By Michael N
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on May 8, 2001.
(Through games of 4/30/01) The 2001 season is off to a roaring start for the Houston Astros minor league organization. The overall winning percentage of the four clubs currently playing is a whopping .653, the highest among minor league systems in baseball, and all four clubs are either leading their division or within easy striking distance of the lead.
While pitching has gotten most of the press so far, and it deserves all it has received, the story of the young season has clearly been balance between pitching and hitting. No team in the system has an ERA higher than 3.75 and three of the teams have batting averages among the top four in their league:
New Orleans – 3.75 ERA (5th), .261 BA (10th) in 16 team PCL
Round Rock – 2.87 ERA (1st), .288 BA (1st) in 8 team TXL
Michigan – 3.28 ERA (6th), .269 BA (4th) in 14 team MWL
Lexington – 3.11 ERA (7th), .292 BA (1st) in 16 team SAL
Following is a review of the first month’s worth of play for each of the Astros affiliates and a player and pitcher of the month (Note: awards limited to actual prospects).
NEW ORLEANS: 13-11, 1.0 game behind Oklahoma in PCL East
Just think how much money you might have made had you bet any knowledgeable minor league fan the New Orleans Zephyrs would lead the Pacific Coast League in homers at the end of April. Well, they do, in fact, lead the PCL in homers with 33. This despite playing their home games in one of the best pitcher’s parks in all of baseball and no AAAA retread sluggers like Chris Hatcher or Pete Incaviglia on the roster. With the power surge, though, has also come a prodigious propensity for swinging and missing as New Orleans hitters have struck out a whopping 190 times in 24 games (nearly 8 per contest).
The offense got off to a horrible start this year, averaging only 3.3 runs per game in the first seven games of the season as the Zs posted a 3-4 record. Since then, they’ve doubled their output to 6.6 runs per game over the last 17 contests and have gone a more respectable 10-7.
As for the pitching staff, outside the bloated ERAs of Mark Guerra and Scott Linebrink (each with limited duty so far), the Zephyrs to a man have done credible jobs on the hill. Starters Tony McKnight, Travis Driskill, Brian Powell, Roy Oswalt and Kyle Kessel have ERAs between 3.45 and 4.64 – which is not bad at all for the PCL. Even better is how these guys are not walking hitters and posting excellent K:BB ratios. Powell is the low-man on the totem pole with a 2.67:1 ratio, all the others have 3:1 or better.
The relief corps has been even better. Ricky Stone, Brian Shouse, JD Arteaga and Jim Mann have combined for 53K and only 9BB in 51IP. They’ve limited the opposition to 12ER in that time for a cumulative 2.12ERA, a 2-1 record and 5 saves. Man, does anyone remember when Houston last had a bullpen that put up these kinds of numbers? 1998, maybe?
Overall, the team has not won more than 3 games in a row and not lost more than 2 in any stretch. If Houston does not raid the staff and the hitters continue to improve, this team has a good chance of doing some damage in the PCL.
Player of the Month – 3B Morgan Ensberg
Morgan has really come on in the last week or so from when he was down around the Mendoza Line. He has raised his average to .259, leads the PCL in HRs (
, is among the leaders in SLG (.576) and leads the team in RBI with 16. He is also one of the few guys on the team who has shown the patience to take a walk as he is second on the team with 10.
His defense has not sparkled as brightly as it did last year, but no one should worry he’s lost any skill as a hot corner man. He’s solid as a rock with the glove.
Pitcher of the Month – RHP Tony McKnight
Quiet efficiency. McKnight doesn’t blow anyone away but he doesn’t get hit all that hard either. That combination has led to a 3-1 start for Tony with a cumulative total pitching line of 31.1IP, 28H, 13R, 12ER, 7BB, 24K, 3.45ERA. Combine his experience with Houston last year, his successful start in New Orleans this year and the lackluster start by the Houston rotation – it may not be too much longer before McKnight is wearing blood and mud.
ROUND ROCK: 18-7, 3.0 game lead over San Antonio in TXL West
Last year at this time all the talk from Round Rock was about Superman Keith Ginter. He led all of AA baseball in just about every offensive category one could dream up and basically carried the team on his back for the first month. No such one-man effort has been required with this year’s version of the Express as there are about half a dozen marquee prospects on this powerhouse of a team.
Round Rock leads the Texas League in both hitting AND pitching. In a 17-game stretch between 4/9-26, the Express went 15-2. They outscored the opposition 100-34, threw 6 shutouts (3 consecutive) and 4 times allowed 1 run in a game. Throw out an anomalous 9-12 loss in that streak and Houston’s AA affiliate allowed only 22 runs in 16 games. That’s quite simply amazing and, honestly, I’ve never seen such consistently dominating performances from an entire staff for such a lengthy stretch.
The starters (Tim Redding, Greg Miller, Brad Lidge, Doug Sessions and Carlos Hernandez) have combined for the following total line: 13-6 W-L, 125.0IP, 88H, 38R, 35ER, 41BB, 152K, 2.52ERA. What makes these early returns so amazing is that there’s much more to the story than the outstanding numbers. Redding is the only member of the rotation with a start in AA baseball prior to this season and he had the whopping total of 8 (3 playoff starts). Miller and Hernandez are barely old enough to legally drink alcohol. Sessions is a converted reliever who had not started a game that counts since 1998, while he was still in college. Lidge has the pedigree of a first-round selection but has not had more than 8 starts in a season since he was drafted in ’98 and all while in A-ball.
Back in December I told my friend and fellow AC columnist Jim R that this team had a good chance of being a better pitching squad than last year’s Texas League Champs. But there’s no way anyone could have predicted such utter and complete dominance.
Much like last year, during the pre-season there were concerns about how well the offense was going to perform and where the power would come from. Colin Porter was not put on the roster until just before the start of the season, Aaron McNeal was traded for a light-hitting middle infielder, Carlos Maldonado had potentially serious eye problems… the concerns were legitimate. Most of them have been answered. Porter has been among the league leaders in hitting all year and leads the league in triples with 5. Maldonado’s eye problems were solved and he leads the league in batting average (.413). After a terrible first week of the season, SS Eric Bruntlett has proven a very capable leadoff and clutch hitter (.280/.375/.427 13R, 12RBI, 11BB, 6K). 1B Charley Carter has done a very good job of driving in runners and leads the club with 19RBI.
The only offensive disappointment to now has been the play of 3B Royce Huffman. In his 2 previous professional seasons, Huffman has been a very good OBP guy. He doesn’t hit for power but he does have speed on the bases. As we all know, you can’t use that speed until you get on base and so far Royce isn’t getting to first often enough (.337OBP) out of the 2-hole. Should he come around, the Express offense will be that much more potent and I expect he will do so.
Player of the Month – OF Jason Lane
Last year’s Michigan BattleCats offensive player of the year has picked up right where he left off, evoking memories of Keith Ginter’s start in 2000. Lane leads or is among league leaders in the following offensive categories: AVG (.326), SLG (.686), OBP (.453), H (28), R (24), HR (9), XBH (13) and BB (14). He’s killing both left-handed (.310, 5HR) and right-handed (.333, 4HR) pitching but it’s home cooking (or the home run money hat) Lane has enjoyed most. All 9 of his homers and 15 of his 18 RBI have come while playing at the Dell Diamond.
Pitcher of the Month – RHP Tim Redding
Opening Day Tim Redding lost a 1-0 decision to Aaron Harang of Midland. Apparently this upset Mr. Redding and he proceeded to beat Mr. Harang and the RockHounds soundly twice in the next 10 days. The rest of the league is paying for that opening day “L”, too. Redding is clearly overpowering the Texas League through his first six starts. He leads the league in wins (5), innings pitched (40.2) and strikeouts (51) while posting an ERA of 1.55, which is the league’s second lowest. He’s only given up 21 hits and 11 walks, thus has allowed fewer than 1 baserunner per inning pitched.
It’s amazing to think how far this young man has come in less than two years. He was banished to the bullpen in ’99 for wildness while at Michigan and now he’s among the very best pitching prospects in all of AA baseball.
LEXINGTON: 18-7, tied with Kannapolis for lead in SAL Northern
An early congratulations to the newest affiliate of the Houston Astros as they are doing their very best to replicate the success of Round Rock in 2000. Not only are the Lexington Legends packing fans into the stands in record numbers, the team is playing great baseball on the field. In fairness, their success on the field has been aided by the fact that the Astros, despite claims of “even distribution” between the A-ball affiliates, put more experienced players on the Legends’ roster than the team in Michigan. Players such as OF Michael Rosamond, OF Mike Hill, C John Buck and Ps Mike Nannini, Ryan Jamison and Nick Roberts all have at least a year of experience in full-season professional play and their experience, at least thus far, has made a huge difference.
Offensively, this is a very interesting team. They strikeout far too often (231K in 897AB), but of the regular starters only one (SS Tommy Whiteman who is really struggling so far) has an OBP below .366 and their collective batting average is a respectable .277. The Legends also have a very nice mix of power and speed. Rosamond, Hill and OF Jon Topolski each have 13 or more extra base hits and 20 or more RBI while Rosamond, Hill, 2B Felix Escalona and 3B Ramon German have combined for 37 stolen bases in 44 attempts (84% success rate).
The pitching staff has to be thrilled with the defensive caliber of this team. The outfield is comprised of 3 guys who can play any position in the OF very capably. Tommy Whiteman is a gifted SS. Felix Escalona is a veteran 2B and C John Buck continues to shut down the opposing team’s running game. Their defensive capabilities are made that much more important given Applebee’s Park in Lexington was built with offense in mind. This fact helps put in perspective a 3.11 team ERA and just how well the team has pitched so far.
Nick Roberts (2.04ERA, 6BB/39K in 35.1IP) continues to be quietly successful. There’s got to be somebody in an organization loaded with pitching who does not get as much attention as he might deserve and Roberts just might be that guy in the Houston organization. He is not overpowering but does have a good fastball/slider combination and the key to his success will be to continue throwing strikes. In previous seasons Roberts has done a very good job of limiting hits allowed but then ruined that good work by walking too many batters. He just does not have the stuff to allow too many baserunners and then escape by getting the big K.
Mike Nannini (3.54ERA, 5BB/22K in 28IP) struggled a bit in his first couple of starts but has since settled down and leads the rotation in wins with 3. In contrast, after a very fast start, Robert Stiehl (2.66ERA, 13BB/24K in 20.1IP) has come back to earth due a bout of wildness. Sally League hitters are still not making much contact off Stiehl, only 11 total hits allowed, but the walk numbers have been gaudy in a couple of his starts and that has hurt him. Finally, 18-year old project Anthony Pluta (4.34ERA, 16BB/16K in 18.2IP) is getting an opportunity every fifth day to learn how to harness his very gifted, though raw, right arm.
Pitcher of the Month – RHP Ryan Jamison
Since his conversion from reliever to starter late last season, Ryan Jamison has been lights out. To date, Sally League hitters have not had much of a chance against Jamison who has posted the following numbers: 5GS, 36.2IP, 20H, 7R, 4ER, 2BB, 45K, 0.98ERA. The only thing not reflective of just how dominant he has been is his 2-1 won-lost record. He clearly deserves better.
As has been mentioned in the past, Jamison is not a prototypical power pitcher. He’s not going to throw mid-90s gas all night long. What he will do, though, is effectively mix his pitches, change speeds and attack the hitter. He will not give in on a hitter’s count and is not afraid to pitch inside – witness his 4 hit batsmen to this point. The rest of the staff has a combined total of 5.
Co-players of the Month – OF Michael Rosamond and 3B Ramon German
Rosamond is having a breakout offensive campaign that is justifying all the patience of the Astro organization. He is among the Sally League leaders in several offensive categories (AVG, H, 2B, HR, RBI, SB) while continuing to play his customary great defense. Why then did he not run away with this award? Because he’s repeating A-ball and playing against even younger competition this year than last. I certainly give him credit for what he’s accomplished but let’s put this in perspective. The guy he shares this award with played in the short-season rookie level at Martinsville last year. German has made a truly remarkable transition to full-season ball so far. He’s moved back to 3B from 1B where he played last year and done a capable job at the hot corner. The switch-hitter has also done a very fine job with the stick: .291/.392/.488 with 4HR, 19RBI, 7SB in 7 attempts and 12 walks.
MICHIGAN: 15-9, 0.5 game behind Dayton in MWL Eastern
Only one pitcher on the staff has an ERA above 3.79 (Travis Anderson’s 5.14) and 5 regulars are hitting .299 or above. Yet in spite of all the success, this team still does not have much of an identity. In 24 games played, not one position player has more than 20 starts at any one position, there’s no defined closer and 7 different pitchers have started a game so far. Thus it is logical to think that once this team figures itself out, there’s real potential for a powerhouse.
The one area that stands out for complaint in Michigan’s offensive performance so far is a pretty woeful team OBP of .334. This is in spite of the fact the team is loaded with players who have college experience. What the team does have is good speed. Seven players have at least 4SB on the year, and the team is going to have to do a better job of getting on base to use that speed. C Garrett Gentry (team leading .364AVG), OF Mark Hamilton (.301, 8 2B), DH Henry Stanley (.309, .901OPS) and utility infielder Tony Angel (.325) have been consistent offensive performers all season.
Pitching is probably the most interesting part of this team, primarily due to their inexperience or changing roles. 19-year old Jimmy Barrett (2.96ERA, 12BB/23K in 24.1IP) is seeing his first full-season action since being drafted in the third round of ’99 and pitching very well for rookie-level Martinsville last year. Second round pick from last year Chad Qualls (3.79ERA, 3BB/18K in 19IP) is seeing his first professional action. Jory Coughenour (2.01ERA, 3BB/16K in 21.2IP) was a starter last year in Auburn and has performed extremely well as the swing-man for Michigan this year. Then there’s Juan Campos… but more about him later.
Disappointing for Michigan’s staff has been the performance of those with the most experience. Travis Anderson and Derek Stanford are repeating this level and neither has really shown much in the way of improvement from last year. Wildness that translated to high walk totals plagued these two talented young hurlers in ’00 and continues to do so early in this campaign.
Pitcher of the Month – RHP Juan Campos
Campos was dominating as a closer last year in Auburn (team MVP) and is being converted to a starter this year. The side-arming, young (just turned 21) Venezuelan throws strikes – as evidenced by his remarkable 26-strikeout, 1-walk performance in his 26.1 innings pitched. The downside to throwing strikes all the time is that if the ball is not on the corners and gets left over the plate, you get hit. Campos has allowed 27 hits and location is something he’s going to have to work on. But the early results are very promising.
Player of the Month – 1B TJ Soto
Tried hard to find a way to justify giving this award to Garrett Gentry for his .364 batting average as a 19-year old catcher, but he’s just not hitting for power. Soto is hitting for a good average (.299), taking walks (team leading 10) and hitting for power (5HR, .612SLG). Soto was a slugging 2B for Lousiana Tech and played second for Auburn last year. He struggled like hell last year and that makes his start to 2001 very promising.