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2015 Astros Minor League System in Review

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by tellitlikeitis, Sep 23, 2015.

  1. tellitlikeitis

    tellitlikeitis Canceled
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    Another Minor League season is in the books. Here's how the 9 affiliates of the Houston Astros organization fared.

    It was a fine year for the system as 7 of its 9 affiliates, including all of its non-complex league teams, made the playoffs. Fresno and Greeneville ended up becoming champions of their respective leagues; the Grizzlies also topped Columbus in the AAA National Championship.

    Fresno

    The Grizzlies, the PCL and Triple-A champions, finished 84-59, which led the PCL Pacific Northern division. That mark was 2nd-best overall in the Pacific Coast League, behind Oklahoma City.

    Corpus Christi

    At 89-51, the Hooks were the best team in the Texas League. However, they lost in 5 games to Midland in the South Division series.

    Lancaster

    The JetHawks were 75-65 and bowed out of the playoffs in the California League South Division mini-series, which they lost to High Desert in 3.

    Quad Cities

    At 88-50, the River Bandits nipped the Hooks for best winning percentage in the Minors (.638 vs. .636). They were swept in a best-of-3 by Cedar Rapids in the 1st round of the Midwest League playoffs.

    Tri-City

    The ValleyCats won the New York-Penn League Stedler Division with a 42-33 record. They lost in the NYPL semifinals to Staten Island.

    Greeneville

    The Appy Astros finished the regular season at 34-33, which was good for 2nd in the Appalachian League West. They clinched their playoff spot on the final day of the season, and then won 4 road games (2 in Kingsport, 2 in Princeton) to win the Appalachian League crown.

    GCL

    It was a struggle for the GCLstros as they finished 19-41, which was the 2nd-worst overall record in the Gulf Coast League. They finished 17.5 games behind the Tigers in the GCL Northeast.

    DSL

    The Blue team finished 43-29 and won the Boca Chica Northwest division. They swept the Blue Jays in the first round, but fell in 3 to the Rangers 1 in the semifinals.

    The Orange team finished 28-44, putting them in 5th place in the Boca Chica North division. They had been in the cellar of that division until about the final month of the year.

    Next up... the 2015 draft class.
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. juicystream

    juicystream Contributing Member

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    Nice to see one of the DSL teams finally have success. Our DSL teams have been terrible most years.
     
  3. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

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    Big picture the Astros had the best overall organizational winning percentage.
     
  4. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

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    About a month ago (after the trade deadline) I looked at the minor league position players who were batting a 800+ OPS:
    <style type="text/css">
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    </style><table class="tftable" border="1">
    <tr><th>Propect#</th><th>Player</th><th>Position</th><th>Age</th><th>AVG</th><th>OBP</th><th>SLG</th><th>OPS</th> <th>Draft</th></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Bryan Muniz</td><td>1B</td><td>22</td><td>276</td><td>385</td><td>432</td><td>818</td><td>Round 22, 2014</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Bobby Wernes</td><td>3B</td><td>21</td><td>335</td><td>429</td><td>373</td><td>801</td><td>Round 30, 2015</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Jamie Ritchie</td><td>C</td><td>22</td><td>284</td><td>430</td><td>401</td><td>830</td><td>Round 13, 2014</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Mott Hyde</td><td>2B</td><td>23</td><td>299</td><td>384</td><td>430</td><td>814</td><td>Round 26, 2014</td></tr>
    <tr><td>5</td><td>A.J. Reed</td><td>1B</td><td>22</td><td>346</td><td>438</td><td>621</td><td>1059</td><td>Round 2, 2014</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Chase McDonald</td><td>1B</td><td>23</td><td>281</td><td>356</td><td>586</td><td>942</td><td>Round 12, 2013</td></tr>
    <tr><td>12</td><td>J.D. Davis</td><td>3B</td><td>22</td><td>293</td><td>373</td><td>534</td><td>907</td><td>Round 3, 2014</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Jon Kemmer</td><td>OF</td><td>24</td><td>327</td><td>416</td><td>574</td><td>990</td><td>Round 21, 2013</td></tr>
    <tr><td>30</td><td>Tyler White</td><td>DH</td><td>24</td><td>332</td><td>452</td><td>512</td><td>964</td><td>Round 33, 2013</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>Matt Duffy</td><td>3B</td><td>26</td><td>300</td><td>373</td><td>485</td><td>858</td><td>Round 20, 2011</td></tr>
    <tr><td></td><td>L.J. Hoes</td><td>OF</td><td>25</td><td>301</td><td>382</td><td>410</td><td>792</td><td>Round 3, 2008</td></tr>
    </table>

    Created with the <a href="http://www.textfixer.com/html/html-table-generator.php" target="_blank">HTML Table Generator</a>
     
  5. tellitlikeitis

    tellitlikeitis Canceled
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    entirely too much info

    The Astros failed to sign Brady Aiken, which gave then the #2 pick to go along with the #5 pick in the 2015 draft.

    Alex Bregman was one of the top performers in college baseball in his 3 seasons at LSU, and the Astros made him the 2nd overall selection. Mixed reactions to this pick, especially after a slow start. Bregman began his road to Houston on June 26 with Quad Cities, where he played 29 games before spending the remainder of the season with Lancaster, where his bat started to heat up. All in all, he was pretty solid in his first action as a pro.

    I'm thinking that he'll get pushed to Corpus to begin 2016.

    With the #5 pick, the Astros went with Kyle Tucker, who was just rated as the top prospect in the Appalachian League. He just might become the best hitter in the entire class. Tucker is already desribed as having plus power at age 18. He could start off in Quad Cities.

    Daz Cameron doesn't have the explosive athleticism of his dad, but it's pretty obvious that he's spent his life around the game. Daz has gotten positive reviews for his defense, and his bat got going after his promotion to Greeneville. He and Kyle Tucker will probably move up the ladder together.

    Thomas Eshelman's exposure to pro ball was limited after signing due to the tremendous workload he handled at Cal State Fullerton. I imagine that once he's off the leash, he'll move very quickly.

    Riley Ferrell is another guy who could move quickly with his outstanding arsenal... now if only he could harness his control.

    Trent Thornton rebounded well in the pros after a tough season with North Carolina. The Astros seem to have taken a liking to guys with unconventional deliveries, and Thornton is the latest in this mold.

    Michael Freeman made it all the way to Corpus Christi in his draft year. Could he possibly be a better lefty option than Joe Thatcher and Oliver Perez?

    Garrett Stubbs struck out 5 times in his first 145 plate appearances as a pro. That's a 3.4% K rate. He also threw out 56% of would-be base stealers between Tri-City and Quad Cities.

    Scott Weathersby posted a nice year out of the Tri-City bullpen. I wonder if he could turn out to be more than an organizational grunt. I can't find it, but I remember there was an article talking about how the Astros measured the spin rate on Weathersby's curveball and they found that it spun at a really high rate or something along those lines.

    Patrick Sandoval was a very nice get at the end of the signing period for the Astros. He got a month of action down in the GCL, and I'm very interested to see how he develops.

    Johnny Sewald thrived as Tri-City's table-setter and swiped a team-record 31 bases.

    Alex Winkleman struck out around a batter an inning during the college season, but he also had a pretty high walk rate as well. Between the two short-season clubs, Winkelman improved his K rate and also slashed that walk rate, especially in Tri-City. He did appear to wear down a little towards the end, but he had a pretty nice debut.

    Bobby Wernes led the New York-Penn League with a .346 average, and he finished 6th in the league with an .822 OPS despite only having 8 extra-base hits (all doubles) all season.

    Wouldn't it be something if Steve Naemark reached the Majors.

    Round 1, Pick 2: Alex Bregman, SS, LSU

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dbregma001ale&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 1, Pick 5: Kyle Tucker, OF, Plant High School (Tampa)

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dtucker001kyl&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Competitive Balance Round A: Daz Cameron, OF, Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Georgia)

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dcamero000daz&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 2: Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Deshelm000tho&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 3: Riley Ferrell, RHP, TCU

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dferrel000ril&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 4: Anthony Hermelyn, C, Oklahoma

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dhermel000ant&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 5: Trent Thornton, RHP, North Carolina

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dthornt000tre&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 6: Nestor Muriel, OF, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Florida, Puerto Rico)

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmuriel000nes&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 7: Michael Freeman, LHP, Oklahoma State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dfreema002mic&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 8: Garrett Stubbs, C, USC

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dstubbs000gar&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 9: Zac Person, LHP, LSU

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dperson000zac&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 10: Scott Weathersby, RHP, Ole Miss

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dweathe000sco&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 11: Patrick Sandoval, LHP, Mission Viejo High School (Mission Viejo, California)

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dsandov000pat&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 12: Myles Straw, OF, St. John's River State College

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dstraw-000myl&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 13: Kevin McCanna, RHP, Rice

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmccann000kev&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 14: Johnny Sewald, OF, Arizona State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dsewald000joh&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 15: Pat Porter, OF, Ohio State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dporter000pat&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 16: Adam Whitt, RHP, Nevada

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dwhitt-000ada&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 17: Justin Garcia, 1B, Nova Southeastern

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dgarcia005jus&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 18: Kevin Martir, C, Maryland

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmartir000kev&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 19: Drew Ferguson, OF, Belmont

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dfergus000dre&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 20: Makay Nelson, RHP, College of Southern Idaho

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dnelson000mak&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 21: Alex Winkelman, LHP, Southeast Missouri State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dwinkel000ale&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 23: Matt Bower, LHP, Washington State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dbower-000mat&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 24: Chris Murphy, RHP, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmurphy003chr&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 25: Jorge Martinez, C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Florida, Puerto Rico)

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmartin011jor&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 26: Ralph Garza Jr., RHP, Oklahoma

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dgarza-000ral&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 28: Zac Grotz, RHP, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dgrotz-000zac&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 29: Brooks Marlow, 2B, Texas

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmarlow000bro&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 30: Bobby Wernes, 3B, Arkansas

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dwernes000bob&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 31: Keach Ballard, SS, Oklahoma Baptist

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dballar000kea&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 32: Aaron Mizell, OF, Georgia Southern

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dmizell000aar&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 33: Kolbey Carpenter, 2B, Oklahoma

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dcarpen000kol&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Round 36: Ryan Deemes, RHP, Nicholls State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Ddeemes000rya&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Round 40: Steve Naemark, LHP, Angelo State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dnaemar000ste&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Undrafted Free Agents

    The Astros also added 5 undrafted free agents. Jacob Dorris was virtually unhittable as he mowed down short-season hitters and finished the year in Quad Cities.

    Christian Correa, C, Nicholls State

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dcorrea000chr&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Jacob Dorris, RHP, Texas A&M—Corpus Christi

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Ddorris000jac&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    David Schmidt, RHP, Stanford

    His full name is David Crane Schmidt. A relative of Jim Crane's, perhaps?

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dschmid007dav&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>

    Ford Stainback, IF, Rice

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dstainb000for&div=div_standard_batting"></script>

    Andrew Thome, RHP, North Dakota

    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fregister%2Fplayer.cgi%3Fid%3Dthome-000and&div=div_standard_pitching"></script>
     
    #5 tellitlikeitis, Sep 24, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2015
  6. sealclubber1016

    Supporting Member

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    Holy info dump Batman
     
  7. donkeypunch

    donkeypunch Contributing Member

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    http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/astros-tabbed-with-top-farm-system-in-2015-110515

     
  8. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

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    AJ Reed wasn't the BA minor league player of the year. He was runner up to Blake Snell.
     
    #8 xcrunner51, Nov 5, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2015
  9. Buck Turgidson

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    MiLB has released their annual awards, with separate winners chosen by the fans and the milb.com staff. Astros were well represented:

    Best System (fans and staff)
    Best Team: Fresno (fans and staff)
    Offensive Player: Reed (staff), White (fans)
    Breakout Prospect: Nottingham (fans)
    Best Performance: DJ Fisher's 12-RBI debut in Lancaster (staff)

    Good writeups at milb.com on each, highly recommend their article on the Stros system, good quotes from Luhnow and Allen Rowin: http://www.milb.com/news/article.js...d=156363112&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb

    Reed: http://www.milb.com/news/article.js...d=155122360&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_l109&sid=l109

    Fresno: http://www.milb.com/news/article.js...d=156191700&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
     

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