Two Former G-Stros Homer For Different Teams In Same Game

In the Atlantic League match up between the Long Island Ducks and the Sugarland Skeeters. Two former G-Stros accounted for all of the runs scored. Both players were from the 2005 edition of the Greeneville Astros. Ralph Henriquez hit a solo home run in the seventh to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. But Koby Clemens powered a two run homer in the eighth to secure the victory for the Skeeters. Both Henriquez and Clemens were drafted by the Astros in 2005 and were sent to Greeneville to start their pro careers. This is the first full season in independent ball for both players.

Former G-Stros in Indy Ball

Indy ball is an option for players who aren't ready to hang up the spikes and occasionally you will hear of a player being signed from Indy ball back into affiliated ball.  This year, there are 11 former Greeneville Astros playing in four different Independent Leagues.  Here is the list:

American Association:
Mitch Einertson (2004) El Paso
Ryan Mitchell (2005,2006) Amarillo
Colton Pitkin (2007,2008) Winnipeg

In addition to these three, former G-Stro Beau Torbert (2004) works in the front office of the Sioux Falls team as the coordinator of baseball outreach.

Frontier League
Garrett Bullock (2009, 2010) Evansville
Marcus Nidiffer (2010) Travers City
Brad Propst (2011, 2012) River City
Bubby Williams (2009, 2010) Normal

Atlantic League
Ralph Henriquez (2005, 2006) Long Island
Koby Clemens (2005) Sugarland
Wlad Sutil (2004) South Maryland Blue Crabs

Can/Am League
Kyle Greenwalt (2007,2008) New Jersey
Bryce Lane (2010) Newark

When checking these rosters, I came across a few other Astros farm hands who are active in Indy ball.  They are: Neiko Johnson (Gateway - Frontier), Kirk Clark (Sioux Falls - American), Jon Gaston (Rockland - Can/Am).

Koby Clemens A Skeeter

Koby Clemens, who played for the Greeneville Astros in 2005, has signed to play indy ball with the Sugar Land Skeeters.  Clemens, who has played multiple positions over his minor league career, is reported to be catching for the Skeeters. 

Former G-Stros in AA - 2012

Here are the former G-Stros who are in AA. We will first list those still in the Astros organization and then look at those outside the organization.

Those on the Corpus Christi Roster:

Jose Cisnero (Gville 2009)
Arcenio Leon (Gville 2007,08)
Ross Seaton (Gville 2008)
Henry Villar (Gville 2008)
Chris Wallace (Gville 2010)
Kody Hinze (Gville 2008)
Brandon Barnes (Gville 2005, 06)

Those in other organizations:

Koby Clemens (Gville 2005) - New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
Ralph Henriquez (Gville 2005,06) - Jackson Generals (Mariners)
Vlad Sutil (Gville 2004) - Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks)
Tom Vessella (Gville 2006) - Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)

Koby Clemens Striving For AAA Roster for Toronto

LFPress.com had a feature on Koby Clemens' attempt to make the AAA roster for the Blue Jays this spring.  In the feature it is clear that Clemens still lives in the shadow of his father.  But he not only had to deal with questions about his dad, he also had to answer questions about Canadian baseball legend, Stubby Clapp.

“Man, he’s big in Memphis, he was the first Redbird player to have his number retired and they have a six-panel shot on the outfield fence of him doing his flip,” said Koby of the mural at AutoZone Park.

They also had a great quote from Kyle Drabek about the two Cy Young dads throwing BP back in Houston.

 “Roger would throw smoke and my dad was ‘pfft,’ ... nothing left,” Drabek said.

2005 Greeneville Astros Progress Report

A few weeks back, we looked at the 2004 team and who was still active. Today, let's look back at the 2005 edition of the G-Stros and see who is still around and how they fared in 2011.

There are seven players who are still in affiliated ball from the 35 players who appeared on the 2005 Greeneville Astros roster. That means 20% were still in affiliated ball in 2011.  Most of these aren't the names I would have listed after the 2005 season.  The Baseball America 2005 top 20 Appy League prospects had four members of the 2005 G-Stros on the list.  The only one still playing affliiated ball today is Koby Clemens (16).  Those who were on the list that aren't around any more are Josh Flores (8), Eli Iorg (14), and Ryan Mitchell (19). 

Koby Clemens - Clemens was the big name of the 2005 draft class.  Some said he was drafted as a favor to his father Roger Clemens but Koby quickly let it be known that he was a decent ball player in his own right.  This was the year the senior Clemens was only traveling with the Houston Astros when he was pitching.  Therefore there were several sightings of Roger Clemens at Pioneer Park and the local Wal Mart.  2005 was Clemens only season in Greeneville.  He moved up the ladder showing progress and working to find a position that worked for him.  He started at 3rd, moved to Catcher and LF before finally landing at 1st.  He found the thin air of the California league to his liking and had a break out year in 2009.   His average dropped almost .100 points in the move from the Cal League to the Texas League in 2010 but he still hit 26 HR on the season.  That warranted a move to AAA for 2011.  There he hit .234 with 16 home runs.

He will turn 25 in the off season.  He is still working on his versatility in the field which is more important with Brett Wallace ahead of him on the depth chart and Kody Hinze and Jonathon Singleton behind him at 1st base. 

Ralph Henriquez - Ralphie (as he was known then) was the Astros' 2nd round pick in  2005.  He spent the first of two years in Greeneville in 2005.  He was a fan favorite because of his willingness to spend time with kids.  After the 2007 season, he was traded for to the Mets for a minor league pitcher, Josh Appell.  After two seasons with the Mets organization, he signed as a free agent with the Mariners organization.  This appears to have been a good move for Henriquez as he got his first taste of AA ball in 2010.  In 2011, he spent time at three different levels, though he only spent one game at high A High Desert before going to the Jackson Generals of the Southern League.  In Jackson, Ralph hit just .196 and threw out 24% of base stealers in 39 games.  In late June, he moved up to AAA Tacoma of the PCL.  His found more success there. He hit a respectable .256 and threw out 30% of base stealers in 37 games.

Henriquez will turn 25 right at the start of the 2012 season.  He is showing improvement despite a slow start that saw him in short season ball for at least part of every season from 2005 to 2009. He is currently looking like a career organizational player but you never know.  Many folks thought he would be out of affiliated ball by now.

Since we are talking about Ralph, you can't mention his career with out the including the classic at bat in 2008 against Pat Venditte.  Switch hitter verses switch pitcher.

Brandon Barnes - Barnes was the 6th round pick in 2005. He like Henriquez spent two season in Greeneville.  Barnes took up baseball late and was primarily a football player in High School.  He was seen as someone with good athleticism and power but very raw.  He had a bit of a break out year in 2007 at Tri Cities where he was named the team MVP.  After spending 2008 in Lexington, he made three different stops in 2009.  He especially enjoyed Lancaster.  During the 2009 and 2010 season, he combined for 39 HR.  That is more than half of his career total of 77 round trippers.  After 2010, he spent some tie in the Arizona Fall League.  This year, he started in Corpus Christi (AA)  but was quickly moved to AAA Oklahoma City.  He didn't fare well there and was sent back to Corpus Christi in July. In Corpus Christiy, he played all three outfield positions and also played three games at second base.   He hit .286 with an OPS of .788 while on the Texas coast. At AAA Oklahoma City, he hit 197 with an OPS of .696.  He played almost exclusively in CF for the RedHawks.

Barnes will be 25 for another month when the season starts next year. I expect he will be in AAA to start the 2012 season.

Victor Garate  - Garate showed promise in Greeneville. He struck out 53 batters in 32 1/3 IP out of the pen but walked more batters (26) than he allowed on base via hits (21).  The questions could he learn control.  He made huge progress in 2006 in Tri Cities where his ERA dropped to 0.92.  Yet he struggled with walks again in Lexington and was sent back to Tri Cities to finish in 2007.  He was left off a AA or AAA roster in the offs eason and the Dodgers nabbed him in the minor league section of the rule 5 draft.He made solid progress for them and was traded to the Nationals in 2009 out of AA as a player to be named later in the Ronnie Belliard trade.  Washington brought him right to the big leagues and he made four appearances in the end of the 2009 season.  He didn't wow anyone with his performance and spent 2010 between AA and AAA in the Washington organization.  In 2011, he signed with the Marlins and had an impressive campaign with the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA).  He appeared in 43 games (56 1/3 IP) and had a 2.72 ERA.  During the year, he struck out 59 batters, walked 34 and allowed 44 hits and five home runs.

I was a bit surprised he didn't get a September call up based on the numbers he put up.  He will be 27 when the season begins and if he continues to do the quality of work he did last season, he should be getting another shot a the majors.

Sammy Gervacio - Gervacio or "Slingin' Sammy" as I like to call him, was the closer for the 2005 G-Stros.  He collected eight saves that season.  He spent 2006 in Lexington before climbing two levels a year in 2007 and 2008.  He ended 2009 with a late season call up to Houston.  He took advantage of his opprotunity and had a solid 2.14 ERA over 29 games (21 IP).  He started 2010 in the Astros bullpen but rotator cuff surgery ended his 2010 season and cut into his 2011 season.  This year he started his climb back to the majors in Corpus Christi in May.  In 8 games there (13 IP) he put up a 1.38 ERA and was promoted to AAA to finish the year.  In Oklahoma City, he appeared in 28 games with a 4.01 ERA. 

Gervacio will be 27 when the season starts next year.  Shoulder injuries often drop velocity and make pitchers have to learn to pitch differently.  Gervacio is playing winter ball for Licey in the Dominican. How he does there might impact where he starts 2012.

Brad James  - Yes was still on a roster this year.  Brad James spent two summers in Greeneville.  He then rode his sinking fast ball on a fast track to AA in 2007.  He spent 2008 and 2009 there.  He missed all of 2010 with a shoulder injury and made a brief comeback this season.  He was shut down in July.  At 27, James time is running out.  I would be surprised if he is on a roster next spring. 

Polin Trinidad - Trinidad spent both 05 and 06 in Greeneville as well.  He think climbed the Astros ladder and was at AAA in 2010 when he was released.  The Cubs picked him up  in the off season but released him in early 2011.  He was picked up by the A's and finished the year at AA Midland where he amassed a 6.91 ERA in 18 games/9 starts.  Trinidad will be 27 when next season begins.  Being a lefty, he might make it on someones roster.  He is playing winter ball in the Dominican for Estrellas de Oriente.

April AppyAstros Alumni of the Month

Each month, I will post the Greeneville Astros Alumni who have had the best month at each level, plus one for the alumni who are outside of the Astros system. Let's begin looking back at April:

Lexington

Alumni Hitter of the Month: How can you not give this to Chris Wallace? All the 2010 G-Stro has done is hit .398 with 7 home runs and 24 RBI in the first month of the season. He is one of the leaders in several categories in the Sally League. He is the leader in Slugging %, OPS, total bases, RBI, and is tied for the lead in HR. In fact, his slugging % of .795 is the 2nd highest in all of Minor League Baseball. If he keeps this up in May, he might make a level jump like J. D. Martinez did last year.

Honorable mention to Telvin Nash.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: This goes to a bullpen guy for April. Gabriel Garcia (2009 & 2010) has gotten off to a hot start in 2011. He appeared in 5 games in relief and has fanned 19 batters in 14 1/3 IP. He has only allowed 11 base runners (9 hits/2 BB) and opponents are hitting just .173 against him.

Honorable mention to bullpen mate Brian Streilein.

Lancaster:

Alumni Hitter of the Month: This one is as easy as Lexington. Jose Altuve (2008 & 2009) has returned to the Cal League on fire. He closes out April with his 40 hits leading all classifications of Minor League Baseball. His .435 average is 5th best in all classifications as well. Altuve is getting alot of attention because of these numbers and the fact that he isn't as tall as most players. He has also been solid with the glove, sporting a .990 fielding percentage only making one error so far in 22 games at 2nd base.

Honorable mention to Kody Hinze who has hit 8 homers in April which ties him for 4th in all of MILB.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: Jose Cisnero (2009) has fanned 29 batters in just 17 1/3 IP. He has been inconsistent with his 5 starts. Three times he has made it to the 5th inning and twice he has not made it out of the second. Still when you are missing as many bats as Cisnero is, it tells me something is going right. It might just still be a work in progress.

Honorable Mention to Zachary Grimmett.

Corpus Christi

Alumni Hitter of the Month:Wlad Sutil (2004) is starting his 4th season at CC. He appears to be trying to show he doesn't belong there anymore. He hit .418 for the month with a very solid .480 on base percentage and a surprising .537 slugging percentage. He missed the last week of the season with an injury. We will have to see how he responds when he makes his come back.

Honorable mention to J. D. Martinez.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: CC pitchers who are G-stro alumni have a 1/4 chance of getting pitcher of the month because there are only 4 former G-stros pitchers at the AA level. While several have qualities that could earn them pitcher of the month, April is going to Arcenio Leon. Leon has yet to allow an earned run in 11 IP in 7 relief appearances. However, he could also be named most likely to get burned because he is playing with fire. He has given up just 8 hits but has surrendered 9 free passes.

Honorable mention to Pat Urckfitz.

Oklahoma City

Alumni Hitter of the Month: Like the pitchers in CC, there aren't too many batters to choose from at the AAA level. In fact, before Brandon Barnes was promoted last week, Koby Clemens was the only non pitcher who was a G-Stros alumni. It is a good thing he produced a hitter of the month worthy month, otherwise this space would have been filled with awkward silence as we all looked at our shoes. However, Koby Clemens (2005) had a good month of April, hitting .295 with 5 HR.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: Jordan Lyles (2008) finished strong to show why he is the top prospect in the Astros organization. He finished the month with a 3.67 ERA and is currently riding a 13 inning scoreless streak.

Honorable mention to Douglas Arguello who got a late start but has had two solid starts to begin the season.

Other Organizations:
Not all G-Stros are still in the Astros org. So lets look at the best of those outside the system.

Alumni Hitter of the Month: Jordan Parraz (2004) finished April hitting .304 for the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Berra Yankees, where his 3 triples lead the team.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: Victor Garate (2005) has appeared in 8 games out of the New Orleans (Marlins AAA) bullpen. So far he has only surrendered one run in 13 IP. He has fanned 14.

Honorable mention to Troy Patton.

Major League Baseball:

Alumni Hitter of the Month: J. R. Towles is the only G-Stros alumni in the pros and it is a good thing he is having a hitter of the month worthy month. J. R. is hitting .365 in 10 games while sharing time at catcher for the Astros.

Alumni Pitcher of the Month: Of the three former Greeneville Astros in the big leagues, none of them had a month worthy of the pitcher of the month (insert cricket sound effects here).

Koby Is 2 Timer & Altuve Is Being Watched

Last night in Round Rock, the former AAA affiliate of the Astros; the current affiliate, Oklahoma City, put up 9 runs in the 2nd inning. Koby Clemens contributed 4 RBIs on two home runs during the inning. Former G-Stro Doug Arguello got the win for Oklahoma City.

Clemens is hitting .317 on the season with 3 HR and 17 RBI.

Jose Altuve's hot start in Lancaster is getting some notice. John Sickles over at minorleagueball.com had this to say about Jose this morning:

Astros second base prospect Jose Altuve is one of the more unique players in baseball. He's just 5-5, 150 pounds. He's a good athlete and strong for his size, but scouts are understandably cautious about him, despite a strong track record of hitting (including .308/.364/.445 last year in Low-A). He's at High-A Lancaster this year, hitting a stunning .451/.506/.662 in 18 games, with a 9/8 BB/K in 81 PA and 11 steals in 13 attempts. Now, Lancaster is a great place to hit, and indeed he's at .528/.571/.750 in 10 contests there this year, but he's also hitting .371/.436/.571 on the road. He's a good second baseman, is just 21 years old, and should reach Double-A later this year. We'll track him closely.

Cap tip to @StreetJL for the link

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

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

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

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

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

Projected Placement

Oklahoma (AAA)
Clemens

Lancaster (HiA)
Hinze

Lexington (LoA)
Nidiffer

Another Top 10, Scouting Jordan Lyles, Going to Camp, & More

A great deal has been going on with former Greeneville Astros over the past week or so. I have not been able to keep up with getting it up here. Let's do some catching up.

The Hardball Times Top 10

Top 10 list continue to come out. The most recent one is from the folks at The Hardball Times. With six former G-Stros, their top 10 contains the most former G-Stros of any list so far. Here is their list:

1. Jordan Lyles ('08)
2. Jio Mier ('09)
3. Delino Deshields ('10)
4. Mike Foltynewicz ('10)
5. Tanner Bushue
6. Jonathon Villar
7. Jimmy Parades
8. Austin Wates
9. J. D. Martinez ('09)
10. Jay Austin ('08)

Don't forget the combined top 10 list spreed sheet I have compiled here.

What folks are saying about Jordan Lyles

Jordan Lyles is the clear #1 prospect in the Astros organization. He is regularly seen as one of the top 50 prospects in all of Minor League Baseball. One list even had him as high as #3. AstroAndy over at The Crawfish Boxes, has compiled a compilation of all the scouting reports on Jordan Lyles. So if you have any questions about what he throws, that is a great one stop place to check.

Spring Training Invites

While getting the call up to the big leagues is the ultimate call up, getting to go to big league spring training is an honor as well. This year, several former Greeneville Astros will be in big league camp in Kissimmee in a few weeks. Last week, 10 minor leaguers were invited to spend camp with the big boys. Six of those minor league players are former G-Stros. They are:

Koby Clemens (05)
Rene Garcia (08)
Jordan Lyles (08)
Jio Mier (09)
J. D. Martinez (09)
Patrick Urckfitz (08)

The only one that was a total surprise was Jio Mier since he is possibly going to repeat low A ball in Lexington this year. It was explained that his inclusion was due to a contractual agreement.

The rational behind these young guys going to big league camp was explained by Astros General Manager Ed Wade:

“It gives these kids the chance to come in and see what the atmosphere is like on the big league side,” Wade said. “And it gives Millsie and the coaches the chance to see some of the guys we talk about a lot.

“And frankly, it allows us to show that we’re making progress in player development.”

These six will be joining former G-Stros Douglas Arguello (04) & Sammy Gervacio (05) who had already received invites after signing new minor league contracts. Those who will be there as a part of the Astros 40 man roster include:

Fernando Abad (07)
Jorge De Leon (08)
Arcenio Leon (07-08)
Henry Villar (08)
J.R. Towles (04)

That makes 13 of the 62 players on the spring roster are former G-Stros.

Last Link - Jermaine Cotton is keeping fit playing winter ball in his native St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The paper thinks he played last year in South Carolina and not Tennessee. I would be willing to go set them straight on the geography, if someone would finance a trip for me to the Virgin Islands. Tough job but someone needs to do it. Jermaine did capture the small town feel of Greeneville well.

"Basically, there's not a whole lot else to do in Greeneville," Cotton said this week. "It's sleep, eat and baseball."

USA Today Likes Four Former Greeneville Astros

USA Today is out with their organization report for the Astros. It is not too bad other than the editor goof of the heading "where the Royals stand at each position". When they list the five prospects to watch, four of them played in Greeneville in the last three years. Just another indication of the recent depth added to the farm system by Ed Wade & company.

Here is what they say about the former G-Stros:

•RHP Lyles: Lyles, who stands 6-4, was 7-9 with a 3.12 ERA and a better than 3-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Class AA Corpus Christi (Texas) last season. He had six starts at Class AAA (0-3, 5.40 ERA), and Wade says he'll have a chance to win the fifth-starter's job in spring training.

•2B-OF Delino DeShields Jr.: Taken out of high school with the eighth overall pick in June's draft, DeShields has the speed you'd expect from the son of someone who stole 463 bases in the majors. DeShields, 18, has a bit more power than his father did. The Astros are converting him from outfielder to second baseman.

•OF J.D. Martinez: The Astros' minor league player of the year in 2010, Martinez hit a combined .341 with 18 homers and 89 RBI in low-A and AA, mostly as a 22-year-old.

"He has a chance to be a real solid big-leaguer for a long time," Wade says.

•RHP Mike Foltynewicz: The Illinois high school star was the Astros' first-round compensation pick in June (19th overall) for losing reliever Jose Valverde to the Detroit Tigers as a free agent.

Foltynewicz, 19, can touch 96 mph with his fastball and also has a good changeup. He started 12 games for an Astros rookie-level team and went 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA, but he has the mechanics and the arm to move quickly through the system.

Meanwhile, Koby Clemens gets Boston love.

Koby Clemens, 1B, Astros farm system — Nobody took him in the Rule 5 draft, but that wasn’t surprising. The 24-year-old Clemens hit 26 homers and knocked in 85 runs while hitting .241 at Double A, but he struck out 143 times in 452 at-bats. Astros manager Brad Mills raved about him, though. “I saw him hit a home run through this incredibly stiff wind during an intrasquad game at spring training last year,’’ Mills said. “He’s got power.’’ Clemens played first base last season for the first time after being used as catcher/third baseman. The Astros still believe he can be a Brandon Inge type of player and he will get to play at Triple A in 2011.

Power is not what comes to mind when I think about Brandon Inge. It's the baggy jersey.

Former G-Stros in AFL Championship Game

Saturday's Arizona Fall League Championship will be determined on Saturday. The game will be carried live on MLB.com/Live starting at 3:08 Eastern Time. Former Greeneville Astros Koby Clements and Brandon Barnes could be in the starting line up. Former G-Stro Patrick Urckfitz might make an appearance out of the pen. The final game of the season yesterday featured the two teams who will face each other in the Championship Game. The Peoria Javelinas beat the Scottsdale Scorpions 1-0 with the lone run coming in unearned. Clemens & Barnes both went 0 for 2.

Here is a quick breakdown of how the former G-Stros have done in the AFL:

Brandon Barnes - a late addition to the roster, he saw his playing time increase because of injuries. He finished the regular season hitting .250 with with 8 of his 20 hits being for extra bases in 20 games. He didn't make a single error in the field playing mostly center.

Koby Clemens - In 20 games, he hit .288 with 9 of his 20 hits being extra base hits. He made 4 errors in the field at first base.

Jay Austin - Jay had his season cut short due to a hamstring injury. In 12 games, he hit .156with no extra base hits. His on base percentage was over 100 points higher than his batting average due to taking seven walks. This was a point of emphasis for him to improve his game this fall. He was one of the youngest players in the league. He made two errors in the field.

Patrick Urckfitz - One of the solid performers out of the Javelinas' bullpen this season. In 9 games, he pitched 11 2/3 innings. He struck out 8 and walked only 4. His ERA was 3.86. In 6 of his 9 outings, he didn't allow a hit or a run. He also pitched one no hit , no run inning in the AFL Rising Stars game.

Kyle Greenwalt - Kyle had a rough first outing, giving up 2 runs in 2 IP but really settled down after that, giving up just 2 more earned runs in his next 4 starts combined (13 1/3 IP). He fanned 10 and walked 3 over 15 1/3 IP. He hasn't pitched since 11/9 so his season is over.

I expect that all of these guys will be on the AA roster this spring with the exception of Koby Clemens who is likely slated for AAA. Some of them might get some action in spring training with the big club. It appears that all of them have something positive they can carry away from this experience and build off of next year.

Brandon Barnes Flirts With Cycle in AFL

Yesterday, Brandon Barnes fell a double short of the cycle in Arizona Fall League action. Here is the breakdown of his at bats as taken from Gameday:

Top 1st: Popped out to second to end the inning on the second pitch of the at bat (0-1 count)

Top 4th: With a runner on first, he homered to left on the second pitch of the at bat (1-0 county).

Top 5th: With the bases loaded, he triples on a fly ball to left on the 4th pitch of the at bat (2-1 count).

Top 6th: With a men on 1st & 2nd, he singles to left on the 3rd pitch of the at bat (1-1 count), scoring the man on second. Barnes goes to 3rd on the throw & runner on first scores on a throwing error by the SS.

Top 8th: Grounds out softly to first to end the inning on the 3rd pitch of the at bat (2-0 count).

Barnes line for the day was 3 for 5, 6 RBI and 2 runs scored. For this week, he is 6 for 16 (.375) with 3 extra base hits (Dbl, Trp, HR), 6 RBI, 4 Runs, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 SB. His average for the season is now.314 in 9 total games.

Barnes hit for the cycle in Lancaster on June 10th. How did coming up to bat in the 8th with a chance to go for two cycles in one year impact him? Danny Wild of MLB.com got the answer:

"It's something you can't not think about," Barnes said. "But you try to think about it as least as possible. So, yeah, it was definitely on my mind."

I have heard of negative thinking at the plate but double negative thinking? Wow.

A quick look at other former G'Stros in the AFL:

Jay Austin had a better week going 3 for 11 raising his average to .150 from .100 to start the week.

Koby Clemens went 4 for 13 and hit his 2nd home of the season. But he struck out 5 times including 3 in Thursdays game.

Pat Urckfitz pitched in two games, throwing two no hit innings. He walked one and fanned two. He has not allowed a run or a hit in 4 of his 5 outings.

Kyle Greenwalt had his best start of the AFL on Wednesday, throwing 4 innings of shutout baseball. He allowed 3 hits but didn't walk a batter while striking out 3. He has only walked 1 batter in 10 innings pitched.

Jose Altuve sighting!

Jose is playing in the VWL Liga Paralela (developmental league) for Magallanes. He has played in 4 games thus far and is hitting a robust .417 (8 for 17) with 2 HR, 3 DBL, 4 RBI & 6 Runs Scored. He has 17 total bases in 17 AB.

Winter Ball Update

The first week of the Winter/Fall Seasons are wrapped up for the stateside AFL & the Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP). Here is an update on how some former Greeneville Astros are doing:

LVBP:

Frederico Hernandez has played in two games, hitting .286 with a double and two RBI.

Gabriel Garcia has pitched in two games and has yet to give up an earned run in two innings pitched.

Wlad Sutil has appeared in one game but has not gotten a hit yet.

Antonio Noguera has appeared in three games, giving up two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

AFL:

Brandon Barnes played in one game and went 1 for 4 (.250)

Koby Clemens has played in four games. He has four hits, four strike outs and four RBI.

Jay Austin has played in four games. He is batting just .154 with two RBI. The good news is he has more BB than K (3/2). The bad news is he has been caught stealing three out of four times.

Kyle Greenwalt made his first start and went two innings giving up two runs.

Patrick Urckfitz has appeared in two games. He has given up two runs in three innings

2005 Greeneville Astros - Who is still around?

Last week, we looked at the 2004 Greeneville Astros and what has happened to their baseball careers. Today, we will pull up the roster from the 2005 season.

The 2005 season was a season of hope. A bunch of high draft picks were sent to Greeneville: Eli Iorg (1st round Supplemental), Ralphie Henriquez (2nd round), Josh Flores (4th round), Brandon Barnes (6th round), Timmy Johnson (7th round), Koby Clemens (8th round) and Allen Langdon (10th round). Iorg was the son & nephew of major league players and had played college ball at nearby Tennessee. Koby's dad spent a great deal of time at the park and kept the buzz going all year long. One night, you had Eli's dad, Koby's dad & Frank Viola, whose son was on the Bristol White Sox, all in the park on one night.

Add to those guys two pitchers who made some noise, Ryan Mitchell who made the BA top 20 that season and Matt Hirsh whose older brother was a top prospect in the system at the time. It was an exciting year. Let's see what has happened in the five years since then. Was the buzz warranted?

First of all there were 35 players on the roster in 2005. Four of those players were repeats from 2004. Those repeaters were Brad James, Antonio Garcia, David Katy, & Ryan Reed. Of the 35 players who were on the roster at some point in 2005, eight of them are still current. That comes to 23% still active in affiliated ball. That is a lower percentage of players in affiliated ball than the 2004 team (28%) and the 2004 team has played one more year of ball.

Here is a list of the eight players and the level & system with which they finished 2010. Those in bold have seen MLB time.

Brandon Barnes - AAA (Hou)
Koby Clemens - AA (Hou)
Jhon Florintino - AA (Hou)
Ralphie Henriquez - High A (Seattle)
Victor Garate - AAA (Wash)
Sammy Gervacio - AAA (Hou)
Brad James - AA(DL) (Hou)
Polin Trinadad - AA (Hou)

Here are some nuggets on the rest of the guys. Eighteen of the 35 (52%) never made it higher than Lexington (Low A ball). By comparison the 2004 squad had 17 out of 36 (47%) whose careers stalled at Low A.

As you can see above, two guys made it for a cup of coffee in the big leagues, compared to five from 2004. Four others made it as far as AAA (Iorg, Trinidad, Barnes, & Henriquez)as the high point in their career, which is the same number as 2004.

For a class that started out full of hope, there has been some significant disappointments. Significant injuries played a part in some of them (Iorg, Flores & Jose Lopez) not making it further up the ladder. There have also been rumblings of personality issues that lead to some of the lack of success.But you can't take all the blame away from those who scouted and drafted the players. As we look back at this next year, I expect the 2005 class of Greeneville Astros will have fallen even further behind the 2004 class.

What's He Up To: Koby Clemens

Koby started his pro career back in 2005 with Greeneville. At that time, he was a 3rd baseman. Since that time, he has tried his hand at catcher & left field. This year, he was moved to 1st base while playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League (AA). He has done serviceable at 1st with 8 errors so far this year. The main reason for the movement is that they want to find a way to keep his bat in the line up.

As of 8/11/10, Koby is tied for 6th in runs scored. He has crossed the plate 61 times this year. 22 of those times were courtesy of home runs he hit. He is tied for the lead in the league in home runs (22) as well as in walks taken (58). He is in 5th place in total bases (181), slugging % (.508) and RBI (70). His .878 OPS is the 6th best in the league. On the not so good side, he is striking out about 1 time out of every 3 at bats. He has struck out 120 times, which is the second most strike outs in the league.

Koby won’t turn 24 until December. He is still slightly below the average age of the Texas League, which makes his numbers even more impressive.