A week or so ago, Jose de Jesus Ortiz held a chat with Astros Assistant (to the?) GM and Director of Player Development, Ricky Bennett.  I was swamped with work at the time, so it took me a while to go through and pull out the interesting tidbits.  There was quite a bit more than the chat with Bobby Heck.  Enjoy:

On Chris Sampson:

I would say when Chris was moved to the bullpen he seemed to really settle in to that role. I would say coming up through the system there were times when we had to skip starts or back him off from time to time because he would wear down over time. It's always been somewhat of a concern because of his build and size. But I think his role down the stretch was huge for our push toward the playoffs.

On J.R. Towles:

Towles is scheduled to go play winter ball in December. We are focused on trying to put him in a position to gain confidence offensively. We feel that he needs to continue to get at-bats and develop as a hitter. Hopefully the experience in winter ball will carry over into spring training.

On Paulino:

Our hope is that he's healthy enough to start the season next year either with the major league club or at Triple-A Round Rock.

On Chris Johnson:

The low OBP is not a major concern for us. With most young hitters that's one of the last things that develops. He's a pure hitter with the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field. Ideally his strikeouts are a little high right now, but with more at-bats at the triple-A level his OBP will increase in the future.

On Drew Sutton:

[We expect he will be major league ready] within the next year or so. He's learning to play multiple positions, which will increase his value and help him earn a spot on our major league roster. He has the ability to play second, third and shortstop. And he's learning how to play some in the outfield. When we're putting our club together and we're looking for the 24th or 25th guy on our roster, we're looking for versatility, and Sutton has that versatility.

On Chris Johnson and Drew Sutton

Both are making huge progress. My hope is that both players will be in big league camp to get the exposure and experience of playing at the major league level. Hopefully at some point during the course of 2009 we'll get a chance to see them play in Houston

On Sammy Gervacio:

He'll probably start out at Triple-A Round Rock and continue to be used in a relief role. He was primarily used two or three-inning stints. At some point during the course of 2009 I think he'll be in a position to help our major league club. He's got a good arm. He competes well and is not afraid to go after hitters. 

On Saccomanno:

He did a nice job for us in 2008 in September. We will continue to work with him defensively at first base and third base. Hopefully at some point he can provide offense for us off the bench in the event that one of our starting players goes down during the course of the year… we've even talked about the possibility of having him play some games in the outfield. He's still developing as a hitter, and hopefully at some point he can add some depth to our bench at the major league level.

On Brian Bogusevic:

I don't think any of us expected him to have the instant success that he's had. But one thing we knew about Brian was that he was very athletic. He's made the transition to   center field quicker than most, and if he can continue to make progress offensively that will only increase his overall value…It's kind of hard to say right now [how his power will transition to upper levels] because he's in the early stages of this transition. For most young hitters the power is the last thing to develop. Bogusevic is showing the ability to make consistent contact, which is very important for his development as a hitter. In time, as he gains more experience I think we'll start to see the home run power develop because of his size, strength and overall athletic ability… I think it's a stretch to think that he will make our major league roster out of spring training. Our main focus is to continue to get him at-bats in the minor leagues and to continue the transition of being an every day player.

On Bud Norris

At this stage in his development we see him as a major league starter. He's currently pitching at the Arizona Fall League as a reliever for the first time in his career, and he's done well. Because of that he's created conversations internally of the idea of making him a reliever. Our general philosophy is to develop our good, young arms by putting them in the rotation. And as they develop through the system we identify their best role at the major league level and gradually work them into that role… Based on Bud Norris' recent success at the AFL, we may see him in Houston sooner than expected.

On Polin Trinidad

We project Polin Trinidad to be a starter at the major league level. He made a lot of progress in 2008 during the first half of the season and we felt he needed to be challenged at a higher level. He accepted that challenge and did well at Corpus. With a few more starts he could be ready to pitch at Round Rock.

On Jordan Parraz:

Jordan Parraz is a very athletic player. He had a great year at Salem, and he will ge the opportunity to compete in Double-A in 2009. He, like most players, will have to make an adjustment due to the speed of the game. And sometimes that adjustment is longer for some than others.

On Sergio Perez:

2008 was an unfortunate year for Sergio. How many pitchers do you know break their finger trying to bunt a ball? He had four or five starts, and he missed a lot of time due to various injuries, but he's healthy now and pitching in the AFL. Hopefully 2009 will be a better year for him from a health standpoint and he can continue on his path to the big leagues. He was a very polished pitcher coming out of college and we need to make sure he continues to get innings.

On Koby Clemens:

Koby did a nice job in instructional league. He continues to make progress defensively behind the plate. He's really starting to understand what it takes to be an everyday catcher and we hope that he continues that progress. He has a scheduled court date in December.

On Jason Castro

He's playing very well. He's at the Hawaii Fall League hitting third or fourth in the lineup and currently hitting about .320 and swinging the bat really well and is driving the ball to all parts of the field. He's a very mature player with a good idea of the strike zone and has a chance to move through our system fairly quickly. His mental approach and maturity are huge pluses… I think that's very realistic [that we’ll see him in the majors by 2010]. He's a very polished player with tools. He understands the game. He plays hard. He's got great instincts and he has the ability to be a very good hitter in the future. Taking all those things into account with regular at-bats over the next year and a half, there's a very good chance he'll be ready for the major leagues at that point… The determination [of what level to start him at next year] will be made at spring training. Ideally, with his experience and his age most players would be able to handle High-A ball, which would be Lancaster. But, again, those decisions won't be made until we as a staff evaluate him as the spring goes on. I think it's a stretch to think that Castro is ready for the major leagues now. I like to challenge young players that have the ability to compete at a higher level, but it's also important that players are not put in a position to fail drastically.

On Jose Altuve (Greeneville Astros, Rookie League):

Altuve is a very energetic player who understands how to play the game. He had a great year offensively and we're working to continue to improve his defense. His passion for the game and his work ethic will allow him to get better in all areas of the game. Coming to the States for the first time, we couldn't ask for much more from a young player.

On who did well at the instructional leagues:

Our great young pitching prospects. Lyles, Seaton, Greenwalt, Dydalewicz and some of our young players from Latin America. They really showed the energy and excitement of learning how to play the game the right way. I would say Jorge De Leon, a young shortstop who played here in the states for the first time, showed the ability both offensively and defensively to be a good player in the future.

On the Astros’ offseason plans:

We're working hard to improve the club as best we can. We're looking to add starting pitching and also add an offensive catcher to complement Quintero, and our pitching will take us as far as we can go.

On how they decide who goes to spring training:

We sit down as a staff and talk about who will get the most out of the experience of being in major league camp along with who has the ability to compete at the major league level. Those are the two criterias that we start with and try to make decisions based on the information we receive from our staff. During the course of spring training if Coop has a certain need in terms of position, we always try to send him players that we think will perform well in that environment.