Welcome to Appy Astros, a blog dedicated to following current & former Greeneville Astros, the Appalachian League affiliate of the Houston Astros. Here you will find reports on current G-Stros, updates on the development of former G-Stros and occasionally an update on what has happened to the guys who have hung up their spikes.
Showing posts with label Michael Feliz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Feliz. Show all posts

Monday, September 2, 2013

Appy Astros Alumni of the Month: August 2013

Well another summer is drawing to a close.  Playoff baseball has returned to Greeneville and many of the Astros affiliates are preparing for their playoffs to start.  Let's look at the former G-Stros in affiliated ball and see who stood out in August.

Tri City ValleyCats:

Pitcher of the Month
Gonzalo Sanudo appeared in seven games in August and got six saves.  He struck out 17 batters in 11 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed just three hits and one walk. 

Honorable Mention goes to Michael Feliz is having a break out season in Tri-City.  In August, he pitched in five games (four starts) and had an ERA of 1.75.  He struck out 26 batters in 25 2/3 innings pitched.

Tyler Brunnemann also gets a nod.  He appeared in seven games after his call up from Greeneville.  In those appearances, he struck out 10 batters in 8 1/3 innings and allowed just one earned run.

Hitter of the Month
Tyler White hit .265 in August and had more walks (9) than strike outs (7).   

Quad Cities River Bandits

 Pitcher of the Month
Three relievers will share the award for this month.

Andrew Walter appeared in five games (10 1/3 IP) and had a perfect 0.00 ERA. He fanned 10 batters.  

Mitchell Lambson appeared in eight games (18 1/3 IP) and only allowed one run for a 0.49 ERA with 25 strike outs.  He allowed just nine hits and four walks for the month.

Jamaine Cotton appeared in eight games (21 IP) and had an impressive 0.86 ERA with two saves.  He only struck out 12 but he only allowed 13 hits.

Hitter of the Month
Carlos Correa hit .336 for August with a .430 on base percentage and 13 extra base hits.

Honorable Mention goes to Rio Ruiz who hit .298 for the month and had 17 extra base hits.

Lancaster JetHawks 

Pitcher of the Month
Michael Dimock appeared in eight games (14 2/3 IP) and only allowed two earned runs (1.23 ERA).  He struck out 14 batters while only allowing three walks.

Hitter of the Month
Delino DeShields hit .365 in 23 games this month with an impressive on base percentage of .455.  He also stole 11 bases in 13 attempts.

Corpus Christi Hooks

Pitcher of the Month
Carlos Quevedo had a great month out of the CC bullpen.  He didn't allow a run in 8 appearances (16 IP). He allowed just five walks and five hits while striking out 18 batters.  

Honorable Mention goes to Michael Foltynewicz who maintained a respectable 3.63 ERA in August.  It appears he is beginning to tire some as his strike out numbers reduce (just 13 in 22 1/3 IP) but he is still pitching well.

Luis Cruz has shown he belongs in AA.  In his four appearances since arriving in CC, he has a 0.53 ERA in 17 innings pitched.  He has struck out 21 batters during that time. 

Hitter of the Month
Luis Alvarez gets the nod this month not because of his average in Corpus Christ (.235 for August in six games) but because in a span of about a month and a half, he moved up from SS-A ball to A to Hi-A to AA.  That is a rare four level season and deserves notice.

Oklahoma City RedHawks

Pitcher of the Month
Pat Urckfitz appeared in nine games for the RedHawks bullpen in August.  He allowed a 2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.

Hitter of the Month
Rene Garcia continues to represent himself well with the bat.  He hit .258 in 17 games after his promotion from CC.  He also had thrown out four out of nine base runners so far.

Non Astros Affiliates

Pitcher of the Month
Arcenio Leon pitched in 11 games for Huntsville (AA-Brewers) in August.  He allowed just two runs in 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for a 1.32 ERA. 

Hitter of the Month
Jordan Parraz hit .319 for New Britan (AA- Twins).

MLB
It wasn't a stellar month for former G-Stros in the big league. So we are going to leave these honors vacant for the month. 

Friday, August 2, 2013

Appy Astros Alumni Of The Month - July 2013

The short season is in full swing and both Greeneville and Tri Cities lead their divisions. The rest of the farm isn't doing to shabbily either with both Corpus Christi and Lancaster leading their divisions in the second half of the season.

Here is your monthly look at how former Greeneville Astros are doing in the Major Leagues, the Astros' farm system and in other minor league affiliates.

Tri-City ValleyCats (short season A ball)

Hitter
Chan Moon was bumped back down to short season ball after spending most of last season in Low A and even getting a taste of High A.  The fact that he is in Tri Cities shows you the depth at SS in the organization.  In July, he hit .299/.365/.358 with seven stolen bases.  

Pitcher
Michael Feliz has been dominate in the NY/Penn League.  In 20 1/3 innings in July, he fanned 23 batters and offered free passes to just three.  His season ERA is 1.49 with 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings pitched.  

Quad Cities River Bandits (Low A)

Hitter
Carlos Correa hit .295/.378/.474 for the month of July.  He added two HR and eight doubles.  His season average of .314 shows he is ready for the next challenge.

Honorable mention to Rio Ruiz.  He hit .279 for July with 10 extra base hits (six doubles, one triple and three HR).  He has rebounded from a rough start to raise his season average to .251.

Pitcher
Vincent Velasquez made four starts in July and finished with an impressive 2.35 ERA.  He fanned 21 batters in 23 innings pitched while maintaining a WHIP of 0.783.

Sharing the honor this month is Jordan Jankowski who made two starts and four relief appearances for a combined 19 1/3 innings pitched.  During July, his ERA was 1.86 and he allowed just 13 hits and one walk for a 0.656 WHIP.

Lancaster JetHawks

Hitter
Delino DeShields was hot for July hitting .349/..407/.500 with 19 stolen bases.  He took 10 walks and only struck out 16 times in 106 at bats.

Pitcher
Mike Hauschild has only spent a part of the month in Lancaster be he has been solid in his first three outings.  In 14 innings pitched (two starts and one relief appearance) he struck out 12 batters and only issued two walks.  His Lancaster ERA was 3.86.

Corpus Christi Hooks

Hitter
Rene Garcia gets the nod before he heads off to AAA.  For July, he hit .327/.358/.423.  During his time in Corpus Christi he has thrown out 51% of would be base stealers. 

Jonathan Meyer gets honorable mention for his solid month. He hit .315/.411/.446.  After hitting .165 in April, his season average is up to .274.

Pitcher
Who else but David Martinez.   In 5 starts for July (36 1/3 IP) he had a 1.98 ERA with two complete games.

Ruben Alaniz gets honorable mention for his solid month.  In four starts, he posted a 2.59 ERA in 24 1/3 innings.

Oklahoma City RedHawks

Hitter
Ruben Sosa earns this spot despite being the only position player on the roster who played in Greeneville.  He appeared in 19 games in July and hit an impressive .368 with three triples.

Pitcher
Jorge De Leon gets the nod by virtue of three strong relief appearances after his call up from Corpus Christi.  He has not allowed a run in the four innings he has thrown so far.

Outside The Astros Org.

Hitter
Albert Cartwright had a very solid month for Reading (Phillies AA).  He hit .306/.328 /.417 bringing his season average up to .268.

Pitcher
Victor Garate made five starts for Saltillo of the Mexican League (AAA).  His ERA for July was 1.74.  He fanned 33 batters in his 31 innings of work.

MLB

Hitter
J.D. Martinez gets the honor by hitting .288 in 17 games this month.  Honorable mention goes to Brandon Barnes for hitting for the cycle this month.

Pitcher
Fernando Abad continues his solid work this season.  In July, he amassed a 1.86 ERA in 10 games (9 2/3 IP) out of the Nationals bullpen.  Home runs have always been Abad's Achilles heel, but this year, through 24 1/3 innings, he has not surrendered a long ball.  

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Season Recap - Starting Pitchers

Let's start our look at the 2012 Greeneville Astros by looking at the starting pitchers.  Twelve different pitchers started a game for the G-Stros.  We will take a look at the six who made the most starts.

We will look at them using my Appy Astros Adjusted Scoring System (3A2S).  This system takes the best outing game score and the worst outing game score and discards them.  The resulting starts will give us a truer picture of the real performance of the starters. For more information on the game score read this.

Francis Ramirez made 13 starts on the season.  His highest game score was a 70 on 7/1/12 and his worst game score was a 28 on 8/2/12.  His average game score across all starts was a 50.62.

His season ERA was a 4.05 and his WHIP was 1.46.
His 3A2S ERA was 4.53 and his WHIP was 1.43.

So his ERA goes up a half point but his WHIP stays basically the same.

The 20 year old showed flashes of promise with a great July but faded in August.  I look for him to be in short season ball again next season, likely in Tri Cities.

Daniel Minor was one of three pitchers who made 11 starts on the season.  His highest game score was an impressive 85 on 8/10/12. He lowest game score was a 21 on 7/30/12.  His average game score was 55.36 over his 11 starts.

His season ERA was 2.75 and his WHIP was 1.03.
His 3A2S ERA was 2.29 and his WHIP was 1.00.

His ERA drops by almost a half point when adjusted and his WHIP is maintained.

The 21 year old out of Texas A&M Corpus Christi made strong impression in 2012.  What is more impressive is that he had already pitched 110 1/3 innings in college before the draft.  He added 59 more innings for Greeneville and finished strong with a 0.35 ERA over his last four starts. He showed he is ready for the next step up the ladder.  I fully expect to see Minor in Lexington next season and would not be surprised if he made the jump to Lancaster. 

Adrian Houser also made 11 starts.  His high game score was 73 on 7/6/12 and his low was a dismal 4 on 8/6/12.  His average game score for the season was 49. 36.

His season ERA was 4.19 and his WHIP was 1.31
His 3A2S ERA was 3.86 and his WHIP was 1.35

His ERA drops .33 points and his WHIP is basically unchanged.

The 19 year old Houser experienced a pretty consistent season.  He had two great starts (games scores of 73 & 74) and two horrible starts (game scores of 4 & 11). The other seven scores ranged from 46 to 58.  With four of them being a score of 56.  What that tells me is that he was challenged at this level and that he responded fairly well.  I don't expect him to return to Greeneville again.  I expect him to be challenged in Lexington next year. It will be a very good test for him.

Fredrick Tiburcio was the third pitcher to make 11 starts. His first appearance of the year was out of the pen but he was a starter after that.  His highest game score was 74 on 7/14/12.  His lowest game score was on 7/2/12 and was a 31.  His average game score was a 51 but six of his starts scored below a 50. 

His season ERA as a starter was 4.08 and his WHIP was 1.29
His 3A2S ERA was 4.18 and his WHIP a 1.23.

The change in dropping the best and worst starts made only a negligible change. that would seem to indicate that his numbers are pretty accurate. 

The 21 year old Tiburcio showed brief flashes of quality stuff with two starts scoring a game score over 70 and claimed the two seven inning complete games this year.  But he was either on or off.  I don't know what to expect from Tiburcio next year,  If forced to project, I think he will start the year in extended spring training again. 

Michael Feliz made six starts after his promotion from the GCL Astros.  Feliz' worst game score came in his Appy League debut on 7/29/12.  His best outing was his last one of the season when he put up a game score of 66 on 8/28/12.  His average game score over his six starts was 46.16.

Six outings is really too small of a sample to evaluate. Feliz will turn 19  and has been invited to instructional league starting up next week.  How he does there will probably impact his placement next year.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in Greeneville in 2013.

Lance McCullers Jr. made four late season starts after his promotion from the GCL.  His game scores ranged from a low of 39 in his final start to a high of 60 in his first start.  His average game score was 47.75.  McCullars struggled some in moving up to the Appy League.  Not too much can be made from this sample size as well.  The last two starts were tainted by errors that lead to unearned runs.  It also caused him to have to use more pitches which limited his outings.  The one thing I will be watching in the future from McCullers is how he does with runners on base.  He didn't appear very comfortable with runners on base at times this year. 

McCullers appears to have a very strong work ethic and will take the feedback from the staff in Greeneville and what he hears in instructional league and will work on those things in the off season.  I expect he will break spring training in Lexington next season.

So there you have my feedback on the primarily starters in Greeneville.  I hope this gives you some food for thought as you look forward to next spring. 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Eyewitness Report 8/28/12: Gville 5 - Bluefield 2

The season finale always has some excitement tied to it.  Sometimes it is the excitement of the players as they prepare to head back home to loved ones.  There was some of that in the air last night.  But there was also a felling of pride in a job well done and a season that was enjoyed by the fans.  It was nice to see a competitive team that won more than it lost.  This team is just the third team in Greeneville Astros history to finish above .500 and they finished with the second best record in franchise history.  Greeneville fans also claimed the attendance title for the 8th consecutive year.

Awards
The evening began with the two team awards being handed out.  Jose Monzon was named the recipient of the Oscar Pedron Award for leadership and character.  Previous reciepients of the award include: 2005 - P Brad James,  2006 - P Polin Trinidad, 2007 - C/1B Kyle Miller, 2008 - C Pedro Gonzalez, 2009 - CF Grant Hogue, 2010 - 1B Marcus Nidiffer,  and 2011 - C Cristian Moronta.

Brian Blasik was named the team MVP.  He lead the team in hits, triples, RBIs, and finished with an impressive .318 average.  In the field, he only made four errors in 48 games at second base.  He also showed his versatility playing five games at third and one game in left. Instead of a trophy, Blasik received a framed road jersey.  A nice touch by the front office.

On to the game observations:

On The Mound
Michael Feliz was dealing.  He allowed just three hits in five innings of work.  He didn't walk anyone.  He was efficient, using just 61 pitches in five innings. I was really surprised when he didn't return for the sixth.  Some balls were hit hard off of him but they tended to be right at folks.

Christian Garcia allowed a lead off single but then got a fielders choice and a double play to face just three batters in his one inning.  Brad Propst pitched around a lead off double in one scoreless inning of work.  Zach Dando didn't have his best stuff.  He gave up three doubles and Bluefield's only two runs.  

Jordan Jankowski came into the game and did what he has done most of the year.  In 1 1/3 IP, he fanned three batters.  That brings his total to 53 strike outs in 32 1/3 IP.  He finished six strikeouts behind team leader Francis Ramirez despite pitching 21 less innings! 

At The Plate
The Astros jumped all over Bluefield starter Justin James.  They scored in the first three innings to give the G-Stros an early 5-0 lead. 

Angel Ibanez continued his good work at the plate going three for four.  He hit .305 in the month of August to raise his season average to .264. 

Brian Blasik added a single and a double to his hit total for the season.  Ernesto Genoves and Ricky Gingras both added two hit nights as well. 

Rio Ruiz's triple was a very close play at third.  He showed good hustle on the play.  

Jose Fernandez hit the ball hard but had nothing to show for hit.  He lined out to center once and was robbed on a line drive to short.  

In The Field
D'Andre Toney continues to make plays in center.  He chased a ball hit deep to center with ease in the second inning.  

Genoves threw out yet another base runner on a strike em out throw em out double play to erase a lead off hit in the third.  That is three base stealers caught in the last two games.  

Monzon makes things look easy in RF.  That can't be said for all the guys who have played out there this year.  

Overall Observations: 
It was a great way to wrap up the season.  Good pitching, good fielding and good hitting.  

We are also getting another view of the new front office way of doing things.  There are no expected promotions to teams after the season.  That has been the norm in the past. 

I was also told that only four players are heading to instructional league: Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, Carlos Correa and  Terrell Joyce. That is a smaller number than I would have expected.  It will be interesting to see who is joining them from other affiliates. 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Eyewitness Report: 8/16/12 Gville 2 - B-Sox 3

Other things at the park kept me from taking detailed notes on this game.  I will share with you that the box score doesn't tell the whole story on a disappointing loss.

The whole game turned on the fifth inning.  Michael Feliz had cruised through the first four innings.  He had seven strike out of the first 12 outs.  In the fifth, with a 2-0 lead, Feliz walked the bases loaded.  Three walks in an inning will hurt you every time.  BUT! He should have been out of the inning.  The triple that cleared the bases was a fairly routine line drive to right.  Ariel Ovando was there for the ball, he was just about three feet too far in to field it.  It simply was misjudged.  I am not sure if it was a bad read of the bat or if it was a lack of focus but it was a very poor play. He makes that play, Greeneville wins.  I have said several times that Ovando has looked much better in the field this year.  However last night, he looked like the Ovando from last season.

If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts......

There were other aspects of the game that could have gone better, such as getting at least one hit with runners in scoring position (0-8).  And there were some positive plays, pitches and at bats.  Yet when your team is fighting for a playoff spot, you have to beat teams that have 13-35 records.  Greeneville let one get away last night.

Other Notes:
Brian Blasik was hit on the hand while attempting to bunt Thursday night.  He was sporting two finger splints on right hand.

Blogger Invasion
I am thrilled to get to meet some folks that I have gotten to know on the interwebs this weekend.  Jayne from What The Heck Bobby, Mike Newman from FanGraphs, and Tim and Brooks from The Crawfish Boxes  are all going to catch at least one game at Pioneer Park this weekend. I look forward to meeting them and getting their observations on this team.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Eyewitness Report: 8/3/12 G-Stros 18 - K-Mets 2

Wow, what an offensive explosion by the Greeneville Astros!  They tied the team record for runs with 18 and broke the team record for RBI with 17.   I was at the game with some friends so I didn't take detailed notes but here are a few observations.

On The Mound:
Michael Feliz has some velocity.  One of my friends' son went and talked to the guys charting pitches and saw that Feliz had hit 95 with his fast ball a few times.  Gave up several long drives.  Some went for hits and some for outs. He only gave up three hits but one was a triple to lead off an inning and one was a one out double.  Both of those runners scored.   

Brad Propst made his first appearance after being sent down from TriCities.  He dominated with 4 Ks in two innings and got the win.   

Michael Dimock pitched three effective innings in relief which earned him a save in an 18-2 game.  Further evidence that the save stat is a joke! I am not sure what exactly he saved.  Dimock didn't allow a base runner during his three innings.

At The Plate:
Angel Ibanez has gotten hot.  He went five for six last on the game but reached all six times.  He reached on a wild pitch on the third strike in the fourth inning.  His five hits and four runs, both tied team records.   

Brian Blasik appears to have snapped out of his hitting funk.  He went three for six with a triple.  He also showed good baseball IQ reading a throw from the outfield to take an extra base. 

Jose Monzon, normally a defense first kind of player, had a solid game at the plate.  He went three for four with a walk.  He also stole two bases; his first of the season.

Mark Wik didn't have a great evening.  He made an early exit after he disagreed with the call on the third strike and used the bat to illustrate where the pitch was actually located.  His ejection moved Ariel Ovando from the first base coaches box to right field.  Ovando went one for five with three Ks.  He has now fanned eight times in his last 15 at bats.

In The Field:
The only error on the night came from Ibanez who short armed a throw to first on a routine play in the first inning. 

Monzon made an nice sliding catch of a shallow fly in left field late in the game. 

Summary
After a long rain delay, it was great to get this game in.  It was also good to see the guys bounce back from a lose with a solid all around performance to take two out of three from Kingsport.  The win, coupled with a rain out for Johnson City gave the G-Stros a full lead in the wild card race.