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Week 5 Player of the Week - Jason Martin, OF, Buies Creek Astros (High A)
There was some intense competition for this spot this week. Martin beat out Kyle Tucker, Derek Fisher, and Dexture McCall to nab this honor. Let’s look at Martin’s insane week.
- .391/.440/1.043/1.483 slash
- 9 hits, 8 of which went for extra bases (4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs)
- That’s 24 total bases in 1 week
- Remember, the Carolina league is not anything like High A Lancaster used to be. It is a pitcher’s league.
Don’t sleep on Jason Martin. Remember he’s only 21 years old and he’s sporting a 134 wRC+. The amount of talent in the Astros outfield farm may be higher than any other position group.
Week 5 Pitcher of the Week - Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Corpus Christi Hooks (Double A)
Armenteros has already nabbed this award once. If you show up twice on this list you are likely having a very good year. Spoiler alert, he is. He’s sporting a 1.25 ERA with a 33% K rate. Yes, Rogelio (80 grade name) is striking out a third of his batters faced and only walking 9%. Here’s the week:
- 8 IP, 12 Ks, 3 BBs
- He only allowed 6 hits
Armenteros is a very likely candidate to join Frances Martes at Triple A at some point this season.
Week 6 Player of the Week - Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno Grizzlies (Triple A)
Colin Moran started a tad slow to the season but he has turned it up at Fresno lately. He’s got the wRC+ up to 131 and the BB/K percentages are nice also (12% and 15% respectively). Here’s Colin’s week:
- .417/.481/.875/1.356
- 10 hits, 2 doubles, and 3 home runs
Moran’s ISO this season is at .239. Perhaps some pop is starting to develop into that bat as Moran fills out that 6-4 frame.
Week 6 Pitcher of the Week - Framber Valdez, LHP, Buies Creek Astros (High A)
One of the joys of researching this “discovering” a guy. I barely remembered Framber Valdez pitching a few inning in spring training. I had forgotten about him. He’s definitely on my radar to stay, now. Here’s the week:
- 10 IP, 11 Ks, 3 BBs, allowed 3 hits
- That’s good for a 0.90 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP
- 12 of the 22 balls put in play were ground balls
Framber (another 80 grade name) throws from the correct side to garner a lot of interest from Astros management. With the lack of LHP in the system, he could be someone who gets a real shot with the big club in the future. He’s 5-11, 170 pounds, so he’s not big. He throws a curve and a good sinker in the low 90s range. The change-up is still being developed. Here’s a good article on Valdez from the Houston Chronicle.
Prospect of the Week Archive
| Week | Hitter | Pitcher |
|---|---|---|
| Week | Hitter | Pitcher |
| 1 | Kyle Tucker, OF, Buies City Astros (A+) | Akeem Bostick, RHP, Buies City Astros (A+) |
| 2 | Jake Rogers, C, Quad Cities River Bandits (A) | Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) |
| 3 | Garrett Stubbs, C, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) | Jorge Alcala, RHP, Quad Cities River Bandits (A) |
| 4 | Kyle Tucker, OF, Buies Creek Astros (A+) | Alex Winkelman, LHP, Buis Creek Astros (A+) |
| 5 | Jason Martin, OF, Buies Creek Astros (A+) | Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) |
| 6 | Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno Grizzlies (AAA) | Framber Valdez, LHP, Buies Creek Astros (A+) |