Print
|
Print
|
© 2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. |
|
Astros' next pennant launch may be delayed 10/19/2007 10:00 AM ETBy Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
Before the 2007 season began, MLB.com took an in-depth look at every big league team's Minor League system. Now, it's time to recap all 30 organizations, from top prospects to the recent draft class.
Editor's Note: The Astros on Dec. 12 acquired former American League MVP Miguel Tejada, trading pitchers Troy Patton, Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate along with outfielder Luke Scott and third baseman Mike Costanzo to Baltimore. On Nov. 16, Houston traded outfielder Josh Anderson to the Braves for right-handed reliever Oscar Villarreal. It's been a tumultuous year for the Houston Astros in more ways than one. It of course began with the changes at the top -- a new general manager in Ed Wade and a new man at the helm in Houston's dugout in Cecil Cooper. The big-league team staggered to its first sub-.500 finish since the 2000 season. The Astros' farm system, unfortunately, doesn't look like it's ready to add to a major rejuvenation in the near future. Of Houston's Minor League clubs -- including summer teams in Venezuela and the Dominican -- only two finished with records above .500 (Salem in the Carolina League and the team in Venezuela), and the organization finished 26th in overall winning percentage. Winning isn't the be-all and end-all in the Minors, but it is a sign that there wasn't a whole lot of success down on the farm. On top of that, the Astros didn't have a draft pick until the third round because of free agent signings. And, they weren't able to come to terms with their first two picks, leaving fifth-rounder Colin DeLome as Houston's top signed draftee. It's not all doom and gloom, and there is hope, mostly in the form of three players who ascended to the big leagues. First and foremost is Hunter Pence, who more than lived up to his advanced billing as one of the National League's top rookies. Top pitching prospect Troy Patton wasn't dominant, but he did pitch well enough to make it up to Houston, and looks ready to join that rotation. Catcher J.R. Towles was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, starting in the Class A Advanced Carolina League and finishing it in the big leagues, and is possibly ready to catch Patton in the Majors full-time next year. Organizational Players of the Year PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Max Sapp, C: We said that after handling adversity in his pro debut last summer, Sapp's offensive potential would start to come out in his first taste of full-season ball. It didn't exactly work out that way. Splitting time behind the plate with Ralph Henriquez, Sapp hit .241 in 315 at-bats. He's got raw power, but slugged just .333. His best month came in May, when he hit .337 in 83 at-bats. He's still just 20, so there's plenty of time for him to develop.
Troy Patton, LHP: We felt the only thing that would keep him from getting this award would be if he spent too much time in the big leagues and, barring that, he'd lead the organization in all categories for starters. He did reach the Majors for a spell, but spent most of the year in the Minors, where he finished third in ERA (3.51) and tied for second in wins (10). In a down year for pitching in the system, that combination might just be enough for him to deserve the honor.
POSTSEASON SELECTIONS
Mitch Einertson, OF: The summer after the Astros took Einertson in the fifth round of the 2004 draft, it immediately looked like the steal of that -- and perhaps any -- draft. The slightly undersized outfielder carried a big stick, hitting .308 with 24 homers, 67 RBIs and a .692 slugging percentage in just 63 games. He spent the next two years trying -- and mostly failing -- to live up to that debut. After two seasons in Lexington, Einertson moved up to Salem in 2007 and simply went out and played. The results were outstanding. He hit .305 (just barely missing out on the Carolina League batting title) with 11 homers and 40 doubles while driving in 87 runs in 122 games to put him firmly back on the map and earn him an invite to the Arizona Fall League. Troy Patton, LHP: While it wasn't an eye-popping year for the Astros' top pitching prospect, it was still the best in the system. The Texas League All-Star and Futures Game participant had a 2.99 ERA in 16 starts for Corpus Christi before getting bumped up to Triple-A for eight starts. He was a little more uneven in those outings for Round Rock, but if you exclude one five-inning, nine-run debacle, he had a 3.27 ERA there before heading up to Houston and posting a 3.55 ERA in 12 2/3 IP there. Climbed the Ladder
Felipe Paulino, RHP: The won-loss record may not look pretty, but that is virtually meaningless in assessing a pitcher's performance. Paulino followed up an inconsistent 2006 with a 2007 season that saw him finish fourth in the hitting-friendly Texas League with a 3.62 ERA. His 110 strikeouts in 112 innings were fifth best in the circuit. That earned him a September callup and five outings, which he capped off with a six-inning, two-hit shutout victory.
Hunter Pence, OF: This was a tough one, wasn't it? It's the last time we figure to be able to talk about him on this side of the ledger. He didn't just climb the ladder, he kicked it over. After 25 games in Round Rock, during which he hit .326, Pence basically made the National League look easy. Arriving in Houston at the end of April, he hit .322 in 456 at-bats with 17 homers, 69 RBIs, a .539 OBP and tacked on 11 steals. Only an injury that cost him a month will keep him from being a serious Rookie of the Year candidate, though he should finish right behind Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki.
J.R. Towles, C: Thanks to some injury problems, when the 2007 season began Towles had collected just 557 pro at-bats since being a 2004 draft pick. He began the year in Class A Advanced Salem and finished it in the big leagues. He didn't even play well with Salem, but took advantage of an opening in Double-A created by Lou Santangelo's suspension. Towles hit .324 and slugged .551 in 61 games with Corpus Christi and went to the Futures Game. He hit .279 in 13 games with Round Rock before getting his big-league feet wet with 40 at-bats for Houston in September, during which he hit .375 with a 1.007 OPS. He could be in line to be the Astros' catcher in 2008. Kept Their Footing
Josh Anderson, OF: Finally making it to Triple-A after two seasons with Corpus Christi, Anderson did what he's done every year since being a 2003 draft pick: He stole a bunch of bases and hit for a pretty decent average. He batted .273 in 132 games for Round Rock while swiping 40 bags to lead the organization for the fourth straight season and finish third in the Pacific Coast League. He got called up for the final month of the big-league season and made the most of the opportunity, hitting .358 in 67 at-bats.
Brian Bogusevic, LHP: In the early stages of his career, Bogusevic didn't pitch much like the 2005 first-round pick he was, posting a 5.26 ERA in 33 total outings and dealing with elbow tendinitis and fatigue. He stayed healthy and did some nice things this past season, throwing close to 140 innings and finishing with six starts, albeit unsteady ones, in Double-A. Overall, he went 10-8 with a 4.61 ERA (4.01 in 21 Carolina League starts) with 108 strikeouts. Not stellar, to be honest, but a step in the right direction. The 2008 season should go a long way toward determining just what sort of future the Tulane product has. Slipped a Rung Jimmy Barthmaier, RHP: Coming off a fine 2006 season in which he led the Carolina League in strikeouts, there were plenty of expectations following Barthmaier up to Double-A Corpus Christi. He didn't live up to them. After giving up nine earned runs in two-thirds of an inning in April, he got shut down for nearly a month. He pitched well initially upon his return, but struggled the rest of the way. He ended up making eight relief appearances, including his last five outings of the season. He logged just 90 innings, allowing 116 hits and 62 earned runs with a .312 batting average against and 6.20 ERA. He headed to the Arizona Fall League to make up some lost innings and try to get back on the right track. Eli Iorg, OF: The Astros' supplemental first-round pick in 2005, Garth's son was coming off a so-so first full season. He got off to an excellent start with Salem this year, hitting .296, slugging .512 and stealing 14 bases through the first two months of the season. Then he hurt his elbow diving back to a base on a pickoff attempt, landed on the disabled list and didn't come off for the rest of the season. He was supposed to make up for lost at-bats in Hawaii, but a hamstring injury knocked him out of action before games even began. He still has a lot of raw talent, but he'll also be 25 in 2008. Chris Salamida, LHP: Salamida was "under the radar" in our preview, a 13th-round pick who surprised many by being a New York-Penn League All-Star in his pro debut last summer. They challenged him with a push up to Class A Advanced Salem, and with the exception of a very strong May (1.27 ERA), he did not respond well. Salamida finished with a 5.85 ERA over 130 2/3 IP and the Carolina League hit .300 off him. On the Radar
Chris Johnson, INF: Johnson was "under the radar" in the preview, and his overall 2007 season may have put him on it. Playing mostly third, but also seeing time at first and shortstop, Johnson split the season between Lexington and Salem. Combined, he hit just .261, but started to cash in on his serious power potential. The Stetson product hit 14 homers and 25 doubles while driving in 82 runs on the season, and it will be interesting to see if he continues to improve his run producing skills as he moves up the ladder.
Jordan Parraz, OF: It takes some guys a little bit longer to figure things out on the field. Parraz, a 2004 draftee, spent three seasons in Rookie and Short-Season ball, finally breaking out in 2006 during his second go-round with Tri-City. A year after leading the NY-Penn League in hitting, slugging and on-base percentage, Parraz had a solid encore in his full-season debut in 2007. He hit .281 for Lexington, with 14 homers, 28 doubles and 33 steals. 2007 Draft Recap
Colin DeLome, OF: The Astros didn't pick until the third round, and they didn't sign their first two selections, making DeLome, in the fifth round, Houston's top draft choice. The pressure didn't seem to bother the Lamar University product much as he hit .300 in the NY-Penn League with 29 extra-base hits in 65 games and nine steals.
David Dinelli, RHP: Between Greenville in the Appy League and Tri-City in the NY-Penn League, Dinelli got into 10 games, with five starts, in his pro debut. Combined, he tossed 22 1/3 innings and finished with a 7.66 ERA.
Russell Dixon, 2B/OF: The Auburn product and seventh-round pick hit .256 in 60 games with Tri-City. He hit five homers and drove in 40 runs in the NY-Penn League, seeing defensive time at second and outfield. Others of note: Tenth-round pick Matt Cusick (2B) hit .306 with a .422 OBP (sixth best in the NY-Penn League) for Tri-City. ... RHP Brett Robinson did a nice job out of the pen with Greenville. The 27th-rounder had a 3.38 ERA and six saves with only 21 games under his belt. He walked just one and struck out 25 in 29 1/3 IP. ... RHP Jason Dominguez (31st round) had a 1.35 ERA and 10 saves, holding New York-Penn League hitters to a .117 batting average against in 33 1/3 IP for Tri-City.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
|
