Houston Astros OF, 2012 Part 1

This is our second entry in our early outlook for the Astros opening day roster for 2012.

In our first post in the series, we covered the Astros starting shortstop for 2012 and looked at possible replacements if we failed to resign Clint Barmes.

(My perspective on this has changed slightly in the past week. Fully in part because of Anderson Hernandez , our starting shortsop for our AAA affiliate Oklahoma City, is in the midst of a 27 game hitting streak, and counting!)

This week in our outlook for next spring's opening day roster, we are going to be covering the Astros outfield situation.

Coming into the season, I think we the fans were spoiled with what players the Astros had in their starting outfield. We had the likes of the ever loved Hunter Pence, the speed demon in Michael Bourn, and Carlos Lee. This group of outfielders could have arguably been one of the best in all of the NL, if not baseball.

But fast forward to post trade deadline 2011, and every man who was sketched into the opening day lineup in the outfield is either gone (Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn) or moved to a new position (Carlos Lee, 1B). The only outfielders left off of the opening day roster, that are still playing in our outfield are Jason Bourgeois and Jason Michaels, who as of right now are nothing more than role players.


Although our outfield situation has competely shuffled, judging from early results from our youngsters, we aren't left completely off the block. With JD Martinez in left field, Jordan Schafer in center, and Brian Bogusevic in right, our outlook for 2012 isn't looking as bad as I thought it would be after we traded away both Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.

Tomorrow we will go into depth about the individual players who I believe will be starting in the outfield next year, and also who will be manning the two reserve outfield spots.

Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Tal's Hill Interview - Austin Wates

Hello everybody! Today I am pleased to present the inauguration of our new feature here on Tals Hill, interviews with players, prospects, and anybody Astros related. We will be trying to do this frequently, at least once a week, depending on if we get anybody to come on to do the interview.

If our readers would like to know, we contact our interviewees via Twitter asking for interviews from our Twitter account @Tals_Hill_Blog. And from there, if they accept our interview offer, we conduct it via email!


Enough said there, now it is time to present the person who we had the privelage of interviewing.
For this week, we were lucky enough to nab top Astros prospect Austin Wates to do our very first interview.


A little background on our friend, Austin Wates:


Austin Wates was drafted out of Virginia Tech University in the third round of the 2010 MLB first year player draft by the Houston Astros. Coming into this season, Austin was ranked as the 2nd best offensive prospect in the Astros organization, and number four overall by John Sickels over at Minorleagueball.com. John Sickels was quoted for saying "I think this guy is underrated. Should hit for average, get on base, and provide steals."


So far this year, with the minor league season soon coming to a close, Austin has not failed to live up to expectations. Through 123 Games in Class A Advanced, on the Lancaster Jethawks, Austin is hitting .304 with 80 runs scored, 6 home runs, 68 rbi, .369 OBP (45/79 BB/K), and is 24/31 in stolen base attempts. These stats show that not only has Austin lived up to expectations, but went far past them in the process. A solid season for Austin in his first pro ball season.


Now that you know a little bit of background on Austin Wates, here is our interview with one of our favorite Astros prospect.





TH ~ Tell us a little about you, Austin Wates

Austin ~ Well, I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. I moved to Richmond, Virginia my junior year of high school. My mom got a job offer that she really liked and her and my dad decided it would be best so we could be closer to her side of the family. She was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (just a little bit of background) I am car fanatic, and avid Formula 1 Racing junkie. Cars are something that me and my dad really love, and its something we have always been able to share. I am yet to go to a F1 race but am planning on going this year or early next year. My favorite driver is Lewis Hamilton of Mclaren because we share alot of similarities. He comes from very humble backgrounds, and worked extremely hard to get where he is today. I love playing the piano, and music is also something that keeps me going. I enjoy puzzles and things or that sort, I have learned how to do all the Rubik's cubes up to the 5x5x5, which i just recently learned how to do this season. I have a boxer dog named Ali (like Muhammed) he is pretty much the best dog in the world




TH ~ Who was you favorite baseball team while growing up?

Austin ~ My favorite teams growing up were the Seattle Mariners, and the New York Yankees




TH ~What baseball player did you emulate while growing up?

Austin ~ Favorite player is Derek Jeter hands down. Classy, Clutch, Hall of Fame, Leader, and truly brings up the integrity of the game



TH ~ Coming out of high school, you went undrafted and went on to play with Virginia Tech for three years. Do you think that this was beneficial for you?

Austin ~ Absolutely, without college I would have never been mature enough to handle the ups and downs or professional baseball. There is so much that we learn from the time we are 18-21, it was great to be able to have a mentor and coach like Pete Hughes. He helped me through alot of tough times, not only on the baseball field but off. He showed me what it means to be great on the field and academically. So going to school was the best possible choice for me, and I would recommend it to anybody!




TH ~ Do you think it is better for a high school player to go straight to pro ball after being drafted or to further their education while playing college ball?

Austin ~ It all depends on the situation and the kids maturity level. Its tough for a high school kid that goes late in the draft to come into an organization and develop, simply because he wont be a high priority. From another perspective, if a team is handing you a few million dollars on draft day, you should probably reconsider where priorities are, because school is always an option where as professional baseball comes and goes, just like that. Being finically stable as an 18 year old kid is probably not a bad feeling either!!




TH ~ What were your expectations for the 2010 MLB first year player draft prior to being selected by the Houston Astros in the 3rd round?

Austin ~ My expectations were that I was going to be taken on day 1 at some point. That of course didn't work out, so my family and I reevaluated, and the next day we got a phone call, and that was all she wrote.




TH ~ What were your expectation coming into your first pro season?

Austin ~ I didn't really know what to expect, other than the fact that it was going to be hard on my body. I've really learned how to read my body and what its telling me do and dont need to do. I think the important thing about professional baseball is to keep a level head, because no matter how well you are doing, at some point in your season you will have a low. The key is to keep your lows to a minimum, but you can't do that without some mental toughness. I still have alot to learn in all these aspects, but i definitely have made strides in the right direction.




TH ~ If you had to compare yourself to any former, or current MLB player, who would you choose?

Austin ~ I see myself having the same type of skillset as an Adam Jones, with less power.




TH ~ What has been the biggest adjustment you have made since you have been in pro ball?

Austin ~My ability to be consistent and keeping a routine. when I first got here I was a little unsure about what I needed to do to prepare myself for the game day in and day out. But now that I know, I am much more comfortable throughout the game




TH ~ With your first full season in pro ball coming to close, how would you describe your season, and are you satisfied with the results?

Austin ~ I think the word satisfied leaves a little bit too much room for complacency. I could have done much better this season, and I threw away a good amount of at bats when I sit down and look back through them. But as far as my development overall as a player I think I made some very big steps towards being the player that I aspire to be. My numbers this year are fine, but there are things that I didn't do so well, and I have to be more polished in those areas




TH ~ Where do you expect to begin next season in the Astros organization?

Austin ~ I'm not really sure where I will be starting, but if the organization believes that I am ready to go to AA I will do everything I can to continue to produce. I just have to make sure that I continue to develop and stay away from that dreaded word SATISFIED!




TH ~ What are your thoughts on the present state of the Astros Organization?

Austin ~ We are in a rebuilding phase, I think that is pretty clear to everyone. The management is revitalizing the minor league system, and I am happy to be a part of it! They are doing a great job, hopefully they see some results in the next few years, but its important that the fans are patient! This is a process, not a light switch guys!




TH ~ What should we expect to see from Austin Wates in the immediate, and distant future?

Austin ~ Hard work, and consistency and hopefully roaming the grass in Minute Maid park!




TH ~ Lastly, is there anything you would like to tell your fans?

Austin ~ Thank you guys for all your support, and we are going to keep playing and working hard. This organization has won in the past and we all want to get back to those winning ways.


So there you have it, that was our interview with Austin Wates. We certainly had a fun time in doing this, and we look forward to possibly doing this in the future with you Austin, and hope to see you in the near future roaming in centerfield hunting down those flyball's on none other than, Tals Hill!


We leave with a quote from Austin Wated himself which describes the current state of the Astros.
"This is a process, not a lightswitch guys". Wise words from a wise man.

Astros Roll Into The Bay On A High Note, they win 3-1

To sum up tonight's game, I will say just four simple words. World Series are overrated. Either that, or Ryan Vogelsong can't handle the Houston Astros young lineup.


This was the second time in the past week that Ryan Vogelsong has pitched against the Astros, and although he didn't pitch poorly, he didn't pitch great either.


His stat lines against the Astros the past week are:


August 19th at Houston - 7 IP - 4H - 5R - 2ER - 4BB - 3SO (Loss)


August 25th at San Francisco - 7.1 IP - 6H - 3R - 3ER - 4BB - 4SO (Loss)


As you can see they are very similar. Although both starts were solid, they weren't the prettiest either. It can be put on record that the Astros are responsible for two of Vogelsong's four losses. A pretty commendable feat with how he has pitched this year.


Another note for tonight is the emergence of Henry Sosa. He put up an outstanding start, while only on three days rest! The Astros were in need of someone to step up on the staff, now that Lyles has been demoted to AAA to convert to a RP due to his inning limit..


Henry Sosa's stat line for the night -


6 IP - 4H - 1R - 1ER - 3BB - 3SO. Not bad for his 3rd career start, and on short rest!


Also making headlines for the night is newly acquired CF Jordan Schafer. He hit his first home run in an Astros uniform!

His statline for the night was -


2/4 - 3 Runs - 1RBI - 1BB - 1SO and a SB. If he keeps this up, it will make me miss Bourn alot less.. Solid night for Schafer. Congratulations!


Among other notable statlines of the night -


JD Martinez - 2/3 - 2RBIS - 2 Doubles. This makes 10 doubles and 24 RBI on the season for the Latin Lumber.

Brian Bogusevic - 0/3 - 1BB - 2SB's. Suprising speed for the 27 year old ex-pitcher!


Jose Altuve with another SB on the season to make it 3

Mark, the Shark, Melancon recorded his 13th save this season.

Tommorow the Astros are back in action against the Bay Warriors, and we are sending out our recently promoted JA Happ versus the San Franciso Giants Madison Bumgarner.


Lets hope that the JA(in't) Happ(ening) moniker I have given him drops off after his recent call up.

Lets keep the streak going!

Go Astros!

Houston Astros SS, 2012

From my last post, I went into small detail on why our top priority going into this offseason should be to resign Clint Barmes. With him resigned, he could be the placeholder until Jonathan Villar proves he is ready (acquired in the Oswalt Deal).


Even knowing how aggresive the Astros have been of late in promoting prospects (eg: Jimmy Parades, Jose Altuve, Jordan Lyles), I highly doubt that the Astros would consider bringing up Jonathan Villar to be the starting SS if Clint Barmes leaves next year. As he still has holes in his game, most notably being the high K numbers, and his spotty defense so far.


So, back on to the matter at hand, if the Astros don't resign Clint Barmes, I looked into a couple of options on the FA market.


These are the list of players who are eligible for free agency this offseason, and who I believe can play good enough SS until Jonathan Villar is ready -


Orlando Cabrera, 37
Jamey Carrol, 37
Alex Gonzalez, 34
Omar Infante, 30
Edgar Renteria, 35
Jose Reyes, 29
Jimmy Rollins, 33
Marcus Scutaro, 36 (6Mil Club Option, 3.5Mil Player Optionwith a 1.5Mil buyout)
Rafael Furcal, 34 (12Mil Club Option, with a 1.3Mil buyout)


Out of these players, Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes appear out of reach, due to the fact of how much they would cost, the draft picks we'd have to surrender, and their intentions of resigning with their current teams.


I believe out of the ones I listed, the ones I would hand the keys to our SS position full time would be Rafael Furcal, Marcus Scutaro, or Alex Gonzalez. I doubt the Cardinals will pick up Furcal's costly option, so he would be free to sign with any team. As for Scutaro and Gonzalez, all signs point to them going back to their teams due to there lack of depth at SS, or in the case of the Red Sox, not wanting to trade that depth with the injury risk of Jed Lowrie, or the unknown in Jose Iglesias.


We could also pick up Jamey Carrol or Edgar Renteria to possibly split time with our current Utility infielder Angel Sanchez.


Summed up, the only guy I would be comfartable with, that we could probably afford if Clint Barmes hightails it, would be Rafeal Furcal. If hes willing to come to a rebuilding team on the rise, I'd say go for it.


What are your thoughts on who we should bring in if Clint leaves?

The Winding Door at SS

We all pretty much know that sooner rather than later, the MLB offseason will be shortly creeping on us. Our season will come to a close and we'll look at and review our season as a whole and take from it what we can.

As most Astros fan's are, including myself, so far this year we have been severly dissapointed. Coming off of last years magical run in the second half where we posted a winning record, I thought this year we would be putting a winning team on the field. I wasn't expecting an elite team to march out there every night, but a team on the grow, learning to play like a team instead of individuals.

But shortly after the season had started this year, I can ultimately say I was let down, partially for the fact I was running off of a high of last years second half run.

Some key reasons for this include -

• Our pitching staff has failed to live up to expectations. Most notably Brett Myers, JA Happ, and also Nelson Figueroa.



• Our bullpen has been in shambles for a large part of the season. (This makes me regret the trade of Matt Lindstrom)



• Our offense, although improved, has failed in some regards. Among them, Chris Johnson, the season ending injury to Jason Castro, and the regression of Brett Wallace from his early success to start the season.

Putting that all behind us, there have been some bright spots this year.

• The emergence of Bud Norris as our second ace, complimenting Wandy Rodriguez very well.



• Finding our future closer in Mark Melancon



• The first half successes of both Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, and the hauls they brought back to us (especially Pence) when they were traded at the deadline.



• The discovery of Jose Altuve, JD Martinez, Jimmy Parades, and Jordan Lyles, who are more than holding their own in their short stays so far in the Big Show.

These are just a few of the bright spots, and at the end of the season I will go further in depth on the pros and cons of this year. And for now, these are just the ones off of the top of my head.

As for what this post was originally written, I will start that now!

I personally believe that going into this offseason our top priority should be to resign Clint Barmes. I think this is because, unless we trade Wandy Rodriguez and/or Brett Myers and are left a hole in our staff, that resigning our current SS is top priority.

I say this for two simple reasons.

• 1) Because we have no viable replacement that is ready to replace him. (I don't count Angel Sanchez because I don't consider him to be an everyday starter)



• 2) The free agent market has some marquis names on it at SS (Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins) and ones on the block perhaps (Hanley Ramirez), but considering how much they would cost in money, or in terms of prospects leaves these ideas out the window, as it wouldn't make much sense to make a commitment to a player, giving a 12 million to 15 million multiyear deal, when we are more than just 1 piece away.

So I believe these are the reasons resigning Clint Barmes is top priority.

Tommorow, we will hypothetically assume that we don't resign Clint Barmes, and we will go into detail on what other shortstops will be on the market.

Stay Tuned!

Astros Lineup 8/19 Vs Giants

First Pitch - 7:05 PM (CT)

1. JB Shuck (CF)
2. Angel Sanchez (2B)
3. JD Martinez (RF)
4. Carlos Lee (1B)
5. Jimmy Parades (3B)
6. Brian Bogusevic (LF)
7. Clint Barmes (SS)
8. Carlos Corporan (C)
9 Wandy Rodriguez (P)

Astros Starting Pitcher - Wandy Rodriguez
Giants Starting Pitcher - Ryan Vogelsong

Tonight features a good matchup against two solid pitchers in the12-6 specialist Wandy Rodriguez and one of the better stories of the year Ryan Vogelsong.

I expect tonight's matchup to be a low scoring game tonight with Wandy Rodriguez putting up good start from our crafty lefty. I see this as an audition for Wandy to showcase his talent to another team in the coming weeks to be claimed off waivers either by the Red Sox or Yankees. I can also see the Blue Jays taking a shot at him, depending on how much money the Astros put in to any deal.

Prediction - Giants overtake the Astros in late innings after Wandy is taken out, and the Astros lose a nailbiter into the bottom of the ninth where The Beard puts it away.

Giants 4 Astros 2

Welcome to Tal's Hill

Welcome to the blog Tal's Hill, an unofficial blog of the Houston Astros aptly named after the quirk they have in deep centerfield of Minute Maid Park.

I created this blog out of the willingness and the obligation I felt I had as an avid Astros fan, and I want to spread the love of the Astros to the corner of the interweb, as I saw creating a blog would be the best way to do so.

That said, here is what you can expect from this blog:

• Daily Score Updates



• Weekly Minor League Updates



• Players of the Week



• Stories and Histories of Past and Current Players



• Legends of the Month



• Much more after we get our feet wet here at Tal's Hill.

So expect updates soon, as we will begin to start updating the daily scores and minor league updates starting next Monday.


And some important notes -


* I am looking for current Astros or minor league affiliates to do interviews with, so if you have any in mind, send me who and I'll try my hardest to get in touch.


** I am looking for a weekly contributor to do some work on this site in writing some articles of their choosing. So email me or message me here if you are interested.

I am looking forward to having a great time here at Tal's Hill, and I hope you all are as well.