The Astros second round pick, Nolan Fontana, made his professional debut yesterday for the Lexington Legends. Many fans have been anticipating his debut, primarily to see how he handled his aggressive initial placement. And friends, Fontana didn't disappoint.
One of the biggest things that has to develop in the minors for a hitter is his approach. His swing gets adjusted and tailored to more fit that approach, but those are relatively small adjustments. A swing is more natural and about what feels right to the player, it's a reason to draft a player. You don't draft a player and think you are going to completely overhaul their swing as a pro. It's pretty much engrained in their DNA at this point. It can be developed some with small adjustments, but the key is a players approach. That is why Fontana was able to skip the short-season leagues. His approach is advanced beyond those leagues. He already has the skills you refine in those leagues.
There's nothing better than getting signed and going out and proving why you were drafted and touted the way you were. Fontana put that skill set on display like nobody else did in their debut of my recent recollection. He went out and drew five walks, hit an RBI single, and stole one base. Quite impressive, especially since he hasn't faced live pitching in several weeks. You can read more about it here. I realize that one game is about as small as a sample size as you can get, but it's still impressive and is still a reflection of his pitch recognition and patience. He knows what he's doing at the plate, and in a small sample, probably better than anyone else in the system.
I know Luhnow said Fontana would move quickly, but I wasn't sure just how quickly. This tells me he'll move really quickly. Tim, this IS your new favorite minor leaguer.
Oklahoma City RedHawks lost 11-1
- Brian Bass-4 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO, 6/3 GO/AO, 80 pitches GS: 20
- Jonnathan Aristil-2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
- Wilton Lopez-1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR
- Sergio Perez-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
- Mike Hessman 1B-1-4, HR, SO
- Marwin Gonzalez SS-2-4, SO
- Jordan Kreke PH-1-1,2B
Corpus Christi Hooks won 10-1
- Bobby Doran-5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
- Alex Sogard-3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 7/5 GO/AO
- Henry Villar-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
- Jonathan Villar SS-1-5, HR, BB, 2 SO
- Andrew Simunic 3B-3-4, BB
- Drew Locke RF-4-5, 2 2B
- Jonathan Singleton DH-2-4, 2B, 3B, BB
- Jair Fernandez C-2-5, HR, SO
- Austin Wates LF-0-5, 5 SO, OF Assist
- Drew Muren CF-1-3, 2 BB, CS
Lancaster JetHawks lost 8-7
- Zachary Grimmett-5 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR, 4/5 GO/AO
- Brian Steilein-4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6/1 GO/AO
- Grant Hogue RF-1-5, BB, SO, 3 SB-Stole home once
- George Springer CF-2-4, 2B, BB, SO, SB, OF Assist
- Jonathan Meyer 3B-0-5,3 SO
- Enrique Hernandez 2B-0-3, 2 BB
- Ben Orloff SS-1-1, 4 BB, SB-Doing his best Fontana impersonation
Lexington Legends lost 10-8
- Michael Foltynewicz-4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 3/5 GO/AO
- Gabriel Garcia-3 IP, 4 H, 5 R< 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 6/4 GO/AO
- Delino DeShields Jr. 2B-2-5, BB, SO, 2 SB
- Nolan Fontana DH-1-1, 5 BB, SB-Wow!!! I didn't think his approach was that advanced!
- Zachary Johnson 1B-1-5, 2B
- Brandon Meredith LF-1-3, HR, 2 BB
- Justin Gominsky CF-2-4, SO, SB
- Jose Fernandez SS-0-1, 3 BB, SB
Tri-City ValleyCats lost 2-1
- Brady Rodgers-5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 5/2 GO/AO
- Travis Ballew-3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
- Kenny Long-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
- Austin Elkins 2B-3-4, CS
- Jarrod McKinney LF-1-2, 2B
Greeneville Astros: PPD
GCL Astros lost 9-6
- Enderson Franco-4 Ip, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 4/2 GO/AO
- Brett Phillips CF-2-4, 2B
- Carlos Correa SS-1-4, 2 SO
- Raul Rivera 3B-3-4, 2B
- Yonathan Mejia 1B-2-4, SO
- Teoscar Hernandez RF-1-3, 3B
- Ydarqui Marte LF-1-3, HR
GCL Astros lost 7-4
- Reymin Guduan-1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
- Jandel Gustave-3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
- Rodney Quintero-1/3 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
- Carlos Correa DH-1-4, 2B
- Darwin Rivera 3B-2-3, 2B, BB
- Teoscar Hernandez CF, RF-2-3, BB, SO, OF Assist
- Wallace Gonzalez LF-2-3, SO
DSL Astros lost 5-2 (13 innings)
- Samil De Los Santos-6 Ip, 6 H,1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 3/2 GO/AO
- Rayderson Chevalier-3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 4/0 GO/AO
- Javier Saucedo-3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 4/1 GO/AO
- Jarico Reynoso CF-2-5, BB, SO, SB
- Randy Cesar 3B-1-4, 2 BB
- Frederick Serrano DH-0-5, BB, 4 SO
- Brauly Mejia LF, RF-2-5, SO