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Some signings: Andrew Aplin and Tyler Heineman to the D-Backs, Juan Centeno to the Red Sox, Jake Buchanan to the A's (which included a ST invite), Jose Cisnero to the Tigers and Mike Hauschild to the Cardinals.
Revised prediction given events...QuoteNate Colbert on November 05, 2018, 03:06:32 pm
I'll go with Abreu, Armenteros, Stubbsand Thorntonbeing protected in the next two weeks. That would bring the 40-man roster to 38 ahead of the Nov. 20 deadline.
I'll go with Abreu, Armenteros, Stubbsand Thorntonbeing protected in the next two weeks. That would bring the 40-man roster to 38 ahead of the Nov. 20 deadline.
QuoteNate Colbert on November 08, 2018, 10:53:26 pmSeason has kicked off in Puerto Rico. Once upon a time, the LBPRC had as many as 6 teams. However, it was down to just 4 teams in last year's hurricane-shortened season and remains at that level this year. In addition to Santurce, the clubs are Mayaguez, Caguas and Carolina. LHP Jonathan Bermudez is listed on the Carolina roster after pitching in the U-23 World Cup.
In the LBPRC, catcher Ruben Castro will join Lorenzo Quintana and Colin McKee on the Santurce roster.
Kaplan:
Thornton was among the minor leaguers Houston faced a decision on before Tuesday’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.
In the LBPRC, catcher Ruben Castro will join Lorenzo Quintana and Colin McKee on the Santurce roster.
Speaking of pitching coaches, Chris Young was promoted to that position for the Phillies today. The name probably doesn't ring a bell (or rings too many bells given the two other Chris Youngs in baseball) but he was the Astros' MLB scouting supervisor hired away a year ago to be asst pitching coach in Philly. Former hitting coach John Mallee of course is also on Gabe Kapler's staff.
But the Phillies recently dismissed [Rick] Kranitz as pitching coach after one season and replaced him by promoting assistant pitching coach Chris Young, who had drawn interest from other teams. Kranitz has a more traditional baseball background, previously serving as pitching coach with the Brewers, Orioles and Marlins. The Phillies are one of the most analytically driven organizations in baseball. Analytics guides everything they do, and no doubt analytics are a big reason why they hired Young as assistant pitching coach last year. Young is well-versed in data.
Doug Brocail doesn't survive the regime change as the Rangers will now search for a new pitching coach.
Marc Topkin @TBTimes_Rays 20m ago
Hearing #Rays have started initial interviews for open coaching positions, among a bunch of candidates is Rodney Linares, longtime #Astros minor-league coach/manager, most recently with their AAA club until being let go.
He's talking about vacancies on the major league staff with Rocco Baldelli and Charlie Montoyo having left.
Bench coach Joe Espada has been mentioned in connection with managerial openings in Toronto, Minnesota, Anaheim, Arlington and (speculatively) a post-Mattingly Miami.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-gm-ross-atkins-outlines-template-next-manager/
http://www.startribune.com/thirteen-names-to-watch-for-the-job-of-twins-manager/494983211/
http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41036324-4
https://www.mlb.com/news/5-big-questions-for-rangers-ahead-of-2019/c-296667950
https://theathletic.com/639218/2018/11/07/rosenthal-nolan-arenados-future-in-colorado-the-mariners-path-forward-change-is-in-the-air-more-notes/
Prairie Dog seems like a better name but I am probably old and cranky.
The new guy makes 11 arb-eligible players...
Gerrit Cole – $13.1MM ($6.75MM)
Roberto Osuna – $6.5MM ($5.3MM)
Collin McHugh – $5.4MM ($5.0MM)
Carlos Correa – $5.1MM ($1.0MM)
Lance McCullers – $4.6MM ($2.45MM)
Will Harris – $3.6MM ($2.8MM)
Ryan Pressly – $3.1MM ($1.6MM)
Brad Peacock – $2.9MM ($2.44MM)
Jake Marisnick – $2.4MM ($1.9MM)
Chris Herrmann--$1.5MM (n/a)
Chris Devenski – $1.4MM ($0.6MM)
MLBTR 2019 estimate vs 2018 salary
Even without a new stadium in San Antonio, the Elmore Sports Group today announced announced a series of franchise shifts to occur after the 2018 season. As expected previously, the AA team will now be located in Amarillo. The Missions will now be a AAA team. The Colorado Springs Skysox will now be a club in the short-season Pioneer League (Helena in that league will lose its team). Elmore has ownership of all the teams mentioned.
- Nov. 12--deadline for a player to accept/reject QO. For each QO not accepted, Astros will receive a draft pick prior to the beginning of the 3rd round of the 2019 draft.
- Nov. 20--date rosters must be locked down for purposes of the Rule 5 draft.
- Nov. 30--non-tender deadline for arb-eligible players.
- Dec. 10--winter meetings begin.
- Dec. 13--Rule 5 draft.
- Jan. 11--Arbitration exchange day — the date on which teams and players must exchange filing numbers for arbitration. Hearings, if necessary, will begin Jan. 28.
- Feb. 13--pitchers & catchers report.
QuoteAfter finishing 5th in the league last year with a 75-68-1 record, former bench coach* Trey Hillman has his SK Wyverns club in second place in the KBO this year at 73-58-1 with about two weeks to go in the regular season.
*and answer to the trivia question "Who's the only person to manage in MLB, NPB and the KBO?"
The Wyverns finished the regular season at 78-65-1 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs which begins on Oct 27. If they win that 5-game series, they'll advance to the Korean Series to take on regular season champ Doosan Bears (who'll be overwhelming favorites given their 93-50-1 record during the regular schedule).
Hillman announced over the weekend that this will be his final season in Korea. He and his family will be returning to their home in Texas to take care of his aging parents.
Framber Valdez joined Águilas Cibaeñas in the LIDOM and pitched his first game tonight, allowing a run on 4 hits over 4.1 IP with 4 K/1 BB.
Ryan Hartman struggled again in his start in Venezuela tonight, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. Over his 4 starts for Anzoategui, he's allowed 22 baserunners in 10 IP with a 7.20 ERA.
If Seattle is in full throttle rebuild mode, what about Haniger? He's been freaking on fire for a season and a half?
From the left side, the Astros' No. 21 prospect wanted to work on hitting the ball to the opposite field. From the right side, Toro said his goal was to elevate the ball more...
After catching a bit at Seminole State College, Toro logged 15 games behind the plate in 2017. He's spent the bulk of his career (207 games) at third, but also appeared at second base in a game. "I think it's going to be huge," Toro said of his ability to play multiple positions. "I've talked with the Astros and they kind of want me -- maybe some second baseman, some third and you never know, maybe catching again. I try to work everywhere in BP."
Morrison was placed on the 10-day disabled list on July 12 with a left hip impingement, an injury that had been lingering with him for most of the season, dating as far back as Spring Training. He was activated from the DL on July 22 and played in 15 games after that [before going back on the DL]. There isn't a date set for Morrison's surgery, but he guessed it will happen in the next two weeks.Ended up having the surgery on Aug. 20 where he had a torn labrum repaired and a bone spur removed. Apparently will be good to go by spring training. Other things to note:
What would Casey or Yogi have said about such a lineup?
Trade for C.J. Cron as a cheaper ($5.2MM projected arb salary for 2019), younger alternative?QuoteC.J. Cron hit 30 homers last year, splitting time between DH and first base, but they seek more of a feared overall hitter, and could use some positional versatility...
If they are trading Cron, as seems likely, doing so before the Nov. 30 non-tender deadline makes sense.
https://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/2018/11/03/rays-tales-laying-out-the-agenda-for-a-busy-offseason/
Interesting, though my first thought was Paxton.
According to a Baltimore beat writer Sarah Gelles apparently is joining the Astros analytics group after previously working 8 years for the Orioles, moving up from intern to her most recent job as Director--Analytics & Major League Contracts. We'll have to see what her title is but she may be the Mike Fast replacement.
Ryan Divish @RyanDivish 15m ago
Sources: The Mariners are working to finish a trade that would send catcher Mike Zunino and outfielder Guillermo Heredia to the Rays in exchange for outfielder Mallex Smith. Deal could be finalized in the next day.
LMJ had Tommy John surgery according to MLB trade rumors.
Multiple reports of Mariners undergoing a complete tear-down, which would include making catcher Mike Zunino available.
- Club control for two more seasons with a $4.2MM est. 2019 salary
- .201/.251/.410 this year after posting .251/.331/.559 numbers the year before
- Tossed out 35% of basestealers in 2018, career 28%
- Does okay on the framing metrics
Kyle Glaser @KyleAGlaser 3h ago
J.B. Bukauskas is 96-97 here in the first two innings with that 86-87 slider working. Missing his spots some, but the stuff is impressive.
1. I think that service time continues when you are on the 60 day DL. Does McCullers have options? Could the Astros option McCullers down to the minor leagues so that they don't lose this year or is that just considered so scummy that no one would ever do that.
2. How does McCullers get paid this year? He's arbitration eligible. Last year, the Astros avoided arbitration by signing him to a 1 yr. contact. Does he get paid the same thing this year? Does he get a raise? Does he get a pay cut because he isn't playing? Do the Astros go to arbitration with him over this?
McCullers (as was noted in the other thread) is arb-eligible. If he does go under the knife, what does Luhnow do? Pay Lance $4.6MM (MLBTR's estimate of his 2019 salary) to rehab the entire season at FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches?
That will be an interesting call.
ETA:
Perhaps not such a tough call after all. Prior to the non-tender date, a deal simply gets worked out and Lance gets a chunk o' change that will be nowhere near the above amount.
Mike Fast announced he has a new job with the Braves.
I looks like Boras is shopping Marwin pretty hard. Via MLB.com:
Not quite front office but close enough...
Bench coach Joe Espada has been mentioned in connection with managerial openings in Toronto, Minnesota, Anaheim and Arlington.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-gm-ross-atkins-outlines-template-next-manager/
http://www.startribune.com/thirteen-names-to-watch-for-the-job-of-twins-manager/494983211/
http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-41036324-4
https://www.mlb.com/news/5-big-questions-for-rangers-ahead-of-2019/c-296667950
LBPRC news:
The Joey Sola/Astros connection in evidence as Colin McKee (68 Ks but 29 BBs in 45 innings for BC/QC this year) signs up to pitch for Santurce.
Fletcher kicked her ass.
Is all of this because he did not get promoted?
LMJ had Tommy John surgery according to MLB trade rumors.
He will miss the entire 2019 season.
Eduardo Perez @PerezEd Nov 4
Most likely the biggest free agent name in #Baseball this off season #MLB #wow
I’m a big believer in what Sig Mejdal has meant to reshaping the #Astros organization as far as Draft analysis, player Development and in game Managerial analysis. #Cardinals
Alyson Footer @alysonfooter Nov 4
Mike Fast and Sig Mejdal both opted to let their contracts with the Astros expire after the season, and they are now among the most valuable free agents on the market this offseason. Brilliant minds who absolutely have their fingerprints all over that Astros WS trophy.
Kyle Boddy @drivelinebases Nov 4
SO THE RUMORS ARE TRUE. WELCOME SIG MEJDAL AS HEAD OF WHATEVER-YOU-WANT-TO-DO TO DRIVELINE BASEBALL I'LL FIRE MYSELF TO BRING HIM ON. Ahem. I doubt Sig will come work here but I can think of no finer person to employ in.... well, basically any capacity if you run an MLB team.
Next Level Baseball @nextlevelbb Oct 27
Only one sabermetrics genius exists in MLB. Its Sig Mejdal (the inventor) and he has made Jeff Luhnow who he is in baseball. Have never understood why another team doesn't pay him more money than he can turn down. I would.
MLFAs [4]
INF Randy Cesar
RHP Matt Ramsey
RHP Angel Heredia
1B Luis Encarnacion
Bregman, Keuchel and Machete all finalists for Gold Gloves.
https://www.mlb.com/news/gold-glove-award-finalists-named/c-299683866
Formal announcement on the 12th. Apparently people think it will either be Fatbacks or Woodpeckers.
William Boor @wboor 6h ago
#Astros Forrest Whitley said tonight was the first time he’d hit 100 mph since high school.
Eric Longenhagen @longenhagen 8 hours ago
Forrest Whitley
96-99
Feel for change (86) wasn't there that inning but it's a 7
Curve 82
Slider 86
At DH, Nelson Cruz is a free agent, and, at 1B, Paul Goldschmidt has one year left on his contract.
C.J. Cron hit 30 homers last year, splitting time between DH and first base, but they seek more of a feared overall hitter, and could use some positional versatility...
If they are trading Cron, as seems likely, doing so before the Nov. 30 non-tender deadline makes sense.
The new guy makes 11 arb-eligible players...
Gerrit Cole – $13.1MM ($6.75MM)
Roberto Osuna – $6.5MM ($5.3MM)
Collin McHugh – $5.4MM ($5.0MM)
Carlos Correa – $5.1MM ($1.0MM)
Lance McCullers – $4.6MM ($2.45MM)
Will Harris – $3.6MM ($2.8MM)
Ryan Pressly – $3.1MM ($1.6MM)
Brad Peacock – $2.9MM ($2.44MM)
Jake Marisnick – $2.4MM ($1.9MM)
Chris Herrmann--$1.5MM (n/a)
Chris Devenski – $1.4MM ($0.6MM)
MLBTR 2019 estimate vs 2018 salary
MLBTR's guesses are up. It's pure speculation on players' landing spots, but I find things like this useful for contract expectations. For instance, their guess for Marwin seems pretty reasonable in dollars & years.
A comparison of Heyman to MLBTR's estimates reveals in many cases some wide discrepancies on free agent contracts (length of contract@$AAV):FWIW, MLBTR has the Astros hooking up with Ramos and Britton.
- Keuchel: 5@19 vs [email protected]
- Eovaldi: 3@15 vs 4@15
- Marwin: 4@13 vs 4@9
- Grandal: 2@10 vs 4@16
- Nelson Cruz: 2@15 vs 2@15
- Machete: 2@8 vs 2@4
- Chirinos: 2@6 vs N/A
- Morton: [email protected] vs 2@16
- Wilson Ramos: 1@9 vs 3@12
- Britton: 4@15 vs 3@11
Luhnow said something along the lines of them needing 4-5 MLB capable catchers, so I'd imagine he, Stassi and maybe Stubbs are the 3-5 group.
Catcher Chris Herrmann claimed on waivers from the Mariners bringing the roster to 34...
Let’s look at Marwin. This is his chance to get paid and he is gonna want a long term deal. I don’t think he would accept a QO for one year even if it was at a higher AAV, if he can get 5 to 7 years locked in at say 13-15/year.
I would think it gives them the flexibility to negotiate a one year deal rather than being locked into one.
Passan reports Astros not expected to extend QO to Morton.
Maybe they don't think he'll sign a contract > $50 million.
If the team that loses the player does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B. The value of the player's contract doesn't matter in this case. The 12 clubs that fall into this category are the Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees.
Trent Thornton and Forrest Whitley were named to the East squad roster for the AFL All-Star game. Will be televised on MLB Network on Saturday night.
Previously discussed over in the Rule 5 thread. It's a club option for $5.5MM. If the Astros don't pick it up (and they won't), it reverts to an arbitration case at that point.
Nate, where can I find more info on this? Thanks.
Elias' name has surfaced in regards to the open GM jobs in NY and SF.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/27/san-francisco-giants-general-manager-search-10-candidates-david-forst/
https://nypost.com/2018/09/04/the-names-on-radar-in-mets-complex-intriguing-gm-search/
Joe Perez apparently is healthy enough to play in the Australian Baseball League (ABL). The ABL was previously a 6-team league but has added 2 expansion clubs for the upcoming season: the Auckland Tuatura and Geelong Korea. Perez is scheduled to play with the New Zealand club.
JJ Cooper @jjcoop36 1h ago
I know 99 percent of people seeing this will have zero clue who Jeff Albert is, but he is a very innovative hitting coach who has always looking to learn and grow (something teams look for in 2018). He is very comfortable with using data/technology to help hitters improve.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
LHP Jonathan Bermudez (23rd round pick in this year's draft) is on the Puerto Rico squad.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
Somethings just don't happen very often. Like telling Nate that he was caberra'd almost a year ago.
Seriously, the story is really good and was worth a revival anyway.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
LHP Jonathan Bermudez (23rd round pick in this year's draft) is on the Puerto Rico squad.
Whitley, ranked No. 8 overall on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, wasn't as sharp as he was in his first two Fall League starts. He pitched at 93-96 mph with his fastball but his secondary pitches weren't as effective and he didn't command them as well as he did in his previous outings.https://www.mlb.com/news/eli-white-leads-solar-sox-past-forrest-whitley/c-299506930?tid=151437456
That can be read one of two ways:
1. They think McCullers will miss 2019 with TJS, OR
2. McCullers was already a lock for the rotation anyway, and Luhnow is only addressing who might fill the Keuchel/Morton slots
"We need to have three or four more catchers we can rely on that can catch this pitching staff," Luhnow said. "They'll be working for a manager who was a catcher and the demands are pretty high for our catchers. It's definitely an area of focus for us this offseason, no question."
We've got the top two guys coming back, and they're going to be pretty solid and ready to go. The question is how we fill out the rest of the rotation."
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, and Christian Mejias along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
LHP Jonathan Bermudez (23rd round pick in this year's draft) is on the Puerto Rico squad.
So much for those manager of the year awards...
Brian McTaggart @brianmctaggart 13m ago
Fresno manager Rodney Linares, Fresno hitting coach Darryl Robinson, Buies Creek manager Morgan Ensberg and Corpus Christi developmental coach Mycal Jones aren't being retained by the Astros for 2019.
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, Christian Mejias and Diosward Gonzalez along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
LHP Jonathan Bermudez (23rd round pick in this year's draft) is on the Puerto Rico squad.
e.g. Mickey Stanley at SS
The Astros’ defense (at least as far as the Red Sox series goes) is their own interest in making sure the Red Sox aren’t repeating the shenanigans from last year involving an Apple Watch. True or not, there was a belief on the part of someone with the Astros that Gerrit Cole’s signs might have been stolen by the Red Sox in Boston (the belief apparently is that the very veteran former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander has a code that can’t be cracked). In any case, MLB is handling this matter at the highest level, with commissioner Rob Manfred and honcho Dan Halem investigating the new matter now. The Red Sox are in a bit of a funny position after the Apple phone caper last year however, and they received only a small penalty for that episode.
Rob Bradford @bradfo 11 hours ago
Joe Kelly just told us on @WEEI that MLB had an official sitting behind bullpen in Houston checking that no chicanery was going on
I say that a little while ago on the TV scroll.t But I still haven't found any description of what the problem was.
What’s Whitley’s timeframe?
From Twitter:
3. Back to the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup--why should we give a rat's ass?
There will be some junior stros participating in the tourney. Pitchers Nivaldo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, Christian Mejias and Diosward Gonzalez along with catcher Oscar Campos and outfielder Carlos Machado are all on the 24-man Venezuela squad.
LHP Jonathan Bermudez (23rd round pick in this year's draft) is on the Puerto Rico squad.
Hadn't seen those quotes yet. But I do wonder how a Mets blogger knows more than the actual Astros beat writers.
And Morton who has already said he wants to stay with the Astros.
Adam McCalvy @AdamMcCalvy Oct 5
38-year-old Erik Kratz became the oldest position player to start his postseason debut since 3B Lave Cross of the 1905 Philadelphia A's. So, yeah, Kratz's game-sealing hit was a big deal.
Adam Berry @adamdberry 3 hours ago
Erik Kratz, crushing this postseason, on the Lave Cross connection: “He was a really good third baseman. We played together in rookie ball.”
Good source or not, McCullers' quotes aren't encouraging.
McCullers was coy when asked about a report stating he was pitching through a tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and was headed for Tommy John surgery, which would put him out for all of 2019. "We're going to figure all that stuff out," he said. "I'm pretty banged up. Other guys are banged up, too. That's going to be something down the road the next couple of days, the next couple of weeks we'll figure out."When asked if he was headed for surgery, McCullers said: "We've got to speak with the training staff. I'm going to do my standard postseason MRI stuff, see all the doctors, see how I'm feeling. I've definitely been throwing through some stuff."
This guy is a "reporter" for the Mets' SB Nation site, so I'd love to see who his Astros source is. I, for one, don't buy that the Astros would knowingly pitch McCullers with a blown UCL.
Eric A Longenhagen: Sure, Trammell looks as expected (which is good), Abraham Toro-Hernandez and Luis Barrera have been terrific. Lots of guys, it’s a great league.
Eric A Longenhagen: Have seen him twice: 93-97 t98 with big downhill plane, plus-plus changeup in the low-80s with vertical action. 11-5 curveball is a 60, slider and cutter each flash 60. Doesn’t have surgical command but he locates his stuff in general areas where they’ll play (the cutter is always to his glove side and when it misses, it misses off the plate away where he can’t get hurt, etc.) He has monster stuff.
Drellich of course is a Red Sox beat writer these days.
Hey Google, why don't you go fuck yourself.
Updated for the Marlins trade today...
Total of 18 players signed to date with reported bonuses on 14 of those. As far as how much remains in the Astros' international pool:
Pool at beg. of year.................................................................$4,983,500
Less: Amt sent to LAA in Maldonado deal............................. (250,000)
Less: Amt sent to MIA for 2 minor leaguers......................... (500,000)
Amount available.....................................................................$4,233,500
Less: Total bonus already paid out to 14 players..................(3,115,000)
Amt available for 4 other signed players/future signings...$1,118,500
Do you know that's pronounced like Abe Lincoln or Shinzo Abe?
Joe Frisaro @JoeFrisaro 9 hr ago
Breaking: The @Marlins have traded Minor Leaguer OF Adonis Giron and LHP Brayan de Paula to the #Astros for an undisclosed amount of international bonus pool money. The two prospects played for the #Marlins Dominican Summer League team.
Mark Feinsand @Feinsand 8 hours ago
According to a source, the Marlins received $500K in International pool money from Astros in today's deal.
Whatever the Houston Astros were trying to do at Fenway Park during Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday night, they got caught. In the third inning of the first game of the series, security removed a man claiming to be an Astros employee from the media-credentialed area next to the Boston Red Sox dugout, according to multiple security sources who were on the scene at the time of the incident. The man had a small camera and was texting frequently, but did not have a media credential. After the man was removed another Astros staffer intervened - according to sources who were on the scene - and tried to convince security that he was authorized to be in the area next to the dugout. The man was not allowed back into the credentialed area, but was allowed to remain in the ballpark.
Security sources say they had been warned about the man, because of some suspicious activity in Houston’s ALDS series against the Cleveland Indians. It’s unclear as to whether or not that warning came from Major League Baseball or the Red Sox. MLB Chief Communications Officer Pat Courtney acknowledged Saturday night’s incident in an email on Tuesday afternoon, saying, “We are aware of the matter and it will be handled internally.” An Astros spokesman responded to several emails about the incident, but did not deny any of the specific details provided.
The U-23 Baseball World Cup is a biennial, professional-level, National Team, baseball world championship of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The inaugural tournament was held in November 2014, in Taichung, Taiwan, as the 21U Baseball World Cup, with each team made of 21-year-old and younger players but allowed for six players to be 23-year-old and younger. Starting with the 2016 edition—in Monterrey, Mexico—the tournament has been expanded to permit nations to select players up to 23 years old for their entire rosters. The U-23 Baseball World Cup is the third-most-important international baseball tournament in terms of distribution of world ranking points, following the Premier12 and the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The rosters of national teams that participated in the tournament included professional players from clubs affiliated to the Australian Baseball League, Chinese Professional Baseball League, Korean Baseball Organization, Major League Baseball, Mexican Baseball League, Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, and Nippon Professional Baseball. (Wikipedia)
From 1938 to 2011, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), then the governing body of baseball, considered the Baseball World Cup to be the sport's major world championship. Following the 2011 version of the event, the IBAF chose to discontinue the tournament in favor of the World Baseball Classic. In 2013, the IBAF merged with the International Softball Federation to create the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). In 2014, the WBSC announced the creation of the Premier12 tournament, calling it "the new flagship pro baseball world championship," which would be held every four years. It was viewed as a spiritual successor to the Baseball World Cup and an attempt to boost baseball's bid for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The WBSC proposed that, if baseball does return to the Olympics for 2020, that the 2019 Premier12 be used as a qualifying tournament. (Wikipedia)
After finishing 5th in the league last year with a 75-68-1 record, former bench coach* Trey Hillman has his SK Wyverns club in second place in the KBO this year at 73-58-1 with about two weeks to go in the regular season.
*and answer to the trivia question "Who's the only person to manage in MLB, NPB and the KBO?"
Astros will carry 12 pitchers. Rondon and Smith are in, Straw and Harris are out.
Josh Norris @jnorris427 17h ago
JB Bukauskas has some damn nasty stuff. Sitting 95-97 T98, just whiffed Daulton Varsho on an unfair 92 mph changeup. The Astros just do not stop.
The nastiest pitcher to toe the rubber last night, Bukauskas commanded his 3-pitch mix of a 95-97 mph heater, an 88-89 mph slider with great depth, and a 90 mph changeup that he put hitters away with below the zone. He did need 61 pitches to get 10 outs, sometimes spiking multiple sliders/changeups when ahead 0-2 or 1-2 before painting the corner for 3-2 Ks. I can’t wait to see Bukauskas pitch again. https://www.prospectslive.com/the-daily-round-up/2018/10/12/arizona-fall-league-10112018-extras-extras-extras
Are you aware of any first hand accounts detailing Dawson's apparent improvement during his jump to AA? Just trying to gauge whether his improvement is real or illusory.
Jake (State Farm): Ronnie Dawson's numbers were underwhelming in the Carolina League but is there anything to like there?
J.J. Cooper: Yeah. Better defender than expected. His swing is very geared to hitting the ball out of the park, but he needs to make more solid contact to make that work. Buies Creek does slap down balls to the power alleys, so that is a cause for hope with his lack of power.
I agree. I guess I could see White getting traded if they acquire a more established 1B/DH, but I'd bet on both guys being on the OD roster next year.
Arizona Fall League kicks off tomorrow with Forrest Whitley the scheduled starter for Scottsdale.
https://www.mlb.com/news/2018-arizona-fall-league-preview/c-297098724?tid=151437456
I could see Kemp (and possibly White) used as a trade chip.
Although it will make me sad, I don't think Marisnick will be back. I suspect Tucker will get the lion's share of time in LF spot, with Kemp as the 4th outfielder getting some starts in LF and CF, and Straw taking the 5th outfielder defensive whiz spot. Or maybe Marisnick will start the season with the Stros but find himself as trade bait later on. As with the pitching, at some point Luhnow is going to turn some of these roster spots over to up-and-coming prospects.
IIRC, Harris has a team option.
Forrest Whitley, Ronnie Dawson, Myles Straw, Abraham Toro, Trent Thornton, Erasmo Pinales and J.B. Bukauskas all going to the Arizona Fall League.
Thursday, October 11 in a decisive Game 5 against Cleveland or
Saturday, October 13 in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees or
Tuesday, October 16 in Game 3 of the ALCS against Boston.
Planning challenges for players, coaches, team personnel, and fans alike.
Yes people, love is the answer.
I don't even believe what those guys were saying about you that one time.
When all logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,
You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton
Both in the Republican primaries and in the general election, white voters’ attitudes about African Americans, Muslims and immigration were more closely associated with how they voted than were any strictly economic concerns. In fact, racial attitudes were the prism through which voters thought about economic outcomes — something we call “racialized economics.” For example, after Obama became president, attitudes toward blacks suddenly became linked with people’s views on the economy: the less favorable their view of blacks, the less favorable their view of the economy. Scholars who did extensive interviews with whites in Youngstown, Ohio, and rural Louisiana reported many racially loaded statements about economic circumstances. One Youngstown factory worker said people who received government assistance had “gold chains and a Cadillac, when I can barely afford a Cavalier.”
I must have misremembered the academic credentials I noted when I was perusing the Louisiana Supreme Court's rejection of your petition for reinstatement.
I think it is Italian, no? Torino?
When does the Will Harris bitching stop?
Since June 8: 34.1 IP, 22 H, 8 BB, 42 K, 0.87 WHIP.
Over his last 11 appearances, no runs allowed in 12 IP with just 3 hits and 2 walks allowed.
MLB.com did their midseason re-shuffle of their Top 100 Prospect rankings. Tucker moves up from #17 in their preseason rankings to #10 currently, Whitley drops slightly from #9 to #11 and Yordan Alvarez moves on to the list at #54.
Isn't that what Juventus means?
No score at LA in the top of the 4th.
B. Luhnow hasn't been willing to just let go of talent. I have Harris as arbitration eligible through 2019. I expect him to be in Houston control next season just I do Marisnick who is in a similar situation.
Another former Astro in the playoffs.
You may not want to see the GDP column, it's not as friendly to the good guys.
With regard to the Rule 5 draft and the 40-man roster these players contracts are up following the post-season: Keuchel, Morton, Sipp, McCann, Gonzalez, Gattis.
Also, these players are out of options: Stassi, White, Kemp.
He was always fun to watch and ended up with a damn good career.
Hadn't thought about that. Where does he rank?
Tip of the cap to Hunter Pence who played his last game with the Giants and likely the last game of his career today. He’s a part of what the Astros are today. I’m happy that he has his own rings and that his departure was one of the first steps down a difficult but rewarding path for the Astros.
Congrats, “”Thunderpants.”
I figured they might give Tucker another day in LF before they send him home.
That's a huge drop in errors, and last year's team was pretty good. Were the decreases across the board, or were they concentrated in a couple of positions?
Rondon tries for the save...
Maldonado/Kemp/Springer the scheduled hitters in T9...
Will Harris in...
Joe Smith in for B7...
GO followed by a double and a walk puts 2 runners on with 1 out.
Will Harris throwing.
Game now tied as DJ Stewart goes deep.
Is that who gave up the 3-run shibby I just got a notification for?
Did Jake misread the play?
Is Tyler White the fat guy hitter?
I love ATT’s postgame show. Pregame is ok, but postgame is great.
If there's any light at the end of the tunnel, it involves final approval of the AT&T-Time Warner merger, which likely will result in AT&T's sports operations falling under the supervision of Turner Sports, which has the knowledge that AT&T sorely lacks in this realm.
BA with the AA lists this week. Eastern League Top 20 list was today and ex Daz Cameron was ranked 7th. Former Astros' progeny Ke'Bryan Hayes (#4) and Cavan Biggio (#14) also showed up on the list.
He was impressive enough in the Texas League that he’s being mentioned as a possible bullpen asset over the next year or two.
His fastball is in the upper-80s, maybe a tad faster than in college but not by much. He has both two-seam and four-seam types and is adept at coaxing grounders. He mixes in a curveball and slider, and he has an unusual arm angle that adds some deception. He throws strikes and one source describes him as “utterly fearless” on the mound.
All told, Scheetz projects as a viable bullpen lefty and could get a shot within the next year or two if he continues pitching like this.
Jayne has come out with her list: https://whattheheckbobby.blogspot.com/2018/09/2018-rule-5-draft-primer-and-eligible.html
At quick first glance, the only significant discrepancy between my list and hers is that she has Randy Cesar listed as a MLFA. I'll have to look at that closer but given the many years she's been doing these lists I'll be surprised if she's wrong there (note that the Astros can of course re-sign Cesar but even if they do he'll still be Rule 5 eligible).
McCullers likely to be activated in Toronto first part of next week.
Don’t have a subscription, where is he going and why?
Last I saw, the Astros and Rays were running 1-2 in overall winning percentage by their respective minor league clubs.
BA doing their Top 20 Prospects by League, starting off today with the PCL.
Kyle Tucker at #1, Yordan Alvarez at #6 and Josh James at #16.
Exes: Ramon Laureano at #12 (calling the trade for Brandon Bailey the "steal of the offseason").
Heard anything more about this, Nate? Linares and Ensberg are surprising moves, to me at least.
Graham Johnson joins the Astros for his first season as pitching coach at Quad Cities after spending the last six years as a coach at Morehead State University.
Rafael Pena joins the Astros as the development coach at Quad Cities following a stint as an assistant coach at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Pena played two years at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and two years at Western Oklahoma State.
Jason Bell will hold his first career managerial post in 2018 as manager at Tri-City. A development coach at Quad Cities last season, Bell played at the University of Central Missouri, and coached at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Heartland Community College prior to joining the Astros.
Todd Naskedov joins the Astros as the organization's complex pitching coordinator based out of their complex in West Palm Beach, Fla. Naskedov has served as a pitching coach at the community college level, a head coach and assistant coach at the high school level, and has also worked for USA Baseball as a National Team Trials Coach, and Major League Baseball as an International Envoy Coach in the United Kingdom and Holland.
[BC hitting coach Ben] Rosenthal joined the Astros last year as hitting coach at Quad Cities, where he helped lead the club to a Midwest League Championship title. He joined the Astros after a three-year coaching stint at Point Loma Nazarene University.
[BC developmental coach Nate] Shaver has over a decade of coaching experience at various levels, most recently at Wake Technical Community College.Shaver played one year with the Joliet Slammers of the Independent League, and two years at Division I New Mexico State University.
Ray Hernandez joins the Astros as development coach at Fresno after spending the last three years as pitching coach at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, Calif. Hernandez pitched in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system from 2011-13.
[BC pitching coach] Drew French is coming off of two seasons at Lee University (DII) as an assistant coach, and three seasons at Florida International University (DI). Prior to that, he spent four seasons at Alabama, three of which he was Director of Baseball Operations.
[CC pitching coach Bill] Murphy was the pitching coach at Brown University following a stint as co-manager and pitching coach for the Northwoods Collegiate League Battle Creek Bombers. Murphy graduated from Rutgers University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in history. While at Rutgers, he was a pitcher on the baseball team for three years.
We hired an extra coach in the minor leagues at each level. We found enough players who had played in college, maybe one year in the minors and understood analytics. They could explain why we asked certain things of players, and the players began to trust them.
Which is why there will be a new downtown stadium in a few years.
Per HC on 18 Sep 18, Rodney Linares and Morgan Ensberg won't return to the Astros system in 2019.
https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Astros-part-ways-with-minor-league-managers-13238749.php
More background info here, but no details regarding the changes:
https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/four-minors-coaches-wont-return-to-astros/c-295072060
So much for those manager of the year awards...
Brian McTaggart @brianmctaggart 13m ago
Fresno manager Rodney Linares, Fresno hitting coach Darryl Robinson, Buies Creek manager Morgan Ensberg and Corpus Christi developmental coach Mycal Jones aren't being retained by the Astros for 2019.
What is the issue? It is a AA facility but there will be a new stadium in a few years.
Not that it has any bearing on the likelihood of RR reverting to the Astros in 2019, but that whole "build a new stadium in SA and have the Rangers move their AAA team there" just suffered a setback.
Plan for new baseball stadium shelved
Sorry Nate. I should've known you've already been keeping us up to date. I typically only keep track of the big club and don't venture to the Bus Ride very often. I got excited when I didn't see this already posted on the Talk Zone and I jumped at the chance to start this thread.
Yeah, Nate's been keeping us educated on this for 3 years on the Bus.
I can't believe the Rangers would go anywhere but San Antonio. They would effectively be giving up the central Texas market to the Astros.
I don't know if this was mentioned on the game (didn't hear it), but this tweet came from the Fresno Grizzlies several hours ago:
Sipp robbed at the fence.
Also that turn by the AZ middle infield was amazing.
Perhaps the jumping the gun on list 2 of 2, but any consideration given to Stephen Wrenn?
WTF. Peacock with hand, foot and mouth disease
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2795311-brad-peacock-diagnosed-with-hand-foot-and-mouth-disease?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
I wonder if they’ll call up Stubbs?
Looks like their championship series with Memphis could run through Sunday (and will at least go through Saturday).
He was dealt because there was no room for him. The Astros have Springer and Reddick through the 2020 season. Tucker is perceived to have the brighter future. Alvarez had just stepped forward as a very young and very promising upcoming player. Laureano had not demonstrated that he could be in either of the other two's class of hitter. They have Marisnick through at least 2020 as a defensive player as well. For the current window no one saw him as a right now, fills a need, guy. So why have him hold a 40-man spot for nothing until at least 2021?
Keith Law: I really liked him out of AFL 2016, then the Astros changed his swing and he stunk.
Wait, I'm clueless. Where, or/ when did Elias go?
Was Keuchel highly rated? I don't remember much buzz about him.
Taubman joined the Astros organization in June 2013 as an analyst in Baseball Operations and has spent the last year as the Astros Senior Director of Baseball Operations, Research and Innovation. Taubman quickly earned promotions after joining the club, as he was promoted to Manager of Baseball Operations prior to the 2014 season, and Director of Baseball Operations in October 2015.
A graduate of Cornell University, Taubman's efforts over the years were instrumental in helping the Astros win their first World Series Championship in 2017. He has also been an essential figure in helping the Astros become perennial contenders at the Major League level, while still maintaining a top-ranked farm system.
During his time with the Astros, Taubman has been heavily involved in virtually every aspect of the Astros Baseball Operations department, including player evaluation, contract valuation and negotiation, roster construction, economic modeling and pro scouting. Most recently, he has served as a program manager to the Research and Development team, which has entailed helping to direct the day-to-day operation and the long-term vision of the team along with Director of Research and Development, Mike Fast.
Prior to coming to Houston, Taubman worked for Ernst & Young as a derivative valuation expert. He was also a member of the Ernst & Young advisory team which consulted with the federal government during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Following his time at E&Y, he worked for Barclays Investment Bank in their Equity Derivatives group as an analyst.
Taubman will work alongside Astros Assistant General Manager, Player Acquisition Mike Elias, who will continue his work in leading the club's domestic and international scouting efforts.
Kyle Glaser: Let me put it this way...in both our Astros organizational calls and Texas League calls, no one inside or outside the organization brought up Hartman as a guy who should rank for them. Of course, it's always possible the Astros are trying to hide him, and lefties tend to have a long shelf life, but right now he's not someone seen as a long-term ML prospect in the Astros system
Bregman's 100th RBI is the first Astro year since 20091999to have a 100 RBI guy with Carlos Lee.
That was around the time the rum came out.
That probably ends Bregman's consecutive on-base streak.
Come on, people.Marwin had no chance to catch that.
Lee was named for a different Lee.
That stare did not represent their best effort.
I've always found it interesting that the U.S.'s largest military installation is named after a Confederate General. And one of the least competent at that.