Greeneville 2015

[Duman]

Let's talk about the G-Stros here

[VirtualBob]

Let's talk about the G-Stros here

OK

[Duman]

Preliminary roster

Pitchers:
Albert Abreu RHP 19
Yhoan Acosta LHP 20
Brandon Culbreth RHP 22 (8th round pick from 2011 - 1st year he has been healthy)
Samil De Los Santos  RHP 21
Ryan Deemes RHP 22 - 38th round 2015
Juan Delis RHP 21
Jacob Dorris RHP 22 - side arm delivery
Junior Garcia LHP 19
Devonte German RHP 20 - 11th round 2013
Zac Grotz RHP 20 - 28th round 2015
Salvador Montano - LHP 20
Chris Murphy RHP 22 - 24th round 2015
Steve Naemark LHP 25 - 40th round 2015
Makay Nelson RHP 20 - 20th round 2015
Erasmo Pinales  RHP 20
Cristhopher Santamaria LHP 19
Ben Smith LHP 22 - 17th round 2014 - had TJ surgery and missed last year
Alejandro Solarte LHP 20
Alex Winkelman LHP 21 - 21st round 2014

Catchers
Marton Avea 21
Gabriel Bracamonte 20 - bat looked solid during BP
Kevin Martir 21 - 18th round 2015
Brian Pena  21

Infielders
Rodrigo Ayarza 20
Randy Cesar 20
Osvaldo Duarte 19
Connor Goedert 21 - 15th round 2014
Arturo Michelena  20 - GREAT arm - glove....not so much (at least from me watching one practice)

Outfielders
Justin Garcia 21 - 17th round 2015
Brauly Mejia 20
Aaron Mizell 21 - 32nd round 2015 - was also working at 2nd & 3rd.  Paul Runge was working with him on the DP turn during BP
Luis Payano 19
Myles Straw 20 - 12th round 2015 - easily the fastest kid on the team. 

[Nate Colbert]

Brandon Culbreth RHP 22 (8th round pick from 2011 - 1st year he has been healthy)

Refresh my memory--what have been Culbreth's injury problems over the years?

Junior Garcia LHP 19

Great, two Junior Garcias and both pitchers and both in SS ball. That'll make things nice and confusing. At least one is a lefty and the other a righty.

[Duman]

Refresh my memory--what have been Culbreth's injury problems over the years?

My understanding was it was UCL issues they tried to rehab but were unsuccessful.  He had TJ surgery and missed all of last year.  He is one big dude.

[Reuben]

The names that jog my memory as being big-ticket Int'l signings, over-slot HS draftees, or otherwise notable are German, Duarte, Michelena, and Payano. Am I close?

[Duman]

That is a good list of players to watch.

[Nate Colbert]

The names that jog my memory as being big-ticket Int'l signings, over-slot HS draftees, or otherwise notable are German, Duarte, Michelena, and Payano. Am I close?

Connor Goedert was an overslot signing at $200K last year.

[Duman]

Connor Goedert was an overslot signing at $200K last year.

He was playing 1st base primarily during the first practice.  He played mostly 3rd last season.

[Duman]

Roster is up on the website now.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Is Gabriel Bracamonte related to Javier?

[Nate Colbert]

Is Gabriel Bracamonte related to Javier?

Not related is my understanding.

[Nate Colbert]

Salvador Montano on the mound tonight for the G-Stros. Tossed 5 scoreless, whiffing 5 in the process. Lefty out of the DR who whiffed 87 in 64 IP in the DSL last year.

Duman: anything interesting there? Is he really that skeeeeny (listed at 6'3" 150 lbs)?

[Duman]

Yes he is that skinny - looked even skinnier with high socks.  He was a mixed bag, struggled with control at some times and made great pitches at others. Got swings and misses when he needed the.

I say this every year but it is worth repeating. Not all teams in the appy are equal. Danville and Elizabethon don't have a Tri City equivalent. This is there highest short season team. So you often face older better players when you face them. So that makes Montano's outing more impressive.


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[Nate Colbert]

You mentioned age so I thought I'd look up where the G-Astros stand this year as far as relative age. The pitching staff is tied for 2nd youngest in the league at 20.2 while the league average is 20.8. Hitters are tied for 3rd youngest at 20.3 (average age is 20.5).

B-Ref

[Duman]

I was able to take in all the games this weekend.  Here are a few observations:

Overall - Starting pitching is impressive.  Here are the lines from the starters this weekend:

Salvador Montano 5 IP/2 H/ 0 R/ 3 BB/ 5 K Game Score 65
Erasmo Pinales 5 IP/ 3 H/ 2 R/ 1 ER/ 2 BB/ 5 K  Games Score 58
Junior Garcia 5 IP/ 2 H/ 0 R/ 1 BB/ 4 K  Game Score 66

So combined, that is 15 IP/ 7 H/ 2 R/ 1 ER/ 6 BB/ 14 K

That is a 0.60 ERA and a 0.866 WHIP.

The most impressive was Garcia who also pitched around an error in each of the first four innings.  In two innings, it was the leadoff batter, yet he allowed no runs to score.  Also had a 9-1 G0/AO.

Brandon Culbreth looked good out of the pen. 
Samil De Los Santos looked dominate - 9 pitches for his one inning.
Steve Naemark looked good and was called up to Tri Cities after Saturday's game.

In the field, I love the look of this outfield!  Straw covers a bunch of ground in Center and Mizell looks good in left.  Mejia didn't get many chances in RF but I am hearing good things about him. 

Duarte looks good at SS.  Made some errors but all were on tough plays.  2nd Base is needing someone to step up.  Stainback is adequate but let a few balls get through that he should have had.  Mizell is learning the position and it shows (he played there Sunday).

Bracamonte needs to quiet down behind the plate. Everything in blocked involved a big dramatic movement.  Avea & Martir looked cleaner behind the plate.  With 4 catchers on the rosters, we will get an idea of pecking order as the season progresses based on playing time.

Goedert (pronounced Ged-ert) is settling in at 1st.  He made a great play over there on Friday night. 

Randy Cesar looks solid at 3rd.

At the plate:

Goedert is on fire.  He had 6 of the Astros 11 hits during the three games.  He also walked twice.  He had a double and a triple.  If he keeps this up, he won't be here long. 

He is the only real bright spot I saw this weekend. 

Straw shows flashes.  He went 2 for 10 this weekend but also took 2 walks.  He had a hit in each of the first five games before he went hitless Sunday. 

The top three in the line up, Duarte, Straw and Mizell all have good speed and should make things interesting on the bases when they reach. 

This is not a great series to assess bats as  they faced older advanced pitching.  Of the 10 pitchers they faced, only one was an international signing.  Of the other 9, only two were drafted after the 10th round. 

[Duman]

Connor Goedert is on fire! He went 3 for 4 last night with a HR.  He is now hitting .520 / .586/.840.

Randy Cesar hit a grand slam last night.  The G-stros combined for 15 hits in a 10-6 victory over Princeton. 

They made two more errors to add to their league lead of 21.  They have a seven error cushion over second most.

Five of those errors have been made by pitchers.  Four have been made by Justin Garcia who is learning 1st.  Four have been made by Osvaldo Duarte at SS. 

[Nate Colbert]

Connor Goedert is on fire! He went 3 for 4 last night with a HR.  He is now hitting .520 / .586/.840.

Goedert homered again today.

[Duman]

Last night, Astros offence benefited from a bunch of E-Twins errors.  They scored three in the first off only one hit. They ended up scoring eight runs but only three were earned. 

Erasmo PInales looked solid starting.  He struggled with his control some. 
Alex Winkleman pitched three solid innings in relief - struck out 6 batters.
Cristhopher Santamaria was dominate in his two innings - K'd 3.
G-Stros pitchers combined for 15 K's

Brauly Mejia is showing signs of waking up.  He had two of the G-Stros seven hits last night.
The Astros had only three hits through the first 7 innings. 
Connor Goedert went hitless but walked twice. One was intentional to load the bases in the 8th with no outs. (That didn't work out well.)
Osvaldo Duarte got on base three times.  A double and two walks. 

The two errors made last night were by a pitcher and a catcher.  The catcher error was on a tough squibber that he fielded and threw wide of first base.  He had to make a quick play and the runner was in his way. Would have been a great play if he made it. I like Martir behind the plate.  He is the best of the group I have seen so far. 

[Duman]

Last night, the G-Stros had 16 hits and scored 10 runs against Elizabethton to take sole possession of 1st in the Appy West.  A few observations. 

Connor Goedert is too good for this level.  He went 4-5 last night with a double.  He has now hit in 9 out of 10 games this season and has reached base in all 10.  He hits the ball hard consistently.  The double he hit last night was a ball down in the zone and he went down and got it and drove it over the CF's head. 

Osvaldo Duarte had two hits for the third time in four games.  His average is up to .293. He had a double & a triple last night.  He also looked solid at SS. 

Aaron Mizell also had two hits and now has two hits in 4 out of the last 5 games. 

Myles Straw also had two hits last night.  He covers a great deal of ground in CF.  He also got to show his wheels scoring from second easily on a single. 

Less than a week ago, Randy Cesar had a bingo batting average (0-59).  He has since raised his average to .171.  He had two hits last night and hit his first double of the year.

Brauly Mejia also had two hits and made a great diving catch in LF.  He is another batter who is starting to come around.  He is 5 for his last 12.

Ford Stainback also joined the two hit party.  He got his first hits of his pro career and his first RBI.  He also had two walks, so he was on base in each plate appearance last night. 

Gabriel Brachemonte didn't get a hit but he walked twice and scored twice.  He looked better behind the plate last night too.  Much quieter.

Hector Roa struggled in his G-Stro debut.  He went 0-5 with 2 K's

Overall, it was a good hitting night for the G-Stros. They were 9 -18 with runners in scoring position. They only K'd 4 times and took 7 walks. 

Junior Garcia threw 4 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk.  The 19 year old is impressive.  He is a bit inefficient, going deep into counts but makes the pitch when he needs to.  He struck out 4 batters and now had 10 K's in 11 1/3 IP to only 3 walks. 

Jose Montero made an appearance on a rehab assignment.  He pitched a scoreless inning in relief. 

Ryan Deemes struck out 6 in three innings but was a bit wild as well.  He had two wild pitches and gave up 4 hits and a run.   

Brandon Culbreth couldn't find the zone last night.  He entered the game with the G-Stros up 10-1.  He gave up three hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning.  He left the game with the bases loaded and the score 10-3. 

Joselo Pinales came in the close the game out, getting the final out in his 1st appearance since being sent down from Tri Cities. 

Most complete game I have seen this year.  No errors on defense.  Good pitching (except Culbreth).  Good approaches at the plate and solid base running. 


Greeneville's team ERA after 100 1/3 innings pitched is a league leading 2.24 and they have struck out 99 batters while walking 42.  Not to shabby. 

[Duman]

Rodrigo Ayarza sent down to GCL
Andrew Thome called up from GCL -NDFA  out of North Dakota hadn't pitched in GCL yet.

[Duman]

Bunch of bullpen moves:

Jose Hernandez called up from GCL
Jose Montero still rehabbing sent down to GCL
Alex Winkleman called up to Tri Cities

[Duman]

Hector Roa has a five game hitting streak going.  He is 10 for 20 during the streak with three HR and three doubles. 

Connor Goedert has continued his hot streak.  He went 4 for 5 last night with a double. 

Aaron Mizell is a mixed  bag.  In the last four games, he is 8 for 19 with three doubles but of the 11 times he has gotten out, six of those were Ks. 

[juliogotay]

Hector Roa has a five game hitting streak going.  He is 10 for 20 during the streak with three HR and three doubles. 

Connor Goedert has continued his hot streak.  He went 4 for 5 last night with a double. 

Aaron Mizell is a mixed  bag.  In the last four games, he is 8 for 19 with three doubles but of the 11 times he has gotten out, six of those were Ks.

Mizell appears to be a prototype middle-of-the-order Astros type with those #s.

[Duman]

Several transactions this week:

Mizell called up to Tri Cities
C Brian Pena sent down to GCL
LHP Matt Bowers called up from GCL

Hector Roa was the Appy player of the week

[Nate Colbert]

LHP Matt Bowers called up from GCL.

Bower. Not being promoted as he was just signed. Greeneville his first assignment.

[Duman]

You are correct.  I read the transaction wrong.

[Duman]

C Christian Correa moves up from GCL

[Nate Colbert]

C Christian Correa moves up from GCL

As does 19-year old Aussie pitcher Lachlan Madden.

Appy League Transactions Page

[Duman]

Brandon Culbreth has announced his retirement from pro baseball. 

[Duman]

Hearing word that some significant comings and goings will happen today. 

[astrosfan76]

@GvilleAstros: Kyle Tucker and the #37 MLB draft pick @daz_cameron16 as they join the @GvilleAstros today! We can't wait to welcome them! (2/2)

In a related move, Hector Roa has been promoted to Tri-City.

[Jacksonian]

In a related move, Hector Roa has been promoted to Tri-City.

That's a great move for the town and fans.

[Reuben]

That's a great move for the town and fans.

And for this site. Can't wait for some first-hand reports on Tucker and Cameron from Duman.

[Mr. Happy]

And for this site. Can't wait for some first-hand reports on Tucker and Cameron from Duman.

+1 Duman's got a pretty good eye.

[juliogotay]

Cameron and Tucker both go 3-5 in their debut last night. Cameron with a 3B and Tucker a 2B.

[Duman]

Saw them play today.  Here are impressions from a very small sample size.

Cameron is a man.  He appears very physically mature with more room to grow.  He made a great diving catch in center field going to his right.  It was in the seventh with runners at first and third.  If he misses, the ball goes to the wall. Great catch. 

At the plate, he went 1 for 2 with two walks.  He stole a base but what was more impressive, he avoided a pick off where he got caught leaning.  He basically juked the first baseman out of his jock and got back to the bag.  It was one of the most impressive things I have seen.  He then stole the base later in the at bat.  In his three times on base, I bet he got at least 8 throw overs. 

Tucker went 0-4.  But he had several hard hits that were right at people.  He is less physically developed than Cameron.  In comparison to the other outfielders, he looked less athletic.  That is not necessarily a knock on Tucker.  Myles Straw was in left and he has great speed.  Cameron was in center who probably has very good speed.  So Tucker is probably above average but it is hard to see it when you share the outfield with those two guys. 

There was one thing that bothered me about Tucker that I want to watch for the next time I see him (wont be until the 16th) - He seemed to be nonchalant about getting a ball in once with runners on base.  I am not sure it cost a base but it could have.  He just didn't attack the ball with the amount of aggression I would like to see. Again, could have been an isolated thing but I am going to keep an eye on it. 

Someone who was at the game in Kingsport last night said Tucker made a great diving catch in that game. 

Other observations from my games so far this year:

Osvaldo Duarte can be a very good short stop at times.  However, errors seem to come in pairs with him.  He has been moved to the 9 spot in the order and I think that has bothered him some in the field.

Ford Stainback is a good college sign.  He probably wont get much above high A but is a solid second base and hits very well. 

COnnor Goedert has cooled off after a good start.  My son picked up that he appears to be getting long in his swing.  Leading with his shoulders going for power.

Luis Payano has been very hot as of late.  I that the he and Brauly Mejia are going to lose at bats because of Tucker & Cameron being up.  They are good players but may get squeezed out.  Both had slow starts to the season and are better than their numbers indicate. 

No one has stood out to me behind the plate.  Not a big fan of Bracamonte.  He is not quiet behind the plate.  Just about any movement he makes has a dramatic flourish to it.  It has improved some since the first time I saw him this year.  It was on every play, not it is just when he has to block a ball. I like Matir the most out of the bunch.  He is solid but not spectacular. 

Most of the impressive arms have moved to tri cities in the last month.  Really liked Junior Garcia. 

[moriartp]

Your eyewitness reports are invaluable, Duman.

[juliogotay]

Yes, thanks Duman.

[Lefty]

"Myles Straw was in left"

Can't say I've ever heard of him, care to tell us a little?

[Duman]

12th round pick out of St. Johns River College in Fla.  He had committed to sign with Univ. of South Alabama but signed with the Astros.  He will turn 21 in October so he is slightly old for the league.  He is extremely fast!  He ran the 60 in 6.25 at an Astros workout in Orlando prior to the draft. 

The scout assigned to the area wanted him picked earlier but the Astros nabbed him in the 12th.  BTW that is the same scout who signed both Tuckers and McCullars - so he knows talent pretty well.

His glove is ahead of his bat, alot like both Phillips and Jason Martin were when they were here.

Missed part of July with an injury but has come back pretty hot.  Raw talent.  You can teach hitting but you can't teach speed.   

[hostros7]

What's the name of the area scout?  Has he been with the organization long or was he brought in under the new regime?


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[hostros7]

Really appreciate the report, btw.


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[Duman]

What's the name of the area scout?  Has he been with the organization long or was he brought in under the new regime?


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John Martin is his name.  He has been with the Astros since 2011 so he was a Heck hire. 

Martin spent 2011 with Baltimore as an amateur area scout in Central and South Florida. He joins the Astros with more than 25 years of baseball experience in scouting, player development and as a player. Martin has served as a scout for the Florida Marlins and Seattle Mariners, as well as in player development for Philadelphia. With the Marlins, Martin signed Gaby Sanchez and Chris Volstad. He also signed Manny Machado, the Orioles first-round pick in the 2010 draft.

[Lefty]

Great stuff, Duman.

[Duman]

Was checking the Appy League BR page.  They have more stats than the MILB page.  One that jumped out at me was that Astros catchers have thrown out 61% of would be stealers.

They have allowed the fewest stolen bases (15) and caught the most runners (23) .  Individually, all are doing well:

Kevin Martir 15 games - caught 6 of 12 (50%)
Gabriel Bracamonte 11 games- 8 of 12 (67%)
Marlon Avea 9 games - 5 of 7 (71%) - has been called up to Tri Ciities but has only appeared in one game with no action on the base paths for him.
Christian Correa 6 games - 2 out of 3 (67%)
Brian Pena 5 games - 2 out of 4 (50%)

They also have the fewest passed balls in the league with 5.

[VirtualBob]

Was checking the Appy League BR page.  They have more stats than the MILB page. 

Yes. BR has a better stat presentation.

[Duman]

A name to put on the radar.  Diogenes Almengo.  20 year old RHP out of Dominican Republic. 

He started the year in the DSL.  There he made 4 starts (17 2/3 IP).  He struck out 17 but walked 10 but only have up 9 hits. 

In mid June, he was called up to the GCL and apparently left his walks on the island.  In 7 games (3 starts/4 relief & 22 2/3 IP) he stuck out 15 but only walked 6 and gave up 19 hits.  He have up 4 runs in his first outing but then never gave up more than one an outing. 

In late July, he was promoted again.  This time to Greeneville where he has made three starts so far.  His second outing was cut short by a weather delay so he has only thrown 10 1/3 innings over the three starts.  So far in Greeneville he has fanned 9 and walked 4 while giving up 5 hits and just one run. 

Last night, he pitched 5 innings of one hit ball.  He walked one, hit one and struck out five.  This was against the E-Twins who are currently a half game behind Gville in the standings.  This was a game for first place. 

The only area of concern that I am seeing from just looking at numbers is that his ground ball to fly ball ration has dropped as he has moved up. 

He wasn't signed until he was 19.  So he got a late start on his pro career but he appears to be moving quickly.  I hope to see him next week at his next home start.

[Duman]

A few observations from the game last night. 

Daz is fast!  He tracked a ball down at the wall that looked like a double off the bat.  He also moved from first to third on a play and accelerated very quickly. He went 3 for 4 last night with a double.  Took a pick off throw to second in the back last night. 

Tucker's swing is sweet!  He looks very skinny on the field.  He has missed several homers by 10-15 feet.  When he get's some more meat on his frame, those will be well over the fence.  He hit a double in the LC gap last night that short hopped the wall.  Nice oppo power shown there.  Doesn't use batting gloves. 

Diogenes Almango - I am excited about this kids arm. FB 91-94.  Appears to have a slow curve and a slider/cutter.  Had trouble commanding the cutter/slider.  First name is pronounced (Di-o-HEN-is).

[juliogotay]

A few observations from the game last night. 

Daz is fast!  He tracked a ball down at the wall that looked like a double off the bat.  He also moved from first to third on a play and accelerated very quickly. He went 3 for 4 last night with a double.  Took a pick off throw to second in the back last night. 

Tucker's swing is sweet!  He looks very skinny on the field.  He has missed several homers by 10-15 feet.  When he get's some more meat on his frame, those will be well over the fence.  He hit a double in the LC gap last night that short hopped the wall.  Nice oppo power shown there.  Doesn't use batting gloves. 

Diogenes Almango - I am excited about this kids arm. FB 91-94.  Appears to have a slow curve and a slider/cutter.  Had trouble commanding the cutter/slider.  First name is pronounced (Di-o-HEN-is).

Good stuff, thanks. I think you are correct about Tucker. He could be a monster when he fills out a little.

[Duman]

With the win last night, the G-Stros clinch the wild card spot on the last day of the season. 

[pots]

Just a quick update.  After winning the rubber game in the semifinals, Greeneville dropped the first game of the championship series.  Today Greeneville scored 3 in the top of the 9th to win 10-8 and tie the series at 1.  They play for the whole thing tomorrow 7 EST.

[Reuben]

After hitting 1 HR in 30 regular-season games, Kyle Tucker has 2 in the 5 playoff games.

[juliogotay]

After hitting 1 HR in 30 regular-season games, Kyle Tucker has 2 in the 5 playoff games.

He also is fast and steals bases. I suppose he is why Luhnow felt comfortable dealing Phillips.

[Duman]

He also is fast and steals bases. I suppose he is why Luhnow felt comfortable dealing Phillips.

Him and Cameron.  Tucker is playing mostly RF.  Cameron is mostly playing CF.  Both are good young prospects. 

Cameron's body language wasn't great Sunday night.  He is very frustrated at the plate right now. 

His dad was in town and looks like he could still be playing.

The G-Stros came back from being down 8-3 to win 10-8 last night to force a deciding game three of the championship.  The visitor has won every game in the Appy playoffs thus far.  Let's hope the trend continues tonight. 

[juliogotay]

Him and Cameron.  Tucker is playing mostly RF.  Cameron is mostly playing CF.  Both are good young prospects. 

Cameron's body language wasn't great Sunday night.  He is very frustrated at the plate right now. 

His dad was in town and looks like he could still be playing.

The G-Stros came back from being down 8-3 to win 10-8 last night to force a deciding game three of the championship.  The visitor has won every game in the Appy playoffs thus far.  Let's hope the trend continues tonight.

The only reason I made the Tucker/Phillips comparison omitting Cameron is because the first two are LHed. Of course so is Fisher. I believe these three would be the top 3 OF prospects these days.

[pots]

Congratulations to Greeneville!  Appalachian  League Champs

Tucker with another homerun in an 8-7 win