Houston Astros' Rebuilding Process Being Helped by Prospects Like Mike Foltynewicz

With a 1962 New York Mets-esque 13-33 record, the Houston Astros have a lot of holes they will need to fill if they want to have any chance of respectability in the future. Fortunately, they have thrown themselves into rebuilding through player development, and have a number of young prospects who are looking like they will be major pieces in the coming years. Among the team’s top young pitchers is Mike Foltynewicz, who is getting closer and closer to a spot in the major league starting rotation.

The big right-handed Foltynewicz was drafted in 2010 by the Astros in the first round (19^th overall selection) out of Minooka High School in Illinois. The Astros zeroed in on him after a senior season that saw him go 9-1 with a 0.38 ERA. He had previously signed a letter of intent to play collegiately at the University of Texas, but turned pro after his high draft selection.

At the time, the scouting report on the youngster praised him for his mid-90s fastball and excellent changeup, but noted his need to develop a more consistent breaking pitch. As he has progressed through the Houston system, he has tightened up his stuff and become a more complete pitcher.

Foltynewicz was just a combined 5-14 with 4.74 ERA in his first two professional seasons, but truly blossomed last year. Playing for Single-A Lexington, he went 14-4 with a 3.14 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 27 starts, and was named the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

He began the 2013 season with High-A Lancaster, but was promoted to Double-A Corpus Christie after the first month. He is off to another excellent start, going a combined 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 games (seven starts). He is also striking out an impressive 9.86 batters per nine innings, which is the highest mark of his career.

The Astros may be a total mess as things stand today. However, it won’t always be that way, and young players like Foltynewicz will be the reason why the franchise is on its way to turning things around.

Mike Foltynewicz Interview:

Who was your favorite player when you were growing up, and why?: I have to say my favorite players growing up were Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds. My parents were always Cardinals fans, so I really liked all three of those guys.

How close did you come to attending college and how did you decide to sign with Houston?: I was pretty close to attending college because the University of Texas was my dream school, and me getting a scholarship to go there was amazing. But going higher than I expected in the draft, and wanting to get my professional career started right away, my decision was easy.

Can you describe what your draft day experience was like?: My draft day experience was pretty awesome. We were playing our sectional championship game in Bloomington and we lost a tough game. We were all sad and emotional on the bus ride home, but about 30 minutes into the bus ride I got the call that Houston wanted to take me 19th overall, and I said ‘absolutely.’ All the sadness turned into happiness and laughter and joy. It was an amazing day overall.

How difficult is it to adapt to pitching under pitch counts, constant coach/instructor scrutiny, and attention from Houston fans and front office?: It’s difficult to pitch under pitch counts because I’m used to going all the way in high school and having a 120 pitch count maybe in a game. I’m really competitive and love to compete, but I also understand why they are doing it and what’s best for me.  The constant coach instructing doesn’t bother me at all. They are always finding ways to make me better so I like it. All the attention from the fans doesn’t bother me much. Everyone will have their opinions, either negative or positive, so I just try to go out and pitch the best I can every time and let people think what they want. I know and all the coaches know what I’m capable of.

Which pitches do you throw, and which is your best and which do you believe needs the most work?: I throw a four-seam, two-seam, changeup and curveball. I believe my four-seam is my best pitch, maybe my two-seam also. My two-seam gets a lot of ground ball outs and swing and misses or foul tips and I can throw that in any count. My changeup is coming along great and so is my curveball. But I think my curveball needs the most work, but there is always work for improvement for all my pitches (command).

Have you noticed many changes in the Astros organization since GM Jeff Luhnow took over?: Luhnow has done a great job so far coming in. He’s showing that he is not afraid to make moves, and he’s confident in what he is doing.

What was the most difficult thing to get used to in pro ball other than the travel?: The most difficult thing getting used to in pro ball is playing 140 games, throwing every day, and only having one off-day a month. A full season takes a big toll on your body and your mental toughness. I feel like I have come a long ways and matured a lot from the day I got drafted till now.

When on a road trip, what is your go-to meal of choice?: I don’t really have a go-to place to eat after games; just whatever is open is good enough for me!

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The Baseball Historian's Notes for May 20, 2013

I had such a good time going over baseball history links last week that I decided to do it again! Here’s hoping this can become a regular feature, as the cool nuggets just continue to pile up. I’ll try to continue bringing a blend of topics to keep it fresh and interesting. As usual, thanks for reading!

***Baseball has had a lot of mascots over the years, ranging from obnoxious to downright entertaining. But none were more buxom or lascivious than Morganna, the Kissing Bandit.

The well-endowed exotic dancer became an unofficial mascot of sorts after she jumped from the stands at Riverfront Stadium in 1970 and kissed Cincinnati Reds’ star Pete Rose. Over the next several decades, she repeated her act numerous times at baseball games and other sporting events, earning nicknames, admirers and citations from local police.

Recently, a wonderful short film was produced telling the true story of the grand dame of field rushers. Among the most famous MLB recipients of her smooches included Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench and Cal Ripken Jr. Love her or simply lust for her, she was unlike anything baseball has ever seen, before or since.

***Earlier this month, NBA player Jason Collins publicly came out as a gay man and was recognized as the first professional athlete to do so. With their always being an emphasis on identifying who was the first to do what in our society, the stories of those who simply tried can often be left by the wayside. That appears to be the case with gay athletes.

ESPN.com’s Rick Reilly recently wrote a terrific article about how former major league outfielder Glenn Burke tried to come out during his career, but was unceremoniously stuffed back into the closet.

During a four-year major league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A’s in the late 1970s, Burke openly lived as a gay man. Unfortunately, as time went on, intolerance grew from other players and team management. The Dodgers even reportedly offered him $75,000 to marry a woman; and offer Burke left on the table.

Burke, who died in 1995 of AIDS, never saw the kind of acceptance Collins is currently receiving. However, as Reilly demonstrates, it’s important to remember his legacy and the path he started to pave for those who have and will go after him.

***In a random bit of baseball history, check out this clip of Vladimir Guerrero’s first major league home run. The blast came on September 21, 1996 against Mark Wohlers and the Atlanta Braves. It was a quintessential home run for Guerrero, who was playing for the Montreal Expos at the time. He golfed a pitch that was low and outside over the fence in right field. Everything, from the pitch location to the wild wind-up swing, is classic Guerrero and representative of his style at the plate.

Guerrero has played in the majors for all or parts of 16 seasons, and hit 449 home runs during that time. Although he hasn’t been on a major league roster since 2011, he may not be done quite yet, as he recently signed to play independent ball. Even if he hits another home run, it’s hard to imagine it will beat the feeling he must have had with his first.

***The Jackie Robinson biopic 42 has earned rave reviews at the box office, but not everyone is happy with the content of the film. Sherrill Duessterhaus, the daughter of former major league pitcher Fred Ostermueller is outraged about how her father is portrayed in the movie.

Ostermueller is shown taunting Robinson before throwing a pitch at his head, which causes a brawl to break out. While there was an instance in 1947 when he did hit Robinson with a pitch, there is no evidence to suggest the theatrics shown in the movie.

Hollywood enhances “true stories” all the time for dramatic effect, but when it comes making such negative depictions, the onus should be on the filmmakers to make sure they can back up their version of events.

***Talk about nosebleed seats! Take a gander at this amazing picture of college students looking down on a game of the 1960 World Series at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh between the Pirates and the New York Yankees. While they may have missed out on seeing the intricacies of the game, at least the seats were free.

***Hall of Famer Honus Wagner wasn’t only one of the greatest shortstops of all time; he was also a pretty intimidating lawman. CBSSports.com’s Dayn Parry wrote about how Wagner became the deputy sheriff of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania in 1942, when the former player was 68.

The article not only is a great tidbit of history about one of baseball’s iconic players, but also includes a pretty amazing photo of Wagner doing his best Dirty Harry impression; 30 years before there was a Dirty Harry.

***Bo Jackson is one of the best athletes to ever step on a field. When he was a student at Auburn University, he played baseball in addition to the Heisman Trophy-worthy work he did on the gridiron.

The Kansas City Royals made Jackson a fourth-round draft pick in 1986 despite his proclivity for football. His selection was made in part because of this scouting report from April, 1985, which left the evaluator nearly at a loss for adjectives when trying to describe the youngster’s ability.

Jackson had a good, but not great baseball career. However, he never dedicated himself to the game full-time until after he was severely injured playing football, making him one of baseball’s great what-if questions.

I don't get paid for most of my writing work, so it can sometimes be a struggles to keep it going. If you have enjoyed my work and are feeling generous, please consider submitting a donation using the Paypal button below. If not, I hope you continue reading. Thanks!

 

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Former Boston Red Sox Outfielder Troy O'Leary Answers Some Questions

Baseball teams come to be defined by their players as much as the successes or failures they have with their win/loss records. In particular, the Boston Red Sox have a rich tradition of players who have left indelible marks on the franchise and its fans. One player who is surely in that category is Troy O’Leary, who came to Boston under humble circumstances, but left as a tremendous success.

The left-handed O’Leary was a 13th-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987. He was a .300 hitter in the minors, but could never crack the team’s big league roster beyond brief stints in 1993 and 1994.

Shortly after the start of the 1995 season, O’Leary was released, but was quickly snapped up by the Red Sox, who had a big hole in right field. It turned out to be a brilliant maneuver, as he went on to hit .308 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI in 112 games, and the Red Sox won the American League East.

O’Leary wound up having a productive seven-year career with the Red Sox, playing both right field and left. His best season came in 1999, when he hit .280 with 28 home runs and 103 RBI in 157 games.

His defining moment came that same year in the ALDS in the deciding Game 5 against the Cleveland Indians. Behind his two home runs (including a grand slam) and seven RBI, the Red Sox rallied from an early deficit to take the series and advance to the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

While they team failed to make the World Series in 1999, the heroics of O’Leary became a permanent part of Red Sox lore.

His final season in Boston came in 2001 when he appeared in 104 games, but hit just .240 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI.

Following the season, he signed as a free agent with the Montreal Expos. After one season there, he finished his major league career with the Chicago Cubs in 2003. He also played in Korea in 2004, and in Mexico in 2005 before calling it a career.

During his 11 seasons in the majors, he hit a combined .274 with 127 home runs and 591 RBI. He was often overshadowed in Boston by bigger names like Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and Mo Vaughn, but the once lightly-regarded player carved out a very nice career and niche for himself in team history.

Other than trying to jumpstart a baseball reality show, O’Leary has remained out of the spotlight in retirement. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the way he quietly became one of the most consistent players in Red Sox history.

I had the opportunity to exchange messages with O’Leary and ask him a few questions about his career. Check out what he had to say!

Troy O’Leary Questionnaire:

Who was your favorite coach or manager?: Kevin Kennedy.

What was the strangest thing you ever saw as a player?: A routine ground ball and a person ran on the field naked.

Who was the toughest pitcher you ever faced?: Randy Johnson.

If you could do anything differently about your career, what would that be?: Not go to Korea.

I haven't done this before, but figured I would give it a shot. I don't get paid for most of my writing work, so it can sometimes be a struggles to keep it going. If you have enjoyed my work and are feeling generous, please consider submitting a donation using the Paypal button below. If not, I hope you continue reading. Thanks!

 

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The Baseball Historian's Notes for May 13, 2013

Baseball in just about any context is a good thing. During the regular season, the attention of fans is typically riveted to the on-field action, but there are many fascinating nuggets of baseball awesomeness hidden all over in the form of its history. You just have to know where to look to find them. To help you on your way to discovering some of the delights from baseball’s past, I have dug up some items that should both engross and entertain.

Baseball is a game that can be enjoyed as much in the moment as it can be in projecting its future and discovering its past. Without further ado, let’s see how well I can do at putting the historian in “Baseball Historian.”

***Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. Unfortunately, he is also known for his controversial opinions. He developed this reputation after a 1994 article by Pat Jordan for Philadelphia Magazine portrayed the southpaw in a less than favorable light. The piece was meant to be a “where are they now” type of article, but it developed into much more than that. Carlton came across as paranoid and self-centered, setting the tone for his post-career legacy.

Carlton later refuted how he was portrayed, but has never been able to erase the stain from his image. He has receded into the shadows since that interview, but it’s worth giving a second look because it provides such unique insight into one of baseball’s all-time greats.

***It’s always interesting to find out what scouts thought of all-time great players before they became stars. Check out this scouting report from 1987, profiling outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

The scout, Steve Vrablik, obviously knew what he was doing, as he designated Griffey as a five-tool player and recommended him for a maximum signing bonus of $175,000-$200,000.

Perhaps the funniest part of the report was the reference to Griffey’s “solid thighs and buttocks.” There isn’t further elaboration on whether that was in regards to lower-body strength or trying to figure out how he would look in baseball pants.

***In the unfortunate news story of last week, former outfielder Otis Nixon was arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop in Georgia. The 54-year-old was found with crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in his car, and was initially held in jail on a nearly $12,000 bond.

Nixon was known for his speed during a 17-year major league career with nine teams, including the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. Although he had just 180 total extra-base hits, he stole 620 bases, which currently ranks 16^th all-time.

He struggled with drug abuse during his playing career, running afoul of the law and earning a 60-game suspension in 1991 for a failed drug test.

Although Nixon got sober late in his career, it appears that his decades-long battle his demons continue. Hopefully, he can turn things around once and for all and be better known as the player who stole 72 bases in 124 games in 1991 instead of what has put his name in the headlines for so long.

***Sportspressnw.com’s David Eskenazi has been putting out some truly amazing articles featuring some of the best baseball players from the past that the West Coast has ever seen. One of his recent featured players was “Buffalo” Bill Schuster, one of the greatest shortstops in the history of the Pacific Coast League

Schuster played in 123 major league games over parts of five seasons, but combined for just a .234 batting average with one home run and 17 RBI. Fortunately, he found much greater success in the PCL.

Also known as “Screwball,” Schuster was as well known for his unpredictable behavior as he was his play on the field. One brilliant scouting report described him thusly: “Schuster is a big league shortstop with a bush brain. He is noisy and offensive and probably the last person in the world to be wrecked with on a desert island. Yet he hits well and fields brilliantly, which is why he is always around.”

With 2,168 hits in 16 minor league seasons added to his reputation as a character, Schuster is one old-timer who shouldn’t be forgotten.

***With few exceptions, baseball stadiums are among the most beautiful architectural achievements in the world. Fenway Park in Boston is not only the oldest major league stadium still in use, but is also one of the most aesthetically pleasing. To see what I mean, check out this fantastic photo of the “Fens.”

***Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson became the first hired  African-American manager in major league history when he assumed leadership of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. However, as the Washington Examiners’ Thom Loverro recently pointed out, Robinson was not technically the majors’ first black manager.

In 1973, Chicago Cubs coach Ernie Banks (like Robinson, also a Hall of Fame player) was forced into service as a manager, after Cubs’ manager Whitey Lockman was ejected late in a tight game against the San Diego Padres. Thanks in part to a few strategic moves on Banks’ part, the Cubs went on to win in 12 innings.

Although Banks never got a full-time gig as a manager in the major leagues, his historic turn as a skipper is an important part of baseball history and a key moment of his career.

***Finishing up this week’s post is a little moment of Zen brought to you by none other than the immortal Scott Bakula.

The Quantum Leap actor took the microphone before a game in the 1993 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, and belted out a pretty respectable version of the National Anthem. Enjoy!

I haven't done this before, but figured I would give it a shot. I don't get paid for most of my writing work, so it can sometimes be a struggles to keep it going. If you have enjoyed my work and are feeling generous, please consider submitting a donation using the Paypal button below. If not, I hope you continue reading. Thanks!

 

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