By Michael N
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on April 23, 2000.
This is the first installment of Minor Opinions’ bi-monthly updates on the progress of the teams and players in the Astros’ minor league system for the 2000 season. Included will be team updates, a “who’s hot” report and a feature called Prospect Watch.
Prospect Watch is new to Minor Opinions. My intention is to start the season following the progress of 3 players (Adam Everett, Keith Ginter and Brad Lidge) whom I think could play vital roles with the Astros in the near future. The fourth is a player I think is a real comer and steal of last year’s draft, Jon Helquist. The focus of Prospect Watch will be expanded to look at multiple players as the season goes along.
Hope you enjoy the column and, as always, ideas, criticisms and any questions are encouraged in the TalkZone or by email.
NEW ORLEANS ZEPHYRS – Overall team record, 4-10; last two weeks, 4-10. Last place, Eastern Division of Pacific Coast League.
With a 4-10 record it seems pretty safe to assume a team is not playing very well and that would certainly be the case with the Zephyrs so far this season. The team as a whole is not playing well. The starters, save Scott Elarton, have not done a wonderful job. The bullpen has been atrocious and the offense is sputtering along with a second worst in the Pacific Coast League team batting average of .232. Sure, one wants to give them credit for taking 68 walks in the 14 games played. But as soon as that happens, you notice they’ve struck out 105 times. Even spring training Superman, Marc Sagmoen, is hitting a robust .224/.298/.265. Yuck.
There are some individual bright spots. Lance Berkman is setting the wood on fire and waterbug OF Omar Ramirez has had a nice start, too. Sagmoen and Everett have been flashing some serious defense and Joe Slusarski has been lights out from the pen. But that’s proven not enough to succeed so far.
If Astros fans think the start to the season by the big club has been ugly, it can get worse and has for the Zs. This team could really use a return to form from Wade Miller, reporting to the club by Tony McKnight and/or Jeriome Robertson and some offense from Chris Truby and Adam Everett.
Who’s Hot:
Lance Berkman (OF): .333/.446/.667 in 54 ABs. 5 HR, 15 RBI, 11 BB and 10 K.
With the rest of the team basically faltering at the plate, it’s amazing the PCL pitchers just don’t walk this guy 3 times a game. His defense has also been very good. Should get a call to Houston if Mo Alou goes on the DL with his calf muscle problem.
Scott Elarton (RHP): 2 GS, 12 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 12 K, 2-0 W-L, 0.75 ERA.
Obviously the shoulder rehab has gone very well and Elarton is ready to make his first start with the Astros at Enron Field early next week. Houston could really use him.
Prospect Watch: Adam Everett
Can Adam Everett hit? That’s gonna be the burning question all season for the superior glove man on the hot seat of the C4 trade to the Beaneaters and the early returns are very oddly mixed.
OK, you say. There goes that guy again. How the heck can he say a guy hitting under the weight of Kate Moss is a mixed return? Well, 17 walks in 14 games say the results are mixed. A .149 average and 15 strikeouts tells me Everett is not making solid contact, but the .385 OBP and 10 runs scored tells me Everett is doing a credible job of setting the table for Berkman.
Should Everett, Adam continue to be patient and take a ton of pitches, he will do nothing but help himself in his quest to master AAA pitching and reassure the naysayers bemoaning the loss of Everett, Carl.
ROUND ROCK EXPRESS – Overall team record, 8-6; last two weeks, 8-6. First place, West Division of Texas League.
The big surprise in the early success of the new Astros AA affiliate has been the offensive explosion. Yes, a bit of that has to do with the bandbox stadiums in El Paso and Midland in the hitter-friendly Texas League, but I don’t think anyone would have expected a team comprised of players who were not among the offensive leaders in the Florida State League last year to bust out quite like this. The team is currently fourth in the league in pitching, but not that far behind the pacesetting Shreveport club (3.55 v. 4.15), and is second in the league in batting average at .287. If there could be one complaint, it would be that this team does not control the strikezone very well, fanning 119 times in 481 ABs while walking only 55 times.
Eric Ireland may be 0-3, with an ERA of 6.75, but in each of his 3 starts the pre-season ace of the staff has just flat lost command of his assortment of breaking stuff in one early inning and gotten hammered. He then has settled down to dominate the hitters as his 17.1 IP, 5 BB and 20 K numbers would suggest. When he is able to refine his pitches a bit and maintain consistency throughout the game, Ireland has a chance to be a good one despite not possessing a howitzer for an arm.
I’ve gotten several emails about Eric Cole and Aaron McNeal so I’ll pass along my view of their seasons so far. Cole is a nice player but, dangit, he always seems to start the season on fire and then wilt under the summer sun. So I am gonna try to reserve judgement on him until the first six weeks or so have passed. Eric has looked pretty darn good so far, though. McNeal is surprising me a bit. Not that he’s homerless after the first two weeks, as I expected him to struggle; it’s that he’s doing an excellent impersonation of Tony Eusebio with the bat. Everything he is hitting is to the opposite field or up the middle. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that kind of hitting approach but, ladies and gents, when you get a look at this guy you might rightly expect him to hit the ball into the next time zone. McNeal is huge and I don’t mean fat. Express fans are looking forward to the days ahead when bit Aaron feels comfortable enough to take some mighty hacks and jerk the ball out of the park.
Who’s Hot:
Keith Ginter (2B): .481/.597/.962 in 52 ABs. 5 HR, 18 RBI, 14 BB, 13 K.
More on this guy in Prospect Watch. Lots more.
Tom Shearn (RHP): 3 GS, 17 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 6 BB, 22 K, 3-0 W-L, 3.18 ERA.
Shearn apparently has returned to his ’98 Quad Cities form, where he once threw 52.1 consecutive scoreless innings, and has impressed. Last night he threw 7 innings of 2-hit, 8-strikeout ball to team with Mark Persails on the Express’ first ever shutout at the Dell Diamond. Only a rough first inning in Midland on 4/12 has marred an excellent start for the 22-year old right-hander, who has displayed outstanding command and the willingness to come inside on both left-handed and right-handed hitters.
Prospect Watch: Keith Ginter
There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe the start of this young 2B for Round Rock, so I will simply provide a list of his accomplishments so far.
Ginter leads all of AA baseball in the following categories: Hitting (.481), Hits (25), Walks (14, tied for lead), On-Base Percentage (.597), Slugging (.962), Extra base hits (14), Doubles (8, tied) and is second in AA in homers with 5 and RBI with 18. That’s not just the Texas League, folks. That’s the Eastern League and the Southern League, as well. All of this has been done hitting out of the 2-hole all season.
What else can you say for the kid selected by Minor Opinions as the “steal of the ’98 draft”? Well, as Third Base Tavern owner Michael McGreevey of Boston Red Sox Royal Rooters fame would say… ‘Nuf Ced.
KISSIMMEE COBRAS – Overall record, 9-5; last two weeks, 9-5. Second place, East Division of Florida State League.
The Cobras are led by a good balance of offense and defense to this point, currently ranking in the top 5 of the FSL in both categories. The only disappointment so far being last year’s first draft selection by the Astros, Michael Rosamond. He has struggled mightily in making the adjustment from short-season A ball in Auburn to the high-A classification in Kissimmee. Michael has fanned 16 times while hitting .167/.237/.259. Slow does not begin to describe the start of this enormously gifted athlete who is still just not a very good baseball player.
All other news is just wonderful. Scott Chapman, Charley Carter, Jhonny Perez and JJ Thomas are leading the offense and all are hitting above .300. Royce Huffman is hitting at a respectable .286 clip, but his OBP is a very fine .426. All five starters have been performing wonderfully. Brad Lidge, Kyle Kessel, Tim Redding and Roy Oswalt all have ERAs less than 2.61 and the fifth starter, Greg Miller, threw 7 innings of 4-hit, 2-run, 0-walk and 3-strikeout baseball yesterday.
This Cobras team is shaping up to be a powerhouse. The team is as loaded with quality young arms as last year’s Ireland and Rodriguez-led squad and the everyday players are more experienced so the offense should be at least comparable to last year’s. Should they keep winning, perhaps this club can draw more than the 300 or so a night that show up to watch them play.
Just wait until you get to Round Rock, guys…
Who’s Hot:
Scott Chapman (C): .391/.472/.717 in 45 ABs. 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 BB, 13 K.
Thank goodness for a return to health, eh? After a .327 campaign at Auburn in ’98, Chapman slumped last year at Michigan in part due to injury. Apparently he’s now healthy and returned to form.
Brad Lidge (RHP): 3 GS, 17.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 7 BB, 24 K, 1-0 W-L, 1.04 ERA.
See below.
Prospect Watch: Brad Lidge
Ah! The man with the mid-90s fastball, selected with the Astros’ first round pick in ’98, has finally arrived healthy and ready to pitch. After junking his curve and switching to a slider, his persistent arm woes have gone away. Now Brad seems ready to fulfill the promise scouts saw in his thunderbolt right arm.
In the last two starts by Lidge, combined, he has put up the following numbers:
13 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 18 K, 0.00 ERA
Does it get much better than that? Over the last 3 years in the Astros system, the only beginning to a season that can even compare to that of Lidge in my memory was that of Tom Shearn in ’98 at Quad City. But Shearn did not post these kinds of strikeout numbers…
Tim Purpura and Gerry Hunsicker must be very pleased.
MICHIGAN BATTLE CATS – Overall record, 4-5; last two weeks, 4-5. Fourth place, Eastern Division of Midwest League.
Weather is the big story here. The Battle Cats have been rained out 5 times already in the first 2 weeks of action and if you’ve seen games in Cincinnati, Chicago and Detroit on television you must know how cold it’s been in that area of the country. Just another reason this writer is very happy to reside in Texas.
The horrible weather is the excuse I’m gonna use for the Battle Cats bringing up the rear in Midwest League pitching. But in no way can you describe the production of the pitching staff as anything other than horrendous. Not only are they last in the league, they are last by a full 2 runs per game at 7.35. Not one starter has an ERA under 7. Ouch.
At least the hitting has been there. SS Donaldo Mendez, 3B Jon Helquist and 1B Jason Lane have led the offensive attack and all are posting batting averages of .300 or above and OBP of over .400. The team is currently second in the league in hitting and overall the guys have been very patient hitters who do not strikeout excessively. The only downside seems to be a lack of overall team speed.
Not much is going to go all that well, though, if the team cannot learn to throw the dang ball and get some people out.
Who’s Hot:
Donaldo Mendez (SS): .450/.542/.500 in 20 ABs. 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 4-0 SB-CS.
Lightning quick SS is healthy again and tearing up the field. He needs to, because at 21 years old he can hardly afford another year-long setback.
Prospect Watch: Jon Helquist (3B)
Helquist was a ninth round selection by the Astros in the ’99 draft, from a high school in Jacksonville (FL), who performed very well in his first exposure to professional baseball at Martinsville (rookie ball) last year. Originally signed as a SS, the Astros have decided he has the ability to play the hot corner and that is wonderful news for a franchise sorely in need of quality players at that position.
To date, Helquist has posted .320/.455/.520 in 25 ABs with 5 2B, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 5 K. He has an extremely quick bat and projectable power. Most encouraging is that in 25 ABs this year, Jon has already walked 7 times. Last season he walked only 18 times in 173 ABs while striking out 50 times.
I think this guy has a chance to make something of himself in this here game…