Updates:
August 18: Boxscore Updates, I'm in the process of moving so I'll update profiles within the next few days.
August 13: Boxscores, Recent News
August 10: Boxscore Updates, Recent News
August 7: Boxscore update, Recent News
August 3: Boxscore updates
Next 3 prospects: Collin Delome, Jeff Icenogle, Juan Gutierrez
August 2: Boxscore numbers, Troy Patton has another start,
August 1:Bogusevic PROMOTED!!!, Boxscore numbers, Clemens goes deep, Gervacio saves another one
July 31: Boxscore update, Van Ostrand is back, Einertson HR's
July 30: Boxscore Updates, Added Brad James, Samuel Gervacio, and Koby Clemens
July 26: Boxscore numbers, Parraz hits for cycle
July 24: Boxscore numbers updated
Recent News:
August 13: Brandon Backe pitches well in start.August 10: J.R. Towles promoted to Triple-A Round Rock and will bat 6th.Felipe Paulino and Sergio Perez pitch well in wins.Polin Trinidad throws a gem for Lexington7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K'sMatthew Cusick, Collin DeLome, Steve Brown and Jason Dominguez named All-Stars for the Tri-City Valleycats.
August 9: Orlando Rosales, RF, went 3-5 with 2 2B; He has now taken over the club lead in avg. overtaking Mitch Einertson.
Former Astros' prospect, Jason Hirsh, breaks leg off a line drive
Troy Patton has dominant start, he has won all 4 starts at home.
August 7: Talks with Derek Dietrich stalled because of injury, Eibner still not signed, Chad Jones probably headed to LSU
Jose Altuve, 2B, performing well in Venezuelan Summer League. The 17-year-old is top 5 in avg. and obp. Also top 15 in runs, rbi, ops., hits, and stolen bases.
Samuel Gervacio promoted to Double-A and throws 2 shutout frames in his first outing; has shown more confidence in his fastball; "He's always had it," manager Jim Pankovits told the Roanoke Times, referring to the pitcher's fastball. "He just doesn't use it. I think he's starting to see the value of it. He's got to have more than a couple of pitches to pitch at a higher level."
Cody Ransom wins offensive player of the week in triple-A Pacific Coast League
August 3:
Joshua Flores successfully stole home for the Hooks in the bottom of the 4th.
Left-hander Dave Qualben performed well in a loss
7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 k's
Stephen Randolph from triple-A round Rock will start in place of Chris Sampson who was put on the 15-day DL
August 2nd
Brandon Backe got his first start since coming back from injury.5 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 k'sAugust 15 deadline to sign Derek Dietrich and Brett Eibner, the first two picks in the Astros '07 draft."With three and four, we've had good dialogue," Ricciarini said. "It could go down anytime. ... Eibner and Dietrich, we're pretty close. It's very favorable." -Houston ChronicleBogusevic promoted to Double-A"He's an older guy who's made a lot of progress," Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "He didn't end on a good note in Salem. That wasn't what he had planned, but he's made a lot of strides. He's got good stuff, and being a first-round pick it's time to challenge him a little bit."Casey Hudspeth, 5th round pick, promoted to Salem.Johnny Ash and Mike Rodriguez injuredRound Rock outfielder Mike Rodriguez and Corpus Christi second baseman Johnny Ash will likely miss the final month of the regular season because of injuries.(R)Greeneville Astros have lost 8 out of 10 games (You think they had a weak draft this year) Woody Williams for a 2nd round draft pick doesn't look good at all.
Jordan Parraz #8 OF
The, 6'3", 220 lb. outfielder has had a slow start to his career. The 3rd round, 2004 draftee has seen others in his draft class move through the system. Hunter Pence, Troy Patton, Mitch Einertson, Ben Zobrist, and others have surpassed him. Parraz signed as a 19-year-old out of community college. His play was mediocre for the first 2 years at (R) Greeneville and short season Tri-City. His third year, 2006, in the minors and second with Tri-city proved to be his best one. Parraz filled up the stat sheet with 26 XBH, 23 steals, 33 walks, and a sparkling .336 avg. in 70 games. There was also much improvement in his glove. This season with the Lexington Legends, Jordan has done pretty good. He leads the team in rbi's and hr's but i don't like seeing that avg. at 267., especially when he was at .336 last year. He'll eventually be a spot start guy or be traded. I'm thinking Jason Lane on this one, prove me wrong Jordan. ETA: 2009-10
Last Game, August 17: 1-3, 2B, k
August 15: 2-5, 2 R, rbi, k
August 14: 0-5
August 13: 0-1
August 12: 1-4, 2B, rbi
Video from a fan, I like the very little motion and effort he puts into his swing.
Devon Torrence #39 CFThis is one of the more interesting stories within the Astros system. Torrence was drafted out of high school by the Astros in the 16th round. The interesting tidbit is that he's committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes to play cornerback or safety. So who did he choose? Both. The Astros have a deal set in place where he will be able to play football in the fall and Astros baseball in the spring. The thing I don't like is Torrence has stated football will come first. There is a big risk for injury but Purpura believes he is worth the risk. He's a switch hitting centerfielder with projectable power and plus speed. Torrence is an upper echelon athlete. Since he's got his mind on his football career right now, I'm not sure if he'll ever end up in the big leagues. The positive aspect of this is usually two sport football athletes tend to choose the other sport to lessen the possibility of injury. ETA: ???? Who knows? but I'll take a stab at 2011 since his decision should be made by this year.(Has not played since August 1st, he is getting ready for football at Ohio State U., placed on inactive list)
Last Game, August 1: 1-4, single
July 31: 2-3, rbi, BB (picked off once)
July 30: 0-4, 4 so
July 29: 0-2, so
July 26: 0-4, 4 so's
Felipe Paulino #55 RHPThe fireballer has spent his career in search of another pitch. The right-hander consistently throws his fastball in the upper 90's and has even been clocked at over 100 mph. He's a 23-year-old at double-A but there's still much hope. Paulino's curveball has much potential but control problems have hampered him. Though 23, He only had 130 innings of work before he was signed by the Astros out of Venezuela in 2001. There's no durability issue, the only question is whether he can add a breaking pitch to complement his already plus fastball.ETA: 2008 if he finds the 2nd pitch, Never if he doesn't.Last Game, August 15:(W) 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 k's (starts like this will get him promoted sooner than later)
August 9: 6 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K'sAugust 3: (W) 7 IP, 4 ER, 6 BB, 6 SO's
July 28: 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 SO's, 5 BB
July 22: 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
Jordan Parraz #8 OF
Devon Torrence #39 CF
Felipe Paulino #55 RHP