Astros Minor League Recap May 2nd, 2012

With all the talk surrounding Chris Johnson’s lack of power and inability to draw walks for the Astros this season I figured that it was a good time to check in on Brett Wallace who was competing with Johnson for the job this spring. Unfortunately the former first round pick is scuffling more at Oklahoma City than Johnson is with the Astros. Through his first 20 games Wallace has a slash line of .237/.284/.355. Below is a look at where Brett has struggled at the plate so far in 2012.

Over the course of his career Wallace has been a player who has shown reverse splits against righties and lefties, but so far in 2012 this hasn’t been the case. Below is a look at Wallace’s splits last year with the Astros, his 2010 season in AAA, and what he has done so far in 2012.

I'm sure that I broke some sample size commandments with the above comparison, but the chart does show where Wallace has struggled up to this point. In 2010 he had reverse splits, and those numbers were indicative of his time split in the minors up to that point. However, in his first taste of the majors in 2011 his numbers against right handed pitchers remained about the same, but his numbers against lefties took a dive. In fact, his numbers against righties this year are about in line with what he's done throughtout his time in pro ball, but his numbers against lefties have taken a significant dive. His groundball percentage has more than doubled against lefties since 2010, and that could be troublesome for a guy that doesn't leg out a lot of hits.

Wallace does not have to look far to see where his career could be headed if he can't turn it around. RedHawks teammates Scott Moore and Brad Snyder were both highly touted prospects at one time in their career, and now have become minor league depth. If he wants to avoid a similar fate then he needs to prove this season that he still fits into the Astros long term plans, and so far he's off to a slow start in making that happen to say the least.

Recaps below.

Oklahoma City RedHawks Lost 7-6

• Henry Sosa - 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, SO, 4/5 GO/AO
• Mickey Storey - 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 2 SO, HR, 2/2 GO/AO
• Sergio Perez - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, SO, 1/0 GO/AO
• Xavier Cedeno - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 0/0 GO/AO
• Jose Valdez - 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, SO, 0/0 GO/AO
• J.B. Shuck CF - 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SO
• Angel Sanchez SS - 3-4, BB
• Fernando Martinez LF - 1-5, 3-Run HR, 2 SO - 5th homer of the season for Martinez
• Justin Ruggiano RF - 2-4, HR

Corpus Christi Hooks lost 5-3

• Jake Buchanan - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO, 9/6 GO/AO
• Kevin Chapman - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO, 1/0 GO/AO
• Jonathan Aristil - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0/2 GO/AO
• Austin Wates LF - 1-5, SO
• Brandon Barnes CF - 2-4, SO
• Jose Martinez 2B - 2-4
• Andy Simunic 3B - 2-4, SO

Lancaster JetHawks Won 5-4

• Wes Musick - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, HR, 6/6 GO/AO
• Pat Urckfitz - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, BB, SO, 1/0 GO/AO
• Jorge De Leon - 0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0/0 GO/AO
• Kirk Clark - 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1/0 GO/AO
• Jiovanni Mier SS - 1-4, 2B, BB
• Rafael Valenzuela 1B - 1-3, 2B, 2 BB
• George Springer CF - 1-3, HR, 2 BB, SO
• Adam Bailey LF - 3-4, 2B
• Enrique Hernandez 2B - 1-3, HR, SO
• Telvin Nash DH - 0-4, 4 SO - Ouch!

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