Houston Astros writer Alyson Footer who is a must follow on twitter @AlysonFooter has put up a great story on Delino Deshields Jr. The 2010 first round pick is currently hitting .222 with 13 Doubles, 2 Triples, 6 Home Runs, 42RBI’s, and has stolen 26 bases thus far for the Low-A Lexington Legends. In the story, Deshields talks about making the tough transition from the outfield in high school to second base in the pros, and being able to focus more on his hitting now that he is more comfortable in the infield. It’s a great read.
Last week we told you about 69 year old former Houston Astros manager Hal Lanier’s new gig as manager of the Frontier League’s Normal Cornbelters. Well over the weekend he got tossed one batter into a game for arguing that his lead off hitter was hit by a pitch. The umpire disagreed, and Lanier exploded with the fury of a 20 year old. The video was shot by PA man Brett Myhres who you can follow on twitter @BrettMyhers
Long after retirement and after a few years of coaching high school ball, Jimmy Jones picked up the phone and called his old pitching coach Bob Cluck, who was a consultant to the San Diego Padres, with an interest in coaching in the minor leagues. Soon after the conversation Jones, who debuted with the Padres, and pitched for the Astros, Yankees, and Expos before ending his career in 1993, found himself back with San Diego as a pitching coach on their Rookie League team in Arizona. The Padres have thought highly enough of the work Jones did in Arizona to promote him to Double-A where he is currently the pitching coach for the San Antonio Missions. In the story, Jones, who was the 3rd overall pick in the 1982 draft (two picks ahead of Dwight Gooden), talks about how he learned from the Hall of Fame teammates he played with in the bigs, coaching some of the Padres top pitching prospects, and what it means to coach within the organization he made his major league debut. It’s a great read.
This is not quite Phillip Wellman or Wally Backman awesome, but its pretty close. Former St. Louis Cardinals infielder Stubby Clapp in his first season as the manager for the Tri City Valleycats, the Houston Astros short season affiliate in the New York-Penn League has an epic meltdown this afternoon after one of his players, Matt Duffy was hit by a pitch by the Auburn Doubledays pitcher. The after Duffy trots down the line he is called back by the umpire who believed that he purposefully leaned into the pitch. That sends Clapp into a tirade of epic proportions. Among the highlights are a helmet spike, covering the plate with dirt, throwing the umpire out of the game, and chucking bats onto the field. Best manager tirade this year in Minor League Baseball. Thanks to Fox23 News in Albany for posting the awesome video.
UPDATED: The local Albany Newspaper gives the Print Version of the ejection complete with postgame reaction from Clapp.
UPDATE #2: Listen to the ejection’s Radio Call of Auburn Doubledays play by play man John Miller. You can follow John on twitter @JohnMillerLive
The Houston Astros have traded outfielder Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves for a package of four prospects which includes pitchers Brett Oberholtzer, Paul Clemens and Juan Abreu as well as outfielder Jordan Schafer. Oberholtzer is the best of the Braves second tier pitching prospects. He is currently 9-9 with a 3.74 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 127.2 Innings for Double-A Mississippi. The 6’2″ lefty went 6-8 with a 3.72ERA combined between Low-A Rome and High-A Myrtle Beach in 2010. The 22 year old Oberholtzer was an 8th round pick of the Braves in the 2008 draft. Clemens is 6’4″ right hander who’s posted a 6-5 record with a 3.73ERA and 93 strikeouts in 108.2 innings for Mississippi this season. The 22 year old went a combined 2-4 with a 3.23ERA between Rome and Myrtle Beach in 2010. Clemens was a 7th Round pick of the Braves back in 2008. Abreu is a 6’0″ right handed reliever who is currently 4-2 with a 2.25ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s struck out 68 batters in 48 innings and International League hitters are batting just .193 against him. The 26 year old went a combined 4-2 with a 4.35ERA and 12 Saves between Myrtle Beach and Mississippi last season. He was originally signed as a non drafted free agent by the Kansas City Royals back in 2003, and has yet to make his major league debut. Schafer was at one time a top organizational prospect before running into a string of bad luck including a 50 game suspension from major league baseball in 2008 and a wrist injury in 2009. His best season in the Minors came back in 2007 when he hit a combined .312 with 15 Home Runs and 63 RBI’s between Rome and Myrtle Beach. Schafer has not had more than 4 Home Runs in a season since hitting 10 in his suspension shortened 2008 season. Since a call up from Gwinnett in May of this year, Schafer hit .240 with 6 Doubles, 3 Triples, 1 Home Run, and 7 RBI’s in 52 Games with the Braves. The 24 year old Schafer was a third round selection of the Braves back in 2005.
The Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League are likely the only team in the league to have a former National League Manager of the Year calling the shots. Hal Lanier is coaching the team at the ripe old age of 69. The former mid 1980’s Astros manager also played in the majors for San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In the article Lanier talks about staying young through coaching baseball, instructing in the minor leagues at his age, and enjoying the life of a normal retiree from his Florida home in the off season.
On the heels of trading Hunter Pence to the Phillies, the Houston Astros have reportedly called up top outfield prospect J.D. Martinez to replace him. The 23 year old is in the middle of a very solid year batting .340 with 25 Doubles, 13 Home Runs, and 71 RBI’s for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Martinez was a breakout star in the South Atlantic League for the Lexington Legends in 2010 batting .362 with 31 Doubles and 15 Home Runs in 88 games before a mid season promotion to the Double-A Texas League where he hit .302 over the final 50 games of the season. Martinez was a 20th round pick of the Astros in the 2009 draft.
The Houston Astros have acquired Philadelphia Phillies prospects Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart as well as Josh Zeid and a player to be named later via trade in exchange for Hunter Pence. The 19 year old Singleton is the Phillies top overall prospect. This season for the High-A Clearwater Threshers Singleton is batting .282 with 14 Doubles, 9 Home Runs and 47 RBI. Last year for the Low-A Lakewood Blueclaws the 6’2″ left handed hitting outfielder batted .290 with 25 Doubles, 2 Triples, 14 Home Runs, and 77RBI. Singleton was an 8th round pick in the 2009 draft out of Millikan High School in California. Cosart is arguably the top young arm in a Phillies organization loaded with them. The 20 year old is currently 9-8 with a 3.92ERA for High-A Clearwater. He’s struck out 79 batters in 108 innings of work and opposing hitters are batting .243 off of Cosart. The right hander went 7-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 71 innings for Lakewood in 2010. Cosart was originally a 38th round pick of the Phillies in the 2008 draft out of Clear Creek High School in Texas. Zeid is a 24 year old relief pitcher currently playing for Double-A Reading where he is 2-3 with a 5.65ERA. After 11 starts, Zeid was moved to the bullpen where he has picked up two saves, and has an ERA of 2.25 in his 10 relief appearances. Zeid went 8-4 with a 2.83ERA for Lakewood in 2010. He was a 10th round pick of the Phillies in the 2009 draft out of Tulane.
Very good read on current Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Derek Dietrich. The Rays 2010 second round pick out of Georgia Tech is in the middle of a Midwest League All Star season for the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Dietrich is currently batting .287 with with 21 Doubles, 14 Home Runs, and 55 RBI’s. In the story Dietrich talks about growing up playing baseball in Cleveland, his decision to go to Georgia Tech instead of signing with the Houston Astros who drafted him in the third round out of high school, and being ready for his next step as a pro.
Just like in the major leagues, minor league pitchers from American League affiliates don’t hit, instead a designated hitter bats for them. So what happens when after eight years in an American League organization, a pitcher suddenly finds themselves playing for a National League team? Houston Astros farmhand Lucas Harrell can provide the answer. Harrell was claimed off waivers by the Astros earlier this months after being let go by the Chicago White Sox, the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. Harrell was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City and found himself immediately inserted into the batting order for the first time since high school. After three games Harrell finally got his first hit. In the story Harrell talks about batting in a game for the first time in nearly a decade and the help he’s gotten from Redhawks manager Tony DeFrancesco in relearning how to hit.