Astros Minor League Recap: July 1st, 2013

Sometimes You Can Hit, But It's Not Enough: Lose 6-4

The pitching didn't hold up their end of the bargain. The offense gets six runs and it isn't enough. Cosart allowed three runs, but only one was earned. I'll let you decide if he should be responsible for them or not. Either way, his peripherals weren't good. He allowed nine legitimate base runners and another on an error. He gave up some hard hit balls. He did have the strikeout thing going though, so there still are some positive signs with him.

• Jarred Cosart-5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 5/3 GO/AO, 103/64 P/S
• Kevin Chapman-1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
• Jason Stoffel-2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
• Josh Zeid-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Jonathan Villar SS-1-4, 3B, BB, 2 SO
• Brandon Laird DH-2-4, HR, BB, SO
• George Springer CF-1-2, HR, 2 BB, 1 SO, SB-Uber Good
• Jonathan Singleton 1B-2-4, SO
• Robbie Grossman LF-2-4, SO

Silent Hooks lose 3-0

The offense couldn't muster up anything. Just two hits. Four walks is decent. Just a very flat night. Pitching was also uninspiring. Andrew Robinson was the best of the bunch. It is worth noting that despite dropping tandem pitching, the pitchers are seemingly on the exact same pitch count limitations the first time through the rotation. I didn't expect 100 pitch counts, but I was expecting pitch counts to be elevated slightly.

• Bobby Doran-5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4/8 GO/AO, 73/46 P/S
• Kenny Long-1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Andrew Robinson-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Nope...no offense

Lancaster Gets Another: 8-5 Win

DDj hasn't been DDj of last season. The rate in stolen bases is much lower than at the same point last year. However, he's starting to heat up in that area. He has seven over his last ten games and five in the last three games. Last night was the big one. He picked up three...no big deal.

• Chris Devenski-3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 Er, 0 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR, 1/2 GO/AO
• Theron Geith-1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Brady Rodgers-4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 8/0 GO/AO
• Delino DeShields 2B-2-4, BB, SO, 3 SB
• Andrew Aplin CF-1-4, 2B, BB
• Brandon Meredith LF-2-4, HR, SO
• Carlos Perdomo 3B-1-3, 2B, BB, SO

Bandits Win Despite Poor Pitching: 9-8

How do you give up 16 hits and five walks yet win? By picking up 11 hits and 8 walks for yourself...yeah...thats what the River Bandits do. TURN UP! (OK, I know, I can't pull that line off)

The win isn't the story. It's that Carlos Correa was hit on the hand...again. It's the third time this year. First time put him on the DL but with no fracture. Then recently he was hit on the hand again. Now, rumors are that he could have broken it. Come on! Stop hitting my precious Correa! On the day he won a vote to be on the Futures Game even!

I'm all for hitters crowding the plate and using their ability to turn on inside fastballs to their advantage that way. But, you have to protect yourself. You have to learn to get hit the right way. The Biggio way. Turn and get pelted on the back area or on your upper arm. Keep those hands safe!

• Colton Cain-3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 5/0 GO/AO
• Jamaine Cotton-3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO,1 HR, 2/6 GO/AO
• Mitchell Lambson-2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1/4 GO/AO
• Jordan Scott LF-2-5, 2B, E, OF Assist
• Jesse Wierzbicki 1B, 2B-1-5, 2B, SO, E
• Rio Ruiz 3B-0-1, 4 BB-GOLDSTENIAN SOMBRERO
• Roberto Pena C-2-5
• Austin Elkins 2B, SS-2-3, 2B, 2 BB, E
• Brett Phillips CF-3-5, 2B, SO

Tri-City: Rainout

G-Ville Smashes In Game 1 of DH 7-0

We talked about Ariel Ovando in the podcast Sunday and I'm going to revisit it again here. He's raw. He's uber-raw. Ovando shouldn't have played in Greeneville two years ago. You could have made a case for him not to play there last year. He ended up doing fine there, but a case could be made.

International free agents are primarily showcase prospects. They go to what is essentially miniature baseball versions of the NFL combine. They take batting practice. They run the 60. They go through a sequence of fielding drills that have the same pattern each and every time. You can prepare for them. You can flash that and get paid.

Ovando did that. Does it mean he's talent-less? NO! It means he has impressive tools but is raw like none other. He still is. He's 19 years old! The majority of Dominican players his age are sniffing the GCL and the Appy League for the first time. If he hits in Greeneville again this year, it's a good sign. He's not a fast tracker. He's a raw tool set. Yes, he was way over-hyped, but that doesn't make him a bad prospect. He's a rich lottery ticket.

• Edison Frias-6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 8/3 GO/AO
• Christian Garcia-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Marc Wik CF-2-4
• Bobby Borchering 1B-2-3, 2 2B, BB, SO
• Ariel Ovando RF-2-3, HR
• Jack Mayfield SS-1-1, 2B, 2 BB

And They Smash Again in GM 2: 8-1

Yep, Ovando picked up another two hits in the second game. His batting average went from below .200 to to .235. Juan Santana continues to find ways to catch your eye. He's still just 18 years old and playing in Greeneville. It's his first year there and he put up good numbers in the DSL two years ago and definitely flashed some hitting ability at times last year in the GCL. Right now, he's still not great with plate discipline but he finds ways to pick up multi-hit games a lot. He's not consistent, but he finds ways to have big games.

• Enderson Franco-5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6/1 GO/AO
• Ryan Connolly-1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Gonzalo Sanudo-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Juan Santana SS-2-4, 2B, SO
• Marc Wik CF-2-4, CS, PO
• Bobby Borchering DH-2-4, HR
• Ariel Ovando RF-2-4, 2B, SO
• Angel Ibanez 3B-3-3, BB

GCL Astros: Rainout

DSL Astros Rake in 12-1 Win

In general, the whole team raked yesterday. But, let's look at Alexander Melendez. He's an UDFA out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (Not to be confused with Beltran's). He's fast and athletic. I though he should have been drafted late...very late...but wasn't. Here's a link to his Perfect Game profile where there are three videos of him in a showcase. He's very raw. But he has some intriguing tools. He needs a lot of time to develop, but he's someone to keep an eye on and keep his name in the back of your head. Afterall, Oz Ocampo tweeted about his debut recently and he's raking in the DSL.

• Elieser Hernandez-4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 3/2 GO/AO
• Rayderson Chevalier-3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 5/2 GO/AO
• Robert Corniel-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
• Cristopher Santamaria-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Luis Payano CF-3-5, 2B, BB, SO
• Alexander Melendez RF-3-5, 2B, BB, CS, PO
• Hector Roa LF, 1B-2-5, HR, SO
• Randy Cesar 1B, 3B-3-6, 2 2B, 3 SO
• Marlon Avea C-2-4, BB, SO
• Jean Estrella 2B-1-3, 2B, BB