2022 Minor League Thread

[Saint]

I don't pay a lot of attention to the draft, but our first pick sounds encouraging.

[Ashitaka]

Jul 18, 2022 15:06:44 GMT -6 Saint said:

I don't pay a lot of attention to the draft, but our first pick sounds encouraging.

I'm really impressed so far. They got some great players with a surprising amount of upside considering they haven't taken a single high schooler yet. Collin Price sounds like a guy that should have gone in the first two rounds. Several guys with great fastballs and big bodies.

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Closer of the future

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Collin Price looks like a steal.

Tags: "Collin Price, the 6-foot-6 catcher who will be asked to put more weight on his 205-pound frame to tap into his power. Price, who hit .315 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs at Mercer this year, walked 52 times and struck out only 34 times in 203 at-bats. Gilbert also had more walks (33) than strikeouts (32) in his junior college season, and Melton struck out only 51 times in 261 at-bats last season at Oregon State while drawing 26 walks."

[Saint]

Jul 18, 2022 18:32:15 GMT -6 Ashitaka said:

Jul 18, 2022 15:06:44 GMT -6 Saint said:

I don't pay a lot of attention to the draft, but our first pick sounds encouraging.

I'm really impressed so far. They got some great players with a surprising amount of upside considering they haven't taken a single high schooler yet. Collin Price sounds like a guy that should have gone in the first two rounds. Several guys with great fastballs and big bodies.

We'll see what Click is made of finally getting a real draft.

[m240]

Jul 18, 2022 20:56:22 GMT -6 Ashitaka said:

Collin Price looks like a steal.

Tags: "Collin Price, the 6-foot-6 catcher who will be asked to put more weight on his 205-pound frame to tap into his power. Price, who hit .315 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs at Mercer this year, walked 52 times and struck out only 34 times in 203 at-bats. Gilbert also had more walks (33) than strikeouts (32) in his junior college season, and Melton struck out only 51 times in 261 at-bats last season at Oregon State while drawing 26 walks."

In listening to the commentary from the guys getting drafted it certainly appears as if Houston has developed a reputation for player development.  Kind of a common thread for these guys Click is taking is that they are disciplined, have a large amount of desire, and are coachable.  That is a recipe for success.  

[Ashitaka]

Astros just took their first high schooler of the draft. Ryan Clifford, OF.

MLB.com ranked him the #92 draft prospect, imagine we'll have to be able to go overslot if we are to successfully sign him, but if so, what a get.

"A mainstay on U.S. national teams since he was 12, Clifford won gold medals at international competitions with the 12-and-under squad in 2015 and the 15-and-under club in 2018. He has the tools to be one of the better all-around hitters in the 2022 high school class, though his stock took a slight hit when he didn't light up the showcase circuit last summer. If he doesn't go early enough in the Draft to sign, he'll head to Vanderbilt and be eligible again as a sophomore in 2024. With a picturesque left-handed swing and a good bat path, Clifford is equipped to hit for average and power. He has an advanced approach at the plate, focusing on driving balls from gap to gap while rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-3 frame, he could provide 20 or more homers per year once he starts driving the ball in the air more regularly. Scouts compare Clifford to Seth Beer with more athleticism, but unlike Beer he has a realistic chance to play the outfield. Though he has fringy speed and his reads and routes must improve, he's committed to working on his quickness and defense. He could stay in right field with solid arm strength and could at least be an average defender at first base, where he has played with Team USA."

[m240]

Jul 19, 2022 12:23:55 GMT -6 Ashitaka said:

Astros just took their first high schooler of the draft. Ryan Clifford, OF.

MLB.com ranked him the #92 draft prospect, imagine we'll have to be able to go overslot if we are to successfully sign him, but if so, what a get.

"A mainstay on U.S. national teams since he was 12, Clifford won gold medals at international competitions with the 12-and-under squad in 2015 and the 15-and-under club in 2018. He has the tools to be one of the better all-around hitters in the 2022 high school class, though his stock took a slight hit when he didn't light up the showcase circuit last summer. If he doesn't go early enough in the Draft to sign, he'll head to Vanderbilt and be eligible again as a sophomore in 2024. With a picturesque left-handed swing and a good bat path, Clifford is equipped to hit for average and power. He has an advanced approach at the plate, focusing on driving balls from gap to gap while rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-3 frame, he could provide 20 or more homers per year once he starts driving the ball in the air more regularly. Scouts compare Clifford to Seth Beer with more athleticism, but unlike Beer he has a realistic chance to play the outfield. Though he has fringy speed and his reads and routes must improve, he's committed to working on his quickness and defense. He could stay in right field with solid arm strength and could at least be an average defender at first base, where he has played with Team USA."

So if he was ok with the thought of making the slot value for signing for the #92 pick all we have to do is save about 550k and we should be able to sign him.  

[Ashitaka]

Jul 19, 2022 12:37:52 GMT -6 m240 said:

Jul 19, 2022 12:23:55 GMT -6 Ashitaka said:

Astros just took their first high schooler of the draft. Ryan Clifford, OF.

MLB.com ranked him the #92 draft prospect, imagine we'll have to be able to go overslot if we are to successfully sign him, but if so, what a get.

"A mainstay on U.S. national teams since he was 12, Clifford won gold medals at international competitions with the 12-and-under squad in 2015 and the 15-and-under club in 2018. He has the tools to be one of the better all-around hitters in the 2022 high school class, though his stock took a slight hit when he didn't light up the showcase circuit last summer. If he doesn't go early enough in the Draft to sign, he'll head to Vanderbilt and be eligible again as a sophomore in 2024. With a picturesque left-handed swing and a good bat path, Clifford is equipped to hit for average and power. He has an advanced approach at the plate, focusing on driving balls from gap to gap while rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-3 frame, he could provide 20 or more homers per year once he starts driving the ball in the air more regularly. Scouts compare Clifford to Seth Beer with more athleticism, but unlike Beer he has a realistic chance to play the outfield. Though he has fringy speed and his reads and routes must improve, he's committed to working on his quickness and defense. He could stay in right field with solid arm strength and could at least be an average defender at first base, where he has played with Team USA."

So if he was ok with the thought of making the slot value for signing for the #92 pick all we have to do is save about 550k and we should be able to sign him.  

Definitely a chance. They took some guys yesterday that they should be able to save a bit with. We'll see. Hopefully losing Ulloa last year has motivated them to do their due diligence better here.

[Ashitaka]

Zach Dezenzo, SS, college

[Ashitaka]

*eyeball emoji*

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Jackson Lofton, SS, college

[Ashitaka]

Local guy. Klein HS and then Sam Houston before his transfer

[Ashitaka]

Tommy Sacco jr., SS, college (TCU)

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Joey Mancini, RHP, college

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Tim Borden II, SS, college

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

Garrett McGowan, LH Batter, 1B, collge

[Ashitaka]

Clifford was ranked the 57th best draft prospect by Fangraphs:

"Clifford is a big-framed LF/1B prospect who looks very athletic in the batter's box and not so much on defense. He's a good rotational athlete whose move forward in the box is big and balanced, and he has advanced feel for putting the bat on the ball. Clifford will also cut down his stride with two strikes and rely on his strength and hand-eye coordination to do damage. He's more projectable than his age would indicate, possessing room for more weight and strength on his frame, which hopefully leads to more power. This is one of the more well-rounded high school hitters in the class, he's just landlocked in the LF/1B area."

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

[Ashitaka]

MLB.com: "Cienega High School has had one player eventually make it to the big leagues in Dodgers right-hander Andre Jackson, who was drafted as a prepster but didn’t enter pro ball until after college. Now it’s his younger brother Isaiah’s turn, though he’s making noise as a power-hitting outfielder, not a pitcher. Any team interested in Jackson will be betting on his offensive upside and projection. He has tremendous raw power from the left side of the plate, with more than enough bat speed to dream that he’ll get to that power eventually at the next level, even if his approach is a little raw. He’s athletic for his size at 6-foot-3 and is an average runner. As he fills out, he almost certainly will belong in an outfield corner, with the potential to have an average-or-better arm that would work in right field and the offensive profile to boot. He’s young for the class -- he turned 18 in May -- which will look good in some team’s models. A team interested in signing him away from his Arizona State commitment might have to be patient on the development end, but the end result could be an athletic, run-producing corner outfielder."

[Ashitaka]

John Garcia, C, RH batter, college