A Minor Review of 2008: The Astros

The Graduate: J.R. Towles | Born: February 1984 | Catcher

J.R. Towles came into the 2008 season as the No. 1 prospect in the Astros (weak) minor league system. He promptly fell on his face and was an offensive mess. Towles hit .137/.250/.253 with an ISO of .116 in 146 at-bats. He rebounded in the minors to hit more than .300 at Triple-A, but the damage has been done to his reputation as a potential front line catcher. His BABIP was a lousy .157 and he showed a little bit of patient with a walk rate of 9.9%. Towles is definitely a better hitter than he showed in 2008 but Jason Castro (the Astros’ first round draft pick in 2008) is now breathing down his neck.

The Riser: Drew Sutton | Born: June 1983 | Second Baseman

Keeping in mind that the Astros have one of the worst minor league systems in Major League Baseball, Drew Sutton was no where to be found at the end of 2007 when discussing prospects in the organization. Fast-forward a year and you have a potential long-term replacement for Craig Biggio. Sutton spent the 2008 season in Double-A (admittedly his second straight season at that level) and hit .317/.404/.523 with 20 homers and 102 RBI in 520 at-bats. His ISO jumped from .119 in 2007 to .206 in 2008. He’s also good for 20 stolen bases in a season and balances out his strikeouts (18.8 K%) with a healthy number of walks (12.8%). Sutton is continuing his hot season by hitting .370 (1.175 OPS) in the Arizona Fall League with six homers in 81 at-bats.

The Tumbler: Max Sapp | Born: February 1988 | Catcher

It was a bad year for incumbent catching prospects in the Astros system. Max Sapp, the Astros 2006 first round pick, had a dismal year while repeating A-ball. His line of .200/.284/.294, with rates of 10.5 BB% and 30.2 K%, was a steep drop from an already-disappointing 2007 season. Defensively, Sapp showed some improvements by cutting his passed balls in half to eight and throwing out 26 of 78 base runners (33%). Only 20, the catcher still has time to resurrect his career.

The ’08 Draft Pick: Ross Seaton | Born: September 1989 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Ross Seaton was considered the best prep pitching prospect in Texas, so it is no surprise that he was nabbed by Houston. Seaton, though, was projected to go as high as the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft. He lasted until the supplemental third round and Houston happily grabbed him and gave him an over-slot deal. Seaton had a rough, but brief, introduction to professional baseball by allowing eight hits in four innings of work, along with two walks and four strikeouts. Seaton has above-average control for his age, as well as a low-to-mid-90s fastball. He also features a slider and change-up.

The ’09 Sleeper: Koby Clemens | Born: December 1986 | Catcher

Despite posting lackluster numbers in his career, Koby Clemens has always been in the spotlight because of who his father is… or was. Recognizing that Clemens was not going to make it as a third baseman, the organization converted the hard-working youngster to a catcher and he showed some promise in 2008 – but he remains very raw. Offensively, he maintained his stats reasonably well considering he spent the year focusing on his defence. Clemens managed a line of .268/.367/.423 with an ISO of .155. He also posted rates of 13.6 BB% and 25.5 K%. Defensively, he made eight errors, committed 31 passed balls and threw out 45 of 130 base runners (35%) – while learning to play the position in-game and at the High-A ball level.

Up Next: The Tampa Bay Rays