^This will be my last minor league article. It would be an understatement to say that the 2012 Astros season has seen exciting changes in the farm system. In full rebuilding mode, the front office has been busy unloading veterans for promising young prospects. This year’s draft yielded both premium talent and depth at many positions. What are lost in the all the hubbub are several relatively unknown prospects having solid seasons*. Most of them will end up as nothing more than organizational depth, but many unheralded late-round picks (Bud Norris, JD Martinez, Roy Oswalt) and international signees (Wandy Rodriguez) have gone on to make an impact in Houston. With that, here’s a look at the proverbial ‘other guys’. C: Ernesto Genoves – RK - .295/.360/.477 in 14 games in Greeneville A 2008 product of the Astros’ Venezuelan academy, Genoves is repeating Greeneville at age 21 this year. Presumably it’s because there are 6 other catchers in Tri-City and Lexington. He’s shown good hitting skills with a measure of power but really needs to be tested at higher levels. Like all young catchers, his defense could use some work. 1B: Wallace Gonzalez – GCL - .291/.314/.441 in 12 games in Kissimmee A 2011 draftee. A former 29th rounder, this former high school football player shows has one plus tool: power. He derives his power from an extremely long swing that leaves him open to striking out a lot. Sound familiar? He’s the new Telvin Nash. 2B: John Hinson – LoA - .339/.350/.508 in 15 games in Lexington A former 2011 13th rounder out of Clemson, scouting reports say he’s a good athlete with a good speed and hit-tool. He’s considered very raw defensively and may end up not sticking at a particular infield position. His pie-in-the-sky ceiling is a league average starting 2B/3B, but he will most likely end up as a versatile utility player. A side note, he’ll have to improve on his 1 BB in 61 plate appearances if he wants to advance. 3B: Brian Blasik – Rk - .372/.386/.558 in 45 plate appearances in Greeneville Third base is easily the black hole of the Astros system. I had to go all the way down to Greeneville to find a 3B hitting over .250 not named Duffy (himself not a big prospect). Blasik is a 2012 UDFA out of little-known University of Dayton. A shortstop in college, he’s played mostly 2B so far. He played one game at 3B so I’ll consider him eligible. Not much is written on him scouting wise. His college stats suggest his bat carries him with some doubles power thrown in. His walk-rate is a strong concern moving forward. He had a 6.3% walk rate in very low quality college baseball and thus far has not walked once in professional baseball. By comparison Nolan Fontana walked 5 times in his first professional game. SS: Chan Moon – LoA - .271/.367/.390 in 37 games in Lexington A 2009 international signee out of South Korea, Moon is in the unfortunate situation of being near the bottom of what has quickly become the system’s deepest position. This is the first season his bat has produced league average numbers. Here is Astros Director of Player Development Fred Nelson’s take on Moon: “He’s a wired kid. He still doesn’t have much power, but he’s got good hands and average throwing, as well as an average-to-above average range, and he is very reliable”. In previous years he’d project as a potential utility infielder at the big league level, but so many talented prospects ahead of him, it’s doubtful he’ll ever see Houston. OF: Chris Epps – HiA – .309/.380/.564 in 22 games in Lancaster A teammate of Hinson at Clemson, this former 45th rounder in 2011 has been aggressively promoted since starting last season in the GCL. Scouting reports say he’s an athletic player who suffers from tweener status: not enough power to play the corners but not quick enough to patrol center. His hitting is his one plus tool. Think of Austin Wates-lite. He could end up as a 5th outfielder or AAAA player. OF: Drew Muren – AA - .323/.397/.415 in 19g in Corpus, .279/.325/.404 in Lexington Yet another 2011 draftee, this 23rd rounder is a polished college bat being pushed through the system. A big guy at 6’6, he’s not known for home run power although he does have some doubles power. He plays RF and CF for the Astros affiliates so it sounds like his defense will carry in the majors. Best bet is a solid 4/5 outfielder with good defense. OF: Grant Hogue – HiA - .482/.554/.625 in 18 games in Lancaster A 35th round pick in 2009, Hogue’s stats this season suggest he is the second coming of Babe Ruth. While the comparison is a bit generous and premature, he is off to a great start to a repeat year in Lancaster. A college senior when he was drafted in ’09, the 26 y/o will have to continue hitting like Ruth to continue moving up the ladder. SP: Bobby Doran (RHP) – AA – 5.06era with k/9 in Corpus, 3.67era with 6k/9 in Lancaster A 2010 4th round pick out of Texas Tech, Doran showed future prospects how to handle pitching in Lancaster’s hitter-friendly environment. He features a 90-92mph sinker with average curveball and change-up offerings. In their draft write-up, the Crawfishboxes noted Doran's ceiling is Derek Lowe if he adds velocity to his sinker. Conversely they think he could have to move into relief and ultimately never leave the minors if his strikeout rates don’t improve. RP: Mickey Storey (RHP) – AAA – 3.29era, 55k’s, 11 bb’s in 52 innings Picked up from the A’s last season, Storey is a former 2008 31st round pick. The scouting report says he has throws an 87-92mph fastball with plus command. His secondary offerings are an average curve ball and below average change-up. He gets the dreaded ‘vulture’ title for the Redhawks, having won 7 games in relief. Given his success in AAA this season, he could see time in Houston any time moving forward. RP: Murilo Gouvea (RHP) – LoA – 3.20era, 58k, 19bb in 50.2 innings A 2007 international signee out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Gouvea has been in minor league ball since Bush Jr. was in office. At the age of 23, he’s finally put together a solid season featuring a good era and attractive 10.3k/9 strikeout ratio. Prospects tasting their first success in LoA at the 5-year mark normally wouldn’t merit any consideration but since he has had an excellent strike out rate every year he’ll probably be moved up sometime. His 6-year minor league agent rights will be granted after the next offseason, so he may never see the bullpen at Minute Maid Park. I have no scouting reports on him. RP: Carlos Quevedo (RHP) – LoA – 3.88era with 59k, 6b in 55.2 innings Another 2007 international signee like Gouvea, he has virtually the same era and strikeout rate. Everything I said for Gouvea applies for Quevedo as well. I also do not have any scouting material on Quevedo. One thing I will note is that Carlos shares the last name of the man with my favorite MLB nickname ever: Ruben ‘the human burrito’ Quevedo. *By no means is this a comprehensive list of prospects. With most of the Astros affiliates ranking high in standings, naturally some prospects will be left out. I tried to avoid listing 2012 draftees because a strong half-season could put many of them on a top 30 list. Some of the guys on this list are starting to get more attention but it’s unlikely any will crack the top 30 prospects next season.
Astros Under the Radar Prospects? Under the Radar list from WhattheHeckBobby (Courtesy of Crawfishboxes)
