A Few Short Thoughts On Our Baby 'Stros

MAR 16th, 2012-While my time was limited in Kissimmee, and most of that time was behind a camera, I did notice just a few details concerning some of our minor leaguers. Some are more minor than others, so take it for what it's worth:

David Martinez, RHP
2011-Class A Lexington

-Fastball was a tick below normal (to be expected; early in camp), and seemed to have gained a little weight. Shouldn't be an issue, as long as he doesn't gain much more.

Telvin Nash, 1B-DH
2011-Class A Lexington

-Has definitely gained weight. He's a big guy to begin with, but I have a feeling that last year's listed weight of 230 may be about 15 pounds less than he weighs now. Same issues that Frank Thomas faced when he played; it could be that he can play at a heavier weight, but I'd be careful about that if I were him. Better he be mindful of it now than to play with bum knees at age 30.

Mike Kvasnicka, 3B
2011-Class A Lexington

-For the time I was able to see him, he worked exclusively at catcher. Never once saw him without the gear on. I'm thinking that Houston has accepted that he won't ever hit for enough power for a corner infielder, so moving him back behind the plate (C experience from his days at U of Minn.) takes full advantage of that strong arm of his. If he handles the transition well, he'll probably stay there for the time being.

Jason Chowning, RHP
2011-Class A Lexington

-From my talks with him, his arm seems to be feeling better than he expected. There was some concern over a possible torn labrum (see WTH, Bobby post from Sept 28th, 2011) but thus far he says he's feeling much better. From my point of view, he seems to have lost weight; I would be very surprised if his 2011 weight of 178 wasn't a bit high, maybe by around 8 pounds. Dude looks THIN. I'd be concerned about his endurance, through a full season. (ed. note-He and I talked about the "dude looks THIN" observation on the evening of the 15th, I believe. He says he worked out intensively to decrease his body fat percentage this past off-season and actually was a fair sight heavier than I had thought. Seeing him during and after camp drills in person really gives you the impression that his time in the gym will pay significant dividends this year. I told him my concern was that his being underweight for his height/frame could make getting through the long season a little tougher, but I think I may have missed the mark on that assessment. I'm just glad his arm is feeling better.)

Ruben Sosa, OF
2011-Class A Lexington, Rookie-League Greeneville

-Not that it matters, but there is NO WAY Sosa is 5'7". Just saying. Anyway, swing looked a little long in limited time I saw him. He's got time to work that out, of course.

Vincent Velasquez, RHP
2011-DNP (Injured)

-Vince tells me his arm feels great now, and that he's throwing free and easy since his surgery. I imagine he'll start the year in Greeneville for a short time, although rumor has it that he could go straight to Lexington. More on that, later.

Adrian Houser, RHP
2011-Draftee

-Houser strikes me as somewhat advanced on the mound, in terms of the mental aspects of pitching. He's certainly got the stuff to go along with it. With Archie Bradley and Dylan Bundy coming in the same draft, it may have been easy for some to forget Houser has some pretty wicked stuff, too. Once he has a full season under his belt, I doubt it will be so easy.

Mitchell Lambson, LHP
2011-Short-Season Tri-City

-The one thing that stuck out for me about Lambson, besides the fact that I never saw him without a smile on  his face (I'd be enjoying myself, too), was the changeup. Wicked. Looked to be about 15 MPH less than the FB, but same arm motion, same slot, same release point. Very nice tail and sink on that pitch; with a solid breaking ball, he could definitely be one to watch. While he reported to camp with hair down to his shoulders, Houston was not having it. He got rid of it, and in a hurry. Looks like a different person, altogether. Seems like a nice kid; will be interesting to watch his progress.

Brandon Culbreth, RHP
2011-GSL Astros

-This 8th round pick throws a FB that peaks around 95, plus a slider/cutter type pitch (his words) he relies on extensively. Working on control that was shaky coming into camp, but making progress. Development of a reliable breaking ball (according to him, one of his greatest deficits) will determine how quickly he progresses in the system. Has good, projectable frame; FB may top out around 97 at his peak, if he's used in the 'pen. 

Mission Kissimmee: Reflections On A Modestly Successful Trip

MAR 13th, 2012-Well...sigh.

I'd like to think that the trip to Kissimmee was well worth the time and money, but there are a few things that didn't quite go the way I had expected. A lot of things, actually.

Where do I start?

1. Timing is everything-My whole reason for making this trip was to get as many good shots of the Astros in training as I could, and the first real access to the Osceola Complex I had was on the day I left Florida. If I had known that they wouldn't be opening things up for the rest of us until then I would never have gone down until the first week of March at the earliest. That one you can blame on my pride; if I had bothered to call the Astros front office to find out how things were going to be, none of this would have been an issue. Which brings me to...

2. Why did I go?-This one is a little cloudy for me. I felt like I wanted to share the pics I got with my fellow Astros fans, and I guess I thought I would be able to make some contacts while there. Finding work as a freelance photographer is not as hard as it sounds; you just have to work your butt off and put yourself out there. In my mind, I felt like it was worth making the trip just for the experience, but part of me thought it would mean more than it did. Does that make sense? Probably not. Let's just say that I was hoping to pick up a little work in the process, but I should have put that idea aside and just enjoyed myself. As it was, I spent 90 percent of my time stuck in my hotel room, editing pics of players I've never met, hoping that I could make some of those pics available to the players themselves. The thing is, only a few of them even acknowledged that I was there (thank you, Brandon Culbreth, Adrian Houser, Rene Garcia, Vincent Velasquez and Jason Chowning). Why should I expect anything different? They don't know me from Adam. I should have just enjoyed the process and the fact that HELLO I'M IN FLORIDA, but I took it way too seriously. What I didn't think about was that...

3. Baseball is a Game-And games are supposed to be fun. When I got too focused on business, I forgot that this should have been fun for me. I can't really say it was as fun as I had hoped. And that was my fault.


I did make a new connection with one of last year's draft picks (Mitchell Lambson) and also got to hang out with Brandon on a few occasions, had dinner with him and Adrian, went to a tattoo shop with Brandon and Vince to see Vince's new tat (good GOD, it's a big one), got to talk to Rene a few times in the hotel lounge, and talked to Jason about his arm and his feelings about the progress he's made. That was the part that meant the most to me. These guys are living the dream, and I take a great interest in the experiences they have off the field while adjusting to a new life with new possibilities.

But I didn't go for that. It was just a bonus. I love photography. I would have gone only for the pics. I picked up a little work from a local paper covering one of the hopefuls in camp, so there's that, and got a couple of shots for a player's family (who were so hyped about it). Some of these kids will land in Lexington this year, and we'll be here when they do. I'll be doing my best to give them the best shots I can get.

Only thing is, I have to remember to have fun. For 9 days in Florida, I almost forgot that part. 

Mission Kissimmee: Travel Day 2-Arrival

FEB 28th, 2012-Good LORD. Finally.

After 13 hours on the road (granted, some of it was random meandering), and a thousand miles (give or take), I'm finally safe and comfortable in my hotel room. Here I stay for the next 9 days, floating about Houston's ST camp at Osceola County Stadium, burning up my camera and meeting with players. With even a tiny bit of luck, there should be plenty material coming your way on TGOG, and if you're a reader of The Crawfish Boxes or Appy Astros you'll see my links there, too, along with photos and other neat stuff.

My plan for tomorrow involves hooking up with RHPs Brandon Culbreth and Vincent Velasquez, so plan on seeing a spot o' news on those fellas. As it's very late now (or very early, depending on your point of view), I'm hitting the sack. When the sun rises, the Mission begins. 

Mission Kissimmee: Travel Day 1

FEB 27th, 2012-This year, for the first time since 1998, I'm going to Spring Training. God, how I love me some Spring Training.

Having driven 400 miles today, I finally decided to stop and rest for a bit. An early wake-up call and a spot o' breakfast, and I'm on my way to Kissimmee, Florida and Osceola County Stadium, the ST complex of the Houston Astros.

This year, my focus will be on Houston, as I plan to shoot somewhere around 5,000-6,000 photos, as well as new articles on Brandon Culbreth, Vincent Velasquez, Ruben Sosa, Murilo Gouvea, and much more. This is a big, big deal for me. I'm going to bust my butt behind the camera and I hope to bring you, the fan, as much coverage as I possibly can. Tune in to TGOG for photos and articles during the next 9 days, and as always, thanks for stopping by :)

Rumor Control On Culbreth's Eye Surgery

I notice that there are a few posts out there in response to a Twitter post from Houston righty Brandon Culbreth concerning his upcoming eye surgery. 

Here's a little clarification on that surgery, just to lay a little calm on we Astros fans. This is straight from his mother, by the way. 

Brandon has been diagnosed with a chalazion, the removal of which is a very simple procedure and does not require any significant recovery time. So the reports of “eye surgery” have caused a mild panic in the Astros community but there is no reason for concern. Of course, it's understandable that even the mention of surgery can cause a stir, but in this case it's not warranted.  

Chalazia can form when a gland at the edge of the eyelid (near the eyelashes) becomes blocked, and while they can become larger and cause local infection they often will regress and be reabsorbed on their own. In the cases where they must be removed, removal involves excision of the cyst under local anesthesia. The affected eye is covered with a rigid patch for the first 8 hours and the patient is advised to avoid contact lenses and to keep the eye dry and clean. Eye drops are often prescribed to prevent infection and for pain control, and post-op follow-up is usually 3-4 weeks after the procedure. 

Anyway, there's the long and short of it. If anyone has further questions, lay 'em on me. 

Player Interview: Brandon Culbreth, RHP, GCL Astros

 "It's crazy. It will hit me when I am at the airport about to board the plane. It hasn't hit me that I am a professional baseball player." 

-Brandon Culbreth, shortly after he was announced as the 8^th round pick of the Houston Astros

JAN 17th, 2012-Remember the days before TiVO?

There was a time, not so long ago, when there were no such things as DVRs or TiVO boxes. No pause button for live TV, no skipping commercials. And if you stepped away for a moment, you were gonna miss whatever happened. A bathroom break, ill-timed, and J.R. is stiff as a board, already.

If you weren't born while Gerald Ford was in office, you might not get that reference. Tough. Google it.

Most of us never had to concern ourselves with missing anything terribly important, in situations like that. Situations that changed our lives in ways slightly more meaningful than missing the new Twilight trailer. Like hearing your name announced on a live broadcast as a newly-drafted professional baseball player. But I digress. (ed. note-fortunately we have the Internet; the MLB Draft was 'live' online, and of course the  Draft isn't televised) My point is, there's something to be said for being "in The Moment", "being there", "showing up" or whatever you want to call it. From time to time, The Moment has a habit of sneaking up on you, so it really is true that half of life is just showing up. 

Brandon Culbreth nearly missed his Moment. Turns out Nature called before the Houston Astros.

Recently, I had a chance to sit down with Brandon and talk to him about his experiences in pro ball as a newly-drafted member of the Astros:

I'd like to start by asking you about the day of the 2011 Draft. After having sat through hours of names being called, did you nearly miss your name being called because of a “prior obligation”?

Haha yes I did, on day two of the draft Mom had asked me to stay by the computer all day just in case my name was called. I expected to hear my name in the 40th or 50th rounds so i wasn't too focused on day 2. But seconds after Greg Holts (UNC) name was called i was making a B-line for the bathroom and on my way i heard "8th round pick the Houston Astros select Brandon Culbreth 250th pick overall". Very surreal. Phone blew up after that.

-While the Astros drafted you as a pitcher, you also played third base and OF for Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina. Would you have any preference as to how you are utilized by Houston, if you had final say on the matter?

Haha no sir, I can't hit. I think pitching is the right fit for me. 

-You played your first three seasons at Ronald Reagan High School in Pfafftown, then transferred to FCD and played under coach Andy Partin. Both schools are part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School District. Was there any specific reason behind the move?

Better coaching and better competition. I owe all of my accomplishments to Partin and the team of Dirtbag coaches. Some had to do with grades but i wont get into that haha. It was a better fit for me and turned out to be the best decision of my life. 

-As far as learning experiences in amateur ball are concerned, what lesson would you say will serve you best, now that you're a pro?

Learned that baseball is a failure sport. Your going to fail way more than you succeed but you have (to) overcome those failures. Also, not to take anything for granted because you never know when your last game will be.

-According to Baseball America's scouting report, you were sitting in the high-80's with your fastball at the time the report was written. As of late summer 2011 you were hitting the mid-90's. Coach Partin attributes the time you devoted in the weight room to your jump in velocity. Do you feel like you were able to make changes to your mechanics or your approach in general that contributed to this increase, or would you credit your time hitting the weights most of all?

Most was the weight room but also the extra year of high school helped me mature and realize that I wanted baseball more than anything and i was going to work my ass off to become the player i wanted to be. I stopped all the partying and stayed out of trouble and it turned my life around.

-Had you not been drafted, you were planning to attend N. C. State. Do you feel your transition to pro ball will be significantly more difficult because you are making the jump straight from high school?

Tough question because I didn't attend college but it's nice not having to find that even mix of workouts, baseball, and schoolwork. Pro ball, I can strictly focus on baseball.

-Are there certain aspects of pitching that you are finding more difficult to master than others?

Throwing strikes! haha. Ask any of my coaches...I can't do it. I still have so much to learn about the game but I feel I've improved a lot since starting pro ball.

-What one experience would you say stuck with you the most from your brief time in the Gulf Coast League in 2011?

My first day in extended, (a) Dominican player walks up to me and asks if I'm "mericon". I thought he said are you American so I answer "si". All the (Dominican players) went nuts. Later learned "mericon" means gay.

-If you could pass on some advice to younger pitchers, what would that be?

Don't let anyone get in the way of your dreams. Hard work pays off.

-If, God forbid, your plans fell through and you had to become something other than a baseball player, what would that something be?

Don't jinx me. Personal Training.