Hooks in the Major Leagues

Year indicates when each player made his ML debut and with which club that debut occurred.  Charlton Jimerson made his debut with the Astros on Sept. 14, 2005 as a defensive replacement in CF, thus becoming the first ex-Hook to make it to the majors.  He did not make a plate appearance for the Astros in 2005, therefore, his official record does not reflect his 2005 debut.

Through eight seasons, the Hooks have “graduated” 43 players to the major leagues.

Two former Hooks made their major league debuts with Houston in 2012.  After toiling away in the minors for the first seven seasons of his pro career, Brandon Barnes earned an early-August call-up to the big leagues.  Barnes debuted in centerfield on August 7 against Washington and notched his first major-league hit one day later off Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez.  His first big-league home run came as a pinch-hitter on August 13 at Wrigley Field, cementing a connection with former Hook Mark Saccomanno who accomplished the same feat as an Astro in September of 2008. 

Selected by Houston in the sixth round of the 2005 draft, Barnes hit .321 with 39 doubles, 12 home runs, 69 RBIs and 21 steals between Corpus Christi and AAA Oklahoma City thru the first four months of the season.  He was selected as a Texas League Player of the Week twice and was named Hooks offensive player of the month in April and RedHawks defensive player of the month in July.

Dallas Keuchel, Corpus Christi’s 2011 Pitcher of the Year, opened the season with Oklahoma City.  Following a 13-start stint with the RedHawks, Keuchel was promoted to Houston and made his big debut June 17 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The lefty from Tulsa went 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his first three starts, including a complete game against Cleveland on June 23 at Minute Maid Park. Keuchel joined teammate Lucas Harrell as the only National League rookies to go the distance in 2012.   

Hunter Pence, who guided the Hooks to the Texas League crown in 2006, became the first Corpus Christi “graduate” to win a World Series title.  Pence and the San Francisco Giants survived six elimination games before sweeping the Detroit Tigers to claim the storied franchise’s second World Series championship in three years.  Pence was 4-for-14 (.286) with three runs scored, a double and an RBI during the Fall Classic.