Astro Winter League Players Do Well

Winter League Numbers Offer Astro Encouragement

Everywhere Astro fans turn it seems the word is that the 2012 first Jim Crane edition isn’t expected to be much different than the last Drayton McLane, Jr. version of the team. Even those within the organization concede results on the field may not be much different visibly if one only uses the standings as a guide.


By the clubs first season in the American League, 2013, the expectations for noticeable improvement are anticipated. By then the current ownership and management will have been at work for a year and a half and the young core of the club will have another season of experience. Those that will be part of that core will have had time to prove themselves. Others will fall by the wayside and be replaced by new prospects. The Astros will start having multiple real candidates for multiple positions. The most important is on the pitching staff. That list of potential key arms is already growing.


The trades made last summer brought in several pitching candidates. Some have already had a taste of the major leagues. Many spent time in the winter leagues this off season. And most put up some impressive numbers.


Admittedly the season is short and the competition is not of major league quality. The best of the winter leagues are often classified unofficially as 4A—above the minor league’s top level but just below the majors.


Even with that caveat let us look as some of the Astro prospects and what they had produced- starting with pitching candidates for 2012. (Stats thru 1/3/12 courtesy of Houston Astros.)


In the Dominican Winter League, probably the strongest of the loops, Fernando Abad moved into a starter’s role and in four games was 1-1 with a fine 2.25 ERA. In sixteen innings he had sixteen strikeouts and allowed only 12 hits and 1 walk.


Erick Abreu in 20 games of relief went 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He fanned 27 in 24 innings. David Carpenter in ten relief appearances was 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA. He struck out ten in 10.1 innings pitched.


Anuery Rodriguez, Henry Sosa and Henry Villar were three others who all spent some time with Houston in 2011 who also pitched in the Dominican. Rodriguez started seven games and was 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA. He allowed 23 hits in 32.2 innings and fanned 32.


Sosa is the only MLB experienced hurler who had it rough. In seven starts he was only 1-2 with a high 6.23 ERA. Whether he was working on acquiring a better off speed pitch or not he was quite hittable by allowing 34 hits in just 26 innings. His strikeout total was only 18 which makes one hope at least that it was the result of trying to add a new pitch. Sosa was better than that with the Astros at the end of 2011.


Henry Villar did not have great stats either, but not horrid. His hits/walks to innings pitched was unimpressive with 15/9.1 his number. His ERA in 10 relief outings was 3.86.


One of the players who may be counted on out of the pen in 2012—Enerio Del Rosario—was especially strong with Cibao in the Dominincan. In 13 relief outings he had a 0.93 being used as a matchup specialist. In those 13 games he threw only 9.2 innings.


Xavier Cedeno only appeared in three games for the Astros last season but had a good winter in the Puerto Rican League. In thirteen games of relief he was 2-2 with a 1.77 earned run average. He had 20 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched.


Of the 22 pitchers from the system playing winter ball only three had ERAs over 5.00. and only six over 4.00. Impressive so far for sure.


HITTERS GETTING IT DONE TOO
Jose Altuve just keeps hitting. In Venezuela the little man hit .339 good for second in the league. He led the league in hits, at bats and was third in doubles and fourth in total bases. He stole ten bases and drove in 35 runs.

Brian Bogusevic was a top power guy in the Domincan. The lefty hitter put up a .317 average for Cibaenas with 4 homers and 12 RBIs in 33 games. Jimmy Paredes hit .306 with a homer and 18 RBIs also in the Dominican with Cibao. Angel Sanchez with Mayaguez hit 293 with a homer and ten RBIs iln 24 games. Outfielder Brandon Barnes has not played with theAstros yet, but his winter number of .345 4HR, 20RBI in 14 games in Arizona may give him a longer look.


The bottom line on all this is that the Astros will be full of prospects on the major league roster in 2012. There is no way to be sure which of those prospects will have what it takes to make and then star in the major leagues. Even so it is encouraging what some of the youngsters who played off season ball have been able to achieve.


Forty two Astro propects have been playing this winter. The large majority of them have been putting up numbers and having enough success the future has gotten a little bit brighter. Like the sunrise coming slowly so will the total rebuild of the Astros into a championship contender. The sun can be counted on to make it. Maybe the same will be true with the Astros.