Astros’ Minors: Alex Bregman Promoted to Lancaster

By Larry Manch | Aug 2, 2015

Astros Class-A Report: Quad Cities River Bandits (July 25-31)

Alex Bregman, the Astros top amateur pick, was promoted on July 27 after only one month as a professional. Along with River Bandits outfielder Sean McMullen, both players were advanced to the High-A Lancaster JetHawks as the Astros continue to move talent up the chain.

Bregman, considered by some observers to be on the fast track to the big leagues, was hitting .259, with a .368 OBP, and .699 OPS in 29 games at Quad Cities. The former LSU Tiger has made eight errors at shortstop and spent several games as designated hitter. He is listed by the Astros as their #1 prospect and appears at #27 on the MLB’s top 100 lists.

His teammate McMullen is a second-year professional, after being drafted by Houston in the 30^th round in 2014. The 5’9″, 186 pounds 23-year-old hit .256 with a .302 OBP in 42 games last season with the Greenville Astros in the Appalachian (Rookie) League. This year, he hit .239 with a .322 OBP in 66 Midwest League games, playing all three outfield positions.

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While most of the attention has gone to Bregman, his now former teammate Drew Ferguson has done an exceptional job of stepping into the River Bandits lineup and producing. The 22-year-old, 19^th round Astros pick in the 2015 amateur draft has played right and left field in his first 13 games in the Midwest League after moving up from Tri-City on July 14, and is hitting .327, with a .379 OBP.

Cover photo courtesy of @QCBanditPhotog.

Other notes:

RHP David Paulino was promoted on July 26 to High-A Lancaster. The 6′ 7″ Paulino was 3-2, with a 1.57 ERA in 28.2 innings at Quad Cities.
RHP Agapito Barrios was advanced to Quad Cities to replace Paulino. The 21-year-old 2010 non-drafted free agent signee was 0-0 with a 2.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 18 innings at Tri-City.
2B Jose Fernandez returned to Quad Cities after playing 57 games in 2015 with Lancaster. He was hitting .208, with a .306 OBP, a .583 OPS, and 16 errors with the JetHawks. Fernandez hit .279 last season in 40 games with the River Bandits.
1B Bryan Muniz moved up to Quad Cities from Tri-City on July 27. He is hitting .314 in his last ten games, .292 in 29 games with the Valley Cats. In a previous 2015 stint with the River Bandits, he hit .174.
2B Alex Hernandez was released on July 28 by Quad Cities. He hit .175/.296/.217 in 46 games. The 23-year-old was a 40^th round pick by the Astros in 2014. He hit .210 last year in 56 games with the Tri-City Valley Cats in the Class-A Short Season NY-Penn League.
The Bandits’ leading hitter, Nick Tanielu, drove in a career-high four runs in the July 28 win over Beloit.
RHP Dean Deetz made the jump on July 29 to Quad Cities from Tri-City. Deetz was 4-2, 2.86 ERA, in seven games, 28.1 innings with the Valley Cats.
RHP Christian Powell was promoted on the same day from Quad Cities to Lancaster. His record with the River Bandits was 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 48.2 innings.
Quad Cities remains the best overall team in the Midwest League with a 66-36 record.

Next: Mark DeRosa's Interesting Mock Astros Trade

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