Catcher Development: Throwing Out More Runners

The other day I saw this tweet:

#qctimes @QCRiverBandits Roberto Pena throws out 3 LumberKings attempting to steal. He's denied 30 of 53. In '02 here, Joe Mauer 46-of-107
— Steve Batterson (@sbatt79) July 3, 2013

That is an impressive stat and puts him in impressive company.  It got me thinking about how well Roberto Pena has been throwing out runners this season and it made me curious about how much growth this showed. The growth with Pena was significant and I wondered if it was just him or were other catchers in the Astros organization showing similar growth. So I went back and looked across the system at each catcher who had caught in at least 20 games this season and compared their 2012 stolen base percentage (SB%) to their 2013 SB%.  Here is what I found:


 
As you can see, several players have made significant jumps in their SB%.  Pena's is the biggest jump but Rene Garcia & Carlos Perez both jumping more than 10% is also impressive.  Especially since they are performing at higher levels. 

Max Stassi just misses the 10% jump and he too is at a higher level. 

As for the others, lets start with Tyler Heineman. I am not going to quibble with -1% drop when you jump from short season A ball to Hi A ball. His number is still impressive.  Most players would show a greater drop making that jump.

Jobduan Morales is the only young guy not showing growth.  But he is still somewhat still raw.  In five seasons, he has only caught 144 games.  Never more than 34 in a season and he has caught 33 this year. 

Cody Clark is a journeyman and not really a focus of development.

Conclusions
The Astros have talked about improving the receiving skills of their catchers using analysis developed my Mike Fast.  But this data indicates they also may have been working on something that has improved the development of their catchers in throwing out runners attempting to steal bases.  Having a catcher at each of your full season affiliates throwing out 40% or more would be base stealers is impressive. Something worth keeping an eye on.

Roberto Pena Featured In QC Paper

Okay, I must have been living under a rock but I learned something today while reading the Quad Cities Times feature on former G-Stro and current Quad-Cities Bandit, Roberto Pena.  I had no idea that his dad was Bert Pena who played in 88 games for the Astros from 1981 to 1987. 

Aside from that piece of information there were other nice nuggets in the piece.  Here are a few of those nuggets.  You can go here to read the full story.

On his childhood in Puerto Rico

“I grew up with a baseball in my hand," Pena said. “I learned most of the game from my dad. He was a shortstop, so I was a shortstop. Every day in Puerto Rico, we would play. We would go and watch Winter League games, then we would play. I always thought I would be a shortstop."

 On what he is working on.

“My hitting and the approach is something I work on every day," said Pena, who has hit .227 over his first three seasons in the Astros organization....“I am comfortable with my receiving, but I need to get better with my hitting and I feel like I am headed in the right direction. My dad would tell me this game is about adjusting and getting better and that is what I am trying to do."

Former G-Stros in Minor's Mini Camp

The top talent in the system has been invited to report to camp early for a minicamp. Brian McTaggart posted the list of invitees yesterday. Here are those who were invited along with the year(s) they appeared in Greeneville:
 Ruben Alaniz (2010)
Michael Foltynewicz (2010)
David Martinez (2009)  
Lance McCullers Jr. (2012)
Vincent Velasquez (2010)  
Roberto Pena (2010)  
Carlos Correa (2012)  
Chase Davidson (2011)
Jonathan Meyer (2009)
Jiovanni Mier (2009)  
Rio Ruiz (2012)

In addition to those players a few other players will be participating some since they reported early to camp. Two of those are former G-Stros Telvin Nash (2010) and Ruben Sosa (2011 & 12)

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 Catchers

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 played in Greeneville  along with their age at the start of the season and the highest level they played at last season.


Catcher
Luis Alvarez - (2009/2011 - 21 - Rookie) - Last year he made a solid comeback from missing 2010 with a knee injury. Can he progress quickly this year to make up for the lost 2010 season?   

Rene Garcia - (2008 - 22 - Hi A) - Last year he hit .242 at Lancaster and threw out 30% of base stealers.  Can he bring those numbers up any?

Ernesto Genoves - (2011 - 20 - Rookie) - He showed a solid bat and improving defense in Greeneville last year. How will he look against more advanced talent at higher levels? 

Ryan McCurdy - (2010 - 24 - Low A) - Last year he showed a solid bat at Tri Cities hitting .324 but he is much older than the competition.  Will he make it out of spring training?

Roberto Pena - (2010 - 19 - Low A) - After allowing 10 passed balls in 38 games in 2010, he only allowed 11 in 82 games in 2011.  He threw out 39% of base stealers last season, can he keep that number up?  Can he improve from the .217 he hit in Lexington last year? 

J. R. Towles - (2004 - 27 - MLB) - Towles signed with the Twins organization as a free agent this off season.  If the Twins injury luck at catcher continues, this might prove to be a very wise move for J R. Will the change of scenery help J. R. make it back to the show?

Chris Wallace - (2010 - 23 - AA) - Last year Wallace jumped from low A to AA.  His average took a hit (.285 to .244) but his caught stealing rate took a bigger hit, dropping from 39% down to 10%.  Can he show he made adjustments in his approach at the plate and behind it?

Bubby Williams - (2009-10, 22 - SS A) - I said last year that it was an important year for Williams to show improvement.  Not much was seen.  He only caught 11 games and threw out only 13% of potential base stealers. He lead the team in Home Runs but only hit .206 in 36 games.  Will he make it out of spring training? 

Placement Predictions when full season rosters are announced:
(Last season, I predicted 5 of 6 catchers' correct starting teams)

Oklahoma (AAA)

Corpus Christi (AA)
Wallace
Garcia

Lancaster (Hi A)
Pena

Lexington (Low A)
Alvarez
Genoves 

Extended Spring Training
McCurdy
Williams

What are your thoughts?

2010 Greeneville Astros Progress Reports

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 percentage by each level is out of the full roster.


AA (1 - 3%)


Chris Wallace started the year in Low A Lexington but was double promoted to AA Corpus Christi to finish out the year.  With him turning 23 years of age in April and him having solid success in Lexington, it was not surprising the Astros challenged him by putting him on a fast track.  Wallace hit .244 in 36 games in AA.  he also found out that base runners were better there.  He only threw out 10% of attempted stolen bases.  Wallace spent part of the fall in instructionals.


High A (2 - 5%)


Bryce Lane  spent most of the season in Lexington but did appear in Lancaster for five games during the year.  He was hit less during his stint in Lancaster and hit .222 in 67 games in Lexington. He will be 22 when spring training begins.

Hector Rodriguez bounced around three levels this year.  He started in Lancaster, then was sent to Tri Cities and finished the year in Lexington.  He never got much consistent playing time in those stops appearing in only 35 games through the year.  He combined to hit just .163 on the season. He will be 22 when spring training rolls around.


Low A (13- 33%)


Ruben Alaniz had an inconsistent year in Lexington.  He had a rough April, sporting a 8.78 ERA after the first month of the season. However in June, he sported a solid 2.28 ERA.  Overall, he finished with a 4.44 ERA in 27 games (21 starts).  He fanned 96 batters in 115 2/3 innings pitched.  He gave up 11 home runs, with only four in the second half of the season.  He earned an invite to instructionals.  Alaniz will be 20 when he reports to spring training. 


Garrett Bullock  see 2009 write up.

Jeiler Castillo  see 2008 write up.

Delino Deshields Jr. only appeared in 16 games in 2010 for Greeneville.  However, he was impressive in those games as just a 17 year old.  This year, as he continued to make the transition to becoming a second baseman, he struggled in the first half of the year hitting just .197 before the All Star break.  DeShields had a great July (.320) and finished the second half of the season with a respectable .242 average.  His power dropped in the second half but his on base percentage climbed.  All promising signs for a young man who won't turn 20 until next August. He got a bit of extra work in this fall in instructionals.


Mike Foltynewicz appeared to run out of gas as the long Sally League season of bus trips ground to an end.  After keeping his ERA in the upper three and low four range for May, June & July; it jumped to the seven and eight range for August and September.  He was on the instructional league roster. He is still seen as a top prospect and will just be 20 when next season begins.


Gabriel Garcia pitched out of the pen in 31 games for the Legends.  Garcia struck out 68 batters in 69 1/3 innings pitched.  His ERA was 3.76 on the season.  He is pitching in his home country for Winter Ball and through his first 11 appearances in the Dominican League, he is sporting a 2.84 ERA.  He will still be 22 when next season rolls around.

Emilio King had a break out year in Lexington.  In Greeneville, he showed good defense with a great arm but very little with the bat.  In 2011, he hit .293 and 34 of his 106 hits went for extra bases.  He also had 14 outfield assist on the year.  King will be 22 at the start of spring training.


Ryan McCurdy appeared in just one game for Lexington.  He spent most of his season in TriCities.  There he hit .324 which is an impressive jump from the .148 combined between Greeneville & TriCities in 2010.  He will turn 24 in December.


Jhonny Medrano hit .203 in 60 games for the Legends this season.  He is a minor league free agent and will likely not be playing affiliated ball next season. Injuries limited his potential. 


Telvin Nash got his 2011 season of to a bang with an impressive April where he hit .310 with an OPS of .997 but then broke the hamate bone in his hand and missed all of May and almost but three games of June.  In the second half, Nash was okay but not as spectacular as his April.  He finished the year with a .269 average and a .858 OPS in Lexington. It is expected that recovery from a hamate fracture can take some time to recover hand strength so we have to take that into account.  Nash has very good power.  Of his 72 hits this season in Lexington, 30 of them were for extra bases.  Here is a video of his power stroke.  He will need to cut down on the strike outs as he continues to climb up the ladder.  He also was learning a new position this year, playing 37 games at 1st base.  He got some extra work in at instructionals. Nash will turn 21 just before spring training begins.


Marcus Nidiffer was released by the Astros and subsequently signed by the Angels organization.  They moved him back to catcher and he hit .230 for Cedar Rapids this year.  He threw out 29% of potential base stealers. He will be 25 when spring training opens.


Roberto Pena was impressive behind the plate in Lexington this season. He threw out 39% of the potential base burglars.  He wasn't as impressive at the plate, hitting just .217 but showed improvement over his numbers in Greeneville last year.  He is seen as a solid catching prospect by the Astros as evidenced by them sending him for a brief stint in the Arizona Fall League. He was also in instructionals. Pena won't turn 20 until June of next year.

Brian Streinlein appeared in 40 games for the Legends and amassed a 3.99 ERA. Streinlein will be 24 when spring training begins.


Tri Cities (6 - 15%)


Ryan Cole finished 22 of the 26 games he appeared in for the ValleyCats. He was credited with 10 saves.  He will be 24 when pitchers report to spring training.


Jermaine Cotton started 2011 in Greeneville in the bullpen. However, he was moved into the starting rotation and was solid there.  He was promoted to Tri Cities and finished the year with a 3.68 ERA in five starts for the ValleyCats.  He earned an invitation to fall instructional league.  He will be 21 when next season begins.

Euris Quezada is a big righty who when he has his control is fun to watch. for the ValleyCats this year, sometime he had it, some times he didn't.  He was shut down after just one start in August.  He finished the year with a 6.95 ERA with 24 Ks and 24 BB in 33 2/3 IP. He will turn 23 next April.

Travis Smink appeared in 23 games for the ValleyCats this season.  He amassed a 4.37 ERA in 45 1/3 IP.  He will turn 25 shortly after the 2012 season begins.


Rafael Valenzuela continues to show he can hit.  After being injured for much of the first half of the season, he reported to Tri Cities and hit .316 in 31 games for the ValleyCats.  The non drafted free agent will be 24 when spring training begins.


Bubby Williams see 2009 write up.


Greeneville (2 - 5%)


Richardo Batista the lefty returned to Greeneville for the 2011 season and showed improvement.  He finished the season strong with a 3.57 ERA for the month of August.  During that month, opponents hit just .192 off of him. During August he also struck out 20 batters in 22 1/2 innings but he also walked 18.  He was invited to instructionals.  He will still be 20 when next season begins. 

Rodney Quintero returned to Greeneville for the 2011 season.  He struck out 32 batters in 28 2/3 IP out of the pen.  Even though the numbers aren't great, he was invited to fall instructional league.  He will turn 22 before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.


Injury/DL (2- 5%)

Vincent Velasquez and Jonathon Merritt both spent their year rehabbing from injuries.  Velasquez was on the instructional league roster.


I expect the number of active players to drop pretty heavily next year with the large number of guys already in the 24 to 25 range in this group.

Instructional Roster Released

Thanks to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle for releasing the Instructional League roster.  Here are the former G-Stros who are going to be spending part of their fall in Florida.  I will include the number of players who have played in Greeneville out of the total number at each position as well as they year(s) the player was in Greeneville in parentheses.

Pitchers:(9 out of 22 on roster)

Ruben Alaniz (10)

Ricardo Batista (10, 11)
Jamaine Cotton (10,11)

Michael Foltynewicz   (10)

Christopher Lee (11)
Luis Ordosgoitti (11)
Rodney Quintero (10,11)
Francis Ramirez (11)

Vincent Velasquez (10)

Catchers: (3 out of 6)

Ernesto Genoves (11)
Roberto Pena (10)
Chris Wallace (10)

Infielders: (5 out of 10)

Jean Carlos Batista (11)

Delino DeShields Jr. (10)

Jonathan Meyer (09)

Jiovanni Mier (09)
Telvin Nash (10)

Outfielders: (2 out of 8)

Ariel Ovando (11)

Jordan Scott (11)

Of the  44 players who are on the non rehab roster, here is where they finished the 2011 season.

GCL: 7

Greeneville: 8

TriCities: 8

Lexington: 10

Lancaster: 4

Corpus Christi: 4

No Roster/DL: 3

GCL - Past, Present, & Future (2011 edition)

Last year, I looked back at the where the 2009 GCL players spent their seasons and then made predictions where the 2010 folks would spend their 2011.  I didn't do to badly on the prediction piece.  All four of the players I predicted to be in G'ville (Moon, Monzon, Smith & Jones) were there.  Of the three I projected for Tri Cities, two of the three spent time there this year (Scott & Rosario) while one player was released (Ditthardt).  I didn't fair as well in Lexington where I only  one (Perez) out of three spent any time there.

Let's do the same process for this year:

Where 2010 GCL Astros Spent 2011:

Lets look at only those who spent more than a handful of games in the GCL in 2010 and find out where they spent 2011.


Repeat of GLC 

Of the 39 players who spent significant time on the GCL roster in 2010, 11 (28%) of them returned to the GCL for 2011.  That is a slight increase from the 26% (9 players) who returned from 2009 to 2010.  Let's look at a few of the returnees to see who they did in their second stint.


Jose Fernandez (SS) - The young shortstop showed slight improvement at the plate.  His average and OBP raised slightly.  He stolen base total jumped from four to 11 while holding his caught stealing to three.  His fielding showed significant improvement.  He dropped from 32 errors in 265 chances to 15 errors in 203 chances.  He will still be 18 when spring training rolls around next season. 

Luca Martone (2B) - Showed a huge jump at the plate this season in the GCL. His average went from .173 to .314 and his OPS jumped from .419 to .770.  He remained solid in the field.  He will also be 18 when spring training starts.

Kyle Reddinger (1B) - The 11th round draft pick in 2010 went backwards in 2011.  His average dropped from .219 to .148 and his OPS dropped from .568 to .436.  He will be 20 when spring training starts.

Pedro Gomez (RHP) - His ERA dropped from 7.76 down to 4.18. His WHIP dropped from 1.979 to 1.429.  This drop was highlighted by his hits dropping from 54 in 31 1/3 IP to 21 in 28 IP.  However, his BB jumped from 8 to 19.  He will be 20 when spring training starts.


Evan Grills (LHP) - The 10th pick in the 2010 draft might be ready for a big jump in 2012.  He showed good progress in 2011.  He appeared in 13 games (33 1/3 IP) and amassed a 3.00 ERA.  He only allowed 7 walks to go along with 33 hits for a 1.212 WHIP and he fanned 29 batters.  He will be 19 at the start of spring training.

Kirshawn Holley (RHP) - Holley only made one appearance in 2010, so 2011 was for all intents and purposes, his first season.  He had an impressive showing.  In 13 appearances (16 2/3 IP) he fanned 15 while only allowing 12 hits and 8 unintentional walks.  He will turn 20 just before spring training starts.

Francis Ramirez (RHP) - He repeated the GCL for most of the season and while his numbers didn't improve from an outcome standpoint.  He continued to miss bats consistently.  This warranted a late season jump to Greeneville where he fared better in ERA and showed better control. He will be 20 when spring training starts.

 Promoted to Greeneville

Greeneville was a popular landing spot for the GCL class of 2010.  They had 14 players (36%) make the jump to the Appy League.  This is an increase from the 24% who made the same jump last year.  Here is a look at what the experience was like for some of the more notable players to make the leap.

Ernesto Genoves (C) - He looked poised for a break out season after posting a batting average over .370 for the first 20 games.  However he faded in August, hitting just 172 for his last 18 games.  However, his season average of .280 was still an increase from his GCL numbers and his OPS jumped .140 points.  He will still be 20 when spring training begins.

Jordan Scott (LF) - Scott actually spent some time this year in Lexington before the short season teams started but he spent the majority of the season in Greeneville so he is listed here.  He had an All Star caliber season in Greeneville.  He was named the team MVP after hitting .337 in 60 games in Greeneville.  His defense will need some work but has shown he is ready for full season ball, and he will just be 19 when spring training starts.

Joshua Magee (2B) - Magee showed a significant amount of development this season.  He only hit .133 in June (9 games), he hit .232 in July (21 games) and then capped off the season by hitting .376 in August.  His August was helped by a 12 for 12 streak during the month.  Overall, his average jumped 56 points and his OPS rose 134 points.  He will be 20 when spring training starts.

Chan Moon (SS) - Moon showed a descent glove but his offensive numbers dropped from the GCL days.  He showed alittle more power but everything else showed decline.  Although he did have better numbers in August (.256 avg with .680 OPS).  He will be turning 21 during spring training next year.

Luis Ordosgoitti (RHP) - When as an 18 year old, you come into the APPY and strike out 42 batters in 44 IP while only walking seven, you qualify as a pitcher to watch.  He needs to work on missing bats a bit more.  He gave up 47 hits in those 44 IP.  He will be 19 when spring training starts.

Jose Perdomo (RHP) - Perdomo didn't fare as well as Ordosgoitti.  In fact, he was shut down in mid July and didn't appear again.  In his five starts (18 IP), he surrendered 33 hits and four HR.  He did fan 21 during those appearances.  Perdomo will be 20 at the start of spring training 2012.

Jeremiah Meiners (LHP) - I always like to pull for the underdog.  Meiners was a 40th round draft pick who didn't fare too well in the GCL in 2010 (6.95 ERA in 22 IP).  However, he showed growth in Greeneville.  In 40 1/3 IP (20 games), he fanned 42 batters and only allowed 34 hits and 10 walks for a WHIP of 1.09.  He will be 23 when spring training rolls around so the odds are against him but I hope the growth continues.

Promoted to Tri Cities
There were four players (10%) who were promoted to Tri Cities from the 2010 team.  That is up from 2 players or 6% from the 09 group.  All of those promoted were pitchers.

Kristian Bueno (LHP) - Bueno struggled with his control in SS-A ball.  He walked 19 batters in 20 2/3 IP. He will be 23 when 2012 spring training starts.

Dayan Diaz  (RHP) - Diaz put on a show in Tri Cities.  His season ERA was an impressive 1.98 over 50 IP (19 games).  More impressive was the 70 strike outs in those 50 innings pitched. Diaz missed all of 2009 and most of 2010 with injury so his 2011 performance puts his name on the radar for 2012. He will 23 just before spring training begins.

Juri Perez (RHP) - Perez is working his way back from an injury at the end of the 09 season that stunted his development.  He show some signs of returning to his strong 2009 form (67 Ks in 67 1/3 IP)  but there is still a long way to go (5.48 ERA).  He will still only be 21 when spring training rolls around.

Ebert Rosario (RHP) - Rosario continued his effort to covert from an infielder to a pitcher.  He struggled with his control in the NYPenn League, walking 14 batters in 23 2/3 IP but he also fanned 27.  Still a work in progress.  He will turn 25 after the season starts next year, so time is limited.

Promoted to Lexington
There was only one player(3%) who spent the majority of 2010 in the GCL who made the jump to the SALLY League.  That is down from four in 2010.

Roberto Pena (C) - In his first full season, Pena showed promise, nabbing 39% of runners who tried to steal.  However, the wear and tear of the long season appeared to catch up to him.  His batting numbers peaked in July (.258 avg & .638 OPS) but waned as the season went along.  He is seen as a promising catching prospect by those in Houston.

Released 
So far, we have covered 30 of the 39 players who spent any significant time on the 2010 GCL Astros roster, that leaves us with 9 players who were released, retired or were placed on the restricted list before the end of the 2011 season.  That list is as follows:

Ryan Ditthardt
Wilder Parra 
Geber Suniaga
Emmanuel Cedano
B J Hagans
Rafael Felix
Austin Lucas
Andrea Lucatti
Dieudone Paul


Back to the Future

So now who do I think could make the move this year. Any of the projections here are likely to be impacted by the draft, and any prospects picked up in trades. Let’s see who the crystal ball says we should keep an eye on for next year.

Greeneville 

Yonathon Mejia (2B)  - After improving his average from .235 in the DSL to .329 in the GCL, Mejia is ready to move up.  However, with his age being 19 next year, I don't expect him to jump to Tri Cities but it is possible. He needs time in the field.  He was at DH for 21 of his games in the GCL.

Luca Martone (2B) -He got the majority of the starts at 2B for the GCL team but he only appeared in 29 games.  I can see he and Mejia sharing time at 2B at Pioneer Park next season. 

Kenny Diaz (C) - It is a small sample size but in 13 games, he hit .281 and he threw out 5 out of 9 runners trying to steal.  He will be 19 when spring training begins.

Kelvin Vizcaino  (LF) - Average increased from .191 to .244 in his jump from the DSL to the GCL.  

Javaris Reynolds (CF) - The 7th round draft pick out of H. S. only hit .228 this season but he plays a solid center field.  He might repeat the GCL but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Greeneville.

Kirshawn Holley (RHP) & Evan Grills (LHP) - They give every indication that it is time to move up.

 
Tri Cities


Juan Mojica (RHP)  - His 1.42 ERA earned a late season promotion to Greeneville in 2011.

Blake Ford (RHP) - The 44th round pick for 2011 appeared in 18 games with a 1.90 ERA.  Might jump all the way to Lex.

Justin Gill (RHP) - Held opponents to a .210 average in 21 2/3 IP as a 22 year old in the GCL.

Lexington

Chris Epps (RF/LF) - Hit .304 in 35 games before promotion to Tri Cities.  There he hit just just .212 in 70 plate appearances but did crush two HR.  Will turn 23 in December.

Feel free to add you ideas about who you think is going where.  We will look back at this next year to see how we did.

Season Recap: Catchers

With the season over, it is time to look back and make some observations about what I saw at Pioneer Park. I am aiming to do this by position groups. We will start with catchers, move to corner infielders, then middle infielders, outfielders, starting pitchers, and then finally relief pitchers.

Without further ado, here are my observations about the guys who wore the tools of ignorance this year. They are listed in order of most games played at catcher.

Chris Wallace - The 16th round pick out of Houston, played in 46 games for the G-Stros before being promoted to Tri Cities. Thirty of those games were behind the plate. There Wallace allowed just one passed ball and made two errors. He threw out 13 out of 35 (37%)base burglars. You have to remember that sometimes the base isn't stolen on the catcher but the pitcher. Since his promotion, Wallace has improved his caught stealing numbers nabbing 10 out of 19 (53%). Combined, that is a 43% rate so far this year, which is pretty impressive.

At the plate, Wallace hit .310 during his time in Greeneville. He had 6 doubles, 8 home runs and an unusually high 3 triples. His average was the 6th best in the Appy League. Wallace was fading when he was promoted. In August, prior to his promotion to Tri Cities, he was 7 out of 31 (.226) with just one extra base hit. At the same time, his strike out rate had increased from K-ing in 24% of his at bats to fanning in 32% of his at bats. After a slow start in Tri Cities, he is improving his numbers as the season wraps up.

Wallace is the only pro player I have seen wear a face mask on his helmet. He wears a clear mask that goes from one ear piece to the other. The reason behind that is that he took a pitch to the face in college, it fractured his cheek bone and had screws inserted to put the pieces back together. That is why he wears to mask.

Expectation for next year: Lexington or Lancaster

Carlos Mojica - The 22 year old started the year on the roster for the Tri Cities Valley Cats and then was sent to Lancaster for a brief stay until he landed back in Greeneville for the third year. Mojica didn't appear in any games in his first two stops of 2010. He was behind the plate 14 times for the G-Stros. He was the DH in 5 additional games. Runners didn't fair well against Mojica. He caught 7 out of 15 (47%) base stealers. He allowed 5 passed balls. Word is that Mojica will be seeing a doctor after the season is over. He was not very mobile behind the plate. He also committed 4 errors.

At the plate, he was hot in July hitting .320 in 10 games. He was frigid in August going 1 for 24 for a bingo batting average of .080.

As was stated earlier, this was Mojica's third season in Greeneville. It is his 5th overall since he was signed. That means he has one more season until he becomes a free agent. Based on what I saw this year, I am not sure he will get that shot.

Expectation for next year: Released

Bubby Williams - the 11th round pick from 2009, started his second season in Greeneville. He was the receiver in 13 games for the G-Stros in 2010. Behind the plate, he was solid receiving the ball. There were no passed balls on his watch. However, base runners took advantage of him with him only throwing out 25% of stealers (4/16). Since his promotion to Lexington, Williams has improved that number to 4 out of 9 (44%).

Bubby started the year very hot, hitting .400 in June with 4 home runs. It what may be the oddest split of the year, Williams hit .093 at home and .429 on the road while with the G-Stros. His bat hasn't been very effective since his call up. One of the factors here might be playing time. He has only had a plate appearance in 9 games since his call up in early August.

Williams is a good receiver and according to some of the pitchers I have talked to, he calls a pretty good game. His inconsistent bat and his throwing skill set must improve.

Expectation for next year: Lexington or Tri Cities

Roberto Pena - the 7th round pick for this year's draft started in the GLC and was called up to Greeneville in August. He has the best arm of the group. In the 13 games behind the plate in Greeneville, he shot down 7 of 14 base runners (50%). He had done an adequate job of this in the GCL (38%) prior to coming up. He has a very quick release and throws accurately to 2nd. He is not as confident in handling balls that aren't where he expects them as evidenced by the 4 passed balls.
At the plate, he struggled but he made contact. He fanned 10 times in 47 at bats, which isn't awful but he did fan 7 times in 20 at bats against RHP. He did show some clutch hit ability. He hit .286 with RISP compared to his G-Stros average of .191.

Pena is young, he turned 18 right at draft time. So he will still by 18 when he reports to spring training next year. In ranking the catchers I have seen in Greeneville, I would put him right behind Frederico Hernandez & Luis Alvarez.

Expectation for next year: Lexington

Ryan McCurdy - the NDFA out of Duke only played in 6 games before heading to Tri Cities to ride the bench up there. Both sample sizes are so small, it is hard to pull any real conclusions. That in and of itself likely means that McCurdy's career may not be a long one.

Expectation for next year: Released

Luis Alvarez was on the roster all of this season. He never played a game because he is recovering from a knee injury he suffered last season backing up a play at first. He will be 21 when next season rolls around and needs to be remembered when thinking about who goes where next season.

If I were to give best tools, here is what they would be:

Best Arm: Pena
Best Backstop: Williams
Best Game Caller: Williams
Best Hitter: Wallace
Best All Around Prospect: Pena

Up next, the corner infielders.