Astros Future’s Minor League Guide For 2015

Aug 11, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Domingo Santana (13) reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros Top Three Right Field Prospects

1. Domingo Santana (DOB: 08/05/92)

Domingo Santana was originally signed by the Phillies out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. Santana was traded to the Astros as part of the return in the Hunter Pence trade. He was actually the player to be named later, which turned out to be a steal by the Astros. His first full season with the Astros system was in 2012 where Santana was assigned to A+ Lancaster. In 2o12 he hit .302 with 26 2B, 23 HR in 125 games. In 2013 he played the full season at AA Corpus Christi hitting .252 with 23 2B, 25 HR, 64 RBI.

Unfortunately his play comes with strikeouts which has included 786 strikeouts in 629 minor league games. In 2014 he played in AAA hitting well to the tune of .296 BA. He got a cup of coffee with the Astros but struggled. Santana has a big arm in RF and has massive power. Santana just turned 22 years old and is still very young for his level.

2014 Stats: .296 BA/.384 OBP/.474 SLG, 27 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 81 RBI, 64 BB/149 SO in 120 games (AAA).

2. Danry Vasquez (DOB: 01/08/94)

Vasquez is another outfielder acquired via trade. Vasquez originally signed with the Tigers and was trade in the middle of the 2013 season for Jose Veras. I really liked this trade too. As a 19 year old in the Midwest League, Vasquez was hitting .283 with 16 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 40 RBI prior to the trade. He put together a nice run with Quad Cities en route to winning the Midwest League Championship. Coming into 2014, Vasquez was thought of as a breakout prospect especially with him playing in Lancaster.

Unfortunately in 2014 the power didn’t show up as expected. He did hit 30 2B but only 5 HR in 114 games while hitting .291. Vasquez played primarily right field for the Jethawks but can also play left field. Vasquez does do a good job of making contact though only striking out 68 times in 114 games. His speed and arm in the outfield are average meaning a lot will be riding on his bat. He will be 21 years old for the whole 2015 season and may repeat Lancaster.

2014 Stats: .291 BA/.353 OBP/.407 SLG, 30 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 40 BB/68 SO in 114 games.

3. Jon Kemmer (DOB: 11/17/90)

Kemmer was an under the radar draft pick in the 21st round out of Brewton-Parker College in 2013. He was assigned to Tri–City following the draft and hit .221 with 4 HR, 16 RBI in 65 games. In 2014 however, he made nice improvements in all areas, especially in power. KemKem (as referred to on Twitter) is listed at 6’2″ and 220 lbs, so it is obvious to see where the power comes from. Kemmer actually played 24 games at 1B, 23 in RF, and 20 in LF. He hit well in Lancaster last season, which is known to be great hitter’s park. At this point, I see Kemmer starting off in the Lancaster outfield but could make a push for AA Corpus in 2015.

2014 Stats: .291 BA/.345 OBP/.523 SLG, 25 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 50 RBI, 24 BB/72 SO in 91 games.

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