Draft Pick Signings and More

Lots going on over the weekend in the minors, including two updates by Bobby Heck on draft pick signings and the Astros adding another undrafted free agent, A.J. Alaniz. Here is a link to Brian McTaggart's blog post about the Alaniz signing. Heck was much more positive there than in this blog post by Zachary Levine. They ultimately didn't get anything done but judging by the performance thus far, had a pretty solid draft. It was the kind of restocking-type draft this farm system needs, as they added durable, dependable and most importantly young players at many different positions.

Still, I'm a little troubled by this article by Baseball America talking about the amount of money all the teams spent on draft picks through Round 10. The Astros clocked in at $3,426,500, which was the sixth-lowest figure in MLB this season. Sure, there were only nine teams that signed as many draft picks as the Astros did, and 14 of the 30 teams spent $4,250,000 or less, so it's not like the Astros were big cheapskates. I just wonder if the Astros went for signability picks instead of the best talent. Since Shelby Miller was picked by the Cardinals right before the Astros had a shot at him, we'll never know whether he would have been the pick over Mier.

Now, I'm also not arguing with the top pick. I like Mier a lot. His glove has been solid and his bat has been a surprise. He's missed some time with injuries to this point, but he is already off to a better start than Jay Austin got off to last season and than third-rounder Telvin Nash is off to this season. Would toolsy outfielder Jared Mitchell have been a better pick, though? Would he have provided an instant impact to the system like Jason Castro has done? I don't have answers. All I can see is that examples like the Colorado Rockies, who portray themselves as a smaller market team. Thus, they rely on prospects to restock their system. This draft, they chose RHP Tyler Matzek despite his very real commitment to Oregon State. It went down to the wire, but Matzek signed and the Rockies got a top-5 talent at the 11th pick in the first round.

This may not even be Bobby Heck's fault. In fact, I'm sure it's not, because he drafted and signed guys last season who commanded big bonuses and got them. So, if it's not Heck, is it Drayton? Did we get one draft class where he spent money to allay the fears that the 2007 draft class brought up, with the top two picks not signing? The consensus is that owners will lobby hard for a slotting system in the next round of collective bargaining, so next year's draft may be entirely different financially. Does Drayton know more than he's letting on and held back the purse strings a little this season, knowing that next year will be different? Publicly, we heard nothing from Heck or Ed Wade which implied they didn't have the money to get deals done.

My gut reaction is this: the Astros are telling us they have changed. They value scouting now. They value their draft picks. That's why lists like the one I linked to above bother me. We're hearing one thing and seeing another. I can come up with plausible explanations, like the payroll being up over 100 million and the Astros needed to trim costs by getting a bunch of slot signings this year in the draft, while next year there will be some more payroll flexibility. It's great the Astros signed 36 of 51 draft picks and I hope they were just thrifty shoppers. I'm just not convinced.

Friday's Trip to the Minors

Before our brief foray into the top four levels of the minors, here's an update on the Tri-City team:

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel has pitched very well this month. In three games, Keuchel has given up three earned runs in 20 innings while striking out 15 and walking one. He has given up two home runs and has only gotten three runs in support, explaining his three no-decisions. Still, the former Arkansas star couldn't be having a better start to his big-league career and should start next season at Lancaster at least, possibly even Corpus.

Right-hander Wander Alvino has not been as good this month, giving up eight earned runs in 11 innings while striking out six and walking two. Alvino has lost both of his starts and has barely a 1/1 G/F ratio this month. Considering his K/9 rate has not been strong this season, the 22-year old may just not be that good a prospect. It'll be interesting to see if he gets a promotion to Lexington next season.

Outfielder Jacob Goebbert had a rough start to the season, but has bounced back in a big way this month. The 21-year old is 11 for 35 with eight doubles, six RBIs, four runs scored, three walks and five strikeouts. His 6.8 runs created is good for third on the team, behind J.D. Martinez and Barry Butera. Goebbert is also 4 for his last 9 and leads the organization in doubles this month.

Center fielder Brian Kemp has been struggling this month and saw his average drop all the way down to .274/.382/.318 on the season. Kemp is 8 for 37 with two walks, six runs scored and three RBIs and has just one extra-base hit, a triple. The 20-year old has also struck out six times, which is high for him. His lack of plate discipline may have also led to his demotion from the leadoff spot earlier this week.

First baseman/left fielder J.D. Martinez continues to mash, with a line of .405/.435/.643 this month. The 21-year old is 17 for 42 with five doubles, one triple and a home run, driving in a team-high eight runs while scoring another six. Martinez has created 11 runs this month and has created 24 total runs in 119 plate appearances with Tri-City in July and August.

Middle infielder Barry Butera also has been hot this month, since gaining playing time after Brandon Wikoff was promoted to Lexington. Butera is 7 for 17 in his last four games and has hit four doubles and stolen four bases this month. His line of .356/.396/.444 is second only to Martinez on the team, as his his 9 runs created. Butera's season line is a bit low at .246/.331/.299, but since he became a regular, his hitting has improved markedly.

Diminutive second baseman Jose Altuve was called up to Tri-City earlier this week and responded by going 3 for 12 in three games. The 19-year old is the second-youngest position player on the team behind Rene Garcia. It will be interesting to see if Altuve can still hit for power in the higher levels, but he's already hit a double in those three games.

Now for the rest of the minor leagues:

Left-hander Douglas Arguello pitched well for Corpus on Thursday in his return from the DL. Arguello made a few appearances with the GCL Astros and Tri-City before starting for Corpus and has immediately helped their pitching staff. Arguello lasted five innings, giving up three hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking none. The 24-year old did give up one home run and threw 72 pitches total in his return. Pitcher Brad James was thrust into a reliever's role, but he blew the victory for Arguello by giving up two runs in two innings of work for his first blown save. Ryan McKeller picked up his second victory with Corpus by tossing three shutout innings to end the game.

Catcher Jason Castro did not fare as well, going 0 for 5 with two strikeouts to drop his average down to .304....Outfielder Drew Locke, on the other hand, was 4 for 4 with an RBI, raising his average up to .330....Jimmy Van Ostrand and Nick Moresi each hit home runs, while Van Ostrand drove in the winning run on a fly ball single in the bottom of the 10th.

In Lancaster, Koby Clemens extended his hitting streak to 11 games by hitting a home run in the bottom of the first inning. It was Clemens' 16th home run of the season and the two RBIs gave him 102 for the season. Clemens finished the night 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Right-hander Tip Fairchild tossed a gem of a start at Clear Channel Field, lasting eight innings while giving up eight hits and two earned runs. The 25-year old struck out nine and walked one to pick up his first victory of the 2009 season.

Lexington outfielder Steve Brown continued his torrid pace this month by going 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored on Thursday. Brown is now hitting .257/.301/.422 and the double was his 16th of the season.

Lexington starter Robert Bono got hit pretty hard, giving up seven runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings of work while striking out three and walking none. Reliever Henry Villar followed by giving up four unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out none. Even recently promoted Tri-City pitcher Anthony Noguera got hit some, giving up his first run in Lexington during his fourth appearance. Noguera lasted 2 2/3 innings while giving up three hits and one run, striking out one and walking two.

That's all for now, but I should be caught up now, so next week we'll be on a more normal posting schedule. Until then...

Thursday's Thoughts

We're going to run through the top of the Astros system first before we get to the short-season teams with Tri-City (a day late) and possibly Greeneville. Without further ado, here are all the news and notes from the Astros minor league system:

Right-hander Polin Trinidad had another good start on Wednesday for Round Rock, pitching seven innings for the third straight game and allowing four hits and two earned runs. The 23-year old struck out four and walked two, giving up one home run. Trinidad has given up a ton of home runs since moving up with the Express, but has averaged a game score of 52 over eight starts in Triple-A. Trinidad is 4-3 over those starts but has not had a FIP under 4.00 since his second start with Round Rock. He's been very good this season, but obviously needs a little more work at this level.

Outfielder Yordany Ramirez has a five-game hitting streak going currently after a 1 for 4 night on Wednesday. Ramirez had another five game streak to start the month, giving him hits in 10 of 11 games in August. The 25-year old has a line of .317/.317/.341 this month with three runs scored, four RBIs, one double and three stolen bases. I still think Ramirez is a good bet to be called up in September as a fifth outfielder.

Third baseman Chris Johnson continues to swing a hot bat in August, going 6 for 12 in his last three games with two home runs and a triple. Johnson now has four home runs and 10 RBIs this month and is hititng .341/.386/.707 with seven runs scored and five strikeouts in 45 plate appearances. He's slightly leading Tommy Manzella in runs created with 10 and has a wOBA of .405. The four home runs this month is his highest total in a single month this season (and he has 18 days left).

Catcher Jason Castro had another 1 for 3 day on Wednesday, walking once and raising his averages to .351/.429/.405 this month. The 22-year old has five walks in August with seven runs scored, five RBIs and two doubles. One of the blogs over at FanGraphs noted that his ISO average has fallen since moving from Lancaster, but this was to be expected. Castro will be a gap hitter and should hit for a pretty good average.

Outfielder Collin DeLome is still slumping pretty hard, going 1 for 11 in his last four games. DeLome did steal a base on Wednesday and has now struck out 10 times. The 22-year old has a line of .154/.241/.154, which is not very good, but he has walked three times already and has scored two runs. Unfortunately, his power has completely disappeared this month and, because his playing time has been spotty, I have to wonder if he's playing through an injury right now.

Outfielder Drew Locke hit another home run on Wednesday, raising his monthly averages to .333/.373/.646 with three home runs, a triple and four doubles. Locke also has nine runs scored and seven RBIs in August with seven strikeouts and three walks. At Locke's age, you expect him to do this, but he's definitely been the best player in Corpus all season and now leads the organziation in RBIs with 102.

Right-hander Leandro Cespedes continued his streak of above-average starts by going seven innings and allowing four hits and one earned run on Wednesday. His K/BB ratio was off a bit as he struck out four and walked five but the 22-year old now has 82 strikeouts in 97 1/3 innings this season. His FIP was 6.06 in this game but his G/F ratio was 12/3 and Cespedes had double-digit ground ball outs for the second straight game.

Catcher/left fielder Koby Clemens has now been hot for going on five straight weeks, extending his hitting streak to 10 games on Wednesday. The 22-year old is 16 for 40 with five walks, eight runs scored, 15 RBIs, three doubles, two home runs and 10 strikeouts in August. His 15 RBIs leads the team and is the most in the organization this month. As farmstros noted, Clemens now has 100 RBIs this season and has created 12 runs this month.

Outfielder Brandon Barnes was recently named Player of the Week by the California League and has gone 15 for 42 this month with seven runs scored, nine RBIs, two doubles, one triple and two home runs. The 23-year old struck out six times in 44 plate appearances but hasn't walked yet and has a line of .357/.372/.619 in August. Barnes also has created 9.7 runs this month with a wOBA of .441, which is the highest on the team.

Second baseman Craig Corrado has struggled this season with a line of .247/.276/.324, but is having a nice August so far. In nine games, the 23-year old is hitting 13 for 37 with one walk, five runs scored, five RBIs, two doubles and six strikeouts. Corrado's line of .351/.368/.405 is one of the best on the team this month. His playing time is cut into by Marco Cabral and now Andrew Simunic but is still getting good at-bats this month.

Left-hander Brad Dydalewicz had a second straight bad start on Wednesday, but didn't get bailed out by his offense and took his fifth loss of the season. The 19-year old gave up seven earned runs and five hits in four innings while walking four and striking out two. Dydalewicz also hit three batters and had a game score of 22. His G/F ratio has been very solid all season at almost 2/1 but has barely been at 1/1 for the past two starts at 11/9. What's also been surprising is that his Power/Finesse Ratio is up to 1.14 overall and hasn't been under 1.00 in three starts. I don't think of Dydalewicz as a power pitcher, especially with 62 strikeouts in 90 innings, but could develop into a power arm.

Road Trip to Lexington

A rare three post day yesterday, which should be followed by at least two posts today. I'm planning on getting through rundowns of Lexington and Tri-City today before finishing up with Greeneville and the GCL Astros on Thursday. So, without further ado, let's get to Applebee's Park for all the news and notes on Lexington:

Right-hander Ross Seaton continues to do some good things in Lexington, but overall hasn't been as impressive as some make him out to be. Take his two August starts, for instance. In the first, the 18-year old threw six shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out four. In the second, he lasted just four innings, giving up four hits and six runs (four earned) while striking out three and walking two. His average game score this season is 52 over 20 games and he has amassed 72 strikeouts against 33 walks in 115 1/3 innings. His FIP of 4.14 is a little high, but his HR/9 rate is strong at 0.72.

Right-hander Jordan Lyles has gotten over his mid-July bump in admirable fashion, allowing just three runs in the past 19 innings, striking out 21 and walking four over that stretch. His game scores in his last three have been 72, 57 and 75, though he's gotten just one victory out of this stretch. Lexington has scored one run total in his last two starts, but Lyles maintains an excellent K/9 rate and a Power/Finesse Ratio, while his Defense Efficiency Ratio is a bit low at .660.

Right-hander Kyle Greenwalt has also made two starts in the past 12 days and has a better FIP (3.13) than his ERA (3.97). Greenwalt has thrown 11 1/3 innings, allowing 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out eight and walking four. Greenwalt lost both games, but still has a good G/F rate of 15/10. His BABiP of .314 is right in line with where it should be, so he's pitching close to his true level. Greenwalt didn't make Baseball America's Top 30 list, but has been almost as valuable as Seaton has this season with a Pitching Runs Created total of 36.6.

Left-hander Brad Dydalewicz started two games as well over this stretch of games and had arguably the best streak of the four. The 19-year old threw 11 innings, giving up nine hits and four earned runs while striking out eight and walking four. His ERA of 3.27 was higher than his FIP of 2.84. His G/F ratio of 16/9 is also very good and Dydalewicz continues to avoid line drives, having just one in his past four starts.

Right-hander Kyle Godfrey has been a reliever this season, but is putting a solid season together. In four appearances this month, Godfrey has thrown 8 2/3 innings while giving up six hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking one. The 23-year old has one hold and a sterling G/F ratio of 17/4. His FIP is a bit high at 3.89, especially considering his ERA sits at 1.04, but he doesn't miss many bats. Godfrey has been good all season, starting out in Tri-City and earning a promotion last month.

Second baseman Albert Cartwright leads the Legends with 6.9 runs created in August after going 12 for 43 with four walks, eight runs scored, four RBIs, and three doubles. The 21-year old also stole seven bases in nine attempts, making up for his lack of power. Cartwright has struck out seven times in 49 plate appearances, which is a bit high. Still, it's encouraging to see Cartwright shake off the rust after his hand injury and finally get back on track offensively.

Center fielder Jay Austin has only appeared in five games in the past 12 days and was removed from a game two days ago in his only appearance since last week. Austin is 4 for 16 with three walks, three rusn scored and a triple while striking out once. Austin also stole one base but also was caught stealing once. His season average is hovering around .260, which is much better than what it has been earlier in the season.

Shortstop Brandon Wikoff started out the month strong, but a 1 for 16 stretch over the past four games has dropped his average down to .225/.311/.225 for the month. Wikoff is hitting .321/.387/.321 in 15 games with Lexington and has an average of .299 overall since being drafted out of Illinois-Champagne.

Outfielder Steve Brown was selected as one of farmstros players of the week last period. Indeed, the 22-year old is having a good month, going 13 for 39 with one double, one triple, three home runs, nine runs scored and 11 RBIs. Brown has a couple black marks on his resume, though, as he hasn't walked yet this month and has been caught stealing or picked off five times without a successful stolen base. In fact, Brown has only walked 12 times in 241 at-bats this season. Still, home runs are hard to come by in Lexington and to hit three in one week is impressive. One other note I hadn't realized about Brown...he was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2003, which means he decided to sign for the minimum possible and play baseball professionally than go to college. Think about that next time you hear that Aaron Crow won't take 3 million from the Royals or that Stephen Strasburg may not sign.

Right fielder Eric Suttle may not have an impressive batting average at .207, but he does manage to walk quite a bit. In fact, he has more walks (8) than hits (6) this monht. Suttle has cooled off some after his hot start in Lexington, but has still been a valuable, and consistent, outfielder after guys like Russell Dixon were sent down and Marquis Williams battled injuries.

Trade Review: Jose Valverde

Every now and then, I think back on a trade the Astros made in the past few years and it either makes me angry, sad or depressed. To torture myself more, sometimes I comb through the archives to come up with an analysis on exactly how badly a particular trade hurt. This is the first in what may become a recurring series of Trade Reviews. First up, the December 14, 2007 trade of Chris Burke, Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls for Jose 'El Papa Grande' Valverde.

I want to be up front about this. I like Valverde. I like the nickname, I like his antics on the mound and I like his stuff. I think he's a good closer. He helps the Astros win games, which is all you want. What bothers me about this swap is how much we gave up for a ninth-inning pitcher on a team that had just a marginal chance of making the playoffs. So, what did we give up?

Chad Qualls, 30-year old right-hander, drafted in the second round in 2000 out of the University of Nevada, Reno. Pitched in 119 1/3 innings in two seasons, striking out 111 while walking 23 and earning 30 saves with an ERA of 3.16.

Juan Gutierrez, 25-year old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, signed in 2000. Pitched in the minors in 2008, but has thrown 51 2/3 innings in 46 games this season, striking out 53 while walking 25 with a 4.53 ERA.

Chris Burke, 29-year old middle infielder, drafted 10th overall in 2000 out of Tennessee. Got 199 plate appearances in 2008 with Arizona and had a line of .194/.310/.273. Was released in the off-season and signed with San Diego.

What did El Papa Grande do? In 105 1/3 innings over the past two seasons, Valverde has picked up 59 saves, striking out 120 while walking 35 with an ERA of 3.16. That may look familiar, since it's exactly the same ERA Qualls had in more innings. Of course, Valverde suffers because he lost time in 2009 to an injury, but let's look closer at the player values.

Valverde earned 4.7 million in 2008 and will earn 8 million in 2009. After this season, he is a free agent and can sign with any team he wishes. Qualls earned 1.31 milllion in 2008 and 2.53 million in 2009 and still has one year of abitration left. Burke earned 955,000 in 2008 and Gutierrez is earning 401,000 in 2009.

That's 5.2 million in salary going out the door and 12.7 million in salary being added to a team that was already top-heavy with a few big contracts. To look at it from another angle, that's eight seasons of pitching the Astros traded away for two seasons of a closer. But, you say, those 59 saves Valverde picked up have to be valuable. Who would have closed if he had not been acquired?

Fan Graphs has assigned a monetary value based on player performance for each guy involved in the trade, so we can break this down even further. Valverde has been worth 4.6 million over the past two seasons, while Qualls has been worth 14.6 million and Gutierrez worth 5.4 million. Even if you count the negative 100,000 Burke was worth in 2008, the Astros still handed away some very valuable seasons of bullpen help that would have cost them less than they are paying for now.

Another knock on Qualls when he was with the Astros is that he gave up too many home runs. In a more hitter friendly park than Minute Maid, Qualls has given up eight home runs in the past two seasons while Valverde has given up 15. The only significant difference between the two is that Valverde can miss more bats, giving him a higher strikeout total.

Granted, we don't know if Gutierrez will pan out past this season, but he was one of the top 30 Astros prospects in 2007. Qualls also was a playoff-tested reliever heading into the 2008 season, so he could have been counted on to close as well. This trade was a classic over-reaction by the new General Manager Ed Wade, hired three months before this move. Wade has made some good pickups in LaTroy Hawkins, Alberto Arias and Darin Erstad, but whiffing on Valverde left him tied up financially and unable to make any significant moves last winter and this summer. Some GMs realize you can't give up multiple seasons of cheap players for expensive veterans; I just wish the Astros could get with the program.

Road Trip to Lancaster

And now for a quick rundown of Lancaster's last 10 days:

Right-handed starter Chris Hicks has been just as enigmatic as usual in the past 10 days. Hicks had a good start last week, with a game score of 57 and then lasted just 1 2/3 innings in his next start. The 22-year old has struck out eight and walked five in 7 2/3 innings, giving up 11 hits and 10 earned runs, one of which was on a home run. Hicks has a 8/7 G/F ratio and a FIP of 4.77, much lower than his ERA of 11.74 this month. His K/9 rate of 9.39 is excellent as always and his BABiP of .400 suggests his numbers will fall.

Right-hander Leandro Cespedes started just one game this month, but it was a doozy. The 22-year old put up a game score of 79, his highest this season after lasting nine innings in an extra-innings loss. Cespedes gave up five hits and two unearned runs, striking out seven and walking one to get a no-decision. He also had a good G/F ratio of 12/7 and a FIP of 1.98.

Catcher/left fielder Koby Clemens is following up his excellent month of July with a good start in August. Clemens has an eight-game hitting streak currently and is hitting .406/.459/.594 this month. The 22-year old has hit one home run and three doubles, scoring six runs and driving in 11 more. Clemens has struck out nine times but has also walked four times in 36 plate appearances. His 9.6 runs created this month are second on the team.

Center fielder J.B. Shuck is also batting .400 this month, and has created 10 runs so far. In eight games, Shuck is 16 for 39 with two walks, four doubles, one triple, seven runs scored and four RBIs. His line of .410/.439/.564 is the highest on the team and his wOBA of .423 is second only to Brandon Barnes. Shuck also stole his 18th base of the season in his only attempt.

Right fielder Jon Gaston is still struggling a bit this month, going 7 for 30 with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He's driven in just three runs this month and has struck out 12 times. How he was named Astros player of the month for July over Clemens, I don't have a clue; all I know is he's not been as good as his press clippings lately.

First baseman Matt Weston has seen his average stay high this August, but his power has dipped in the past eight games. The 24-year old former University of Houston player is 9 for 31 with five walks and 11 strikeouts but has hit just three doubles. Compared to his July, when Weston hit 21 XBH, this month's total is lagging a bit one-third of the way through the month.

Catcher Jordan Comadena has played more in the past eight games than he has in two months, starting three games and picking up two at-bats in another. Comadena is the backup catcher when Clemens is not starting, but is just 2 for 9 in four games with two walks and one strikeout.

Second baseman Andrew Simunic was promoted from Lexington and promptly went 1 for 3 with an RBI in his first start. The 23-year old undrafted free agent out of Tennessee is hitting .288/.404/.306 in 56 games this season, mostly with Lexington.

Third baseman Ebert Rosario has also thrived once freed from Lexington, going 9 for 31 with a home run, eight runs scored and five RBIs. Rosario has been primarily batting out of two two-hole in the lineup, explaining all the runs and the relative lack of RBIs. Still, Rosario has only struck out three times in 40 plate appearances, which is a talent in rare commodity in Lancaster. His usefulness at the top of the order makes the 22-year old more valuable even though his power has yet to show itself.

Road Trip to Corpus Christ

This week, I think it will work better if we break each roundup into minor league levels. So, today, we'll visit Corpus Christi and Lancaster to see what's been going on in the last 10 days. Of course, news broke over the weekend that Mitch Einertson has been suspended for 50 games after a second positive drug test. According to farmstros, Einertson did not test positive for performance enhancers, but for recreational drugs. The Astros signed former Hooks outfielder Ray Sadler to take his spot, rather than make a late-season call-up from Lancaster. With that, let's get to all the news and notes you can handle from the city by the Bay:

Right-handed pitcher Brad James lost his ninth and tenth games of the season last week. The 23-year old pitched seven total innings over the two starts, lasting one inning in the first and six in the second. James gave up 11 hits and 11 earned runs, striking out five and walking four. More distressing is that James, a sinkerballer with a high ground ball rate, has given up two home runs and has a 5/10 G/F ratio. James also hit four batters, indicating he may be having control problems, though he actually has more strikeouts than walks for the first time in a while.

Right-handed pitcher Sergio Perez has been better, going 1-1 in two starts, lasting 11 total innings while getting 12 hits and six earned runs. The 23-year old struck out eight and walked two, giving up two home runs in his second start. His FIP of 4.65 is just south of his ERA of 4.91, though his WHIP is a very good 1.27. I still lean towards Perez being better in the bullpen long-term, but keeping him in the rotation right now can't hurt anything.

Right-handed pitcher Chia-Jen Lo has appeared in just three games this month, striking out three and walking one in 4 2/3 innings. The 23-year old allowed two hits and one earned run without picking up any decisions. Lo's averages (1.93 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 2.56 FIP) are excellent, but his BABiP of .154 suggests this hot streak won't continue for long.

Outfielder Drew Locke started out hot in August, going 15 for 44 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight runs scored, six RBIs, three walks and six strikeouts. Locke's 10 runs created this month is twice the total of the second-best hitter. Only one other player has a higher weighted OBA than Locke's .375 (we'll get to him later). Still, the Hooks only could muster a 4-7 record in August, dropping their overall record to 19-25 in the second half of the season.

Catcher Jason Castro leads Corpus Christi in batting average and has a line of .353/.421/.412 in 38 plate appearances. Castro only has two doubles but has also scored seven runs and driven in another five. Castro has a wOBA of .326 and has raised his season averages up to .312/.368/.409. Castro's catcher's ERA is also at 4.83 in eight games this month, which is a bit high, but he doesn't have much to work with on that pitching staff.

Center fielder Nick Moresi is having his best stretch of games to date in 2009. In nine games this month, the 24-year old former Fresno State star is 11 for 33 with five doubles, five runs scored, five RBis and one home run. Moresi was promoted more for his defense than his bat, as he's got a career line of just .222/.289/.353.

Shortstop Wladimir Sutil has been just okay this month, going 12 for 45 with three walks, seven runs scored and three RBIs. Still, he's only had three doubles and has been caught stealing once and picked off another time. His line of .267/.327/.333 is down from his season averages, even though he's had one 4 for 5 day this month.