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. 

Green Diamonds: Mike Kvasnicka, 3B, Lexington Legends (Class A, SAL, Houston Astros)

Kvasnicka swings away vs. Asheville Tourists, 8-23-2011;
Photo by Clinton Riddle

Michael Kvasnicka

Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2", Weight: 200 lb.
Born: December 7, 1988 in Lakeville, Minnesota, US (Age 22)
Drafted by: Minnesota Twins in the 31st round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft and the Houston Astros in the 1st round (33rd) of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Overview: Originally played OF with occasional catching duties when signed out of University of Minnesota...Three-sport star (baseball, football and hockey) who competed in state championships in baseball and hockey...Minnesota State High School Player of the Year in 2007..While playing for Lakeville HS (Lakeville, MN), set all-time school records in HR, RBI and consecutive games played...Father Jay was drafted in the 8th round in 1988 by Minnesota Twins, reaching Class AAA...Mike batted .314, driving in 26 runs while playing for the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers of the Northwoods League in 2009, gaining All-Star honors...Led Tri-City (Class A-, NY-Penn League) in RBI with 36 in 2010...Batted .260, led team with 59 RBI and 32 doubles at Lexington (Class A, SAL) in 2011.

K-Man in the field; Photo by Clinton Riddle

Strengths: Kvasnicka manages to square up and make solid contact reasonably well for someone who doesn't use his lower half in his swing. His bat speed and aggressive nature at the plate allows him to let the pitch get deeper in his zone before he swings. He has mainly gap-to-gap doubles power at this point, but he still has time to allow his power to develop. In the field, Kvasnicka handles the hot corner well for someone who is relatively new to the position. His range is slightly better to his glove side, and he makes the majority of routine plays (see below). His arm strength is solid, no doubt helped along by his catching experience, and projects to be at least ML average if not plus. He makes throws to first with confidence, and cannot be underestimated even when throwing from deep behind the bag. He seems to take real joy in what he does, and is often smiling and cutting up with his partner at short between innings.

Weaknesses: While he doesn't seem to be overmatched at third, he is still a work in progress at the position. His 31 errors will attest to that. He can sometimes be caught off-guard by harder ground balls, which is likely due (again) to his having to learn the position while on the job. At bat, he can be overpowered at times by even average fastballs and is often cuffed on pitches up and in. He can battle pitchers who throw a steady diet of breaking pitches, but those at-bats end in groundouts too often. Because he doesn't use his lower body to drive into the pitch he doesn't drive the ball as well as he could, and this also translates into pop-ups on high fastballs that he otherwise could either lay off or drive the other way. He seems to rely on his bat speed and instincts more than he ought to, and will have to learn to leverage himself better if his power potential is to develop. Even so, he is likely to be little more than average (or slightly below) in that department when/if he reaches the majors.

Outlook: Because Houston is in the position it is in (ahem), Kvasnicka may find himself bumped up with regularity. He could probably handle a promotion to AA next year, but would benefit from more time at Lexington before that happens. He strikes me as the type of player whose intangibles make him a positive clubhouse presence, and he did handle advancing to Class A well, while bettering all of his major offensive stats, in the process. Kvasnicka fit in very well with the Legends, and seemed to bond especially well with SS Ben Orloff, which was beneficial to them both as they learned each others' habits and tendencies in the field quickly. Overall, he may not ever be the type of slugging third sacker we've seen in recent times, but at the very least he should at least be a versatile bench player and part-time starter at the ML level (especially when you factor in his experience behind the dish), and the needs of the big club could have him finding out for himself sooner rather than later.

2012 Season-Should start the year with Lexington, with consideration for advancement around mid-season.


Clinton Riddle
The Grand Old Game