Houston Astros Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
by John Sickels on Aug 29, 2009 8:00 AM EDT
Email
PrintHouston Astros Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
This list was originally published December 30, 2008. This is a REVIEW of the PRE-SEASON list for 2009, not a revision of that list. This is a REVIEW of the old list. I'm not doing new grades or lists until I start working on the 2010 book.
1) Jason Castro, C, Grade B: Hitting .300/.365/.396 since being promoted to the Texas League. Controlling the strike zone well, glove will play, power development is still uncertain.
2) Brian Bogusevic, OF, Grade B: Hitting .273/.347/.369 with 19 steals in 22 attempts for Triple-A Round Rock. Speed and athleticism are impressive, power development is questionable.
3) Bud Norris, RHP, Grade B-: 2.63 ERA with 112/53 K/BB in 120 innings for Round Rock, is 3-2, 5.86 with a 27/15 K/BB in 28 major league innings, five starts. Still has control problems but has shown flashes of overcoming them.
4) Jordan Lyles, RHP, Grade B-: 3.23 ERA with 155/38 K/BB in 134 innings for Class A Lexington, 123 hits. A very successful season and still just 18 years old.
5) Ross Seaton, RHP, Grade B-: 3.31 ERA With 83/36 K/BB in 131 innings for Lexington, 133 hits. Like Lyles, he's had a good year though his components are less impressive.
6) Felipe Paulino, RHP, Grade C+: 6.82 ERA with 56/22 K/BB in 63 major league innings, 87 hits. Has shown decent control but has been too hittable. Will get more chances.
7) Drew Sutton, 2B, Grade C+: Traded to Cincinnati, hit .262/.382/.453 in Triple-A, is hitting .163 in 24 major league games. I think he can be a good bench player with more adjustment time.
8) Chris Johnson, 3B, Grade C+: Hitting .274/.313/.468 in 93 games for Round Rock, with 19 walks and 82 strikeouts in 340 at-bats. Some scouts still see him as a possible breakout guy but the numbers have never been super impressive.
9) Sam Gervacio, RHP, Grade C+: 4.82 ERA with 58/21 K/BB in 52 innings for Round Rock, 43 hits. Has looked good in brief major league action, can be a nice relief arm I think.
10) Chia-Jen-Lo, RHP, Grade C+: 3.00 ERA with 29/17 K/BB in 30 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi, 24 hits. Decent performance, needs better command, heading to the Arizona Fall League.
11) Collin DeLome, OF, Grade C: Hitting .259/.328/.475 with 15 steals in 22 attempts, 34 walks, 124 strikeouts for Round Rock. Has power and speed tools, but contact is a big problem.
12) Sergio Perez, RHP, Grade C: 4.52 ERA with 64/54 K/BB in 131 innings for Corpus Christi, 154 hits. K/IP and hit rate are very unattractive. I think he would be better in the pen.
13) Polin Trinidad, LHP, Grade C: 2.91 ERA with 53/10 K/BB in 83 innings in Double-A, 4.63 ERA with 40/19 K/BB in 68 innings in Triple-A. He throws strikes but doesn't dominate.
14) T.J. Steele, OF, Grade C: Hitting .345/.385/.562 in 50 games for Class A Lancaster, nine walks and 40 strikeouts in 194 at-bats. Plate discipline is unimpressive but he has some power.
15) J.B. Shuck, OF, Grade C: Hitting .317/.392/.414 with 18 steals in 26 attempts for Lancaster, 59 walks, 50 strikeouts in 514 at-bats. I love the walks/low strikeout combination, but we need to see if he can hit outside of this environment.
16) Jay Austin, OF, Grade C: Hitting .261/.317/.355 with 23 steals in 36 attempts for Lexington. Toolsy, fast, raw.
17) Federico Hernandez, C, Grade C: Hitting .233/.270/.339 for Lexington. Good defensive reputation, but not going to hit much.
18) Leandro Cespedes, RHP, Grade C: 4.86 ERA with 99/47 K/BB in 113 innings for Lancaster, 133 hits. OK numbers given context, but Double-A will be a challenge.
19) Phil Disher, 1B, Grade C: Hit .156/.264/.266 in 39 games for Lexington, on the disabled list since late May.
20) Tim Torres, SS, Grade C: I thought he could be a sleeper, but he got released. Signed with the Marlins, hitting .267/.348/.371 for Class A Jupiter. Too old at 25 to be hitting like that at this level.
The Astros entered the season with a very weak system, still feeling the fallout from poor drafts, but the more impressive 2008 draft is paying dividends. The '09 class took some high ceiling high school risks and we'll have to see how they pan out, but they got a winner by going against consensus with Lyles in '08. Ownership at least looks like they are willing to spend a bit of money again developing the system after being too penurious earlier in the decade..
10 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Mier
still rookie ball, but he is my favorite Astros prospect now.
Lyles is a top 25 prospect
but Mier is really impressive thus far, so I’d say he’s a good #2 prospect in this system
This review...
Is naturally going to be a lot less interesting than next year’s top 20. There are a decent amount of young players from the past 2 drafts that could slot in the top 20. I’d be curious to read what John thinks about Mier, Bushue, Gaston, Villar, Keuchel, Duncan, and maybe Pelligrini also.
by auclairkeithbc on Aug 29, 2009 12:35 PM EDT reply actions
he's mentioned some of them in previous posts
If you want links I’ll give you links, but:
- Intrigued by Gaston but wants to see him at higher levels
- Likes Bushue as a possible sleeper
- Did not have very much confidence at all in Mier’s bat . . .but I’m guessing that John like everybody else has been impressed by his rookie ball showing.
mier
Mier has been much better than expected in the Appy League. . .if he keeps hitting well he’ll rank very high this time next year.
by John Sickels on Aug 29, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Koby Clemens
Is this guy a breakout or are we thinking it’s a Cal League mirage? Putting up those numbers as a catcher is pretty impressive and he seems to be getting better as the season wears on.
improved system
The system is improved from last year but there is no upper level hitting except Bogusevic and Castro. I’m also skeptical about the Lancaster hitters until they hit AA. But the talent for this years draft looks good especially Mier.
some deserved
There should be some skepticism of hitters that play at Lancaster (as well as some slack for pitchers). On the same token, left-handed hitters (and right-handed hitters who don’t pull the ball) who see a big drop in power at Corpus Christi can attribute that to tougher competition and tough winds. If you hit the ball down the left-field line, it’s not a tough park to hit out of, but the winds coming from the bay make it hard to hit it out from CF to the RF line. That is part of the reason that Castro’s power numbers have gone down. I expect a dip in power numbers out of Gaston, though he should still put up decent numbers since he is more content to let it fly (ie not a gap hitter with pop like Castro).
Bogusevic
He is still inexperienced in terms of hitting at AAA. At least the MLB outfield is settled, mainly by default (Lee’s contract). This would give him more time to try and develop the power. If not, he should be a useful 4th outfielder.
Sorry to ask this here
but… what games can you watch on MiLB TV? can you only watch AAA games?
Hey guys, I have an Orioles blog so check it out. I write about news and the Oriole's farm teams and prospects.
www.snaorioles.com
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
