Tag Archives: Houston Astros

2015 MLB Prospect Rankings

Houston Astros 2015 Top 20 Prospect Rankings

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By: JP Schwartz
Twitter: @Jaypers413

Every year around this time I like to rank each team’s top overall prospects. My criteria are based on A: Past Performance and B: Future Potential (50% of each per prospect)

Disclaimer: I am not a professional scout, nor did I attend any minor league games this year. These lists are the product of my own research of online scouting reports and scouting videos, as well as statistics, and are compiled purely for entertainment purposes.

Send your questions or feedback to me on twitter @Jaypers413

To qualify for these lists, a prospect must have no more than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.

HOUSTON ASTROS

1: Carlos Correa SS
2: Mark Appel RHP
3: Mike Foltynewicz RHP
4: Lance McCullers RHP
5: Colin Moran 3B
6: Michael Feliz RHP
7: Rio Ruiz 3B
8: Vince Velasquez RHP
9: Teoscar Hernandez OF
10: Josh Hader LHP
11: Domingo Santana OF
12: Derek Fisher OF
13: Brett Phillips OF
14: Kent Emanuel LHP
15: A.J. Reed 1B
16: Andrew Thurman RHP
17: Nick Tropeano RHP
18: J.D. Davis 3B
19: Delino Deshields OF
20: Kyle Smith RHP

Prospect Rankings

Houston Astros 2014 Top 20 Prospect Rankings

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By: J.P. Schwartz
Twitter: @Jaypers413

Every year around this time I like to rank each team’s top overall prospects. My criteria are based on A: Past Performance and B: Future Potential (50% of each per prospect)

Disclaimer: I am not a professional scout, nor did I attend any minor league games this year. These lists are the product of my own research of online scouting reports and statistics, and are compiled purely for entertainment purposes.

Send your questions or feedback to me on twitter @Jaypers413

To qualify for these lists, a prospect must have no more than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.

HOUSTON ASTROS

1. Carlos Correa SS


2. Mark Appel RHP


3. George Springer OF


4. Mike Foltynewicz RHP


5. Lance McCullers RHP


6. Jonathan Singleton 1B


7. Vince Velasquez RHP


8. Delino Deshields Jr OF


9. Domingo Santana OF


10. Andrew Thurman RHP


11. Josh Hader LHP


12. Nick Tropeano RH


13. Rio Ruiz 3B


14. Asher Wojciechowski RHP


15. Kyle Smith RHP


16. Danry Vasquez OF


17. Teoscar Hernandez OF


18. Kent Emanuel LHP


19. Luis Cruz LHP


20. Nolan Fontana SS

2012 Baseball Prospect Rankings

Houston Astros 2012 Mid-Season Top 5 Prospect Rankings

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By: J.P. Schwartz
@Jaypers413

As we are now halfway into the season and the signing deadline for 2012 draft picks has passed, here is my revised list of top 5 prospects in the Houston Astros organization.

Remember, a prospect must have fewer than 130 ABs or 50 IP in the Major Leagues to qualify.
(Stats through 7/28/2012)

1) Jonathan Singleton – 1B
Highest Level: AA Corpus Christi Hooks
2012 Stats:
MILB: .275, 22(2B), 4(3B), 13HR, 56RBI

2) Carlos Correa – SS
Highest Level: Rookie League GCL Astros
2012 Stats:
MILB: .221, 11(2B), 2HR, 5RBI, 4SB

3) Lance McCullers – P
Highest Level: Rookie League GCL Astros
2012 Stats:
MILB: 0-1, 2.25ERA, 8IP, 1BB, 7K, .219BAA

4) Delino Deshields – 2B
Highest Level: Low-A Lexington Legends
2012 Stats:
MILB: .298, 21(2B), 4(3B), 8HR, 46RBI, 75SB

5) George Springer – OF
Highest Level: High-A Lancaster Jethawks
2012 Stats:
MILB: .331, 18(2B), 8(3B), 20HR, 76RBI

Send your questions or feedback to J.P. on twitter @Jaypers413

2012 Baseball Prospect Rankings

2012 Houston Astros Top 15 Prospect Rankings

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By: J.P. Schwartz
@Jaypers413 on Twitter
JP’s FreedomCardboard Blog

2012 Houston Astros Top 15 Prospect Rankings

Every year at this time I like to rank each team’s top prospects. My criteria is based upon both past performance and future potential to his parent team. This is my ranking of the 2012 Houston Astros Top Prospects. If you have any questions about my rankings, feel free to shoot me a message on twitter @Jaypers413

To qualify, a prospect must have fewer than 130 at-bats or 50 innings in MLB

#1 George Springer OF
Born: 9/19/1989
Highest Level Reached: Short-A Tri City Valleycats
2011 Combined Stats: .171, 3(2B), 1HR, 3RBI, 4SB (5 hits in 28 at-bats) (1st Round Pick 2011 MLB Draft)

#2 Jonathan Singleton 1B
Born: 9/18/1991
Highest Level Reached: High-A Lancaster Jethawks
2011 Combined Stats: .298, 23(2B), 1(3B), 13HR, 63RBI

#3 Jarred Cosart RHP
Born: 5/25/1990
Highest Level Reached: Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks
2011 Combined Stats: 10-10, 4.12ERA, 144.1IP, 56BB, 101K, .241BAA

#4 Delino Deshields 2B
Born: 8/16/1992
Highest Level Reached: Low-A Lexington Legends
2011 Combined Stats: .220, 17(2B), 2(3B), 9HR, 48RBI, 30SB

#5 Domingo Santana OF
Born: 8/5/1992
Highest Level Reached: Low-A Lexington Legends
2011 Combined Stats: .287, 33(2B), 4(3B), 12HR, 53RBI

#6 Paul Clemens RHP
Born: 2/14/1988
Highest Level Reached: Triple-A Oklahoma City Redhawks
2011 Combined Stats: 8-7, 3.81ERA, 144IP, 62BB, 125K, .239BAA

#7 Adrian Houser RHP
Born: 2/2/1993
Highest Level Reached: Rookie League Greeneville Astros
2011 Combined Stats: 2-4, 4.31ERA, 48IP, 25BB, 44K, .265BAA

#8 Jonathan Villar SS
Born: 5/2/1991
Highest Level Reached: Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks
2011 Combined Stats: .241, 23(2B), 6(3B), 14HR, 52RBI, 34SB

#9 Jordan Scott OF
Born: 9/22/1991
Highest Level Reached: Low-A Lexington Legends
2011 Combined Stats: .323, 15(2B), 4(3B), 1HR, 43RBI, 12SB

#10 Brett Oberholtzer LHP
Born: 7/1/1989
Highest Level Reached: Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks
2011 Combined Stats: 11-12, 4.01ERA, 155IP, 52BB, 121K, .253BAA

#11 Jack Armstrong RHP
Born: 12/14/1989
Highest Level Reached: Third Round Pick 2011 MLB Draft
2011 Combined Stats: Did Not Play In 2011

#12 Ariel Ovando OF
Born: 9/15/1993
Highest Level Reached: Rookie League Greeneville Astros
2011 Combined Stats: .235, 10(2B), 3(3B), 2HR, 30RBI

#13 Mike Foltynewicz RHP
Born: 10/7/1991
Highest Level Reached: Low-A Lexington Legends
2011 Combined Stats: 5-11, 4.97ERA, 134IP, 51BB, 88K, .289BAA

#14 Tanner Bushue RHP
Born: 6/20/1991
Highest Level Reached: Low-A Lexington Legends
2011 Combined Stats: 6-8, 4.96ERA, 85.1IP, 17BB, 58K, .293BAA

#15 Chase Davidson 1B
Born: 1/14/1990
Highest Level Reached: Short-A Tri City ValleyCats
2011 Combined Stats: .327, 13(2B), 2(3B), 11HR, 44RBI, 8SB

Disclaimer – I did not attend any minor league games this year, nor do I claim to have any scouting experience. These lists are the product of my own research of statistics and online scouting reports.

Major League Baseball News

In Depth Behind The Scenes Look At The Michael Bourn Trade Between The Braves And Astros

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Back in July, at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, the Houston Astros traded Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves for a package of prospects that consisted of Brett Olberholtzer, Paul Clemens, Jordan Schafer and Juan Abreu. The story link below provides a behind the scenes look at the makings of the trade from the text and email exchange between Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade and Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren, to the meetings among the respective scouting departments, to the notifications to the players involved. It’s a really cool look at the simple yet complicated inner workings of a trade deadline deal.

Anatomy of a Baseball Trade — BusinessWeek.com

Prospect Rankings

2011 Houston Astros Top 15 Prospects Post Season Report Card

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With the 2011 minor league season complete we check in on the progress of each of the Houston Astros preseason Top 15 prospects as ranked by our prospect ranker J.P. Schwartz. The post season grading report was done by the publisher of Top Prospect Alert, not Mr. Schwartz, and reflects only the 2011 season and not future upside or downside of the individual prospect. Our 2012 preseason rankings will be published in the coming months.

#1 Jordan Lyles GRADE: C+
Lyles went 2-8 with a 5.36ERA for the Astros. He walked 26 and struck out 67 in 94 big leagues inning. Major league hitters batted .285 against him. In the minors Lyles went 3-3 with a 3.61ERA for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Redhawks. He walked 17 and struck out 42 in 62.1 innings of work. Opponents batted .277 against him.

#2 Delino DeShields GRADE: C
Deshields batted .220 with 17 Doubles, 2 Triples, 9 Home Runs and 48 RBI’s for the Low-A Lexington Legends. He also stole 30 bases on the season. Deshields walked 52 times and struck out 118 times in 119 games.

#3 Jonathan Villar GRADE: B-
Villar batted a combined .241 with 23 Doubles, 6 Triples, 14 Home Runs and 52 RBI’s between the High-A Lancaster Jethawks and the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. He stole 32 bases on the season. Villar walked 54 times and struck out 156 times in 130 games.

#4 J.D. Martinez GRADE: A
Martinez batted .274 with 13 Doubles, 6 Home Runs and 35 RBI’s in 53 big league games with the Astros. At Double-A Corpus Christi, Martinez hit .338 with 25 Doubles, 1 Triple, 13 Home Runs, and 72 RBI’s in 88 games.

#5 Mike Foltynewicz GRADE: C
Foltynewicz went 5-11 with a 4.97ERA for Low-A Lexington. He walked 51 and struck out 88 in 134 innings of work. Opposing batters hit .289 against Foltynewicz on the season.

#6 Jiovanni Mier GRADE: C
Mier batted a combined .239 with 21 Doubles, 1 Triple, 7 Home Runs and 52 RBI’s between Low-A Lexington and High-A Lancaster. He walked 66 times and struck out 112 times in 114 games.

#7 Ben Heath GRADE: C
Heath batted a combined .252 with 22 Doubles, 10 Home Runs and 52 RBI’s between Low-A Lexington and High-A Lancaster. He walked 26 times and struck out 91 times in 91 games.

#8 Tanner Bushue GRADE: C
Bushue went a combined 6-8 with a 4.96ERA between the Rookie League GCL Astros and Low-A Lexington. He walked 17 and struck out 58 in 85.1 innings of work. Opposing batters hit .293 off of Bushue on the season.

#9 Rod Quintero GRADE: C
Quintero was 0-1 with a 5.97ERA for Rookie League Greeneville. He walked 16 and struck out 32 in 28.2 innings. Opposing batters hit .246 off of Quintero on the season.

#10 Austin Wates GRADE: A-
Wates batted .300 with 23 Doubles, 9 Triples, 6 Home Runs and 75 RBI’s at High-A Lancaster. He also stole 26 bases on the season.

#11 Mike Kvasnicka GRADE: B-
Kvasnicka batted .260 with 32 Doubles, 4 Triples, 4 Home Runs and 59 RBI’s for Low-A Lexington. He walked 46 times and struck out 106 times in 128 games.

#12 Ross Seaton GRADE: C
Seaton went 4-9 with a 5.23ERA for Double-A Corpus Christi. He walked 47 and struck out 97 in 155 innings of work. Opposing batters hit .279 off Seaton on the season.

#13 Thomas Shirley GRADE: C+
Shirley went 0-0 with 2.08ERA combined across three levels topping out at Low-A Lexington. He walked 5 and struck out 15 in 13 innings of work on the season. Opposing batters hit .143 against him.

#14 Vincent Velasquez DID NOT PLAY
Velasquez missed all of 2011 following Tommy John Surgery.

#15 J.B. Shuck GRADE: B+
Shuck batted .272 with 2 Doubles, 1 Triple, and 3 RBI’s in 37 big league games with the Astros. At Triple-A Oklahoma City, Shuck hit .297 with 11 Doubles, 7 Triples, and 30 RBI’s. He also stole 20 bases. He walked 56 times and struck out just 30 times in 108 games.

Minor League Baseball News

VIDEO: Tayshaun Prince Epic Fail Throwing Out The First Pitch At Lexington Legends Minor League Game

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Former Kentucky Wildcats star and Detroit Pistons NBA Champion Tayshaun Prince visited the Lexington Legends the Low-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Houston Astros on fan appreciation night this past Friday. Among his duties was throwing out the first pitch between the Lexington Legends and Savannah Sand Gnats game. After much theatrics on the mound, Prince fired a fastball straight into the ground. Forward to the 2:40 mark of the video below to see the pitch.

Minor League Baseball News

Eric Surkamp To Start For San Francisco Giants On Saturday

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Multiple sources are reporting that the San Francisco Giants top pitching prospect Eric Surkamp will make his major league debut on Saturday against the Houston Astros. The 24 year old lefty went 10-4 with a 2.02ERA in 142.1 innings for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. He waled 44 and struck out 165 batters and opposing hitters batted just .213 off him this season. Surkamp is a USA Baseball alum and was a 6th round pick of the Giants out of NC State in the 2008 draft. He owns a career 25-13 record in four minor league seasons.

Major League Baseball News

Former Phillies Catcher Chris Coste Talks About The Future Now That His Playing Days Are Over

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It was one of baseball’s most improbable stories, Chris Coste finally made it to the major leagues in 2006 as a 33 year old rookie, after a decade in the minor leagues. His first four years were spent in playing for his hometown Fargo Moorhead Red Hawks in the independent Northern League. The Cleveland Indians then signed Coste in 2000 where he made his affiliated debut with the Double-A Akron Aeros. From there Coste played parts of the next six seasons in Triple-A with stints playing for the Buffalo Bisons, Pawtucket Red Sox, Indianapolis Indians, and the Scranton Wilkes Barre Red Barons before making his big league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. Coste’s big league career peaked when he was a key cog in the Phillies 2008 World Series championship. The accomplishment inspired the longtime catcher to write a book titled The 33-Year-Old Rookie: My 13-Year Journey from the Minor Leagues to the World Series. Coste’s final big league game would come in 2009 as a member of the Houston Astros. Following Tommy John surgery in 2010, he had hoped to return for one final run but came to find out that his 38 year old body just could not hold up. In the story, Coste talks about his new role as Associate Head Coach at Concordia College, his cult following in Philadelphia, and coming to terms that his playing career has reached its end.

ND’s Chris Coste retires from pro baseball — TheDickinsonPress.com

Trade Deadline Deals

Prospect Breakdown: Houston Astros Acquire Domingo Santana as PTBNL In Hunter Pence Trade

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The Houston Astros have acquired Phillies outfield prospect Domingo Santana as the player to be named later in the Hunter Pence deal. Santana is currently hitting .269 with 29(2B), 4(3B), 7HR, and 32RBI for the Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 2010 he hit a combined .211 with 19 Doubles and 8 Home Runs in a season split between Lakewood and the Short-A Williamsport Crosscutters. The recently turned 19 year old is one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League. Santana was signed by the Phillies as a non drafted free agent in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic.