Former Greeneville Astros Taking the Next Step
Upon the release of the Opening Day rosters, Greeneville Astros general manager David Lane said, "We are proud to have so many of our former players progressing through the Astros system on their way to Houston. We are looking forward to seeing what this year's team is going to bring us."
Since the Astros arrived in Greeneville in 2004, there have been nine different players that have completed the journey through the minors and played in MLB. Last week, catcher J.R. Towles and left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad, made the Opening Day roster for the Houston Astros. Others in the system are not far behind.
Four Greeneville standouts have made their way to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Right-handed pitchers Henry Villar and Jordan Lyles, who have both moved up rather quickly, are joined by left-hander Douglas Arguello and first baseman Koby Clemens.
Villar, who started 13 games for Greeneville in 2008, actually skipped the Triple-A level last season and made eight appearances with Houston as a September call-up, posting a 4.50 ERA. He is currently on the Astros 40-man roster.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Lyles, a 2008 supplemental first-round selection, finished the 2010 season in Triple-A after playing a majority of the season in Double-A Corpus Christi. For his efforts, he was named the organizational Pitcher of the Year and is considered by Baseball America to be the club's number one prospect.
While the climb has not been as fast for Arguello, a reliever on the Astros 2004 Appalachian League Championship team, he was named Corpus Christi's Pitcher of the Year last season, posting a 7-5 record with a 2.55 ERA in 22 starts.
Clemens, an eighth-round selection in 2005, spent the full 2010 season at Corpus Christi and was named the club's Co-Player of the Year. His 26 homers were third in the Texas League for the season and his 85 RBI were fourth.
This season at the Double-A level, eight former Greeneville Astros will suit up for the Corpus Christi Hooks. Making the jump from High-A Lancaster will be starting right-handed pitchers Ross Seaton and Kyle Greenwalt. They will be joined by returning fellow right-hander Arcenio Leon and lefty Patrick Urckfitz as relievers. Meanwhile, Federico Hernandez will be catching, Wladimir Sutil will man shortstop and sluggers Brandon Barnes and J.D. Martinez will take spots in the outfield.
All four pitchers as well as Hernandez at catcher spent the 2008 season in Greeneville. Greenwalt, who was named Greeneville's MVP in 2008, and Leon, currently on the Astros 40-man roster, also played in Greeneville in 2007.
Sutil was a member of the inaugural 2004 championship team in Greeneville and still holds the team record for most stolen bases in a season with 24.
Martinez burst onto the scene in Greeneville in 2009 after being selected in the 20th round. He only played in 19 games before being moved up, but he hit .403 with 5 homers and set a team record with a hit in 17 consecutive games before leaving.
Barnes spent his first two seasons from 2005-06 playing in Greeneville. Last season, he finished with an organizational best 28 homeruns, 27 of which came in High-A Lancaster before getting a brief stint in Triple-A.
While Barnes has moved on this season, the High-A Lancaster JetHawks will have a total of twelve former Greeneville Astros on their Opening Day Roster, including three returners in second baseman Jose Altuve, outfielder Jay Austin, and right-handed pitcher Jose Trinidad. All three players appeared in Greeneville in 2008, with Altuve returning to claim team MVP for Greeneville in 2009.
The remaining nine players will be coming up from Low-A Lexington. Relief pitchers Wander Alvino, Zach Grimmett, and Colton Pitkin will come out of the bullpen along with Trinidad. Meanwhile, Jose Cisnero will join the team to serve in a starting role. They will each receive instruction from Greeneville's 2008 pitching coach, Travis Driskill.
The remaining position players will be outfielder Grant Hogue, Greeneville's 2009 recipient of the Oscar Padron Award for good character and leadership, and infielders Kody Hinze, Jonathan Meyer, and Miguel Arrendell.
In Lexington, seventeen players from Greeneville will be on the Legends roster including ten that appeared on the 2010 Greeneville club. In addition, they will be managed by Rodney Linares, who managed Greeneville from 2007-09. Last season's pitching coach, Dave Borkowski, will also be on the field staff in Lexington.
The infield will feature some highly touted prospects, albeit some playing new positions. Telvin Nash, Greeneville's MVP last season, and Delino DeShields, Jr., a 2010 first-round pick, will be making the switch from the outfield to the infield. Nash will now be playing first base and DeShields will line up at second base.
Meanwhile, others in the infield will be 2009 first-rounder Jiovanni Mier, Jhonny Medrano, and 2010 Tri-City ValleyCats MVP Ben Orloff.
The lone outfielder on the squad with ties to Greeneville is Bryce Lane, who played 37 games in the Appalachian League last season while also seeing time with the Gulf Coast League Astros and the Lancaster JetHawks.
Both of the catchers in Lexington saw time in Greeneville last season, but they were never on the team at the same time. Chris Wallace, an Appalachian League All-Star last season, was called up to the Tri-City ValleyCats during a postseason run in August. That opened up a spot in Greeneville for Roberto Pena, a seventh-round pick in 2010, to come up from the GCL Astros and appear in 12 games for Greeneville before finishing the season in Lexington.
The pitching staff will include nine former Greeneville standouts, four of which were coached by Borkowski in 2010. That group is headlined by 2010 first-round starter Mike Foltynewicz and includes relievers Ruben Alaniz, Gabriel Garcia, and Brian Streilein.
The remaining starting pitchers from Greeneville are lefty Brad Dydalewicz and right-hander Carlos Quevedo. Coming out of the bullpen will be Jorge De Leon, Murilo Gouvea, and David Martinez.
Fans can keep track of the progress of each of these players throughout the season under the "Where are they now?" section.
The Greeneville Astros home opener will be on June 24, 2010 at 7:00pm against the Johnson City Cardinals. Season tickets, half-season tickets, and ticket books are now available for purchase at the Astros Administrative office located at Pioneer Park on the campus of Tusculum College. The office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:30pm. For more information on the Astros, call (423) 638-0411.