Astros Prospect Report: Games of June 15, 2016

AAA Fresno Grizzlies: 4-3 win over Sacramento (SFG)

-> Jon Singleton: 1-for-2, BB, R
-> Jack Mayfield: 1-for-3, GRAND SLAM, HR, R, 4 RBI
-> Jon Kemmer: 1-for-3, R
-> Colin Moran: 1-for-4, 2B, R

SP Brad Peacock: 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (win)
RP Chris Cotton: 0.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K (hold)
RP Kevin Chapman: 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K (hold)
RP James Hoyt: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K (save)

Sometimes you get just enough. Double, walk, single from Moran, Singleton, and Kemmer set the stage for Mayfield's grand slam. It was 4-0 then and they would hang on in the end, despite Fresno managing just one hit outside that inning.

Moran is pretty much still being himself. He never really goes on a slump (he hasn't had back-to-back hitless games all season, in fact), but he's not really showing much improvement right now, either. He's hitting .288/.349/.412 now. He does have three long balls in his last 16 games (that's about 27-30 HR power in a Major League season sample size), so we'll see if that power uptick holds up. It'd sure be nice to see the walk rate jump up to where it was in Double-A last year.

Hoyt continues to be filthy. He's allowed four base hits in his last 15 appearances, totalling 15 innings, while striking out 33 during that span. That's a 19.8 K/9, ya'll. There's nothing left to say. There's nothing left to do or prove. The Astros bullpen is getting it done right now, so there's simply no spot. What can you do?

AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 7-3 win over Frisco (TEX)

-> Teoscar Hernandez: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
-> J.D. Davis: 2-for-4, BB, 2B, HR, RBI, R
-> Alejandro Garcia: 2-for-4, 2 R
-> Nick Tanielu: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI
-> Chase McDonald: 1-for-4, BB, RBI
-> Alfredo Gonzalez: 1-for-4, BB
-> Alex Bregman: 1-for-5, 2B, R
-> Derek Fisher: 1-for-5, R
-> Conrad Gregor: 0-for-3, 2 BB

SP Francis Martes: 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K (win)
RP Michael Freeman: 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K
RP Aaron West: 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

Martes' night wasn't as mediocre as it looked. He finished the sixthing inning with just one run allowed, but after a single and a hit batter in the seventh, Freeman relieved him and allowed both of those runners to score. Far from dominant, but he was better than it looks, really. This makes his third-straight start of six or more innings, and if he hadn't gone back out for the seventh, it would have been three straight of six innings and one or fewer runs allowed. He's on the right track.

Speaking of on the right track, oh baby, Teo Hernandez, folks. After breaking out in May by hitting .327/.370/.469, he's hitting .383/.448/.600 so far in June. Now he's hitting some homers (two in 25 May games, three in June already). His strike out rate for May and June combined is 13.6%. How huge is it to get a breakout from an outfield prospect in the upper levels? Teo might be the story of the system so far this year if not for Bregman.

Speaking of which, you could make an argument for it now, since Bregman has fallen off a bit. Well, he's not slumping (.310 average in his last ten games), but after posting an OPS over 1.000 in each of the first two months, he's posting a more pedestrian .790 OPS in June. So the league has adjusted to him; this is why Luhnow moves the hitters along a little more slowly. We'll see how he adjusts back.

A+ Lancaster JetHawks: 13-2 win over Rancho Cucamonga (LAD)

-> Jason Martin: 3-for-4, BB, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
-> Aaron Mizell: 3-for-5, 2B, SB, RBI, 2 R
-> Antonio Nunez: 2-for-4, BB, 2B, R, 4 RBI
-> Garrett Stubbs: 2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 R
-> Bryan Muniz: 2-for-6, RBI
-> Bobby Boyd: 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI
-> Brooks Marlow: 1-for-5, RBI, R
-> Trent Woodward: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R
-> Johnny Sewald: 0-for-5, BB, R

SP Trent Thornton: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 8 K (win)
RP Andrew Thome: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K

It's been a week of big margins of victory in Lancaster's games, though they haven't all gone their way.

Another rock-solid start for Thornton out in the desert. Thornton has allowed more than three earned runs in a game just once this season. Considering the environment, it's a small miracle. The tasty 4.4 K/BB ratio is no small part of it. His FIP isn't awesome, but FIP doesn't adjust for wonky home runs rates like xFIP does, and Thornton has allowed nine in just 59 innings. That's the California League. I'm unconcerned at this point.

Stubbs continues to rake. He's up to .303/.402/.484 in 43 games, and with walk and strike out rates of 13.0% and 14.7%, you have to believe it's not all an illusion. The power might be, though; that's one of the big questions, because Stubbs never really showed any power, even back at USC. Even if it's a Lancaster mirage, if he can keep those rates up when he heads for Double-A someday, we could really have something.

Another guy with power questions is Jason Martin. I believe the bat could be very legit, but with his 11th long ball in this game, he now has hit more than half of his career homers while playing in the California League. He is at the age, and talented enough, to where you can't just write it off, though. We'll see with him, too. He's at .287/.356/.545 right now.

Undrafted free agent Thome is finally getting got a bit now that he's in Lancaster. He currently has a 3.09 ERA, 4.6 BB/9 and 10.8 K/9. It's a small sample, though, and half of his walks came in a terrible 0.0 innings outing on June 12, so we can't tell too much yet.

A- Quad Cities River Bandits: 4-3 win over Wisconsin (MIL)

-> Hector Roa: 2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
-> Myles Straw: 2-for-4, RBI
-> Dexture McCall: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, R
-> Osvaldo Duarte: 1-for-4, 2B, R
-> Bobby Wernes: 0-for-2, BB
-> Keach Ballard: 0-for-2, R

SP Elieser Hernandez: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K (win)
RP Juan Santos: 1.0 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 1 H, 3 BB, 0 K (hold)
RP David Schmidt: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K (hold)
RP Adam Whitt: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K (save)

Things went way south in Lancaster for Hernandez, but he's looking much better after being moved down to Quad-Cities. He owns a 1.20 ERA in three games with the Bandits, and his walk rate has come back to earth.

A similar theme with Trompiz, who several of our writers really like. He did draw some walks with Lancaster, but couldn't find it with the bat. Contact remains an issue with QC, but he's really starting to hit despite it, so we'll see what happens. Still just 20-years-old, so no rush or panic needed.

Today's Scheduled Starters

AAA: Cesar Valdez vs. Chris Heston
AA: Double-header!
--> Game 1: Evan Grills vs. Yohander Mendez
--> Game 2: Edison Frias vs. TBD
A+: TBD vs. TBD
A-: Yoanys Quiala vs. Cody Stashak