Former G-Stros Start Year on DL

Baseball America's Minor League Transactions came out yesterday and confirmed that some of the players not on rosters were in fact on the disabled list.  Here is the list of Astros minor leaguers on the DL.  The former G-Stros are underlined.

RHP Murilo Gouvea
RHP Chia-Jen Lo
RHP Kyle Weiland
LHP Sergio Escalona
LHP Kenny Long
C Max Stassi
3B Andrew Simunic
3B Brandon Wikoff
OF Grant Hogue
OF Telvin Nash

If they are not on this list or on a roster, they are likely in extended spring training. 

In other transaction news, it appears that Ralph Henriquez has been released by the Rockies. Leaving Brandon Barnes the only player from the 2005 team who is still in affiliated baseball. 

Former G-Stros Involved in Recent Transactions

Now that the season is over, players find out if they are in a teams plans or not.  Sometimes that means a door is opened for a new opportunity with a new team and sometimes it means a career may be over.  Here is the list of transactions that have occurred since this season ended that involve former G-Stros.  For those who have been declared a free agent, I have listed the last team they were affiliated with.

I am also including any players still on active rosters (MILB & MLB) so that you can see what results those teams have produced.

2004
Jimmy Barthmaier - declared a free agent by the Nationals.
Juan Gutierrez - re-signed by the Royals to a minor league deal.
Jordan Parraz - re-signed a minor league deal with the Braves.
Wladimir Sutil - declared a free agent by the Dbacks.
J.R. Towles - declared a free agent by the Twins. (Update signed to minor league contract with Cardinals)

Felipe Paulino (Royals-DL) and Troy Patton (Orioles) are the last two on Major League rosters.

2005
Koby Clemens - released by Blue Jays before end of season.
Victor Garate - released by Brewers before end of the season.
Ralph Henriquez - released by Mariners before end of season. (Signed to minor league contract with Rockies)

That leaves only Brandon Barnes left in affiliated ball from the 2005 G-Stros.

2006
Amadeo Zazueta (Blue Jays) and Tom Vessella (Giants) were on minor league rosters at the end of the season and have not been declared free agents or released yet.  Both Barnes & Henriquez were also on this team. 

2007
Fernando Abad - removed from the Astros 40 man roster, cleared waivers and is a free agent. (Update - signed to a minor league deal with the Nationals)
Arcenio Leon - removed from Astros 40 man roster and was claimed by the Brewers.

In addition to those two, the only player left on an active roster is Albert Cartwright (Phillies - minors).

2008
The following players have been released by the Astros organization:
Brad Dydalewicz
Nathan Pettus
Jose Trinidad
Jay Austin (before season ended)
Kody Hinze (before season ended)

In addition to those, Jorge De Leon was removed from the 40 man roster, cleared waivers and is a free agent.

Henry Villar was declared a free agent by the Astros.

There are still seven players in the Astros system from that team (Altuve, Lyles, Urckfitz, Grimmett, L. Cruz, Seaton, R. Garcia). Also Cartwright was on this roster too.

2009
Gabriel Garcia was released by the Astros.  There are still 12 players from this roster active in the Astros organization.

2010
The following players have been released by the Astros organization.
Ricardo Batista
Emilio King
Rodney Quintero

There are still 14 players from this roster active in the Astros organization. 

2011
The following players have been released by the Astros organization
Juan Mojica
Brad Propst
Garen Wright
Joshua Magee (released during the season and is now on the Alabama football roster as a walk on).
(Batista & Quintero were also on this roster)

There are 22 players from this roster active in the Astros organization. 

2012
James Howick was released by the Astros organization.  Propst was also on this roster.  There are 39 players from this roster active in the Astros organization. 

Patton On The DL and other transactions

I normally don't do much posting about transactions because they are too numerous for me to keep up with but there have been several over the last few days that are worth noting.

In A Garage....Really?
Troy Patton (2004) was placed on the DL by Baltimore after spraining his ankle walking in the garage of the hotel where he stays.

"I was walking in the garage where I stay and caught it on the edge of the curb, at angle, and just turned it quick," he said. "I didn't think it was very bad until I woke up the next day, and it was very, very swollen. I thought it was just a little tweak, no problem."..."It's just a sprain. I'll be back in 14 days, since it's retroactive. I'll be back as soon as I'm allowed to be back, and I'll be ready to go."

Former G'Stros Released
Two former 2nd round picks by the Astros have been released recently.  Earlier this week, Ralphie Henriquez (2005, 2006) was released by the Mariners.  He made it as high as AAA.

Yesterday Jay Austin (2008) was released by the Astros. He never made it higher than Hi A ball.

Trio Promoted
Three 2012 G-Stros have been promoted to Tri Cities.  Pitchers Euris Quezada and Scott Zuloaga were moved up along with Jean Batsita. Batista leaves Greeneville with 19 doubles meaning the doubles record of 20 by Jose Altuve &  Ronald Ramirez will be safe for another year. 

Releases Hit Home

With spring training on the horizon, I am always excited to see the season start.  However, one of the things that comes at this time of the year is the last few releases.  In the last round of releases, there were four former G-Stros who were released.  The players whose time in the Astros organization ended were:

Kellen Kiilsgaard - The 30th round pick for 2010 played for Greeneville after having a .159 average in Tri Cities.  He appeared in 8 games for the G-Stros.

Colton Pitkin - A lefty who was a 41st round draft pick in 2007.  He spent 2007 and 2008 in Greeneville. 

Frederico Hernandez - One of the most exciting catchers to play in Greeneville, made his stateside debut in 2008.  He was viewed as a top catching prospect making it to AA in 2010. However, he struggled in 2011 and hit under .200 in both AA and high A.  Of the bunch, I feel he is the most likely to catch on with another organization.

Hector Rodriguez - Hector was a utility guy in 2010 for Greeneville.  That season, he got consistent playing time due to injuries and hit .303 for the year.  In 2011, he bounced between Tri Cities, Lexington and Lancaster where he hit a combined .163 in just 35 games. 

Releases are a part of minor league ball.  However, as a fan, you get to know some of these kids and when their name makes the Baseball America transactions page, it hits home.  Hector's release was expected but it was still hard to read about.  Hector and my son became friends in 2010. Despite a significant language barrier, they both enjoyed spending time together.  Because Hector was so kind to my child, he became a favorite of mine too. 

Best of luck to Hector and the rest of these men.

Garate Signs with Brewers

Baseball America has released it's latest transactions and from it we learn that former G-Stros Victor Garate (2005) has signed a minor league free agent deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.  This makes the 5th organization for the left handed pitcher.  It is expected he will have an invite to spring training but this hasn't been confirmed.

Five 2004 G-Stros on the Move this Off Season

This is a busy time of the year and if you are a baseball player, off season can often mean moving time.  Here are some moves I have tweeted about but you might not have seen so I will put them all in one place for your convenience.

We will start with today's news: J. R. Towles (2004) has signed a minor league deal with the Twins. He has been invited to spring training. 

Juan Gutierrez (2004) was signed by the KC Royals to a minor league contract.  He is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will not be ready for spring training.

Jordan Parraz (2004) has signed a minor league deal with the Braves.  He has been invited to spring training.

Wlad Sutil (2004) has signed a minor league deal with the D-Backs.
 
and not playing but still in baseball....

Beau Torbert (2004) is now the hitting coach for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association (independent).

Former G-Stros Released

Baseball America's minor league transactions released today showed the end of Astros careers for several former G-Stros.  Those whose releases were made public today include:

Garrett Bullock - Non drafted free agent out of Wake Forrest.  Played in Greeneville in 09, 10.
Joan Belliard - Right handed reliever from the Dominican Republic pitched in Greeneville in 09.
Mark Jones- 22nd round pick in 2009 out of Lancaster, PA.  Pitched in Greeneville in 2011.
Travis Smink  - 31st round pick from 2009 out of VMI.  He pitched in Greeneville in 09, 10.
Ronald Sanchez - 16th round draft pick from 2009 out of Caguas PR.  He played in Greenville in 2011.
Miguel Arrendell- Utilitiy infielder from the Dominican Republic played in Greeneville in 2009.
Danilo Del Rio - Right handed releaver out of Cartagena, Columbia pitched in Greeneville in 2011.


Best of luck to these gentlemen.

Insult to Injury? Juan Gutierrez Released By Diamond Backs After Tommy John Surgery

Juan Gutierrez, who played in Greeneville in 2004, was released yesterday by the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He left the Astros organization in the Jose Valverde trade.  Gutierrez missed most of the season with shoulder injuries and then during his come back suffered elbow trouble.  This resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery in early September.  While I was shocked by this move, this move was not surprising to those who followed the D-Backs. Here is what was reported after the diagnosis. 

“It’s the last thing you want to hear from the doctor,” Gutierrez said. “The only thing I can guarantee you is that I’m going to work hard to get back healthy.”
Gutierrez normally goes back to Venezuela in the off-season but said he’ll remain in Phoenix to rehab this winter.
His future is up in the air. He’ll be arbitration eligible in the winter, meaning he’ll probably be non-tendered, but he sounded as if he wants to remain in the organization, even with a minor-league deal.

We wish Juan a speedy recovery and a complete comeback.

Towles & Sutil Becoming Free Agents Removes All 2004 G-Stros from Houston Org

J. R. Towles, one of the most popular players to ever wear the GreenEville Astros uniform was removed from the Houston Astros 40 man roster yesterday.  He will become a free agent as soon as the World Series ends. Towles could resign with the Astros as a non roster invitee to spring training but I would expect he would test other teams interest before that occurs.

That transaction means that, along with Wlad Sutil's pending minor league free agency, that no members for the 2004 GreenEville Astros remain in the Astros organization.   

Here are the 2004 players who remained in affiliated ball this year:


Jordan Parraz - AAA for the NY Yankees - hit .289 with an OPS of .802.Left Astros organization via trade with the Royals for Tyler Lumsden.

Neil Sellers - AA for the Marlins - hit .176 in just 59 games for New Orleans.  At age 29, his dream of making the big leagues might be about out.  Left the Astros in the 2007 Rule 5 draft.

Wlad Sutil - AA/AAA for Houston - hit combined .269 for the year.  His .284 average and solid glove in AA earned him a promotion to AAA where he hit just .222. Doubled his career HR total with two round trippers this year. Will be a free agent after the World Series.

J. R. Towles - AAA/MLB for Houston - hit .276 in 35 games in the minors, but just hit .184 in 54 games in the majors.  Will be a free agent after the World Series.

Douglas Arguello - AAA for Houston and Texas - Arguello was released by Houston after amassing a 3.67 ERA in 31 games. Texas picked him up for two appearances in September.

Jimmy Barthmaier - AA for the Pirates - was 5-3 with a 5.05 ERA in 39 games.  Had 69 strikeouts in 67 2/3 IP.  Marked the first time he had more K's than IP in his pro career.  Was signed by the Pirates after Houston released him following the 2007 season.

Juan Gutierrez - MLB for D-Backs - Missed most of the season with shoulder trouble.  He was released yesterday by the D-Backs. He left the Houston organization as a part of the Valverde trade in 2007.

Troy Patton - AAA/MLB for Baltimore - bounced back and forth between AAA & the Baltimore pen.  He had a 1.83 ERA in Norfolk and a 3.00 ERA in Baltimore. He was a part of the Miguel Tejada trade after the 2007 season.

Felipe Paulino - MLB for Colorado & Kansas City - He has a rough start to 2011 in Colorado.  He was 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA in his first 18 games.  After a trade to Kansas City, he had a solid showing.  For the Royals, he was 4-6 with a respectable 4.11 ERA. He was traded to Colorado prior to the 2011 season for Clint Barmes.  

So nine players from the 2004 G-Stros were still playing affiliated baseball this year.  Looking at the reason for leaving, most were a part of a trade to help the big club.  This serves as a reminder that prospects can help the club in more ways than in making it to the big club. 

Altuve Cast A Big Shadow

Last night, the family and I were out having fun when I got a text that said "What about your boy Altuve?" I figured he had just hit another home run in AA. When I got home and checked twitter and it was a buzz with Altuve talk. He had been called up to Houston.

I experience different feelings when I learn of promotions. Sometimes it is surprise, sometimes it is excitement, and sometimes there is "what took so long" feeling. Last night, I couldn't stop smiling. I showed my wife...she started smiling. I showed my kids...they started smiling. I spent the next several minutes reading clever tweats and neat articles about the news. You see, when you follow a minor league team, you develop relationships with players. Altuve is a gifted ball player, but he is a good person too. That matters. That makes him easy to root for.

Jose Altuve came to Greeneville in 2008 as an 18 year old kid. He played hard, had success, smiled for pictures and signed plenty of balls, tickets, shirts and programs. The fans loved him. We were a little surprised when he showed up again in 2009 but the Greeneville fans enjoyed watching him play and fell deeper in love with him. He left suddenly due to a promotion to Tri Cities.

For the 2010 season, Altuve was in Lexington but his presence was still in Greeneville. The Greeneville Astros used a picture of him on their billboards advertising the 2010 tickets, so you saw him when you drove around town. Then this year, the buzz of his success in Lancaster and Corpus Christi was the topic of conversations at Pioneer Park. "Have you heard what Altuve is doing this year?" Just this weekend, I was talking to some folks about how well he did in the Futures Game during All Star Weekend. He may be gone, but he is not forgotten.

Every where Jose Altuve goes, he makes a strong impression. The way he plays the game, the way he carries himself and the way interacts with the fans makes him a fan favorite. I was thrilled to see the Lancaster JetHawks honor his promotion with $2 tickets for tonight's game because Altuve wore #2 with the JetHawks.

I am going to try to find away to watch the game this afternoon. I want to see Jose Altuve walk out to 2nd in his #27 uniform and show everyone in the baseball world that he belongs on the diamond.

I wish him success. I hope he does well. If he doesn't, I will still be a Jose Altuve fan. He is more than just a good ball player.

Notes on the call up:

Jose is the 11th Greeneville Astro to receive the call to the MLB.

He is the 2nd position player of the 11 to be called up (Towles).

He is the 3rd member of the 2008 team (Lyles & Villar) to make it to Houston but the 1st member of the 2009 team.

He passes Henry Villar (748 days) for the shortest time from G-Stro to Astro (708 days).

Santo Luis Released By Red Sox

One of the most intimidating presences on the mound at Pioneer Park has been released by the Red Sox organization. Santo Luis pitched in Greeneville in 2006. He was 6'4" and looked like we was going to do you physical harm when he glared in from the mound. He finished the year with a 2-2 record, a 1.82 ERA and 10 saves. He was promoted on to Lexington for the 2007 season his ERA jumped to 4.66 but he still struck out 99 batters in 75 1/3 IP. After that season, he was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the AA portion of the Rule 5 draft in December. He climbed as high as AA with Chicago before being claimed by the Red Sox. He spent some time in AAA last season but was sent back to AA this year. He has had 28 strike outs in 28 1/3 IP but walked 16 and has a 5.72 ERA.

Luis is 27 years old now. It will be interesting to see if someone else picks him up. Regardless, I expect he will still pitch this winter in the Dominican Winter League.

Lucati Resigns - so much for the Europe experiement

A few years ago, there was buzz as the Astros were signing prospects from Europe. First was a Dutch shortstop, Jan Baldee and then Italian pitcher Andrea Lucati. Baldee played two seasons of short season ball before being released last year. He hit a combined .078 for two rookie league teams.

Today, Baseball America reported that Lucati voluntarily retired. He pitched three seasons of rookie level ball. He retires with a 5.18 ERA in 48 2/3 IP.

Since these two guys were signed, the Astros have focused much more international resources in Asia and Latin America. Much more proven areas for baseball talent.

Folty Gives G'ville Some Love, DeSheilds in Some Trouble & Other News

Just read MILB.com's 10 questions with Mike Foltynewicz. He talks about his experiences in Greeneville this summer and does a decent job of summing up what it is like playing in Greeneville.

There wasn't really much to do in Greeneville, but they had one of the nicest and fields in the league and the highest average crowd. [The front office] really knew what they were doing and I was thankful to be there. Overall, I had a fun time. [The Appalachian League] is a good league and I liked being there.

He also talked about what caused the turn around after his the one awful outing he had on August 6th when he gave up 7 runs in 2 1/3 IP. After that outing, he only allowed one earned run in his last 18 2/3 IP.

My first start wasn't bad, but in a couple after that, I was really tense. I was throwing the crap out of the ball, but not pinpointing my location. In the middle of the year, I started telling myself that this is just like anything else. It was pitching a baseball, just like I did in high school. I needed to relax, in order to hit my spots like I know I can.

DeLino DeShields Arrested

Sunday, DeLino DeShields was arrested in Athens, Georgia for DUI, underage position of alcohol and going the wrong way on a one way street. He released a statement today on his facebook page & twitter feed that said:

"I take the responsibility of being a role model seriously and apologize to my fans, my community and the Astros organization, who continue to support my family and I during this unfortunate incident. I look forward to putting this matter behind me and sincerely appreciate the respect of privacy during this personal matter."

Delino is a bright young man who is very aware of how people look up to him. People make mistakes. He is fortunate that this was just an embarrassing mistake and not one that cost him or someone else their life. Driving under the influence is serious. I expect that the his family, the Astros front office & others are making sure he has a clear understanding of this.

Gervacio Having Shoulder Cleaned Out
Sammy Gervacio will have debris removed from his shoulder and bicep on Friday. He was removed from the 40 man roster and signed to a minor league contract this year because of injury concerns during the off season. He should miss the first two months of the season.

Transaction News
Phil Rorabaugh was released by the Astros earlier this month. I will always remember Phil as one of the Florida boys who had the gumption to do the Gator Chomp while RockyTop played during the 7th inning stretch at Pioneer Park. He was signed as a NDFA in 2009.

Tom Vassella played for Greeneville back in 2006. He was released by the Astros in 2008. He then went to indy ball. He played for two teams in the Frontier League before finishing 2010 with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League. There he was teammates with former 1st round draft pick Wade Townsend and former major leaguers Ozzie & Jose Canseco. According to Baseball America's transaction page, Tom is back in affiliated ball with the San Fransisco Giants.

Former Greeneville Astros Released

Baseball America released their Minor League Transactions from the last part of 2010 a few days ago. Four former G-Stros were included in the list of players released by the Astros. Those players were:

Leandro Cespedes (2007)- I will never forget the night he struck out 11 Elizabethton Twins in a 7 inning stint in 2007. The strike outs continued to come pretty well as he moved up but when opponents hit the ball, it tended to leave the park too often. Highest level was AAA.

Angel Gonzalez (2009 - 2010) - I went to Kingsport last year and watched him throw an erratic 6 innings of no hit ball. His success didn't continue as he ended up finishing the year with 46 hits in 41 innings and was even sent down to the GCL for part of the season.

Carlos Mojica (2008-2010) - Carlos is a good kid. He spent some time with my family and has all the makings of a great baseball coach. He spent some time in Lancaster but never played.

Pedro Feliz (2010) - Pedro appeared in 28 games this year for Greeneville. He only hit .190 in his second season in the US.

Best of luck to all of these players as they move on to the next stages of their lives.

Polin Trinidad Now A Cub

Polin Trinidad was a free agent this year and Baseball America has announced that he has been signed to a minor league contract by the Cubs. Here is what BA had to say about Trinidad.

Polin Trinidad sits in high 80s with a nice changeup. His funky angles and relatively young age (26) means he's still young enough to embark on a career as a lefty reliever.

Trinidad pitched for Greeneville in 2005 & 2006. He showed tremendous improvement from 05 to 06 and made several Astros top prospect list. He has been a starter for his entire time in the Astros organization, starting 125 of 138 games.

He has had a solid winter ball as a starter. Best of luck to Trinidad in the next phase of his career.

Good News For Some, Bad News For Others

Jordan Parraz, who was placed on waivers when taken off the Royals 40 man roster, was claimed by Boston yesterday. He takes the last spot on the Red Sox 40 man roster. He also made his first starts of the LVBP season yesterday, playing in both halves of a double header. He went a combined 2 for 4 with two strike outs and an RBI.

Brian McTaggart tells us that the recent roster moves by the Astros could be good news for former Greeneville Astro Fernando Abad.

Left-hander Fernando Abad, who had a 2.84 ERA in 22 appearances in his rookie season in 2010, is in the mix to assume the role of lefty specialist, though there are some in the organization that envision him as a possible starter.

Late yesterday afternoon, I saw the latest transactions by Baseball America. I saw the first batch of releases by the Astros this off season. Several former Greeneville Astros were on the list. I want to give a glimpse back at their contributions to Greeneville.

Justin Harper (17th round pick 2009) played on the 2009 & 2010 Greeneville teams. He came out of the bullpen in a combined 16 games between the two years. He showed some improvement in 2010 but not enough.

John "Jack" Frawley (NDFA 2009) started the 2010 season in Greeneville before being promoted to Tri Cities. Didn't put up bad numbers but was about to turn 25 later this month. I will always remember him as a part of the bullpen who had the guts to do the gator chomp while Rocky Top was being played during the 7th inning stretch at Pioneer Park. Since I am not a Univ. of Tenn. fan, I thought it was funny. Most fans didn't.

Daniel Sarisky (40th round pick 2009) spent most of 2009 in Greeneville. He spent 2010 in Lexington and missed a good part of the season with some injuries. Finishes with a career 5-1 record. Daniel is one of the players that sticks in your mind. He always seemed to be enjoying himself at the ball park. Even this year when he was on the DL, we saw him with Lexington once and he talked about what a great experience he was having.

Aaron Bray (27th round pick 2009) spent 2009 in Greeneville. He came out of UNC Charlotte with a reputation as a hitter. He couldn't quiet translate those skills from the college game to the wooden bat pro game. He spent last year in Lexington. I got to talk with Aaron's parents at a few games. They were proud of him and rightly so. Aaron did some first hand accounts of minor league life for Astros County last year. They are worth the read.

Richardo Heradia (NDFA 2006) didn't fair well in his first season in the States. He only hit .155 in 37 games for Greeneville in 2010.

Richardo Garcia (NDFA 2005) spent 2010 with the G-Stros. He was one of the leaders on the team among the young Latin American players. Though his career with the Astros is over, he is playing winter ball in Venezuela in the Liga Paralela (LVBP minors). With Leones, he is hitting .303 through 16 games.

Releases are tough. I talk to these players before and after games. I see them around town and chat with them. I get to know some of them fairly well. I know that every one of them has a dream, even if they deep inside know that their chances aren't very good. So when releases come, I think about the kid. Whether they are a kid from the Dominican Republic, who was hoping for a better life, or a college kid who was having some fun before entering the real world; that phone call has to be tough. Best of luck in the future to these young men.