Houston Astros Minor League Players Of The Month: April
By Jimmy Price
Houston Astros MiLB Players Of The Month: April
The Houston Astros put together a great April but there were some fantastic performances in the minor leagues as well. All the Houston Astros minor league teams finished the month above .500, mainly in part to the guys on this list. Let’s check out the top performers for the month of April.
AAA: Fresno Grizzlies
HITTER: Preston Tucker, OF
- April Stats: 20 G, .329 BA/.371 OBP/.683 SLG, 18 R, 2 2B, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 6 BB/16 SO
Tucker put together a phenomenal month of April. The Astros outfield looks pretty solid right now but I am sure Tucker will get a chance eventually. Just for reference, he now has .297 BA, 20 2B, 16 HR, 80 RBI in 93 AAA games.
PITCHER: Jake Buchanan, RHP
- April Stats: 2-0, 3.68 ERA, 22.0 IP, 24 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 3.66 FIP
This one was a little tougher. The Grizzlies staff struggled a bit with some of the bullpen guys doing well. I decided to go with Buchanan, who lead the Grizzlies in innings pitched. He also allowed just one walk in 22 innings.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks
HITTER: Carlos Correa, SS
- April Stats: 19 G, .385 BA/.455 OBP/.744 SLG, 19 R, 11 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 9 BB/16 SO, 5 SB
This choice wasn’t very hard. Correa has lived up to and exceeded expectations at this point. His first taste of AA pitching and he absolutely destroyed it. The future is bright with Correa in the system.
PITCHER: Lance McCullers, RHP
- April Stats: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 14.0 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 21 SO, 13.5 K/9
As with Correa, this is McCullers first taste of AA. I don’t know if I could have imagined a more dominant start to the season for him. It is really nice to see him start fast and really look forward to seeing him more this summer.
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Climbing Tal's Hill
A+: Lancaster Jethawks
HITTER: Brett Phillips, CF
- April Stats: 21 G, .341 BA/.379 OBP/.634 SLG, 17 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB/13 SO
Phillips ended last season on a hot streak in Lancaster and this season it continued. He hasn’t stolen bases like he did last season but you have to love the extra base hits. He is now hitting .340 with 14 2B, 8 HR in 47 games for Lancaster between 2014/2015.
PITCHER: Tyler Brunnemann, RHP
- April Stats: 0-0, 0.57 ERA, 15.2 IP, 13 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 18 SO, 10.3 K/9
Typically starters get the nod with performances of the month but Brunnemann has been great. He made 8 appearances totaling the 15.2 innings and now has a career minor league ERA of 2.31.
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A: Quad Cities River Bandits
HITTER: Derek Fisher, OF
- April Stats: 14 G, .314 BA/.397 OBP/.647 SLG, 12 R, 2 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB/13 SO
The Astros supplemental pick last draft really came out of the gates hot. He missed a few games due to injury but still lead QC in homeruns. Just for reference, Fisher hit 2 HR in 41 games last season and he already has 5 HR this season.
PITCHER: Joseph Musgrove, RHP
- April Stats: 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 20.2 IP, 17 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 20 SO, 0.4 BB/9
Musgrove broke out last season but has done very well in full season ball this season. The 1 BB/20 SO is amazing. This was the hardest decision though as Daniel Mengden (2.04 ERA, 22 K in 17.2 IP) and Brock Dykxhoorn (2.03 ERA) were both very deserving.
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