Minor League Prospect Notes: Nolan Fontana, Austin Nola

**Houston Astros 2012 second round pick Nolan Fontana made his professional debut yesterday, going 1-for-1 with five walks and a stolen base for Low-A Lexington in the South Atlantic League. The former University of Florida infielder was renowned in college for his excellent strike zone judgment: he hit .287/.429/.417 with 53 walks as a freshman, .289/.414/.434 with 52 walks as a sophomore, and .284/.406/.444 with 48 walks (and just 27 strikeouts) as a junior. It was just one game, of course, but this is exactly what the Astros were hoping for.

**Another middle infielder well-known to college baseball fans: former LSU standout shortstop Austin Nola, drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Marlins this year. Nola hit his first professional home run last night for Low-A Greensboro, driving in two. It was his second game in the Sally League: he started off in the New York-Penn League but went just 9-for-51 (.176) with no extra base hits in 14 games. Like Fontana, Nola has great instincts including good plate discipline which help average tools play up.