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03Jul
We saw this 64 Corvair in Hearne, Texas, on our way to see her family. The Corvair was a rare rear engine, air cooler from Chevy. You don’t see many of these. Seller wants $8750 for it though, which is several orders of outrageous for a car in this condition.
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02Jul
The Houston Astros’ 2009 Draftees Reported to their respective clubs this week and began their pro careers in earnest. Today we start by looking at how they fared out of the gates.
Jiovanni Mier
Jiovanni was Houston’s 2009 first rounder and he hit the ground running after a visit to Minute Maid Park to meet the MLB club. In the first week, he’s already hitting .300, knocked in 4, collected his first extra base hit (a triple), and has two multihit games. His best game so far was a 3-for-4 performance.
John Meyer
Meyer got off to a slow start, but found his groove is a 3-for-4 showing on 6/30.
Bubby Williams
While Bubby is only hitting .250, he’s racked up 5RBI in as many games.
Ryan Humphrey
Holy toledo, this kid’s started his pro career on a tear. He’s hitting .310 so far and strung together 4 straight 2-hit games.
JD Martinez
Mier, Humphrey, and Martinez seem to make a formidable trio so far. JD is absolutely destroying early Appy pitching, hitting .303 with 3 HR, 3 doubles, and 9 RBI. His OPS is astounding at 1.061.
Travis Smink
The only draftee to get any significant innings so far, Smink took the hill for 5.2 and collected 2 SVs while holding Appy batters to a .143 average.got
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28Jun
I tossed some spreadsheets around and did some analysis of the CTBL standings with about a month left in the regular season.
Division A
The Diablos, A’s, and Bandidos are in a virtual tie for first place and all three are virtually ensured a playoff spot. Each has about 6 games left and, considering there’s three of them, the fight for seeding will be fierce and have huge repercussions. The A’s beat the Diablos 2-1 in their season series, but the Bandidos and Diablos still owe each other a pair, and the Bandidos and A’s have to settle their 1-1 tie, so the last few weeks will be very eventful.
Division B
The middle division hasn’t eliminated anyone yet but the Yankees are several games ahead. This division’s a bit messy with all the ties, but most of the division should find their way to the playoffs. The Express, Dodgers, and Horde are duking it out for third place and presumably a playoff spot; as things line up in the wild card, only one should come away with anything unless they all turn it on.
Division C
The Titans have run away with this division far and away, but with competition like the Astros, Phillies, and Cubbies, that’s not horribly surprising. Despite this dearth of competition, they’re bona fide and have routinely beat out the top talent from the other divs. The other plus-.500 team, the BullDAWGs, should be a lock for a playoff slot too.
Wild Card
The knot atop Division A messies up the Wild Card picture a little bit, but the whoever loses out in the race for the divisional title should be assured not just playoff berths, but the top two seeds as well, leaving the other two divisions to split three slots.
The last three slots are virtual toss ups between 7 teams; The BullDAWGs, Zephyrs, Express, Dodgers, Horde, Cubs, and Cubbies. It’s hard to believe the Cubbies have a shot at 3-8-2, but they have several games to make up, having only played 13 contests against 16 or 17 for the rest of the league. They also play 4 games against the Astros and Phillies that they should win easily, and two against the BullDAWGs, who they’ve beat before.
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28Jun
As we near the All-Star Break, it’s time to look at the talent we’ve been watching in Round Rock. These guys are all a heartbeat away from the major leagues and some of them shaping up quite nicely.
Outfield
I’ll start with the OF because the Express are incredibly stacked out there.
Brian Bogusevic
This kid can HIT. Originally drafted as a pitcher, he made it to AA last year before realizing that he didn’t have the right stuff to make it to the majors and switched to the OF. He lit up the Texas League in 2008, hitting .371 with an incredible 1.003 OPS.
He’s returned to more realistic - if still impressive - territory, hitting .284. Never a major HR threat, Brian still has oodles of power and racks up doubles like they’re going out of style. He has plus speed, but more than anything he’s constantly banging liners off the walls to bring in the numbers. Unless Ed Wade is a blathering idiot (and I’ll reiterate that I think the jury’s still out on that), Brian will be wearing an Astros jersey before the end of 2009 and I have no doubt that he’ll stick around for quite some time.
Yordany Ramirez
The Express outfield is literally bursting with talent and Yordany is probably the best of the lot defensively. He racked up an otherworldly 17 outfield assists in 2008 and, while he only has 4 so far in 2009, his presence is astounding in the outfield. Teams learned their lesson last year and I’ve yet to see anyone even consider testing Yordany this year. His speed to the gaps routinely robs would-be doubles and sends them grabbing for some pine. What few drives he can’t get to, his quickness and hose hold a base - or more - shorter than they would have reached against a less capable CF. I don’t think it exaggeration to say that Yordany could be winning Gold Gloves in the majors right now.
His bat, on the other hand, leaves a little to be desired. While he hit .315 in 30 AAA games in 2007, he’s otherwise been a fairly light hitter throughout his minor league career, usually flirting more with .250 than .300. 2009 has been relatively good to him as he’s hovering around .260. His power numbers are up, though, and he’s probably a mere few weeks away from setting his personal best in HRs and doubles, and has a shot at matching his best SLG performance from 2 years ago in Portland. We should see Yordany wearing an Astros jersey in September and I expect him to compete for a 4th or 5th OF spot in Houston next spring. At a mere 24 years, Yordany is almost certainly the CF of the Astros’ future.
Reggie Abercrombie
Reggie is another of the best defensive OFers in all of baseball and could easily be racking up Gold Gloves in the Majors, but his bat is holding him back. Unfortunately, at 28, it seems his best days may be behind him, but he might make things interesting in Houston for another year or so before he’s done.
Around the Diamond
Unfortunately, the talent train isn’t quite as well situated around the diamond.
JR Towles
Towles is an incredible AAA talent, but his success in the PCL has failed to translate to a full time MLB job. He’s a solid .300 hitter with occasional power and better-than-average speed for a catcher when suiting up for the Express, but as an Astro the Crosby, Texas, native has dropped to .188 lifetime after his outstanding intro in 2007. You’ll see him in Houston again, but I think the Astros are starting to see the Hooks’ Jason Castro when they think about the future.
Mark Saccamono
A native Houstonian who attended a rival high school of mine, Mark made quite a splash in his MLB debut last year, homering on the first pitch he saw in an Astros jersey. He went 2-for-10 in the majors, though, and while both of his hits were extras - the homer and a double - it doesn’t seem he truly impressed. This is his third season at AAA and he’s not on the 40, so at 29 he may not see an Astros jersey again, especially with some of the talent that’s starting to percolate up from the last couple of drafts.
Edwin Maysonet
Edwin anchored the middle of the Express lineup exceptionally well in 2008 and early in 2009 before getting the call-up in May. He rose to the occasion, hitting .315 in 19 games, before being sent back down in favor of Geoff Blum and Kaz Matsui. With Miguel Tejada departing after 2009, expect Maysonet on the inside track for starting SS next season. No brainer.
Tommy Manzella
Aside from being a capable defender, Tommy has never impressed me much. He’s a light hitting defensive shortstop which, frankly, is a dime-a-dozen these days. Having another weapon, most notably a good eye and plus speed, can make the difference, but he doesn’t have either. I get the opinion that he’s on the 40 mostly because the Astros are playing infield by committee this year and want a little insurance. Needless to say, I don’t see Tommy factoring considerably in the Astros’ future.
Pitching
The Express pitching staff has a couple of notable SPs and nothing to speak interestingly of in the bullpen. Yorman Bazardo and Bud Norris will probably be the nucleus of the Astos’ rebuilt rotation of the future. If the Astros can hold on to Oswalt, a rotation of the Wizard, Norris, and Zardo could be incredibly formidable. Well, if Roy can regain his form of old at least.
Yorman Bazardo
‘Zardo’s 2.79 ERA is good for 5th in the league and is the only Express starter with a decent record - 7-2. He’s been lights-out every time I’ve seen him take the mound and he had a decent stint with Tigers in 2007, so I expect he’ll see some action in the Astros’ rotation in the near future. If he doesn’t get a shot this year - though I think he will - he’ll definitely have a shot at a roster spot in 2010.
Bud Norris
Bud is leading the PCL in ERA, posting an incredible 2.17 mark in the notorious hitters’ league. His domination hasn’t gone unnoticed and you occasionally see MLB beat reporters speculating that he’ll be called up to make a spot start with the parent club. It hasn’t happened yet but rest assured, it’ll happen in 2009 and he’ll compete seriously for a full-time job in 2010. If his success this year carries over, he’ll be a shoe in. The Astros will have to make a roster move to put him on the 40, though, and I’d suggest Sammy Gervacio.
Sammy Gervacio
Last year, I would have told you that Sammy was headed to anchoring the Astros’ bullpen for years to come. He dominated the Texas League in 2007 and 2008 and his brief stint in AAA last year was dominating enough to earn him a spot on the 40 this year.
He’s turned in an abysmal 5.55 ERA so far in 2009 and I’ve started to cringe when he trots in from the bullpen. I’m not sure I’ve seen him turn in a good outing yet this year. They keep dragging him out there, though, so they obviously see something they like in this kid still, but I’ll be blunt in admitting that I don’t see it.
Casey Daigle
Casey probably has some innings to offer in the Astros bullpen judging from his 2.53 ERA against the sluggers in the PCL this year, but at 28 already and with only fleeting minor league success in his career and two inconclusive stints in the majors in 2004 and 2006, don’t expect him to get much of a chance despite his 2009 domination.
Brendan Donnelly
Looking at his stats this year, if you didn’t know who he was (and why should you?) you might think Brendan is an up-and-coming setup man with a bright career ahead of him. You might, but eventually you’ll notice that he’s 37, has already had a fairly decent 7 year major league career (including an All-Star selection in 2003) before cratering with the Indians last year, and has pitched in parts of 14 minor league seasons dating back to 1992.
No. Really.
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28Jun
Astros Team Report - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Right-hander Brandon Backe, a Galveston native who was one of the Astros’ most popular players, was designated for assignment Friday nightBrandon Backe was DFAd on Friday, likely ending his tenure with the Houston Astros and potentially his career. His start died out almost as quickly as it rose, but he proved somewhat resilient and tried doggedly to return from the injuries that plagued him after his early success.
After they acquired him before the 2004 season, he put up outstanding 2004 and 2005 seasons before getting sidetracked by repeated elbow injuries. He turned in an excellent 4.30 ERA in 2004, mostly out of the bullpen, despite hitters batting .290 against him. Converted to a started before the end of the season, he started Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, racking up 5 Ks while giving up only 2 ER on 5 hits in 6 innings, and bringing home his first (and, thus far, only) postseason W. His first NCLS appearance was mediocre, going 4.2IP and giving up 4ER in Game 1, before he really went lights-out on the Cardinals in Game 5; he turned in 8 one-hit innings of shutout baseball against the Albert Pujols-lead best-lineup-in-baseball, but was denied the win as Woody Williams matched him inning-for-inning, pitch-for-pitch with 7 shutout innings of his own, before Jeff Kent hit the walk-off, three-run homer that would go down as one of the most dramatic playoff home runs in baseball history.
Backe became a full-time starter in 2005, going 10-8 with a 4.76 ERA, capably holding down the back end of the Astros’ rotation. After a marginally better than mediocre regular season, Backe once again proved himself in the playoffs. He relieved Roger Clemens for an inning in Game 2 before starting Game 4, another of the most memorable games in the annals of baseball lore. Unfortunately, Backe wouldn’t figure significantly in the game, turning in a mere 4.1IP and giving up an unfortunate 5ER. This game would eventually go 18 innings after Brad Ausmus hit the game tying HR in the bottom of the 9th with two outs (yet another of baseball’s greatest homers!) leading up to rookie Chris Burke’s historic walk-off HR in the bottom of the 18th eliminated the Braves with one swing.
After appearing twice in the Divisional Series, Backe appeared only once against the Cardinals in the NLCS, once again dominating their divisional rivals with 5.2IP of two-hit baseball, posting 7Ks and only allowing 1 earned run but again was denied the win as the game was decided by a Morgan Ensberg sac fly in the 7th.
And then there’s the 2005 World Series against the Chicago White Sox. Despite the Astros making a rather poor showing in their first World Series berth, I made the trek to Houston to see Game 4 in person at Minute Maid Park. Every cloud has its silver lining and, for the Astros, that silver lining was Brandon Backe. After the Astros pitching staff failed to control the White Sox offense in any of the previous 3 games, Backe took the mound with the Astros facing elimination and rose to the occasion, tossing 7 innings of shut out ball, giving up a meager 5 hits and striking out 7, before Brad Lidge lost the game in the 8th by giving up the game’s only run and allowed the Sox to close out their Championship on Houston’s turf.
Unfortunately, that’s where Backe’s fortunes seem to have ended. In 2006, he suffered an elbow injury forcing him onto the disabled list for three full months. His return was brief and he wound up missing almost the entire season and required Tommy John surgery in September. He was slated to miss the entire 2007 season but managed to return to the mound in September and started 5 games in fairly good form. It appeared Backe was back and better than ever. 2008, however, would be most unkind to Backe. In his first full season since 2005, Backe went 9-14 and posted a 6.05 ERA and batters posted a .302 average against him.
Hoping to bounce back from a dismal - but healthy - 2008 season, Backe’s promises were dashed almost immediately in Spring Training when he was shelved with an intercostal injury. Recovery was long and hard and he missed all of Spring Training plus the first two months of the season. When he finally returned - back in the bullpen for the first time since 2004 - his numbers were staggeringly bad; a 10.38 ERA in 5 games (1 start), 5 HRs, and hitters were batting .362 against him. His one start appeared strong but he left after only 4 innings and may be the last appearance for Backe in a Houston Astros jersey.
Once Designated for Assignment, the Astros must find a home for Backe within 10 days. While they could attempt to outright him to the minors, his service time allows him to refuse this assignment, and more likely he’ll either be traded or released; this move means the Astros have given up on him and they’ll probably not want him eating up any resources in their finally-rebounding minor league system.
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28Jun
Future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio made an appearance as a coach for the Round Rock Express tonight. Both he and teammate Jeff Bagwell are roving minor league instructors for Houston and we’ve seen Bags fairly often. This is the first time I’ve seen Beej in town. I hope it’s not a one-off. I may have to start bringing some of my old 65 Roses pics and see if I can get them autographed.
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27Jun
Here’s a shot of Donnelly on the mound for the Express in the top of the 9th. It’s 5-5.
The Express put on a good show tonight. Things fell apart for the Cubs’ Alfred Mathes in the third inning. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, he gave up successive two-out hits to the heart of the Express’s order and allowed the Express to hit for the cycle that inning; JR Towles doubled, John Gall homered, Chris Johnson tripled, and Mark Saccomanno singled.
The Cubs slugged back to within one during a long 5th inning as the Express got temporarily sloppy, allowing runners to move up on a wild pitch and a throwing error by Tommy Manzella. The Cubs knotted it up in the 8th after Nate Spears tripled and came home on Chris Robinson’s sac fly.
Jason Smith and Reggie Abercrombie teamed up to close out the game in the bottom of the 9th, with Smith leading off the inning by singling to right and Abercrombie doubling him home for the walk-off RBI.
Yorman Bazardo continued his domination of PCL batters, allowing 3 earned runs on 6 innings but only 2 Ks, maintaining his hold on 5th in the league in ERA. Brendan Donnelly took home the W, though, after Casey Daigle allowed the tying sac fly in the 8th.
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26Jun
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26Jun
I found this Ranchero (a ‘64, I think) at Burnet and 45th the other day. It needs new paint, but other than that the body looks flawless and the bedpan is in great condition. I’ve tried to stop in and inquire about it several times, but there’s never been anyone on-site, nor any numbers to call on the building. There has been activity on the lot, though, so someone has to know something about it.
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26Jun
I missed an entire RRE homestand while in San Francisco for WWDC earlier this month. I missed three CTBL games, up from the two I expected to miss, when we missed our flight. And, to make matters worse, Tina and I came down with the flu during the last RRE homestand and only made one game - which we left regrettably early.
While I did catch Lincecum’s masterpiece SHO against the A’s at AT&T Park while I was in town, I’m really jonesing for some action. The Express come home for 7 against the Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds starting Saturday, and we line up against the CTBL Express on Sunday.
Sounds like runs to me, boys!
