Astros acquire Hank Conger

Drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 1st round (25th pick) of the 2006 amateur draft.

 

Angel fans on twitter seem really sad to see him go.

Of course, Evan Drellich adds "Tropeano a promising arm" to his tweet.

 

Twitter reax:

Spoiler

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Luhnow: “Conger is a solid Major League catcher and gives us added depth at a scarce position.&quot;</p>&mdash; Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/530098316936114176">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>&quot;We scouted him extensively this year as a divisional opponent and feel he brings a unique skill set to our organization,&quot; Luhnow said.</p>&mdash; Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizKicks/status/530099304623788032">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Luhnow said Castro is the No. 1 catcher and will remain that way. Conger the backup. He said Corporan still in the mix. Could carry three.</p>&mdash; Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/530099431782088704">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Angels pitchers loved throwing to Hank Conger, and it was no surprise: He has tremendous pitch-framing stats. <a href="http://t.co/SbYVvBxsUB">http://t.co/SbYVvBxsUB</a></p>&mdash; Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/530098939954229248">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>One of Houston's top analysts is Mike Fast, who introduced the idea of framing as a hugely valuable skill. No surprise Astros wanted Conger.</p>&mdash; Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/530099217155776512">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Angels?src=hash">#Angels</a> C Hank Conger was arbitration eligible, so getting more expensive if they saw him as a backup. Will make $1-2M</p>&mdash; Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/530099893495296000">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Hank Conger is entering his first year of arbitration and is projected to make $1.1 million next season. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Angels?src=hash">#Angels</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a></p>&mdash; Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeDiGiovanna/status/530100362301440000">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Astros giving up a good arm in Nick Tropeano for noted pitch framer Hank Conger speaks to value Christian Vazquez brings to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedSox?src=hash">#RedSox</a></p>&mdash; Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteAbe/status/530100350611906560">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>“We had asked the Angels about Conger … going back last summer” — Jeff Luhnow</p>&mdash; Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/status/530100722851774464">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Astros also note &quot;Conger compiled a 3.35 catcher’s ERA this season.&quot;</p>&mdash; Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizKicks/status/530100602534363137">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Tropeano seems a good fit for the Angels, a cheap #4 starter type. Beats going into free agency for one of those.</p>&mdash; timdierkes (@timdierkes) <a href="https://twitter.com/timdierkes/status/530100592027635712">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Luhnow: "Conger gives us a solid MLB catcher." Yeah his .221 avg and .293 OBP screams "solid"

This some BS. I liked Nitro. I wanted to see what could become.

 

Would've liked to keep Tropeano around, not too impressed with Conger's numbers but he was a 1st rounder & is still young at 26. Maybe he'll come around.

 

Carlos Corporan now might not be back. It either that or trade Castro, right?

 

I wonder if Luhnow had some screaming red flags on Tropeano's arm.

 

Only reason I know who Conger is hahah.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/14q8lkJVl1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I don't necessarily like giving up NiTro but this is what you can do with good pitching depth in the system. Allows you to fill a need... and it is obvious that Luhnow and crew value pitch framing a lot.

 

Bizarre trade.

Nice to see the FO forming the big league roster, but in a vacuum, I wouldn't think trading a decent prospect for Hank Conger is a good trade.

 

Yeah I agree but I think this is the right move. This is the first real move of us consolidating young prospects into proven MLB talent... a sign in the right direction. We have a surplus of pitching depth right now in the system, can't keep them all forever.

 

echoing all of this. Hopeful that either Tropeano has flags we don't know about or Conger changes this staff dramatically

 

Apparently, he's really good at pitch framing:

http://www.statcorner.com/CatcherReport.php

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>OC product Hank Conger on trade to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a>: &quot;Tough to say goodbye, but at same time, I’m really excited. I look at this as a fresh start.&quot;</p>&mdash; Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeDiGiovanna/status/530102719936475136">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>More Conger: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> have always given us fits. You could see the way they’re building, developing guys. It'’s going to be exciting,&quot;</p>&mdash; Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeDiGiovanna/status/530103367956459520">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I hope this is a sign that we are confident about getting one of the top FA arms available.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Hank Conger's 21.3 defensive Runs Above Average was fourth best in all of baseball last season. <a href="http://t.co/c50JHYtuwm">http://t.co/c50JHYtuwm</a></p>&mdash; Tyler Stafford (@JeffBlogwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffBlogwell/status/530104319949803521">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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He'll do wonders for the staff

 

Nitro is ranked as the Astros #13 prospect.