Rumors for Houston Astros
Astros release Livan Hernandez
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The Houston Astros have released Livan Hernandez, senior director of social media Alyson Footer reports. back in January, the Astros signed Hernandez to a minor league deal.
In 16 Spring innings, Hernandez went 1-2 with a 5.63 era while allowing 23 hits.
Hernandez went 8-13 with a 4.47 era for the Nationals in 2011. In 2001 with the Giants, Hernandez hit .296 in 81 at-bats, totaling 24 hits (4 doubles, 1 home run).
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Right hander Jon Hunton is looking for new representation
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Jon Hunton who was the closer of the year in Venezuela,reached out to PRO Rumors earlier this week and explained that he is looking for new representation. Hunton, 29, had a strong 2011 season both in the summer and the winter leagues respectively.
As part of the Grand Prairie AirHogs (The American Association of Independent Professional Basebal) Hunton was named “Reliever of the Year” in 2011 (link here). Hunton went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, 25 saves, 47 SO, 0.4 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 51.0 innings.
During the winter, Hunton was named “Closer for the Year” again (link here), but this time in Venezuela as part of the Caribes de Anzoategui. He was 2-4 with 3.16 ERA, 18 saves, 0.3 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.0 SO/9 in 31.1 games. Then he was selected as a replacement for Tiburones de la Guaira in the Final and was Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series .
While Hunton was in Venezuela he left a great impression among the other teams, players and the media. He was one of the first foreign players to report and stayed until the last game of the Caribbean Series, his commitment with the Caribes organization and the rest of the league was undeniable.
I had the opportunity to watch Hunton pitch in Venezuela at least a dozen times this winter. The first thing you notice about him is his height, Hunton is 6′9” with a fluid delivery. He’s not a flame thrower, but he will keep hitters off balance with his slider, which has nice movement. Also, his 3/4 delivery makes all of his pitches move. I believe he is a great athlete in good physical condition (he used to play basketball in College), he is also a strong competitor and he definitely showed that in Venezuela.
Most of you don’t have an idea of how hard it is to pitch in winter ball. Fans are harsh with their players and they will let you know when you’re not doing your job right. You have to face strong competitors, not only young Minor Leaguers, but also Major Leaguers as well. There’s also a lot of competitiveness here but Hunton cruised throughout the season without a sweat. This league has chewed up and spit out countless top MLB prospects, but Hunton wasn’t one of them.
Hunton was drafted five times during the June Amateur Draft, the last one in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the eleventh round. During his eight years as a professional player Hunton is a career 34-27 with 3.18 ERA, 0.5 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 8.9 SO/9 in 453.1 innings. In 2010, he was 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 5.7 SO/9 in 63.0 innings for the A’s Triple-A team.
last offseason we had a Q & A with Hunton. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t.
Having the right representation can sometimes be the key to getting that tryout or invite to Spring Training that can open the door to a big league career. If you wish to contact Hunton you can write or follow him on Twitter (@Big_Jon_Hunton).
Image by Edixon Gamez of LiderEnDeportes.com.
Nationals sign left handed pitcher Zach Duke
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According to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington, the Washington Nationals have signed left handed pitcher Zach Duke. Zuckerman adds that Duke will report to Minor League camp and will probably be in Syracuse’s rotation.
Duke was released by the Astros two days ago. He was 3-4 with a 4.93 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 3.8 SO/9 in 76.2 innings in 2011 with the Diamondbacks.
Image by randomduck under the Creative Commons License.
Yankees sign Jack Cust
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The New York Yankees have signed Jack Cust to a minor league deal, Sweeny Murti of WFAN reports.
Cust signed a one-year deal with the Astros in January but was released by them earlier this week.
Cust averaged 28 home runs from 2007-09 and was looking to re-establish his offense with the Astros and prior to that the Phillies and Mariners but has been unsuccessful.
Cust hit .213/.344/.329 with 3 HR’s, 44 BB’s and 23 RBI’s in 225 AB’s with the Mariners in 2011.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Astros release Jack Cust and Zach Duke
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According to Alyson Footer, the Astros Sr. Director of Social Media, the Houston Astros have released outfielder Jack Cust and left handed pitcher Zach Duke.
Duke was 3-4 with a 4.93 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 3.8 SO/9 in 76.2 innings in 2011 with the Diamondbacks. Cust hit .213/.344/.329 with 3 HR’s, 44 BB’s and 23 RBI’s in 225 AB’s with the Mariners in 2011.
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Astros trade Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero to the Royals
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The Kansas City Royals have acquired catcher Humberto Quintero and outfielder Jason Bourgeois from the Houston Astros in exchange for Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later according to several reports.
With Salvador Perez’s injury the Royals were looking for a backup catcher to fill Perez’s hole while he recovers. Quintero is a career .234/.368/.321 hitter with 15 HR’s in 1075 AB’s throughout nine years with the Astros and Padres. He has a CS% (caught stealing) of 32 throughout his career behind the plate (2,732 innings).
Bourgeois has a .262/.307/.324 career hitting line, with 2 HR’s in 401 AB’s throughout four Major League seasons. In his two first Minor League seasons, Chapman is 2-5 with a 5.06 ERA in 80 innings for the Royals’ A+ and AA clubs. He also has a career 0.8 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 12.4 SO/9.
Image taken from Wikipedia.org.
Nationals have asked about Jason Bourgeois
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As the Washington Nationals continued their search for outfield help over the offseason, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that the Nationals contacted the Astros about Jason Bourgeois three separate times since the Winter Meetings. Ladson notes that the teams are not close to a deal.
Bourgeois if acquired, is not considered a long term solution at this time, even though he is coming off his best season when he hit .294 with 70 hits and 31 stolen bases (.323 OBP).
Bourgeois made $423k last season and will make around the league minimum ($480k) this upcoming season.
Image taken by SBoyd and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Amnesty Clause in MLB-NL Central
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Next stop on our amnesty tour around baseball is the NL Central.
NL CENTRAL
Cubs- When you try to trade a player and no one will take him unless you pay almost all of his salary, then the amnesty clause may be the best bet for you. This is the situation the Cubs are in with Alfonso Soriano as they owe him $54mm over the next three seasons. In five seasons with the Cubs, Soriano has hit .266 while averaging 26 home runs and 73 RBIs.
Reds- The Reds had been rumored to have interest in Roy Oswalt but didn’t have the funds to sign him. So this is where having the amnesty clause would benefit them. They could amnesty Scott Rolen and his $6.5mm and turn around and used that money to sign Oswalt. Rolen has not played in more than 150 games since 2003 and was limited to 65 games last season.
Astros- The Astros who are set to move over to the AL West next year, operated under a $76mm budget last season. That was good enough for last place, a mere 40 games back (56-106). They are obviously playing for the future and have tried to trade some of their veterans including Carlos Lee. They have not been able to trade Lee because of his no trade protection and Lee’s booming cattle business near Houston. Lee is set to make $18.5mm this coming season. Using the amnesty clause on Lee would also open up first base and allow the Astros to get a look at Jonathan Singleton.
Cardinals- The Cardinals like the Reds also have shown interest in free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt but also don’t have the funds that it would take it sign him. With Kyle Lohse and his $11.875m salary, the Cardinals could use the amnesty clause to free up money to sign Oswalt. Lohse did perform well last season posting a 3.39 era, but in 2010 he posted a 6.55 era. Freeing up that amount of money could potentially allow the Cards to sign Oswalt to a multi-year deal.
Pirates- Since I used the amnesty clause on A.J. Burnett for the Yankees and Clint Barmes and his two-year $10.5mm deal is off limits since he just signed, I turned my attention to Kevin Correia and the $3mm left on his deal. Correia went 12-11 last season while posting a 4.79 era. The concerning stat was that he posted a 4.5 k/9 his lowest in his career.
Brewers- The Brewers were unable to sign Prince Fielder this past offseason because of financial reasons. If you take Randy Wolf and his $9.5mm that he is owed in ‘12 Fielder could be a Brewer again. In his two seasons with Milwaukee, Wolf has 26-22 while posting a 3.93 era while earning $18.75mm.
Image taken by Scott Abelman and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Houston Astros sign Livan Hernandez
Posted by: | CommentsThe Houston Astros have signed veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez to a Minor League deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
Hernandez went 8-13 with a 4.47 era for the Nationals in 2011. In 2001 with the Giants, Hernandez hit .296 in 81 at-bats, totalling 24 hits (4 doubles, 1 home run).
Image by ensign_beedrill under the Creative Commons License.
Astros sign Zach Duke
Posted by: | CommentsThe Houston Astros announced that they have signed Zach Duke to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
Last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Duke went 3-4 with a 4.93 era while averaging 3.8 k/9, his worst since 2007 with the Pirates(3.4 k/9).
The Diamondbacks acquired Duke from the Pirates in November of 2010.
Image taken by randomduck and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
