Back to the Future April 2 at Whataburger Field
CORPUS CHRISTI - You have the former Hooks like American League batting champion and All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve, All-Star catcher Jason Castro, 2013 Texas League Player of the Year and right fielder George Springer, and 2012 Texas League All-Star and first baseman Jon Singleton.
And Astros ace and Gold Glove winner Dallas Keuchel, named Houston's starter for the April 6 season opener vs. Cleveland at Minute Maid Park.
Then, there are old Hooks nemeses who've come to the other side. Take designated hitter and former Oakland prospect Chris Carter, who earned 2009 TL Player of the Year honors at Midland. Don't forget center fielder Colby Rasmus, a 2007 TL All-Star with the Springfield Cardinals. Those two more than made themselves comfortable at Whataburger Field as minor leaguers.
All of them return to the "Ballpark by the Bay" on Thursday, April 2, when the Hooks and Astros square off in the third installment of a series which began in 2009. First pitch is 6:05.
"Along with the Texas League All-Star Game on June 30th, Hooks-Astros is the biggest event on the local sports calendar in 2015," Hooks VP/GM Michael Wood said. "It's a wonderful opportunity for our fans to reconnect with the players who've progressed to the big leagues."
Ticket prices range from $20-$32. To purchase, call 361-561-HOOK (4665) or go online to cchooks.com.
"You look at the Houston headliners who are returning to Whataburger Field, and it's a great snapshot of how the big club has been built," Hooks president Ken Schrom said. "Jose signed at 16 and went through the Astros Venezuelan academy. Jon Singleton was part of a package from the Phillies in the Hunter Pence trade. Chris was drafted by the White Sox, but came up through the Oakland system. Dallas is a home-grown pitcher who was drafted out of college (Arkansas). Colby Rasmus was an electrifying player in the Texas League as a top Cardinals prospect; he spent a few years in St. Louis before moving to Toronto, and now the Astros.
"Castro, Springer, and Rasmus are all former first-round picks. And, don't forget Mark Appel," Schrom said of the Stanford product who finished in Corpus Christi last summer.
The first-round pick currently in the queue for Hooks fans is Carlos Correa, the No. 3 prospect in baseball. Houston selected the Puerto Rican first overall in 2012. As a 19-year-old at High-A Lancaster in 2014, he hit .325 with 16 doubles, six triples, six homers, 57 RBIs, and 20 steals. His season was cut short by an ankle injury in June. At the time, Correa's .969 fielding percentage topped all California League shortstops.
Correa is projected to open 2015 with the Hooks.
Corpus Christi captured the inaugural Astros-Hooks exhibition match 6-5 on a walk-off home run by catcher Brian Esposito, and Houston prevailed 6-2 three years later behind Lucas Harrell's six shutout innings. The Astros struck for four seventh-inning runs, the uprising keyed by RBIs from Jason Castro, Landon Powell, and Marwin Gonzalez.
Over 16,400 have attended the previous Astros-Hooks exhibition games at Whataburger Field, including the second-largest crowd in stadium history (9,118/2009).
The Hooks have been affiliated with Houston since their inaugural Corpus Christi season in 2005. From 2000-04, the Astros' Texas League Double-A affiliate was located in Round Rock as the Express.
There are 12 former Hooks on Houston's active major league roster.