Over time, certain skills have become valued over others in baseball prospects. Power and hit tools stand out for position players, stuff seems to trump command for pitchers since the latter is more often developed later in a career, but one trait is often neglected when it comes to evaluating players in the minor leagues- Age. Youth in relation to a player's competition should make a vast difference in how their numbers are evaluated- which is exactly why, even before his recent hot streak, nobody should have been worried about Carlos Correa. One of the youngest players in the MWL and still 18 years old for a few more months, Correa is tantalizing- long and athletic with a picturesque stroke and plus raw power, and enough quickness and baseball smarts to play shortstop, but what he is not is a finished product. Or even a half-finished product, and his current level of production is of little more significance than rookie ball numbers for the average draft pick, but his ability to hold his own at this age shows just how special a talent he is.
Jankowski Celebrates Birthday With Seven Whiffs, River Bandits Fall 3-1
The Astros' low class A club took on one of the most talented clubs in the low minors, the Beloit Snappers. Headlined by hitters like Daniel Robertson, Bruce Maxwell, Chris Bostick and one of the most powerful hitters under twenty, Matt Olson. On his 24th birthday, Quad Cities pitcher Jordan Jankowski rose to the challenge to strike out seven in four frames, allowing just three hits and one run to lower his his season ERA to 2.80. Carlos Correa and Teoscar Hernandez continued their hot hitting ways combining for five hits, with Hernandez also contributing his 12th stolen base. However, the Bandits were unable to put together any timely hitting, and turned their nine hits into just one run, and were downed 3-1.
DeShields Stars, Cokinos goes deep as pull out 6-4 win
M.P. Cokinos has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the Astros' farm system this season. He has shown an unbelievable knack for putting the ball in play, striking out just seven times in 94 plate appearances so far while hitting .356. On Friday night he provided more of the same, posting two hits including his third home run without striking out, making him the only JetHawk to hit one out last night. Delino DeShields had his best game in a long while in the contest, walking twice and going 2 for 3 while stealing two bases and not striking out once. Telvin Nash went 2 for 5 with one strikeout and a double, and Preston Tucker also added two hits to help the JetHawks to win #24 on the year.
Buchanan Continues Dominance, Stassi Gets on Track in Hooks Win
Jake Buchanan is far from what you'd call a sexy prospect, but this season AA hitters have had no answer for him. The sinkerballer struck out five in a five-inning star on Friday night while allowing just five hits, no runs and a walk to lower his ERA to a staggering 0.93 in his 48.1 IP, in which he has allowed just 28 hits. He has the polish to pitch in Houston (likely out of the pen) this season if the club desires it. The Hooks supported him with all that he needed- one run- driven in by Max Stassi, who raised his average to .235 with a 2 for 3 performance, and the club won 1-0.
Notable Performances
Quad Cities River Bandits (A)
Teoscar Hernandez- 3 for 4, 2B, SB
Carlos Correa- 2 for 4, K
Rio Ruiz- 1 for 4, K, SB
Ariel Ovando- 0 for 4, K
Brian Holmes- 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA
Jordan Jankowski- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Lancaster JetHawks (A+)
Delino DeShields- 2 for 3, 2 BB, 2 SB
Preston Tucker- 2 for 5
Telvin Nash- 2 for 5, 2B, K
MP Cokinos- 2 for 4, HR
Luis Cruz- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Travis Ballew- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, SV
Corpus Christi Hooks (AA)
Jiovanni Mier- 0 for 3, K
Rene Garcia- 1 for 3, BB
George Springer- 2 for 4, K
Domingo Santana- 0 for 4, K
Max Stassi- 2 for 3, 2B
Jake Buchanan- 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Josh Fields- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Kenny Long- 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA)
Jonathan Villar- 1 for 4, 2 K
Brett Wallace- 0 for 4, 2 K
Marc Krauss- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, K
Austin Wates- 1 for 3
Brandon Laird- 0 for 4
Fernando Martinez- 0 for 4, K
Ross Seaton- 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA
Kevin Chapman- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Jason Stoffel- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K