Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

The Houston Astros’ player development department has announced minor league players of the month for the month of June.

For the Class A Lexington Legends, that includes Mike Foltynewicz (pitcher of the month), Delino DeShields Jr. (offensive player) and Zach Johnson (defensive player).

Award winners for each of the Astros’ minor league affiliates were chosen by the field staff of each team.

Other honorees include former Legends Jose Cisnero, Jonathan Villar and Andrew Simunic with Class Double-A Corpus Christi, and Jose Trinidad, Ben Heath and Ben Orloff with High-A Lancaster.

Lexington Legends

Mike Foltynewicz

Foltynewicz went 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA in June, with 20 strikeouts and 10 walks over 33 1/3 innings. He made five starts, throwing at least six innings each time, holding opponents to a .242 batting average. He tossed eight innings of one-hit ball against Rome and worked two no-hit innings as the Southern Division starter in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He shares the league lead in innings pitched (96 2/3) and is second in wins (9) and ERA (2.51).

Delino DeShields Jr.

DeShields stole 25 bases in 25 games, going 30-for-99 (.303) at the plate. With a .407 on-base percentage in June, he hit two homers, drove in 16 runs and scored 22, while rapping four doubles and a triple. He leads the SAL with a franchise-record 60 stolen bases and ranks among the top five in walks and runs. He also played in the SAL All-Star Game.

Zach Johnson

Fellow all-star Johnson, a first baseman, has committed just five errors in 680 total chances (.993) over 70 games.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Pitcher — RH Mickey Storey (3-0, 0.56, 16 innings, 15 strikeouts, two walks, .173 batting average against, 10 games).

Offense — Mike Hessman (29-for-104, .279, 14 HR, 27 RBI, 19 R, 2 2B, .702 slugging, 26 games).

Defense — IF Hessman (58 games at 1B, two errors in 514 chances, .996).

Double-A Corpus Christi

Pitcher — RH Jose Cisnero (3-1, 2.18, 33 innings, 31 strikeouts, 8 walks, 1 complete game, 1 shutout, 5 starts)

Offense — Jonathan Villar (26-for-89, .292, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 20 R, 2 2B, 12 SB, .396 OBP, 24 games).

Defense — IF Andrew Simunic (65 games, 55 at 3B, six errors in 191 chances, .969, 132 assists).

A-Advanced Lancaster

Pitcher — RH Jose Trinidad (4-1, 0.43, 21 innings, 7 strikeouts, 8 games, 1 start).

Offense — Ben Heath (24-for-59, .407, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 12 R, 4 2B, 1.063 OPS, 14 games).

Defense — IF Ben Orloff (67 games, 56 at SS, 7 errors in 312 chances, .978, 195 assists).

Dominican Summer League

Pitcher — RH Samil De Los Santos (2-0, 2.20, 28 2/3 innings, 28 strikeouts, 8 walks, .160 batting average against, 5 games, 4 starts).

Offense — Randy Cesar (19-for-71, .268, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 20 games).

Defense — IF Yoel Silfa (25 games, 4 errors, 94 chances, .957).

The Houston Astros have announced their minor-league players of the month for May, as determined by the field staffs of each minor-league club.

For the Lexington Legends: Luis Cruz is pitcher of the month; Matt Duffy is offensive player of the month, and catcher Roberto Pena is defensive player of the month.

Cruz, a left-hander, went 4-0 over six starts. He worked 39 innings, striking out 33, walking 10 and compiling a 1.85 ERA while holding opponents to a .235 batting average.

Duffy hit safely in 21 of the 28 games he played, going 37-for-108 (.343). He totaled 11 doubles, four homers, 11 walks, 14 RBI and 18 runs.

Pena, in 32 games behind the plate this season, has committed three errors in 312 total chances (.990).

Award winners with the Astros’ other affiliates (pitcher, offense, defense):

AAA Oklahoma City — LHP Xavier Cedeno; IF Mike Hessman; OF Brad Snyder.

AA Corpus Christi — RHP Ross Seaton (former Legend); IF Jonathan Singleton; IF Andrew Simunic (former Legend).

High-A Lancaster — RHP Tyson Perez; OF George Springer; IF Jonathan Meyer (former Legend).

Emilio King hit .293 for Lexington. (Legends photo/Mary Lay)

The Houston Astros’ player development department has announced Most Valuable Player award winners for its eight minor-league affiliates, including the Lexington Legends.

Outfielder Emilio King is Lexington’s MVP.

Emilio King

King, 22, was promoted from extended spring training to the Legends on May 7.

A former catcher, King hit .293 (106-for-362), with nine homers, 24 doubles, 42 RBI and 50 runs in 98 games. He was the team’s offensive and defensive player of the month in August, when he hit .337.

King homered in his first two games with the Legends and finished May 30-for-75 (.400), with 12 RBI in 21 games. In Lexington’s final game of the season, he threw out a runner at the plate for his 14th outfield assist.

A native of the Dominican Republic, King signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2006.

Before coming to Lexington, he played four short-season stints in the organization, totaling 159 games. During that time, he hit .214 with four homers and 44 RBI.

On the last day of the season, Manager Rodney Linares called King “hands down” his most improved player.

“He rose to the occasion and … became probably my best player, my team MVP,” Linares said. “When you look at the numbers, they’re not big numbers. But, overall, he was the guy that helped us win more games — defensively, offensively had a lot of big hits.”

Houston’s other minor league MVPs:

Anderson Hernandez — Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA) infielder. Hit .300 for 136 games, including a franchise-record 30-game hitting streak (10th-longest in Pacific Coast League history). Played 2B, SS and 3B, with six HR, 52 RBI and 21 SB.

Jimmy Paredes

Jimmy Paredes — Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) infielder. The former Legend, now playing for the Astros, hit .270 with 22 2B, 10 HR, 41 RBI and 29 SB in 93 games, earning Texas League all-star honors.

Austin Wates — Lancaster JetHawks (High-A) outfielder. Hit .300 with 23 2B, nine 3B, six HR 75 RBI and 26 SB.

Matthew Duffy — Tri-City ValleyCats (Short-season A) third baseman. A New York-Penn League all-star, hit . 298 with 20 2B, a homer, 37 RBI and two SB.

Jordan Scott

Jordan Scott — Greeneville Astros (Rookie) outfielder. Scott, who also played five games with Tri-City and 14 games with the Legends, hit .337 with 12 2B, a homer, 31 RBI and 11 SB for Greeneville. Overall totals at three levels included .323, 15 2B, four 3B, 43 RBI, 79 games.

Yonathan Mejia — Gulf Coast League Astros second baseman. Hit .329 with eight 2B, 25 RBI and two SB in 40 games.

Teoscar Hernandez — Dominican Summer League Astros outfielder. Hit .274 with 13 2B, seven 3B, seven HR, 35 RBI and 16 SB over 65 games.

Mark Michael in control with Calgary

Mark Michael

Former Lexington Catholic and University of Kentucky pitcher Mark Michael recently wrapped up his ninth season of minor-league ball.

Michael finished 8-2 in the regular season, 1-0 in the playoffs for the Calgary Vipers of the North American Independent League. He finished fourth in the 10-team league with a 4.17 ERA, third in wins and 15th in strikeouts (69) – leading his team in all those categories. Over 15 starts, he worked 82 innings.

Former Legends pitcher Rory Shortell shared the league lead in regular-season wins, 11 to help the Edmonton Capitals to a championship.

Baseball

                                    South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Savannah
Sand Gnats

What: Four-game series

When: Saturday through Tuesday (6:05 p.m. Saturday, 2:05 p.m. Sunday, 7:05 p.m. Monday and Tuesday)

Where: Grayson Stadium (Savannah, Ga.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), New York Mets

Quevedo

Sogard

Alaniz

Foltynewicz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Saturday, RH Carlos Quevedo (6-4, 4.25) vs. RH Ryan Fraser (6-6, 3.26); Sunday, LH Alex Sogard (1-3, 4.39) vs. RH Michael Hebert (0-0, 9.00); Monday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-8, 4.29) vs. RH Gonzalez Germen (6-5, 3.61); Tuesday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-8, 4.93) vs. LH Angel Cuan (8-1, 3.26).

Ben Heath

Legend to watch: C Ben Heath (6-foot-2, 220 pounds, from Martinsville, Va.), through Thursday, is 10-for-29 (.345) over his last nine games, raising his average from .156 to .230 over 21 games with the Legends. Included during that nine-game span are his first two homers with the team, half of his 12 RBI and five of his eight runs. Before joining the Legends, Heath played 40 games with the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, batting .262 with five homers, 23 RBI and 23 runs. Selected by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2010 draft, out of Penn State University, Heath divided 61 games last season between the New York-Penn League’s Tri-City ValleyCats (37 games), Legends (20 games) and the Corpus Christi Hooks (four games) of the Texas League. Combined, he batted .276 with 10 homers, 38 RBI and 29 runs. The individual highlight came Aug. 13, when Heath belted three homers and drove in seven runs during a 10-8 loss to West Virginia. As a junior at Penn State, the right-handed batter and thrower led the team in batting (.369), doubles (16), homers (school-record 19), RBI (57), total bases (148), slugging (.747), on-base percentage (.451) and runs (53).

Aderlin Rodriguez

Sand Gnat to watch: 3B Aderlin Rodriguez (6-3, 210 pounds, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) leads Savannah in games (93), at bats (363), hits (81), homers (12), RBI (60) and total bases (136) through Thursday. Batting .223, he’s also second on the team in runs (43), third in doubles (17) and fifth in slugging (.375). On the down side, he leads the team in errors (31), is second in strikeouts (78) and so lacks speed that he hasn’t even attempted a steal. Rated as the ninth-best prospect in the Mets system by Baseball America, which writes in part: “Rodriguez has more raw power than any player in the system and could mature into a 25-30 homer threat. His wrists are strong and quick, producing elite bat speed.” The righty signed as a free agent for $600,000 in 2008. He missed much of the 2009 season due to a wrist injury, batting .290 over 17 games. Last year, in 61 games with Kingsport of the Appalachian League, Rodriguez hit .312 with 13 homers, 48 RBI and 44 runs. He also went 6-for-30 (.200) over eight games with the Gnats.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Lexington Legends Jason Chowning, Adam Bailey, Delino DeShields and Mike Kvasnicka are the team’s Players of the Month for May.

The Houston Astros Player Development Department announced the award winners for each of the minor-league affiliates. The awards are chosen by the field staff of each team.

Several former Legends are among the award winners with Houston’s other affiliates, including Brandon Barnes, Jimmy Van Ostrand, Brandon Wikoff, Jose Altuve, Grant Hogue and Jose Cisnero.

Jason Chowning

Chowning is Lexington’s Pitcher of the Month. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA in May, striking out 27 over eight relief appearances and 18 innings. He allowed four earned runs and 15 hits, and held opposing batters to a .227 batting average (15-for-66).

Adam Bailey

Bailey, an outfielder, is the Legends’ Offensive Player of the Month. Over 28 games, Bailey went 34-for-111 (.306) with eight doubles, five homers, 18 RBI, 18 runs, a .366 on-base percentage and .532 slugging percentage.

Delino DeShields

DeShields and Kvasnicka share Defensive Player of the Month honors.

DeShields, a second baseman, has a .947 fielding percentage in 36 games this season and has turned 24 double plays.

Mike Kvasnicka

Kvasnicka, a third baseman, has an .894 fielding percentage over 43 games.

Other award winners follow.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Pitcher — Andy Van Hekken (0-1-1, 0.98, 11 games, 18 1/3 innings, 22 strikeouts, 5 walks)
Offensive — Robinson Cancel (27-for-72, .375, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBI, 21 games)
Defensive — Brandon Barnes, OF (.988 season fielding, 33 games)

Double-A Corpus Christi

Pitcher — Xavier Cedeno (2-1, 2.94, 5 games, 33 2/3 innings, 30 strikeouts, .211 opponent batting average)
Offensive — Jimmy Van Ostrand (31-for-100, .310, 8 doubles, 12 RBI, 14 walks, 11 runs, .393 OBP)
Defensive — Brandon Wikoff, 2B/SS/3B (.981 fielding, 27 games, 9 double plays turned)

Class A-Advanced Lancaster

Pitcher — Jose Cisnero (2-2, 3.90, 6 games, 32 1/3 innings, 34 strikeouts, .209 opponent batting average)
Offensive — Jose Altuve (47-for-121, .388, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 22 RBI, 19 runs, 15 stolen bases, .424 on-base percentage)
Defensive — Grant Hogue, RF (.938 season fielding percentage, 27 games)

The Houston Astros Player Development Department has named Tanner Bushue, Chris Wallace and Jiovanni Mier as the Lexington Legends’ players of the month. The monthly awards are determined by the team’s field staff.

Bushue

Seven of the eight award winners at higher levels within the Astros system are Legends graduates: Jordan Lyles, Koby Clemens, Arcenio Leon, Wladimir Sutil, Kirk Clark, Jose Altuve and Jonathan Meyer.

Wallace

Bushue is Lexington’s Pitcher of the Month. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA over four starts. He worked 26 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .214 batting average.

Mier

Mier, a shortstop, is the Legends’ Defensive Player of the Month. In 22 games, he totaled five errors in 101 chances, turning 13 double plays.

Other winners, by club:

Lyles

Triple-A Oklahoma City — Lyles, pitcher (1-2 in five starts, 3.76, 19 strikeouts, five walks); Clemens, offense (.284, 5 HR, 5 doubles, 18 RBI, 20 games); catcher Carlos Corporan, defense (17 games, one error in 136 total chances, .993, caught seven base-stealers in 12 attempts).

Sutil

Double-A Corpus Christi — Leon, pitcher (0-0 in seven relief appearances, 0.00, 11 strikeouts, .211 batting average by opponents); Sutil, offense and defense (.418, 5 doubles, eight runs, seven stolen bases, 15 runs, .480 on-base percentage, 16-game hitting streak; two errors in 100 total chances at shortstop, .980, turning 17 double plays).

Altuve

Advanced A Lancaster — Clark, pitcher (1-0, 0.93, 8 saves, 0 blown saves, .182 opponent average over nine relief appearances); Altuve, offense (.435, 6 doubles, 4 triples, 12 RBI, 19 runs, 12 stolen bases, .485 on-base percentage); Meyer, defense (three errors in 53 total chances at third base, .943, 33 assists).

J.D. Martinez

Lexington Legends outfielder J.D. Martinez is among 10 players selected to the Topps Class A All-Star team. Topps, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, honors the top performances in all minor-league classifications.

J.D. Martinez

Class A includes the South Atlantic, Midwest, California and Florida State leagues — 52 teams in all.

Martinez, MVP of the South Atlantic League and Minor League Player of the Year in the Houston Astros organization, is the only SAL player named to the Topps All-Star team.

Martinez, 23, led all of Class A with a 1.030 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages). He also led the SAL in batting (.362), slugging (.598) and on-base percentage (.433). At the time of his promotion from Lexington to Double-A Corpus Christi on July 15, he led the league in hits, doubles, extra-base hits, runs and total bases. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 64 runs over 88 games with the Legends.

Topps Class A All-Stars

Pos.  Player                  Team/League    MLB affiliate  Avg.-HR-RBI
1B   Paul Goldschmidt     Visalia/California      Arizona        .314-35-108
2B   Kyle Seager             High Desert/Calif.    Seattle         .345-14-74
3B   Stephen Parker       Stockton/California   Oakland      .296-21-98
SS   Grant Green            Stockton/California   Oakland       .318-20-87
OF   Johermyn Chavez   High Desert/California  Seattle     .315-32-96
OF   J.D. Martinez           Lexington/SAL           Houston      .362-15-64
OF   Mike Trout              Cedar Rapids/Midwest L.A.Angels .341-10-58
                                      Rancho Cucamonga/California
C    Jason Hagerty          Fort Wayne/Midwest   San Diego  .302-14-74
DH   Rich Poythress       High Desert/California  Seattle     .315-31-130
                                                                                           W-L    ERA
P    Matthew Moore      Charlotte/Fla. State     Tampa Bay  6-11    3.36

Jarvis moves from Diamondbacks to Padres

Kevin Jarvis

Kevin Jarvis, 41, is switching organizations as a major league scout, moving from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the San Diego Padres.

Jarvis, a former Tates Creek High School and Wake Forest standout, pitched for the D-backs and Padres, among others, over a 12-year big-league career.

During his time with the Padres (2001-03), the right-hander was 18-23 with a 5.06 ERA over 55 starts. For his career, Jarvis was 34-49 with a 6.03 ERA.

The Padres also named former catcher Brad Ausmus as special assistant to baseball operations, and former Arizona State University head coach Pat Murphy as manager of the short-season A Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds.

Lawless, Clapp, Montague assigned to Hooks

Tom Lawless

Stubby Clapp

The Astros have stocked the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks staff with multiple connections from the Legends.

Named as manager is Tom Lawless, who held the same post with Lexington in 2009 and High-A Lancaster last season.

His staff includes former Legends hitting coach Stubby Clapp and trainer Eric Montague. Also on Lawless’ staff is pitching coach Don Alexander.

Jake Goebbert

The Houston Astros Player Development Department named the 2010 Most Valuable Players for its minor-league affiliates Friday, including Jake Goebbert from the Lexington Legends.

Each of the eight MVP were selected by the field staff of each team.

Two former Legends were honored: Koby Clemens of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks and Brandon Barnes of the High-A Lancaster JetHawks.

The rundown on each player follows.

Class A – Legends outfielder Goebbert finished his second professional season with a .291 average (151-for-519), franchise-record 48 doubles, 10 home runs and franchise-record 98 RBI to earn MVP honors. He finished first in the South Atlantic League in doubles, while ranking second in RBI and sixth in hits (151). Among Astros prospects, Goebbert finished the season ranking first in RBI. He was named SAL Player of the Week from July 26-August 1, and earned Defensive Player of the Month honors twice for the Legends. Goebbert was a 13th round pick of the Astros in the June 2009 Draft.

Avg.      AB      H      R      2B      3B     HR     RBI     SB
.291    519    151    91    48      1      10      98    14

From the Houston Astros media relations department … former Legends Jordan Lyles and J.D. Martinez are honored.

The Houston Astros Player Development Department announced their 2010 Minor League Players of the Year Tuesday, naming right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles as Pitcher of the Year and outfielder J.D. Martinez as Player of the Year. The club also named Omar Lopez, manager of the Astros Gulf Coast League affiliate, as Player Development Man of the Year. All three will be recognized at a special pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, October 2, prior to the Astros 6:05 p.m. game against the Chicago Cubs.

“Jordan and J.D. have both moved through the system at a rapid pace and seem destined to reach the big leagues in the not-too-distant future. Not only are they talented players, but they’re solid-makeup, exceptionally dedicated kids,” said Astros General Manager Ed Wade. “Omar has impressed everyone with the work he’s done for us in player development. He’s had an impact everywhere he’s gone and is focused on making our kids better.”

Jordan Lyles

Right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles was named the Astros 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 7-12 record and a 3.57 ERA (63ER/158.2IP) in 27 games, 26 starts, between the Double A and Triple A levels. Lyles spent the majority of his season with Double A Corpus Christi, posting a 7-9 record and a 3.12 ERA (44ER/127IP) in 21 games, 20 starts. His success with Corpus Christi earned him mid-season and post-season Texas League All-Star honors, as well as a selection to the 2010 MLB Futures Game. Lyles was promoted to Triple A in early August but still managed to finish tied for fourth in the Texas League with 115 strikeouts and ranked fifth in ERA. At the time of his promotion, he became the first 19-year-old to pitch at the Triple A level in 2010. Lyles was selected by Houston in the supplemental first round, as the 38th overall selection, in the 2008 June draft.

                Jordan Lyles – Right-Handed Pitcher (combined 2A and 3A stats)

W   L   ERA   G   GS   CG   SHO   SV    IP      H   R   ER   HR   BB   SO

7   12   3.57   27   26   2       0     0  158.2   181   75   63   12   46   137

Outfielder J.D. Martinez earned Minor League Player of the Year after hitting a combined .341 (183×537) with 40 doubles, 18 homers and 89 RBI with Class A Lexington and Double A Corpus Christi. Before being promoted to Corpus Christi on July 16, Martinez posted a .362 (126×348) average with 15 homers and 64 RBI in 88 games for Lexington. His performance, in a little over half the season with Lexington, earned him the South Atlantic League’s Most Valuable Player Award and mid-season and post-season All-Star nominations. In his two years in the Astros system, Martinez has played at four different levels, hitting above .300 at each stop and placing his career minor league batting average at .343 (275×801). He was drafted by Houston in the 20th round of the June 2009 draft.

 

                J.D. Martinez – Outfielder (combined Class A and 2A stats)

AVG   AB     H      R     2B   3B   HR    RBI   SB

.341   537   183   107   40    4    18     89      5

Omar Lopez, who serves at the manager of the Astros Gulf Coast League affiliate, was named as the organization’s Player Development Man of the Year after completing his second full season at the helm of the GCL Astros. In addition to his managerial duties, Lopez, who is bilingual, is given the task of guiding the organization’s Spanish-speaking prospects through their first year of professional baseball in the United States. The 2010 season was his third as a manager in the Astros organization.

Jose Cisnero, Jake Goebbert and Jonathan Meyer have been named the Lexington Legends’ final Players of the Month for the 2010 season.

Jose Cisnero

The Houston Astros Player Development Department announced the monthly winners from each of its minor-league affiliates. Awards were chosen by the field staffs of each team.

Cisnero, Pitcher of the Month for the Legends, finished August with a 2-1 record and 3.31 ERA. The right-hander made six starts, giving up 13 earned runs over 35 1/3 innings.

Jake Goebbert

Goebbert, a corner outfielder, took Offensive Player of the Month honors by going 39-for-100 (.390). He had a .453 on-base percentage and 27 RBI over 27 games. He finished the season with team records for doubles and RBI.

Jonathan Meyer

Meyer is the Defensive Player of the Month. The third baseman finished the season with a .914 fielding percentage over 119 games.

Award winners at other Astros affiliates, listed in order of Pitcher, Offensive and Defensive (former Legends in CAPS):

Triple-A Round Rock — Roy Corcoran, Drew Locke, EDWIN MAYSONET.

Double-A Corpus Christi — Erick Abreu, J.D. MARTINEZ, Michael Affronti.

High-A Lancaster — Kyle Godfrey, BRIAN PELLEGRINI, ANDY SIMUNIC.

Short-season A Tri-City — David Martinez, Ben Orloff, Daniel Adamson.

Rookie Greeneville — Garrett Bullock, Telvin Nash, Hector Rodriguez.

Rookie Gulf Coast League — Matison Smith, Jordan Scott, Joshua Magee.

Rookie Dominican League — Luis Alayon, Luis De La Rosa, Mario Gonzalez.