TCB Astros March Madness 2014: Mark Appel vs Delino DeShields

Round 2 of the TCB Astros Fan Favorite March Madness Tournament is underway. From now until the end of Spring Training 64 players will spend the next several weeks facing off in a head to head public vote to determine who advances to the next round and who will eventually be crowned the communities favorite Astros player. For more details check out the tournament introductory post.

The rules are simple, determine which player you want to advance to the next round and then vote. Vote subjectively, objectively, using your trusty magic eight ball or any other set of criteria. It's totally up to you how you want to vote! Votes for this round will last exactly 24 hours.

In this match-up

3 - Mark Appel

After dominating at Stanford, Appel was drafted with the first overall by the Astros in the Rule IV draft. He's got poise. He's got a fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s and four pitches he can command. Hitters beware. He's Kevin Goldstein approved and ready to fly through the minors to make an impact at the major league level.

vs

6 - Delino DeShields

You'd think a centerfielder who posts a 133 wRC+ and steals 51 bases would get some considerable love from prospect watchers, but DeShields seems to have alienated many of them with hand-wringing over his effort and dedication. The statistics he's put up simply can't be argued with, however, and DeShields is likely to start the year in Corpus Christi; with continued success at the AA level, people will have to take notice. -Ashitaka