Where have all the flowers gone? A look at the Astros’ pitching prospects

A few questions keep coming up about the Houston Astros. Does the current front office of the Astros’ have a weakness relative to developing pitching talent? Does their minor league tandem method fail to nurture major league starters? Can they even develop bullpen parts?

Look at the pitchers who have pitched for them this season. For the pitchers who made their major league debuts as Astros, the list is only four pitchers long: Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Chris Devenski and James Hoyt. Dallas was developed under the previous regime, Hoyt is basically a AAAA pitcher received as the other chip in the Evan Gattis trade from Atlanta and Devenski was brought in from the White Sox by trade. Only McCullers was truly developed exclusively by this front office.

So where have all the flowers (pitching prospects) gone? My crack staff of researchers (OK cracked staff of one – me) has compiled a list of pitchers, who have appeared on Astro prospect lists between 2012 and 2017 (shown in chronological order to when they were on the list) and cover the question – Whatever happened to …..?

  1. Jarred Cosart. Made the majors with the Astros and then was sent to the Marlins in the trade that brought back Francis Martes, Jake Marisnick, Colin Moran and the pick that became Daz Cameron. Moran became a key piece in the Gerrit Cole trade and Cameron headed to the Tigers in the Justin Verlander trade.’
  2. Paul Clemens. Came here in the Michael Bourn trade with Atlanta, ended up pitching poorly with the big club, was released in 2014, bumped around other places since and lately has been seen in the Mexican and Independent leagues.
  3. Mike Foltynewicz. A 1st round draft choice by the Astros, pitched below average in one shot with the Astros and then was included in the Evan Gattis trade with Atlanta. He has pitched average to below average with the Braves, but this season at the age of 26 he has had a great start to the season.
  4. Brett Oberholtzer. Also came in the Bourn trade, pitched decently in three shots with the big club and then was sent to the Phillies in the Ken Giles trade. Pitched poorly for the Phillies and Dodgers and is now in the Rockies farm system.
  5. Kyle Weiland. Obtained with Jed Lowrie in a trade for Mark Melancon. Made a 3 game appearance with the Astros, bopped around the minors and never came back from the injury bug in 2014.
  6. Adrian Houser. Second round draft choice of the Astros included in the Carlos Gomez / Mike Fiers trade with Milwaukee. Has had a couple of cups of coffee with the Brewers and currently pitching for their AAA squad at 25 y.o.
  7. Tanner Bushue. A second-round pick of the Astros who made it as high as A ball and then was released in 2013.
  8. Juan Abreu. Third pitcher received in the Bourn deal, made a brief appearance with the Astros, released in 2012 and out of baseball since 2015.
  9. Ross Seaton. Third round pick of the Astros who topped out in AAA and was released in 2015. Has bumped around and down since.
  10. Jake Buchanan. Eighth round pick of the Astros, who had a couple short stints with the big club and was released in 2016. Currently with Arizona’s AAA club.
  11. Lance McCullers. Compensation pick who has been a critical part of the starting rotation the last 3 years.
  12. Kevin Comer. Obtained in the J.A. Happ trade with Toronto, released after the 2017 season and currently with Detroit AAA club at 25 y.o.
  13. Brad Peacock. Obtained in the first Jed Lowrie trade with Oakland, persevered through injuries and became a critical bullpen/ spot starter cog in the 2017 run to the World Series.
  14. Joe Musgrove. Also obtained in the J.A. Happ trade, worked his way to the majors and was an important bullpen presence in 2017, including winning the pivotal 5th game marathon in the WS. Included in the trade for Gerrit Cole. Has given the Pirates 4 strong starts after starting the season injured.
  15. Nick Tropeano. A fifth-round pick of the Astros, who made the majors for the Astros and then was included in a trade for Hank Conger. Currently 5th man in the Angels rotation.
  16. Asher Wojciechowski – Obtained in the J.A. Happ trade, battled injuries, had a cup of coffee with the Astros and released in 2016. Has bobbed around since, currently pitching AAA for the Orioles.
  17. Daniel Mengden. A fourth-round pick of the Astros was included in the 2015 trade to the A’s for Scott Kazmir. Despite what happened Tuesday night he has turned into a solid middle of the rotation pitcher for Oakland, And as Becky has said he has the best moustache since Rollie Fingers.
  18. Vince Velasquez. A second-round pick of the Astros – pitched a little for the Astros in 2015 and then included in the Ken Giles trade. Has been injured quite a bit and his production has been average or below when healthy in Philly.
  19. Josh Fields. Rule 5 pickup, who had steadily improving numbers in his three seasons with the Astros. Traded for Yordan Alvarez who has become top Astros prospect. Has pitched very well for the Dodgers in a set-up role (Don’t look at his relief appearance in Game 2 of the WS)
  20. Mark Appel. Overall #1 pick and huge fail in the minors. Packaged him for Giles and he went to Philly, struggled even more and then retired.
  21. Josh Hader. Obtained in the Bud Norris trade and then included in the Gomez/Fiers trade to Milwaukee. Currently is one of the best LH closers in the majors at 24 y.o.   Not that we could use one of those.
  22. Kyle Smith. Obtained in the Justin Maxwell trade. Was rising through the system, but has never pitched well after losing all of 2015 to injury. Has not pitched this season.
  23. Andrew Thurman. A second-round pick of the Astros, he was included in the Evan Gattis trade and has bounced around the minors for both the Braves and the Dodgers.
  24. Michael Feliz. Signed as free agent out of the Dominican, he worked his way up to the Astros bullpen, he was capable of big strikeout numbers and big ERAs. He was included in the Cole trade and continues to struggle with the Pirates.
  25. Francis Martes. Another FA out of the Dominican – he became the Astros top pitching prospect before Mr. Whitley appeared. His 2017 debut with the Astros was a mix of poor bullpen work and decent starting pitching. His 2018 return to the minors has been a combination of poor pitching and injury.
  26. Riley Farrell. A third-round pick, after missing most of 2016 to injury, he worked his way to AA where he is sporting great K numbers and bad BB numbers.
  27. Reymin Guduan. Signed as an FA out of the Dominican – he was recently brought up for his second shot at the bigs when Joe Smith was put on the DL. His time in the minors, including this season includes some good numbers, but he struggles with control.
  28. Chris Devenski. The player to be named later in the trade-off of Brett Myers he has ridden his killer changeup to a position as one of the best relievers in the game.
  29. David Paulino. And yet another FA out of the Dominican, he rose quickly through the system and had enjoyed a couple call-up to the big club when a PED suspension in 2017 detoured his career. Can he come back and be a major league pitcher? He is stuck in the minors and shut down at the moment.
  30. Brady Rodgers. Third round pick – Had a rough cup of coffee with the Astros in 2016 – pitched well at AAA when he went down with TJ surgery and may come back in mid-2018
  31. Akeem Bostick. Picked up in exchange for Carlos Corporan, he has had some ups and downs climbing up from the minors and is currently a 24 y.o. pitching decently at Corpus AA
  32. Patrick Sandoval. Eleventh round pick, who is now pitching at A ball as a 21 y.o.
  33. Jandel Gustave. A free agent out of the Dominican, he worked his way up to a short stint in the majors, but is currently working his way back from TJ surgery.
  34. Brendan McCurry. The second time the Astros traded Jed Lowrie they received McCurry back from the A’s. Shortly after that, he was hit with a 50 game drug suspension. He has had very good numbers in the lower minors and just so-so at AAA
  35. Forrest Whitley. First-round choice who became one of the top-rated pitching prospects in all of baseball. He was derailed for a time due to the use of a non-PED drug and has just returned from his 50 game suspension for a nice first start at AA Corpus.
  36. Franklin Perez. A FA signing out of Venezuela, he was a critical piece in the Justin Verlander trade. He currently is down with a lat injury.
  37. James Hoyt. As discussed above – a bullpen backup piece who moves from AAA to the big club as needed
  38. Cionel Perez. A FA signing out of Cuba, he is currently putting up strong numbers at AA Corpus
  39. Guadalupe Chavez – Received in the trade of Scott Feldman to Toronto this is the biggest mystery on this list. As an 18 y.o. at Astros rookie ball he put up a 4-1 record, 1.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in 45.2 IP and promptly disappeared. He is shown as voluntarily retired – he must have gotten a heck of a signing bonus to retire at like 19.

So, there you have it. The Astros develop more major league level pitchers than you would think, but not all for their own team. Thirteen of these 39 pitchers listed as top prospects sometime in the last 6 years were used in trades that picked up players as diverse in value as Justin Verlander and Hank Conger. Some bob around between the majors and the minors. Some have made it big time in the majors. Many have floated away to other minor league organizations or back to their homes. Some have been undone by injuries. Three have faced PED or non-PED drug suspensions.

What is your verdict? Does this team know how to develop pitchers or not?

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157 responses to “Where have all the flowers gone? A look at the Astros’ pitching prospects”

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  1. I think the jury is still out. Quite frankly, Forrest Whitley is probably the highest ceiling pitching prospect we have had in the organization in the Luhnow era. I am curious to see how he does in the bigs – as well as Cionel Perez and Rogelio Armenteros, who I see as 2nd tier pitching prospects [not prospective aces, but potentially good MOR to BOR guys]. What I want to see are:
    1. control/command [limit the walks, wild pitches, and HBPs];
    2. a put-away pitch administered with a killer instinct;
    3. professional demeanor [something Mr. McCullers is having to work on before the ‘big stage’], and
    4. a Verlandian level of mature competitiveness that makes him get stronger and harder to make contact against as the game goes on.

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      • Since I was trying to show how prospects had turned out / developed (and because I ran out of steam) I did not include anyone who showed up on the 2018 prospect list – nothing intentional to diss anyone.

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      • Your post is amazing, Dan. Laughing with you – and attempting to throw out a typical ‘Mr. Bill’ kind of backhand compliment – in regard to Rogelio.

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  3. Regarding relievers. In light of the mysterious disappearances of Martes and Paulino, together with the painstakingly slow and very quiet return of Rodgers and Gustave, I suspect Mr. Luhnow and Mr. Strom are planning on having those arms fresh and ready to help out the big club, and rest our regular bullpen guys when they develop that ever-increasingly familiar un-diagnosed malady of ‘soreness of the shoulder’ come July and August.

    No way Luhnow is going to let Harris, Devenski, McHugh, Peacock, Rondon, Smith, or Giles be totally exhausted by the time of the playoffs this year. Let’s talk about how good or bad the system is at developing relievers again in September!

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  4. My impression of the Astros development of young arms is that they have moved on from grooming throwers to grooming pitchers.
    I thought they had a pitcher in Hoyt, but he does not seem to have the killer mentality it takes to stick.
    I honestly think they had a pitcher in Musgrove, but were willing to trade his future for Gerritt Cole’s present. The thinking behind that was the number of young guys they still have in the minors with four pitches.
    The last ten or so appearances by Riley Ferrell show marked improvement in his control.

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  5. How come a team with the best ERA, the fewest errors and the highest team BA in the major leagues, is in second place in their division?
    Mrs. 1OP says it is because of the distractions when they are at home.

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    • I think there may be something to Mrs 1OP’s assessment. At the start of this road trip I was hoping for 7-3 or 8-2. Now I don’t think a sweep is inconceivable unless Keuchel flames out again. The Mariners are also reminding me of the 2016 Rangers with their one run game success in large part due to Edwin Diaz. Oh for a killer closer like him! I hope Luhnow is working the phones for Zach Britton although I expect he is going to cost a lot. Just so the price tag doesn’t include Tucker or Whitley.

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      • But, Edwin Diaz has 36 appearances and 36 IP. That is huge usage 40% of the way through the season. What is going to happen with Diaz in July August and September, when a team that has so many close games has to depend on him so much?

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  6. A personal note. Years of moving around for our daughter and her family culminated with them having to move back in with us last year. It was months of heartache for them and us to see them suffering and embarrassed.
    This morning our daughter called us and said she had been hired teaching 11th grade English in the same magnificent high school where her husband will be teaching Advanced Placement Chemistry to HS seniors. Full time salaries at the new rate that Oklahoma teachers just wrangled from the state and health insurance paid for. As a bonus, their son will start kindergarten in the elementary school next store to the high school.
    The prayers we have been begging with for years are answered and my tears flow freely.

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    • Great story op! That is a wonderful blessing to occur….
      Speaking of which – Becky if you are out there – any more info on Tanner and on you?

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    • Awesome news 1OP. Good things come to those who wait. I have a son and daughter in law who have both gone into teaching in the last couple of years after struggling to find their way. They’re both dong really well and my son is now the assistant varsity baseball coach at a 6A high school. Sing praises to the Lord for He is good. >=))>

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    • 1oldpro, that is just an awesome post. I don’t even know you or your daughter but reading that almost brought ME to tears. So happy for you and them. Know you are grateful to the Good Lord for all His blessings. Baseball is great but it’s far from the most important.

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    • 1OP, I know from reading your posts over the long term that this has been weighing heavily on you, and I can see why you shed tears now. Bless you and Mrs. 1OP for persevering, along with children and grandchildren. And where there’s a school, there’s a store next door, or close, so not a senior moment, just a visionary moment.

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    • That’s beautiful to hear 1OP. As one who has dealt with underemployment for a few years now, as I enter my mid 60’s, it sure can take a toll on the whole family, especially from a mental standpoint. All one can do is battle on and try to keep a sense of humor. I’m very happy for the extended OP clan.

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  7. Dan, I just need to say “Thank you” for the entertaining and informative posts. You write as well as many who are getting paid the big bucks to do it for a living. I know there is a lot of work that goes into them, and I for one appreciate it and look forward to each one.

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    • Thank you so much John. I get a feeling that my pay at my real job (project engineering) far outstrips what the folks get who get paid for what is called journalism these days, but I thank you for the compliment. I also think we have some of the more intelligent writers among our commenters here.
      I love to write and it has gotten easier as I’ve gone along. And I appreciate all those who stop by and read and/or comment!!

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  8. So as a bit of a supplement – here are reports on young men who are on the current Top 30 prospects list that were not on the one heading into 2017….
    – J.B. Bukauskas – the 2017 1st rounder pitched OK in 3 games last season and then got lit up in 2 games this season at A- ball before going on the DL
    – Jorge Alcala – The FA out of the Dominican has had a steady rise up the organization. He had a nice 10 game start this season at A+ Buies Creek and has a 2.25 ERA in 3 games at AA.
    – Corbin Martin – The local product and 2017 2nd round pick has not stayed in one place very long – hitting rookie ball and A- ball last season, skipping A ball, starting at A+ ball in 2018 and is putting up a 2.97 ERA at AA Corpus.
    – Hector Perez – The free agent out of (all together now) the Dominican has had good numbers along the line through multiple stops. He is struggling a bit at A+ ball in 2018, due to high walk totals. His K and hit numbers look good so if he can only boost his control….
    – Rogelio Armenteros – the young FA out of Cuba put his career in gear with 3 stops in 2016 and then hit AA and AAA last season. He had a 2.16 ERA in 10 games at Fresno (AAA) last year, but has a higher 3.63 ERA in 10 games this season. Best guess is he is working on a new or different pitch this season.
    – Jairo Solis – Very young free agent out of Venezuela – pitched very well at the 3 rookie teams last season, but is struggling with both control and hittability after jumping to A ball at 18 y.o. Would not be surprised if they ease him back to A-
    – Framber Valdez – FA lefty out of the Dominican thrived at the lower levels but is trying to master AA as he put up a 5.88 ERA last season followed by a 4.87 ERA this season, but Astros likely to give this lefty some time to find himself.
    – Dean Deetz – 11th round pick in 2014 – he has had up and down performances along the way – last season he was super at AA and crappy at AAA, but perhaps best known for getting suspended the same day as Jon (the grass is green) Singleton, but in his case for PEDs. I’m trying to figure out why he has pitched in a game at Quad Cities this season – he had an 80 game suspension and QC has only played 65 games ….. time off for good behavior?
    – Cristian Javier – Another FA out of the Dominican (are there any pitchers left there?) he has been a strong performer and after a great start to the season in A ball he has been promoted to A+ ball
    – Brett Adcock – A 4th rounder in 2016, he is having a very good 2018 in his second stab at A+ ball…oh and he is a lefty
    – Brandon Bailey – The Astros traded OF prospect Ramon Laureano for Bailey last off-season. He has had solid numbers along the way and even though he is 2-6 at A+ ball, his 3.08 ERA and 1.215 WHIP show he may be lacking support….
    – Finally – Josh James – A 34th rounder (not a misprint) in 2014, he had good success early and struggled a bit in between. He has had an astounding jump in performance (oh please don’t be a PED person) from 2017 at AA to 2018 at AA and AAA. In 2017 – 4.38 ERA/ 1.461 WHIP / 8.5 K per 9 IP ….In 2018 – 2.41 ERA / 1.071 WHIP / 14.6 K per 9 IP – right now you would think he would be the next one to jump to the bigs…

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  9. A friendly reminder:
    -Francis Martes turned 22 in November. Stop and think about that for a second. This guy has everything in front of him. He is 1 month older than Corbin Martin, who is just a baby as far as experience.
    – David Paulino turned 24 in February. His road has been rocky, but he may no even have gotten started yet in his journey as a major league pitcher. Paulino has only pitched 46 innings in AAA, spread over 3 seasons.
    -Patrick Sandoval is a slow developing guy who could definitely be a sleeper. he has pitched better and better as this season progresses. He’s 21 and was drafted out of preschool.
    – The Astros have four or five guys right now in the low minors who will be top pitching prospects for this club(or others) in two years.

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  10. One thing I missed – David Paulino was a FA out of the Dominican Republic, but not for the Astros – he came here from the Tigers in the Jose Veras trade along with the notorious Danry Vasquez.

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  11. By the way, you mentioned Christian Javier. This kid just turned 21 in March. After blowing away low A [1.82 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, a .165 BAA. and 80 strikeouts in 49.1 inings, he got his first start last night at High A Buies Creek. He pitched 6 no hit, innings. 0 ER, 0 R, 0 H, 3 BB, 5 SOs. Welcome to A+, CJ!

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  12. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about #39 Guadalupe Chavez (also called some places Lupe Chavez). He absolutely put up great numbers and then disappeared and is shown as retired.
    – Was he like Roy Hobbs and really a 40 y.o. player?
    – Was he tied to some cartel and like Walter White able to make better bucks off crystal meth?
    – Was he tied to Harvey Weinstein?
    – Illness in the family?
    – Anyone know anything?

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      • Aha I found this in Baseball America under his name
        “Loaned by Astros to Quintana Roo (Mexican), June 4, 2018.” – so I wonder if he needed to be close to home for family reasons or was just a home sick kid

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  13. John, first of all, welcome, but you’ll get an invoice from Dan.

    Jeez, so many names in one day. I always liked Folty because he threw 100 plus, but all he was doing was throwing. Seems he’s turned into a pitcher. Musgrove is another guy I miss. I like his demeanor. Hader is something special, I honestly did not see him becoming what he has. I thought Armenteros would get his first shot with the big club at some point this year. Looks like a longer shot now. So many others to comment on……

    The big thing to keep in mind though, is that in making all those decisions, we got enough of them right to win a World Series. I’d feel bad reading this stuff right now if we had bowed out of the 2017 post season against the Sox.

    And I don’t think we’ve given up the ranch either. A guy like Whitley might help as soon as this October. Sure we’ll loose a few more guys over the next couple of months for ready to win talent. At the same time, we’ll open up holes in the minors for guys to continue to grow. I think we’re in good shape.

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  14. Springer sitting out today and amazingly Jake is not in the lineup. They’ve mostly just slid everyone up one spot …

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    • One thing that stands out to me is how young some of these guys who seem like ancient history are. Guys like Cosart and Oberholtzer are still only 28 – Folty is 26 – it feels like these guys should be in their 30s.
      I’d be most worried about Musgrove or Folty turning into a Santana of those that are in the majors right now.

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  16. Great post Dan, the result of a lot of hard work, though we know it’s a labor of love. Looking at the list, there’s not a whole lot of “ouches” where we gave up on a great performer too soon, all in all. Of the ones not still in the organization, how many would be on our current ML roster? Hader? Maybe Musgrove. Probably no one else. Pitching is such a crapshoot and the nature of the game means there’s going to be many rolls of the dice. Every GM is going to have their good and bad moments. Overall you have to give the FO big thumbs up, if not on developing pitchers, at least in putting together/developing a pitching staff. And there are is still great potential lower in the organization. Honestly, the thing that worries me the most is the PED stuff.

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    • Nice run out to a 5-1 lead in the 4th. McCann with a 2 run homer – Correa with a couple hits – JV gave up a solo home run and nothing else.

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  19. Luhnow is going to have to make some decisions to make in Fresno.
    We have some un…believable pitchers in Corpus who need to need to be promoted. Golden talent in our minors!! Here’s the update on Tanner, and me.
    Tanner is doing excellent! He’s so happy to be home surrounded by his mother and dad and little brothers!
    I had two CT scans, both were good and I will have another PET scan in July to see if there are anymore cancer markers. Verlander was AWESOME today, these guys are starting to perform as a well oiled unit….better late than never!!

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    • Great news, Becky – both for Tanner and for you!

      And the glut of pitching at Corpus you mentioned persists even after Dykxhoorn’s promotion to Fresno [where he is doing great, namely 1-o with a 2.28 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP, and 26 Ks in 23.2 IP]. And Fresno is so packed now that we have no place to put Paulino, Martes, or Rodgers when the Big Brass is ready to slip them back into competition.

      I smell a trade of some pretty good pitching prospects for a big name reliever coming.

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  20. Oakland has played 69 games and has 12 stolen bases and 13 caught stealing.
    The Kansas City Royals have struck out the least number of times in MLB and have the worst record in MLB.
    You misplay a popup and don’t touch it and it is a base hit. You misplay a popup and come close enough to touch it and it’s an error. That is stupid!
    The two teams who ground into the most DPs play each other tomorrow in KC
    The Astros walked nobody today and drew 4 walks of their own.
    The bottom of the Astros order was 5-11.
    After today’s game the Astros have three position players hitting over .300.
    Kemp at .301, Yuli at .302, and Altuve at .338.
    Velander sits at 100.1 innings and has a 0.76 WHIP.
    The Astros swept while giving Altuve, Bregman and Springer each a game off.
    Keuchel is matched up against KC’s ace, Duffy, who hasn’t pitched like an ace.

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    • As usual, a great variety of good points OP. That fly ball error/no error rule has never made sense to me.

      So when do we slow Verlander and his innings count a bit? He’ll be a tough sell!

      Might be a good situation for Keuchel tomorrow night if the Royals are willing to swing at stuff a bit off the plate.

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  21. – The Houston Astros have the lowest ERA in MLB at 2.94. The Kansas City Royals have the highest ERA in MLB at 5.27.
    – The Houston Astros lead MLB with 345 RBIs so far this season. Kansas City is 27th in RBIs with 237.
    – Jon Jay had the highest batting average on the Royals at .307 and they just traded him away. Now Merrified has the highest BA at .294.
    – Evan Gattis and Mike Moustakas both have 13 HRs and 42 RBIs. The Bear is hitting .245 and the Moose is hitting .259. Gattis has it all over Moustakis defensively, though. Gattis has not committed an error all season. TeeHee.

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  22. Boston beats Seattle 2-1 and the Mariners finally lose a 1-run game. Houston back in first place by half a game.
    That’s what I stayed up late for.
    G’night.

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  23. Evan Gattis, singing in the shower . . .

    I’m goin’ to Kansas City. Kansas City here I come!
    I’m goin’ to Kansas City. Kansas City here I come!
    It’s just 330 to the foul pole there, so I’m gonna hit me one!

    I’m gon’ swing the big lumber – & watch that baby fly!
    I’m gon’ swing the big lumber – & watch that baby fly!
    I’m gon’ lead all my teammates in bombs and RBIs.

    Well my launch angles high; exit velo? Oh my!
    If you think you can catch this smash, just go on and try!
    I’m goin’ to Kansas City. Kansas City here it comes!
    I’m goin’ to Kansas City. Kansas City here it comes!
    Someone standin’ outside Kaufman’s gonna wonder where that ball came from!
    Someone standin’ outside Kaufman’s gonna wonder where that ball came from!

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  24. I’m not too concerned about Seattle, because they don’t have any rotation depth and they don’t seem to have anyone ready in Tacoma. Of course, they would be expected to pick up a starter at some point soon.

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  25. With the M’s playing the next nine (3 against Yanks, 6 against Red Sox) against tough competition and the Astros playing the next nine (6 against KC and 3 against TB) against easier competition it is a great time for the Astros to extend their strong recent performance and establish a lead.

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  26. Me and Mr. Bill
    We got some songs goin’on
    We both know the season’s long
    But the ‘Stros are too strong
    To give in to the M’s now

    We meet every day at the same e-blog
    Six-thirty and we all know he’ll be there
    Filling time, making all kinds of rhyme
    While the human juke box spoofs our favorite songs

    Me and Mr. Bill
    We got some songs goin’on
    We both know the season’s long
    But the ‘Stros are too strong
    To give in to the Bosox now

    We gotta be extra careful
    That do we don’t build our hopes up too high
    Because the team’s got some contract’s expiring
    And we just can’t say goodbye

    Me and Mr. Bill
    We got some songs goin’on
    We both know the season’s long
    But the ‘Stros are too strong
    To give in to the Yanks now

    Well, it’s time for us to be leading
    It hurts so much, when the team blows an easy win
    Now Bill will write his way and I’ll write mine
    Tomorrow we’ll meet at Chipalatta
    The same place, the same time

    Me and Mr. Bill
    We got some songs goin’on
    We both know the season’s long
    But the ‘Stros are too strong
    To give in to the Tribe now

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  27. Here is an interesting stat we haven’t talked about.
    Everyone knows that the Astros hit into a lot of DPs. They are second in baseball, one behind KC in that category.
    But, the Astros pitching staff has gotten the second lowest number of GIDP in baseball.
    The Astros pitching staff has become a power pitching staff and are no longer a ground ball staff.

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  28. The MLB schedule makers are blind hogs who found an acorn. From July 20th through the end of September, the Astros and Mariners play each other 13 times. Who knew?!

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  29. So this kid named Jonathan Loaisga is starting for the Yankees tonight. He spent most of last season playing rookie ball and has just 6 AA starts on his brief resume. He’s been pretty good and has excellent control, but even if it’s just a spot start, it really makes me appreciate more and more what depth our organization has. It’s only mid June and the Yankees, with two starters on the DL apparently have chosen not to go to AAA or to an arm with more experience. It’ll be interesting to see what this guy does tonight.

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    • Valley Cats and Lake Monsters, Oh My!

      The New York/Penn League is back! The Astro affiliated Tri-City Valley Cats, and first round draft pick Seth Beer, will start their season tonight at the ‘Joe’. Eleventh round pick Chad Donato [RHP, West Virginia] will pitch for the Cats.

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    • If only multiple women would go into labor with Jakes’ babies – he could be put on paternity leave and Tyler could stick around

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      • Dan, that’s a heck of a thought. Maybe a bit odd. Bill, can you come up with a little ditty on this theme?

        So this guy Junis tonight is better against lefties. We’ve got 4 in the line up tonight, with red hot Yuli sitting. Is this a scheduled day off? If so, it would have been nice to see nephew get the nod tonight.

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      • Yeah, I saw it, that’s why I suggested it would have been nice to see nephew get the nod if hot Yulii had to sit.

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  34. Seth Beer hits 2-run opposite field home run in his first professional game. Tri-City rolling 8-1 in the seventh.

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  40. Gattis!!! And….YES that’s what *SITUATIONAL HITTING * is!!
    Getting picked off at 3rd isn’t going to endear yourself to Hinch, Mr. Reddick.
    Felt good enough to go into town and have a nice dinner, and then over to my favorite watering hole to watch the game and have a cold beer! I’ve missed the days when we used to do that every Friday night. I didn’t even tell our son who lives in the Heights that we were on his side of town….he’ll get over it.
    And….raise your hand if you’re glad Eric Hosmer doesn’t play for the Royals anymore! That guy used to murder us.
    I have a question, are they still doing tandem pitching in our minor’s? Just wondering…..I could probably email Jane Hanson but I thought I’d ask you guys first.

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  41. Great story about Tony Kemp hugging Gattis when he hits a homerun!
    Started doing it in Fresno, and brought it to the big club! Love that kid.

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  43. Astros win 9 in a row. Have 62 RBIs in those games. Gattis drives in 20 of them. I keep telling everyone, there are some slackers on this team. But no one will listen to me. Sad.

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  44. – Becky I don’t see tandem at Fresno – guys are starting the same amount of games as they play. At Corpus and Buies Creek I looks to me like they are with guys having mixes of starting and relieving
    – Gattis has been the key lately – lots of HRs and RBIs and critical ones
    – Darned Ms come from behind late and win another one run game

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  45. Some comments in no particular order:
    * Angels put Richards, Tropeano and Cozart on the DL yesterday.
    * Yankees still have lost only 20 games this season.
    * Gattis might have finally gotten some comfort with being the DH. Getting used to only batting and not fielding might be similar to the feeling I have when the Astros aren’t playing. I have to look around and find something to do. Maybe, the art of DHing has finally come to him. The way he has been hitting lately has been of MVP caliber. Why throw him that fastball, when he had not hit a curve all night? The person who called that pitch made a huge mistake.
    * Mrs 1OP called the Grand Slam.
    * The Texas Rangers are a mess.
    * Corbin Martin pitched well last night for Corpus Christ and was allowed to stay in a game long enough to get a win.
    * Jorge Soler has a foot fracture and will be DL’d by KC today.
    * I believe Kyle Tucker is working on pitch recognition in AAA and being better when he is behind in the count.
    * Astros starting pitching is becoming normally good, after being abnormally good for two months.

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  46. A big difference from last year to this year? Last year the Astros led all of baseball in wild pitches. This year they are tied with two other teams for 15th place.
    As the chips fall in place for the long baseball season, teams who hit for high BA in the spring start to wilt and the cream starts rising to the top: Astros team BA is now first in the majors at .265 and second place Boston is at .262.
    As of this morning, the AL West has 190 wins, the AL East has 175 wins and the AL Central has 146 wins.

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  47. I see that Manfred is worried about attendance being down this year.
    First, every team can not “tank” at the same time. Just won’t work. Second, a $7.50 ticket in the 1970’s should be around $31-32.00 today. They are $75-150.00. Normal working people can’t go and catch every team once each year. They have priced themselves out of the “average repeat purchaser” fan.

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  49. Thoughts –
    – Yanks have still played 6 less games than the Astros. They have also played 5 more home games than road games
    – The Astros are still lagging last year in OPS (.772 and 3rd vs. .823 and first) but are on the rise. Now they have Springer, Bregman, Altuve, Correa, Gattis and Kemp all over .800 OPS with Stassi also over that mark when he plays.
    – The Angels have just been snake bit on pitcher’s injuries
    – Seeing live games is just an expensive outing – on top of the tickets, you have to put out $15 -20 just to park where you think the car will be there later – “refreshments” and foods are sky high and all those Orange Altuve jerseys cost you $100

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    • My Astros addiction costs us about $50 a month for 12 months. That is the difference between the regular package and the Choice package for Direct TV.
      However, two of us get to share that hobby and that makes it less expensive and I made up for the Choice package cost when we turned 65 and got a lifetime hunting and fishing license for both of us at $25 apiece. My wife and I get lifetime hunting and fishing for free and that is a huge savings for us. One free hobby makes up for the cost of the other one.

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    • I think that all major league sporting events are in for a rude awakening. We all know that NFL attendance is down for more than one reason but cost is a factor in all sporting events. Last month I went to see the Buies Creek Astros and although I parked free (walking 6 blocks) the ticket (down the left field line) was $13, a terrible hot dog was $4, a beer was $6 (that was OK) and a pretzel was $5 (OK I was hungry). Not bad but I sure couldn’t afford to go to many Astro games at the tune of $50 – $75 per game. Looks like a $100 – $125 night. If it hasn’t happened already the normal fan will soon be priced right out of the market. I think Hockey games are the most expensive followed by football, basketball and baseball. My MLB subscription was $89 so I think I got a deal. No it’s not the same as being there but I do get to see 90% of the games.

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  50. Not too excited about Kemp sitting and Jake playing. No Tyler White today either.
    Springer leading off of course – he has 2 homers and 5 RBIS IN 9 ABs against Duffy.

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    • Dan, the problem with nephew is that if he plays third or second or first, we lose a guy we want on the field. And if he is the DH, we lose the hottest hitter in the league. If Yuli or Alex gets hurt, he’ll be great to have on standby. But in the long run, he’s not going to get a real shot anytime soon unless he gets traded.

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