The season's about a third of the way done- let's check on the Halfwits and the minor league squads:
Major Leagues
After a hot start, the Halfwits have not played well. The bright spots on offense are RF Jonathan Foster (.326-.378-.609), with 13 HRs and 54 RBI, and 3B Kelvin Franco, who is 2nd in the NL with 19 HRs. The pitching staff is led by hotshot rookie callup Gordon Forest, who is still searching for his first big league win but has a 2.25 ERA and the league is only hitting .141 off him in his first 3 starts. Like Forest, J.T. Inge and Paul Bong have both been solid although they don't have the wins to show for it. In the bullpen, Skip Eveland has been solid since taking over the closer's role.
AAA
The AAA club is only 2 games back of first, albeit below .500. 3B prospct Edward Osting is off to a hot start, hitting .297 with 9 homers and 36 RBI.
AA
In AA, prospects Kevin Millwood (2B), Paulie Figueroa (CF), and Billy Coleman (SS) have hit the ball well but have yet to show much power.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Down on the Farm-High A
Moving on down the ladder, we take a look at the High A squad. It's not as deep as the Rockhead or the Crazies team, but it does have a few good prospects.
LANCASTER LOONIES
Position Players
Terry Everett: Yet another middle infielder, he's not as good a pure hitter as some of the other guys but has lots of power.
Santos Morales: If Figueroa isn't the CF of the future, this guy is. He's a good all-around hitter with plus speed and a good batting eye.
Pitchers
Takumi Hasegawa: 3 pitch reliever will be fairly tough on righties.
LANCASTER LOONIES
Position Players
Terry Everett: Yet another middle infielder, he's not as good a pure hitter as some of the other guys but has lots of power.
Santos Morales: If Figueroa isn't the CF of the future, this guy is. He's a good all-around hitter with plus speed and a good batting eye.
Pitchers
Takumi Hasegawa: 3 pitch reliever will be fairly tough on righties.
Down on the Farm-AA
The talent in AAA and in AA would seem to indicate that Houston's future is bright. Here's a look at the top end talent that Houston has in AA
CORPUS CHRISTI CRAZIES
Position Players:
Billy Coleman: Maybe the best position player in the system. He could be one of the best hitting shortstops in the bigs in a few years, as he can not only field (adequately, not exceptionally) at short, he's a potential leadoff or #2 hitter.
Paulie Figueroa: Future CF with a good glove, good speed, and a lot more pop than the average CF.
Kevin Millwood: Middle infielder with good hitting skills and top end speed.
Pitchers:
Glen Marion: Very high ceiling: the question is how much of it will he achieve? Houston thinks even if he doesn't top out he'll be a very good starting pitcher.
Luis Bautista: Reliever who isn't good enough to close but should be a good solid setup man.
CORPUS CHRISTI CRAZIES
Position Players:
Billy Coleman: Maybe the best position player in the system. He could be one of the best hitting shortstops in the bigs in a few years, as he can not only field (adequately, not exceptionally) at short, he's a potential leadoff or #2 hitter.
Paulie Figueroa: Future CF with a good glove, good speed, and a lot more pop than the average CF.
Kevin Millwood: Middle infielder with good hitting skills and top end speed.
Pitchers:
Glen Marion: Very high ceiling: the question is how much of it will he achieve? Houston thinks even if he doesn't top out he'll be a very good starting pitcher.
Luis Bautista: Reliever who isn't good enough to close but should be a good solid setup man.
Down on the Farm-AAA
The Halfwits acquired some minor league talent in the offseason. Here's a look at some of the key minor leaguers who could be contributing to Houston soon:
AAA (Round Rock Rockheads)
Position Players:
Edward Osting: Seems destined for 2B or 3B in the majors. Should be a player who doesn't excel in any one area but is good in all of them- can field, throw, run, and hit well.
Manny Ramirez: Another 2B/3B type. Not as much power as Osting but a good solid hitter who can run.
Santiago Santaya: A middle infielder who can run and field. Only question is whether he can hit lefties.
Pitchers
Gordon Forest: The pitching gem of the system. This 22-year old could be an ace (and fairly soon) if he can stay healthy: that's the only knock scouts have on him. If he can avoid the injury bug he seems destined for greatness.
Terrence Cuyler: He's got nasty stuff and could be a very good starter if he can cut down on the walks.
AAA (Round Rock Rockheads)
Position Players:
Edward Osting: Seems destined for 2B or 3B in the majors. Should be a player who doesn't excel in any one area but is good in all of them- can field, throw, run, and hit well.
Manny Ramirez: Another 2B/3B type. Not as much power as Osting but a good solid hitter who can run.
Santiago Santaya: A middle infielder who can run and field. Only question is whether he can hit lefties.
Pitchers
Gordon Forest: The pitching gem of the system. This 22-year old could be an ace (and fairly soon) if he can stay healthy: that's the only knock scouts have on him. If he can avoid the injury bug he seems destined for greatness.
Terrence Cuyler: He's got nasty stuff and could be a very good starter if he can cut down on the walks.
Outlook for Season 1
Houston gets ready to do battle in the NL South. How does the ML team look?
Starting Lineup
1. LF Benji Siqueros
2. SS Sean Parrish
3. 2B Brant Pulsipher
4. RF Jonathan Foster
5. 1B Stephen Grudzielanek
6. 3B Kelvin Franco
7. C Joe Mattes
8. CF Joakim Canseco
Analysis: The middle of the order (3 through 7) is average to good, but they could have problems with the top of the order. The team hopes Siqueros can draw some walks, because he, Parrish, and Canseco are lacking in the hitting department. It's not a great offense, but it should be serviceable.
Starting Pitching
1. J.T. Inge (R)
2. Paul Bong (L)
3. Nate Clayton (R)
4. Ned Burch (L)
5. Enrique DeRojas (L)
Analysis: Pitching coach Dan Walker said the only starter he isn't worried about is Inge. the 26-year-old Opening Day starter may not be a star, but he should be solid. After that is a crapshoot: Bong has control issues, Clayton and Burch may struggle to get hitters out (Burch is a year or so away, but as a Rule 5 guy Houston can't send him down) and DeRojas is merely a stopgap until Gordon Forest is ready- he won't last the season as the #5 starter. If he does, Houston is in big trouble.
Relief Pitching
Closer: Geoff Borland (L)
Setup: Don Suzuki (R)
Victor Mantalban (L)
Skip Everland (R)
Bart Giovanola (L)
Justin Howell (R)
Hee Sop Matsumoto (L)
Analysis: Yikes. Well, at least they have a nice blend of lefties and righties. Now if only they were any good. Borland was picked up off waivers and is the closer, which should tell you all you need to know about this bullpen. He tends to be wild from time to time. As for the setup guys, if they need significant innings from anyone except Everland, this will get ugly real fast.
Starting Lineup
1. LF Benji Siqueros
2. SS Sean Parrish
3. 2B Brant Pulsipher
4. RF Jonathan Foster
5. 1B Stephen Grudzielanek
6. 3B Kelvin Franco
7. C Joe Mattes
8. CF Joakim Canseco
Analysis: The middle of the order (3 through 7) is average to good, but they could have problems with the top of the order. The team hopes Siqueros can draw some walks, because he, Parrish, and Canseco are lacking in the hitting department. It's not a great offense, but it should be serviceable.
Starting Pitching
1. J.T. Inge (R)
2. Paul Bong (L)
3. Nate Clayton (R)
4. Ned Burch (L)
5. Enrique DeRojas (L)
Analysis: Pitching coach Dan Walker said the only starter he isn't worried about is Inge. the 26-year-old Opening Day starter may not be a star, but he should be solid. After that is a crapshoot: Bong has control issues, Clayton and Burch may struggle to get hitters out (Burch is a year or so away, but as a Rule 5 guy Houston can't send him down) and DeRojas is merely a stopgap until Gordon Forest is ready- he won't last the season as the #5 starter. If he does, Houston is in big trouble.
Relief Pitching
Closer: Geoff Borland (L)
Setup: Don Suzuki (R)
Victor Mantalban (L)
Skip Everland (R)
Bart Giovanola (L)
Justin Howell (R)
Hee Sop Matsumoto (L)
Analysis: Yikes. Well, at least they have a nice blend of lefties and righties. Now if only they were any good. Borland was picked up off waivers and is the closer, which should tell you all you need to know about this bullpen. He tends to be wild from time to time. As for the setup guys, if they need significant innings from anyone except Everland, this will get ugly real fast.
Offseason Summary
It's been a busy offseason for the Halfwits. The team made a staggering 9 trades in all, most of which sent out veteran players in return for prospects, as GM gumbercules appears to be building for the future. It'd be overwhelming to analyze each deal, so we'll stick with a summary of the important players.
Veterans dealt: 2B Wilt Nelson (OKC), SS David Lopez (IA), SP Bud Pavlik (IA), C/DH Frederick Weiss (IA), RP Fergie Walsh (OAK), SP Clarence Bollea (AZ), RF Andrew Mateo (OKC)
Prospects acquired: 2B Terry Everett (OKC), 2B Kevin Millwood (IA), SP Glen Marion (IA), Santiago Santayana (IA), SS Billy Coleman (OAK), 3B Edward Osting (AZ), SP Gordon Forest (OKC), RP Luis Bautista (OKC).
That mostly covers the first 6 trades. The Halfwits sent pitching prospect Earl Hardy and OF prospect Vicente Silva to Oakland with Walsh and got back ML starting SS Sean Parrish in addition to Coleman.
After those 6 deals, Houston made a few moves to solidify their roster for this season. They picked up veteran C Joe Mattes from Philadelphia for RP prospect Emil Xavier, reacquired 2B Brant Pulsipher from Iowa City (sent with Pavlik to acquire Millwood, Marion, and veteran LF Benji Siqueros) for minor league 3B Jonathon Newfield, and added to their SP depth by dealing MIF prospect Douglas Walsh (acquired with Santayana for Weiss) for ML starter Nate Clayton and pitching prospect Terrence Cuyler.
Veterans dealt: 2B Wilt Nelson (OKC), SS David Lopez (IA), SP Bud Pavlik (IA), C/DH Frederick Weiss (IA), RP Fergie Walsh (OAK), SP Clarence Bollea (AZ), RF Andrew Mateo (OKC)
Prospects acquired: 2B Terry Everett (OKC), 2B Kevin Millwood (IA), SP Glen Marion (IA), Santiago Santayana (IA), SS Billy Coleman (OAK), 3B Edward Osting (AZ), SP Gordon Forest (OKC), RP Luis Bautista (OKC).
That mostly covers the first 6 trades. The Halfwits sent pitching prospect Earl Hardy and OF prospect Vicente Silva to Oakland with Walsh and got back ML starting SS Sean Parrish in addition to Coleman.
After those 6 deals, Houston made a few moves to solidify their roster for this season. They picked up veteran C Joe Mattes from Philadelphia for RP prospect Emil Xavier, reacquired 2B Brant Pulsipher from Iowa City (sent with Pavlik to acquire Millwood, Marion, and veteran LF Benji Siqueros) for minor league 3B Jonathon Newfield, and added to their SP depth by dealing MIF prospect Douglas Walsh (acquired with Santayana for Weiss) for ML starter Nate Clayton and pitching prospect Terrence Cuyler.
Welcome to the Houston Halfwits Blog
With the inception of Upper Deck comes the beginning of this blog devoted to fans of the new Houston Halfwits. Our top notch team of writers will keep fans apprised of how the big league club is doing as well as notes from the minors. The season starts today so go Halfwits!
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