June 2010

Escape from Arlington

Both the Astros and I left Texas following their game Sunday night. The Rangers Ballpark was everything that I’d been told to expect – a beautiful facility, and we had great seats. I got my wish, as both Roy and Lance were in the starting lineup, and the weather was actually quite pleasant with the breeze, so I couldn’t have scripted a better night to see the boys again. I only wish that the game had turned out differently, or at least more competitively; it was a great night for Rangers fans, but it was an ugly game for Houston. Disappointing that Roy was at his most un-Wizard-like on the night when I finally got to see him pitch. Disappointing that Hunter Pence never got into the game, although Oswalt and Berkman were those I cared most about. Josh Hamilton did his best Jim Edmonds impersonation, killing the Astros on both sides of the ball – if he maintains numbers anything like what he’s done so far, he absolutely has my vote for AL MVP. At least the pigeon provided some comic relief as the game drew to its inevitable conclusion.

But still, I can’t honestly complain. We had a great weekend in Arlington apart from the Astros game, which was intended to be the weekend’s highlight. And really, it was, in spite of the less-that-ideal outcome. I consoled myself with the fact that Texas needed the win more than Houston did; it’s clear that the Astros are going nowhere this year, but the Rangers and Angels will likely be locked in a pennant race for the rest of the summer. Texas was always my #2 team as a kid, and that’s never really changed, so I can’t begrudge them their success. We also got the unexpected bonus of seeing the TCU baseball team on the field before the game, to congratulate them on their first CWS appearance, and their coach threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The Astros signed Paul Gerrish today, so I hope we’ll see more of him again.
Houston pulled off the big comeback on Monday that I’d been hoping for the previous night. It was nice seeing Michael Bourn pull a Jim Edmonds on Jim Edmonds last night. The Astros are going this afternoon for another series win, and for a .500 record in June. July will bring the All-Star Game, Roy’s continued pursuit of Joe Niekro (still two wins back), and all of the questions about how different the roster will look on July 31 v. July 1. A fellow Astros fan in Arlington – one of many, as it turned out – commented to me that it’s been a long year already. And I agree, but I hope this next month sets the stage for a brighter future. 

Final thoughts before Friday

This afternoon, the Astros concluded a bizarre series against San Francisco in which the winner of each game would be the first team to three errors. Houston’s defense was ultimately the more awful, and so they came away with two wins out of three. Jason Castro destroyed a Matt Cain changeup for an upper-deck homer in the 2nd, and he destroyed his bat for a single to right in the 7th, so he finished the day 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored. With a .300 batting average after three games, Castro the Astro is off to a great start.

Nolan Ryan mentioned recently that he likes Houston’s affiliation with his AA Corpus Christi Hooks, but he said nothing about their Round Rock partnership. If the Astros keep up the way they’ve been going recently, they may want to consider that new Sugar Land location in order to have their AAA guys closer at hand. Houston today made their fifth call-up in a week, with Josh Banks now scheduled to start in Arlington on Saturday, as Felipe Paulino goes on the DL. Bud Norris is back too, and scheduled to start on Monday, but as Roy O’s start on Sunday remains unmoved, I don’t mind the reshuffling around him. No word yet on who’s being removed from the roster in order to make room for Banks, but I don’t expect any major surprises.
Final note: Brad Mills says that Roy Oswalt should be an All-Star this year… and really, I hope that he is. I stated before that I thought Matt Lindstrom was Houston’s most likely candidate, and I still believe that to be the case. But Roy is really their most deserving – if they can look past his 4-9 record (the result of being on a bad baseball team), he honestly, arguably has put up All-Star type numbers. At the very least, he’s put up the most All-Star like numbers of anybody on the Astros team, so based on that criteria alone, Roy should get the call. Not to take anything away from Lindstrom, as I’ll cheer on the Astros rep either way, but I’ll be both surprised and well-pleased if we see Roy in Anaheim on July 13.

Crazy Eight

After eight tries, the Astros finally beat the Giants, though a day too late for Jason Castro’s debut, but c’est la vie. Castro got his first 0-fer and first passed ball, but he did work a walk and score another run. Chris Johnson was the star rookie for Houston on this night, going 2-4 with a double, a RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. 

Bad news for the other of Houston’s rookie trio, Tommy Manzella; he broke his finger in the 9th Tuesday night, and now he’ll be out for about six weeks. Signing Adam Everett didn’t make much sense when he was DFA’d by Detroit early this month, but he’s officially a free agent now and is still available, so is it time to bring him back? It would certainly make more sense now, with Tommy out until at least August, and it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad move… the Astros recalled Oswaldo Navarro from Round Rock to fill Tommy’s roster spot, and of course we’ve got Geoff Blum, but neither of those two are natural shortstops. I’d love to see Edwin Maysonet get another shot in Houston, but he’s been battling injuries this year and is primarily a second baseman himself. Jeff Keppinger could slide over to short, but he earned his starting job this year at 2B, and I’d rather not muck with that. Adding Everett would solve all of those difficulties, but it would introduce another problem, in the question of what do you do with him when Manzella returns? He refused minor league assignment in Detroit, so I doubt that he’d accept it here. There is also potential for intangible benefit by bringing in Everett, as he could help mentor Manzella and other young Astros players; he was evidently valuable in that role for Detroit. But ultimately, I still don’t think it makes enough sense for a struggling and rebuilding team to go out and add veteran parts when you already have younger guys like Navarro or Maysonet who are capable of filling the role. I would smile to hear that Adam was signed, but I don’t expect it to happen.
Other thoughts: It’s rumored that Delino DeShields, Jr. (or DDJ, from henceforth) is close to signing with Houston, and I hope that’s true. The Astros have already signed their other two first rounders this year, and 28 of 52 draft picks overall; I’d like to see DDJ added to that mix sooner than later. Taken at #8, he was of course greeted with the hype of being “Houston’s highest draft pick since Phil Nevin at #1 in 1992.” Jason Castro had that same hype two years ago when he was taken #10, although Chris Burke was also drafted 10th in 2001. The hope with both Castro and DDJ is that they’ll exceed the careers of Burke (currently with AAA Louisville) and Nevin, but only time will tell. Phil did put together a few good years with San Diego, but his Houston career was a bust, and his final totals were disappointing compared against the expectations for a #1 overall draft pick. Looking back, the gem of the ’92 draft was taken #6 by the New York Yankees… I know, hindsight is 20/20 and all that, and the Astros probably would have been criticized back in ’92 had they not picked Phil Nevin #1. But for a franchise whose career home run leader at shortstop is still the aforementioned Adam Everett with 35, just the possibility that Derek Jeter could have been an Astro all this time is a tantalizing “what if?” fantasy. Imagine Jeter in a Houston infield with Bagwell, Biggio and (pre-injury) Ken Caminiti… wow. I should stop now before I cry myself to sleep tonight.
Astros conclude their third Giants series this afternoon, and then they (and I) are off to Arlington for the weekend. In non-MLB news, how about that Landon Donovan? Go USA!! I was fortunate yesterday to catch both the last 25 minutes of the USA-Algeria game, and the last three innings of the TCU-Florida State CWS game, in which TCU scored 8 in the 8th to roar back from a five-run deficit and win 11-7. My (really cool) father-in-law is a TCU alum, so I’m behind the Horned Frogs all the way in Omaha. Go rally turtle!!

And Castro’s an Astro

So last night’s game is in the books, and now Jason Castro can officially claim the rank of big league ballplayer. Don’t hold your breath for any “Cas-mas” type holidays in Houston like “Strasmas” every fifth day in D.C., but Jason has no reason to hang his head following his debut. A hit off of Tim Lincecum in his first big league at bat, a run scored, and two baserunners caught stealing from behind the plate; maybe he didn’t quite set the world on fire, but he did his part to help the team win (even though they lost), so I’ll gladly take that any day of the week.

The game could have ended better for the Astros, having turned into another disappointing loss following another solid start by Roy Oswalt, but Roy was not the big story last night. It was almost a disastrous game for the Giants, with three errors and no runs through six innings, but a win makes any box score look better. The key play, really, came in the bottom of the third, when Lance Berkman grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and one out. That made the difference between the headlines reading “CASTRO KICKS OFF FIVE RUN OUTBURST,” rather than “CASTRO SCORES ASTROS ONLY RUN.” I’m still not entirely sure that Lance didn’t actually beat the rap, as we never got to see a replay, but if Jason Donald was safe in Detroit, then I’ll accept that Puma was out here.
Let’s look at this again (with thanks again to Alyson Footer for the photo):
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I like this lineup. Maybe more than any Astros lineup since 2007, or even longer. You know why? Because six of those nine guys are Astros farm products. Michael Bourn is a Houston native, was originally drafted by Houston, and has spent the majority of his big league career here. Within a month, Jeff Keppinger will have more experience as an Astro than anywhere else. And while Carlos Lee still has more seasons with the Chicago White Sox (six), he’s in his fourth year here, so at least we’re used to the big guy. It feels like our team, rather than an assembled collection of purchased pieces, rentals and cast-offs. Castro, Johnson and Manzella may never be the next Biggio, Ensberg and Everett, but even if the Astros lose more games now, I’d rather watch them go to battle with these guys than with Cash, Feliz and Blum.
It’s the same reason that 2005 is my favorite Astros team, even without the World Series appearance, rather than the flashier 2004 or 1998 squads. Almost every regular Houston starter in ’05 was a career Astro, excepting Brad Ausmus, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Pettitte and Clemens, like Bourn, were Houston natives, and Ausmus built his legacy here, even if he didn’t begin and won’t end an Astro. They were a Houston baseball club, through and through, and that’s something the local fans will always love. It’s the same reason that, if I was a Florida Marlins fan, I would love their 2003 championship squad more than 1997. The ’97 Marlins were the poster children for buying a World Series win, but the ’03 group was much more organically grown.
So the Jason Castro Era has begun. It may not be remembered as such years from now, as those are unrealistic expectations to place on any kid with only one game’s worth of experience, but it will be fun to watch along the way. The Ivy League-educated Ausmus blocked the backstop in Houston for a decade, with golden defense and plenty of smarts. If the Stanford-educated Castro can do the same, adding at least as much offense (and hopefully more), then we’ve got a keeper.

Strasburg who?

Brian McTaggart tweets that it’s official now – Jason Castro will make his major league debut tonight, starting and batting seventh. It’s a good thing, too; Castro’s arrival may not have nearly the hype surrounding him that Stephen Strasburg did in Washington a couple of weeks back, but this means just as much for the Houston franchise as Strasburg does for the Nats. There would likely be a number of angry fans in the stands at the Juice Box if they came to see Castro and got Humberto Quintero instead. No disrespect intended to Q, of course, but he could probably use the extra rest after getting clocked in the head on Sunday anyway.

Castro the Astro gets the unenviable task of debuting against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner (x2) in Tim Lincecum – but if you’re going to be the best, you have to beat the best. Lincecum faces off against Roy Oswalt (again), with Roy having lost the first two duels, but if you look past their won-loss records, their stats are eerily similar to this point. 3.11 ERA for Lincecum v. 3.12 for Roy; .224 BAA for the Wizard against .223 for the Freak. 92.2 IP for Lincecum and 92.1 for Roy O. Lincecum has the edge in strikeouts, 106 to 89, but Oswalt has walked fewer, 24 v. 37; er go, Roy has the better WHIP at 1.08, versus 1.22 for Lincecum. Even if Castro was still catching in Round Rock tonight, this would be the kind of game I’d get excited over; growing up with the Astrodome as home, I learned to love nothing more than a good pitcher’s duel. Castro’s arrival is a huge bonus, and the result is that I can’t remember a more interesting non-Opening Day game for the Astros since they were still in the playoff race late in 2008, or even since their frantic scramble ending 2006 before that. Oh, how I wish I was in Houston tonight!
My consolation is that at least I’ll get to see the Astros play in person on Sunday. Barring unforeseen circumstances or inexplicable reshuffling, Roy should be still be starting that game, and if he gets a win tonight, then he’ll be looking to tie Joe Niekro’s franchise record for career wins on Sunday night. I hope that Castro (and Chris Johnson) get to start that game too, but… I’m getting ahead of myself. Today’s excitement should be for tonight. Don’t feel any pressure, Jason – just go out and play ball.
EDIT: The full lineup for tonight, courtesy of Alyson Footer – all of your favorite Astros, available together on one handy-dandy lineup card! I would LOVE to see this same group take the field Sunday night…

Dawning of the age of…

The Astros just spent the weekend getting swept by another first place team (Texas), immediately after dropping two of three in Kansas City (really??), to finish their nine-game interleague jaunt at 1-8. And I begin to doubt myself that maybe this IS a basement-bad baseball team. But then the news following yesterday’s bitterly disappointing loss suddenly instills hope – the Astros may not necessarily be a better team when they open against San Francisco on Tuesday, but they’ll certainly be more interesting.

Kevin Cash, Cory Sullivan and Casey Daigle have all been designated for assignment, and Houston is calling up Chris Johnson, Jason Castro and Jason Bourgeois to fill their spots. Castro and Johnson will now be the primary starters at their positions, too, and suddenly Jeff Keppinger becomes one of Houston’s oldest regulars at age 30. Perhaps watching Justin Smoak burn the Astros all weekend provided the impetus; Smoak was selected by Texas with the #11 pick immediately after Houston drafted Castro #10 back in 2008. Chris Johnson will get the shot to take over 3B for Houston that perhaps he should have been given over the winter, when the club christened Tommy Manzella a starter untested but gave a vote of no confidence in CJ by signing Pedro Feliz. The Bourgeois move is interesting, seemingly in defiance of the “don’t let young guys languish on the bench” rule, but I suppose that at age 28, Bourgeois is too old to be considered a “real” prospect, so it’s considered justifiable if he’s asked to fill a bench role. Interesting too is the loss of a left-handed bat by swapping Bourgeois for Sullivan, but looking at Sullivan’s stats this season, I suppose it would be hard to convince anyone that a righty like Bourgeois couldn’t have done at least as well. So why not give it a shot.

And then there’s Jason Castro. Has any Astros prospect been so hyped from the day he was drafted since Lance Berkman in ’97, or even since Phil Nevin’s #1 overall pick in ’92? Castro has been the poster child for the organization’s re-commitment to developing farm-grown talent. He’s not here to be the savior of the 2010 season, as Ed Wade is quick to emphasize, but he does represent the beginning of a new era in Houston. Or he might. We don’t know yet, but Ed (and most of Houston) hopes that he does.
The Houston Astros franchise may not have the glorious history of the New York Yankees or St. Louis Cardinals to build fan pride, but we have been remarkably blessed to watch our most favorite sons stay rooted here, even as the team evolves (or devolves) around them. Craig Biggio made his big league debut in June of 1988; he was joined three years later by Rookie of the Year Jeff Bagwell, and the pair carried and characterized the franchise throughout the ’90s. Lance Berkman made his debut in July of ’99, then was joined in 2001 by Roy Oswalt; their stars rose as Bags’ and Bidge’s set, and they became the face of the franchise for the 2000s. Now the team is entering into their biggest rebuilding project since Bagwell’s rookie season of 1991, and Lance and Roy have both offered themselves to be traded for the good of franchise. The day seems to be fast approaching when we’ll have to stomach seeing them in uniforms other than Astros’ brick, and it’s time for the torch to be passed again. Is Jason Castro the new bearer? He’s poised to be. Will he have a cohort, as the previous cornerstones have? Jordan Lyles? Delino DeShields, Jr.? Or maybe he’s already here, if Hunter Pence or Michael Bourn survives the tear down, perhaps. Only time will tell.
Tuesday’s game is Roy Oswalt v. Tim Lincecum, Round 3 for 2010. I know that Q usually catches Roy, but I hope that “Castro the Astro” gets the start anyway. Houston’s 1991 team was officially the worst in franchise history, but I look back on them fondly anyway, because that year sowed the seeds for a new generation of stars. This year’s team is on pace to finish with roughly the same record as ’91, but if they can likewise replicate the nurturing of new talent, then the season will be a success. The future is now.

Movin’ on down

Swept by the New York Yankees. That’s a fate that has been suffered by many, many teams over the years, so there’s no special shame in it. But this is likely where you will see the 2005 and 2010 Astros part ways. In order to keep up with the 2005 pace, this 2010 edition will have to go 9-1 over their next 10 games, against Kansas City, Texas and San Francisco – unlikely. And even if they did somehow manage to pull it off, the Yankee series exposed a reality that’s been ignored each year since 2005: the Astros are not an elite-level team. Granted, that was clear this year before their visit to New York, but this series should have removed any remaining doubts from the heads of Houston management. We’re still a game and a half up from last place, and I believe that’s no temporary arrangement; this is not a basement-bad team. But they’ll struggle to climb much higher than this, and even on a hot streak, they stand no chance of competing for long against true top-tier teams. So, for the first time in two decades, it’s time that the Astros become sellers.

This NBC report yesterday is refuted by this Fort Worth Star-Telegram response, and of course no rumor should ever be taken all too seriously. But the Rangers GM didn’t explicitly deny the report, and we’ve heard GMs say “no chance” before on a deal that eventually happened (*cough*Pudge*cough*). Whether it’s the Rangers or anyone else shouldn’t ultimately matter to the Astros, as long as Roy O approves the deal and they get good prospects in return. Honestly, I hope at this point that Roy gets his wish, as I believe it’s best for all concerned. I hope that Lance continues to pick it up so that the Astros can get good value in return for him, too. I want to see Chris Johnson get a starting shot at third – he’s big league ready right now – and I want to see Jason Castro behind the plate before September. I still hope that Roy remains an Astro at least until July 1, both so that I’ll get the chance to see him, and so that he gets three more starts and the chance to match Joe Niekro atop Houston’s all-time wins list. But it’s time to tear down after that.
In brighter news, a popular topic these days is discussion of the 2010 All-Star Game, and whom the Astros’ representative should be. With the rough season that Houston has had so far, it’s unsurprising that no clear candidate exists, and indeed they might not have an All-Star this year if it wasn’t for the rule requiring that each team have at least one. It seems that most of the Houston fans I’ve seen have said that “only Bourn and Oswalt are deserving,” but… no and no. It’s true that Michael Bourn leads the National League in stolen bases again, which is Houston’s only league leader in any noteworthy statistic. But a .266 batting average will keep him off the team. And while it’s been great to see Roy pitching consistently well again, his 3.16 ERA is only good for 22nd among NL starters right now… and 4-8 starters do not make All-Star teams. Hunter Pence is a no, with a batting average still lower than Bourn’s. Alyson Footer suggested Jeff Keppinger, and I can’t say I wouldn’t love to see that – a guy who started the year as a bench player fighting his way into an everyday job, and then into his first All-Star Game? Plus his .292 batting average does look the most All-Star-y of any Astros regular. (I’ll confess I gave both him and Humberto Quintero a number of write-in votes.)
But I’m going to advocate Matt Lindstrom. Picked up from the Marlins to fill the big shoes of Jose Valverde, Lindstrom has been pretty much everything that Houston hoped so far. Pitching for a team that has been worst in the NL most of the year, his 14 saves (in 17 chances) are good for 6th in the league, behind four guys on teams in or near first place, plus league leader Matt Capps of the Nats. His 3.08 ERA is better than two of those guys, including Capps. His 82% save percentage ranks 5th among guys with at least as many save opportunities as he’s had. He hasn’t entirely been “lights out,” but he’s been reliable, and if you figure that the NL team takes six closers as they did last year, it’s not too hard to imagine Lindstrom among them. He’s been one of the bright spots of the year to date for Houston.

Movin’ on up

Astros win again! And Pirates lost again, so Houston is now 1.5 games up from last place, and only half a game behind Milwaukee for 4th in the NL Central. Small steps. Crazy stats: previously punchless Houston is #2 in NL team batting average for the month of June. And the Astros are tied with the Dodgers as the hottest teams in baseball right now (both 9-3 over their last 12 games). This evening it’s Brett Myers against should-still-be-an-Astro Andy Pettitte; a win in any of these three games against the Yanks will put the 2010 Astros back on pace with the 2005 team. At this point five years ago, the World Series-bound Astros were busy getting swept by Baltimore. (Yeah… it was ugly.)

Brad Mills has stated that he’s excited for the opportunity to get some of his bench guys more at bats over the next six games (3 @ NY & 3 @ KC), thanks to the AL’s DH rule. The implication is that Jason Michaels or Cory Sullivan will be used as the DH, but why not stick J-Mike or Cory in left field and DH Carlos Lee? It would improve the club’s offense and defense at the same time. Makes sense to me.
Unfortunately, due to weekend plans, it seems that I’ll have to miss all of the Astros/Yankees games this weekend… ah well. Excited about tonight regardless, because we’re going to the Arkansas Travelers game against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA Texas League). The game was originally scheduled to start at 7:00, but they were rained out last night, so they’re starting the first game at 6:00 tonight and playing a double header. Growing up in Houston with the Astrodome, I never experienced a rainout, er go I never got to attend a double header either. And tonight’s second game is to be started for the Travs by Ryan Brasier, whom I had the extremely good fortune to witness throw a no-hitter against the Tulsa Drillers back in April. We’re celebrating a friend’s birthday at the ballpark, so it will be a fun night. In the immortal words of Ernie Banks, “Let’s play two!”

To Messrs. Mills and Wade

Dear Mr. Mills,

Great job out there. In spite of the team’s struggles this year, you seem to have brought all of the leadership and respect that was advertised when you were hired, and the team has been looking MUCH better in the last two weeks. Not that any of the mess before this was your fault, but winning never hurts a manager’s image. I hope that Drayton keeps you around beyond the rebuilding/retooling years so that you’ll have the chance to truly show your stuff.
But to the point: please don’t mess with the starting rotation this month. You see, I’ve been an Astros fan since before I can remember, and I just bought tickets last night to see my boys play in person for the first time in over a decade. The game is June 27, against the Rangers in Arlington. And right now, barring injury or reshuffling, Roy Oswalt should be slated to start that game. Please don’t take upcoming days off as an opportunity to skip somebody’s turn to pitch, and if Bud Norris returns from rehab before then, don’t switch guys around to get him back in the rotation. Just keep going as you have so far this year, and let the days off mean extra rest for your starters.
Perhaps I’m a bad diehard fan in that I haven’t been to an Astros game in so long, but, y’know. Life. I left Houston for college in Arkansas back in 1999, and I’ve really only been back to Houston for the holidays – during the off-season – since. I lost count of how many times I visited the Dome, but I’ve never been to Minute Maid Park. I’ve never seen Roy O pitch in person. I’m fairly certain that I’ve never seen Lance Berkman play in person either, unless it was during his first month in the big leagues back in July ’99, but I don’t think so. Berkman & Oswalt have defined the Houston franchise in the 2000′s the same way that Bagwell & Biggio did in the 1990′s. And while I know that we’re starting a new decade this year, and that Roy’s and Lance’s days with the team may well be numbered, please give me the chance to see them play together in Houston uniforms at least this once before they go. I know that Puma will probably play that day regardless, but Roy is only the greatest pitcher in franchise history… and after this month, I may never get another chance to see him at all.
Please pass on the message to Mr. Wade too: don’t trade Roy this month. Or Lance, if he’s got suitors likewise. I know that Roy has asked to be given a better shot at the World Series again than the Astros are likely to be able to provide during his self-defined remaining two-year window. I can respect that, and I’m not upset with him for it. In spite of the recent improved play, it will still take more miracles than 2005 for this team to make the playoffs, so it’s probably best for our boys if Roy is moved for prospects this summer. The same is likely true of Puma too. But it doesn’t have to be done this month. You’ll make at least one lifelong fan very happy if you hold off on the trigger until then.
Either way, thanks for reading. I’ll see you at the Ballpark in Arlington two weeks from Sunday; I’ll be up behind our on-deck circle, cheering on the good guys. I look forward to it, and I look forward to the future. Let’s go, ‘Stros!
Sincerely,
Cockroach

Astros won; draft is done

Great game last night for the Astros. Great clutch hits, great outing by Brian Moehler. The Astros are deadlocked 2-2 tonight with the Rockies as I post this, and the game is headed to extra innings. Could be a (relatively) big win for Houston if they pull it out, though, as the Pirates have already lost tonight, so the Astros are officially tied for last place as of this minute. A win would give us a commanding 0.5 game lead over Pittsburgh in the “we’re not the worst!” race.

Didn’t some guy named Strasburg pitch against the Pirates last night? Forgive me if I was more interested today in the Pittsburgh debut of Brad Lincoln. Strasburg was brilliant, no doubt, and Lincoln was less so, but Brad has Houston ties.

After two more days of rapid-fire pickin’, the 2010 MLB Draft is finally done. I talked about Houston’s three first-rounders in my last post, so here’s the rest of their list:

2) Vincent Velasquez, RHP, Garey HS (California)

3) Austin Wates, CF, Virginia Tech

4) Bobby Doran, RHP, Texas Tech

5) Ben Heath, C, Penn State

6) Adam Plutka, RHP, Glendora HS (California)

7) Roberto Pena, C, Eloisa Pascual HS (Puerto Rico)

8) Jake Buchanan, RHP, North Carolina State

9) Tommy Shirley, LHP, Xavier

10) Evan Grills, LHP, Sinclair SS (Ontario)

11) Kyle Redinger, 3B, Cedar Crest HS (Pennsylvania)

12) James Robinson, RHP, Georgia Tech

13) Davis Duren, 2B, Oklahoma State

14) Jordan Scott, CF, Riverside HS (South Carolina)

15) Jemaine Cotton, RHP, Western Oklahoma State

16) Christopher Wallace, C, Houston

17) Tyler Burnett, 3B, Middle Tennessee State

18) Joshua Magee, CF, Hoover HS (Alabama)

19) Jacoby Jones, SS, Richton HS (Mississippi)

20) Daniel Adamson, CF, Jacksonville State

21) Aaron Blair, RHP, Spring Valley HS (Nevada)

22) Zachary Dygert, C, Ball State

23) Adam Bailey, RF, Nebraska

24) Adam Champion, LHP, Arkansas-Little Rock

25) Rodney Quintero, RHP, Chipola JC

26) Alexander Sogard, LHP, North Carolina State

27) Jacke Healey, SS, Youngstown State

28) Jason Chowning, RHP, Oklahoma

29) Broughan Jantz, CF, Nevada Union HS (California)

30) Kellen Killsgaard, RF, Stanford

31) Travis Blankenship, LHP, Kansas

32) William Chrismon, RHP, Menchville HS (Virginia)

33) Michael Ness, RHP, Duke

34) Ryan Cole, RHP, St. John’s

35) Esteban Gomez, 1B, Bishop Ford Central Catholic HS (New York)

36) Ryan Halstead, RHP, Los Osos HS (California)

37) Brian Streilein, RHP, Villanova

38) Ryan Ford, 1B, Plano West HS (Texas)

39) Krishawn Holley, RHP, Mid Carolina HS (South Carolina)

40) Jeremiah Meiners, LHP, Francis Marion

41) Bryce Lance, RHP, Gulf Coast Community College

42) Paul Gerrish, RHP, Texas Christian

43) DeMarcus Henderson, SS, Wayne County HS (Mississippi)

44) Alexis Garza, RHP, McAllen HS (Texas)

45) Ian Vazquez, SS, Perkiomen School (Pennsylvania)

46) Lawrence Pardo, LHP, Christopher Columbus HS (Florida)

47) Joseph Carcone, SS, New Hartford HS (New York)

48) Thomas Pecoraro, RHP, Half Hollow West HS (New York)

49) Kenny Diaz, C, Colegio Angel David HS (Puerto Rico)

50) David Donald, CF, JL Mann HS (South Carolina)

A lot of pitchers, but that’s good. Six catchers, counting Michael Kvasnick from Round 1, which is interesting with Jason Castro knocking on the door in Round Rock. But these guys won’t be knocking on that door for a while, and many of them may be moved to other positions. Two names stand out to me in this list – one of them a catcher in Houston Cougar Christopher Wallace. He’s their first 2010 pick to sign; the kid is a lifelong Astros fan who gets the chance now to live his childhood dream, so you can’t help but cheer him on. The other name that caught my eye is BIG (6’7″) lefty Adam Champion, because he happens to be from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock… which happens to be where I work. I don’t know Adam personally, but I know that the city of Houston loves big power pitchers, so I wish him all the best and hope to see him in Astros pinstripes some day.

Grand salami, El Caballo. Astros win 6-2 in 10, and they’ve officially soared to the great heights of 5th place in the NL Central. One step at a time!

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