Week 01/30 - 02/05: Ask And Ye Shall Maybe Recieve vol. I

[No? in Austin]

Minor Leaguue Reports is proud to announce our new interactive feature for you Houston Astros Minor League System fans.  Each week, moderators Jacksonian, Agent Smith and administrator No? in Austin will check into these sticky threads for any questions you may have on current and maybe former Houston Astros minor leaguers.  Each thread will have the Week and Volumne number for quick review once they are no longer a sticky item for that week.

You may want to know where former pitcher Brandon Puffer might be.  What's the status on minor league pitcher Troy Patton.  Etc. etc.

Go ahead ask via the reply function to this thread, we will either answer from our own source information or go ask for you from the Astros farm system people.  Furthermore, you may want to provide your own observations on a player or set of players being asked about.  All we ask is that you provide a title to the post with the players name.  It can be as simple as "DJ Houlton" or "Willy Taveras" or a little more complex like "Is *Robert Stiehl* ever going to pitch?"  We will be rolling out some of the information we are gathering for you soon, but don't wait on us if you have a burning question on a player.  Go ahead and ask, maybe we have the answer for you ready to go, but we most certainly will try and find out if we don't.

So if you're ready, so are we.  Ask away!

Thanks,

The Minor League Reports Staff

[Ryan in Houston]

anyone know why the astros chose not to protect this guy from the Rule 5 draft?  did they just decide that Astacio had more upside and stuck with him?  anyone think we are going to be lamenting this decision in 3 years a la the hidalgo over abreu decision?

-RMG

[Jacksonian]

Obviously the Astros were not overly high on him. I don't recall him ever being placed on the Astros 40-man roster. I don't think the Astros were overly impressed with his arsenal despite his minor league success. A fairer comparison than Astacio might be with Jared Gothreaux. JG was added to the 40-man after having a comparably successful minor league career. The Astros obviously believe that Jared has a better shot at being a successful mlb pitcher than DJ. DJ is suppose to the Astros looked more like a AAAA pitcher than a mlb one.

No lamentations. Houlton isn't near Abreu or Hidalgo in talent.

[JimR]

don't even say those two guys' names in the same sentence.

he'd be ok if we had kept him, probably, but he definitely was not worth a spot on the 40 man.

[jasonact]

I haven't heard anything about Griffiths since his one start last year. He's not on the 40-man. All I really know about him is what I see on the stat line. Although his MLB stats are awful (only 45 1/3 innings over 2 seasons), his minor league stats don't look too bad. What's the thinking on this kid? Might he help the big club soon? I'd hate to think we didn't get anything of any value for Hidalgo.

[Jacksonian]

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I haven't heard anything about Griffiths since his one start last year. He's not on the 40-man. All I really know about him is what I see on the stat line. Although his MLB stats are awful (only 45 1/3 innings over 2 seasons), his minor league stats don't look too bad. What's the thinking on this kid? Might he help the big club soon? I'd hate to think we didn't get anything of any value for Hidalgo.

Griffiths was outrighted to AAA in November, removing him from the 40-man.  He's more of a #5 or middle relief guy. Honestly IMO he's pretty far down the depth charts as far as starting pitching goes.  The real value in the Hidalgo trade was losing Richard's contract.

[John]

great news on minor league reports!  OK, so I do have a burning question.....is Robert Stiehl ever going to pitch??

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
great news on minor league reports!  OK, so I do have a burning question.....is Robert Stiehl ever going to pitch??

Good question, should of thought of that myself!

From last season's OWA interview of then Asst. GM Tim Purpura:

Quote:
OWA: If able, can you discuss the injury status of players like Rory Shortell, JP Duran, Rob Stiehl, Tony Pluta and the health of Jimmy Barrett?

TP: Shortell- recovering from Tommy John surgery. Had two prior surgeries in college so we weren?t surprised by his injury. He is throwing sides with no complaint and building arm strength. Duran was released in ST. Stiehl is in extended, no complaints or pain and is building arm strength and endurance. Could be back o?n the mound at a full season club in a month or so. Looks really good at time, especially when he is consistent with his arm slot. Pluta is rehabbing from TJ surgery also, and is throwing sides right now. As is typical he has good days and not so good days, but is making steady progress. Barrett is working o?n strengthening his posterior shoulder and a recent MRI showed no rotator cuff or labrum injuries. Should be ready to go out in 4-6 weeks.

Steihl did come back to pitch several innings at the end of the Salem season.  It was good that he got back out on the mound for some real competition instead of continued extended spring rehabilitation.  This winter, Steihl was not on the Instructional League roster, so we wonder if he is giving his arm some rest before hitting it hard again this year to come back all the way.

He is a pitcher everyone will want to keep an eye out on to see if he recovers or not.  His injury did take velocity away from his arsenal and that was his big calling card when drafted.

[pravata]

Article on  McLemore

The Link

[coop]

While I've never seen him pitch, the thing I have to wonder though considering that at 24 where he's projected to be in Corpus Christi (AA) is "how much of a prospect is he?".

[BALUA]

Thanks for the staff's effort
Pluta underwent TJ surgery in 2003 and seems miss 04 season
could he pitch healthy in 2005???

[coop]

Outside of Buchholz, Astacio and Nieve, three other lower level minor leaguers I think that are worthy of keeping an eye on are Matt Albers, Mitch Talbot, and Jason Hirsch.

[pravata]

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Outside of Buchholz, Astacio and Nieve, three other lower level minor leaguers I think that are worthy of keeping an eye on are Matt Albers, Mitch Talbot, and Jason Hirsch.

In addition to those guys, these are the other minor league pitchers that the organization invited to the Nolan Ryan pitchers camp this week,

RHP Jimmy Barthmeier (13th-round pick in 2003), LHP Mark McLemore (fourth-round pick in 2002), LHP Troy Patton (ninth-round pick from Tomball in 2004), RHP Wandy Rodriguez (11-6 at Round Rock in 2004),

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
Thanks for the staff's effort
Pluta underwent TJ surgery in 2003 and seems miss 04 season
could he pitch healthy in 2005???

This is taken from Tim Purpura's comments last season on Pluta:

Pluta is rehabbing from TJ surgery also, and is throwing sides right now. As is typical he has good days and not so good days, but is making steady progress.

That he didn't pitch last season and Stiehl did means he had more setbacks in his rehab.  Neither Stiehl nor Pluta appear on the Instructional League roster, so they both must be working their own program or resting their arms this winter to get back to work this season.

[No? in Austin]

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Outside of Buchholz, Astacio and Nieve, three other lower level minor leaguers I think that are worthy of keeping an eye on are Matt Albers, Mitch Talbot, and Jason Hirsch.

In addition to those guys, these are the other minor league pitchers that the organization invited to the Nolan Ryan pitchers camp this week,

RHP Jimmy Barthmeier (13th-round pick in 2003), LHP Mark McLemore (fourth-round pick in 2002), LHP Troy Patton (ninth-round pick from Tomball in 2004), RHP Wandy Rodriguez (11-6 at Round Rock in 2004),

Of the players you guys mentioned, several had stints in the Instructional League to either get more work or work on mechanics with instructors.  Jacksonian is planning on giving the lowdown on what pitchers were at Instructional League for this season, but a couple of names to remember right there with the guys you both have mentioned is Felipe Paulino and Juan Guiterrez.  The sleeper may be Guiterrez.

[Bannie]

I'm living in Ft Worth.  Both the papers up here had several articles on the Rangers pitching camp.  Interesting that nothing was said about the Astros camp in the Houston media.

[Bannie]

By the way.  Thanks for doing this.  Looking forward to the season.

[Jacksonian]

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Outside of Buchholz, Astacio and Nieve, three other lower level minor leaguers I think that are worthy of keeping an eye on are Matt Albers, Mitch Talbot, and Jason Hirsch.

Like Noe said, I'll have more on some of the players all of you have been asking about in the near future.  One note about Albers.  He had an attitude problem during the season that got him into some trouble.  The Astros were very reluctant to get into their side of the story.  He and the Astros seemed to have resolved the issue.  We'll see how the Astros handle him, but I'd expect he'll be in Salem in 05.

[Jacksonian]

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By the way.  Thanks for doing this.  Looking forward to the season.

You're welcome.

[No? in Austin]

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While I've never seen him pitch, the thing I have to wonder though considering that at 24 where he's projected to be in Corpus Christi (AA) is "how much of a prospect is he?".

The Astros have done this before with the AA club.  Travis Smith, Mike Burns, Brandon Puffer to name a few, even the return of Eric Ireland two season's ago to give it one more try in this organization.  McLemore seems to be following the pattern of those pitchers and although Travis Smith never made it to the big show with Houston, he did manage to make it with the St. Louis Cardinals the following year after his AA stint in Round Rock.

There are chances for pitchers to move up quicker than positional players.  In the year that Mike Gallo moved up to the big leagues, he started in A Ball Lexington.  He was dissapointed he was starting so low, but he was promoted to AA Round Rock after a month, then AAA New Orleans two months later and then the big leagues in September.  He made the Houston Astros team the following year.

[Jacksonian]

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While I've never seen him pitch, the thing I have to wonder though considering that at 24 where he's projected to be in Corpus Christi (AA) is "how much of a prospect is he?".

The Astros have done this before with the AA club.  Travis Smith, Mike Burns, Brandon Puffer to name a few, even the return of Eric Ireland two season's ago to give it one more try in this organization.  McLemore seems to be following the pattern of those pitchers and although Travis Smith never made it to the big show with Houston, he did manage to make it with the St. Louis Cardinals the following year after his AA stint in Round Rock.

There are chances for pitchers to move up quicker than positional players.  In the year that Mike Gallo moved up to the big leagues, he started in A Ball Lexington.  He was dissapointed he was starting so low, but he was promoted to AA Round Rock after a month, then AAA New Orleans two months later and then the big leagues in September.  He made the Houston Astros team the following year.

Mclemore has made a steady climb up the Astros org since being drafted out of college.  He spent one year at short-season, one year at low-A.  He was not spectacular there.  And he spent one year, last year, at high-A, his best season so far.  I think it says a lot about him that the Astros used a 40-man spot for him.

[stubbyc]

Do you have a scouting report on McLemore? There must be something about him that the Astros really like because he wasn't nearly as good (statistically) as Houlton or Burns who weren't added to the 40 man.

[stubbyc]

Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

[awrr]

Quote:
Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

for all the grief we get about having a severely depleted farm, i don't think this is a weak list at all.  we don't have the wealth of prospects like the best teams, but we certainly have enough to make a deal happen (if we're alive come the deadline).  i'll be interested to see where we end up in their talent rankings... surely we come up from our dip to 29th last year.  it's a shame i have class at 2, i was looking forward to asking some questions in the chat.

[jaklewein]

I was a little surprised to see that Gimenez was left off BBAmerica's top ten list.  I know he's struggled offensively through his minor league career, but from what I'd heard, thought his defense would be enough to keep him in the mix.  On a positive note, I'm pretty sure that he's performed well in winter ball.  Is he set to start the year at AA?

[Jacksonian]

Quote:
Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

Zobrist is not a high ceiling guy according to BA.  He's pretty mature and was likely too good for the NYPL hence the good stats.  Expect to see him in Salem in 05 so we'll see how he does there.

Qualls is expect to be in the Astros bully as he performed well at the end of last season, so that would be one explanation for why not.

[Jacksonian]

Quote:
Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

Since you've given the list and the link I'd encourage anyone who has an intelligent question for their email chat to send in a question early.

[Jacksonian]

Quote:
I was a little surprised to see that Gimenez was left off BBAmerica's top ten list.  I know he's struggled offensively through his minor league career, but from what I'd heard, thought his defense would be enough to keep him in the mix.  On a positive note, I'm pretty sure that he's performed well in winter ball.  Is he set to start the year at AA?

You have to take into account what BA looks for in their lists.  They are a potential first, performance second group when making the lists (hence Pence over Zobrist).  And, they love offense, even from defensive positions which is likely why Gimenez isn't there.  But, heck, go to BAonline and ask them yourself today.

[jaklewein]

 I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

I'm pretty sure that Zobrist played in the Rookie League and was fairly old (24?).  So I'm sure that everyone (including the Astros) will look at next season as a good reading for this kid.  I'm guessing that he'll get bumped up the High-A Salem, with a possible bump to AA not being out of the question, should he find success....as the Astros will push him due to his age factor.

[jaklewein]

 You have to take into account what BA looks for in their lists.

Yeah, I know....but I also thought that they (BBA) weighed more heavily in favor of prospects at higher levels (ie Burke as our #1 prospect), and Gimenez did play at AA last season.

[Jacksonian]

Quote:
You have to take into account what BA looks for in their lists.

Yeah, I know....but I also thought that they (BBA) weighed more heavily in favor of prospects at higher levels (ie Burke as our #1 prospect), and Gimenez did play at AA last season.

My guess is they don't project him to do much offensively, so they don't rank him as high.  But, go ask them yourself.

[stubbyc]

Quote:

Quote:
Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

Zobrist is not a high ceiling guy according to BA.  He's pretty mature and was likely too good for the NYPL hence the good stats.  Expect to see him in Salem in 05 so we'll see how he does there.

Qualls is expect to be in the Astros bully as he performed well at the end of last season, so that would be one explanation for why not.

Zobrist may not be a high ceiling guy, but it's hard to argue with the 31/43 K/BB rate or the .339/.438/.463 line he put up.

The thing that made me think Qualls was going to make it was where they ranked Leicester (. The Cubs constantly receive praise for such great arms, but Leicester seems to have the same kind of stuff with much worse control.

[Jacksonian]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:
Baseball America's Top 10 list came out today for anyone who's interested.

1. Chris Burke, 2b
2. Ezequiel Astacio, rhp
3. Willy Taveras, of
4. Mitch Einertson, of
5. Troy Patton, lhp
6. Matt Albers, rhp
7. Taylor Buchholz, rhp
8. Fernando Nieve, rhp
9. Josh Anderson, of
10. Hunter Pence, of

The Link

I'm surprised neither Zobrist or Qualls made it.

Zobrist is not a high ceiling guy according to BA.  He's pretty mature and was likely too good for the NYPL hence the good stats.  Expect to see him in Salem in 05 so we'll see how he does there.

Qualls is expect to be in the Astros bully as he performed well at the end of last season, so that would be one explanation for why not.

Zobrist may not be a high ceiling guy, but it's hard to argue with the 31/43 K/BB rate or the .339/.438/.463 line he put up.

The thing that made me think Qualls was going to make it was where they ranked Leicester (. The Cubs constantly receive praise for such great arms, but Leicester seems to have the same kind of stuff with much worse control.

BA would argue that Zobrist was too advanced for the NYPL and that his numbers are overblown because of it.  The thing I like though is that you never know what's going to happen.  Look for him in Salem this year and see how he does against more advanced pitching.

[jaklewein]

 My guess is they don't project him to do much offensively, so they don't rank him as high. But, go ask them yourself.

I'd normally be all over the chat session with Jim Callis, but have a 3:30meeting and won't be available to do so.  If the question isn't answered then I'll email him tomorrow.  I've found the BBA staff to be very accomodating.

[VirtualBob]

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I'm pretty sure that he's performed well in winter ball.  Is he set to start the year at AA?

He hit .308/.342/.483 ... 7BB & 34K (ugh) but overall a nice surprise.  Interestingly, he spent about 1/3rd of his time at 1B since Raul Chavez was the regular catcher.

As far as where he will start the season, I'm betting on a repeat of AA.

[jasonact]

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As far as where he will start the season, I'm betting on a repeat of AA.

Why don't you think they'll try him in AAA?

[mrpink]

My apologies if this is common knowledge, but is he invited to spring training?

[No? in Austin]

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My apologies if this is common knowledge, but is he invited to spring training?

No.  Not at this time any way.  The minor leaguers on the 40 man roster get to report to the major league camp and spring training invitees like Wendell, Burba, Gipson, Rivera and Norton also get to come to big league camp.

Most of minor leaguers report to minor league camp that usually starts several weeks after big league camp starts.  We will have some interesting information on Einerston later, as Jacksonian disemenates all the Instructional League info we've recieved.  Einerston was on the IL roster this winter for a reason.

Stay tuned.

[No? in Austin]

Minor league conversation with Jim Callis at Baseball America is wrapped and located at the following link for your reading pleasure:

LINK:  Houston Astros Minor League Chat Wrap - Baseball America

[VirtualBob]

Quote:
Why don't you think they'll try [Gimenez] in AAA?

First, there is the pattern (Carlos Maldonado, John Buck) of having catchers who were highly thought of but only marginally successful with the bat repeat AA.  Chris Burke at 2B might also fit this pattern.  (Or even CF Mike Rosamond who flunked out his second year).

Second, there is the fact that the 'Stros have resigned a couple of journeymen ... Chris Tremie & Dax Norris.  They both figure to get AB's to help some team, but I would expect Gimenez to play full-time.  Conclusion:  Norris & Tremie will split time at AAA.

And third, both Round Rock (first year in AAA) and Corpus Christie (first year ever) will probably get some support from the organization in terms of fielding a winning team.  This is very common these days for new minor league affiliates.  They will not undermine player development, but in a 'close call' they will (imo) opt for giving a guy like Gimenez a chance to do really well at AA rather than risk him struggling at AAA.

[Jacksonian]

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Why don't you think they'll try [Gimenez] in AAA?

First, there is the pattern (Carlos Maldonado, John Buck) of having catchers who were highly thought of but only marginally successful with the bat repeat AA.  Chris Burke at 2B might also fit this pattern.  (Or even CF Mike Rosamond who flunked out his second year).

Second, there is the fact that the 'Stros have resigned a couple of journeymen ... Chris Tremie & Dax Norris.  They both figure to get AB's to help some team, but I would expect Gimenez to play full-time.  Conclusion:  Norris & Tremie will split time at AAA.

And third, both Round Rock (first year in AAA) and Corpus Christie (first year ever) will probably get some support from the organization in terms of fielding a winning team.  This is very common these days for new minor league affiliates.  They will not undermine player development, but in a 'close call' they will (imo) opt for giving a guy like Gimenez a chance to do really well at AA rather than risk him struggling at AAA.

It should also be said that Gimenez is only 22 years old.  He won't turn 23 until the end of September.  He's the right age to be in AA.  IMO, a great deal of strength in a catcher is experience and maturity.  I don't like the idea of rushing catchers and think they should be given as much time as necessary to show improvement despite their reputation.

[jaklewein]

 And third, both Round Rock (first year in AAA) and Corpus Christie (first year ever) will probably get some support from the organization in terms of fielding a winning team. This is very common these days for new minor league affiliates. They will not undermine player development, but in a 'close call' they will (imo) opt for giving a guy like Gimenez a chance to do really well at AA rather than risk him struggling at AAA.

Very interesting point VirtualBob.  Funny, but I guess I never thought about the big league organization thinking about the success of it's minor league affiliate...at least not under the terms that you posted.

[BALUA]

last year Astros named new director of scouting
Paul Ricciarini,would the movement change astros'
draft philosophy or give the farm syetem any change??
thanks

[jaklewein]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I think I remember reading that Lakey used his roots to concentrate the scouting of players from and around the state of TX.  I believe I read that Ricciarini's roots are from the north east (possibly Pennsylvania?) and that could in turn cause the Astros to start signing more players from that area.  

Going off memory here so you might tempor your enthusiasm for filing such info away, at least until someone else confirms.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
And third, both Round Rock (first year in AAA) and Corpus Christie (first year ever) will probably get some support from the organization in terms of fielding a winning team. This is very common these days for new minor league affiliates. They will not undermine player development, but in a 'close call' they will (imo) opt for giving a guy like Gimenez a chance to do really well at AA rather than risk him struggling at AAA.

Very interesting point VirtualBob.  Funny, but I guess I never thought about the big league organization thinking about the success of it's minor league affiliate...at least not under the terms that you posted.

The Astros are putting a huge emphasis on the minor league affliates putting in class facilities for the players.  Houston controls the players, the teams control the facilities and sales/merchandising.  Team owners in the minors had a huge concern for the sales/merchandising side and facilities and ballparks were left well behind.  The Astros started to look for teams willing to re-invest into the facilities side and that lead to some pressure for teams such as Kissimee, Jackson and Michigan.  Eventually for New Orleans as well.  Houston wants to put the players not only in good competitive leagues, have them compete for championships if possible, but also come to better than average facilities.  Up and down the lineup of the minor league system, Houston has very good facilities to offer the players so distractions can be minimize and potential maximized in that way.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
last year Astros named new director of scouting
Paul Ricciarini,would the movement change astros'
draft philosophy or give the farm syetem any change??
thanks

Good question.  The answer is "no scouting philosophy change" of course.  Development is also a key to the minor leagues and that will not change as well.  Houston will still concentrate on pitching and developing that as the backbone of everything they do.  You can get a snapshot of what that scouting and development philosophy looks like from the Minor Opinions interview with Tim Purpura last year:

 OWA interviews Tim Purpura on the Minor League Sytem

As for the move of Riccarini to Director of Scouting and also resignation of David Lakey, however, it did raise some eyebrows for those who follow the Astros closely.  It was somewhat unexpected on both fronts.  Here are the two strengths of each:

* Lakey: excellent scouting background.  Has the skills to administrate scouts well and give direction for the scouting philosophy.

* Riccarini: Riccarini was Hunsicker's right-hand man, a perfect sounding board. Hard to believe he wanted the job or director of scouting. He prefers to go out and see players. A scouting director is more of a desk guy.  Riccardini's greatest contribution to Hunsicker was being the point man for the diamonds in the rough finds that Gerry was fond of giving a chance to play.  Independent league players like Brandon Puffer or players from other organizations like Ricky Stone were good examples of Riccarini's excellent work.

Face it, last year Tim Purpura took on more administration of the minor leagues to help offset the loss of Lakey.  That gave Riccarini a chance to grow into the position.  With Purpura now at the helm of the big league club, guys like Riccarini, plus new assistants like Al Pedrique and Matt Galante will help.  As far as pure development of players philosophy, that will not change.  Dewey Robinson has been the unsung hero on the development side of the house.  His work on the Astros pitching bible is just now getting it's just due at the home office level.  One of his first moves for the organization, Tim Pupura made sure he introduced Dewey Robinson and all the development guys and also Riccarini and the scouts to the rest of the organization for honor and recognition for laborious work and the reason Houston was a successful organization.

That went a long way to reconnect the energy for these guys who now have more of a presence under Pupura in the eyes of the home office group than they did under The Hun.

BTW - JimR. of the OWA is also connected to scouts who may know a little more about Riccarinni than what I offered so far. Hopefully he will add some stuff if that is the case.

[jaklewein]

What's the story on this guy?  I year or two ago, he was one of the few young (drafted out of highschool if I remember right) hitters having success in the system.  Last year he gets only 200+ ABs and hits only .268 at Lexington.

Does he have upside, or is he just turning into a filler type player?

Thanks.

[VirtualBob]

Quote:
What's the story on this guy?  I year or two ago, he was one of the few young (drafted out of highschool if I remember right) hitters having success in the system.  Last year he gets only 200+ ABs and hits only .268 at Lexington.

Does he have upside, or is he just turning into a filler type player?

Thanks.

Reincarnation of Dick "Stonefingers" Stuart.  Also known as "Dr. Strangeglove".  Or to compare him to Michael Jackson ... They both wear a glove on one hand for no apparent reason.

[Greg]

Matt Albers-

What's the scoop on him? Everything i read says that he has attitude problems but nothing more. Last year he wasnt ranked in the top 10 prospects now he is number 6! He is one of the (i guess) select few at the pitching camp with Nolan Ryan. Where will he start next year in the farm system? Why am i only finding that he has attitude problems when he is ranked as our 6th best prospect and 3rd best pitching prospect?

[Agent Smith]

Humphries struggled last year with injuries, the main problem being a wrist which kept him out of action for over a month.

He turned 22 in February. Next season should be a big barometer for him.

[Agent Smith]

After an alcohol-related incident during the All-Star break, Matt did some rehab and after a month or so came back to Lexington. He'll likely start at Salem in 2005.

You might want to check out the MO report on RHPs (#1 of 3) for more info on Albers. Interestingly enough, he was taken in the draft one round after the Astros selected Justin Humphries. Both are Houston-area kids.

[VirtualBob]

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You might want to check out the MO report on RHPs (#1 of 3) for more info.

Has this been reissued for 2005?  Where would it be?  Or are you referring to last year's MO report??

[Agent Smith]

I refer to last year's update, which includes info from 2003 and 2004.

Talks are underway about updating the information.

[jaklewein]

 Last year he wasnt ranked in the top 10 prospects now he is number 6!

Actually, BBAmerica ranked him #9 last year....so maybe not as big a jump as you thought.

[lonm]

Where is Ronnie Martinez on the Top 10 Prospect list?  I was very surprised not to see him listed.  He had another outstanding season in 2004, to follow up great ones in 2002 and 2003.  His WHIP in his three seasons with the club are 0.99, 1.13, and 0.89 last year!  Not another pither in the minor league organization has been that good for the past two years let alone past three.  

On top of that he was named the NY-Penn League PLAYER OF THE YEAR for this past season in which he was 11-2 with a 1.96 ERA in his 15 starts, and was in the top five of nearly every major pitching statistic for the league.  Pitchers do not usually win that award as it typically goes to an everyday player, but he was that good for Tri-City last season.  He was also very good in his playoff starts as he helped them advance to the Championship Series before losing.

Other than the fact he played at short-season A rather than a full-season A club, what can they say negative about his numbers?  He may not be the Astros best pitching prospect as he does not have a blazing fastball or unbelieveble breaking pitches like some of the others, but he has what most of them don't, excellent control.

As we have seen over the past few seasons with Redding, great "stuff" does not translate into success in the majors without knowing how to control it.  The flip side is you look at pitchers like Glavine, Maddox, Moyer that don't have great stuff, but do have the pinpoint control, and all they do is win, win, and win.

[Jacksonian]

Quote:
Where is Ronnie Martinez on the Top 10 Prospect list?  I was very surprised not to see him listed.  He had another outstanding season in 2004, to follow up great ones in 2002 and 2003.  His WHIP in his three seasons with the club are 0.99, 1.13, and 0.89 last year!  Not another pither in the minor league organization has been that good for the past two years let alone past three.  

On top of that he was named the NY-Penn League PLAYER OF THE YEAR for this past season in which he was 11-2 with a 1.96 ERA in his 15 starts, and was in the top five of nearly every major pitching statistic for the league.  Pitchers do not usually win that award as it typically goes to an everyday player, but he was that good for Tri-City last season.  He was also very good in his playoff starts as he helped them advance to the Championship Series before losing.

Other than the fact he played at short-season A rather than a full-season A club, what can they say negative about his numbers?  He may not be the Astros best pitching prospect as he does not have a blazing fastball or unbelieveble breaking pitches like some of the others, but he has what most of them don't, excellent control.

As we have seen over the past few seasons with Redding, great "stuff" does not translate into success in the majors without knowing how to control it.  The flip side is you look at pitchers like Glavine, Maddox, Moyer that don't have great stuff, but do have the pinpoint control, and all they do is win, win, and win.

The lack of pure stuff is a big reason why BA doesn't list him as high.  BA's ratings start with projectable "stuff" from a pitcher.  Then they move on to performance.  You have got to take all the top 10 listings, even ours, with a grain of salt.  Noone knows how a player will perform tomorrow much less over the course of several seasons.  I suspect, though I'm not going to spend money to see it, that Martinez is somewhere in their 11-20 rankings.

[lonm]

Another question that I asked him, but was not answered was about Jesse Carlson.  While certainly he struggled last season at Round Rock, although I think I read somewhere he had some injury problems, he had two tremendous season in 2002 with Detroit and 2003 with the Astros.  He as nearly unhittable those years with great control as he had a WHIP of 0.76 and 0.84, respectively, so I was shocked to see we released him.  

They skipped him over high A last year directly to AA as he was at Lexington in 2003, so him struggling a bit was not that unusual, especially with the TL being so strong offensively.  And even so his numbers were not horrible last season.  But I saw just a few weeks ago that Carlson was picked up this offseason by Toronto, along with a couple of other former Astro farmhands, Alfaro and Nannini.  Has anyone heard why we released him?

[jaklewein]

I've got a subscription, but this copy will be sold at most gas stations etc. from Feb 2nd through the 8th.

Top Hitter
Burke

Top Pitcher
Astacio

Cream of the Crop
Nieve
Taveras

Best of the Rest
Albers
Anderson
Barthmaier
Bucholtz
Gimenez
Gutierrez
Jimerson
Martinez-Ventura? (Never seen the Ventura part before)
Scott
Talbot
Whiteman

Worth Noting
Gothreaux
Einertson
Zobrist

[Agent Smith]

Quote:
Where is Ronnie Martinez on the Top 10 Prospect list?  I was very surprised not to see him listed.  He had another outstanding season in 2004, to follow up great ones in 2002 and 2003.  His WHIP in his three seasons with the club are 0.99, 1.13, and 0.89 last year!  Not another pither in the minor league organization has been that good for the past two years let alone past three.  

On top of that he was named the NY-Penn League PLAYER OF THE YEAR for this past season in which he was 11-2 with a 1.96 ERA in his 15 starts, and was in the top five of nearly every major pitching statistic for the league.  Pitchers do not usually win that award as it typically goes to an everyday player, but he was that good for Tri-City last season.  He was also very good in his playoff starts as he helped them advance to the Championship Series before losing.

Other than the fact he played at short-season A rather than a full-season A club, what can they say negative about his numbers?  He may not be the Astros best pitching prospect as he does not have a blazing fastball or unbelieveble breaking pitches like some of the others, but he has what most of them don't, excellent control.

As we have seen over the past few seasons with Redding, great "stuff" does not translate into success in the majors without knowing how to control it.  The flip side is you look at pitchers like Glavine, Maddox, Moyer that don't have great stuff, but do have the pinpoint control, and all they do is win, win, and win.

Glavine, Maddux and Moyer are pretty severe exceptions to the rule. A far higher percentage of the relatively few people in the world who can throw a baseball over a plate at 93+ MPH make a successful career in MLB relative to the number of people who can't break eggs.

Essentially a kid who does well in the lower minors and has great raw potential is going to be viewed more highly by an organization like Baseball American than a kid who does extremely well at the same level but has merely average tools.

[JimR]

David Lakey got crossways with Hunsicker. his brother, Gordon, who is my close friend said there was fault on both sides and that David did not do what he needed to do to stay. he first was demoted, then he resigned. i do not know anything about his successor.

[VirtualBob]

Quote:

I saw just a few weeks ago that Carlson was picked up this offseason by Toronto, along with a couple of other former Astro farmhands, Alfaro and Nannini.  Has anyone heard why we released him?

Not being on the 40 man roster and having spent the requisite number of years in pro ball, these guys were all minor league free agents.  I do not know if we tried to re-sign them.  (Nannini, of course, was traded a couple of years ago, but we might have tried to sign him back.)

[lonm]

I'm sure your correct with that on Alfaro and Nannini, but I don't think that addresses Carlson as he was only drafted in 2002.  He only has 3 minor league seasons, so I don't believe that makes a player a free agent.  I think it takes six season to become one.  The thing I think of is it has to do with the fact we did not draft him, Detroit did.  We signed him as a free agent prior to the 2003 season.  This means we only control him for the length of the minor league contract, or basically one season.  Isn't that typical that a minor league free agent signs just a one season contract?

But we would most certainly have had interest in bringing back a player who had the kind of success he had in his first two seasons, regardless of struggling some last season.  Especially considering he was skipped a level (high A) to go directly to AA.  

Maybe we tried to resign him, and he simply got offered more money with Toronto, or did not want to return to the Astros for some reason.  My question still stands, has anyone heard why Carlson was not brought back by the Astros?

[VirtualBob]

Quote:
I'm sure your correct with that on Alfaro and Nannini, but I don't think that addresses Carlson as he was only drafted in 2002.  He only has 3 minor league seasons, so I don't believe that makes a player a free agent.  I think it takes six season to become one.  The thing I think of is it has to do with the fact we did not draft him, Detroit did.  We signed him as a free agent prior to the 2003 season.  This means we only control him for the length of the minor league contract, or basically one season.  Isn't that typical that a minor league free agent signs just a one season contract?

But we would most certainly have had interest in bringing back a player who had the kind of success he had in his first two seasons, regardless of struggling some last season.  Especially considering he was skipped a level (high A) to go directly to AA.  

Maybe we tried to resign him, and he simply got offered more money with Toronto, or did not want to return to the Astros for some reason.  My question still stands, has anyone heard why Carlson was not brought back by the Astros?

The original signing team gets either 4 or 6 years (depending upon age at signing) after which anyone not on the 40-man roster is free to sign with any team.  In Calrson's case, he was released by his original team, and once he was a free agent, he is no longer subject to the 4/6 year rule.

[lonm]

Thanks for the info Bob.  That is what I suspected since we did not draft him.  But do you or anyone else know why he and the Astros decided to not sign him to another minor league contract for this coming season?  

Surely you would think they would want to keep him arm in the system given his 2002 and 2003 numbers, he is a lefty, and supposedly had on of the nastiest breaking pitches (slurve) in our system.

[VirtualBob]

Quote:
... But do you or anyone else know why he and the Astros decided to not sign him to another minor league contract for this coming season?  

I think that is the point of "free agency"  :-)

I don't know that we decided not to sign him ... I do know that he decided to sign elsewhere.  It was his choice.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:

Quote:
... But do you or anyone else know why he and the Astros decided to not sign him to another minor league contract for this coming season?  

I think that is the point of "free agency"  :-)

I don't know that we decided not to sign him ... I do know that he decided to sign elsewhere.  It was his choice.

While I don't know for sure why Carlson chose to go to Toronto or whether the Houston organization was hestitant to re-sign Jesse, there was a distrubing trend last year for the southpaw.  Carlson inexplicably lost velocity and conntrol last season as the 2004 campaign wore on.  Once a reliable man out of the pen, Carlson was very ineffective and very hittable as the dog days of summer approach.  No word about injury or mechanic problems that I know of, the kid just lost it.  You try not to overreact to a guy's first year in AA, since it is a huge jump into the higher levels of pro ball for many, so I doubt the Astros were too concerned about it.

But it turns out Carlson decided to move on when he was not protected on the 40 man roster and as V-Bob mentioned, that is entirely his privilege to do so.

[lonm]

So you believe it was totally his decision to leave, and maybe he felt a bit slighted by not being placed on the 40-man roster?  If you know anyone with the Astros you could ask for more specifics from I would be very interested to hear.  Thanks!

[EasTexAstro]

lonm,

You aren't Jesse's mom, are you?

Or maybe trying to collect child support?

[JimR]

Carlson is not very good. soft-tossing sidearm lefty.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
So you believe it was totally his decision to leave, and maybe he felt a bit slighted by not being placed on the 40-man roster?  If you know anyone with the Astros you could ask for more specifics from I would be very interested to hear.  Thanks!

I'm sure what we will be told is "happens all the time, part of the business of baseball".

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
Carlson is not very good. soft-tossing sidearm lefty.

And became very hittable in July/August too.  Like he was throwing BP.

[lonm]

Nope, just big Astros fan who likes to follow the farm system also, and was very surprised to see him gone so quickly after having pitched so great his first two seasons out of college.

[VirtualBob]

Quote:

Quote:
So you believe it was totally his decision to leave, and maybe he felt a bit slighted by not being placed on the 40-man roster?  If you know anyone with the Astros you could ask for more specifics from I would be very interested to hear.  Thanks!

I'm sure what we will be told is "happens all the time, part of the business of baseball".

If he felt "slighted" that really would be a problem.  He had some good outings, but it is not clear to me that he would have made the 60-man roster.

[stubbyc]

Anyone know what happened to Juan Campos? He looked like a pretty decent relief prospect.....but it appears he didn't pitch at all in 2004.

[Agent Smith]

Quote:
Anyone know what happened to Juan Campos? He looked like a pretty decent relief prospect.....but it appears he didn't pitch at all in 2004.

Juan signed with the Blue Jays, I believe as a 6-year FA, for 2004. He's had some arm trouble in the past and it probably caught up to him. Not sure specifically what did him in for the '04 season but he was able to pitch for Magallanes in the VWL.