaster? Was his end of the year burst for real or just a flash in the pan?

J. D. Martinez (2009 - AA - 23) - Martinez's stock continues to rise. After skipping straight from low A to AA this year and continuing to hit over .300, he was invited to attend Major League Spring Training. He was slowed with a slight injury but was there primarily for the experience. At AAA, will he continue to show his solid average? Can his BB/SO rates hold up to more advance pitching? How will his power be after he suffered a bit of a power drop at AA? Will they experiment with him at first base any?

Telvin Nash (2010 - Rookie - 20) Nash was the 2010 MVP in Greeneville. He has raised some eyebrows in BP this spring with his power. That is by far the strongest (weak pun intended) part of this game. Can he improve his strike out rate? How much time does he have to improve his OF play before he is moved to 1B? How many HR will he his this year?

Others to watch:

Grant Hogue (2009 - Low A - 24) Can he make it to AA before the year is out? Will younger prospects block his movement?

Emilio King (2010- Rookie - 21) Will he repeat Greeneville or land higher? Can he bring his hitting up to the level of his defense? How will teams respect the arm of a guy who had 14 OF assist in just 148 chances?

Jordan Parraz (2004 - AAA - 26) Will he get a chance to play in a big league game this year? After being in 4 organizations in his career, how long will he be with the Yankees?

Beau Torbert (2004 - AAA - 27) Will he stick with the Braves organization or be released from spring training?

Will They Make It Out Of Spring Training?

Ryan Humphrey (2009 - Rookie - 22)
Wilton Infante (2008, 09 - SS A - 23)
Renzo Tello (2008 - Low A - 23)

What To Watch For In 2011 - Former G-Stros First Basemen

This is one of the thinnest positions in the Astros farm system. After seven seasons, there are only three former Greeneville Astros first basemen left in organized ball. Here is what I am watching for from them this year.

First Base
Koby Clemens - (2005 - 24- AA) - How does he handle the pitching in MLB Spring Training? Can he cut down on strike outs and bring up the batting average back above .250?

Kody Hinze - (2008 - 23 - A) - Can he get more hits than strike outs? How much will his power numbers jump in Lancaster?

Marcus Nidiffer - (2010 - 24 - SS A) How fast can he move through an unclogged system? Can he hit as he moves up?

Projected Placement

Oklahoma (AAA)
Clemens

Lancaster (HiA)
Hinze

Lexington (LoA)
Nidiffer

What To Watch For In 2011 - Former G-Stros Catchers

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 things I am going to be looking for from former Greeneville Astros. The year they played in Greeneville will be in parenthesis along with their age at the start of the season and the highest level they played at last season.

Catcher
Contrary to what the Bleacher Report says, I think this is one of the deepest positions in the farm system. The three players added in the 2010 draft (Heath, Pena, Wallace) should all be challenging at positions on full season squads. This makes this a big spring for several players who have been in the system for a few years.

Frederico Hernandez - (2008 - 23 - AA) - Can he hit at AA? Can he improve his caught stealing percentage?

Rene Garcia - (2008 - 21 - High A) - Can he continue to throw out base stealers at a 41% clip as he moves up a level to High A?

Roberto Pena - (2010 - 18 - Low A) - Lexington or Tri Cities? Can the bat improve? Can he keep up the 44% caught stealing percentage?

Chris Wallace - (2010 - 22 - SS A) - How fast can he progress through the system? Can he keep up the 45% caught stealing percentage?

Bubby Williams - (2009-10, 22 - Low A) - This is one of the guys I was talking about when I said it is an important year to show progress. Can he show more progress this year with the bat?

J. R. Towles - (2004 - 26 - MLB) - Yesterday, I posted a retrospective of his journey. Can he recapture the hitting magic of 2007? Can he stay healthy? Will he be traded?

Placement Predictions

Oklahoma
Towles

Corpus Christi
Hernandez

Lancaster
Garcia

Lexington
Wallace
Pena

Tri Cities
Williams

What are your thoughts?