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.
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Former Appy Astros Who Are Now Minor League Free Agents
Baseball America released their list of the minor league free agents on Friday. There are a great number of former G-Stros who are on the list. Here are the ones whose careers are at a crossroads. Included are the year(s) they played in Greeneville and the organization they played in last season.
Sammy Gervacio (05 - Houston)
Brad James (05,06 - Houston)
JR Towles (04 - Houston)
Koby Clemens (05 - Houston)
Jhonny Medrano (10 - Houston)
Wlad Sutil (04 - Houston)
Victor Garate (05- Florida)
Neil Sellers (04 - Florida)
Jordan Parraz (04 - NY Yankees)
Polin Trinidad (05,06 - Texas)
Jimmy Barthmaier (04 - Washington)
Most of the ones on the list have had their shots at the AA level or higher. However Medrano has only been as high as Lexington (Low A). He was on the initial roster for the 2008 G-Stros and was bringing a fair amount of buzz with him. He blew his knee out at the first practice of the season in Greeneville. He missed all of 2008 and never fully regained his prospect status.
Some of these players will sign with an affiliated team to fill out the upper levels rosters. Some will choose to play in a foreign country. Some will play indy ball. Some of these players will hang their spikes up and walk away silently into the night. We will try to keep you informed on what happens to these players.
Sammy Gervacio (05 - Houston)
Brad James (05,06 - Houston)
JR Towles (04 - Houston)
Koby Clemens (05 - Houston)
Jhonny Medrano (10 - Houston)
Wlad Sutil (04 - Houston)
Victor Garate (05- Florida)
Neil Sellers (04 - Florida)
Jordan Parraz (04 - NY Yankees)
Polin Trinidad (05,06 - Texas)
Jimmy Barthmaier (04 - Washington)
Most of the ones on the list have had their shots at the AA level or higher. However Medrano has only been as high as Lexington (Low A). He was on the initial roster for the 2008 G-Stros and was bringing a fair amount of buzz with him. He blew his knee out at the first practice of the season in Greeneville. He missed all of 2008 and never fully regained his prospect status.
Some of these players will sign with an affiliated team to fill out the upper levels rosters. Some will choose to play in a foreign country. Some will play indy ball. Some of these players will hang their spikes up and walk away silently into the night. We will try to keep you informed on what happens to these players.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Season Recap - The Bullpen
Here is the final installment for the 2010 Season Recap. Let's look at the lovable guys who sit down the right field line at Pioneer Park and try to lure unsuspecting kids into trying to drop a quarter into a cup for a scuffed up game ball. If a single ball is not enough, do it 3 times and you can get a broken bat. If these guys don't have a future in baseball, they might have a future in business or at least on the carnival circuit.
We will list the players by number of game appearances. I think you will notice a much older group of guys than when we looked at the other players.
The guys who were released (B. J. Hagan), promoted (Jack Frawly), demoted (Andrea Lucati) or signed too late in the year (Rodney Quintero) and didn't have more than a handful of appearances are not addressed here.
Ryan Cole appeared in 22 games out of the pen. He had a streak of 8 straight scoreless outings than spanned 12 2/3 IP and had 14 appearances where he didn't give up an earned run. He finished with a season ERA of 2.83 and 2 saves. He had the best WHIP among closers (1.06). His walk totals look high at eight in 35 IP but 4 of those were intentional passes. So 4 in 35 innings is a much truer picture of his control. With his age and his performance, I could see him in the pen in Lexington next season.
Garrett Bullock the lefty NDFA out of Wake Forest repeated at Greeneville this year and showed marked improvement. He lead the bullpen with 41 IP in 21 appearances. He was often the first guy out of the pen, but he did garner two saves. In 16 of his 21 appearances, he didn't allow an earned run. Bullock is able to keep runners close with an excellent pick off move that he refined to reduce the balks called on him. Bullock was too old for the Appy at 24. He was promoted to Tri Cities at the end of the season but didn't get to pitch. With his age, being a lefty with a good pick off move and his ability to keep the ball down (no home runs in a combined 62 1/3 IP for his career, I could see him landing in Lancaster next season but Lexington might be more likely.
Philip Rorabaugh is another NDFA who is in his second pro year. He pitched in the GCL in 09 and at 23 was at the top end of the age for the Appy League. Rorabaugh started the year okay but struggled with a rough stretch in July and 2 bad outings in August that left him with a 4.91 ERA for the year in his 21 appearances. If Rorabaugh is with the organization next season, he will likely be in Tri Cities for some additional depth.
Brian Streilein made his pro debut in Greeneville this year. The big righty appeared in 20 games covering 32 IP and was second on the team with 5 saves. He too had a large number of his walks accounted for with intentional passes (4 out of 8). Streilein was the closer at the end of the season and earned a brief appearance in Tri Cities. At 22 next season, I could see Streilein in Tri Cities working the late innings out of the pen.
Travis Smink returned to Pioneer Park this year and showed improvement. He was the closer to start the season. He got 5 saves out of his first 6 outings. There doesn't appear to be a reason why he stopped getting save opportunities as he continued to be effective through the end of July, giving up just 3 ER in 151/3 IP. But maybe the Astros coaching staff could see something we couldn't because in August, Smink struggled. After posting a 2.25 ERA in 9 outings in July, he put up a 5. 02 ERA in his 7 August outings. For the year, he finished with a 3.34 ERA and 6 saves. Look for Smink to be in Lexington next season.
Jeiler Castillo started the year on the Tri Cities roster but was sent back for his third year with the G-Stros shortly after the season began. He was a solid arm out of the pen pulling two 4 inning stints in long relief. He also spot started 2 games and closed out 4, getting the save in 1 of those. Heading into August, Castillo was putting together a solid season. Then the wheels came off starting on August 11th. Over his next 4 outings, he gave up 9 earned runs in just 3 innings pitched. His ERA for July had been 2.25 and for August it was 8.71. Castillo will turn 23 this off season, I expect him to be in Lexington if he is with the organization next year. Three seasons of short season ball should be sufficient.
Paul Gerrish started his pro career in Greeneville. The former Horned Frog, appeared in 14 games for the G-Stros with mixed results. He finished 6 games and got the save in 1 of those. He held opponents to no earned runs in half of his appearances. He finished with an ERA of 4.56 but he had good control numbers (4 walks in 23 2/3 IP- 1 IBB) and only 2 of the 32 hits he surrendered were doubles or homers. Of the 19 runs he surrendered 7 were unearned. I am not sure if he was more unlucky or ineffective. He finished the year with a great outing, facing the minimum in 3 1/3 IP while striking out 4. He is already 24 so his age is a factor here. Based on his numbers and his age, I expect him to be in Lexington next year.
Jamaine Cotton took the long way to get the Greeneville. He is from St. Thomas, VI but went to college at Western Oklahoma State. This was his second straight year to be drafted (Giants in 09) and the Astros were able to sign him as their 15th pick. Apparently, Jamaine is a man of few words and is still learning the art of pitching. He only appeared in 13 games accounting for only 14 IP. He didn't meet much success. The only exciting stat is that he had more than one strike out per inning. However, he got hit (28 in 14 IP) and hard too (3 HR). He also struggled with control (7 BB & 3 WP). He had already pitched over 60 innings when he got to Greeneville so we don't know how tired he was, that might be a factor here. Jarmaine will probably get a second year in Greeneville.
Justin Harper was the 17th pick of the 2009 draft by the Astros. He had been selected before (Marlins 31st round 07, Yankees 37th round 08) so there is something scouts like when they see Harper pitch. He made 11 appearances in Greeneville totaling all of 18 innings pitched. He only got 6 innings pitched in 2009. So we have a 2 year vet with only 24 IP. Not much of a sample to make much of an assessment. Especially when you consider that 7 of his 10 earned runs occurred in his first three outings. He will be 22 when the season opens next year. I expect he will return to Tri Cities to show continued improvement and to get a full short season of work in.
Assessment None of these guys jump out and scream top prospect. Most will probably be roster fillers for their careers but you never can tell when someone puts it all together and makes it to the show. All of these guys have a long road ahead of them to get to the show, but we are pulling for them to make it.
We will list the players by number of game appearances. I think you will notice a much older group of guys than when we looked at the other players.
The guys who were released (B. J. Hagan), promoted (Jack Frawly), demoted (Andrea Lucati) or signed too late in the year (Rodney Quintero) and didn't have more than a handful of appearances are not addressed here.
Ryan Cole appeared in 22 games out of the pen. He had a streak of 8 straight scoreless outings than spanned 12 2/3 IP and had 14 appearances where he didn't give up an earned run. He finished with a season ERA of 2.83 and 2 saves. He had the best WHIP among closers (1.06). His walk totals look high at eight in 35 IP but 4 of those were intentional passes. So 4 in 35 innings is a much truer picture of his control. With his age and his performance, I could see him in the pen in Lexington next season.
Garrett Bullock the lefty NDFA out of Wake Forest repeated at Greeneville this year and showed marked improvement. He lead the bullpen with 41 IP in 21 appearances. He was often the first guy out of the pen, but he did garner two saves. In 16 of his 21 appearances, he didn't allow an earned run. Bullock is able to keep runners close with an excellent pick off move that he refined to reduce the balks called on him. Bullock was too old for the Appy at 24. He was promoted to Tri Cities at the end of the season but didn't get to pitch. With his age, being a lefty with a good pick off move and his ability to keep the ball down (no home runs in a combined 62 1/3 IP for his career, I could see him landing in Lancaster next season but Lexington might be more likely.
Philip Rorabaugh is another NDFA who is in his second pro year. He pitched in the GCL in 09 and at 23 was at the top end of the age for the Appy League. Rorabaugh started the year okay but struggled with a rough stretch in July and 2 bad outings in August that left him with a 4.91 ERA for the year in his 21 appearances. If Rorabaugh is with the organization next season, he will likely be in Tri Cities for some additional depth.
Brian Streilein made his pro debut in Greeneville this year. The big righty appeared in 20 games covering 32 IP and was second on the team with 5 saves. He too had a large number of his walks accounted for with intentional passes (4 out of 8). Streilein was the closer at the end of the season and earned a brief appearance in Tri Cities. At 22 next season, I could see Streilein in Tri Cities working the late innings out of the pen.
Travis Smink returned to Pioneer Park this year and showed improvement. He was the closer to start the season. He got 5 saves out of his first 6 outings. There doesn't appear to be a reason why he stopped getting save opportunities as he continued to be effective through the end of July, giving up just 3 ER in 151/3 IP. But maybe the Astros coaching staff could see something we couldn't because in August, Smink struggled. After posting a 2.25 ERA in 9 outings in July, he put up a 5. 02 ERA in his 7 August outings. For the year, he finished with a 3.34 ERA and 6 saves. Look for Smink to be in Lexington next season.
Jeiler Castillo started the year on the Tri Cities roster but was sent back for his third year with the G-Stros shortly after the season began. He was a solid arm out of the pen pulling two 4 inning stints in long relief. He also spot started 2 games and closed out 4, getting the save in 1 of those. Heading into August, Castillo was putting together a solid season. Then the wheels came off starting on August 11th. Over his next 4 outings, he gave up 9 earned runs in just 3 innings pitched. His ERA for July had been 2.25 and for August it was 8.71. Castillo will turn 23 this off season, I expect him to be in Lexington if he is with the organization next year. Three seasons of short season ball should be sufficient.
Paul Gerrish started his pro career in Greeneville. The former Horned Frog, appeared in 14 games for the G-Stros with mixed results. He finished 6 games and got the save in 1 of those. He held opponents to no earned runs in half of his appearances. He finished with an ERA of 4.56 but he had good control numbers (4 walks in 23 2/3 IP- 1 IBB) and only 2 of the 32 hits he surrendered were doubles or homers. Of the 19 runs he surrendered 7 were unearned. I am not sure if he was more unlucky or ineffective. He finished the year with a great outing, facing the minimum in 3 1/3 IP while striking out 4. He is already 24 so his age is a factor here. Based on his numbers and his age, I expect him to be in Lexington next year.
Jamaine Cotton took the long way to get the Greeneville. He is from St. Thomas, VI but went to college at Western Oklahoma State. This was his second straight year to be drafted (Giants in 09) and the Astros were able to sign him as their 15th pick. Apparently, Jamaine is a man of few words and is still learning the art of pitching. He only appeared in 13 games accounting for only 14 IP. He didn't meet much success. The only exciting stat is that he had more than one strike out per inning. However, he got hit (28 in 14 IP) and hard too (3 HR). He also struggled with control (7 BB & 3 WP). He had already pitched over 60 innings when he got to Greeneville so we don't know how tired he was, that might be a factor here. Jarmaine will probably get a second year in Greeneville.
Justin Harper was the 17th pick of the 2009 draft by the Astros. He had been selected before (Marlins 31st round 07, Yankees 37th round 08) so there is something scouts like when they see Harper pitch. He made 11 appearances in Greeneville totaling all of 18 innings pitched. He only got 6 innings pitched in 2009. So we have a 2 year vet with only 24 IP. Not much of a sample to make much of an assessment. Especially when you consider that 7 of his 10 earned runs occurred in his first three outings. He will be 22 when the season opens next year. I expect he will return to Tri Cities to show continued improvement and to get a full short season of work in.
Assessment None of these guys jump out and scream top prospect. Most will probably be roster fillers for their careers but you never can tell when someone puts it all together and makes it to the show. All of these guys have a long road ahead of them to get to the show, but we are pulling for them to make it.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Season Recap - Starting Pitching
Let's go to the mound and recap the starting pitchers for the 2010 Greeneville Astros. There were nine different starters for the G-Stros this season. We will cover seven of them in this section. The other two were primarily relievers who made a spot start or two and will be covered in the relief pitchers recap.
One of the challenges in assessing short season pitching stats for starters is the limited number of starts. Add to that the pitch count limits that many new draft picks come in with, their initial few starts may only last from one to three innings. Therefore, one bad or one great outing can skew the numbers significantly.
Therefore I propose the Appy Astro Adjusted Scoring System (3A2S). This system involves throwing out the best and worst outing a pitcher has and then figuring the stats. This I believe give s a more accurate picture of the pitcher's performance.
Let's start our review with 1st round pick Mike Foltynewicz. Folty had 12 starts during the season and accounted for 44 2/3 IP. His pre adjusted numbers are an ERA of 4.03, a WHIP of 1.37, K/9 of 7.86 & a K/BB of 2.6.
His worst outing was on the road on 8/6 in Princeton. He gave up 8 ER on 7 hits and 2 BB while striking out 2 in 2 1/3 IP. His best outing was the very next outing at home against Elizabethon on 8/11. On that night, he gave up just 1 hit and walked 1 batter while striking out 4 in 5 IP.
So his 3A2S season total looks like this: ERA of 2.89, WHIP of 1.34, K/9 of 7.96 and K/BB of 2.75
Assessment: Folty did better than his numbers show. He had some learning opportunities (2 rough outings) but finished very strong. Look for him in Lexington next season.
Rueben Alaniz also started 12 games. His pre adjusted line is 4.21 ERA, WHIP of 1.30, K/9 of 6.56, and a K/BB of 4.2.
His worst start was on 7/10 in Bluefield. That night, he gave up 10 ER on 12 hits, and 2 walked in 2 2/3 IP. He did strike out two that night. His best start was on 7/27 at Elizabethon. There he allowed no runs and only one hit and one walk while fanning 10 E-Twins hitters in five IP.
Alaniz's 3A2S season total comes to: ERA of 3.06, WHIP of 1.18, K/9 of 5.40 and K/BB of 4.29.
Assessment: Alaniz's adjusted ERA being over one point lower than his actual tells me he was also a victim of a bad outing. Alaniz should and could make the jump to Lexington but I suspect he might wind up in Tri Cities due to lack of spots.
Euris Quezada, who was called 'El Grande' by the coaches due to his 6'6" frame, also started 12 games. His season line was: ERA of 5.83, WHIP 1.47, K/9 of 5/40 & K/BB 3.17.
Quezada's worst start occurred on 8/20 in Danville. There he surrendered 4 ER on 6 hits and one walk with no strike outs in 2 1/3 IP. His strongest outing was on 7/21 at home against Bristol. That outing, he pitched 7 innings giving up no runs, one hit, one walk and fanned 3.
Quezada's 3A2S adjusted numbers: ERA of 6.00, WHIP of 1.48, K/9 of 5.83 and K/BB of 3.50.
Assessment: There is not much difference between his actual numbers and the adjusted numbers. This should be a pretty good indicator that we have a pretty good picture of the pitcher Quezada is. At 22 next season, I suspect he might be given a shot at Tri Cities but he might not be a starter any longer.
Richardo Batista is the 4th G-Stro to have 12 starts. The left who turned 19 during the season finished with a line of: 6.29 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 6.47 K/9, and 1.52 K/BB.
Batista's worst night was on 8/9 against the E-Twins. He didn't make it out of the first inning, giving up 6 ER on 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 K in 2/3 of an inning. His best outing was on 7/23 when he went 7 innings giving up 1 ER on 5 hits, 1 walk and striking out 5 batters.
His 3A2S line is: 5.93 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 6.37 K/9 and 1.38 K/BB.
Assessment: Batista's numbers are also pretty close. I expect him to be back in Greeneville next year. Even though the numbers aren't great, they were improved from his time in the GCL. Control must continue to improve.
Vincent Velasquez, the 2nd round pick of the Astros in the 2010 draft was consistent in his limited time on the hill. He only pitched 29 1/3 innings due to injury issues. He had 10 days between two starts during the season and then in his last outing on 8/24, he left the game when apparently some scar tissue from a previous injury popped. His line on the season was: 3.07 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 7.67 K/9 and 5.00 K/BB.
His consistency makes it tough to pick a worst outing. None of them were that bad. His worst was on 7/24 when he gave up 2 ER in 3 2/3 IP in Kingsport. That night, he allowed 4 hits but no walks and fanned 3. His best evening came on 7/14 when his pitch count limit was still low and he actually pitched in relief. He allowed just one hit and no runs in 3 IP while fanning 4 batters.
Velasquez's 3A2S line is: 3.18 ERA, 1.06 ERA, 7.15 K/9 and 3.60 K/BB.
Assessment: Valasquez's numbers are about the same but this is a very small sample size. There is a great deal to be excited about here but in cloud of injury is hanging over him. How his arm heals will determine his location this year. If healthy, I could easily see him in Lexington.
Angel Gonzalez made 5 starts out of 8 appearances for the Astros. (In a freak of scheduling, I was present for about 6 of those games he appeared in.) He also was send down in the middle of the season to the GCL for a tune up. When he returned, he was used solely as a reliever. This was Gonzalez's second year in Greeneville. His line as a start was: 7.66 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 6.45 K/9, and 1.60 K/BB.
His best outing was 6 innings of no hit ball in Kingsport where he walked 2 and fanned 4 on 6/29. His worst outing was on 7/9 when he surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks and struck out just one batter.
His 3a2S line as a starter: 8.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 7.24 K/9, and 1.83 K/BB.
Assessment: Looks like the decision has already been made to move Gonzalez to the pen. He should be in Tri Cities next year, if he is still with the organization.
The last starter to discuss is Gabriel Garcia. Garcia started the year serving a 50 game PED suspension. He was sent back to Greeneville where he made 6 appearance and 4 starts in August. He was much more effective in his two relief appearances (2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 IP) verse his 4 starts (4.15 ERA in 13 IP). However even his starting numbers were a large improvement from last year (7.91 in 38 2/3 IP). Based on his solid K/9 of 9.4,and the log jam of quality starters, I could see him being moved to the bullpen and being in Tri Cities next year.
One of the challenges in assessing short season pitching stats for starters is the limited number of starts. Add to that the pitch count limits that many new draft picks come in with, their initial few starts may only last from one to three innings. Therefore, one bad or one great outing can skew the numbers significantly.
Therefore I propose the Appy Astro Adjusted Scoring System (3A2S). This system involves throwing out the best and worst outing a pitcher has and then figuring the stats. This I believe give s a more accurate picture of the pitcher's performance.
Let's start our review with 1st round pick Mike Foltynewicz. Folty had 12 starts during the season and accounted for 44 2/3 IP. His pre adjusted numbers are an ERA of 4.03, a WHIP of 1.37, K/9 of 7.86 & a K/BB of 2.6.
His worst outing was on the road on 8/6 in Princeton. He gave up 8 ER on 7 hits and 2 BB while striking out 2 in 2 1/3 IP. His best outing was the very next outing at home against Elizabethon on 8/11. On that night, he gave up just 1 hit and walked 1 batter while striking out 4 in 5 IP.
So his 3A2S season total looks like this: ERA of 2.89, WHIP of 1.34, K/9 of 7.96 and K/BB of 2.75
Assessment: Folty did better than his numbers show. He had some learning opportunities (2 rough outings) but finished very strong. Look for him in Lexington next season.
Rueben Alaniz also started 12 games. His pre adjusted line is 4.21 ERA, WHIP of 1.30, K/9 of 6.56, and a K/BB of 4.2.
His worst start was on 7/10 in Bluefield. That night, he gave up 10 ER on 12 hits, and 2 walked in 2 2/3 IP. He did strike out two that night. His best start was on 7/27 at Elizabethon. There he allowed no runs and only one hit and one walk while fanning 10 E-Twins hitters in five IP.
Alaniz's 3A2S season total comes to: ERA of 3.06, WHIP of 1.18, K/9 of 5.40 and K/BB of 4.29.
Assessment: Alaniz's adjusted ERA being over one point lower than his actual tells me he was also a victim of a bad outing. Alaniz should and could make the jump to Lexington but I suspect he might wind up in Tri Cities due to lack of spots.
Euris Quezada, who was called 'El Grande' by the coaches due to his 6'6" frame, also started 12 games. His season line was: ERA of 5.83, WHIP 1.47, K/9 of 5/40 & K/BB 3.17.
Quezada's worst start occurred on 8/20 in Danville. There he surrendered 4 ER on 6 hits and one walk with no strike outs in 2 1/3 IP. His strongest outing was on 7/21 at home against Bristol. That outing, he pitched 7 innings giving up no runs, one hit, one walk and fanned 3.
Quezada's 3A2S adjusted numbers: ERA of 6.00, WHIP of 1.48, K/9 of 5.83 and K/BB of 3.50.
Assessment: There is not much difference between his actual numbers and the adjusted numbers. This should be a pretty good indicator that we have a pretty good picture of the pitcher Quezada is. At 22 next season, I suspect he might be given a shot at Tri Cities but he might not be a starter any longer.
Richardo Batista is the 4th G-Stro to have 12 starts. The left who turned 19 during the season finished with a line of: 6.29 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 6.47 K/9, and 1.52 K/BB.
Batista's worst night was on 8/9 against the E-Twins. He didn't make it out of the first inning, giving up 6 ER on 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 K in 2/3 of an inning. His best outing was on 7/23 when he went 7 innings giving up 1 ER on 5 hits, 1 walk and striking out 5 batters.
His 3A2S line is: 5.93 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 6.37 K/9 and 1.38 K/BB.
Assessment: Batista's numbers are also pretty close. I expect him to be back in Greeneville next year. Even though the numbers aren't great, they were improved from his time in the GCL. Control must continue to improve.
Vincent Velasquez, the 2nd round pick of the Astros in the 2010 draft was consistent in his limited time on the hill. He only pitched 29 1/3 innings due to injury issues. He had 10 days between two starts during the season and then in his last outing on 8/24, he left the game when apparently some scar tissue from a previous injury popped. His line on the season was: 3.07 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 7.67 K/9 and 5.00 K/BB.
His consistency makes it tough to pick a worst outing. None of them were that bad. His worst was on 7/24 when he gave up 2 ER in 3 2/3 IP in Kingsport. That night, he allowed 4 hits but no walks and fanned 3. His best evening came on 7/14 when his pitch count limit was still low and he actually pitched in relief. He allowed just one hit and no runs in 3 IP while fanning 4 batters.
Velasquez's 3A2S line is: 3.18 ERA, 1.06 ERA, 7.15 K/9 and 3.60 K/BB.
Assessment: Valasquez's numbers are about the same but this is a very small sample size. There is a great deal to be excited about here but in cloud of injury is hanging over him. How his arm heals will determine his location this year. If healthy, I could easily see him in Lexington.
Angel Gonzalez made 5 starts out of 8 appearances for the Astros. (In a freak of scheduling, I was present for about 6 of those games he appeared in.) He also was send down in the middle of the season to the GCL for a tune up. When he returned, he was used solely as a reliever. This was Gonzalez's second year in Greeneville. His line as a start was: 7.66 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 6.45 K/9, and 1.60 K/BB.
His best outing was 6 innings of no hit ball in Kingsport where he walked 2 and fanned 4 on 6/29. His worst outing was on 7/9 when he surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks and struck out just one batter.
His 3a2S line as a starter: 8.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 7.24 K/9, and 1.83 K/BB.
Assessment: Looks like the decision has already been made to move Gonzalez to the pen. He should be in Tri Cities next year, if he is still with the organization.
The last starter to discuss is Gabriel Garcia. Garcia started the year serving a 50 game PED suspension. He was sent back to Greeneville where he made 6 appearance and 4 starts in August. He was much more effective in his two relief appearances (2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 IP) verse his 4 starts (4.15 ERA in 13 IP). However even his starting numbers were a large improvement from last year (7.91 in 38 2/3 IP). Based on his solid K/9 of 9.4,and the log jam of quality starters, I could see him being moved to the bullpen and being in Tri Cities next year.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Season Recap: Outfielders
We get out of the dirt now and into the players who run in the grass. We will do this like the rest of the positions going with most games played starting with left field.
Telvin Nash (Games played by position - LF - 51, DH - 6 games) The 19 year old, who looks like a linebacker, was the MVP of the Greeneville Astros this season. Here is a photo of him ripping a double on the night he was crowned MVP by the Astros.
His power really developed this year, especially during the month of July when he had 8 homers in 77 at bats. He also had a OPS of .997 for the month. Overall for the year, he finished with 25 extra base hits in 200 AB (1 out of every 8). Compare that to his 2009 numbers of 12 extra base hits in 142 AB (1 out of every 11.8). In a freakish statistical twilight zone moment, he had the same number of walks as extra base hits in both years. But since walks are included in AB, we will see how often he walks based on plate appearances (PA). 2009 he walked once every 13.1 PA. In 2010, it improved to once every 9.6 PA. The only real negative in his batting numbers is the high strike out rate. In 2010, he K'd once every 3.125 AB. After his promotion to Tri Cities, he K's 7 times in 13 at bats.
His defense was a liability in left field for the G-Stros. How can you tell? The Astros played 66 games. You add up all the players who played in left for the year and you get 91. That means, in 25 games, there was a defensive substitution into left field. His arm is not impressive. He takes interesting routes to balls. On the bright side, he was better this year than last year. He only made one more error this year than last year in twice as many chances.
Expectations for next year: This may be more of a hope than an expectation but I think Nash will be at Tri Cities to continue to work on his defense and his pitch recognition. However, if he shows improvement in those areas over the instructional league time and in spring training, I could see him in Lexington.
Bryce Lane - (Games played by position - CF - 25, LF - 8, RF - 2) - The JC drafee who jilted Auburn to sign with the Astros was the primary center fielder for the first part of the G-Stros season.
At the plate, he started in a hole hitting .105 (2 for 19) during the June portion of the schedule. He warmed up to .238 in July and then was sent down to the GCL in early August. He only had one extra base hit, a double, while he was in Greeneville. In the GCL, he found his hitting stroke and got 10 hits in 30 AB during his short stay there. Then he made the big jump to Lancaster to take the roster spot of the injured Lee Cruz. The boy from Phenix City, Alabama took a liking to the California League. He exploded with 16 hits in 15 games. He had 6 extra base hits after hitting just two in the two rookie leagues. He walked 8 times in 56 plate appearances after walking just 9 in 132 PA. He reduced his strike outs from 29 out of 129 AB to 8 in 45 AB. He appears to have caught lightning in a bottle. It is a shame the season had to end.
In the field, he covered ground well in center and made the plays you expect a center fielder to make. He played LF primarily when he was moved to Lancaster.
Expectations for next year: This is going to be interesting to see where he lands. In a vacuum, I would say he deserves to be given a shot an Lexington but with the other outfielders in Tri Cities and in Greeneville, there is going to be a tough competition for the OF spots in Lex. That also may allow him to jump back to Lancaster.
Emilio King - (Games played by position - RF 57, CF - 8, LF - 2) This is my sleeper prospect on the G-Stros in 2010. Add the numbers up there (57+8+2= 67). Greeneville only played in 66 and he only played in 63 of those. That means in at least 4 games, he was moved to another position for defensive reasons. The reason for those moves, King has a cannon. He had 14 outfield assist in his 57 games at RF. To put that in perspective, in 2002, Vlad Guerrero & Larry Walker tied for the NL lead in outfield assist with 14. Hunter Pence currently leads Houston outfielders with 9 through 141 games. This is an unreal amount of assist for a short season RF.
So where did this arm come from? King was signed as a catcher. He played his first two years in the DSL as a catcher before coming to the GCL last year and moving to RF. He made throws from deep RF to home that were absolute frozen ropes. This kid has the best OF arm I have seen in Greeneville.
King also exhibits good range. There were several times, I commented to little Appy Astro at games that a flair was a hit only to see King swoop in and snag the ball. He is impressive in the field.
At the plate, he is much less impressive. After a decent start to the season with a .257 June, he struggled the rest of the season. He finished with a .210 average and a .583 OPS.
Expectations for next year: I expect King to be in Tri Cities. His defense is already above that level but his bat is not there yet.
Ricardo Heredia - (Games played by position LF - 21, RF - 17, DH - 5) The 21 year old from the Dominican Republic made the jump from the DSL to the Appy League this year. The landing was quite rough. He only made no errors in the field in limited playing time.
At the plate, he struggled mightily. Heredia finished the year with a dismal August hitting just .071.
Expectation for next year: Released
Ryan Humphrey - (Games played by position: LF - 7, CF - 25, RF - 1, DH 1) Humphrey returned for his second year in Greeneville. His defense was better but his playing time decreased and his offensive numbers decreased. Not a good combination.
Expectation for next year: Released
Delino DeShields Jr. - (Games played by position - CF - 15, DH - 1) DeShields joined the team in mid August. He immediately showed he belonged at the Appy League Level.
It is not too important to talk about his outfield defense because he will report to Fall Instructional League in a few weeks to start working on his transition to 2nd base. In 16 games with the G-Stros, DeShields impressed the local fans with his speed. His speed showed in his range in the field and his base running at the plate. I saw him turn a single in to a double one night just by hustle and pure speed.
His bat speed is impressive as well. He hit a solid .313 during his time with the G-Stros. He scored in 11 of the 26 times he reached base. Having that kind of efficiency at the top of the line is exciting to see.
Expectations for next year: With DeShields learning a new position, I am hesitant to place him in Lexington since he will still be 18 when the full season starts. If he is deemed ready for Lexington, I won't be surprised but I expect him to be in Tri Cities next year.
Summary In terms of position players, the outfield is where the most promising prospects were in Greeneville this season. DeShields is the cream of the crop but will not be an outfielder by next spring. I wish we could morph Nash's Bat & King's defense into one player. That would be an exciting player to watch.
Telvin Nash (Games played by position - LF - 51, DH - 6 games) The 19 year old, who looks like a linebacker, was the MVP of the Greeneville Astros this season. Here is a photo of him ripping a double on the night he was crowned MVP by the Astros.
His power really developed this year, especially during the month of July when he had 8 homers in 77 at bats. He also had a OPS of .997 for the month. Overall for the year, he finished with 25 extra base hits in 200 AB (1 out of every 8). Compare that to his 2009 numbers of 12 extra base hits in 142 AB (1 out of every 11.8). In a freakish statistical twilight zone moment, he had the same number of walks as extra base hits in both years. But since walks are included in AB, we will see how often he walks based on plate appearances (PA). 2009 he walked once every 13.1 PA. In 2010, it improved to once every 9.6 PA. The only real negative in his batting numbers is the high strike out rate. In 2010, he K'd once every 3.125 AB. After his promotion to Tri Cities, he K's 7 times in 13 at bats.
His defense was a liability in left field for the G-Stros. How can you tell? The Astros played 66 games. You add up all the players who played in left for the year and you get 91. That means, in 25 games, there was a defensive substitution into left field. His arm is not impressive. He takes interesting routes to balls. On the bright side, he was better this year than last year. He only made one more error this year than last year in twice as many chances.
Expectations for next year: This may be more of a hope than an expectation but I think Nash will be at Tri Cities to continue to work on his defense and his pitch recognition. However, if he shows improvement in those areas over the instructional league time and in spring training, I could see him in Lexington.
Bryce Lane - (Games played by position - CF - 25, LF - 8, RF - 2) - The JC drafee who jilted Auburn to sign with the Astros was the primary center fielder for the first part of the G-Stros season.
At the plate, he started in a hole hitting .105 (2 for 19) during the June portion of the schedule. He warmed up to .238 in July and then was sent down to the GCL in early August. He only had one extra base hit, a double, while he was in Greeneville. In the GCL, he found his hitting stroke and got 10 hits in 30 AB during his short stay there. Then he made the big jump to Lancaster to take the roster spot of the injured Lee Cruz. The boy from Phenix City, Alabama took a liking to the California League. He exploded with 16 hits in 15 games. He had 6 extra base hits after hitting just two in the two rookie leagues. He walked 8 times in 56 plate appearances after walking just 9 in 132 PA. He reduced his strike outs from 29 out of 129 AB to 8 in 45 AB. He appears to have caught lightning in a bottle. It is a shame the season had to end.
In the field, he covered ground well in center and made the plays you expect a center fielder to make. He played LF primarily when he was moved to Lancaster.
Expectations for next year: This is going to be interesting to see where he lands. In a vacuum, I would say he deserves to be given a shot an Lexington but with the other outfielders in Tri Cities and in Greeneville, there is going to be a tough competition for the OF spots in Lex. That also may allow him to jump back to Lancaster.
Emilio King - (Games played by position - RF 57, CF - 8, LF - 2) This is my sleeper prospect on the G-Stros in 2010. Add the numbers up there (57+8+2= 67). Greeneville only played in 66 and he only played in 63 of those. That means in at least 4 games, he was moved to another position for defensive reasons. The reason for those moves, King has a cannon. He had 14 outfield assist in his 57 games at RF. To put that in perspective, in 2002, Vlad Guerrero & Larry Walker tied for the NL lead in outfield assist with 14. Hunter Pence currently leads Houston outfielders with 9 through 141 games. This is an unreal amount of assist for a short season RF.
So where did this arm come from? King was signed as a catcher. He played his first two years in the DSL as a catcher before coming to the GCL last year and moving to RF. He made throws from deep RF to home that were absolute frozen ropes. This kid has the best OF arm I have seen in Greeneville.
King also exhibits good range. There were several times, I commented to little Appy Astro at games that a flair was a hit only to see King swoop in and snag the ball. He is impressive in the field.
At the plate, he is much less impressive. After a decent start to the season with a .257 June, he struggled the rest of the season. He finished with a .210 average and a .583 OPS.
Expectations for next year: I expect King to be in Tri Cities. His defense is already above that level but his bat is not there yet.
Ricardo Heredia - (Games played by position LF - 21, RF - 17, DH - 5) The 21 year old from the Dominican Republic made the jump from the DSL to the Appy League this year. The landing was quite rough. He only made no errors in the field in limited playing time.
At the plate, he struggled mightily. Heredia finished the year with a dismal August hitting just .071.
Expectation for next year: Released
Ryan Humphrey - (Games played by position: LF - 7, CF - 25, RF - 1, DH 1) Humphrey returned for his second year in Greeneville. His defense was better but his playing time decreased and his offensive numbers decreased. Not a good combination.
Expectation for next year: Released
Delino DeShields Jr. - (Games played by position - CF - 15, DH - 1) DeShields joined the team in mid August. He immediately showed he belonged at the Appy League Level.
It is not too important to talk about his outfield defense because he will report to Fall Instructional League in a few weeks to start working on his transition to 2nd base. In 16 games with the G-Stros, DeShields impressed the local fans with his speed. His speed showed in his range in the field and his base running at the plate. I saw him turn a single in to a double one night just by hustle and pure speed.
His bat speed is impressive as well. He hit a solid .313 during his time with the G-Stros. He scored in 11 of the 26 times he reached base. Having that kind of efficiency at the top of the line is exciting to see.
Expectations for next year: With DeShields learning a new position, I am hesitant to place him in Lexington since he will still be 18 when the full season starts. If he is deemed ready for Lexington, I won't be surprised but I expect him to be in Tri Cities next year.
Summary In terms of position players, the outfield is where the most promising prospects were in Greeneville this season. DeShields is the cream of the crop but will not be an outfielder by next spring. I wish we could morph Nash's Bat & King's defense into one player. That would be an exciting player to watch.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Season Recap: Middle Infielders
Continuing with our review of the players who played for the Greeneville Astros this year, we move to the middle infielders.
Jonathan Merritt - (56 games at SS)- Merritt was signed as a free agent out of The University of Alabama - Birmingham. He was the starting shortstop in 56 of the Astros 66 games. Merritt, 22, committed 21 errors in 279 chances. He made a few spectacular plays and most of the routine ones. He did everything you would want from a short stop.
At the plate, he spent the majority of his time batting 1st (112 AB) or 2nd (77 AB) in the line up. He hit much better in the second slot (.299/.413/.519 rather than lead off (.223/.350/.366). He stole 12 bases in 17 attempts. He also showed decent pop with 20 extra base hits (9 doubles, 6 triples and 4 home runs).
Merritt did what you expect a NDFA to do. He played his position well, was a good teammate and provided some organizational depth.
Expectations for next year: Depending on organizational needs I could see him backing up Ben Orloff in Lexington or playing in Tri Cities.
Ricardo Garcia - (Games played by position: 2B - 41, DH - 4, 3B - 3, LF - 1, 1B - 1) The slight (5' 9" 142lbs) second baseman took on the utility role for the Astros this season when he wasn't playing second. He missed most of the 2009 season in the GCL and played only 8 games, all at 3B.
In the field, he didn't have the flare the G-Stros fans had become accustomed to from Jose Altuve, but he was solid. He made 10 errors in 213 chances. Some of the errors I saw were coming in on slowly hit balls.
At the plate, he didn't show that much that stood out. A sub .250 average and a OPS of .625 from a 21 year old in the Appy league isn't impressive.
Expectations for next year - He has one more year until he is a Minor League Free Agent. I expect if he makes it out of extended spring without being released, he will be assigned to Tri Cities.
Pedro Feliz - (Games played by position: 2B - 27) No not the guy we traded to the Cards but the 19 year old fellow. He split his games in 09 in the GCL between 2nd & 3rd. In 2010, he only played at 2nd but he played in less than half of the games.
In the field, he improved his numbers from 2009 at 2nd, making six errors in 125 chances. However, he still only showed a fielding percentage of .952.
At the plate, he showed very little. He hit .200 with striking out one out of every three at bats. The only promising number was he hit .100 higher on the road (.250) verses at home (.149).
Expectations for next year - He might get one more year in Greeneville due to him being just 20 when next year begins.
Summary: I saw nothing in this bunch that screamed prospect. However, one of the great things about Rookie ball is sometimes you can miss kids entirely. Albert Cartwright butchered the 2nd base position in 2007 as a 19 year old. He came back as a 20 year old and was better, especially at the plate. He finished 2010 in Corpus Christi. I would have never believed that in 2010.
The middle infield in the Astros organization is one of the deepest areas. With players like Sutil, Cartwright, Altuve, Mier, Villar, Paredes, & Hernandez already ahead of them. Plus adding Delino DeSheilds Jr. to the mix and having I don't see much hope for these guys getting much of a chance to make a big splash next year.
Jonathan Merritt - (56 games at SS)- Merritt was signed as a free agent out of The University of Alabama - Birmingham. He was the starting shortstop in 56 of the Astros 66 games. Merritt, 22, committed 21 errors in 279 chances. He made a few spectacular plays and most of the routine ones. He did everything you would want from a short stop.
At the plate, he spent the majority of his time batting 1st (112 AB) or 2nd (77 AB) in the line up. He hit much better in the second slot (.299/.413/.519 rather than lead off (.223/.350/.366). He stole 12 bases in 17 attempts. He also showed decent pop with 20 extra base hits (9 doubles, 6 triples and 4 home runs).
Merritt did what you expect a NDFA to do. He played his position well, was a good teammate and provided some organizational depth.
Expectations for next year: Depending on organizational needs I could see him backing up Ben Orloff in Lexington or playing in Tri Cities.
Ricardo Garcia - (Games played by position: 2B - 41, DH - 4, 3B - 3, LF - 1, 1B - 1) The slight (5' 9" 142lbs) second baseman took on the utility role for the Astros this season when he wasn't playing second. He missed most of the 2009 season in the GCL and played only 8 games, all at 3B.
In the field, he didn't have the flare the G-Stros fans had become accustomed to from Jose Altuve, but he was solid. He made 10 errors in 213 chances. Some of the errors I saw were coming in on slowly hit balls.
At the plate, he didn't show that much that stood out. A sub .250 average and a OPS of .625 from a 21 year old in the Appy league isn't impressive.
Expectations for next year - He has one more year until he is a Minor League Free Agent. I expect if he makes it out of extended spring without being released, he will be assigned to Tri Cities.
Pedro Feliz - (Games played by position: 2B - 27) No not the guy we traded to the Cards but the 19 year old fellow. He split his games in 09 in the GCL between 2nd & 3rd. In 2010, he only played at 2nd but he played in less than half of the games.
In the field, he improved his numbers from 2009 at 2nd, making six errors in 125 chances. However, he still only showed a fielding percentage of .952.
At the plate, he showed very little. He hit .200 with striking out one out of every three at bats. The only promising number was he hit .100 higher on the road (.250) verses at home (.149).
Expectations for next year - He might get one more year in Greeneville due to him being just 20 when next year begins.
Summary: I saw nothing in this bunch that screamed prospect. However, one of the great things about Rookie ball is sometimes you can miss kids entirely. Albert Cartwright butchered the 2nd base position in 2007 as a 19 year old. He came back as a 20 year old and was better, especially at the plate. He finished 2010 in Corpus Christi. I would have never believed that in 2010.
The middle infield in the Astros organization is one of the deepest areas. With players like Sutil, Cartwright, Altuve, Mier, Villar, Paredes, & Hernandez already ahead of them. Plus adding Delino DeSheilds Jr. to the mix and having I don't see much hope for these guys getting much of a chance to make a big splash next year.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Season Recap - On The Corners
In continuing to evaluate the 2010 Greeneville Astros, we will now examine the corner infielders. This is an older group of players with the youngest starting the season at 20 but finishing at 21. We will look at them in order of combined games played at the two positions. You will notice the games add up to more than the number of games the Astros played. That is because some of the appearances were as defensive substitutions.
Marcus Nidiffer (Games Played by Position 1B- 47, DH-1)- He was the old man of the bunch at 23. He was a NDFA who played catcher at Kentucky. He is also from nearby Bristol which made him a fan favorite from the beginning. Nidiffer played a solid first base, only making 4 errors on the season. He wasn't spectacular but he improved as the season progressed.
At the plate, Nidiffer started of the year hot and even though he faded in August, and was promoted to Tri Cities with half a month of games to play, he finished tied for the 9th best batting average in the league at .303. His 11 home runs were tied for 5th and .981 OPS was 2nd best. He was named to the Appy League All Star Team.
He exploded out of the gate in Tri Cities hitting two HR in one of his first games. He has since cooled off as he hit just .154 in his last 10 games in Tri Cities with only one extra base hit, a double.
Those close to the team gave Nidiffer high marks for his character and leadership as well. He will have a tough road to climb to make it very far in the system. His age and his status as a NDFA are working against him.
Expectations for next year - Tri Cities
Rafael Valenzuela - (Games played by position 1B - 22, 3B - 17) - Signed as a NDFA out of the University of Arizona. The 22 year old has played all over the diamond in college but played 1st & 3rd for the G-Stros. He was called up to Greeneville after spending 16 games with the GCL Astros.
In the field, Valenzuela was adequate but unremarkable for the G-Stros at either position. He was regularly used as a defensive replacement late in close games at 1st. After Nidiffer left, he was the best option the team had a 1st. Therefore, he spent a the last half of August at 1st.
At the plate, he made contact most of the time. However that contact resulted in ground balls over half the time. He was one of the few left handed bats in the line up.
Valenzuela has been offered the chance to play winter ball in Mexico.
Expectations for next year - Tri Cities if not released.
Jhonny Medrano - (Games played by position 1B - 11, 3B - 21, DH - 19) The 22 year old from Venezuela was the starting 3rd baseman for the season. He had been slated to be on the Greeneville roster in 2008 but he hurt his knee the day before the season started and had to miss the whole year. The next year, he had a disappointing year in Tri Cities. This year, it was expected he would show the ability that was the buzz when he was on the roster in 2008.
The injury bug bit Medrano again this year. On July 16th, he banged his elbow on a slide home and was out of the line up for much of the rest of July. When he returned, he didn't play 3rd any longer and after a failed attempt at him playing first, he was relegated to the DH role for much of August. At the last game of the season, he was seen in the dugout with a bulky brace on his elbow.
His hitting suffered after the injury. He had 23 of his 49 strike outs in just 71 at bats in August.
Expectations for next year: This was his sixth season after signing as a free agent as a 16 year old. Therefore, he will be a minor league free agent this off season. If the elbow requires surgery with significant rehab time, I don't see the Astros re-signing him.
Hector Rodriguez - (Games played by position 3b - 29, SS - 13, LF - 1) He was the baby of the group, starting the season at 20 years old. Rodriguez made the jump from the DLS Astros to Greeneville this season, with no stop at GCL. He was one of my favorite kids on the team this year. Not because of his play necessarily but because of his attitude. He was the first guy out of the dug out to welcome players off the field when an inning ended. He had a unique whistle noise he would make in the field or in the dugout when some one made a good play or when a pitcher made a good pitch. Occasionally, you would hear other players echo the whistle back to him. It was clear, he was having fun at the ball park.
In the field, he is a bit small to be playing 3rd at 6 foot and 150 pounds. He looks more like a shortstop than a 3rd baseman. He has the soft hands of a SS and ranges to his left well. He also made several nice plays coming in on the grass on bunts and dinks. He made one catch of a line drive over his head that showed off a quick reaction time and a solid vertical leap. he made 5 errors at 3rd. Most of those were on throws.
At the plate, he quietly put together a good season. He didn't have enough at bats to qualify for any league or team rankings, but he finished the year with a solid .303 average. He hits a bunch of ground balls and it might be that he is just getting lucky. Time will tell. He didn't strike out (25 K in 120 AB) but he also took only one walk all year. So he makes contact but will need to learn to be more selective.
Expectations for next year: Greeneville or Tri Cities
Chris Lovett - (Games played by position: 3B - 12, 2B -3, DH - 1. The 2009 12th round pick of the Braves was picked up at the end of July with the Braves released him. He started off getting a great deal of playing time but as his struggles at the plate grew, his playing time shrunk. Not a great sample size to pull from but hitting under .180 in 50 AB is not encouraging.
Expectations for next year: Released
In summary, there were not many prospects in the corner infield crop in Greenville this year. But what do you expect when three of the players were NDFA college kids, one is a oft injured soon to be minor league free agent.
Best Bat: Nidiffer
Best Glove: Rodriguez
Best Arm: Medrano (pre injury)
Best Overall Prospect: Rodriguez (though I considered putting none of the above)
Marcus Nidiffer (Games Played by Position 1B- 47, DH-1)- He was the old man of the bunch at 23. He was a NDFA who played catcher at Kentucky. He is also from nearby Bristol which made him a fan favorite from the beginning. Nidiffer played a solid first base, only making 4 errors on the season. He wasn't spectacular but he improved as the season progressed.
At the plate, Nidiffer started of the year hot and even though he faded in August, and was promoted to Tri Cities with half a month of games to play, he finished tied for the 9th best batting average in the league at .303. His 11 home runs were tied for 5th and .981 OPS was 2nd best. He was named to the Appy League All Star Team.
He exploded out of the gate in Tri Cities hitting two HR in one of his first games. He has since cooled off as he hit just .154 in his last 10 games in Tri Cities with only one extra base hit, a double.
Those close to the team gave Nidiffer high marks for his character and leadership as well. He will have a tough road to climb to make it very far in the system. His age and his status as a NDFA are working against him.
Expectations for next year - Tri Cities
Rafael Valenzuela - (Games played by position 1B - 22, 3B - 17) - Signed as a NDFA out of the University of Arizona. The 22 year old has played all over the diamond in college but played 1st & 3rd for the G-Stros. He was called up to Greeneville after spending 16 games with the GCL Astros.
In the field, Valenzuela was adequate but unremarkable for the G-Stros at either position. He was regularly used as a defensive replacement late in close games at 1st. After Nidiffer left, he was the best option the team had a 1st. Therefore, he spent a the last half of August at 1st.
At the plate, he made contact most of the time. However that contact resulted in ground balls over half the time. He was one of the few left handed bats in the line up.
Valenzuela has been offered the chance to play winter ball in Mexico.
Expectations for next year - Tri Cities if not released.
Jhonny Medrano - (Games played by position 1B - 11, 3B - 21, DH - 19) The 22 year old from Venezuela was the starting 3rd baseman for the season. He had been slated to be on the Greeneville roster in 2008 but he hurt his knee the day before the season started and had to miss the whole year. The next year, he had a disappointing year in Tri Cities. This year, it was expected he would show the ability that was the buzz when he was on the roster in 2008.
The injury bug bit Medrano again this year. On July 16th, he banged his elbow on a slide home and was out of the line up for much of the rest of July. When he returned, he didn't play 3rd any longer and after a failed attempt at him playing first, he was relegated to the DH role for much of August. At the last game of the season, he was seen in the dugout with a bulky brace on his elbow.
His hitting suffered after the injury. He had 23 of his 49 strike outs in just 71 at bats in August.
Expectations for next year: This was his sixth season after signing as a free agent as a 16 year old. Therefore, he will be a minor league free agent this off season. If the elbow requires surgery with significant rehab time, I don't see the Astros re-signing him.
Hector Rodriguez - (Games played by position 3b - 29, SS - 13, LF - 1) He was the baby of the group, starting the season at 20 years old. Rodriguez made the jump from the DLS Astros to Greeneville this season, with no stop at GCL. He was one of my favorite kids on the team this year. Not because of his play necessarily but because of his attitude. He was the first guy out of the dug out to welcome players off the field when an inning ended. He had a unique whistle noise he would make in the field or in the dugout when some one made a good play or when a pitcher made a good pitch. Occasionally, you would hear other players echo the whistle back to him. It was clear, he was having fun at the ball park.
In the field, he is a bit small to be playing 3rd at 6 foot and 150 pounds. He looks more like a shortstop than a 3rd baseman. He has the soft hands of a SS and ranges to his left well. He also made several nice plays coming in on the grass on bunts and dinks. He made one catch of a line drive over his head that showed off a quick reaction time and a solid vertical leap. he made 5 errors at 3rd. Most of those were on throws.
At the plate, he quietly put together a good season. He didn't have enough at bats to qualify for any league or team rankings, but he finished the year with a solid .303 average. He hits a bunch of ground balls and it might be that he is just getting lucky. Time will tell. He didn't strike out (25 K in 120 AB) but he also took only one walk all year. So he makes contact but will need to learn to be more selective.
Expectations for next year: Greeneville or Tri Cities
Chris Lovett - (Games played by position: 3B - 12, 2B -3, DH - 1. The 2009 12th round pick of the Braves was picked up at the end of July with the Braves released him. He started off getting a great deal of playing time but as his struggles at the plate grew, his playing time shrunk. Not a great sample size to pull from but hitting under .180 in 50 AB is not encouraging.
Expectations for next year: Released
In summary, there were not many prospects in the corner infield crop in Greenville this year. But what do you expect when three of the players were NDFA college kids, one is a oft injured soon to be minor league free agent.
Best Bat: Nidiffer
Best Glove: Rodriguez
Best Arm: Medrano (pre injury)
Best Overall Prospect: Rodriguez (though I considered putting none of the above)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
It's Over - Looking Back at the 2010 G-Stros' Season
Well, it’s over. The 2010 Greeneville Astros wrapped up their season with a win over Pulaski. The G-Stros are in the cellar in the Appy West for the 4th straight year. They finished the season 31-35, 11 games out of the lead and 10 games out of the new wild card playoff spot. Not great but better than the last few years. Just to recap, here is where the G-Stros have finished since their move to Greeneville in 2004.
2009 - 27-40, 5th in the West, 17 1/2 games back
2008 - 30-36, 5th in the West, 11 games back
2007 - 17-51, 5th in the West, 33 games back
2006 - 34-33, 2nd in the West, 7 1/2 games back
2005 - 29-37, 3rd in the West, 17 1/2 games back
2004 - 41-26, 1st in the West, 3 games up, beat Danville in playoffs
The G-Stros started off hot, going 7-2 in June. They started July cold getting swept by Bristol & Kingsport in three game series to start the month. They went 13-17 in July and were 20-21 for the year. At that point, they were still in the playoff race. But a 3-8 start to August put them out of the race for the wild card and resulted in moving the two best hitters in the G-Stros line up, Marcus Nidiffer & Chris Wallace, to Tri Cities.
That move may have signalled the end of the playoff hopes but not the end of the excitement in Greeneville. The same day that Nidiffer & Wallace were shipped out to the ValleyCats, Delino DeShields Jr was added to the G-stros roster. The G-Stros finished out the month of August going 8-8 after Deshields arrival.
Nail Biters
This season was a season of close games. Of the G-Stros 66 games, 43 (65%) were decided by 3 runs or less. The G-Stros were 23-20 in those games. A full 1/3 of the games were decided by one run or less. They were 14-8 in those games. Their success in those close games is a bit of a surprise since they had a league worst ERA of 4.54.
The G-Stros had a winning record against the teams from the east (Pulaski, Princeton, Bluefield, Danville & Burlington) 17-13 and a 7-5 mark against the two play off teams. Against the teams from the west (Johnson City, Bristol, Elizabethon, and Kingsport), they had a 14-22 record and a 6-10 mark against those play off teams.
Power Surge
Prior to this season, only one Greeneville Astro had hit more than 8 home runs in a season. That was in 2004 with Mitch Einertson exploded on the scene with an Apply League record tying 24 HR. This year Telvin Nash hit 12 and Marcus Nidiffer hit 11 to move into second and 3rd respectively on the G-Stros list for homers in a season. Chris Wallace joined Josh Flores (2005) and Kody Hinze (2008) in a tie for 4th with 8 homers in a season. The fact that Wallace & Nidiffer did it in less than 50 games makes it even more impressive. Wallace has added two more long balls in Tri Cities and Nidiffer has added 3.
As a team, the 2010 G-Stros set a record with 53 round trippers. Their previous high was 45 in 2004 & 2005. They averaged a homer for every 10.5 hits and every 41.7 at bats. This high power didn’t translate to other extra base hits as reflected in league standings. However, the 111 doubles was the second highest in G-Stro history behind 09’s 118. The 23 triples is tied for third most in G-Stros history.
The G-Stros’ big swings may have lead to an increase in K’s. They fanned 589 times this year. That his the second most behind the 07 team's 593.
The Pitching
Young and inconsistent were the two words that came to my mind what I was trying to summarize the pitching this season. Twice, the G-Stros were one out away from no hit bids and 9 times they gave up more than 10 runs. As for the young part, Foltynewicz, Alaniz & Valasquez are all arms to watch as they mature. All had strong outings and all had rough outings. I expect this to be the core of the Lexington rotation next season.
On Deck
I will begin doing recaps that focus more on individual players soon and also catching up on what former G-Stros players are doing as well.
2009 - 27-40, 5th in the West, 17 1/2 games back
2008 - 30-36, 5th in the West, 11 games back
2007 - 17-51, 5th in the West, 33 games back
2006 - 34-33, 2nd in the West, 7 1/2 games back
2005 - 29-37, 3rd in the West, 17 1/2 games back
2004 - 41-26, 1st in the West, 3 games up, beat Danville in playoffs
The G-Stros started off hot, going 7-2 in June. They started July cold getting swept by Bristol & Kingsport in three game series to start the month. They went 13-17 in July and were 20-21 for the year. At that point, they were still in the playoff race. But a 3-8 start to August put them out of the race for the wild card and resulted in moving the two best hitters in the G-Stros line up, Marcus Nidiffer & Chris Wallace, to Tri Cities.
That move may have signalled the end of the playoff hopes but not the end of the excitement in Greeneville. The same day that Nidiffer & Wallace were shipped out to the ValleyCats, Delino DeShields Jr was added to the G-stros roster. The G-Stros finished out the month of August going 8-8 after Deshields arrival.
Nail Biters
This season was a season of close games. Of the G-Stros 66 games, 43 (65%) were decided by 3 runs or less. The G-Stros were 23-20 in those games. A full 1/3 of the games were decided by one run or less. They were 14-8 in those games. Their success in those close games is a bit of a surprise since they had a league worst ERA of 4.54.
The G-Stros had a winning record against the teams from the east (Pulaski, Princeton, Bluefield, Danville & Burlington) 17-13 and a 7-5 mark against the two play off teams. Against the teams from the west (Johnson City, Bristol, Elizabethon, and Kingsport), they had a 14-22 record and a 6-10 mark against those play off teams.
Power Surge
Prior to this season, only one Greeneville Astro had hit more than 8 home runs in a season. That was in 2004 with Mitch Einertson exploded on the scene with an Apply League record tying 24 HR. This year Telvin Nash hit 12 and Marcus Nidiffer hit 11 to move into second and 3rd respectively on the G-Stros list for homers in a season. Chris Wallace joined Josh Flores (2005) and Kody Hinze (2008) in a tie for 4th with 8 homers in a season. The fact that Wallace & Nidiffer did it in less than 50 games makes it even more impressive. Wallace has added two more long balls in Tri Cities and Nidiffer has added 3.
As a team, the 2010 G-Stros set a record with 53 round trippers. Their previous high was 45 in 2004 & 2005. They averaged a homer for every 10.5 hits and every 41.7 at bats. This high power didn’t translate to other extra base hits as reflected in league standings. However, the 111 doubles was the second highest in G-Stro history behind 09’s 118. The 23 triples is tied for third most in G-Stros history.
The G-Stros’ big swings may have lead to an increase in K’s. They fanned 589 times this year. That his the second most behind the 07 team's 593.
The Pitching
Young and inconsistent were the two words that came to my mind what I was trying to summarize the pitching this season. Twice, the G-Stros were one out away from no hit bids and 9 times they gave up more than 10 runs. As for the young part, Foltynewicz, Alaniz & Valasquez are all arms to watch as they mature. All had strong outings and all had rough outings. I expect this to be the core of the Lexington rotation next season.
On Deck
I will begin doing recaps that focus more on individual players soon and also catching up on what former G-Stros players are doing as well.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Game Report 8/14/10 @ Johnson City
The Astros are on a long road trip right now. Actually, it is more of a commute trip. They are in the middle of a 3 game series with Johnson City & then have a 3 game with Elizabethton. Both of these are within an hours drive of Greeneville so they travel back in forth on game day. They follow the 6 commute games with an off day and then a trip to Danville, which is one of the furtherest points from Greeneville in the the Appy.
Seeing I wouldn't have a chance to see DeShields play for a week after he arrived, I decided to travel to Johnson City last night and see him and the Astros. It was an odd game. This team has had a great deal of change in the last few days and they are still trying to get their feet under them.
On Deshields at bats:
1st at bat was a medium pop up down the third baseline in foul territory handled by the shortstop. Appeared alittle anxious in the box.
2nd at bat was a soft pop up to second base. DeShields stopped running about a 1/3 of the way down the line.
3rd at bat he was greeted by a curve for a strike, a called strike to on the edge and then a swinging strike three. This was the 3rd out in the inning. He was still slowly walking back to the 1st base dugout when the 3rd base coach reached the 1st base line. Some frustration appeared to be showing.
4th at bat he goes deeper in the count but strikes out swinging again.
5th at bat, he had two strikes on him and tried to fight off a pitch that was a bit high. He didn't get a good swing on it and flew out to left center.
Overall assessment: He is now 1 for 9 in the Appy. it doesn't appear that he is used to struggling. How he handles this will tell us a great deal about young Mr. DeShields. Not impressed with his body language after bad at bats.
DeShields in the field. He had several chances on the night. He took very good routes to balls. Johnson City has an odd shaped stadium. It has a berm in right field from the line to center field and right & left join in corner. Center is 430 feet away from the plate. This picture gives you some idea of the odd nature of the outfield there.
He handled routine liners and flies okay. No drama there. He made two nice plays on balls hit hard to the wall. One was over his head in the corner. He played the ball well, hit the cutoff man and had the catcher held on to in, would have had the gut at home. The second was a sharply hit ball to left center. He made a slightly looping approach to be able to field the ball and have the right angle to throw to second. He made a good throw and the tag was applied for an out.
One play I thought he tried to do too much. It was a fly ball where he and the left fielder converged. The left fielder called for it initially but DeShields called him off. He had to lunge for the ball and that momentum carried him toward left field. A runner was tagging from 3rd on the play and made it home easily as the throw was 15 feet up the 3rd base line. I thought it should have been the left fielders ball.
Late in the game, he made two gaffs. One was credited for an error and one was not. Both involved coming in to field balls that were rolling slowly and pulling the glove up too quickly and leaving the ball on the ground. The first came on a pick off play at 2nd that ended up in center. He missed the ball on the first time through but no harm as runners didn't advance. Later in the same inning, he came in on a ground ball, missed it and allowed runners to advance and was charged with an error.
Overall assessment of fielding. He showed some promise as a fielder. I can forgive errors of effort, as long as he is able to learn from them. I am not sure if the lapses late in the game were issues of focus or not but it will be something I watch later. I want to see him make routine plays well as well as the exceptional plays. Especially if they are planning to move him to 2nd base.
As you can tell, I am not gushing about what I saw. But in fairness to him, he is a 17 year old kid who has in the last week, signed a contract in Houston, travelled to Florida for a few games and then plopped in the Appy League with a pile of expectations. I know that comes with being a first round pick but let's give him a little time to get his feet under him before we judge too harshly.
Other observations:
Roberto Pena looked solid behind the plate. Quick release nailed a runner at second. Put the bat on the ball well most of the time.
Saw some nice productive outs from the bottom of the line up in the 4th. With a runner on second and no outs, King & Heradia both hit ground balls to the right side to move the runner around.
Jhonny Medrano had a rough night at 1st. The first error was on a ground ball to his right. He got there but took his eye off the ball and it hopped up his arm. The second as on a pop fly in the grass behind him. He got under it but muffed it. That put runners at 1st and 2nd with no one out. The next play resulted in his third error. A soft liner that he charged and caught but then tried to double the runner off second with a back handed throw. It was wild and resulted in runners advancing.
Seeing I wouldn't have a chance to see DeShields play for a week after he arrived, I decided to travel to Johnson City last night and see him and the Astros. It was an odd game. This team has had a great deal of change in the last few days and they are still trying to get their feet under them.
On Deshields at bats:
1st at bat was a medium pop up down the third baseline in foul territory handled by the shortstop. Appeared alittle anxious in the box.
2nd at bat was a soft pop up to second base. DeShields stopped running about a 1/3 of the way down the line.
3rd at bat he was greeted by a curve for a strike, a called strike to on the edge and then a swinging strike three. This was the 3rd out in the inning. He was still slowly walking back to the 1st base dugout when the 3rd base coach reached the 1st base line. Some frustration appeared to be showing.
4th at bat he goes deeper in the count but strikes out swinging again.
5th at bat, he had two strikes on him and tried to fight off a pitch that was a bit high. He didn't get a good swing on it and flew out to left center.
Overall assessment: He is now 1 for 9 in the Appy. it doesn't appear that he is used to struggling. How he handles this will tell us a great deal about young Mr. DeShields. Not impressed with his body language after bad at bats.
DeShields in the field. He had several chances on the night. He took very good routes to balls. Johnson City has an odd shaped stadium. It has a berm in right field from the line to center field and right & left join in corner. Center is 430 feet away from the plate. This picture gives you some idea of the odd nature of the outfield there.
He handled routine liners and flies okay. No drama there. He made two nice plays on balls hit hard to the wall. One was over his head in the corner. He played the ball well, hit the cutoff man and had the catcher held on to in, would have had the gut at home. The second was a sharply hit ball to left center. He made a slightly looping approach to be able to field the ball and have the right angle to throw to second. He made a good throw and the tag was applied for an out.
One play I thought he tried to do too much. It was a fly ball where he and the left fielder converged. The left fielder called for it initially but DeShields called him off. He had to lunge for the ball and that momentum carried him toward left field. A runner was tagging from 3rd on the play and made it home easily as the throw was 15 feet up the 3rd base line. I thought it should have been the left fielders ball.
Late in the game, he made two gaffs. One was credited for an error and one was not. Both involved coming in to field balls that were rolling slowly and pulling the glove up too quickly and leaving the ball on the ground. The first came on a pick off play at 2nd that ended up in center. He missed the ball on the first time through but no harm as runners didn't advance. Later in the same inning, he came in on a ground ball, missed it and allowed runners to advance and was charged with an error.
Overall assessment of fielding. He showed some promise as a fielder. I can forgive errors of effort, as long as he is able to learn from them. I am not sure if the lapses late in the game were issues of focus or not but it will be something I watch later. I want to see him make routine plays well as well as the exceptional plays. Especially if they are planning to move him to 2nd base.
As you can tell, I am not gushing about what I saw. But in fairness to him, he is a 17 year old kid who has in the last week, signed a contract in Houston, travelled to Florida for a few games and then plopped in the Appy League with a pile of expectations. I know that comes with being a first round pick but let's give him a little time to get his feet under him before we judge too harshly.
Other observations:
Roberto Pena looked solid behind the plate. Quick release nailed a runner at second. Put the bat on the ball well most of the time.
Saw some nice productive outs from the bottom of the line up in the 4th. With a runner on second and no outs, King & Heradia both hit ground balls to the right side to move the runner around.
Jhonny Medrano had a rough night at 1st. The first error was on a ground ball to his right. He got there but took his eye off the ball and it hopped up his arm. The second as on a pop fly in the grass behind him. He got under it but muffed it. That put runners at 1st and 2nd with no one out. The next play resulted in his third error. A soft liner that he charged and caught but then tried to double the runner off second with a back handed throw. It was wild and resulted in runners advancing.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Rafael Valenzuala's Off Season Plans
Based on what his local paper says about Valenzuela, it looks like he may have some plans to play some ball this winter.
With Marcus Nidiffer being called up to Tri Cities today, I expect Valenzuela will get more time at first.
Valenzuela’s former high school coach O.J. Favela said his former standout was also the second pick in the Mexican draft, so when the Astros’ season ends the youngster will likely report to the Obregon Yaquis, which is more like Triple A quality ball, according to Favela.
A player cannot sign with both an American and Mexican team, but it is not uncommon for American teams to pay expenses for one of their players to get some extra work in Mexico’s winter league.
With Marcus Nidiffer being called up to Tri Cities today, I expect Valenzuela will get more time at first.
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