Astros Crawfish Boil: November 16, 2022

The 40-man roster is all set for the Rule 5 draft.

RHP JP France, late of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, was added to the 40-man roster. Players the Astros declined to protect include Corey Julks, Jayden Murray, and many others. Houston, meanwhile, has four spots available on their 40-man.

Other Astros News

The Yankees are after Justin Verlander.

Jeremy Peña and David Hensley enjoyed a night watching the Rockets and the Clippers.

Josh Criswell at Chron.com shares his thoughts on a fan mailbag.

Jim Crane told MLB.COM that his GM search could last into 2023.

MLB News

Hal Steinbrenner is going to do everything in his power to keep Aaron Judge. That could mean even more than we were probably thinking. Remember, he turned down a deal that was $30.5 AAV. He could possibly even get into $500 million territory.

The Yankees have already locked down Anthony Rizzo to two years and $40 million.

LHP Tyler Anderson jumped ship from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Anaheim Angels, for three years and $39 million.

Have you heard the name, Munetaka Murakami? You may not know it now, but that may be changing. He just hit 56 home runs to set an NPB record, while slashing .318/.458/.711, and he wants to come here.

Terry Francona and Buck Showalter have taken home the American League and the National League Manager of the Year Awards, respectively.

Penalties and rewards for teams who issued a qualifying offer to one or more players is...a little complex.

Oops! All Astros: Brayan Nolasco

Brayan Nolasco is a is a five-foot-nine, 178 lb. right-handed outfielder from San Pedro de Macoris, DR. Born on September 24, 2003, he signed his first professional deal with the Astros on January 15, 2021.

Nolasco was assigned to the rookie-level DSL Astros for his first pro action. He played in 38 games and slashed .200/.348/.240 with two doubles and seven RBI. He stole 11 bases in 17 attempts. He also drew 13 walks and struck out 23 times.

Still just 18 when the 2022 season started off, Nolasco was assigned to the Orange squad when the DSL Astros split between Orange and Blue. In his second game of the season, on June 7, Nolasco hit his first professional home run, a solo shot in a 4-2 victory over the DSL Mets 2. On August 10, he had his only two hit game of the season with a pair of singles in a 10-2 win against the DSL KC Stewart.

Nolasco went 14-for-116 with two home runs and 11 RBI through the season, slashing .121/.233/.172. He stole nine bases in 13 attempts, drew 11 walks, and struck out 43 times. Defensively, he played 110 innings in center field, making two errors in 25 chances. He also played 64 innings in right, 54 ¹⁄₃ innings in left, and 35 ²⁄₃ innings at first base, all without another error.

Nolasco is still young, and could rebound in 2023. It’s also entirely possible the Astros cut bait. If they keep him on, he’ll remain in the DSL.