SB Nation - Polin Trinidad

Astros Roster Breakdown: The Starters

davoag — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:49:44 -0000

More photos » by Dino Vournas - AP

Roy Oswalt, in a rare good mood

To lead off the starters section, I wanted to focus a little on Roy Oswalt. The soon-to-be 32-year old had his worst season as a professional, but was that a sign of aging and decline, or just a bump in the road?

His BABiP shows he wasn't unlucky in 2009 and was right in line with his career average. He also didn't throw more pitchers per plate appearance than he has in his career, while getting the most swinging strikes he's had since 2004. He did have a slight dip in his percentage of strikeouts that were looking, but since his swing and miss percentage didn't change, I think that was more statistical noise than anything.

You can't even blame injuries for hampering his stuff, because his fastball velocity was the same as it has been for the past few years. In fact, it actually ticked up a notch, but that's probably because of the only significant difference in his performance this season, a 5% drop in the number of fastballs he threw. Oswalt supplemented with more sliders and changeups. So, speed was not an issue...was something wrong with his movement? I wish I were smart enough to put together those cool scatter charts using the PitchF/X data, but I'm not there yet. I'd really like to see if he lost movement or late life on his fastball to determine if that's what the injuries robbed him of.

Other than possibly that, it appears his main problem may have been his attitude. Clashing so publicly and so often with Cecil Cooper, Roy just didn't give off the vibes of a guy playing his best. I'm sure he was playing his hardest, since he seems to have only one speed in that regard. But I wonder if he was mentally there this season. It's the one thing we can't really quantify, attitude.

Hear that, Brad Mills? Keep The Wizard happy next season and he'll bounce back.

Onto the rest of the starting rotation after the jump...

Roy Oswalt, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 8-6, 181 1/3 IP, 4.12 ERA, 30 GS, 19 HR, 138 strikeouts, 42 walks, 1.24 WHIP, 101 ERA+

FIP: 3.76

Average Game Score: 53

BABiP:.305

GB/FB: 1.21

Pitching Runs Created: 70

Notes: Since we've already talked about Roy-Boy's career trajectory, let's focus in on his 2009 season. Is this just the pitcher Roy is now? He struggled with getting any kind of decision all season, finishing with 16 non-decisions. His BABiP was right in line with normal luck, and he still got plenty of ground balls. The concerning part is his strikeout total, but as I said, that's been pretty steady for the past four seasons. His FIP shows he should have had a better ERA, but it would still have been his highest in his career. Roy was one of the main players disappointed in Cooper. Hopefully, he'll be motivated in 2010, because with Roy feeling right and Wandy pitching well, we will have a nice front end to the rotation. About that back end, though...

Wandy Rodriguez, LHP

2009 Season Stats: 14-12, 205 2/3 IP, 3.02 ERA, 33 GS, 21 HR, 193 strikeouts, 63 walks, 1.24 WHIP, 138 ERA+

FIP: 3.54

Average Game Score: 57

BABiP:.306

GB/FB: 1.21

Pitching Runs Created:100

Notes: Wandy was the best pitcher on the Astros staff last season. To put it in perspective, the difference between his and Roy's PRC was Mike Hampton. Maybe overly simple, but pretty amazing, no? Wandy's BABiP showed he wasn't just lucky to pitch this well and his strikeout total is very impressive, especially for a lefty. You'd like to see a few fewer walks, but that's just quibbling. The other interesting thing is his game scores. At 57, it was the highest of any of the starters and showed just how good he was game-to-game. His home/away splits were still very pronounced, though his strikeout rate was about the same. Two full runs of ERA though? For Wandy to take that next step to be an ace, he needs to perform better in road games.

Brian Moehler, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 8-12, 154 2/3 IP, 5.47 ERA, 29 GS, 21 HR, 91 strikeouts, 51 walks, 1.53 WHIP, 76 ERA+

FIP: 4.75

Average Game Score: 44

BABiP:.325

GB/FB: 1.25

Pitching Runs Created: 39

Notes: Moehler started the third-most games on the team last season. The trouble was, he did not perform like a third starter. Though his FIP was lower than his ERA and his BABiP meant he was a little unlucky, Moehler was more bad than good. His strikeouts and walks were both not where they should be. Though he had a good G/F ratio, his average game score shows he was a below league average starter in most of his outings. Much was made about a few of his starts at the beginning and end of the season blowing his ERA up too high. If you added 50 points to his total game score, he still would be well belew the the baseline. As a back-end starter? Moehler probably is useful, but will be recovering from a knee injury he had surgery on. Still, for 3 million? He's not a bad option.

Mike Hampton, LHP

2009 Season Stats: 7-10, 112 IP, 5.30 ERA, 21 GS, 13 HR, 74 strikeouts, 37 walks, 1.55 WHIP, 78 ERA+

FIP: 4.57

Average Game Score: 45

BABiP:.322

GB/FB: 1.78

Pitching Runs Created: 30

Notes: Hampy did just what we thought he'd do, getting a ton of ground balls and not really overpowering anyone. Oh, and getting hurt. He did that too. It's a little surprising Hampton gave up as many home runs as he did, but it did appear this experiment failed.

Felipe Paulino, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 3-11, 97 2/3 IP, 6.27 ERA, 17 GS, 20 HR, 93 strikeouts, 37 walks, 1.67 WHIP, 66 ERA+

FIP: 5.11

Average Game Score: 45

BABiP:.368

GB/FB: 1.08

Pitching Runs Created: 24

Notes: Obviously, anytime a hot, young prospect makes his debut and promptly posts a 6+ ERA, it's hard to be very excited. I still think his performance was somewhat affected by recovering from his 2008 injury, even if only slightly. His strikeouts numbers were great, though he gave up too many hits to win consistently. Paulino is too talented not to win more than three games next season, but it may take him a while to adjust. The Astros would pay more on the open market for a pitcher without nearly the upside of Paulino.

Russ Ortiz, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 3-6, 85 2/3 IP, 5.57 ERA, 13 GS, 8 HR, 65 strikeouts, 48 walks, 1.67 WHIP, 75 ERA+

FIP: 4.61

Average Game Score: 42

BABiP:.330

GB/FB: 1.62

Pitching Runs Created: 23

Notes: Ouch. The positives? Ortiz only gave up eight home runs and had a nice G/F ratio of 1.62. That's about it, though, as his nice start gave way to a rough time in the rotation. Ortiz wasn't as bad as his ERA indicated, but neither was he very good. He was hittable and probably was best as a swingman in the bullpen. He'll have to be that for some other team though, as I don't see the Astros bringing him back.

Bud Norris, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 6-3, 55 2/3 IP, 4.53 ERA, 10 GS, 54 strikeouts, 25 walks, 1.50 WHIP, 92 ERA+

FIP: 4.77

Average Game Score: 49

BABiP:.327

GB/FB: 0.87

Pitching Runs Created: 20

Notes: Norris had the most successful debut of any Astros rookie in 2009. He had some rough patches, obviously, but his average game score was still just a shade under average. He was a bit unlucky with his BABiP and gave up too many fly balls, but the strikeouts were there and the walks were minimized. I don't know whether he can get his control working well enough to be a permanent fixture in the rotation, but with his arm, he will have a place on the big league team for a while.

Yorman Bazardo, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 1-3, 32 IP, 7.88 ERA, 6 GS, 17 strikeouts, 22 walks, 1.84 WHIP, 53 ERA+

FIP: 5.00

Average Game Score: 34

BABiP:.323

GB/FB: 1.52

Pitching Runs Created:5

Notes: The Astros won a bidding war to sign Bazardo to a minor league deal in spring training. He joined with Bud Norris and, later, Polin Trinidad to form a potent rotation at Round Rock. Unfortunately, Bazardo may be the proverbial Quadruple-A guy. His strikeout rate has never been very good (5.3 K/9 in minor-league career), though he supplements that by not allowing too many walks. Bazardo does get a fair number of ground balls and his BABiP showed he was slightly unlucky in 2009. His ERA, though, doesn't really support the claim that his failure was all because of Tejada and Matsui. Bazardo should probably be given another shot, but he's a fringe fifth starter at most.

Wilton Lopez, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 0-2, 19 1/3 IP, 8.38 ERA, 2 GS, 9 strikeouts, 8 walks, 2.07 WHIP, 50 ERA+

FIP: 6.25

Average Game Score: 35

BABiP:.381

GB/FB: 2.32

Pitching Runs Created: 2

Notes: Lopez pitched eight games out of the bullpen, but did start two games, so he ended up in this list. A pickup from the Padres, Lopez pitched relatively well for Corpus Christi before getting a late-season callup. Lopez had a good ground ball rate for his limited sample size and his FIP was lower than his ERA (though neither were very good). He profiles as a guy who could hang around Triple-A and help the Astros out in a pinch, but I wouldn't count on him contributing much in 2009.

Brandon Backe, RHP

2009 Season Stats: 0-0, 13 IP, 10.38 ERA, 1 GS, 10 strikeouts, 6 walks, 2.08 WHIP, 40 ERA+

FIP: 7.94

Average Game Score: 41

BABiP:.375

GB/FB: 0.77

Pitching Runs Created: 2

Notes:You'll find no bigger fan of the Galveston native than me. Jeff Kent's home run to beat the Cards in 2004 wouldn't have been possible without Backe throwing a whale of a game. Unfortunately, that's all we got from him. Tantalizing glimpses at potential that never really panned out in the majors. Backe ran into a wall of injuries and ineffectiveness in 2009, refused a demotion to Triple-A and was released.

Monday's Quick Hits

davoag — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:28:05 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

3 months ago: Home plate umpire Greg Gibson, left, points during an argument with St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa after throwing La Russa out of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Not much going on besides the managerial search, but there were a couple of stories that caught my eye:

Could Tony LaRussa be out in St. Louis? Tony will retire rather than accept a job elsewhere, but it's interesting to think through the possibilities his leaving would potentially have. First off, would the Cards job be more enticing than the Astros job? Will that limit the managerial pool in Houston's search? Second, does that make Dave Duncan available? Could the Astros land someone like Duncan if they threw enough money at him? Just one of those stories that could create potential ripples that will affect the entire off-season.
R.J. Anderson over at D.Ray's Bay wonders if J.R. Towles makes sense as a trade candidate for Tampa Bay. Obviously the Astros don't have much faith in Towles and special advisor for the Rays Gerry Hunsicker has proven to be a fan of guys he drafted with the Astros (see Zobrist, Ben). Does it make sense for the Astros? Jason Castro will get a chance to win the starting job sooner rather than later. I don't think Houston wants to break in a young backstop before breaking in another in Castro, so I could see them taking a one-year flier on someone like Benjie Molina before giving Castro a chance to win the job by midseason. Tampa Bay also has a surplus of pitching, so maybe a swap of Andy Sonnanstine or Jeremy Hellickson would be enough to get it done.
Since we've already discussed some potential deals, would the Astros think about trading for Matt Gamel? The 23-year old is a year younger than Chris Johnson, and has a better minor league record. Gamel flashed more power in the minors, with an career minor-league OPS of .862 compared to Johnson's .726. They're apparently looking for pitching, but would they be happy with Yorman Bazardo or Polin Trinidad? Putting together a bigger deal with Wandy and J.J. Hardy might be more appealing, but an under-the-radar deal for Gamel might make the most sense long-term.
A couple of managerial notes: This report out of Boston shows the Astros have gotten permission to interview Red Sox third baseman Tim Bogar and bench coach Brad Mills. Add them to the confirmed list that includes Manny Acta, who will probably get the first interview this week. I'll have a post later today on Acta going over his background and managerial career. UPDATE: McTaggart added a couple more confirmed names in Bob Melvin and Al Pedrique, while also running down how the hiring process will shake out.

Tuesday Morning Astros, etc Round Up: Minor League seasons end, the Pirates' losing ways don't, and TCB gets called out

HighLeveragePerformer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:00:28 -0000

JJO lends some insight as to how Chris Johnson and Tommy Manzella will be utilized in the final twenty five games of the season. Like their being called up, Cecil Cooper's thoughts concerning how much they'll be played is not all that surprising. Soaking up the professionalism of guys like Miguel Tejada, Geoff Blum and Lance Berkman seems to be objective number one. Seemingly in an effort to continue to improve the lines of communication on the club, Coop has reached out to his veteran players:

I talked to Tejada just a little bit today about it, and I'm going to talk some more to him and Blum and also with Booney tomorrow and just explain to them that these kids need some exposure and it might cost a little bit of playing time. It won't be a lot, but they will get a chance to get their feet wet.

I understand that Cooper has been criticized by the local media for not being the greatest communicator in the world, and maybe his making a special point to mention this was to give the impression that he is working on that skill. When it comes to Tejada, Boone and Blum though, it shouldn't be a major shock that they are going to lose some innings here and there to younger guys. It's how baseball has worked for a hundred years+, and it will continue to be that way. It's not like these three have been mainstays in the organization who deserve to play out the string of games without interruption. Rather, they're rental players who are filling the gaps in an otherwise nondescript period in Astro-history. While each has had their moment(s) in the sun, Manzella and Johnson have shown their potential in the minors, and it's time for them to get more than just "their feet wet".

Occasionally, if I'm having a bad day, I like to think to myself, "At least you're not___________, then life would really be bad." It's a nice way to put things in my life into perspective and to stop feeling sorry for myself. Well, I imagine that if you're the Astros, or Reds or Diamondbacks, you can do the same thing, but instead of naming a person you can fill the blank with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Buccos struck out into history yesterday, becoming the first team in the history of any of the big four sports to have sustained 17 consecutive losing seasons. They made a ton of trades this season, and for their sake, I hope some of them pan out in their favor. Not a lot has panned out in their favor since 1993, so I wouldn't bet on it. Still, the Astros are on a mission to avoid their third losing season since 1993. It's going to take at least a run of 14-11 to reach 81 wins, but with a nice streak of home games coming up, and games against teams with losing records in our future, it's a possibility.

We've been called out ladies and gentlemen. Tom Tango's defensive player survey is lacking in responses by Astro fans. Before the masses over at his site get ornery and start saying not nice things about us, get over there and evaluate our Astro defenders. How else will people know that Mike Bourn is sooooo good, and Carlos is sooooo bad? Well, everybody already knows about Carlos, but the point holds that we need to step up to the plate.

As the minor league seasons come to a close, our Astro affiliates will not be playing post season baseball, but that doesn't mean there weren't success stories to talk about. In Lexington, Robert Bono closed out the season with a complete game win against Bowling Green. Staying with the Legends, Matt Nevarez was nearly perfect in his 8.1 innings with the team. He allowed a scant three hits, while striking out thirteen and walking no one. 22 years old, he has battled injury in his brief professional career, but his stint with Lexington should provide the organization with a glimpse of the potential he has flashed while in the Rangers' system.

Danny Meszaros, Chia Jen Lo, Jonathan Gaston, Andrew Locke, Polin Trinidad, Bud Norris, Tommy Manzella, Sammy Gervacio and Wilton Lopez have all had varying levels of success in 2009, amid disappointing team performances.

In the lowest levels of the organization, Jiovanni Mier and Jose Altuve excelled for the Greeneville Astros. J.D. Martinez, the Astros 20th round selection in this June's draft, won the batting title in the New York-Penn League. Dallas Keuchel impressed as well in his 56.2 innings of work for Tri City, striking out 44 batters and totaling a tidy 2.70 ERA.

Thursday Morning Astros, etc Round Up

HighLeveragePerformer — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Fortunately for the Astros, Roy Oswalt has been able to avoid significant arm injuries during his career. *Knock on wood*.

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Polin Trinidad suffered his first rough outing in AAA against Memphis on Tuesday night, but he did manage to exact a bit of revenge at the plate. He hit his first home run of the season before being yanked after pitching just five innings. I mention that he exacted only a bit of revenge, because he allowed six home runs. Yikes. Another oddity from this game was that catcher Brian Esposito switched from catcher to pitcher during the middle of the game and recorded a scoreless eighth inning.

The Astros rank 25th in Beyond the Boxscore's Power Rankings this week. Essentially, the fact that the Astros have had a fairly easy road so far, and have not done as well as they probably "should" have is what hurts them in the eyes of the saber-folks. Our team defense is getting better though, which is awesome.

We had a nice discussion going about Bud Norris, pitch counts, and innings limits. As luck would have it, ESPN and Baseball Prospectus both have articles up about the very same subject.

Prospectus is of the opinion that 120 pitches should be the magic number, rather than 100. Christina Kahrl notes that teams are keeping tabs on the innings pitched, pitch counts, warm up pitches and everything in between much more than ever before. In fact, the way pitchers are used in the minors has had a fundamental change in some cases:

In A-ball leagues, several teams use adaptive workloads with an eye towards keeping younger pitchers from being overworked—instead of a normal starter/reliever split in assignments, you'll find groups of pitchers pitching in tandem, paired off to handle the first six or seven innings together, and throwing 60 to 90 pitches, and trading off the honor of starting or following in that ballgame.

Again though, like was mentioned in the Norris comments, there is no hard and fast rule associated with this area of the game. Different pitchers call for different treatment depending on their bodies, mechanics and history of pitches thrown. I don't want to call it a crap shoot, but it almost seems like it is. Pitchers that look like horses turn out to be injury prone (Carl Pavano), while those guys who are slight of build can step in a pitch year in and year out without arm issues for the most part (Roy Oswalt, Tim Lincecum, etc.)

Over at the World-Wide Leader, Tim Kurkjian does a good job of giving the reader a holistic view of the factors that have contributed to the diminishing pitches per start of major league starting pitchers. Orel Hershier offers his own interesting interpretation of the situation. He believes that the intensity of pitches has increased since 1969 (the year the pitching mound was lowered), and this has led to pitchers not being able to pitch as deep into games:

They [MLB] took away the plane of the baseball [when the mound was lowered], and a straight pitch became more on the plane of the bat. At that point, pitchers had to move the ball so it was not on the plane of the bat, and to do that, they had to increase the intensity on every pitch. Movement became a key, not just velocity. So with all the elements we have today, if the intensity of one pitch is increased by, say, 10 percent, then 125 pitches becomes 115, which becomes 110, then becomes 100.

The "new breed" of ML general manager is partially to blame for the shorter starts as well. As former Astros, and current Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said:

I don't know the numbers, but the new wave of GMs are the ones who have charted that the chance of injury is, say, greater at 85 pitches than it is at 75. And with every five-pitch increment, there's a 22.8 percent more likely chance that someone gets hurt. With each 10 extra pitches, it goes up by five percent.

After reading all of this, I think that there are two things will almost invariably help pitchers stay injury free: improving their mechanics and limiting pitches per inning. This is easy to type, and not so easy to execute I realize.

This quagmire gets even murkier in situations like the Red Sox have with Dice-K, who has blamed the Red Sox' training regimen for his arm injury:

The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years (in the U.S.) was because I used the savings of the shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the Major Leagues, I couldn't train in my own way, so now I've lost all those savings.

Three Days, Five Games, Five Arms

farm_stros — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:45:00 -0000

Five young arms in the Astros system will be on display over the next three days at MiLB.com. Three Round Rock games and two Lexington games will be streaming live:

Tuesday

David Duncan(1-1, 4.00 ERA) for Lexington @ 6:05 (all times Central)

Polin Trinida(2-1, 2.83) for Round Rock @7:05

Wednesday

Robert Bono(8-7, 2.92) for Lexington @ 6:05

Bud Norris(4-9, 2.63) for Round Rock @ 7:05

Thursday

Yorman Bazardo(9-4, 2.76) for Round Rock @ 7:05

N.L. Central Roundtable, Part I: Trade Deadline

Charlie — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:23:20 -0000

Here's the first part of a roundtable with SB Nation's other SB Nation bloggers, moderated by Sky Kalkman of Beyond the Box Score.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Which teams, under which circumstances, will be buyers over the next three weeks? How about sellers? If there are any undecideds, what will be the tipping point?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): There are five teams who could justifiably (and by justifiably I mean purely based on the standings) contemplate being buyers. This entire trade deadline, however, confuses me. Team economics, bunched divisions and Wild Card races, etc. all contribute to making it difficult to say who has what to give up and and who can afford to the price it will cost to get it.

As for my supposed area of expertise, the Astros, your guess is as good as mine. They're in a classic Astros position where management can smell the oh so familiar second half surge of the last few years (save 2007), but this is a different kind of year for the Astros. For one, this is an Astros management that is finally valuing their farm system and seems to be doing well in that regard. They don't have depth in any particular place, except for the outfield. Yordany Ramirez, Brian Bogusevic, and Reggie Abercrombie have been impressive at AAA Round Rock in the outfield, but none of them are the kind of players you can sell to other GMs. Ramriez possesses a Francoeur-esque allergy to walks, Bogusevic still hasn't had a full season as a position player, and Abercrombie is too old to be at AAA to begin with. So while the Astros certainly have needs, they don't have much to work with in acquiring it unless they give up on Bud Norris, Yorman Bazardo, and Polin Trinidad who have all been impressing in Round Rock's rotation (I might spontaneously combust from the frustration if we do, though).

Al Yellon (Cubs): At 3.5 games out of first place, the Cubs are clearly buyers right now. They need a bat and some bullpen help.

Slyde (Reds): I think the broken wrist of Jay Bruce has turned the Reds into sellers. I just don't think they'll be selling a whole lot. They have some veterans in the bullpen who could be dealt, and if they are going to make a big deal, it will likely involve Aaron Harang, since he's probably the most valuable veteran chip they have. Then again, who knows what any team in this division is going to do at this point? The Reds still probably think they are in it, and at 5 games back, why wouldn't they? You may see them trade some minor leaguers for a bat in the outfield or a shortstop, but I think that's unlikely. My best guess is that they'll stand pat and hope for the best.

Charlie (Pirates): As usual, the Pirates will be sellers. John Grabow and Adam LaRoche are free agents after the season, so they could go. Jack Wilson is also a possibility, although his defensive value and the Pirates' total organizational inability to replace him may make him more valuable to the Bucs than to other teams. Freddy Sanchez is also possible, but the organization recently approached both of them with offers of extensions. That could just be a ploy to raise their trade value. We'll see.

Kyle Lobner (Brew Crew Ball): The Brewers certainly could be buyers, but it's unlikely they'll make a major splash in the market unless they have a sudden change of heart regarding Alcides Escobar, their #1 prospect who's being treated as untouchable. If they won't trade Escobar, Mat Gamel or someone like J.J. Hardy, they probably won't get a significant piece in return.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): St. Louis already bought, and unfortunately lemon laws don't apply in Major League Baseball; DeRosa was the perfect fit, but his wrists suffer from Rickie Weeks's disease. With Troy Glaus nearly ready on offense and uncertain afield, the Cardinals are in a strange placeóeither they try him back at third, or they shop him in the AL, where he could DH. It should be clearer by the deadline, but it all revolves around his gimpy shoulder.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): What holes will teams be looking to fill? What are the biggest holes they *SHOULD* be looking to fill but don't seem to be concerned about? Which holes from the first half can be plugged internally, perhaps by improvement the same player?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): If I were in charge, I'd be looking to find a second baseman, but that's only because management has some sort of aversion to Edwin Maysonet. Maysonet seems to be a more than servicable option at second base, but because Kaz Matsui is locked into his ridiculous contract and Maysonet has still has options, he'll languish in AAA while our below replacement level corps of utility guys and Matsui continue to be a drag at the major league level.

Of course the Astros could desperately use stability in the starting rotation via a three year reduction in it's average age, but yet again, there are some internal options the Astros should try rather than trying to acquire (Norris especially, even if his BB/9 is worrisome).

Wow. I can't believe I just answered a question about what the Astros need to try to do to plug holes and offered viable internal options--spooky.

Slyde (Reds): If they want to try to win something this year, the Reds need a couple of big bats now that Jay Bruce is out for a while. They should also be concerned about shortstop, but I'm not sure if they are. I think they think that things will get better when Alex Gonzalez comes back, but they rarely do with him.

Charlie (Pirates): The Pirates don't have enough talent to worry about holes right now, but if they were to acquire a young middle infielder to replace Sanchez or Wilson, I wouldn't exactly complain.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Who are the most popular trade targets for those holes? Any targets flying under the radar? Any targets your team is especially intrigued in? Any popular names they're backing away from? Any rumors you'd like to start?

Al Yellon (Cubs): With Geovany Soto out for an undetermined length of time, the Cubs are looking for another catcher. They could also use a left-handed relief pitcher so that Sean Marshall can go back in the rotation while Ryan Dempster is out. I have heard rumors that deals for these types of players might happen soon.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): The rotation is uncertain as ever, with Todd Wellemeyer back in full-pumpkin mode, but Troy Glaus has to be the first domino in any situation. There's just no way around it. The Cardinals need a third baseman, and there's a non-zero chance they have one, but he has to show he can throw it over the pitcher's mound first.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Which prospects and young major leaguers are most likely to change hands? Any that teams have deemed off-limits?

Al Yellon (Cubs): Josh Vitters is the only real position player prospect the Cubs have right now, and he's 2-3 years away. But I don't see them trading him at all -- it was rumored that the Padres wanted Vitters as part of a Jake Peavy deal last winter and the Cubs said no.

Slyde (Reds): The Reds don't have any top-level prospects outside of possibly Yonder Alonso, who broke his wrist a few weeks ago. What they do have is a bunch of mid-level prospects that could potentially be packaged together in a deal. At the big league level, I think Edwin Encarnacion is probalby the only young player who might be available right now, though the Reds haven't really indicated as such. I'm not sure if they've got what it takes to make a major splash in the market though.

Stephen Higdon (Astros): I am pretty sure that the current organizational philosophy is that if you were signed by Bobby Heck, you're off limits. As for how much they value anyone one that Purpura signed, I have no idea--I still miss Drew Sutton.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): Cards fans are worried about Jess Todd, who is rumored to be the PTBNL in the DeRosa trade. It'd be tough to lose to fine relief prospects in one bad-luck deal like that.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): For the teams probably out of the running, what acquisitions and decisions based on the 2010 and future seasons would you consider a "win"?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): I don't think that there's a whole lot at the MLB level I'd like to see, other than JR Towles getting another crack at the MLB level. Towles, I think, is likely destined to be trade bait in the next year or two, and I'd like to see the Astros help him raise his stock a little bit.

In September, I'd also like to see Yorman Bazardo and Polin Trinidad get a few starts if the Astros are out of it, but I would also like to see them play it safe with Bud Norris more than anything. His career high for IP is 96.2 IP and he's already at 106 IP in 2009. As much fun as it would be for him to be able to contribute to a stretch drive (if there even is the potential for one), I think the Astros have to keep their eyes fixed ahead. The last thing this organization needs is Bud Norris being shelved for a season or two be injury.

Charlie (Pirates): The Pirates are the top contenders to sign Dominican mega-prospect Miguel Sano, who'd provide a huge boost to their farm system. They've signed their first four draft picks, but some of their highest-upside selections came later in the draft and haven't signed yet. Their ability to get draftees Zack von Rosenberg, Trent Stevenson, Colton Cain, and several others to put pen to paper will determine whether they had a good draft or not. They also need to figure out how best to turn their handful of remaining veteran players into young talent. Finally, this isn't a "decision," but I'd really like to see improvement from rez" class="sbn-auto-link">Pedro Alvarez in the second half of the season. The Pirates have a lot riding on him, and while he's shown big-league power so far, he's also struck out far too much.

Slyde (Reds): If we're going to call the Reds out of contention (they're definitely teetering), I'd say the best outcome for 2010 is to not deal prospects just to fill 2009 holes. That's not to say that they shouldn't deal prospects, but any move they make this season needs to be focused on making the team a winner in 2010. The Reds are on the cusp of finally having a winner. They just need a couple pieces to go along with their good, young pitchers and their core offensive players. Acquiring someone who will only help in 2009 is short-sighted and may prevent them from fill that hole next season, when the team should be in even better shape to compete.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Without any trade-deadline moves, what has to happen for your team to win the division How much more likely is your team to make the playoffs by plugging its holes or adding an impact player?

Al Yellon (Cubs): In this division, with teams struggling to stay over .500, a short winning streak -- even five or six games -- could put someone in the driver's seat. All the Cubs really have to do is have players like Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley hit the way they are capable of; the Cubs are 15th in the NL in runs scored, but have allowed the third-fewest runs in the league. Start scoring some runs and keep the pitching as consistent as it has been, and the Cubs could put one of those streaks together.

Stephen Higdon (Astros): If the Astros want to have a realistic shot at winning this division, they will have to maintain their .500 record through the month of July. With series against the Dodgers, the Cardinals, the Mets (but...it's the Mets*), the Cubs, and then the Cardinals, there's no room for dropping these series but still looking to October. To accomplish this, Roy Oswalt will have to be Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez has to have found consistency, and the gruesome trio of Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz, and Mike Hampton have to find a way to for 2/3 of them to have decent outings each time through.

There have been reports this week that the Astros might look to give Bud Norris a shot in the rotation, which could go a long way in helping legitimating any Astros fan postulating about October. Norris' IP could be a concern in the long run (not to mention his inauspicious BB%), but as a short term stop gap to the maddening inconsistency that comes from employing three starting pitchers over the age of 35. I don't see him pitching in September, or rather, I hope he isn't.

*As bad as the Mets have been, I think that Astros' season series split with the Nationals proves there's no such thing as a gimme for them.

Slyde (Reds): The best hope for the Reds to win the division this year is for Edwin Encarnacion to get hot and help drive the offense with Joey Votto. Also, we'll need to see solid performance from the group of Laynce Nix, Jonny Gomes, and Chris Dickerson as they split time in the outfield. And probably most important is that Willy Taveras needs to start getting on base in a consistent fashion. So basically, the offense outside of Votto needs to wake up. If that can happen and the Reds can continue to play good defense and get solid work from the bullpen, they might have shot. Oh, and Bronson Arroyo needs to stop being terrible.

Kyle Lobner (Brewers): This Brewers team has enough talent to win the division, but only if their starting rotation stays healthy and effective. There's enough firepower in the lineup to win much of the time (with the recent slump as an exception), so this team will win as many games as the starting rotation can keep them in.

SBN's NL Central Round Up: Part I

DyingQuail — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Luckily the round table didn't devolve into something like this.

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[ The following is the first part of a week long discussion that took place over Google Docs between all the NL Central Blogs for SBN. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed checking in every day-ish and seeing what everyone had to input ,and want to thank Eric Simon and Sky Kalkman for making this happen. With as much as we'll be seeing of some of these teams in the next month, hopefully this will help us follow Sun Tzu's sage advice of know thine enemy ]

Part 1: Trade Deadline

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Which teams, under which circumstances, will be buyers over the next three weeks? How about sellers? If there are any undecideds, what will be the tipping point?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): With the exception of the Pirates, who I can't really peg as buyers or sellers based on their recent transactions, I don't really know who is going to be a buyer or a seller. There are five teams who could justifiably (and by justifiably I mean based on the standings sans digging deeper) contemplate being buyers. This entire trade deadline, however, confuses me. Team economics, bunched divisions and Wild Card races, etc. all contribute to making it difficult to say who has what to give up and and who can afford to the price it will cost to get it.

As for my supposed area of expertise, the Astros, your guess is as good as mine. The Astros are in a classic Astros position where management can smell the oh so familiar second half surge of the last few years (save 2007), but this is a different kind of year for the Astros. For one, this is an Astros management that is finally valuing their farm system and seems to be doing well in that regard. They don't have depth in any particular place, except for the outfield. Yordany Ramirez, Brian Bogusevic, and Reggie Abercrombie have been impressing at AAA Round Rock in the outfield, but none of them are the kind of players you can sell to other GMs. Ramriez possesses a Francouer-esque allergy to walks, Bogusevic still hasn't had a full season as a position player, and Abercrombie is too old to be at AAA to begin with. So while the Astros certainly have needs, they don't have much to work with in acquiring it unless they give up on Bud Norris, Yorman Bazardo, and Polin Trinidad who have all been impressing in Round Rock's rotation (I might spontaneously combust from the frustration if we do, though).

Al Yellon (Cubs): At 3.5 games out of first place, the Cubs are clearly buyers right now. They need a bat and some bullpen help.

Slyde(Reds): I think the broken wrist of Jay Bruce has turned the Reds into sellers. I just don't think they'll be selling a whole lot. They have some veterans in the bullpen who could be dealt, and if they are going to make a big deal, it will likely involve Aaron Harang, since he's probably the most valuable veteran chip they have. Then again, who knows what any team in this division is going to do at this point. The Reds still probably think they are in it, and at 5 games back, why wouldn't they? You may see them trade some minor leaguers for a bat in the outfield or a shortstop, but I think that's unlikely. My best guess is that they'll stand pat and hope for the best.

Charlie Wilmoth (Pirates): As usual, the Pirates will be sellers. Freddy Sanchez is on the market, and John Grabow and Adam LaRoche are free agents after the season, so they could go as well. Jack Wilson is also a possibility, although his defensive value and the Pirates' total organizational inability to replace him may make him more valuable to the Bucs than to other teams.

Kyle Lobner (Brew Crew Ball): The Brewers certainly could be buyers, but it's unlikely they'll make a major splash in the market unless they have a sudden change of heart regarding Alcides Escobar, their #1 prospect who's being treated as untouchable. If they won't trade Escobar, Mat Gamel or someone like J.J. Hardy, they probably won't get a significant piece in return.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): St. Louis already bought, and unfortunately lemon laws don't apply in Major League Baseball; DeRosa was the perfect fit, but his wrists suffer from Rickie Weeks's disease. With Troy Glaus nearly ready on offense and uncertain afield, the Cardinals are in a strange placeóeither they try him back at third, or they shop him in the AL, where he could DH. It should be clearer by the deadline, but it all revolves around his gimpy shoulder.

[ There's much more to be read after the jump. ]

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): What holes will teams be looking to fill? What are the biggest holes they *SHOULD* be looking to fill but don't seem to be concerned about? Which holes from the first half can be plugged internally, perhaps by improvement the same player?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): If I were in charge, I'd be looking to find a second baseman, but that's only because management has some sort of aversion to Edwin Maysonet. Maysonet seems to be a more than servicable option at second base, but because Kaz Matsui is locked into his ridiculous contract and Maysonet has still has options, he'll languish in AAA while our below replacement level corps of utility guys and Matsui continue to be a drag at the major league level.

Wow. I can't believe I just answered a question about what the Astros need to try to do to plug holes and offered viable internal options–spooky.

Slyde (Reds): If they want to try to win something this year, the Reds need a couple of big bats now that Jay Bruce is out for a while. They should also be concerned about shortstop, but I'm not sure if they are. I think they think that things will get better when Alex Gonzalez comes back, but they rarely do with him.

Charlie Wilmoth (Pirates): The Pirates don't have enough talent to worry about holes right now, but if they were to acquire a young middle infielder to replace Sanchez or Wilson, I wouldn't exactly complain.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Who are the most popular trade targets for those holes? Any targets flying under the radar? Any targets your team is especially intrigued in? Any popular names they're backing away from? Any rumors you'd like to start?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): Other than Carlos Lee and his entire contract to the Mets for Carlos Beltran (Lee is always healthy, Omar)? No.

Al Yellon (Cubs): With Geovany Soto out for an undetermined length of time, the Cubs are looking for another catcher. They could also use a left-handed relief pitcher so that Sean Marshall can go back in the rotation while Ryan Dempster is out. I have heard rumors that deals for these types of players might happen soon.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): The rotation is uncertain as ever, with Todd Wellemeyer back in full-pumpkin mode, but Troy Glaus has to be the first domino in any situation. There's just no way around it. The Cardinals need a third baseman, and there's a non-zero chance they have one, but he has to show he can throw it over the pitcher's mound first.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Which prospects and young major leaguers are most likely to change hands? Any that teams have deemed off-limits?

Al Yellon (Cubs): Josh Vitters is the only real position player prospect the Cubs have right now, and he's 2-3 years away. But I don't see them trading him at all -- it was rumored that the Padres wanted Vitters as part of a Jake Peavy deal last winter and the Cubs said no.

Slyde(Reds): The Reds don't have any top-level prospects outside of possibly Yonder Alonso, who broke his wrist a few weeks ago. What they do have is a bunch of mid-level prospects that could potentially be packaged together in a deal. At the big league level, I think Edwin Encarnacion is probalby the only young player who might be available right now, though the Reds haven't really indicated as such. I'm not sure if they've got what it takes to make a major splash in the market though.

Stephen Higdon (Astros): I am pretty sure that the current organizational philosophy is that if you were signed by Bobby Heck, you're off limits. As for how much they value anyone one that Purpura signed, I have no idea—I still miss Drew Sutton.

Dan Moore (Cardinals): Cards fans are worried about Jess Todd, who is rumored to be the PTBNL in the DeRosa trade. It'd be tough to lose to fine relief prospects in one bad-luck deal like that.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): For the teams probably out of the running, what acquisitions and decisions based on the 2010 and future seasons would you consider a "win"?

Stephen Higdon (Astros): I don't think that there's a whole lot at the MLB level I'd like to see, other than JR Towles getting another crack at the MLB level. Towles, I think, is likely destined to be trade bait in the next year or two, and I'd like to see the Astros help him raise his stock a little bit.

In September, I'd also like to see Yorman Bazardo and Polin Trinidad get a few starts if the Astros are out of it, but I would also like to see them play it safe with Bud Norris more than anything. His career high for IP is 96.2 IP and he's already at 106 IP in 2009. As much fun as it would be for him to be able to contribute to a stretch drive (if there even is the potential for one), I think the Astrs have to keep their eyes fixed ahead. The last thing this organization needs is Bud Norris being shelved for a season or two be injury.

Charlie Wilmoth (Pirates): The Pirates are the top contenders to sign Dominican mega-prospect Miguel Sano, who'd provide a huge boost to their farm system. They've signed their first four draft picks, but some of their highest-upside selections came later in the draft and haven't signed yet. Their ability to get draftees Zack von Rosenberg, Trent Stevenson, Colton Cain, and several others to put pen to paper will determine whether they had a good draft or not. They also need to figure out how best to turn their handful of remaining veteran players into young talent. Finally, this isn't a "decision," but I'd really like to see improvement from Pedro Alvarez in the second half of the season. The Pirates have a lot riding on him, and while he's shown big-league power so far, he's also struck out far too much.

Slyde (Reds): If we're going to call the Reds out of contention (they're definitely teetering), I'd say the best outcome for 2010 is to not deal prospects just to fill 2009 holes. That's not to say that they shouldn't deal prospects, but any move they make this season needs to be focused on making the team a winner in 2010. The Reds are on the cusp of finally having a winner. They just need a couple pieces to go along with their good, young pitchers and their core offensive players. Acquiring someone who will only help in 2009 is short-sighted and may prevent them from fill that hole next season, when the team should be in even better shape to compete.

Sky Kalkman (Moderator): Without any trade-deadline moves, what has to happen for your team to win the division? How much more likely is your team to make the playoffs by plugging its holes or adding an impact player?

Al Yellon (Cubs): In this division, with teams struggling to stay over .500, a short winning streak -- even five or six games -- could put someone in the driver's seat. All the Cubs really have to do is have players like Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley hit the way they are capable of; the Cubs are 15th in the NL in runs scored, but have allowed the third-fewest runs in the league. Start scoring some runs and keep the pitching as consistent as it has been, and the Cubs could put one of those streaks together.

Stephen Higdon (Astros): If the Astros want to have a realistic shot at winning this division, they will have to maintain their .500 record through the month of July. With series against the Dodgers, the Cardinals, the Mets (but...it's the Mets*), the Cubs, and then the Cardinals, there's no room for dropping these series but still looking to October. To accomplish this, Roy Oswalt will have to be Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez has to have found consistency, and the gruesome trio of Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz, and Mike Hampton have to find a way to for 2/3 of them to have decent outings each time through.

There have been reports this week that the Astros might look to give Bud Norris a shot in the rotation, which could go a long way in helping legitimating any Astros fan postulating about October. Norris' IP could be a concern in the long run (not to mention his auspicious BB%), but as a short term stop gap to the maddening inconsistency that comes from employing three starting pitchers over the age of 35. I don't see him pitching in September, or rather, I hope he isn't.

*Even as bad as the Mets have been, I think that Astros' season series split with the Nationals proves there's no such thing as a gimme for them.

Slyde (Reds): The best hope for the Reds to win the division this year is for Edwin Encarnacion to get hot and help drive the offense with Joey Votto. Also, we'll need to see solid performance from the group of Laynce Nix, Jonny Gomes, and Chris Dickerson as they split time in the outfield. And probably most important is that Willy Taveras needs to start getting on base in a consistent fashion. So basically, the offense outside of Votto needs to wake up. If that can happen and the Reds can continue to play good defense and get solid work from the bullpen, they might have shot. Oh, and Bronson Arroyo needs to stop being terrible.

Kyle Lobner (Brewers): This Brewers team has enough talent to win the division, but only if their starting rotation stays healthy and effective. There's enough firepower in the lineup to win much of the time (with the recent slump as an exception), so this team will win as many games as the starting rotation can keep them in.

The Astros at the break: The mediocre, the bad, and the ugly

DyingQuail — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:49:37 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

I would love nothing more than to see this happen another 20-30 times in 2009.

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On this, the day in which no baseball will be played, it's time to finally dig through some of the numbers to see what we might be able to divine about the Astros chances in the second half.

In the interest of front page space...I am making you jump.

We'll start with some of the more obvious stats:

Offense:

BA: .267 (3rd in NL)
OBP: .330 (8th in NL)
SLG: .405 (8th in NL)
OPS: .735 (8th in NL)

It's weird how BA fails to agree with OBP/SLG/OPS. There's just not much to be made from these stats, so let's get nerdy:

ISO: .138 (9th in NL)
wOBA: .321 (7th in NL)
BABIP: .301 (9th in NL)
WAR: 8.2 (tied for 8th in NL)

K%: 16.8% (2nd in NL)
BB%: 8.3% (14th in NL)
K:BB: .54 (5th in NL)

LD%: 18.1% (16th in NL)
GB%: 48.5% (16th in NL)
FB%: 33.4% (16th in NL)
IFFB%: 9.3% (7th in NL)
HR/FB: 8.6% (tied for 12th in NL)
IFH%: 6.8% (5th in NL)
O-Swing%: 27.1% (2nd or 15th in NL depending on your perspective) [ % of swings at balls outside the strike zone ]
O-Contact%: 64.3% (3rd or 14th in NL)

Ok, now there's something to work with. What immediately pops out at me is the ridiculously low walk rate combined with the high outside of the zone contact rate. If our OBP is in the middle of the pack, but is being fueled by as much contact as is it, I find it disconcerting that the Astros are swinging/connecting at/with a lot of pitches outside of the zone. While our BABIP is normal, our low LD%, high GB%, and high IFH%, lead me to worry as to whether these number indicate a possible drop off in production for us. I know that Pence and Bourn probably represent 32 of our 81 in field hits this year, but as much bad contact is probably being made on the outside of the strike zone pitches, I start to wonder if OBP will start to slide in the second half.

While there is only a 2.4% margin between the Astros and the Dodgers (1st n the NL) in LD%, my guess is that our low FB% and high GB% is being fueled by outside the zone contact. The good news is that is something I feel would be correctable should Coop or someone else just hammer home plate discipline or order the worst offenders to take pitches or sit on the bench (...it worked for Billy Beane?).

Pitching:

Just as in 2008, our offense has been less than we expected, but our pitching has done better than at least I would have guessed. Given Roy's early season struggles and the fact that Wandy has regressed his early season luck back to the mean, we should have a strong one-two bunch heading into the second half. What is frightening though, is to consider that we are now going to be depending on three 35+ year old guys to anchor the rotation. No matter what the offense does or does not do in the second half, my gut feeling is that the Astros playoff chances lie in the hands Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz, and Mike Hampton and how well the hold up in the second of the season. Unless of course Feliepe Paulino, Bud Norris, Yorman Bazardo, or Polin Trinidad are given a crack the rotation again, which injury could very well necessitate.

In all, so far, the Astros pitchers have combined for 5.6 WAR in the first half (10th in the NL). This isn't bad considering Roy's struggles, Geary's wicked struggles, Valverde being out for six weeks, and Brandon Backe even being given innings to pitch.

Defense:

I should probably make my previous statement about what the rest of our season hinges on a 1a) and a 1b) statement. If 1a) is that Moehler, Ortiz, and Hampton have to be able to find some kind of consistency amongst themselves in the second half, then 1b) logically follows as: for the tight rope act that these three walk to continue, the fielding behind them has to be better than it has been.

While I can't find the exact figure, off hand, last year's infield RZR was above .800 and I think we'd be talking about a much different ball club if it were that way again this year. Brian Moehler's last few starts have been solid, but he's been successful because he's had solid defense behind him converting all the balls in play he allows into outs; Hampton and Ortiz aren't much different in terms of approach and their dependence on GB outs necessitates solid infield defense.

Miguel Tejada's -10.5 UZR/150 certainly isn't doing us any favors as that indicates he'll have cost us an entire win by the time the season is in the books because of his diminished glove.

Base Running:

BtB just did an amazing piece on team base running at the ASB, so I'll leave the truly inquistitve of you to read through it and play around with the awesome spread sheet Sky includes.

Here's how I can summarize what I gleaned from it all:

Someone needs to sit down with Hunter Pence and make him watch a lot of video so that he can figure out some kind of situational awareness on the base paths.
Carlos Lee needs to drop a few lbs., or start hitting for more power so that his lack of mobility stops dragging the team down. He's on pace to costs us an entire win just because he can't run the base paths. $18.5 million sure doesn't buy what it used to...
Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada need to either get faster, smarter, or just start playing it conservative on the base paths.
Anybody not named Michael Bourn should not be allowed to steal a base unless it's a high-rewards situation and the probabilities (based on pitcher/catcher) are favorable. This is something Coop has just about full control over and can certainly be fixed.

Conclusion:

A lot has been thrown out here, but here's what I took away from it all:

Chasing balls out of the zone has the potential really suppress our offense in the second half.
Keeping Moehler, Ortiz, and Hampton on a very tight leash before they get replaced by a young gun at AAA makes sense.
Edwin Maysonet should be given due consideration as a possible defensive platoon for Miguel Tejada on the days that Mike Hampton (52.1 GB%) and Russ Ortiz (47 GB%) start given their dependence on converting GB outs. This serves to the duel purpose of increasing the efficacy of Hampton and Ortiz's skill set and also would provide Miguel Tejada with plenty of rest to keep his bat sharp and maybe even improve his range at SS. Seriously, Jason Michales does not need to be on this team.
One of either Brian Moehler or Russ Ortiz is due to blow up in the second half, but my money is one Moehler--a fly ball pitcher who strikes very few people out, at age 37, scares the bejesus out of me.
A whole new attitude on the base paths to permeate the club house.

Farmstros Five- Week 11

farm_stros — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:59:01 -0000

The Farmstros Five for the week of June 17-23, 2009

Top Performer

Luis Cruz, LHP, Greeenville. The 2008 draftee had arm problems shorten his first season of pro ball. He came out throwing on opening night of year two. He pitched six scoreless, hitless innings for Greeneville.

The Other Four:

Bud Norris, RHP, Round Rock. Norris extended his scoreless streak to 20 IP with an eight inning stint allowing three hits and striking out 10.

Polin Trinidad, LHP, Corpus Christi. Trinidad pitched an 8 1/3 inning complete game, losing the game although he only allowed one earned run.

T.J. Steele, OF, Lancaster. Steele went into the all-star break hot. He was 10 for 19 with six runs scored, one double, three triples and seven RBI.

Jordan Lyles, RHP, Lexington. Lyles pitched six scoreless innings striking out 11 while allowing only two hits.

Moving On Up?

farm_stros — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:51:21 -0000

With June just around the corner, I am curious to see if any minor league players are promoted to the next level for the second half of the season.

A few possibilities:

Bud Norris, RHP, Round Rock. Norris has 2.72 ERA in eight starts. He is not on the 40-man roster, but I wonder if he would get a look for a start or two if Hampton has another encounter with a bar of soap.

Polin Trinidad, LHP, Corpus Christi. Trinidad just threw a complete game for Corpus and has a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings. He was called up to Corpus Christi at the 2008 mid-point. Other than Norris, Round Rock doesn't have any starters to block Trinida's progression.

Jason Castro, C, Lancaster. Castro is .267 with five home runs and 27 RBI so far in California. I will be interested to see how aggressive the Astros are with him.

Bryan Hallberg, RHP, Lancaster. Hallberg spent all of last season at High A Salem with a 2.68 ERA. So far this season, he has a 3.08 ERA in 26 1/3 IP out of the bullpen. He may be following Chia-jen Lo and Daniel Meszaros to Whataburger Field.

Robert Bono, Kyle Greenwalt, and Ross Seaton, RHP, Lexington. These three have been steady so far. Plus, Ed Wade made some comments on KTRH about Lexington pitchers moving up soon.