Former G-Stros In The Majors At The Break

The MLB All Star break is upon us.  Now is a good time to do a look at the former Greeneville Astros who are in the majors and see how they are doing.

Let's start by looking at those who play for the Astros:

Jose Altuve  (2008,09) - Altuve started off the year very hot but has struggled a little since missing time due to a collision with Jimmy Parades in right field and the death of his grandmother.  His hitting totals for the pre-all star portion of the schedule are .280/.315/.352.  The break may be just what he needs.

In the field, he has been solid.  He leads all second basemen in the majors with 75 double plays turned.  He only turned 83 in all of 2012.  The team record for double plays turned by a second baseman is 117 set by Craig Biggio in 1999.  Altuve is on pace for 58 more which would bring him to 133 for the season.  In the last 20 years, only three second baseman have turned 130 or more double plays in a single season.  They are: Robinson Cano (136 - 2007), Fernando Vina (135 -1998) and Ronnie Belliard (130 - 2000). 

Altuve recently signed a contract extension with the Astros to keep him with the team through 2017 with a team option for 2018 & 1019 as well. 

Brandon Barnes leads off second in a spring training game 2013 (Photo property of Appy Astros)

Brandon Barnes (2005,06) -  Barnes played in 75 games before the all star break this season. Despite hitting just .232 on the season so far, Barnes is showing a consistent ability to hit left handed pitching.  In 70 at bats against lefties, he is hitting .314.

Barnes' defense is turning into his calling card.  There are currently 19 videos on MLB.com of Barnes highlighting his defense. In addition to the great diving catches, he also has five outfield assist.

His defense plus the ability to hit lefties my keep him in the majors for several years.

Jose Cisnero (2009) - Cisnero has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen for the Astros.  He has become a dependable part of the back end of the bullpen.  In 37 2/3 innings pitched he has struck out 37 batters while turning out a 2.87 ERA.  When you consider that he allowed nine of his 12 earned runs in two outings, his numbers look even better.  Fifteen of the 20 times he has been called on to pitch, he has returned to the dugout with no runs accounted to him.

Jordan Lyles (2008) -  Lyles didn't start the year on the MLB roster. He was added in early May and has made 14 starts for the Astros thus far.  The 23 year old is growing up on the job and showing progress this year.  The highlight of the year for him was a run of six starts from May 22 to June 18 where he pitched 39 2/3 innings and allowed just seven runs.   He goes into the break with a 4.02 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

J.D. Martinez (2009) -  Martinez was heading to AAA out of spring training but injuries put him on the opening day roster.  He too has battled some injuries but appeared to be putting it together right as the all star break arrived.  For the season, Martinez is hitting .256/.281/.394 in 72 games.  For the month of July, he was hitting .300/.317/.350. 

Now let's look across the rest of the teams to find out how former G-Stros are doing in 2013.

Fernando Abad (2007) - Abad was called up to Washington in late May after starting the season in AAA.  Since his arrival, he has been a key part of the National's bullpen.  He has appeared in 20 games (19 2/3 innings pitched.  During that time, he has struck out 21 batters and allowed just 4 runs for a 1.83 ERA.

J.C. Gutierrez (2004) -  Gutierrez was the last man to make the Royals bullpen out of spring training.  He has had an up and down year thus far.  He had a 6.14 ERA in April but bounced back with 1.08 and 2.00 ERAs in May & June respectively.  July has been a little rough with a 5.97 ERA in his four appearances so far.  He has not allowed any of the 11 runners he has inherited to score.

Troy Patton (2004) -  Patton struggled with some command issues with his fastball in April and May but has righted the ship.  Since he gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings in Houston on 6/7/13, he has appeared in 14 games and has give up just one run in 10 innings pitched.  During that span, he has allowed just 9 hits, has not walked a batter and has struck out 9.  Patton and the Orioles are looking to make another playoff run this season. They are 4.5 games back of Boston for the division led and 1.5 games back of the final wild card spot behind Texas.

Altuve & Astros On Verge of Record Season Turning Double Plays

Jose Altuve, who played for the Greeneville Astros in 2008 & 2009, has taken part in 50 double plays in the first 57 games of the Houston Astros season. When you project that rate out for 162 games, that projects to 139 double plays for the season. How would a season like this stack up in history?

Altuve Talks To Freddie Freeman During Spring Training (photo property of AppyAstros 2013)

The Big Picture
The major league record for most double plays by a 2nd baseman is 161 by Bill Mazeroski in 1966.  The AL record belongs to Jerry Priddy of the Yankees in 1950 with 150.  If Altuve gets to the 139, it will be the most double plays by a 2nd baseman since 1957 when Nellie Fox turned 141.  Being in the company of Mazeroski and Fox is pretty heady company.  Not only are both Hall of Famers; they also
are #1 and #2 in career double plays turned by second baseman.  Maz turned 1706 in his career and Fox turned 1619.

Club Record In Easy Reach
In terms of Astros' history, there have only been six seasons by a second baseman where they turned more than 100 double plays. 

1999  Craig Biggio     117
1972  Tommy Helms  115
1983  Bill Doran         109
1997  Craig Biggio     108
1985  Bill Doran         108
1973  Tommy Helms  104

The club record is definitely within reach and the AL record is not out of the realm of possibility if Altuve stays healthy for the rest of the season. 

If you want to dig deeper, I suggest you go to Altuve's Baseball Reference advanced fielding stats page,  so you can see how those 50 double plays have transpired. It tells you how many were 643,543, 43, 463 and line drives.

Double Plays Are A Team Effort
But it is not just Altuve who is having an impressive season turning double plays. Shortstop Marwin Gonzalez  currently has participated in 36 double plays.  That would put him on pace for 102 for the year.  If both cleared 100 double plays, it would mark the third time in franchise history that has happened.  The other two times are:

1983 - Dickie Thon (114) & Bill Doran (109)
1972 - Roger Metzger (101) & Tommy Helms (115)

Where Do Double Plays Come From?
All these double plays make me wonder what is behind them.  Is it the fact the Astros pitchers are serving up more ground balls?  Or is it the infielders are in better position to make the plays due to some of the analytic work by the folks in the baseball operations office?  Is it a combination of the two?  Is it just sheer luck?  What do you think? 

Big Games for Former G-Stros

Normally I post the highlights for former Greeneville Astros box scores on twitter.  Just highlighting the best performances of the night.  However, last night, there are several that are worth mentioning and giving a little more attention to.

In the Majors, Brandon Barnes hitting his first home run of the year for the Astros and Jose Altuve raising his average to .371 with a 2 for 3 night were some of the only highlights for the big league club.  In the minors, it was a different story. 

Delino DeSheilds went 3 for 3 with two triples, two RBI, three runs scored and one walk in Lancaster's win over Bakersfield.  He also stole two bases in the game.  Since returning from a five day layoff with a bum finger.  DDJ is 4 for 6 with a double, two triples and three walks.  Exactly what you want from a lead off guy.

Luis Cruz continued his solid start to the 2013 season in Lancaster.  He pitched five inning shut out innings, giving up just one hit, one walk and striking out five batters.  Cruz even earned the prestigious Morgan Ensberg "He's a really good player" award. Cruz has been working in the tandem starting role in Lancaster this season.  He has appeared in four games.  In 16 2/3 IP, he has allowed just nine hits, eight walks, four runs and has struck out 22 batters.

But the biggest night belonged to David Martinez of Corpus Christi. He pitched five perfect innings against Frisco in AA last night.  He threw just 60 pitches in five innings.  With the current tandem pitching rotation in the Astros minor league system, the starting pitcher for the day throws five innings or 75 pitches and the second reliever comes in to throw the last four or 60 pitches.  His ERA for the year is 1.88.  However in the two games he has been the starting pitcher, he has allowed just two hits and two walks in 10 innings pitched.  The plan according to the Astros is for the cream to rise to the top over time and the best five will be starting by mid season.  If Martinez and Cruz keep up what they are doing, they will be among those who continue starting.