Hooks in the Major Leagues

An unprecedented 14 former Hooks made their big league debuts in 2013. Cody Clark, Chia-Jen Lo and Max Stassi each earned a direct call to Houston from Corpus Christi. Jorge De Leon and David Martinez also appeared for the Astros after spending the majority of last season in a Hooks uniform.

Lo, who lost two years (2010-11) due to an arm injury, joined the Hooks in mid-July. The Taiwanese right-hander allowed three runs without recording an out in his initial appearance with Corpus Christi. Lo responded by holding the opposition scoreless in his last seven outings as a Hook. He made his big league debut on July 31 in Baltimore and did not allow a run in his first seven appearances as an Astro. 

Stassi, who missed the first month of the season due to an oblique injury, caught fire with the Hooks in the second half. Spurred by a two-homer, eight-RBI performance on June 26 vs. Springfield, Stassi belted 16 home runs and drove in 46 over his final 44 Texas League contests. The 22-year-old catcher was promoted to Houston in late August and went 2-for-3 in his debut at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The next night, Stassi's season was cut short after he was struck in the face by a fastball from Tanner Scheppers.

Following an 11-year sojourn in the minors, Clark made his big league debut as a pinch hitter on August 23 against Toronto. An 11^th-round pick of the Rangers in 2003, he worked behind the plate in only two games with the Hooks. Clark had toiled mostly at Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting .217 with a home run and 12 RBIs.

Martinez, the Texas League Pitcher of the Year, made three starts for the RedHawks before heading to Houston. He debuted in Arlington on August 21 and permitted one unearned run over 2.2 frames of relief. Martinez made his mark in Corpus Christi, establishing new franchise single-season records for wins (14), ERA (2.02) and WHIP (1.00). 

De Leon bounced back from a rough first half with the Hooks to post a 1.80 ERA in 10 July appearances. His success continued at Triple-A, where he yielded one run over 12 outings including converting all six save chances he faced. De Leon finished the season in Houston where seven of his 11 appearances were of the scoreless variety.

Nine members of the 2012 Hooks squad made their big league debuts last season: outfielders Robbie Grossman and Marc Krauss, shortstop Jonathan Villar, and pitchers Kevin Chapman, Jose Cisnero, Paul Clemens, Jarred Cosart, Brett Oberholtzer and Josh Zeid.

Cosart's 1.95 ERA is the lowest in Astros history for any pitcher in his first 10 Major League starts. The 23-year-old from League City notched a victory in his debut on July 12, hurling 8.0 scoreless innings at Tampa Bay. 

Chapman set a Houston record by not allowing a run in his first 13 career Major League appearances.

After joining the Astros rotation on July 31, Oberholtzer posted a 2.24 ERA in 10 starts, which was tops among American League lefties and second overall in the AL during that span.