A quick checkup on the Astros’ 2016 draft

As requested, here is a post about the recently completed 2016 draft for the Astros. Please keep in mind that the “expert” who is writing these words knows less about these college and high school players than about the Astros’ minor leaguers. That is almost the equivalent of a negative IQ.

So here are some facts about the Astros’ top draft choices.

  • 1st round draft choice, RHP Forest Whitley is a tall (6′-7″) drink of water who was a dominant prep schooler out of Alamo Heights HS, who was drafted while he was pitching his team into the state finals. He has a big fastball and supposedly a big work ethic. Fact – Whitley was the 17th player drafted in the first round. The 17th player drafted in 2015……Brady (OMG) Aiken
  • 2nd round draft choice, OF Ronnie Dawson out of Ohio St covers both speed and power with his stats and hits left handed to boot – .331 BA / .419 OBP / 13 HR / 51 RBI / 21 SB in 65 games. Fact – He was in the Top 10 in ten out of eleven categories in the Big 10.
  • 3rd round draft choice, C Jake Rogers out of Tulane hits like a typical catcher or a typical Astros catcher. Well actually in 2016 better than most Astros catcher with a .265 BA and a .384 OBP with 7 HR and 28 RBI’s. Fact – The fact that might have gotten the Astros attention was when the Canyon (TX) HS product led the NCAA in 2015 in both runners caught (33) and % caught stealing (58%).
  • 4th round draft choice, LHP Brett Adcock out of Michigan had solid numbers throughout his career. His 100 K in 78 IP this season stand out. Fact – Did not allow a HR for the first 63 innings of 2016.
  • 5th round draft choice, 3B Abraham Toro-Hernandez from Seminole College had super impressive numbers .439 BA with 20 homers, 86 RBIs and 94 runs scored in only 55 games. Fact – With his cannon arm he is projected as a catcher by his coaches, but drafted as a 3B.
  • 6th round draft pick, CF Stephen Wren from UGA  seems like a typical slap hitting CF with only 5 HR, but 12 SB and 34 runs scored in 53 games.     Fact – In 2016 he had only 1 error in 149 chances.
  • 7th round draft pick, RHP Tyler Buffet out of the other OSU – OK St had good numbers mostly in relief as the Cowboys advanced to the CWS – 8-3 record with 3.15 ERA.  Fact – Started the 2015 Big 12 championship game against UT giving up 1 run in 4 innings.
  • 8th round draft pick, RHP Nick Hernandez from UH – local boy from Missouri City had sparkling numbers as the Coogs closer – 1.40 ERA, 3-0 record, 11 saves and 67 Ks in 51 IPs. Fact – His favorite travel food is Beaver Nuggets from Buccee’s.
  • 9th round draft pick, LHP Ryan Hartman from Tennessee Wesleyan – his 0.64 ERA and 10-1 record were great as were his allowing only 62 hits and 12 walks in 98 innings.   Fact – He was named the Perfect Game / Rawlings pitcher of the year.
  • 10th round draft pick, RHP Dustin Hunt from Northeastern put up a 6-3 record and a very good 2.72 ERA working exclusively as a starter. Fact – Based on what he was hearing from teams and others, he expected to be picked between the 6th and 8th round.

No – this post will not slog on through all the picks, but you are welcome to chime in on what you think of this pitcher and college heavy draft. It is not as exciting as picking first or second overall, but that won’t keep some of these kids from making it to the Show in a big way. Now do you think they can sign 26th rounder Avery Tuck, CF, Steele Canyon HS (San Diego, Calif.) or will he go on to college……… let the debates begin……

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302 responses to “A quick checkup on the Astros’ 2016 draft”

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  1. I’m anxious to see if Fresno gets a charge out of their game tonight. Tacoma is a really hard place to win for road teams in the PCL because of the travel and because of the fact that Seattle is constantly sending major league players there because it is so close to Seattle.
    In the top of the second, Preston Tucker led off with a triple and then Duffy, Kemmer and Heineman all struck out. Some of the strike calls must have been awful because things got hot fast. Tony D got tossed and then Heineman got tossed. Tommy Shirley proceeded to throw his best game of the season with six scoreless innings. Brendan McCurry, who I did not realize had been promoted from CC to Fresno, threw two scoreless innings and Hoyt gave up a ninth inning homer before securing the save in a 2-1 win. Sometimes a little storm can light a team’s fire. Let’s see where this underachieving club goes from here.
    AJ Reed knocked in both runs on a sac fly and a home run.

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    • I knew McCurry had been promoted, today was his first day in Fresno. WOW Tony D. AND the Fresno catcher got tossed?!! I would have paid good money to see that fracas!!! Fresno has some dang good pitchers out there! Tonight’s game exposed the obvious that we NEED another lefty in the bullpen. BUT….as long as we can keep Uncle Albert and Trout outta the Crawford boxes I’m happy!

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  3. What he said: ‘It’s an impressive lineup when we can put together quality plate appearances’

    What he meant: ‘If we only faced opposing pitchers with an ERA over 5.00 and a WHIP over 1.4 who throw gift-wrapped meatballs the way our guys do in the 9th inning, we might actually have a shot at the 2nd wild-card’

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  4. Sipp was a good freebie pick up off the waiver wire and was a bargain his first couple of years. He is struggling this season – just not hitting his locations. I did not check his game usage but would guess he is being used less this season and not as consistently.

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    • Sipp’s ERA is now 4.37. His WHIP is now 1.41. His BAA is .286, and he has allowed 6 HRs in only 22 IP. Yes, you read that correctly. This Mr. SIPP does not win a Tony. Our lefty . . . is a Puncho.

      As Willie Nelson might say:

      Lefty just can’t hit his spots;
      Most every night he takes his shots;
      The lead the offense built so tall;
      he gave it up to a gopher ball;
      . . . and all the Federales say ‘We could have pulled him any day,
      but we let him give those runs away – out of kindness I suppose’.

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    • Sipp has been the only decent lefty reliever they have had at the major league level in quite a while (I am trying to think back on someone else and nothing is coming to my brain right now). It is a bit of an organizational blind spot that they have so few lefty pitchers, much less relievers at or near the major league level.

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  7. Just before Correa’s homer last night he took a hanging breaking ball right down the middle for a called strike. I couldn’t believe he took that pitch. Neither could Achter because he threw him the exact same pitch next and Correa crushed it.
    Castro came to the plate determined to go to the Crawford Boxes late in the game. He fouled off two pitches that he was obviously was trying to go to left and then he moved closer to the plate than I have ever seen him . When Achter threw him that fastball on the outside corner, Castro’s eyes looked like dinner plates.
    Not only did Sipp get in trouble last night, he threw so many pitches that he might not be available tonight.
    Chacin might have been the worst pitcher the Astros have faced this season. We got lucky not having to face Weaver, who pitched a shutout Sunday, if I heard Blum correctly.
    Anyone heard who Whitley has asked to be his “Advisor”?
    One game under .500.
    Tonight’s pitcher, lefty Hector Santiago throws a sinker. It is particularly effective in getting LH batters to hit grounders. LH batters have had three times as much of a GO/AO rate this year against him as RH batters.
    I wonder how sore Marwin’s left leg is this morning. I remember my son’s bruises with the curved stitch patterns in them when he got hit by mid 70’s mph fastballs. Can’t imagine what getting hit by a 90mph fastball must be like.

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  8. Spent 3 days with my pops Bday (86) and FDay and didn’t watch a game or turn on a computer, It was sort of nice. However, you all are still on your game made me laugh a lot, to catch up here on the Chipster TY

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  9. Tri City had to play 17 innings on the road last night.
    With score tied in the bottom of the 16th and a runner on third and one out, Tri-City decided to intentionally walk the bases loaded. They got a force out at home for the second out and pitcher Luis Ramirez struck out the next batter to get out of a jam.
    Tri City scored 4 runs in the top of the 17th, with the last two coming on a 2-run homer by 6th round pick Stephen Wrenn.
    Ramirez got himself in big trouble in the bottom of the 17th and gave up three runs and had runners on second and third with two out. He intentionally loaded the bases by walking the #3 hitter in the lineup in order to face the backup catcher, who was a mid-game substitute and had struck out twice already. Ramirez struck him out again for the win. Final score, Tri-City wins, 10-9. Tri-City got 19 hits and 7 BBs.
    Ahhh! Baseball nectar.

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  11. Roberto Pena did it again last night. Receiving strike three, he picked the winning run off of 1B in the bottom of the tenth for the second out.
    Pena then hit a big double in the top of the 11th and scored as CC won in extra innings on the road again.

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  12. It appeared Sipp got squeezed badly early in his outing. He could not seem to overcome that.
    Was Chacin on the Stros at one point in the past ?

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  13. On the pitch Feliz threw that ended up deep into the night, Castro was set up on the black outside and Feliz threw it on the inside black. You can see Castro’s mitt frozen across the plate in super slow mo as the ball just jumps off Giovetella’s barrel. First big mistake Feliz has made in weeks.
    Command!

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  14. I just want to thank Pencil and RJ for coming back to the blog. If there are others out there who want to join our small club, but are afraid to post we welcome you and I’ll have your back. We can change this from the Astros Stepford Fans/Bizarro TCB blog back to just an Astros Fans blog where differing opinions are not shouted down in mass unison.

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  15. Gustavo Chacin…2010 Astros relief pitcher. 44 appearances. Not so steller Astro carreer.
    YESSS!!!! I knew this befuddled old noggin of mine still works every other full moon.

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  16. Did you know that three Corpus Christi Hooks already have more 40 or more RBI apiece? Bregman has 44, Fisher has 43, and J.D. Davis has 40.

    To compare, Springer and Altuve lead the big club – which has played more games – with 41 and 40 respectively.

    The Grizzly-Taco crowd is way behind. Singleton leads that tem with 38.

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  17. Not one word in the Fresno Bee, WTHB, TCB or the Grizzlies /Raniers websites about last nights ejections. Maybe it didn’t really happen. I guess ejections are taboo in baseball now, kind of like bunting and batting averages.

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  18. Daz Cameron is really fighting the learning curve. He has 10 Ks in 22 PAs for Tri-City. He does, however, lead the club with 6 RBIs in just 4 games.

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