Houston… We Have Prospects

For years now, the Houston Astros organization has been a constant cellar dweller in terms of player development. But now things are on the upside in Houston. The club boasts one of the most prospect laden teams in minor league baseball with the low-A Lexington Legends. The club boasts five players from the organization’s Top 10 Prospects list, as well as a sleeper prospect found behind the dish.

Delino DeShields Jr. | Second Baseman
My first impression of DeShields Jr. in 2011 was not a great one. He struck out looking, albeit against Pittsburgh’s phenom Jameson Taillon, barely taking the bat off his shoulder. He has four home runs already this season and may be one of those small-ball players that has just enough power to mess with his game. DeShields’ strengths are his gap power, which comes from above-average bat speed, and his foot speed. His strikeout rate of 27.5 K% is far too high for someone who has 80 speed. Defensively, I saw him make a nice turn on a slow double play with shortstop Jiovanni Mier, and he appears to be adjusting to life at second base.

Mike Kvasnicka | Third Baseman
I’m a fan of this third baseman. He has a wide stance and does a nice job of covering the plate. Kvasnicka is currently hitting .301/.367/.420 in 143 at-bats. He has only one home run but he’s slammed 10 doubles. After splitting time between catcher and the outfield at the University of Minnesota, he’s played mostly third base in pro ball but is still learning the position. Already 22, I’d like to see the organization be aggressive with him and move him up to high-A by mid-season, assuming he’s still performing well and showing improvements at the hot corner.

Jiovanni Mier | Shortstop
After a strong debut in ’09, he struggled at low-A in 2010. When I saw him recently, he struck out looking on a breaking ball and needs to strengthen his pitch recognition, which will help him improve his strikeout rate (currently at 27.3 K%). Mier already displays solid patience and has a walk rate of 16.9 BB% in 2011; he has never posted a rate below 11.0%. He has the potential to develop into a plus defender and works well with DeShields.

Tanner Bushue | Starting Pitcher
Bushue, soon to be 20, has struggled this season despite repeating the level. He currently has a 5.24 FIP and his strikeout rate has dropped from 7.68 in ’10 to 4.19 K/9 in ’11; he’s also a fly-ball pitcher who has a ground-ball rate below 40%. Bushue has shown impressive control, though, with a walk rate of 1.63. His fastball velocity has never consistently returned to the level it had in high school (92-93 mph) and usually sits in the upper 80s. He also has a curveball and changeup. The 2011 season will be a big one for him in terms of solidifying his prospect status.

Michael Foltynewicz | Starting Pitcher
I watched Foltynewicz pitch recently. He showed a smooth delivery but it does have some effort to it. He slowed his arm down a bit when he threw his breaking ball and telegraphed it. He also occasionally lost his arm slot, which led to command issues. Foltynewicz moves the ball around the plate but uses his fastball a lot and needs to have more faith in his secondary offerings. Foltynewicz’ breaking ball is a big, looping curveball. He also has a slider and a changeup. The right-hander does not have much follow through on his delivery, which could put extra strain on his shoulder. He doesn’t end up in a very good fielding position as he falls off to the first base side but I did see him make a very nice play on a bouncer back to the mound.

Chris Wallace | Catcher
A 16th round selection out of the University of Houston in 2010, the club had a sleeper prospect right in its own backyard. Wallace has cooled off since posting an OPS of 1.263 in April but he’s still looking like a solid catching prospect. Overall, he’s hitting .333/.414/.633 with 10 homers in 41 games. When I saw Wallace, I was impressed. He had busy hands while waiting for his pitch but showed a quick, level stroke. He handled a hit and run perfectly with a single the other way through the vacated spot from the first baseman. He was DHing on this night so I didn’t see him behind the dish but all reports suggest he’ll be just fine behind the dish.