Grant Hogue Leaves Baseball WIth Class

Yesterday, I saw this tweet from former Greeneville Astro Grant Hogue

I want to thank the Astros for an unforgettable 5 yrs. Made friendships and memories I will cherish forever. Time to start that job search!
— Grant Hogue (@grant_hogue) April 25, 2013

What a classy good bye.  But if you have had any interaction with Grant Hogue, that should come as no surprise.  Grant was on the 2009 G-Stros.  That team was full of young draft picks that needed a leader. Grant filled that role with ease.  He also became a fan favorite with easy smile and his polite Southern way of answering "yes sir and yes ma'am" to everyone. 

As I thought about his time in Greeneville last night, I have to share my favorite Grant Hogue memory.  I actually got to talk to Grant about it during spring training.  He remembered more details that I did! 

They were playing the K-Mets and an Astros pitcher hit a batter.  The batter acted like he was coming toward the pitcher and there was some mouthing going on.  Everyone was slowly moving towards the mound in case something erupted.  Everyone was moving slowly that is except for Grant Hogue.  Grant was sprinting in from center field and was already on the infield grass as things started to calm down.  That is the way I will remember the player Grant Hogue.  Running to the infield in a dead sprint to have his pitchers back. 

Best of luck to Grant as the next chapter of his life begins.

Former G-Stros Start Year on DL

Baseball America's Minor League Transactions came out yesterday and confirmed that some of the players not on rosters were in fact on the disabled list.  Here is the list of Astros minor leaguers on the DL.  The former G-Stros are underlined.

RHP Murilo Gouvea
RHP Chia-Jen Lo
RHP Kyle Weiland
LHP Sergio Escalona
LHP Kenny Long
C Max Stassi
3B Andrew Simunic
3B Brandon Wikoff
OF Grant Hogue
OF Telvin Nash

If they are not on this list or on a roster, they are likely in extended spring training. 

In other transaction news, it appears that Ralph Henriquez has been released by the Rockies. Leaving Brandon Barnes the only player from the 2005 team who is still in affiliated baseball. 

Appy Astros Alumni of the Month - June 2012

It has been a fun month of June.  Several former G-Stros are making serious progress and the new bunch is winning games. Let's look at how the former Greeneville Astros did this month.

Tri Cities ValleyCats

Pitcher of the Month - Vincent Velasquez made three starts in June and had a 1.76 ERA in 15 1/3 IP with 16 K.  What makes this more impressive is these were his first three starts after missing all of 2011 with Tommy John surgery.

Honorable Mention - Juri Perez - two scoreless starts to start his second season in the NYPL.  Jamaine Cotton - made five scoreless relief appearances before surrendering two runs on 6/30. 

Hitter of the Month - There are only three former G-Stros on the roster in TriCities, none of which are setting the woods on fire. This months award goes to Jesse Wierzbicki who hit .260 for the first 14 games of the season.

Lexington Legends

Pitcher of the Month - Murilo Gouvea had a stellar month out of the pen.  Allowing just one earned run in 14 1/3 ip (10 games) with 14 strike outs. He only allowed five hits during that stretch but allowed 10 walks.  His June ERA was 0.61.

Honorable Mention - Mike Foltynewicz amassed a 2.97 ERA in five starts.  He had a rough outing to end the month, otherwise, he numbers would have been much stronger.  Still 2.97 is not to shabby.

Hitter of the Month - I think those who follow Astros minor league ball would come after me with pitch forks and torches if I chose anyone but Delino DeShields Jr. as the Lexington hitter of the month.  DDJ hit a solid .303 for the month.  He also took 16 walks which helped boost his OPB to .407.  He showed some pop with seven extra base hits and when he did find him self on first, he often managed to get to second via one of his 25 stolen bases.

Honorable Mentions - Chan Moon  really appears to have put it together at the plate.  The South Korean Shortstop hit .276 in June with a .403 OBP.  Roberto Pena also had a solid June hitting .329 and hitting seven doubles during the month where he turned 20. 

Lancaster JetHawks

Pitcher of the Month - Jose Trinadad had a great month out of the pen. In eight games (seven relief and one start) he allowed 19 hits in 21 innings pitched.  His ERA for the month was .043.  His last appearance of the month was spreading seven hits over seven shut out innings in his third start of the year.  His ERA as as start this season is 1.13

Honorable Mention - Pat Urckfitz who allowed four earned runs in 15 innings pitched for a 2.40 ERA in June. 

Hitter of the Month - I normally put those who haven't played a full month in the Honorable Mention category but what Grant Hogue put together in limited playing time is impressive.  He played the first nine games of the month and then missed about two weeks on the DL returning to get in for the final few games of the month.  During his 11 games, Hogue hit .667 (21 out of 34).  Hard to ignore that production.

Honorable Mention - Rafael Valenzuela hit .298 in 17 games with a .403 OBP.  Rene Garcia hit .321 in 16 games. Ben Orloff hit .283 and had just four strike outs in 99 at bats during the month.

Corpus Christi Hooks

Pitcher of the Month - Jose Cisnero is the easy choice this month.  In five starts, he allowed just eight walks and eight earned runs while striking out 31 in 33 innings pitched.  He allowed no home runs in June.  He pitched a complete game two hitter on June 16th.  He held opponents to a .215 batting average for the month. 

Honorable Mention- Henry Villar pitched in 8 games (16 1/3 IP) in June with a 2.70 ERA.  During that span, he fanned 16 while only issuing two free passes.

Hitter of the Month -  Kody Hinze rebounded from a rough May (.106 in 22 games) to hit for a solid .306 in 24 games in June.  Seven of his 22 hits in the month went for extra bases.

Oklahoma City RedHawks

Pitcher of the Month - Vacant - there were no former G-Stros pitching in Oklahoma City in June except Fernando Abad who was on rehab assignment.

Hitter of the Month - Brandon Barnes is the only RedHawk who played in Greeneville but this award isn't given by default.  Barnes has earned it!  He hit .333 with nine doubles and three home runs in June.  He also walked eight times and struck out just 18 in 108 at bats (28 games).  If the 26 year old Barnes can keep this up, he might get a shot at the bigs in a September call up or as an injury replacement. 

Minors Outside Astros System

Pitcher of the Month - Slingin Sammy Gervacio continues to tear up the Mexican League (unaffiliated AAA). In June, he appeared in 15 games (15 2/3 IP), issued just four walks and nine hits while fanning 23 batters.  He earned 12 saves during the month.

Hitter of the Month - Albert Cartwright had a bounce back month after hitting below the Mendoza line for May, he hit .306 with four doubles and three home runs in the Florida State League (Phillies High A). 

Major Leagues

Pitcher of the Month - While Jordan Lyles and Fernando Abad had good months, the best month by a former Greeneville Astro pitcher in the Majors was by Troy Patton of the Orioles.  Patton appeared in 11 games (14 2/3 IP) in which he fanned 15 batters while allowing only nine hits and four walks.  Opponents hit just .190 off Patton during the month.

Hitter of the Month - While you can debate my list choice, I don't think there is much of a debate when it comes to selecting Jose Altuve as the hitter of the month. During June, he hit .291 with five doubles and two home runs. 

Quick break down of the number of former G-stros in the Astros system:

Tri Cities - 8
Lexington - 16
Lancaster - 17
Corpus Christi - 6
Oklahoma City - 1
Houston - 4

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

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 last year.  Is this the year he lives up to expectations? Can he build off his solid AFL performance with a solid year in AA?  Can we remember that he is still just 21 and be patient?

Brandon Barnes (2005,06 - AAA - 25) - Based on his time with the G-Stros, Barnes has exceeded expectations.  He was very raw and never hit above .220 in his two years in Greeneville.  But he has shown improvement each year.  How will he fair in big league camp this spring? Can he continue to improve in 2012 or has he reached his peak? 

Emilio King (2010- Low A - 22) - King had a reputation as a stellar outfielder but the bat was the question heading into 2011.  He answered those questions with a .293 average in Lexington with nine HR and 24 doubles.  Will he secure 14 or more outfield assist for the third year in a row?  Will his offensive numbers continue to rise?  Can he make it to AA before the year is out?

J. D. Martinez (2009 - MLB - 24) - His rapid assent to the majors finds him as the projected starting LF for the Astros this year.  Will he be a superb sophomore or suffer a sophomore slump? Could he be the first former G-Stro to make an all star team?

Ariel Ovando (2011 - Rookie - 18) - Ovando didn't make a huge splash in his debut season but he did show improvement.  He showed signs of the tools that excited folks prior to his signing through out the year but he just wasn't consistent.  Will he be back in Greeneville for year #2? Has he improved on tracking balls better in RF?  Will we be able to see more of the diamond and less of the rough by the end of the year?

Jordan Scott (2011 - Low A - 20) - Scott had a break out year in Greeneville, tying the team record for hits with 83, and battling for the league hitting title.  What does this year hold?  Can he build on last year's success and put up solid numbers in full season ball?  Can he improve his routes in LF?

Others to watch: 

Grant Hogue (2009 - Low A - 24) - Will he break camp with the AA Hooks?

Bryce Lane (2010 - High A - 22)- Lane returned to earth in 2011 after his strong finish to 2010. Will 2012 see him rebound?   

Jordan Parraz (2004 - AAA - 27) - Will he get a chance to play in a big league game this year? After being in 5 organizations in his career, how long will he be with the Braves?

Garen Wright (2011 - Rookie -21) - Injuries cut his third season short.  He still showed improved numbers in limited action.  Will 2012 find him in Tri Cities? Will this be the year he breaks out?

Projected placement of those still in the Astros organization:
Houston (MLB)
Martinez 

Oklahoma City (AAA)
Barnes

Corpus Christi (AA)
Austin
Hogue

Lancaster (Hi A)
King
Lane 

Lexington (Lo A)
Scott 

Extended Spring training
Ovando
Wright

2009 Greeneville Astros Progress Report

The 2009 G-Stros were the first bunch that were the sandwich short season team.  Below them, the new GCL Astros were playing at the spring training complex. And the ValleyCats were playing above them in the NY- Penn League. In Greeneville, the fans didn't know what to expect from the new set up in the lower minors.  What we saw was a mix of high draft pick high school players and low round/free agent college players.  This edition of the the G-Stros had just seven teenagers and all seven were still active this year.

Of the 35 players who graced the roster that year, 63% (22) were still active on an affiliated roster at some point this season.  Let's look at how high they climbed.  They are listed by the highest level they appeared in and the percentage by each level is out of the full roster.

MLB (2- 6%)

Jose Altuve - see 2008 write up

J. D. Martinez - made a brief stop in Greeneville on his rapid climb to the majors.  He hit .403 during just 14 games in Greeneville.  This year, he hist .274 in 53 games in the big leagues.  He made the fastest climb of any G-Stros position player to the majors. 


AAA ( 0 - 0%)

AA (0 - 0%)
Altuve & Martinez appeared at this level but made it the the show to end the season.


High A (6- 17%)
Miguel Arrendell - The utility man appeared at five positions for Lancaster (RF, LF, SS, 2B, 3B) while hitting .281 in 50 games.  He was moved back to Tri Cities for the last month of the season to sure up their middle infield where he hit just .219 in 18 games. Arrendell will turn 24 during spring training next season.

Grant Hogue - Hogue was a  fan favorite during his time in G'ville for his hustle and easy going nature with fans.  After playing in CF exclusively in 09 & 10, he spent time in all three outfield positions in Lancaster in 2011.  He spent 76 of the 106 games in right field, where he amassed 11 of his 15 assist.  He hit .269 on the season.  He will be 25 when he reports to spring training.

Jonathan Meyer - Meyer continues to show improvement as he climbs the ladder.  In Lancaster in 2011, he hit .264 with 14 home runs.  He had only hit 5 in his previous two seasons.  Next year will determine if the power is the result of Lancaster or his maturation as a hitter.  He will be 21 when he reports next season. 

Jio Mier - He evenly split his season between Lexington and Lancaster, playing 57 games at each stop.  He  hit .245 at Lexington, an improvement over 2010's .235, before moving to Lancaster where he hit .233.  Mier is still considered a solid SS prospect and will be 21 when next season rolls around.

Jose Cisnero  - is the pitcher from 2009 who has climbed the highest.  He pitched in Lancaster and amassed a 6.06 ERA. However, when you average 11.09 strike outs per 9 innings (152 in 123 1/3 IP), that means there is something happening good there.  Cisnero will be turn 23 next April. 

Luis Cruz  - see 2008 write up.

Low A (7 - 20%)
Garrett Bullock - the tall lefty made just three appearances in Lexington before returning to short season ball in Tri Cities.  Those three outings were not that impressive.  However, his 2.51 ERA in Tri Cities was solid.  Bullock is old for the levels he has been playing.  He will start the season at 25.

Jeiler Castillo - see 2008 write up.

Gabriel Garcia - after two seasons in G'ville, Garcia moved up to Lexington where he was solid.  In 69 1/3 IP (37 games), he had a 3.76 ERA which is lower than his ERA in either season in Greeneville.  He struck out 68 batters and had a WHIP of just 1.212 which is the lowest of his career.  He is pitching well in winter ball in Venezuela right now.  He will be 22 when spring training begins. 

Murilo Gouvea - spent most of the season in Lexington with a brief time in Tri Cities.  In Lex, he amassed a 3.98 ERA in 30 games (74 2/3 IP).  He had more than a strike out an inning with 83.  He struggled keeping the walks down.  He will be 23 when next season begins.

David Martinez - was a man in search of a role this year.  He pitched in 37 games. He started five and finished 17.  In 66 2/3 IP, he fanned 44 batters while walking 17.  He will be 24 at the beginning of spring training.

Yuri Perez - like Bullock, he had a less than memorable brief stint at Lexington. He made 15 starts for TriCities where he had a 5.48 ERA.  Perez missed most of 2010 after elbow surgery.  He is still working his way back.  We hope he can regain the form he had in 2009 for Greeneville.  He will be 21 at the start of spring training.

Carlos Quevedo - really struggled to keep the ball in the park.  He gave up 22 home runs in Lexington this season in 151 innings pitched.  That equates to 1.3 HR every nine innings.  He gave up more home runs than walks. Quevedo walked 19 batters for an average of 1.1 per nine innings pitched.  Quevedo will be 22 at the start of spring training. 

Short Season A (3 - 5%)
Bubby Williams - the catcher with the cool name,spent 2011 in the New York Penn League.  His showed power, leading the team with six home runs but struggled making consistent contact.  He hit .206 in 36 games for the ValleyCats.  He will be 22 at the start of spring training next year.

Joan Belliard - repeated the NYPenn league in 2011 but only pitched in 18 2/3 innings.  His strike out numbers are still strong but is still struggling with walks.  He will be turning 23 in March.

Travis Smink - after two seasons in G'ville, he moved to Tri Cities this season.  In 23 games, he had a 4.37 ERA.  He will turn 25 next April. 

Rookie Ball & DL (4 - 11%)
Luis Alverez - returned to Greeneville after missing 2010 with a bad knee injury.  Alverez hit .271 in 38 games.  He only struck out 19 times in 151 plate appearances.  He turns 22 just before minor leaguers report to spring training.

B J Hyatt - listed on the roster for Greeneville but never was in uniform.  Still rehabbing from surgery after the 2009 season.

Wilton Infante & Nathan Pettus - see 2008 write up.

Summary
Like the 2008 edition, the 2009 team still has 22 active players.  Unlike them, it is the position players who have climbed faster than the pitchers.  A few of the players in this group will not be back for spring training but the core of this bunch should be at AA and High A to start next year.

Don't Run On.... Outfield Assist Leaders

I just posted a link to video of Emilio King's throw from RF that was nominated for the MILB.com Play of the Year.  That got me thinking which of the Astros minor leaguers threw out the most runners from the outfield.  According to Baseball Reference stat page for each team, where are the young guns who patrol the OF.

(Couldn't resist the cheesy movie reference - sorry)

TOP GUNS

Daniel Adamson - the 23rd round draft pick from 2010 threw out 13 in Lexington, seven in Lancaster and added one more during his time in Corpus Christi for a total of 21 outfield assist. Last year in Tri Cities, Adamson threw out 7 batters.

Grant Hogue - the 35th round draft pick from 2009 threw out 15 runners in Lancaster.  He did it from all over the outfield.  He threw out two from LF, two from CF and 11 from RF.  In 2010, Hogue threw out nine from CF in Lexington.

Emilio King - The former catcher from the Dominican Repubic the threw out 14 runners in Lexington in a down year for him.  Last year, he threw out 14 in just 57 games in RF for Greeneville.  Before that he threw out nine in the GCL in 41 games.  Maybe word is getting around, don't run on King.

Andrew Muren - the 22nd round pick of 2011 put on a sharp shooting show in Tri Cities. He gunned down 14 runners in just 66 games.  Ten of those came from RF and four came from CF.


Honorable Mentions
Other full season outfielders who hit the double digit mark in outfield assist were: Jake Goebbert (12), J. B. Shuck (11) and Jon Gaston  (10).

Top short season arms to watch include: Teoscar Hernandez (7 in 59 games), Ariel Ovando (6 in 39 games), and Jerrod McKinney (5 in 30 games).

May AppyAstros Alumni of the Month

It has been a busy month. Unfortunately my business interfered with my hobby of writing about the former Greeneville Astros. So to get me caught up and the start fresh for June, let's look back at the month of May and decide who are the G-Stro Alumni who had a strong May. This month's report is brought to you by the letters D & L.

Lexington

Alumni Hitter of the Month: This time last month, we were talking about the exploits of Chris Wallace and Telvin Nash. Well, Wallace hit only .221 in May to bring his average down to the low .300's. Nash broke the hamate bone in his hand/wrist and had to have surgery. He missed most of the month on the DL. The man for the month of May was Emilio King. Yes, the guy who only hit .210 in 63 games for the G-Stros last year has made a splash in Lexington. He broke out with a huge debut game, going 3 for 4 and falling a 3B short of the cycle. He has continued his hot streak, hitting in 15 of the 21 games he has played. He has had 9 multi hit games after only having 12 total last year. He has dropped is K rate from once every three times at bat to once every six times at bat. Meanwhile, he has only walked twice which is way down from the 1 in 16 plate appearances last year. I know that drop will concern some folks but when your average is .400 and your OBP is .438; I will let you swing the bat.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: This month's award goes to Mike Foltyenwicz. He earned not just his first but also his second career win. After a rough start to the month, he bounced back with three solid outings. In his last three outings, he went a combined 18 IP, giving up just two earned runs, while striking out 12.

Last months Alumni of the Month, Gabriel Garcia, had a rough outing to start the month and then landed on the DL. Since his return, he is back to his dominate ways out of the pen. He is give up just three hits and no runs in his four outings (5 2/3 IP) since his return. He now has 26 K in 23 IP.

Honorable Mention was going to Jorge DeLeon who has moved into the closer role in Lexington. He was slated finished the month with four saves and a 0.90 ERA in 6 appearances. But he blew his save tonight giving up three runs in one inning pitched.

Lancaster

Alumni Hitter of the Month: Anyone who has a fleeting interest in Astros minor league baseball can tell where this award is heading. Jose Altuve is leading all of Minor League Baseball with a .408 average and 87 hits. His seven triples also leads the California League. And just so you don't think he rode his hot April to get here, for the month of May, he hit .388/.424/.570. He has finished the month very hot, hitting .488 in his last 10 games.

Honorable Mention: These guys had a good month of May, they just happened to have the misfortune of being on Jose Altuve's team. Grant Hogue got consistent playing time and hit .360 for the month. He also got on base at a .443 clip. Rene Garcia saw his bat heat up in May. He hit .350 for the month. His OBP was .426 for May. His average at the end of May is .284. It was .214 at the end of April. Kody Hinze also deserves some recognition. The slugging first baseman hit .319 for the month, with 5 HR and 8 doubles. He also took 25 walks to bring home a healthy . 472 OBP for the month.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: The DL has played a prominent role in this months report. That continues as the AppyAstros Alumni of the month for Lancaster is Colton Pitkin, who ended the month on the DL. The big lefty made 10 appearances in the month of May. In the first nine, he only allowed 1 run over 13 1/3 IP. The last outing of the month, he gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning and promptly went on the DL.

Keeping an eye on: Jose Cisnero continues to be consistently inconsistent. He he went 2-2 for the month of May with a 3.90 ERA. He had three great starts combining for 21 2/3 IP, 8 hits, 3 ER, 7 BB and 27 strike outs. In his other three starts, he went a combined 10 2/3 IP, 14 hits, 11ER, 10 BB and 7 strike outs.

Corpus Christi

Alumni Hitter of the Month: There are not that many former G-Stro batters on the roster of the Hooks at this time. With Brandon Barnes promotion to Oklahoma City; that just leaves J.D. Martinez, Wlad Sutil & Frederico Hernandez. Of those three, J. D. Martinez had the best month, despite spending about half of it on the DL with a hamstring issue. He hit .275 for May with just two extra base hits in 14 games. He did walk (10) more than he struck out (8) for the month.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: May wasn't kind to the former G-Stros pitching for the hooks. Greenwalt took a trip back to extended spring training. Leon, Urckfitz and Seaton all saw their numbers rise. The only highlight was the return of Slinging Sammy Gervacio from the an injury that ended his season early last year. He has made two appearances in late May going 3 IP and allowing 1 run.

Oklahoma City

Alumni Hitter of the Month: Again there are not many former G-Stros on the AAA roster. Only Brandon Barnes and Koby Clemens are representing the G. Barnes had a solid month. He hit just over .240 but 20 of his 27 hits were for extra bases. He hit 7 home runs and took the team lead in that category despite arriving in late April.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: Jordan Lyles has settled down and had a solid May for OKC. Four of his five starts were deemed quality starts (6 or more IP with 3 or less runs allowed). His ERA for May was 2.81. He earned a call up to get two starts in the place of the injured Wandy Rodriguez who was placed on the 15 day DL.

Outside the Astros Organization

Alumni Hitter of the Month: Marcus Nidiffer got the call up to Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League. Since his call up in the middle of the month, he has hit .310.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: As good as Victor Garate was in April, he was just a little better in May. He appeared in 10 games, throwing in 14 1/3 innings. He allowed just 8 hits and walked 7 batters but fanned 18. All the while, just allowing one earned run. He has only allowed two this season in 27 1/3 IP. This gives him a season ERA of 0.66

MLB

Alumni of the Month: Since there is only one position player in the bigs who played in Greeneville (Towles); we will combine the award for the major league level. Based on his performance tonight, we announce that Jordan Lyles is also the Alumni for the Month in the MLB division. He pitched well in his debut at Wrigley tonight; going 7 innings and allowing just one earned run. He also was 1 for 3 at the plate.

Besides the Lyles debut, there was one other call up during the month of May. Troy Patton was called up briefly by the Orioles. When he was sent back down, he was taken off the 40 man roster. He cleared waivers and is back in Norfolk waiting another call back up. He had a 2.57 ERA in Norfolk this May. He also spent part of the month on the DL.

In other alumni news, Felipe Paulino was traded from the Rockies to the Royals. He has made one relief appearance for the Royals and will make his first start for them on tonight against the Angels.

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)