December 1, 2003
Editor’s note – This is the fifth in a series of installments of the annual Minor Opinions Prospect Report, an OWA exclusive.
Matt Albers
DOB: 1/20/83. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 205. Bats: L. Throws: R. Acquired: 23rd-round pick in 2001 draft out of Sugar Land Clements HS (signed prior to 2002 draft as DFE).
Spring Training Comments:
A classic Astro Draft/Follow/Evaluate selection in the mold of guys like Kile, Oswalt, Miller and others who were selected raw talents selected in the late rounds, went to junior college for a year, proved their mettle and were signed prior to the next season’s draft…the names mentioned above are three of the very finest examples of the DFE process and it’s far too early to project that kind of success for Albers…doesn’t possess the kind of off-speed stuff Kile and Oswalt had at the same age…physically Albers is similar to Oswalt in that he’s 6’ tall at best and he is somewhat comparable to all the aforementioned in that he has a very live heater that sits comfortably in the 93-94 MPH range…let’s hope over the next several seasons he progresses in a fashion like his fellow DFE signees…Matt shows outstanding arm speed and like 99% of all young pitchers, he needs to concentrate on throwing strikes with his fastball, refining his off-speed pitches and establish consistent control (7 HBP and 5 WP with Martinsville in less than 60 IP). It’s really a matter of experience for Albers…tools are there, he just needs to refine them and gain the confidence earned through success…part of the crew of players given additional tutorial last year at the Florida Instructional League…reports are that Albers was very impressive, coachable and a hard worker…has little fear and is very aggressive…where he gets an assignment this year is guesswork at this point but given the conservative nature of the organization he’s most likely bound for Tri-City…with an impressive spring, though, he could get a roster spot in Lexington…with Houston’s history of success utilizing the DFE process and the impressiveness of this kid’s arm, he’s clearly someone to keep an eye on.
Update:
Jumping from Rookie league to Short-Season A-ball, Albers cut his walk rate in half, doubled his K/BB ratio, lowered his batting average against by sixty points from 2002-2003 and led the New York-Penn League in strikeouts while finishing eleventh in ERA. In any imaginable baseball dictionary the term “improvement” barely suffices in describing Matt’s success with Tri-City.
In a recent internet chat, Asst. GM Tim Purpura commented Albers has made ‘steady progress’ and is “learning how to be a professional”. The first is obvious but the second hints at something not discussed much when talking prospects. The Houston organization is very concerned with how young players approach their new “job”, not only in workout habits and ability to take instruction but also in terms of character. How a player makes the adjustment from being big man on campus who regularly dominates the competition to being in a position where he has to really learn to be a ballplayer is crucial to his success or failure. Purpura citing Albers for making progress in this area portends just as well for him as do his statistical successes.
A concern mentioned by some league managers is that Albers has something of a dough boy body. Personally, we could care less. If he were similarly described as sloppy and lazy, maybe it would be a concern. However, that’s not been an issue reported to us and there are plenty of pitchers who have succeeded in baseball without having svelte waistlines.
Expect Albers to report to Lexington as a 21-year old next season.
Ezequiel Astacio
DOB: 11/4/79. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 160. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Originally signed by the Phillies in 1998 out of the Dominican Republic. Sent to the Astros in the Billy Wagner trade (11/3/03).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Although not at the same level as Taylor Buchholz, Astacio certainly wasn’t a throw-in in the Wagner trade. The 2003 season was a step forward in his career as he led the Florida State League in wins at Clearwater. The FSL All-Star was also in the top 15 in the league in ERA. Impressive given all the top-notch pitching talent that existed in that league this past season. One report indicated Astacio had added some speed to his fastball (now in the low-90’s) which aided his development this year. Reports also indicated that along with his age inflating between 2002-2003, he went from weighing about the same as Freddy Patek in his prime to something a little on the healthier side for a man 6’3” in height.
Although it’s hard to deny the success Ezequiel had this year in a tough high A league, his low strikeout rates are a bit troubling. It’s gonna take more than good command to master the Texas League, which is where Astacio is headed in 2004. Though we think the Dominican-born player is a quality prospect and a very welcome addition to the Astros’ upper level pitching depth, there’s a bit of a suspicion in these quarters that there was a “smoke and mirrors” component to Astacio’s 2003 success that might not carry over to AA – ala Nick Roberts and Ryan Jamison of years past. In Astacio’s favor over the other guys, though, is the newfound oomph on his heater. It tends to make one give him more of a chance at continued success.
Jimmy Barrett
DOB: 6/7/81. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 180. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 3rd-round pick in 1999 draft out of Fort Hill HS (Cumberland, MD).
Spring Training Comments:
The one player in the system who during 2002 stood up and demanded notice from the rest of baseball…like a great majority of Astro pitching draftees, Barrett was raw material which could be plugged into the machinery that seems to churn out quality young hurlers on a scale rivaled by only a very few other organizations…struggled somewhat for his first three years in the organization…not as though he was being pounded around, his failing was throwing strikes consistently and giving away too many free passes…in his second year of low-A ball, Barrett quit giving away freebies, kept the H/IP ratio to a respectable level and saw his ERA figure fall by nearly 2 runs per game off his career figure while his K/IP ratio jumped to nearly a 1-1 rate…for his effort with Lexington last year, Barrett was added this winter to the Houston Astros’ 40-man roster in order to protect his rights from those buzzards who circle the table at the Rule 5 draft…as far as his repertoire, Barrett consistently throws in the 92-93 MPH range with good movement but has the ability to crank it up to the mid-90s on occasion…also throws a curve and slider (have reason to believe he’s going to junk the slider and concentrate on the curve) but his change is still a work in progress…Jimmy is also an aggressive guy who is not at all afraid to pitch inside…doesn’t turn 22 until mid-season 2003 so for that reason is likely to report at the beginning of the year to Salem…if, however, he pitches during Spring Training or in the Carolina League as well as he did last year in the Sally League, it’s not far out of the realm of probability he’ll get a call-up to Round Rock at the beginning or certainly before the conclusion of the season.
Update:
A tale of two halves and a reminder of the learning curve of a talented but raw arm.
In the first half of the season, Barrett got clocked to the tune of a 7.50 ERA and 92 hits (including 8 HR) in just 60 IP. During his previous seasons in the system, Barrett worked on consistently throwing strikes with his fastball and earned a measure of success. A fastball alone, however, is not going to work in high-A ball unless one throws in the high-90s. Barrett does not possess such a gun, so he spent countless hours with pitching coach Stan Borowski working on becoming a pitcher and less of a thrower. As one can see, during the first half some of the lessons learned were hard ones.
Move to the second half of the season. Over 78.1 IP, Barrett allowed only 68 hits and his ERA over that 13 game span was a very respectable 3.68. Barrett himself admitted something clicked and he was very impressive down the playoff stretch for the Avalanche. He had a 21-inning scoreless streak ended in his last start of the season and he earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors in the third week of August.
Barrett’s recovery in the second half of 2003 is an excellent sign and he has the arm to be a major league starter. But we’re not quite certain he will carry over this success, at least immediately, should he be assigned with Round Rock in 2004. Of course he could also make Texas League hitters, and a couple of hack writers, look foolish from the get-go or be returned to Salem for more polish. Who knows at this point? The waters are that muddy with regard to Barrett these days.
More simply put, no one should dismiss him as a prospect but there will probably be more bumps in his development than were presumed at the end of 2002.
Jimmy Barthmaier
DOB: 1/6/84. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 210. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 13th-round pick in 2003 draft out of Roswell HS (Roswell, GA).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
A top-notch HS quarterback, Barthmaier was recruited in football by Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina (some of these schools were also interested in him for their BB programs). It was that uncertainty about whether he’d go the college football route that caused him to slide in the draft from a projected 2nd rounder down to where the Astros eventually nabbed him: the 13th round. Houston sprinkled some second round money Barthmaier’s way and, voila, instant baseball player. The $750,000 that the Astros ended up spending on Barthmaier was more than what they paid their actual 2nd round pick Jason Hirsh, who netted $625,000.
Barthmaier projects as a starting pitcher, though he’ll need to add a 3rd pitch to complement his low to mid 90’s fastball and above average slider. His adjustment period to pro ball was a pretty short one. Once he was signed on July 3, he made his pro debut with Martinsville three weeks later and gave up 4 hits and 3 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. He gave up a run in his next appearance but from there on out it was smooth sailing: just 2 runs on 14 hits allowed over his final 20.1 innings of work (including 1 IP in the Appy League playoffs) with a 15:4 strikeout to walk ratio.
Jimmy probably will be plugged in next season in the starting rotation at Tri-City. Barthmaier, Hirsh and 6th-rounder Cliff Davis give the Astros a triumvirate of big, young, talented pitchers rarely (if ever) seen in past Houston drafts. Although Hirsh likely reaches the majors first, Barthmaier probably has the biggest upside of the trio.
Taylor Buchholz
DOB: 10/13/81. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 220. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Originally a 6th-round pick by the Phillies in the 2000 draft out of Springfield HS (Springfield, PA). Sent to the Astros in the Billy Wagner trade (11/3/03).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Beeg-tine curveball. Is there anything more fun than watching a mound artiste drop Lord Charles on a helpless batsman? If you, like we, enjoy this scenario you, again like we, will enjoy watching Buchholz very soon in an Astros uniform. About the only things keeping this kid from Houston right now are the organization’s reticence to rush young pitchers and Buchholz’s lack of a fully developed changeup.
In Taylor’s defense, when a low-to-mid 90s fastball and otherworldly curveball are all that’s necessary to succeed through AA baseball as a young man barely old enough to drink it’s hard to go through the ups and downs of figuring out a pitch one might throw 5-10 times a game. But as baseball history has shown time and again, those 5-10 pitches are often the difference between a major or minor league career, a career in the bullpen or in the rotation, and a nice career in the majors versus joining the pantheon in the Hall of Fame. Looking ahead, a trip to New Orleans is about as perfect a place as Buchholz can be sent in order to work on a change. In the vast expanses of that yard he’s probably not going to pay too much for mistakes.
Buchholz had elbow chips last season but they did not cause him to miss any time and did not require surgery to repair. He’s been extremely durable, has workhorse size and stamina. The addition of a stud, nearly-ready young arm like Buchholz’s along with the return to health of Oswalt and Hernandez and continued development of Redding (Wade Miller re-emergence?) gives Houston the appearance of a rotation to be reckoned with for years to come.
Juan Campos
DOB: 3/28/80. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 200. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (5/31/97) from Monagas, Venezuela.
Spring Training Comments:
Converted into a starter in 2001, the experiment did not go as well as planned and Campos returned to the bullpen in 2002 where he, arguably, had the finest season of any bullpen member in the organization…prior to the political turmoil in Venezuela in late 2002, Campos was also tearing up the winter league there with a 2.50 ERA in 36 IP with 33 Ks and only 9 BBs…has raised his arm level, going from side-arm to more of a three-quarters delivery, and it has not affected his performance one bit…still brings the ball in the 90-92 range and his pitches run pretty well (in on lefties, away from righties), inducing lots of swing-and-misses or weak ground balls…allowed only 1 home run all season…likely joins the Salem squad as its closer in 2003.
Update:
After an ugly assignment with Round Rock to begin the season, Campos was sent to Salem to serve as the closer, a role discussed in this column last off-season. Once there, he flourished, racking up 24 saves with a puny ERA of 1.84. Juan is again spending the winter in Venezuela with Magallanes and making mincemeat of that league’s hitters (12 K in 8.2 IP with 1.04 ERA).
Tidbit: Campos has allowed only 3 home runs in the last two years combined (146.0 IP).
Not included on the 40-man roster by the Astros, Campos is a candidate for theft by a bullpen-starved organization via Rule 5. If he’s not stolen, expect him to be in Round Rock for 2004.
Mike Collar
DOB: 10/16/81. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 210. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 8th-round pick in 2003 draft out of the U of Maine.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Though some of the numbers Collar put up in college with the Black Bears were pretty doggone good (his K/W ratio during his 3-year career was 4.5:1 and rose to nearly 10:1 his junior season), he wasn’t all that highly-rated going into this year’s draft. Might have had something to do with the fact that college baseball in the northeast isn’t considered quite up to par with that in other regions of the country. Collar himself seemed surprised to have gone so high in the draft. But if nothing else, he fits the big-bodied pitcher profile that seemed to be the theme of the Astros’ 2003 draft (Barthmaier, Hirsh, Davis, Jamie Merchant, et. al.).
Collar was initially bothered by shoulder tendinitis after reporting to the V-Cats (he was on the shelf for about 3 weeks) and that might explain why he didn’t pitch very well the first month and a half of the season. His ERA until early August was 7.00. Over the final 4 weeks, however, Collar gave up just 2 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks in 17 IP while whiffing 14.
With all the talented young pitchers at the Rookie ball level who’ll be looking at making the jump next season to Lexington, it’s a bit difficult to see exactly where Collar fits in next year. Ideally, management probably wants to see him a starter at this point so he can work a lot of innings. That may not be possible at Lexington with Albers, Hirsh, Joey DeLeon, Chance Douglass, and Mitch Talbot (among others) all candidates for the rotation. Given the crowded starter situation, Collar may spend his time with the Legends next season pitching mostly out of the bullpen.
Cliff Davis
DOB: 12/31/84. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 205. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 6th-round pick in 2003 draft out of Eupora HS (Eupora, MS).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Davis was a quarterback at 2A Eupora HS who threw for 29 touchdowns his senior season and was recruited by some of the same schools that were after Jimmy Barthmaier. Like Barthmaier, his status as a football player affected where he went in the draft as he dropped from a projected 2nd/3rd round pick down to the 6th round. An Ole Miss fan since he was a little tyke, had the folks in Oxford opted to offer Davis a football scholarship the Astros probably would not have been able to sign him. Although Davis later accepted a scholarship offer from Alabama, it was only after the Crimson Tide had failed to sign some other quarterbacks higher up on their want list. Given those circumstances, it turned into a relatively easy sign for the Astros who got Cliff for slightly higher than slot money ($200,000).
Davis possesses a 92-95 mph fastball as well as a very nice curveball. He is, however, still pretty raw and it showed this past summer at Martinsville where he never was really able to get untracked. Look for a return trip next year to the M-Astros. But with the body and some of the tools this kid has, he’s just an eyelash behind Barthmaier in terms of the most upside potential of any 2003 draftee.
Joey DeLeon
DOB: 10/21/82. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 195. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 18th-round pick in 2001 draft out of Nixon-Smiley HS (Nixon, TX).
Spring Training Comments:
Other than what happened with Burke, the biggest disappointment in the system was the sophomore slump of Joey DeLeon…disappointment comes partly because of wanting for him to do well…many of you may recall the tragedy that befell the young man just prior to his being drafted when the mother of his little girl was killed in a car accident…Joey sucked it up, reported for duty and basically proceeded to take out a little revenge on professional hitters in 2001…on his return to action this year, however, DeLeon basically could not catch a break…hitters didn’t get a ton of great swings off of him but he suffered from bouts of wildness and when they happened he paid for them big time…didn’t pitch horribly but he did end up leading the circuit in losses during 2002…ultimately his future may lie in the bullpen but a guy who can throw the ball in the 93 MPH range and only turned 20 just prior to Xmas of ‘02 is going to get more opportunities to start…with a good showing in the spring, he may get that opportunity in Lexington…if not, it’s possible he could return for another year of short-season ball.
Update:
Joey’s back! After that disappointing 2002 season, DeLeon needed to put up some solid numbers and did just that in a return visit to Tri-City. Those control problems which plagued him last year were not in evidence in 2003 and it seemed to make all the difference in a comeback season. DeLeon’s WHIP numbers closely rivaled those of Talbot and Douglass for best of any starting pitcher in the organization. (Note: Chris Sampson’s WHIP did in fact “whip” all three, but at age 25 is five years older than this young threesome).
As noted above, DeLeon should finally make it to Lexington in 2004 where he’ll join what promises to be an absolutely awesome starting rotation. Command and development of secondary pitches will again be on Joey’s development agenda.
Juan De Leon
DOB: 6/24/81. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 160. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (5/8/01) from La Victoria, Dominican Republic.
Spring Training Comments:
If his age is to be believed, this guy is pretty exciting…Dominican import played his first year of ball in the States with Tri-City during 2002 and was hardly intimidated by the competition…in fact, despite being the youngest player on the Valley Cat roster, he was probably the closest thing to a dominant player the team had all year…sports a fastball in the 91-92 range with a curve and changeup…as with most players not yet 20 years old, there’s a lot of room for projection as his body reaches maturity and it’s impressive that he already throws pretty hard while at the same time also has a clue where the ball is going…am not sure what the Astros are going to do with him next year but given that he joined the FIL roster this winter, it seems a good bet that he might get a shot at earning a roster spot in Lexington at age 18…if that goes well and the number of candles on his birthday cake don’t magically increase by 3 instead of 1 next June, we just might see the budding of a star in the next year or two.
Update:
Well fudge, we may as well just automatically add 2 years to the age of any Dominican prospect. All of ’em are guilty, unless proven innocent by the INS. In the present case, 19-year old Manuel Flores morphed into 22-year old Juan De Leon. The visa process which sorted out De Leon’s real identity also resulted in a month and half delay to the start of his season as Juan was unable to join Lexington until mid-May. It was an abbreviated season on both ends for De Leon who got kicked off the Legends squad in late July for conduct unbecoming an Astro (or Astro wannabe).
Unlike teammate Cory Doyne whose suspension was later followed by his release, we’re told De Leon remains property of the Astros. For how long, we’re not sure. He obviously is on thin ice with the organization and trying to project when or where he’ll show up in 2004 is pretty much a crap shoot.
Raymar Diaz
DOB: 11/13/83. Ht.: 6-7. Wt.: 190. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 47th-round pick in 2002 draft out of Laredo Community College (signed prior to 2003 draft as DFE).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
The Astro organization has been intrigued by Diaz for years and continued to draft him in late rounds until they finally got him signed this past June. Primarily an OF until a recent conversion to the mound, the 6’7” Diaz is something of a freak for an Astro hurler. He’s been clocked in the low-90s but is still raw material.
There’s no definitive word as to whether Diaz will remain in the bullpen or shift to the rotation but given his lack of experience, it’s fairly safe to assume he’ll remain in the pen next season. Raymar is currently throwing for Santurce in the Puerto Rican League, a nice distinction for a guy who has only seen Rookie-level baseball to this point in his pro career.
It’s hard to say for sure where he’ll be assigned next season but a jump to Lexington is not entirely out of the question. The safer bet is that he’ll remain in short-season ball with Tri-City.
Chance Douglass
DOB: 2/24/84. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 210. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 12th-round pick in 2002 draft out of Randall HS (Amarillo, TX).
Spring Training Comments:
Coaxed out of a commitment to Rice University by an offer of third-round money…something of a coup by the Astros in that Douglass clearly had upper-round talent but teams were scared off by both the commitment to Rice and a slight shoulder injury he sustained at the end of his HS season…shoulder turned out to be no big deal and Douglass joined the Martinsville team after signing…reportedly was somewhat tired after leading Randall to the Texas schoolboy playoffs and he did not have the radar gun readings he’d flashed earlier in the year…no matter, though…so long as he’s healthy, and all reports from FIL action indicate he is healthy, he has a power arm that reaches 93 MPH…also a helluva hitter, setting just about every Amarillo-area HS hitting record before graduating…sky-high on the intelligence and maturity ratings…a solid worker and a young man humbled by injury he sustained a couple of years ago, which threatened his ability to remain an athlete, as well as a recent life-threatening illness to his father…don’t want to predict that Douglass will move quickly through the system, as his off-speed pitches aren’t exactly polished…but if one believes that adversity combined with intelligence and inner-drive makes a young man grow up a lot quicker, then one can foresee the possibility Chance will shoot up the ladder…as for next year, a conservative will tell you he’ll be in Tri-City…more ambitious folk will tell you he’s going to tear it up in spring and get a late invite to Lexington…we’ll go with the former but we’ll see what happens.
Update:
For some strange reason, the folks in charge opted to send the talented Mr. Douglass back to Martinsville for another year. And it was no surprise then that he pretty much tore through the league. How nice it would have been to get a better reading on Chance if he’d faced stiffer competition at either Lexington or Tri-City. The Astros will never, ever be accused of rushing players, will they? Of course, when you move players along sloooowly then you have to worry about losing guys in the Rule 5 draft. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Lexington (we hope) should finally be Chance’s destination in 2004. One of the few baseball players of any caliber to have been produced by the Texas Panhandle (the list pretty much begins and ends with Perryton native Mike Hargrove), Douglass remains one of the Astros’ top young pitchers. One caveat should be mentioned: the Amarillo native suffered a knee injury which cut short his 2003 season by a couple of weeks and prevented him from participating in Fall Instructional League. That’s all we know at this point — we’ll pass along further details when we get ’em.
J. P. Duran
DOB: 9/13/79. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 185. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: 6th-round pick in 2002 draft out of St. Mary’s of San Antonio.
Spring Training Comments:
Pocket-sized righty is best known for a hellacious curveball…also has a slightly above average fastball…if Duran is going to move in the system, he’s probably going to have to do so from the bullpen…he’s never been a starter and at 23 he’s not likely to be converted…will probably go from Tri-City to Lexington.
Update:
Have heard no definitive word on why he missed all of 2003 or his status for the future. The only thing known is that he is in rehab (for shoulder, elbow?) and expected to recover. When more is known, we’ll pass it on.
The only reason his name survives on this list is due to his high-round draft status.
Rodrigo Escobar
DOB: 2/11/83. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 170. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (8/6/99) from Cartagena, Colombia.
Spring Training Comments:
Colombian import had an utterly dominant 2001 season for Venoco in the Venezuelan Summer League…2002 was his first with a US-based team and the pint-sized right-hander acquitted himself quite nicely, leading Martinsville in IP and finishing with a 3.5/1 K/BB ratio…doesn’t throw super hard (upper 80s) but he mixes in a very nice curveball and change with what some call a bulldog mentality and very good control…had some nagging little injury problems but nothing serious…quite young and there may be some projection of strength when he physically matures…if he maintains control, stays healthy and can add a little bit extra on the fastball over the next couple of seasons he could end up an asset.
Update:
That Escobar could not make it with the Legends out of the pen at the beginning of the season is troubling. He reportedly did not take well to switching from the rotation to work from the bully early in the season. Getting demoted to Tri-City, where he did very well, served, perhaps, as something of a wake-up call as in his brief return to Lexington he was much better (2.84 ERA, 19 IP, 19 K, 4 BB).
Where Escobar plays next year is a guess at this point. He could very well return to Lexington to further prove himself at that level but he could also be sent to Salem.
Without overwhelming stuff, Rodrigo has managed to post good K/IP ratios throughout his career. Let’s hope he can keep them up, along with the line drives to a minimum and the ground balls at a maximum.
Otherwise, his name probably disappears from this list.
Next week: RHPs (Part 2 of 3)