Astros Prospect Report: Games of May 6, 2017

AAA Fresno Grizzlies: 19-7 loss to Colorado Springs (MIL)

-> Max Stassi: 2-for-3, BB, RBI, 2 2B, 2 R

-> Andrew Aplin: 2-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI, 2 R

-> Jon Kemmer: 2-for-5, solo HR

-> Derek Fisher: 2-for-5, RBI

-> Jack Mayfield: 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI

-> A.J. Reed: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB

-> Preston Tucker: 0-for-4, BB

-> Tony Kemp: 0-for-5, RBI

SP Mike Hauschild: 3.0 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 6 BB, 1 K (loss)

RP Keegan Yuhl: 0.1 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 0 K

RP Sean Stutzman: 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K

RP Aaron West: 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K

RP Andrew Aplin: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K

Hoo boy. Oh ho ho ho boy. There's...there's some stuff to unpack here.

I wonder what losing like this feels like. To their credit, they were down 18-1 after the fourth inning. The fact that they put six more runs on the board after that is kind of impressive in a way. I wonder what the rallying cry in the dugout is, though; "just a four quick slams and we're right back in this one, boys!"

The heck did you do to Hauschild, Dallas? Dang, at least he could get guys in Triple-A out before you got your grubby paws on him. He'll be fine, though. Probably just needs a few more hot shower to get the rest of the cooties off.

Oh Keegan. I'm so sorry I hyped you as much as I did. Look what the Vengeful Baseball Deities have done to this poor kid. I don’t really believe in Garrett Stubbs that much, okay!? Really! Please!

And then Aplin comes in from the outfield and throws shutout ball. Goodness, read the atmosphere a little, Andy. Think about poor Keegan and the other actual pitchers.

At least the VBDs haven't smote Stassi yet. His OBP is .433! He's not striking out much! Who is this? This is the dude that hit .230/.294/.374 last season. Here's hoping the adjustments are sustainable.

Maybe Fisher is absorbing all of Yuhl's BAbip luck. He's hit .396 over his last ten games despite 12 strike outs and zero walks during that time. If he were a pitcher, I'd be really happy about his 3.1 K/BB ratio. But he is not a pitcher. Yet, anyway, that dang Colorado Springs ballpark is a little nuts.

AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 3-2 loss to San Antonio (SDP)

-> Drew Ferguson: 2-for-4, 2B

-> Tyler Wolfe: 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI

-> Garrett Stubbs: 1-for-3, BB, 2B

-> Alejandro Garcia: 1-for-4

-> Ramon Laureano: 0-for-3, BB

-> Mott Hyde: 0-for-3, R

SP Kent Emanuel: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K (loss)

RP Dean Deetz: 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Another scoreless outing for Deetz. He's allowed just two earned runs all season, giving him a sparkling 0.79 ERA. It's sure to go up, especially since his peripherals are merely good instead of great (3.2 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9), but what a nice start to the season.

The sample is still small on Stubbs, with only 15 games under his belt this year, but he's doing everything you could want with that bat. He sits at .302/.373/.566 with three long balls, five walks, and just seven strike outs. You have to take a moment and appreciate the fact that this is the same guy who didn't hit a single homer in his 2015 debut (36 games).

The biggest deflation on the farm so far this season has to be Laureano. Boy, after the major helium of last season, what the heck has happened? His average was .250 after the second game on the season on April 7; it hasn't been back there since. He's hitless in his last four games and is batting .189/.269/.283 on the season. At least he's still walking but, wow. This hurts. Hopefully the turnaround comes soon. Hopefully it comes at all.

A+ Buies Creek Astros: 8-4 loss to Myrtle Beach (CHC)

-> Kyle Tucker: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

-> Pat Porter: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

-> Christian Correa: 1-for-2, solo HR

-> Jason Martin: 1-for-4, 2B

-> Ryne Birk: 0-for-3, BB, R

SP Justin Ferrell: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 K (loss)

RP Ralph Garza: 0.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 1 K

RP Alex Winkelman: 3.0 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K

Tucker has fallen off a bit in recent games, though it's hard to complain about what he's done during that time. He's still hit .273 over his last ten games, and has launched three bombs and drawn seven walks during that span. He finishes the game with six long balls on the year, twn steals, and a .981 OPS. After three or so weeks of success, the league is starting to adjust to him a bit. It will be key to see how he adjusts back. So far, he's doing so pretty well by the looks of it.

Following a two-hit game on April 26, I noted that Martin had slumped a bit prior to that night, and hoped that game was the start of a turn around. So far, so good; in the nine games since, he's collected eight hits and drawn six walks. In his last ten games, he's raised his OPS from .643 to .709.

Also on April 26, we talked about Winkelman's five-run (in two-thirds of an inning) meltdown. This is his second-straight strong appearance since then; over his last eight innings, he's thrown shutout ball, allowed just four hits and no walks, and punched out 11 batters. His season line is impressive; 1.96 ERA, 0.8 BB/9, and 12.5 K/9. Those are straight-up eye-popping peripherals, obviously 16 walks for each strike out on the season. Maybe his stuff isn't amazing, he was only drafted in the 21st round...who cares. Like Tyler White, results speak louder than those kind of complaints. If he shows it at higher levels, he'll have a shot.

A- Quad Cities River Bandits: 13-3 loss to Lake County (CLE)

-> Stephen Wrenn: 3-for-4, 2 2B

-> Rodrigo Ayarza: 2-for-4, RBI

-> Randy Cesar: 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI

-> Marcos Almonte: 1-for-5, 2B, R

-> Alexander De Goti: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB

-> Daz Cameron: 0-for-3, BB

SP Forrest Whitley: 2.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K (loss)

RP Reggie Johnson: 1.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 K

RP Jorge Alcala: 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K

RP Salvador Montano: 1.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K

That's about the best line I've seen for a guy who gave up two runs per inning pitched. Three of those four runs from Whitley were a three-run jack in the first inning. It happens, especially when you're 19-years-old with less than 30 pro innings under your belt and pitching in full-season ball. Look at the six punchouts and no walks. Look at the peripheral rates now (17.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9). That long ball is a small bump in the road. Moving on.

Acala is making you take notice. Last year was a success, aside from a small sample in Tri-City. This is just his first crack at full-season ball and, so far, so good. 2.29 is the ERA after four outings, and 9.6 K/9. The walk rate is a bit high, but five of the nine walks he's allowed came in one outing.

Wrenn is on a solid run, having hit .364 in his last eight games. He's at .287/.374/.460 on the season with three bombs, four doubles, and five steals in 23 games. Strike outs continue to be a bit of an issue, and you have to worry about him continuing to succeed at higher levels. In a way, he's kind of like Derek Fisher. Maybe that's a good thing, though, considering what Fisher is doing in Triple-A right now.

Today's Scheduled Starters

AAA: Edison Frias vs. Brandon Woodruff

AA: Joshua James vs. Kyle Lloyd

A+: Matt Bower vs. Ryan Kellogg

A-: Ryan Hartman vs. Juan Hillman