SB Nation User Blog: AstroAndy

International Free Agent Signings

AstroAndy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:04:51 -0000

Baseball America is reporting that the Astros have signed Dominican SS Jonathan Mejia for $370,000. He apparently has a good bat, but will be moved to either 3B or the outfield.

The Astros have also been linked (by Baseball Prospectus) to another Dominican SS, Jean Carlos Valdez. Like Mejia, he's likely to move to a different position. He's big and lanky, but is likely to add power as he fills out and matures.

Furthermore, Dominican RHP Jochy Ochando worked out at the Astros facility sometime this season. His velocity had dipped dramatically, down into the mid-80's. Rumored to be signable in the neighborhood of $500,000, he is also being looked at by the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, and Mariners.

If you come across any other rumors, signings, or scouting reports, feel free to collect them here in the comments!

Astros Uniforms - Vote your favorite

AstroAndy — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:56:38 -0000

In this post, we look at the Astros uniforms through the ages and you vote for your favorite.

The Colt .45s years

The First Astros Uni (Late 1960's)

The Boys in Orange (1971-1974)

Wikipedia says it best here:

The fashion trends of the 1960s had started taking root in baseball. Long hair and loud colors were starting to appear on teams uniforms, including the Astros. In 1971 the Astros made some changes to their uniform: they kept the same style they had in previous seasons, but inverted the colors. What was navy blue was now orange and what was orange was now a lighter shade of blue. The players last names were added to the back of the jerseys. The uniform fabric was also changed to what was at the time revolutionizing the industry – polyester. Belts were replaced by elastic waistbands and jerseys zipped up instead of buttons. The uniforms became popular with fans but would only last for four season. The Astros would shock baseball and the fashion world four years later.

Rainbow Guts (1975-1986)

Rainbow Shoulders (1980-1993)

The Drayton Blues (1994-1999)

I didn't know if these uniforms had a formal name or not, so I called them the Drayton Blues. This reflects the fact that Drayton bought the team in 1993 and changed their unis the next year to be more serious. It was the first time since the team began that the uniform did not have orange in it at all.

The Mud and the Blood Unis (2000-Current)

With the move to ~~Enron Field~~ Minute Maid Park came a uniform change, perhaps to reflect the Union Station train theme they've got going on over there (should have kept the space city theme, in my opinion). They decided to go with a more retro look, adding the dreaded pinstripes and changing the colors to brick red, sand, and black. Or, as I prefer to call it, the mud and the blood.

Which is your favorite uni?

Poll

Which is your favorite Uni?

Unofficial Scorer: Talked to Maysonet and Cooper today, and the plan was always for Maysonet to be...

AstroAndy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:56:40 -0000

Unofficial Scorer: Talked to Maysonet and Cooper today, and the plan was always for Maysonet to be a bench player, which was interrupted by injuries that made him start. I wouldn't have minded seeing him get a few more ABs, but I don't think you would have seen him keep up those averages in more exposure.

Roy Oswalt, Russ Ortiz, and FIP

AstroAndy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:12:38 -0000

There are a lot of different statistics out there, and it can be tough to keep up with and understand them all. One of the ones that I've looked at quite a bit without actually understanding how it works is Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). It belongs to a broader class of statistics known as Defense Independent Pitching Statistics that intend to show you how effective a pitcher has really been by using only numbers that don't depend on the defensive prowess of the other 8 guys in the field. Simply comparing FIP and ERA is usually an interesting exercise, and can give you a good piece of information when you're evaluating a pitcher.

What's even more interesting, though, is unpacking a guy's FIP, using it as a starting point for learning about what kind of a pitcher he is.

Going into Tuesday night's game, Russ Ortiz's was sitting pretty with a very nice 3.60 ERA. Faced with the fact that he was basically a rehab project, it's totally legitimate to wonder whether this is the result of Ortiz being good, or whether it reflects outstanding defense on the part of his teammates. His 4.50 FIP, almost a full point higher than his actual ERA, would suggest the latter.

Roy Oswalt unfortunately has a FIP similar to Russ Ortiz--4.41 FIP. And yet, this theoretical FIP doesn't stray too far from his actual results--4.48 ERA.

Most of us, before the season started, would have predicted Oswalt to have the 3.60 ERA and Ortiz to be at 4.41 or higher. What's going on here?

First, we need to know what goes into calculating FIP. Here's the formula:

We need four different numbers to calculate the stat in question: home runs, walks, strikeouts and innings pitched. I'll list those numbers for Roy and Russ in the table that follows. Since Roy has pitched about 40 more innings than Russ, I'm also translating Russ's stats (xRuss) to see what they'd be like if he had pitched the same number of innings as Roy.

	Russ O	Roy O	xRuss
IP	50	90	90
HR	4	13	7.2
BB	30	26	54
K	38	67	68.4

When you compare them across the same number of innings, the first thing that stands out is that Ortiz and Oswalt have been striking out opposing batters at nearly identical rates (Roy O and xRuss have 67 and 68.4 Ks, respectively).

The big differences between the guys are in their walks and homers. Ortiz has been walking guys at more than twice Roy's rate. Roy, on the other hand, has given up over 3 times the number of home runs as Ortiz. And since home runs are weighted more than 4 times as much as walks in the FIP formula (and in real life), it's no wonder that Roy's FIP is so much higher than Russ's.

If we look to how often a flyball goes for a home run when Roy is pitching, we see that this rate is not far off from last season's performance. 12.5% this year, 12.7% last year. What's different is that Roy is giving up a lot more flyballs than he did last year. 37.3% this year, compared to 29.2% last year. Roy is at his lowest groundball percentage perhaps of his career. It seems reasonable to expect that Roy will be able to get the ball on the ground more often as the season progresses, and we should then see both his ERA and his FIP settle down into normal Roy levels.

What about Ortiz, though? Can we expect his FIP to come down to his ERA, or should we expect his ERA to come closer to meeting his FIP? The high number of walks but relatively low ERA seems to fit in with the idea that Ortiz lives and dies on the corners of the plat and is more of a bend-but-don't-break kind of guy.

But it's really hard to say whether his current success is predictive of future success. His career has had so many ups and downs that it's hard to compare his current season with past ones. In fact, looking at his pitch types (thanks, Fangraphs), he's practically re-invented himself:

		Fastball	Slider	Cutter	Curve	Change
2003	Braves	76.0% (89.5)	3.8% (81.9)		8.0% (79.1)	12.2% (82.2)
2004	Braves	67.6% (90.1)	8.6% (81.3)	0.1% (87.8)	7.7% (79.1)	16.0% (83.0)
2005	D-backs	68.4% (88.5)	9.6% (80.7)	0.8% (86.1)	9.9% (76.0)	11.2% (81.4)
2006	D-backs	65.2% (89.0)	9.9% (80.8)	3.3% (86.4)	11.4% (75.0)	10.2% (81.8)
2006	D-backs	63.6% (88.3)	5.3% (80.3)	3.1% (86.0)	14.0% (74.5)	14.0% (81.1)
2006	Orioles	66.3% (89.5)	12.7% (81.0)	3.5% (86.7)	9.7% (75.5)	7.8% (82.6)
2007	Giants	56.3% (89.7)	12.8% (82.1)	14.1% (88.5)	7.2% (75.3)	9.6% (82.4)
2009	Astros	49.4% (90.1)	2.8% (84.0)	15.9% (88.1)	20.1% (77.2)	11.8% (83.4)

He's using his fastball significantly less than at any point since 2003 (pitch type data doesn't span his whole career). Conversely, his curveball makes up almost a full fifth of his repertoire, which is significantly more than at any point in his career. Because of this major shift in his pitch selection, it seems really difficult to make predictions for Ortiz based on his pre-surgery career.

Whatever he's doing, let's keep our fingers crossed that he's able to keep on doing it.

Jordan Lyles talks about pre-draft workouts

AstroAndy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:59:47 -0000

Jordan Lyles talks about pre-draft workouts

Interesting article about how high school and college players have to pick and choose which team workouts they attend. A big focus on Jordan Lyles as a workout success story, especially since he hadn't initially planned on going to Houston's workout.

Some relevant quotes:

"I had been recruited by schools for three different sports, so I didn't have a lot of trouble sorting everything out," Lyles said. "The main thing I looked at was focusing on the ones I could drive to due to the cost involved."
...
Yet the more Lyles and his adviser, Lee Long of the Palmetto Sports Management Group, studied the situation, the more attractive an invite to Minute Maid Park in Houston became. Long noted the Astros had supplemental picks after the first and third rounds as well as all of their regular selections. Add in the team's lack of depth in its farm system and Long believed the investment of a plane ticket to Texas could pay dividends for Lyles and his family.
...
"We initially hadn't planned on going to Houston," Lyles said. "It seems like only a few weeks ago, and I can remember every pitch I threw in that workout. It was definitely a good decision to go there."

Highlights from Chat with Scouting Director/GM Bobby Heck

AstroAndy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:41:55 -0000

The Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz had Bobby Heck available for a chat earlier today on the Chron website. Here are some highlights in easy-to-read form.

On 2nd Rounder Tanner Bushue

Bobby Heck: I think we view our second-rounder Tanner Bushue along th[e same] lines [as Jordan Lyles, Ross Seaton and Brad Dydalewicz]. He's an athletic kid with a natural athletic and simple delivery and good arm action. We project him to have a plus fastball and a plus curveball and to be a good strike thrower. We're comfortable at this time saying he projects as a major league starter.

On 3rd Rounder Telving Nash

Bobby Heck: We see Nash as a potential power hitter with 30-plus home run potential. He was another two-sport athlete from the Atlanta Area. Griffin High school, the same high school Tim Beckham, who was the first pick in the 2008 draft. Telvin passed on some Division I football scholarships and needs to catch up as far as games he's missed in the falls when he played football while others were playing baseball.

On 3rd Round Supplemental Pick Jonathan Meyer

Bobby Heck: We'll continue to look at switch-hitting because the left side is still what we would say at infant stages. A solid all-round player, a good defender at third base who will hit for power. Fundamentally sound and a good leader. This guy is made well.

On what Heck likes about 11th Rounder David "Bubby" Williams

Bobby Heck: His tools energy and toughness, all good ingredients for the position of catcher. But I did not know he was referred to as Bubby.

On Mark Jones, the 6'7" pitcher we took in the 22nd round (and the tallest of our draft class)

Bobby Heck: This is a pitcher that was dug up by our area scout Everett Stull, our area scout in the mid atlantic states who is a former major league pitcher. He thinks he has a chance to be a starter down the road. He thought he'd have a 3-4 pitch mix when it was all said and done and liked the progress he made in the spring.

On later round picks to keep your eye on:

Bobby Heck: 29th rounder Garen Wright a center fielder from Putnam High in Oklahoma. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school. His size and athleticism are very intriguing. He turned down multiple Division I basketball scholarship offers. He also turned down multiple Division I baseball scholarships. He wanted to get out and play. He's a not a fast-track guy. He's more of a developmental players. We're excited about his tools and upside. It's fair to say he wasn't treated like a 29th rounder.

On the best athlete from this year's draft class

Bobby Heck: I would say it's Garen Wright, the kid from Putnam City High in Oklahoma.

On who has the best pitches out of this year's Astros draft class:

Best fastball is shared by fourth-rounder B.J. Hyatt and 17th rounder Justin Harper, both of whom throw up to 95-mph.

Best curveball is Tanner Bushue, the second-round pick.

Best changeup is possessed by 7th-rounder Dallas Keuchel.

On who was a "steal" in the draft:

Bobby Heck: Probably Dallas Keuchel was a guy we thought dollar for dollar, although we haven't signed him yet because he's in the College World Series. He is a college lefthander in the SEC who had success, and you usually don't find him in the seventh round.

On how they decide which minor league team to place new draftees with:

Bobby Heck: Tri-City is geared mostly toward college players. The NY-Penn league is mostly toward college players. The Appalachian League is geared to second-year profesional players, advanced high school draft picks and junior college draft picks. The Gulf Coast League is more a first-year landing spot for players from Latin America as well as some of your high school draft who may need additional acclimation to profesional baseball. [Bushue and Nash are] heading to the Gulf Coast to start. That doesn't meant they'll end the season there.

On the lack of local picks in the most recent draft

Bobby Heck: With all things being equal, we would rather select a local kid if we view the talent as the same when selecting a player. We got arguably the best talent in the Houston area last year in Ross Seaton, but you are correct in your observation but sometimes you're a victim or where you select.

On the factors they consider when making up their draft board:

No. 1 is talent. Skill set, tool set, where the players profiles at the major leagues, athleticism, makeup, desire to be a major league player, desire to start his path to the major leagues at this time. And, of course, the word of the last 10 years: signability.

On using stats and projecting college players

Bobby Heck: Using stats is all parts of our evalutions process, but we're projecting them not against their college peers but projecting them on what they will be in the major leagues. So what is applicable and functional at the major league level because very paramount in our evaluation of college pitchers, as they are close to their ceiling.

On 2008 Draft Picks J.B. Shuck and Jon Gaston

Bobby Heck: We're very happy with how they've performed thus. I cannot comment on their development as of yet because I'm just getting out to see our minor league clubs. But don't forget about T.J. Steele in that outfield mix. He missed some time because of a lingering hamstring injury early in the year, but he's playing well now.

On 2008, Danny Meszaros, who was taken in the 48th round, but is already pitching well in AA

Bobby Heck: That's exciting for a kid that wen't from the 48th round in last year. Clarence Johns and I signed him in a Courtyard Hotel in Cape Cob. He went straight from there to Tri-City, had success there and has had continued success at Lexington and to Double A. I'm very proud of him, happy for him and happy for the Astros.

Bobby Heck: I don't think anyone can expect their 48th-rounders to be in Double-A baseball the next year. As for picking that guy from the 2009 draft, I think we would just be happy to have some type of return like that.

On what he wishes he could change about the 2008 Draft

Bobby Heck: Signing third rounder Chase Davidson, but I'm now over that since we have now signed our compensation for him, Jonathan Meyer. And also not read about how my first two picks were overdrafts. [emphasis mine. -AstroAndy]

On the 2010 draft

Bobby Heck: Next year's draft class is good. There's more first-round position players in it. There's better depth in the first round, especially in bats and position player prospects.

Bobby Heck: My thoughts on Bryce Harper is a big body and big velocity. I'm saying this solely from reading reports because we took him on our area scout Jim Stevenson's recommendations.

BA Eats Crow on Astros 2008 Draft

AstroAndy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:28:29 -0000

Let's see what Baseball America said about Jason Castro, Jordan Lyles, and the Astros' draft in general last year (and yes, I do keep a file where I collect these things):

Kevin Goldstein (12:10:37 PM PT): 10. Astros -- Jason Castro, C, Stanford.

Are you f-ing kidding me? Words can not describe how dumb this is. They just can't. I'm utterly speechless. At least I get to rip Houston's drafts once again. I'm rambling to myslef here it total disbelief.

JOHN MANUEL'S QUICK TAKE (June 5, 2008)

The Astros reached for their first two picks—C Jason Castro was a consensus first-rounder but not a top 10 talent, and RHP Jordan Lyles, while South Carolina's top prep player, was not a consensus supplemental pick.

Jim Callis: Lyles is an example of the adage that it takes just one team to make a guy a sandwich pick. We thought he was going in rounds 6-10 also, and I think we were closer to the consensus than the Astros were. – From Baseball America, June 6, 2008

Callis had a whole other column a month later dedicated to dogging the Astros about Lyles (and a bit about Castro), and to a lesser extent, the Yankees about Jeremy Bleich. He starts by questioning the picks, then details the failures of the 5 picks since 2002 that weren't in their top 200 but were taken in the first or first supplemental round, before concluding with a pre-emptive "told ya so". Here are some of the salient quotes:

We don't get as many first-hand looks at players as the teams do, but we do spend hours upon hours talking to scouting directors, crosscheckers, area scouts and coaches, plus we have additional history (showcases, college performance, summer leagues) to go on. Our Top 200 reflects a consensus of opinion within the industry, and swimming against that tide has been dangerous....

Since we started going 200 deep with our pre-draft rankings in 2002, seven players have become first- or sandwich-rounders after failing to make our list, including Lyles and Stanford lefthander Jeremy Bleich (No. 44, Yankees) this year. The previous five have yet to distinguish themselves....

But if the pitchers don't [work out well], consensus will have been proven more correct than an individual team's conviction yet again.

Not exactly incendiary, but the whole point of the article was to defend BA not putting these guys in their top 200 and to stake out a claim that their analysis is better than that of the scouting crew of the individual teams.

All of this is a prelude to BA's latest Prospect Hot Sheet, where they go over the draft picks from 2008 who are working out well. No Astros picks make the top 15. But we do get 3 mentions in the footnotes:

Jordan Lyles wasn't a consensus supplemental first-round pick last year, but the Astros picked after a strong pre-draft workout. It's paid off up to now. Only 18, Lyles is 2-6, 3.26 at low Class A Lexington with 81 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 66 IP .

That 2008 Astros draft is looking pretty solid right now as well. Not only is Lyles excelling in the South Atlantic League, but first-rounder Jason Castro, 22, has made it to Double-A thanks to his .309/.399/.517 line at high Class A Lancaster.

And a special comment about our recently-named California League All-Star.

Jon Gaston, of, Astros. Since this is a special Hot Sheet, we're mixing up our categories a little to acknowledge a pair of prospects who have proven to be great values considering where they were picked. Gaston, the Astros' seventh-round pick, is among the minor league leaders in multiple categories, as he's hitting .291/.391/.653 with 16 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 15 HRs. Yes, Gaston is hitting in high Class A Lancaster, but it's worth noting that he's hit more home runs on the road than at home.

------------------------

So what's the point of this post? Yes, I'm an Astros diehard, and I like to rub it in a little bit when a major baseball media outlet is wrong about the home team. Despite the fact that BA is sometimes pretty pessimistic about the Astros, they still do a good job with a lot of their work, and I actually consider them the only baseball site that's worth paying for (well, fangraphs is worth it too, but they don't charge).

But this post was more for the people who still have a few doubts about the Astros 2009 draft. There are a few guys that some outlets have been calling overdrafts. But Bobby Heck and his scouting crew have been very good at identifying undervalued talent, and given his sucess last year, we should give him a little credit up front and wait a while to judge the draft. Jiovanni Mier has the defensive tools to play in the majors, and Bobby Heck assures us he'll grow into some power. Tanner Bushue has the same sort of build and skillset as Jordan Lyles. Telvin Nash is a relatively overlooked player who is highly athletic and already has exceptional power. And everything I've heard about Jonathan Meyer points to him being one of those guys who will make it to the major leagues by sheer force of willpower.

Let's get these guys into the system and see how they develop.

Great Night for CC Hooks Fans

AstroAndy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:26:28 -0000

Jose Valverde and Kazuo Matsui were on rehab assignments tonight in Corpus Christi, but even they might not have been the biggest attraction. Tonight, Jason Castro caught his first game in AA. He got his first AA hit, too, in his second at-bat. Batting sixth in the order, and leading off the fourth inning, he got a single to right field. His other three AB were two ground outs to second, and one reach-on-error by the second baseman (I guess he wore that 2B out with all the other hits in his direction). He would later come around to score after the ROE on a homer from Colin DeLome.

The game also featured a notable pitching performance by (one of my personal faves) Polin Trinidad. He stretched a one-hitter out over 7 innings and racked up 5 strikeouts along the way. I hope this game is a testament both to Trinidad's pitching ability and to Castro's game-calling ability.

Matsui was 1-for-2 with a walk. Valverde pitched a scoreless 8th inning, with 2 Ks.

Final Score: 8-1, Hooks Win. Box Score. Game Log.

And remember, if you can't be there in person, you can watch Hooks home games here (it only works with Internet Explorer as far as I can tell):

http://b2cabletv.com/index.asp?bid=1&networksid=13&channelsid=74

It's Draft Day!

AstroAndy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:35:31 -0000

Draft Day is here! For me, the draft is like Baseball Christmas, and tonight we get to see what new ballplayers that Bobby Heck and his scouting team have brought us. As fans have grown more savvy about the benefits of young new players, the draft has grown more and more popular. This year, MLB is trying to capitalize on that popularity by moving the first round of the draft to prime-time. Because of this, the draft will be spread out over three days instead of the usual two. Here's the schedule of events, with an Astros-centric focus:

Day One - Round 1: The first round (Picks 1-32) is covered on the MLB Network. Coverage starts at 5 p.m. Houston time, and the first pick by the Washington Nationals is expected to be announced at 5:15 p.m., although they could have announced it months ago, because everyone pretty much knows it's going to be Stephen Strasburg. Bud Selig is announcing the pick, so make sure to tune in and boo and hiss at him if you still have any unresolved feelings about last year's "home" games against the Cubs in Milwaukee. You'll probably see a lot of pitchers go in the first half of the first round.

If they run it like last year, teams will have 5 minutes in between picks, so an estimated time of the Astros' first pick would be at around 7:00 p.m. You'll probably want to skip watching Wheel of Fortune though, just in case it moves quicker. Craig Biggio, Mr. Astro 3000 himself, will be representing the home team at the draft. All the teams should be represented by former stars and Hall-of-Famers, so it could be fun to tune in and see who shows up.
Day One - Rounds 1S, 2, 3, & 3S: After the 32nd pick, coverage will shift to http://www.MLB.com/Live where they will continue all the way through the third supplemental round. These rounds, and all subsequent rounds should move much quicker than the first round. Fittingly for the team with the worst-regarded farm system in baseball, the Astros have the final pick (111th overall) on the first day, being the only team with a pick in the third supplemental round, due to the fact that they were unable to sign Chase Davidson last year. By the end of the first day's draft, we should have four new Astros farmhands, with picks at 21, 69, 100, and 111.
Day Two - Rounds 4-30: These rounds aren't as sexy, so all of these rounds will be done on Tuesday via teleconference instead of on television.
Day Three - Rounds 31-50: There is a maximum of 50 rounds, but many teams will stop making picks short of round 50. The Astros could keep on picking pretty much right until the end, just like they did last year. They're still dealing with all of the holes created by cutting a lot of the players Tim Purpura left behind, so we may need to sign some of these guys just to field teams in the short-season leagues. Even though these are late rounds, this is where the the best scouts distinguish themselves. Keep in mind that last year's 48th round pick, the 1433rd guy taken overall, Daniel Meszaros, was the first of our 2008 draft picks to make it to Corpus Christi, where he is currently shutting down opposing hitters in relief (13 IP, 2.08 ERA, 10 K, 4 BB).

MLB has said that they've reduced their slotting recommendations by 10% this year. Last year's 21st pick was Ryan Perry, who received $1.48 million in slot money. That means that this year, slot money for our first round pick should be about $1.332 million.

Astros Draft Preview - Part Six: The Texas Connection

AstroAndy — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:31:44 -0000

It's hard enough to pick who is going to go in the top 10 draft picks, much less at the Astros' #21 slot. But since half the fun of the draft is wild speculation, I thought I'd go whole hog and try to name some guys who might land in the Astros' laps after the first round. One thing we saw last year was that two of our prize draftees were Texas kids: Ross Seaton and Brad Dydalewicz. In that vein, here are three guys with Texas/local roots that the Astros might grab with pick #69 or beyond.

Randal Grichuk, OF, Lamar Consolidated HS -- BaseballAmerica has linked us to him. He's a kid from Lamar HS who plays left field and hits with a lot of power. BA did a profile on him (unfortunately behind a subscriber wall) and it appears he modeled his playing style and batting stance after Jeff Bagwell. Now, I've looked at some youtube video of this kid, and it looks like someone has talked him out of actually using Bagwell's stance. But still, some of Grichuk's favorite baseball memories were when his Little League team was being shown around Minute Maid Park and he got to meet and speak with his heroes, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.

The reason I suggest keeping an eye on him is because of his commitment to college. He's got a scholarship to Arizona and he's mentioned that one of his goals is to go to the College World Series. His mom seems to be big on him going to college, too. So it's possible that signability could drop him into later rounds.

But he's suggested he's open to skipping college if he goes high enough in the draft and if the money is right. Perhaps the possibility of playing for his hometown team could be the edge that Houston needs to get him drafted and signed at a point in the draft where others might not risk it (think Ross Seaton). If I had to guess, I'd say maybe look for it in the 2nd round, because if Astros fail to sign him, they could get a supplemental 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft as compensation.

A. J. Morris, RHP, Kansas State - Though he went to K-State to play college ball, this right-hander went to Humble High School, just a half-hour's drive from Minute Maid Park. He flipped a light switch this year, going from a 4W-4L season and a 6.00+ ERA in 2008 to an 14W-1L season with a 2.28 ERA this season. This stellar performance earned him the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Award for 2009.

He's got a 91+mph fastball and a solid slider and has great command of both. Bobby Heck, in a recent interview, mentioned the Big 12 as a place that is particularly stocked with college pitching. Like Grichuk, Morris is a possibility for the ‘stros in the second round (though it's entirely possible he's off the board by the time our pick rolls around).

Slade Heathcott, CF/LHP, Texas HS - BA has us connected with Heathcott, too. He's been out much of his senior season with various injuries, but he's a potential 5-tool guy, with speed and power as his calling cards. Most everybody who does a write-up of him mentions his "makeup" and suggests that he might have some off-the-field character issues. Thankfully, the baseball media gives the kid a break and doesn't ever mention what those issues are, so we can't really evaluate them ourselves. His arm strength is so good that he's begun throwing off the mound and throws in the low-90's with a good curveball. Rumor has it that he'll require $1mil to break his commitment to LSU, which would be above slot if the Astros took him in the second round. However, last year, the ‘stros showed that they were willing to go above slot when the talent warrants it with Ross Seaton (3Supp Round) and Brad Dydalewicz (8th round). He is, however, a Red Sox fan, so who knows.

Other Potential 2nd or 3rd Round Texans: Alex Wilson (RHP, Texas A&M), Brooks Raley (LHP, Texas A&M), Victor Black (RHP, Dallas Baptist), Aaron Miller (LHP, Baylor), Todd Glaesman (OF, Midway HS in Waco), Colton Cain (LHP/1B Waxahachie HS), Ryan Berry (RHP, Rice...also a HS teammate of A.J. Morris), and just because Louisiana doesn't have a major league ballclub, Zack Von Rosenberg (RHP, Zachary HS in Zachary Louisiana)